River Roads
The river should be respected as much as it should be feared, it can easily take one's life as much as it can bring profit. - River Merchant
Geography
Ecosystem
Much of the animals that live here are often fish that live along the river with preditors that hunt them. But most of the animals that live here are aquatic by nature, as the wet climate makes it difficult for larger animals to traverse with only insects and smaller animals living here and feasting on the greenery and the game in the area. Some of them migrate with the game they eat when the seasons change.
Ecosystem Cycles
Seasonal Flooding: During the rainy season, the river tends to flood from the large amounts of water near it, making it more extensive and robust as it washes anything near it. Locals made their homes on higher ground or farther away from the river to avoid damage.
Water Level Changes: The river levels and currents change while traveling along with it, often making it difficult for anyone who doesn't know how to traverse them to get lost if they have little expertise quickly.
Localized Phenomena
Connected Rivers: Many rivers connect to the River Roads that give their name, creating a vast network of waterways, both natural and artificial, that lead to or away from it to reach it. With nine rivers in total, that is a part of the river itself. Making it one of the most expansive rivers in the entirety of the Western Lands. Though no one knows how this has happened or if this was created naturally or through other means.
Natural Resources
Rivers are abundant in fish of many different kinds that live along the river as they travel to their breeding grounds every season. It also brings animals that hunt the fish during these migrations to add more game meat and furs for hunters and fishermen to harvest. Plants can be found on the edges of the rivers, such as Willen Flowers and Feneri known for their pharmaceutical properties that can be found amongst many other types that come and go with the seasons.
History
Way of Water
The River Roads have been the center of culture on the Ascar Plains and the people that inhabited and lived near them. They were known as the Benete or the River Folk, skilled in riding the rivers and knowing everything like the back of their hand. Many of them would be simple fishers who lived off the land to make a living. But the creation of kingdoms in the West led to an increase in trade, the River Roads being the center of it. Create a culture shift amongst the Benete, turning them into merchants and guides for anyone who wanted to move their goods on the rivers. It would lead to a rise of small kingdoms formed along the river banks with the River Lords that would rule over them. The rise of these kingdoms would lead to a rivalry between them to control trade over the rivers, and conflict would break out with the defeated losing their trade routes. In doing so, the smaller kingdoms would become a part of the larger kingdoms, have control over significant trade routes, and make their demands on what it would cost people to use them. Making these kingdoms the wealthiest in the Western Lands and exchanging knowledge and ideas began from the many people that traveled it. It would go on for centuries, with the natives enjoying their wealth. However, it would not last as the kingdoms would find themselves at war with their neighbors for control over these rivers and the trade they brought.Blood in the Water
These River Wars would see the river kingdoms at odds with their neighbors on all sides to gain control of the strategic rivers used in trade and military ventures. Some river kingdoms would fall, while others would endure the would-be invaders who wanted their lands. Leading to the constant change of trade partners on and off when dealing with trade. Though control over these trade routes would change, rival kingdoms would conquer them, or the River Kingdoms would take them back. Eventually, the remaining River Kingdoms would band together and create the Pact of Rivers, an alliance between River Kingdoms to defend each other in times of war to never again be invaded by outsiders and lose land. The Pact's efforts would be adequate to a certain degree as kingdoms would protect their lands from many invasions afterward. But internal struggles would see them at odds with one another to assert dominance over the others. But eventually, the Pact would begin to lose ground as their neighbors became fewer and fewer as they conquered one another and became more powerful. The final nail in the coffin would be a coalition of neighboring states to band together to defeat and divide River Roads, namely the Kingdom of Ferosia, Osterol, and the Vatian Empire. This conflict would be known as the Red River Wars as the amount of bloodshed would see the rivers run red from years of fighting as the Bente would fight for every inch of found to defend their lands. Though this would not be enough, the Pact would defeat the Pact, with the Benete nearly wiped out in the conflict ending the river kingdoms with the land divided up by the coalition's members. It would not last as the empire would continue its conquests centuries later and conquer the River Roads and have exclusive access to it and all of its trade.Profits and Decline
With trade solely under their control, the empire became wealthy from all its business in the region. The imperials managed to do this through merchants and traders who had contracts with them for their goods and arrangements amongst the region's local population to ensure trade kept flowing. It was suitable for a time until the empire declined, and so made its trade as well, as merchants began to struggle under laws that stopped them from making a decent profit to make a living. So did many of the settlements that survived through trading on the rivers. Causing the region to fall into pieces with some areas prospering due to the specific goods that go through it to the ones just barely even getting by. Crime has begun to increase, and people have become desperate enough to do anything to survive. Those that managed to make a living do so at the mercy of nobles and merchants who have their pockets in the political circles of the empire to profit from it. Creating monopolies on trade that cut out smaller traders and merchants and are forced to work for them to gain some income no matter how small it is. The once stable region slowly began to fall apart from a lack of reforms and the problems were swept aside to ensure that trade flows once more. With many these problems being visibly seen but spoken on in fear of retaliation by those in power over the trade of the rivers.Tourism
The river is constantly used by travelers and traders trying to reach their destinations much faster. Many boats are seen on the river or heading to one of the many rivers attached. Along the way, they may stop to rest at one of the many settlements near the rivers, often in places where their homes cant be damaged by the waters when they flood.
Alternative Name(s)
Wild Rivers
Type
River
Location under
Owning Organization
Nice read. The history is well thought out and it is interesting to see how the decline of the empire now causes entire rivers to be unsafe. I am still wondering how the rivers were actually formed into that network and what the flow direction is xp must be quite confusing :p
I actually did mention that on the side bar with some people believing that it artificially made at one point in the past, but lack the evidence to support this little none existent. As for the river flow in mostly goes south as parts of the region have hills are other but depending on the season especially during the rainy season the current can sometimes reverse. But flooding happens more often as the proximity of these rivers and their many tributaries can flood large amongst of land at a time.