Krisna

The river that divides the world in two.

Do not be mistaken by how calm the Krisna looks. It is a great and proud river, the river that only the gods could possibly subdue.

— Fisherman and his son

For a very long time, the Krisna was called the Great River, or simply the River. Many miles wide, it goes from the north to the south for hundreds of miles along the Great Plains and the Endless Forest. Some races believed that Krisna is, in fact, a sea separating two continents. Others think that somewhere far north there is a place where you can step over the very beginning of the Great River.
To this day, no one has ever reached such a place, and very few managed to cross the Krisna. It seems quiet at first, but many dangers await those who dare to go far from the shore. Turbulent flow, rapids and countless sharp rocks as well as river creatures, those are the things that scare even the most experienced sailors.
The modern name comes from the ancient "Kris" - "red". It was named so after the human race attempted to cross it while running from the grey orc tribes of the Great Plains. With nothing but simple rafts, few of humans made it through. They were dying in mass from orc spears, arrows and the dangers of the river itself.
Tales say that the Krisna was red from human blood for several days, filled with dozens of thousands of human bodies and debris from all the rafts. The same tales say that orcs were so impressed by the last stand of humans, dying on the shore to give a few extra rafts with women and children a chance to escape, that they buried both fallen men and fallen orcs together, as warriors. Their place of burial is believed to be the Bald Hill located on the shores of the Krisna.
Ironically, the next race who dared to cross the Great River were humans once again, the same race that almost extinct in its water. During the Human Invasion of the Great Plains, their mages managed to freeze a narrow yet long part of the river dozens of times. That was not enough to tame the Krisna, but it gave humans enough time to transport troops and supplies to the opposite end of the river. They crossed it in place later called Ice Crossing, a sacred place for many civilized humans living in the Free Duchies. Yet, after the collapse of the Human Empire the Krisna became once more a terrifying river.

Alternative Names

The Great River, The Red River

Type

Geographic Feature

Included Locations

• Calacle Island

Related Tradition (Primary)

• Sand burial
• Water walking