Ardnys Clearwater River

Place

Place Name:

Ardnys Clearwater River

Biome:

Clearwater River

Size:

74.8 miles(120.4km)

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

History

Historical Overview

There was a time when the Ardnys region of the Clearwater River was considered one of the safest regions in the area. Thousands followed the river or sailed on the ornate ferries that brought the excited travellers right to one of the five bridges into the massive tiered city of Tatire. They stayed in one of the many small towns that straddled the glistening river while making the trek to the grand city. The wide open fields surrounding the river islet where the city rests was constantly filled with tents and circuses and merchants hoping to earn enough to settle within the massive walls of the outer tier.

On special occasions the tent town reached all the way to the nearest town or village. The draw of the city and the numerous events was the downfall of the once beautiful landscape of the region. The fall of the Xerea Empire lead to the destruction of all but the western bridge as Tatire City shut itself off from the rest of the region. The people left outside the city were unaware of the reason for Tatire’s quick detachment, and for a little while went about as if nothing had changed. But then refugees started appearing and begging for shelter within the massive walls of the city.

Rumours began to spread out from the tales the refugees told. Rumours of powerful monsters that drank blood and had laid waste to the Imperial capital and any other place that stood in the path of the roving horde. These rumours terrified the occupants of the makeshift tent town outside the city, and many sought shelter in the other settlements within the region. They were woefully unprepared for the coming devastation. When the first Kin’toni were spotted, the villagers tried to repel them as they would a wild animal. None from that settlement survived to warn the others.

The Kin’toni swept through the region, destroying every settlement they came across, draining and killing or turning the zu'aan they found there, and turning the once vibrant fields into desolation through their rampaging. When they came upon the city surrounded by the river, and under siege from terrified refugees, the city’s people expected them to act purely on instinct and attack right away. Instead the Kin’toni acted in a strategic manner and took the refugees hostage, threatening to slaughter them all before the city gates unless they were allowed in.

Tatire refused to open it’s gates. That night any zu'aan who gazed out past the city walls saw a sea of blood and had the screams of dread and pain seared into their memories. Still the city remained shut. The next day the launched an attack from the city walls and drove the invaders back. Thus began the endless siege of Tatire City. Every so often the Kin’toni clans would return to attempt to take the city and the surrounding region. Only to be driven back and the zu'aan attempt to resettle the lands outside the city walls until the clans return.

Geography

Following the Clearwater River from just beyond the northern border of a neighbouring forest region up to the start of the southern foothills to a nearby mountain range, the Ardnys region is primarily a series of somewhat flat grassy plains that border the river as it snakes down from the mountains in the north. While the zu'aan city of Tatire is the only settlement to remain and rests on an islet in the centre of the widest part of the river near to the northern border, other towns and villages once dotted the landscape and turned much of the open land into farm land to provide for themselves and the people in the cities.

Along the river was a parade of bridge towns where they not only fished and hunted, but also provided stops for people to get on or off a ferry to and from the city as well as places to stay the night and grab food for their journey. Tent towns, campsites, and temporary marketplaces encircled the city so often they began implementing a positioning system so merchants became easier to find in the sea of tents and stalls. The first major change to the landscape was due to the arrival of the last ferries and the refugees after the fall of the Imperial capital.

The fields were no longer used for farming as thousands upon thousands of tents and temporary homes were set up to hold the sudden influx of people. Over time the farming and hunting and fishing trades ceased as the city had closed itself off from the region. Some of the people deserted in hopes of finding shelter elsewhere as more and more refugees poured in with tales of what drove them from their homes. Others flooded into the towns and villages hoping it would be just safe enough to survive. When the Kin’toni first arrived.

That marked the end of the welcoming and accommodating nature of the entire region as they laid villages to waste and ransacked the towns, burning them all to ash in their wake. Thinking the city was relying on the outside region for supplies, the Kin’toni scoured the land so nothing could grow for years. They captured the refugee tent town and laid siege to the city. After their initial offer was refused, the Kin’toni flooded the fields with the blood of their victims. Many weren’t even turn but rather drained and had their ensanguined corpses cast into the flowing rivers.

This has led to many carnivorous animals and fish migrating to the area to scavenge off the dead. After the initial invasion was halted and the Kin’toni driven out of the region for the first time, Ardnys entered a cycle of growth and desolation as the zu'aan attempted to return the land back to its former useful beauty only to have the Kin’toni clans return and destroy all their work before being driven off by the city’s defences. Now the only things that ever remain the same are the river and the city.

Flora

There is a saying amongst the nomads, “nothing grows in Ardnys, but dust and despair.” While this is not technically true, the current cycle of growth and desolation prevents anything that is grown from remaining for more then five years. However it didn’t used to be this way. Before the Kin’toni and the fall of the Xerea Empire, the region boasted beautiful fields and expansive farmland where a myriad of vegetation was cultivated and then spread throughout the rest of the region. Now the only continuos growth of vegetation happens within the outer tier of Tatire.

As that part of the city was converted to an agriculture space after the initial siege and desolation. In this way they are capable of surviving without relying on the outside world. The only section of the region outside the city to have been untouched by the desolation was the aquatic vegetation in the river. One of the common vegetables that is a staple of the five year rotation is the shavaleran. This particular variation of eran is capable of growing out of destroyed topsoil if planted deep enough.

For this reason the zu'aan farmers of the region use it to heal the land of the desolation by reintroducing nutrients into the soil. The stalks grow tall and often produce many ears per stalk so it can be a good harvest even during a dry season. The stalks that grow ate initial dark brown and lighten as it draws closer to the harvest season. The ears are sheathed in golden haired husks and are often long and skinny to accommodate the larger quantities per stalk. The maize kernels are often multiple shades of gold and have a bland taste when served straight.

However they have so many other uses that it’s not likely for someone to eat just the kernels. Another common crop for the growth years is the mathuka, also called the garithi'dar. This starchy vegetable is identified by its turquoise petaled flower and thick heavy dark green leaves that cover the buried sections of the plant. The bulbous root vegetable is often blue in colour when perfectly ripe and safe to eat. If the spud is any other colour than blue it is highly dangerous to ingest as the vegetable has a high acidic toxin that occurs if not handled properly.

Bland in flavour but easy to use with other dishes, the garithi'dar is a common addition to the Tatire City diet. Other uses have been for a fermented liquor, an ingredient in flammable fuel and pitch, and as a thickening agent in cooking. The name comes from its ability to survive through otherwise cataclysmic storms and conditions. Often this is the last crop planted during the five year rotation so that they don’t have to worry if the Kin’toni invade before harvest season arrives. Some have even tried to get the kin’toni to each the unrippened vegetables in hopes of poisoning them.

Fauna

Before the initial kin’toni invasion, the region drew numerous animals and fish of both carnivorous and herbivorous categories to the lush fields and crystalline clear river. Most were left alone to add the natural beauty of the land while others were hunted down for food and trade or domesticated as pets and beasts of burden. The river once teamed with the common varieties of freshwater fish and made fishing a lucrative trade for many townsfolk. However much of the wildlife fled when the refugees began arriving and making their homes in the fields that had been their lure.

Those that continued to return ran the risk of being hunted to extinction as the flow of resources slowed to a halt. And when the kin’toni invaded and scoured the region, all wildlife deserted the land and river or was killed shortly after discovery. After the Night of a Thousand Screams, the wildlife that began populating the region changed to the more predatory and scavenging carnivores of both the land and the water. Even with the cycle allowing years of growth, the region only drew animals that would hunt the zu'aan farmers just as maliciously as the Kin’toni.

One of the fish that was drawn by the scent of blood in the river is the diayia, or mawyliu. These medium sized monsters travel in groups of three or five and are covered in pale grey scales with blood red streaks along the body. Their snub nose hides the danger of the rows of serrated teeth that can chew through the toughest flesh in under an hour. When these terrors catch a hint of blood they fly into a frenzy that leads the small school to attacking and devouring all other flesh they find, no matter if it’s living or dead.

Because of these fish, no zu'aan is willing to step foot in the river unless absolutely necessary. However their wild nature also allows for an easy way to catch them in nets and cages. The flesh of the mawyliu is considered a mild delicacy and can be sold in bulk to chefs for a hefty sum. For this reason, some fishermen will only try to catch the dangerous creatures. Another carnivorous scavenger that has taken to hunting in the region is the vairlka, more commonly known as the yiviordi. These birds are easily recognised by their bone white bald head and burgundy plumage with flecks of crimson.

They are abnormally large at five heads high and with a ten head wingspan. They are often seen stalking scenes where many creatures have been killed, looking for choice meals amongst the dead. Though they have long sharp talons and a big hooked beak that is serrated and perfect for regular hunting, the prefer to pick at the corpses left behind by the worst most bloody of massacres. Because of their grotesque appearance and their tendency to appear most often during the periods of desolation, the yiviordi are considered linked to the kin’toni as an omen of death by the occupants of the Ardnys region.

Place

Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown

Ardnys Clearwater River

Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown

This article is written by xoishtar. Copyright 2026 xoishtar. All rights reserved.