Ravmor River

Beginning and End

Mountains rising in the east provide the water for the Ravmor. The cold temperatures in the river result from most water coming from the snowcaps and glaciers. In summer, the rapid melting of these sources causing raging rapids in the early sections of the river and seasonal flooding of the banks. The Ravmor runs its course through the Aristosa Forest where its bed cuts deep into the land. It ends in a delta at the western edge of the forest where the current slows before joining the Tirsan Ocean.

The Aristosa Forest

Winding through the Aristosa Forest, the Ravmor River acts as both border and separator of two hostile countries, Firth to the east and Mercia to the west. Dense evergreens and the occasional leafy tree line the river banks. Both countries have outposts which are largely cut off from major services, but hold on to their hostility for the other side, and are openly aggressive with one another.

The surrounding forest relies on the river for fresh water and is in constant dispute between the two countries as a resource for fish and game. Skirmishes between towns and villages on either side claim hundreds of lives each year. The only spot on the river that hasn't been disputed are the Solveil Islands, a small cluster of flower filled islands in the middle of the river. The plants and animals on and around these islands are generally protected by both sides.

Inkarnate Map, RandoScorpio

Travel & Crossing

Bridges have always been a rare sight along The Ravmor. Between the river dragons’ destructive natures, and the animosity between the Firthan Kingdom and the Mercian Empire, they’ve never been a viable option for crossing the raging waters. Boats and rafts are more commonly used when one side wishes to raid the other, but there is always the risk of capsizing into the icy waters, drifting too far downstream, or being attacked by the river dragons. The safest option is the much less permanent use of ropes which are strung between two sturdy trees as a zip line.

Travelling down the river by boat is only done when industry demands it. Mines in the north eastern mountains send their ores down the river on lightly manned crafts, but the risk of losing the cargo is always there and the success rate is 60%. Mercia’s advancements demand the risk be taken, but the Firthan Kingdom has long abandoned using the river for their industry. The people in these ore laden boats are never envied, and even the Firthans pity these souls.

Local Ecosystem

The surrounding area is a temperate seasonal forest with long, harsh winters. The soil is acidic and lacks nutrients because of the evergreen trees, limiting the underbrush variety. Mostly hardy ferns and shade-loving plants grow here. The river banks are also home to carnivorous plants that use bugs, lizards, and small mammals to supplement the poor nutritional value of the soil.

The river itself is home to migratory species that use the calmer waters upstream to reproduce. Some fish species make their home year round, as the river is deep enough that only the surface freezes where the current is slowest. There are limited species of vegetation that grow in the currents, but it is a highly oxygenated river supporting a rich diversity of animal life.

One of the greatest dangers in this deep river is a population of river monsters. These beasts patrol for hapless creatures that wander too close to the banks, and are big enough to feed on large deer and humanoid creatures. The Firth Kingdom worships them as protectors of the river, and the Mercians hunt them for their skins.

Solveil Islands

Solveil flowers are an interesting plant found only in one location along the length of the Ravmor. They convert magical energy in the area into sunlight. This feature allows them to create their own pocket ecosystem. While the seasons shift, this small area stays tropical, influencing the growth of freshwater corals around the land. Schools of fish that can survive nowhere else along the river make this their home as well. Local species that drift from the icy waters can suffocate in the lower oxygen environment of the warm waters.

Myths surrounding this flower and the islands it inhabits vary depending on the side of the river you are on. According to Mercian lore, the flower is a panacea, able to heal any wound or illness, but only to be used in times of disaster or plague. Firthan lore holds that the flowers should never be disturbed. The idea, on both sides, that the flowers should be left untouched means the islands have never been disputed.

Inkarnate Map, RandoScorpio

Lost to both sides is the knowledge that the islands sit on top of a convergence of 4 sets of ley lines that provide the magic energy to sustain the flowers and allow them to be a seal. Beneath the islands held in place is an ancient monster that terrorized the world and drove most humanoid populations close to extinction. Over the millennia stories have faded to become nothing more than a bedtime story to scare children.

Dangers

Fast flowing currents lurk beneath the Ravmor’s surface. These deep currents will pull a person easily under and down the river, never to be seen again. There is a technique to getting across without a boat or vessel where people will start upriver and float on the surface, paddling with their hands but never dipping beyond the first three feet of water. Water currents aren’t the only danger. Hypothermia can set in quickly as the waters are frigid and sap the heat and energy from those who may be unlucky enough to need to enter the water.

Finally, if the cold or current don’t kill a person, the river dragons that lurk in the depths of the Ravmor will. They are voracious hunters and have been known to kill any who enter their territory, including pulling people off the banks. These dragons have long fangs and teeth, and empty blue eyes. Their dorsal frills and head are a lighter blue than the rest of their body. It is advised to avoid areas where they have been spotted.

Lucien’s First Impression

Gathering flowers had seemed like an easy quest compared to fighting my way through a jungle like last time. Looking across the water at the islands with the glowing flowers, I could see something large moving beneath the surface. The village had warned me that the deep currents were fast and full of dangerous monsters. I had dismissed it initially as a wild tale, but I couldn’t be sure anymore.

I approached the banks and peered down into the water. Looking back were a pair of enormous eyes and an open mouth of fangs and teeth. I staggered back and pulled my sword as the large serpent burst from the river. I laughed mirthlessly at myself for thinking this might be easy as I faced down a hulking river dragon.

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Zephyr’s Quest

The tip of Zephyr’s blade pressed into the hollow of my throat as he glared down at me. His golden eyes glowed in the light of the solveils, fury twisted his expression. The light of the flowers cast grotesque shadows on his otherwise handsome features.

"Aren’t you supposed to be a hero?" He snarled at me, water dripping off his chin.

"I’m trying to help the village! They’re sick and dying!" I yelled back and tried to sit up, but Zephyr pressed the blade closer and forced me to stay on the ground.

"If you take those flowers, this entire world will die." Zephyr’s words hit me like a punch to the gut. “If you’re the hero, then let me win this one.”

To the top.

To the bottom

They forget the teachings of their ancestors. Those bastards will be the death of us all.

— Firth Druid

They would watch us die slowly and painfully before allowing us to take from the forest.

— Mercian Villager

Ravmor Delta

Inkarnate Map, RandoScorpio

While the Delta is safe from the terrors of the river dragons and the raging currents up river, it holds its own dangers to be wary of. The tides of the Tirsan Ocean submerge low laying sandy islands, and can wash an explorer out to sea. Much of the land is sandy, but the small patches of grassy earth are dotted with thorny trees that can filter the brackish water to get what nutrients they need from it. The salt concentrates in small green buds that turn yellow and fall off when they are over-saturated.

Clusters of brightly coloured flowers grow here too, with leaves that are sharp and solid. Ancient civilizations used these as knives for food preparation. Less deadly are the moss balls that cluster in the shallow waters and anchor themselves deeply into the sandbars. Schools of small fish seek shelter amongst the sea grasses, but larger predatory fish will also use these shallow areas as nurseries for their young as well.

Important Species

Whiskered Muslid

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A key species found along the entire length of the Ravmor, including the brackish waters of the Ravmor Delta. This fish is meaty and a staple in the diet of surrounding settlements. It feeds on smaller varieties of fish and is a source of food for the river dragons.

Recognised as a key species for the river’s health on both sides of the border, they are not commercially fished. Whiskered Muslids are a distinct shade of pink and selling them in market stalls is punishable by steep fines and imprisonment in both the Kingdom of Firth and the Mercian Empire.

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Rainbow Mindras

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Found in no other place in the world, like many species around the Solveil Islands, the Rainbow Mindras are the largest and most colourful fish in the river coral systems. They are named after Mindralis, God of the Sun, and fishing them is strictly forbidden. To kill a Rainbow Mindras is punishable by death and seen as a great act of heresy.

They eat plankton and small crustaceans, and are eaten by nothing else in their habitat. A dead Rainbow Mindras floating down the river is seen as a portent of doom.

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River Corals

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The river corals that grow around the Solveil Islands are unique as residence of fresh water and each one is named for a god or goddess. Harvesting the corals is strictly forbidden, but some risk the steep penalties to use them in folk medicines.

Political Developments

A plague is sweeping through the remote villages of the Mercian Empire. The Emperor has granted emergency permission to send expeditionary forces to the Solveil Islands to harvest the glowing solveil flowers.

The Firthan Queen declares open war on them for this attempt to harvest the flowers. Time and again the Firthan Druids repel the small groups of Mercian adventurers who sought to use the flowers to heal their sick.

It is during this upheaval that two heros appeared, each on an opposing side of the river. Lucien lands on the Mercian side and is determined to save as many as he can by using the solveil flowers to stop the plague. Zephyr is sent to the Firthan side and is horrified to learn their legends of a world ending calamity if the flowers are disturbed.

Further down the river, numerous rainbow mindras have washed up on the delta’s banks. Each side blames the other for this disturbance and all are fearful of what this could mean for their world.

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Let life bloom bright and warm, by magic light to hold death’s might. Lest shadows swarm as signs of doom.

— Ancient Prophecy