Crimson Planet

This is not a story of science fact. This is fantastic science fiction. The old guard kind. The raypunk kind.

Tosh, formally of the House du'Vaul, is on the road to make or break his fortune. Bors of the Northern Mountains is a barbarian needing escape from the authorities. The two are brought together by a mysterious figure and given a quest, to find the Eye of Saturnalia. On the Crimson Planet.

(This is the first in the Known World Series)

Excerpt:
The windswept, rust-tinged plains of Tharsis fell behind Tosh, formally of the House du'Vaul, as his rented saurial mount plodded along the Ancient's Road. The dark green of the domeheaded mount clashed with the red-orange sand of Mars. The wastes that swept outward from the dark Ancient's Road on either side were dry, dreary, and deserted. The road they followed was the Ancient's Road, set down and sealed so that no sand, nor wind, nor foot, or wagon wheel could damage the dark, midnight-blue stone path, winding its way from Gods' Home to the Tharsis Crossroads, Lotus, Tharsis Prime, and eventually, End Road. The road was a merchant's dream with its well-stocked way stations positioned every fifty leagues, and with no need to have them maintained, no road tax or travel tax. The stations themselves were stocked by some ancient magi-tech that none in the Mercantile League dared exploit for fear of breaking the wonderful way-station and losing a place to stay. Yet Tosh did fear one thing the road brought.

Bandits.