Underchannels

During the early Young World, some of the ancient Arizathrans who lingered in the Dudama Rainforest discovered extensive underground rivers in the Underworld. They called them Underchannels and found that they allowed one to ride the currents to other continents, and they built their own empire called Murut . This empire became powerful and wealthy due to the ability to trade with Nwechou, Heruadum, and Syrasha, as well as the rest of Irisqaad, more quickly and cheaply than any other. After the fall of the Murut Empire, it quickly became lost to time as the rainforest consumed its ruins. The entrance to the Underchannel network was lost, and as such, the other entrances across Ebdypha also became lost. Although the Underchannels flow with the fresh, dark waters of the Old Sea, there is no record of a physical connection between the Underchannels and the Old Sea itself.

Miiras Underchannel

Only one channel's location remains known to this day, and that is the Miiras Underchannel that links the free city of Cham Togu with Amatoraros in the Jatthirus Empire. This channel has a current which seems to change directions seasonally, and is frequented by official merchants, smugglers, and pirates. Special boats are needed to travel this river: as the current carries it, there is no need for sails or oars, but reinforced cladding is necessary to survive any bumps against the cave walls, and there are special poles that are used to correct a vessel's facing if it gets turned around. Its width ranges from 50 to 200 meters (165 to 650 feet) and its length is estimated to be around 4000kms (2500 miles), and as such, a one-way trip can take anywhere between 15 to 25 days, so a lot of food--but not water, as the river is safe to drink--is needed. Because bringing fuel for light for this long is so expensive, Evercandles are deemed an essential source of light for this journey.