Xircos River

The slow-moving waters of the Xircos River roll into the Gulf of Akados through this wide and deep waterway. The natural obstacle is forded only at Legionnaire Bridge. Otherwise, ferries and barges shuttle passengers across the barrier. The city of Apothasalos also uses the river to ship goods to and from Bard’s Gate to the south. Although the areas around the Xircos River are well-populated, crocodiles, lizardmen, and aquatic trolls also reside in this area. The belligerent creatures primarily feast on the giant catfish and crayfish inhabiting these waters, but hunger or bloodlust sometimes drives them to taste humanoid flesh rather than their traditional prey. The settlers they target live in small villages scattered throughout the fertile Xircos River Valley. Fortunately, the commercial traffic navigating the river keeps such attacks to a minimum.
The fishermen’s nets occasionally snag pottery shards, cut stones, and other objects from the river. Most of these people attribute these artifacts to shipwrecks, but a growing circle of skeptics refutes these claims. They assert that the gray ceramic items and stones are not indicative of any known civilization. They speculate that an ancient, prehistoric settlement must lie somewhere beneath the river’s brackish waters. This conjecture also posits the question as to how the settlement ended up at the bottom of the Xircos River. Did a natural event such as an earthquake alter the river’s course and submerge the city beneath the water, or did a divine hand play a role in its destruction? To date, no one has found any trace of this lost metropolis on the riverbed, if it even exists at all.

Type

River