The Great Flood

This article was written for Summer Camp 2024 and may be missing some information. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comment section at the end of the article.

According to the scholarly history of Eldeth Cordell, on 12th O'gar 987 A.E., a devastating flood destroyed much of The Wallows in Revaelor.
Many properties were destroyed including homes businesses and livlihoods, and 107 people died as a result of the disaster.

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A deluge of despair

In the 10 days leading up to 12th O'gar 987 A.E. Revaelor had experienced rain never before been seen in living memory.

The Iron River had swollen to unprecedented levels, and most of the merchants who used the river to transport goods between Ironheim and the The Duchy ceased all trading. This was only after one unlucky vessel belonging to Buldran Brewing Supplies Company, capsized just north of the The Ersatz Harbour, causing injuries to six of the eight dwarves aboard the Longship who couldn't swim.
With surface water rising, the city guard was ordered to fill sacks with sand from the shores of the river and carry them up to the Duke's household to protect his exterior tiled veranda.

Rain Puddle Water Mirroring Wet by Anonymous

Meanwhile, some of the poorer properties in Shadesend and the Southend began to suffer structural problems from the amount of water pounding on their roofs. Some docks on the south edge of the Ersatz Harbour crumbled as they became submersed, and the streets became awash with hazards as detritus washed down from the upper districts.

"It is a particularly repugnant sort of greed that underpins the exploitation of misery, and there was plenty of that going on in those days. The price of materials, wood, iron nails, and certain construction tools increased three-fold, whilst the cost of wooden pails way surpassed the realm of the sensible. One cooper in Little Ironheim was apparently charging just shy of 50 silver revels per hastily constructed article."

Eldeth Cordell,
The Common Man's Guide to Astaeria

A Tumultuous Tide

On the morning of the 12th, the Iron River finally burst free of its banks, sending water spilling over the southern farmsteads.

River Stream Brook by Csillagvirág

With tremendous pressure on the harbour gate, the mechanism controlling the flow of water snapped, and with nothing to prevent the gate from rising, the strength of the tide rushed through and was funnelled towards the harbour through the canal.
The harbour, already overflowing, could not withstand the burden, and the natural incline of the city forced the water down towards the southwestern corner.

The tide washed away many structures, buildings, and even people that day. Around 107 people were declared missing and were later presumed dead, including several children.
Those who were left had to rebuild their homes, their businesses and their lives with what limited materials they could find and afford.

Lessons Learned?

On the 17th, with the rain subsiding and the tide safely retreating, a dedicated team of dwarven craftsmen from Little Ironheim began work on the harbour gate.
Some months later, The Duke, Emanuel Tarryn VI, created the Office of the Tidesmaster to monitor the water levels of the Iron River so that an early warning of potential flooding could be provided to the people of the city. The office also has authority over the opening and closing of the harbour gate, which depends entirely on the tidemaster's risk assessment.
This has provided very little comfort to the people of the southwestern corner over the years. Minor flooding is still a regular occurrence during Rostide, so much so that it has even given the area its name—the Wallows.
The Office of the Tidesmaster has come under increasing scrutiny since the Emperor took the city.

With priority given to commerce and outgoing trade, there have been occasions where the opening of the harbour gate has placed some of the poorest residents of the city directly at risk.
Many in the Wallows have taken matters into their own hands and it's now very common to see newer buildings elevated on platforms or stilts to keep flood waters at bay.
The Great Flood, though, as it came to be known, lives on in Elvaran history as a reminder that the natural world can devastate a city with a strength akin to that of an army.

Ammersee Boathouse Frozen Water by ArtsbyXD

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