Channel Lakes
The Central Lakes were a group of connected lakes and rivers about halfway down the west coast of southern Libynos that formed a girdle most of the way across the continent. They are now known as the Channel Lakes, a territory founded 275 years ago by the Empire of Alcaldar when it conquered the Kingdom of Ka’dufaar and other small groups of the area.
The empire’s great undertaking was to use the lakes already present to build a water route right across the middle of south Libynos, thus freeing much shipping from having to travel all the way around the southern coast. This feat of engineering involved dredging the lower parts of the Sangre River to allow for the passage of large, oceangoing vessels, constructing locks on the Upper Sangre River where it flows down from the Zorinos Mountains, expanding the River of Gold between Cordona Lake and Lake Aur to also accommodate large ships, and finally building the River of Gold Locks to join Lake Aur with the Great Ocean Ûthaf.
Before the locks were begun near Lake Aur, some argued for cutting a path from Cordona Lake straight through the Seniaro Hills since that would be an even shorter route to the ocean. However, the simpler prospect of building through the less-severely sloped, open lands east of Lake Aur meant the southerly plan eventually prevailed. A land route exists through the Seniaro Hills, though, and was used before the river connection was completed.
Traveling through the Channel Lakes is not a trivial matter; it is a journey of about 1,700 miles, and it is made slower by traveling against the current of the rivers at some portion in every traverse. It also requires going through two series of locks, up to and down from Cordona Lake and Lake Aur. However, since the alternative is sailing more than 9,000 miles around the southern coast of Libynos, many merchants great and small are willing to pay the fees and go through the channel instead.
The Empire of Alcaldar put forth great amounts of effort and funds to complete the Channel Lakes. They make it clear to all who pass through that using the channel is a privilege granted by the empire to its allies and trading partners, and not available to all comers as are the open oceans. Unfortunately, the country of Castorhage abused that privilege eight years ago when Castorhagi ships attacked an Alcaldrich vessel in the neutral waters of the Boiling Sea. Since that time, the Channel Lakes have been closed to Castorhagi shipping, a consequence that they continue to dispute even after all these years.
Alcaldar itself uses the channel to move its merchant ships and military vessels more quickly to points in eastern Libynos, which allows them to be where they need to be faster than was possible in the past. In general, Alcaldrich traders proceed through the channel in their turn, just like all the others, but the empire’s warships receive priority over any other shipping.
The entire territory of the Channel Lakes is under the rule of a sebastos, a title derived from an ancient Hyperborean term for an imperial governor. The sebastos has authority over the entire Channel Lakes region but is assisted by two exarchs who oversee sections of the channel itself. The sebastos herself is directly responsible for everything from the east end of Lake Istobal west to Caduvar and Ortís on the Sangre Sea.
Region
Channel Lakes
Controlled Territories
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