Esmer River

The Esmer River is the longest river in Meyland—approximately 850 miles from its source in the Arborvale to the sea at Lakesvale. The stretch between Ansmorth and Lakesvale carries more traffic than many of the other rivers put together. South of Ansmorth, the river is known as the Upper Esmer, and here its waters are fast-flowing and clear. At the Hollow Valley, the Esmer River is joined by the blue waters of the Middan River. Stretches of various forests throughout Meyland are dense and perilous but the river is wide enough to offer protection from hostiles along the banks. Only water-borne raiders pose any serious threat, and these are kept in check by regular patrols and the vigilance of local Boatmen and Ironguard patrols. For long stretches, the banks remain heavily forested and provide potential ambush sites for river pirates, although most vessels are usually more than capable of defending themselves. The river widens and is studded with small islands of ancient hard rock the closer it runs towards the sea, upon which are built many of the fisher villages watermen's inns and other commercial stopping places. The largest of these settlements is Lakesvale itself at the river's delta.

The Legacy of Esmer Fallowgate

The Esmer River acquires its name from a centuries-old story published and republished from the entries of a diary of a young human girl called Esmer Farnbarrow, who lived next to the river. She wrote in her diary daily about several ancient, abandoned Dwarven, broken-down stone golems that had been left to nature near the riverbanks. She gained a fondness for one such golem—the last one functioning—whom she visited each month to bring flowers, and the two became lifelong friends. Before she died of old age, she requested to be buried next to the golem.