Red River
The Red River runs from the City of Cartoons north along the eastern border of Taebur and into the Kingdom of Egg beyond. It is fed by the White River and Blue River, which converge in the City of Cartoons, though might as well be a completely separate river, since at the point where it forms, the waters of the Red River become (as its name might suggest) a deep red colour. They also become completely and utterly deadly. The water is poisonous, highly radioactive, and a major mutagen. However, very few survive long enough to experience the water's mutagenic properties.
Ecosystem
Surprisingly (or perhaps not so suprisingly--this is the Gamma Age, after all), there are things living in the river. No reliable, accurate accounts of what those things are have ever been made. No one ever gets close enough to these lifeforms to learn anything about them and survive. However, there are numerous reliable accounts of "shapes" in the water that scholars accept that the lifeforms do indeed exist.
In all likelihood, these creatures are highly mutated from Per-Wars fish and animals. These creatures now would be essentially immune to radiation, and possibly further mutation as well. However, it's just as likely these creatures continue to mutate in all kinds of frightening ways.
They must get most of their food from preying on each other. However, given that no one survives an encounter with them, it would seem that they like to feast on anything living that approaches the edge of the river.
Fauna & Flora
Nothing lives or grows near the river. Although it's possible to walk on the ground near the river without serious harm, virtually nothing will grow in the ground within at least half a kilometre of the river's banks (and often much farther away). The few things that will grow are mutant plants that are almost as deadly as the river itself.
History
Stories say that the Red River was once the main source of life on this part of the continent. Animals used it as a water source, and people used its water to allow them to farm the desert. The presence of numerous ruined settlements along its banks provides ample evidence for this, But the Final Wars ended that. What exactly happened--an experiment gone wrong, a dropped bomb, a deliberate poisoning, or something else--is unknown.
Most of the settlements along the river are now empty or occupied only by transients who don't stay long. The only exceptions are the City of Cartoons and Carrot, far to the north of Taebur, and even in those cities, people stay well away from its banks. Most of the empty ruins have been searched by explorers and researchers at some point, but there are likely still secrets hidden in them for those brave enough to search them further.
