Heartbeat River

When Valdians say that the Ciiadociee (Swiftwater River, in Oceantongue) is the heart of the land, it is more than a mere figure of speech. They are speaking of a branch of the river called the Vaciiopo, meaning Heartbeat, which they say rises and falls every year. According to the Valdians, in the spring the Heartbeat bends down and drinks from the Swiftwater. It fills itself over the next several months, and then after the autumnal equinox, the Heartbeat stands up and pours the water back into the Swiftwater's main channel. The richness of the delta depends on this river. Without the Heartbeat, Chawso and the delta farms would be devastated by floods annually instead of once every few decades.

Because the Heartbeat meets the Swiftwater beyond Dokei, the truth of this claim hasn't yet been confirmed by any exploratory team. The thought of a river that can change its altitude is incredible, to say the least. However, it is true that the water level in the lower Swiftwater does not decrease as much as would be expected during the dry season, and the sediment flow is heavier during the time the Valdians say the Heartbeat is raised.

The fact that they are talking about the Heartbeat at all is encouraging. Valdians have been notoriously overcautious about allowing oceanfolk into Valdei. Their past pattern has been telling legends or stories to gauge oceandwellers' interest in a subject, often followed up by expeditions to some new part of the country. The hope is that at the beginning of the next shift cycle, the outpost will be able to relocate to the mouth of the Heartbeat for at least a three-year observation period.

Type

River

Location under

Ciiadociee

Here's a funny thought...  If the Heartbeat can be thought of as the vastland's pulse, then the entirety of human history in the vastland has taken just over half a day of its lifetime.