Bure River (the largest river in Lumasca)
Bure River is the longest and widest river in all of Lumasca, draining from the northern half of the Dragon's Teeth mountains southeast across the entire landmass to the eastern ocean. It measures nearly 800 miles in length, and when it meets the sea at Buresmouth, it's nearly 3 miles wide.
Being so large, the Bure has been colloquially segmented into different sections for ease of reference; "meet me on the Bure" is an idiom used to emphasize the long odds or overwhelming difficulty of a situation, similarly to "finding a needle in a haystack." Each stretch of the river is different from the next, and so it is most practical to cover each of them separately.
The Bure gets its start on the northeastern slopes of the Dragon's Teeth mountain range, and even at its source, the mighty river commands the watershed around it for dozens of miles. While it cascades down the mountainside, it remains a narrow and vicious river; High Bure is the only length of the river that is considered unfriendly to regular boat traffic. Here, the water is fast and cold, winnowing between jagged rocks down to the feet of the mountains.
Several gran'Duovari clans make their homes throughout the Dragon's Teeth, and more than one of them have historic trade agreements with the sol'Aeldvari downriver at Yr Jardonh. While High Bure is a difficult upriver trek, it is considerably easier to send shipments of ore, stone, and jewels downriver from the mountains in unmanned watercraft. The goods that are exchanged in turn for these shipments are usually transported via magical means by the sol'Aeldvari.
It is not until the land flattens and the river mellows that it becomes crossable by ferry and suspension bridge. Shortly after that, as the river travels east, it crosses one of Lumasca's most prominent overland trade routes--Heavensway, over 2,100 miles long itself; on that many-bridged intersection sits Yr Jardonh, a sprawling riverside port and the westernmost point on the Bure river route.
Yr Jardonh is an ancient sol'Aeldvaren city spread out in districts across a considerable stretch of Bure riverbank, including some districts built onto the water itself. As one of the most prominent city-states of Lumasca, Yr Jardonh occupies a position of privilege and authority over trade and travel along the Bure. Yet, the city charges no docking fees or pass-through taxes for either the Bure route or the landlocked trail of Heavensway. Boats and caravans come to Yr Jardonh freely and gladly, for the city's bustling marketplace is home to other rare travelers who are just as hungry for uncommon goods as merchants are to sell them.
The length of the river called Upper Bure stretches from Yr Jardonh to Floodport, and the Yr Jardonh half is beautiful temperate woodland, while the Floodport half descends into cool, green-clogged rainforest. The last of the river's speed and unpredictability works itself out here, coming fully away from the slopes near the Dragon's Teeth and settling into the relative flatland of Lumasca's eastern half. The average temperature, as well as the average rainfall, rises as Upper Bure flows southeast.
There are dozens of riverside towns along the winding length of Upper Bure. Most of these towns are home to a variety of Aeldvari and Hymvari, many of whom regularly associate with local tem'Duovari clans who don't live directly on the river. As neighbors to Yr Jardonh, settlements along Upper Bure tend to be grander in scale and sophistication, feeding off the flow of wealth to and from that great sol'Aeldvaren city. Dock fees for independent craft are standard, and the local tradeboats that make regular loops between locations have set prices for passengers and third-party cargo.
Aggressive crime is exceptionally low along Upper Bure, considering the amount and value of goods that circulate through it. Port towns are never far from each other, so land-based theft is both rare and difficult to accomplish. Far more common are smugglers, both as "normal passengers" who carry concealed goods and as independent boats that dock nowhere that would tax their passage. Pickpockets on local boats do still occur, but the risk is high when one is stranded on a single boat for days on end and may be caught in the act or after.
Floodport is an aptly-named town that sits on the southern jut of land between the ever-strengthening Bure and one if its two largest tributaries, the Hajrah river. It is in the near-center of a sprawling patch of temperate rainforest, and, as its name suggests, floods are extremely common in the low-lying surrounding lands. Vegetation and wildlife are exceptionally rife in the region, and while Floodport may lack some of the finer graces of high civilization, it wants for nothing in regards to common and foundational goods.
Built a safe distance higher than the river itself, the mass of the city combines geometric sol'Aeldvaren architecture with the common sense of local mar'Duovari clans who have lived alongside regular floods for centuries. Floodport notably lacks a noble class, being comprised almost entirely of makers, traders, and commoners, which has given it a salt-of-the-earth reputation among citizens and visitors alike.
Floodport's modest wealth comes, of course, from being situated perfectly at the intersection of the Bure and the Hajrah river, which itself runs west from the city for a goodly almost-300 miles. Though their docks are fastidiously maintained and regularly reinforced against the ravages of rain and rivers, their taxes are remarkably low, and it is a rare boat that chooses to pass by without stopping. Unlike many cities perched along a trade intersection, however, Floodport gathers, harvests, crafts, and constructs its own goods and has a strong export economy. Many people from smaller settlements spend some time in Floodport to hone their own crafts in the company of local adepts and masters.
The temperate rainforest continues all along Middle Bure, which stretches from Floodport to Overbure Point. This stretch of the river is beset by natural dangers and potentially hostile wildlife, for most of the Bure's mud horses live here, and a great many dragon cranes call the riverbanks their home. Port towns are farther apart than upriver settlements are, and docking along the unstable banks in the reeds and wetland muck can be risky for both boats and the people on them.
Most of the kinvari of Middle Bure live in small, humble villages with thickly-built docks that extend a few hundred feet over the calm river. Because of the sparsity of towns and the relative danger of docking elsewhere, dock fees are high and a significant percentage of each town's population works on the docks or on the local trade boats that sail loops up and down Middle Bure. Most of these settlements have their basic needs met by the surrounding lands, so the wealth they generate by being part of the trade route is often doled out and spent on personal interests or projects. In particular, the game of Tienepítha has become remarkably popular as a social bonding event both onboard the river ferries and in the towns themselves.
Unfortunately, the comparatively low populations and longer distances between ports makes Middle Bure a breeding ground for river pirates who target the larger boats shipping upriver from the sea or downriver from Yr Jardonh. The local ferries are almost always ignored by these plunderers--in part because they rarely carry extravagant cargo, and in part because they're zealously well-defended by their sailors and local passengers. River pirates tend to work in distributed gangs, coming together to hoard and hide their loot among the wilderness of the river banks, but never using watercraft large enough to easily be seen and tracked from the middle of the mile-wide river.
Overbure Point is the one city along the Bure that is not, technically, also a port. Built atop a weather-rounded outcropping of stone, the Point is a watchful eye over the river traffic and not an easy stop along any trade route. Small docks are maintained near the base of the stone, but there is no direct path from water to city that does not involve traversing a great deal of switchback walkways carved into the rock. When locals want to move goods to or from boats on the river, they use an extensive pulley system that, when not in use, remains withdrawn into the foundation of the edge stone.
For most water traffic, Overbure Point is a landmark, not a place to overnight and get a hot meal and dry bed. It has a reputation for being stand-offish and cool-mannered to outsiders, and even regular local tradesfolk can be left bereft of a kindly welcome in the city. The Point is primarily staffed by hy'Aeldvari, with a significant minority of tem'Duovari who are usually the ones moving goods in and out of the city. Hy'Aeldvari do have watchful patrols that keep an eye on the river and will intervene if accident or pirates strike, but they otherwise keep their distance from river-runners and partake only nominally in the rich flow of trade passing them by.
Low Bure, the length of the river between Overbure Point and Hordl, is widely regarded as the most dangerous part of the entire Bure. It shares Middle Bure's dense wildlife and pirate problems, but in addition, the river itself becomes significantly more shallow and wide, posing a risk to deeper-keeled boats sailing upriver from the sea. While the water is gentle and calm, the water's inhabitants are considered unpredictable and lethal to river traffic--as most kinvari do not trust nagvari, the amphibious serpentfolk of the aquatic mervari empire.
Considered a dangerous nuisance by two-leggers regardless of their equal intelligence, nagvari have been prohibited from making residence in the central half of the river's width, and many locals and itinerant captains consider them just as problematic even along the wetland-sodden banks. River pirates take advantage of this paranoia to set up temporary obstacles along the waterway that look nagvari-built, then steal everything they can reach when the barges detour into canoe-friendly waters.
The number of nagvari actually living in Low Bure is currently unknown.
Whereas nagvari are feared and restricted from Low Bure, Delgerdego--the second of Bure's two largest tributaries, this one 200 miles long--is infested with them. Hordl sits as the last bastion against the nagvari in both directions, and its harried river patrol tries their best to prevent and de-escalate conflicts between local nagvari and passing sailors. The flags their patrol boats fly are well-known and herald a demand for peace and parley between any combative parties.
The smallest of the "big cities" on the Bure, Hordl is an unassuming sprawl of single-story wooden and stone buildings, lacking the tall towers and massive homes and taverns of its contemporaries upriver. Thankfully positioned up the slope from likely flooding, Hordl houses an assortment of kinvari, including--to nearly every visitor's surprise and dismay--a sizeable minority of nagvari. The clever serpentfolk seem unbothered by the superstitions surrounding them and their brethren in the river and will gladly trade with anyone interested in the unique goods their people craft from underwater resources.
Salt Bure is the calmest length of the Bure with gentle waves and languorous currents. It gradually widens to a staggering 2.8 miles wide where it meets the eastern sea, and most of it is deeper than Low Bure, making it an easier passage for larger ships that may not be able to travel farther upriver than Hordl. Riverside towns and ports are dense along the banks, making outright piracy a challenge and creating more demand for skillful smuggling instead.
Flaunted wealth and welcoming lanterns are easily visible from the river, and the particular amenities of Salt Bure towns are aimed squarely at travelers and tourists. While most other lengths of the Bure boast settlements that are self-sufficient as well as trade-friendly, Salt Bure ports cater almost exclusively to visitors fresh from the sea and those coming from the long journey upriver. Inns, taverns, local markets, and other forms of entertainment and refreshment are paramount; to match, dock taxes are high and passenger fees for local ferries are steep. Unsurprisingly, Salt Bure is the only part of the long river where shoreside crime--primarily theft--is common.
The first and last port city of the Bure, Buresmouth is a perfect alloy of different cultures, influences, and systems of trade. Among all the Bure cities, it has the highest concentration of Aeldvari--both sol'Aeldvari and lun'Aeldvari--and its soaring, elegant buildings reflect their influence. It is large enough, however, to support several districts with individual architectural styles, including a well-made Duovaren ward and even an eclectic Hymvaren court.
Buresmouth has no need to charge extra fees or taxes for docking ships, as it is the sole source of supplies for boats preparing to go upriver and boats returning to the sea. It is rich in many ways, the least of which being coin, and fulfills every expectation of a bustling trade city. Its docks are twice as large as a city of its size would require, and a significant portion of them are reserved for hosting seaworthy craft while their sailors hie inland in smaller boats more suited to the river.
High Bure
Yr Jardonh
Upper Bure
Floodport
Middle Bure
Overbure Point
Low Bure
Hordl
Salt Bure
Buresmouth
Cities of the Bure
Yr Jardonh
Floodport
Overbure Point
Hordl
Buresmouth
River Trade
Characters in Location
Thanks for the like, I'm glad I got here to read yours as well! ^^ I love the illustrations, are they by you, or where did you find them? (you could write the author in the image details). If I can give you some feedback, I think the map looks a bit too crowded with all the borders, paths (?) and trees on the background. When the whole map is basically forest, maybe you could use less tree-stamps or maybe they can be closer to the background colour so it's less distracting? Or maybe a clearer font could help the text pop out better? Otherwise the map looks very nice and I love the attention to detail!
Thank you! I did make the artwork and will go back to add acknowledgments accordingly. Good notes on the map, as well - it's part of a much larger map with multiple terrains and biomes, but you're right, the trees don't need to be present on this section.