Upper Mistbane
The Upper Mistbane is that portion of the Mistbane running from its head in the RHODOPE MOUNTAINS down to the bend just south of LORETTA'S BLUFF.
Geography
The Mistbane River, or the Blue Creek, has its headwaters in the far Rhodope Mountains where it begins as little more than a trickle. It tumbles and flows, following many courses through the SHELVES OF THE MIST, Mist, where it gains more strength from tributaries and earns its river name. It breaks free of those
hills just north and east of the small town of PETERSBORO and the north-western DARKENFOLD.
As it enters the Darkenfold the river widens and slows its pace considerably, drifting down beneath the eaves of the Darkenfold where it continues its southern journey.
The Upper Mistbane is slow, it ranges from 80-120 feet wide, and is rather deep except in the two fords, MERRIC'S FORD and the seasonal SPOONDOWN FORD, that breach its travel. Patches of light or heavy fog, which reduce visibility considerably, accompany the Mistbane’s flow. Considered by many of the locals to be dangerous, they avoid the fog at all costs. They speak of tales of ghosts who snatch the unwary from their roosts and carry them to the seas beyond. It is known to the learned that banshees occupy these patches of fog.
The river continues its course through the Darkenfold by turning sharply west in the MILLORIAN and passing through LILY FARE, an even danker and deadlier portion of that horrible wood.
The banks of the Mistbane sport many wonderfully tall and full-bodied willow trees. These trees often reside on small grassy knolls at the water’s edge allowing their branches and leaves to brush the water. They are vaguely-sentient relatives of the older SENTIENT TREES and TREANTS. These willows serve the river as guardians of sorts, offering refuge from the river or the forest, or both.
FROG ISLAND: Where the PIG'S TRAIL and the Valley of the Frog meet the shores of the Mistbane, overlooked by Loretta’s Bluff is a small island. Upon this small island in the middle of the river, stands a huge stone statue, worn by rain and erosion. Despite its age the shape is easy enough to make out. Carved in the dark gray granite is a huge, frog-headed man, sitting upon a throne; he is nude, and carries only a scepter. He looks to the west, toward the mountains; at his back is a broad valley, flanked in the north by steep cliffs and more forest and in the south where there are huge elm and maple trees.
Alternative Name(s)
Blue Creek
Type
River
Location under
Included Locations
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