Grashen River

Overview

One of the smaller rivers in Dosjorya, the mouth of the Grashen River is the site of the very first settlement when humans arrived. The Grashen River stretches east to west from the forest to the coast, with its source being a spring.

Features

Two rivers join the Grashen's waters long its brief length, broadening the river dramatically along its lower portions. Upstream from these tributaries, the Grashen River is too narrow for larger boats but can be navigated by small craft, namely pieced together rafts made by poorer farmers and tradesmen hoping to sell their extra goods downstream in Landfall. It's source is a small spring that provides clear water unsullied by silt. However, the temperature of the water is far warmer than that of any other spring fed river in Dosjorya, thought to be because of a deep cave located near the town of Eleson that holds a vast lake of churning lava. This cave and the town sit within sight of the Grashen River.
One of Dosjorya's six cities, two towns, and a handful of villages rely on the Grashen River. Landfall, the city near the river's mouth, is where humans first landed when they discovered Dosjorya. Gundenti and Tonlepelo roam the wild lands around this river, while Dookeni used to roam as far south as the Grashen prior to the arrival of humans.
Because of the clarity, fallen logs can easily be seen from the surface for recovery and use for art and architecture, especially in the upper stretches. Most of the fish that swim on the waters grow to unusually large proportions and many are of an unusual shape, tending to remain on the bottom and eating algae and organic detritus.
Roads run along either side of the river, connected infrequently by wooden bridges except near Landfall, where several stone bridges have been built. Much of the land north of the Grashen is used as farmland, though the lack of silt and minerals in the water make farming this land difficult, and large stretches of land are left fallow quite frequently. In contrast with farmers along other small rivers with no connection to the mountains, Grashen River farmers tend to be wealthier and can afford to let land sit in anticipation of better yields in future years.

Significance

The Grashen River does not receive the sheer amount of attention or traffic as larger rivers like the Great Achton River or the Great Lekmeton River, though its importance is more in what it provided the first humans: food, a waterway to forested lands, clean drinkable water, and a barrier on one side against invasion by angry Gendirlo. Despite its size and relative isolation, the Grashen River is still a heavily used waterway and without it, the city of Landfall would never have grown as large as it had.
For many centuries after landing in Dosjorya, the Grashen River formed part of the northern limit to human settlement. People were allowed to use land immediately north of the river, but the Gendirlo would not accept settling north of this. In time, lands between the Grashen and Bordere Rivers were conceded by the Gendirlo for accommodating a growing human population, allowing full use of the lands surrounding the Grashen River. Until recent times, few villages and towns had been founded in these new lands; much of the area had been claimed by wealthier land owners to expand their farms and the Grashen River still formed an unofficial border for most Dosjoryans.

Type

River