Lifegift River

The Lifegift River flows through the heart of the cavern of Darkwatch. Its source is on the surface in the Rentran Mountains, flowing down through a crevice through the rock and pouring through near Kirren. Its patterns of flooding during snowmelt provide much-needed deposits for farming, and the oldest settlements in Darkwatch are near its banks.
Though the name Lifegift is directly translated from Avin, the Xalri version is very similar, literally meaning "life of the cave." The Lifegift River is also called Hasrutehl by those who follow a Watcher spiritualist tradition. Hasrutehl is known as a temperamental water spirit whose regular fits of anger at the spirits of the shore cause her to flood her banks. The spirits of the shore, in turn, deliberately antagonize her as part of an agreement with Watcher ancestors to give them water for their crops. The floods are treated both as a danger and as a provision.

Geography

The source of the Lifegift River is above the surface, in the Rentran Mountains. Some of its other tributaries follow a similar route. This area receives heavy snowfall with few and far between thaws in the winter, causing heavy snowmelt at the beginning of spring; the majority of it is along the Lifegift itself, though surface tributaries flood their banks as well. The other tributaries flow out of groundwater through smaller limestone channels out into the main cavern. The river at its end flows down into a crack in the Darkwatch cavern wall. It is likely that it continues deeper underground in unexplored areas of the Lower Darklands. The Lifegift River is swift-flowing in places, without significant meandering. Its flood basin is the lowest part of the main body of the cavern of Darkwatch.

Ecosystem Cycles

The Lifegift River is at its highest during early spring, flooding its banks. Farmers schedule their planting season around flood season, with celebrations held at first flooding. The freshwater fish have their spawning season at this time. As the bank and waters are more treacherous at this time, it lines up well for fishers to cut back on their work until the water levels go down. During the coldest part of winter, when little to no snow is melting, the Lifegift River is at its lowest, sometimes at half its usual water level.

Fauna & Flora

Due to its source high in the mountains and its longest section running through an open cavern, the Lifegift River's water is cold. Creatures that require warmer temperatures cannot be found within it. The most common fish are a few species of trout and catfish. Rarely, the slightly magical steamgill might be found within it, though due to its value the species is almost entirely extinct within the Lifegift River. The floodplain produces a large number of reeds, most notably sehn reeds, which absorb and retain large amounts of water during flood season and are used to create ash-ink. It is also often used for farmland, with wheat a common crop.

Alternative Name(s)

Hasrutehl

Type

River

by Amanda Barylski

by Amanda Barylski

Above Images: Sketches made by geographer and spelunker Rylianna Varkas after her expedition to map the source of the Lifegift River.