Ofriyu Mar

he Ofriyu Mar river rages roughly northwest to southeast as it travels from mountains to the north and through the outskirts of Marn on its way to a lake farther south. Other streams and small rivers flow into the Ofriyu Mar, adding their small waters to the mass swirling down the river bed. The river runs deep, not often less than a dozen feet, and most of the time at a depth of 25 feet or more. Ranging from 10 metres across to 50 metres at its widest, the river often seems to wish to crash through its banks. Several feet of earthen bank are lost each year to the river's raging waters. On the western shore sits the Gnomish Power Plant, while on the eastern banks north of Shim sprawl the Virdara woods.

Despite the torrent from the rest of the river, at some of the wider spots the river runs slower and smoother. It is at these spots that strong ropes have been strung and men can earn their keep by ferrying people from one side to the other on the sturdy rafts attached to the ropes. In these areas, and various eddying pools formed by gouges in the riverbanks, fishermen are often seen plying the waters with poles and nets.

Not many boats travel the river, except in the smoother waters. Three or four times a year a sturdy barge from upriver will travel south, carrying supplies or brave merchants. The smoother waters are traveled by skilled boatmen, often fishermen or ferrymen who have been traversing the Ofriyu Mar for their entire lives.

Every year, at least a dozen lives are lost in the violent waters of the Ofriyu Mar. Cross carefully, for the water itself is not the only danger.