Dunsta River

 

The Dunsta River is the heart and soul of the Gornarod Working of Gradec.  It begins in the Schodni highlands and flows easterly 1,206 km to its junction with the Vari River. The upper reaches of the Dunsta River provide water, power and transport through the center of Gradec and the broad upper Dunsta valley provides farmland and open space for Gradec’s settlements. The Dunsta then drops through a steep pass down to the hill country on the western edge of the Schodnis. It continues through the hill country for 257 km until it reaches the edge  of the Banakur Forest.  From there it travels through an open and gentle valley for 244 km until finally joining the Vari River.

The Dunsta is fed in the lowlands by its two main tributaries, the Risdar and the Radova rivers. The Risdar flows down from Mt. Limat, carving a gap in the Droughkos Ridge through which the road to Gradec connects to the Gornarod Track. The Radova starts in the base of the Kenor Morsk.

Gradec MetelCentre sits on the east bank of the Dunsta River, where the Holsovic Road crosses it.  Although isolated from the main commercial traffic of the Gornarod Track, Gradec maintains an active trade with the Banakur Gens. Moros, on the Dunsta below Gradec, is the commercial start point for merchants traveling into the Banakur. In recent times, Gradec's merchants have maintained a limited but profitable trade with Gens Tamroti, using the Dunsta River as a trade route. Gradec maintains 34 Travelers Stations along the Dunsta.  These stations are roughly 20 km apart and extend through the Banakur Forest to the edge of Tamroti lands.  They are similar in design to the stations along the Gornarod Track except that each has a protected dock for the watercraft used by merchants on the Tamroti trade route. Gradec also maintains a trading fort, named Fort Tamroti, on the banks of the Dunsta. There is a permanent L’npei camp near the Fort, with a population of fewer than 1,000 occupants.  From there, peddlers and small parties of Gornarod adventurers transship the goods to Kemtarot and up the Vari to Gens Magira and Gens Risdar.

The lower Dunsta forms the southern boundary of the large plain that is occupied by GensTamroti.  Tamroti’s capital Kemtarot is located on the north bank of the Dunsta River, near its junction with the Vari River.

Long-time gamer, amateur cartographer, living in a world of my own making.

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