THE SPINE

Inside the Empire, the Spine runs next to or on the entire western coast of Alagaësia. Although Murtagh has de facto ownership, he can not truly call it his own, having mysteriously lost half of his army there. Very few people travel through the Spine, as very few survive.
Most of Alagaësia and the Empire lie east of the Spine. Three main port cities of the Empire exist west of it, though: Teirm, Kuasta, and Narda. Teirm is the one most accessible to the rest of the Empire as the Toark River runs from it through a valley in the Spine and the Woadark Lake to Leona Lake. Narda is north of Teirm, and other than going through the Spine as is done by the people of Carvahall in Eldest, the only way to get to it by land it is to follow the Toark to Teirm and then head North. Kuasta is isolated from the rest of the Empire entirely by the Spine and the sea. Mountains lie to the north, south, and east of Kuasta, and the sea lies to the west. Because of its isolation, the people of Kuasta have strange customs and superstitions, such as tapping a doorway three times every time you enter and exit a room.