Coldfire River

Type: Primordial magical river
Also Known As: The Paleflame
Location: Northwest to south/southeast across the northern world, forking before the sea
Borders: At the First Fork, the Coldfire marks the border—Arya (west/left bank) and Dravis (east/right bank)

Overview

The Coldfire River is a primordial ribbon of liquefied, pure cold energy that predates recorded history. Its flow is steady and mesmerizing, a paleflame artery threading permafrost plains and glacial shelves before splitting near the coast. All crossings are fixed bridges.

Appearance

• Surface: A continuous sheet of undulating white flames rimmed with icy blue.
• Central Current: Looks like flowing white sand suspended in a clear, glassy fluid, spiraling in gentle swirls and eddies.
• Light: At night it sheds enough pale glow to navigate the banks; reflections flicker like a ground-level aurora.

Properties and Hazards

• Instant Crystallization: Anything that touches the river—organic or inorganic—flash-freezes into crystalline dust and is drawn into the white-sand flow.
• Flow Character: Gentle but inexorable; even in calm stretches, the current never fully stills.
• Spray & Drift: Fine paleflame “dust” rides eddies near the banks. Prolonged exposure chills through heavy clothing; uncovered skin can frost-glaze.
• Sound: A soft, glassy susurration layered with occasional crackle where paleflame meets wind.

Origins (Common Theories)

• Primordial Channel: A leftover vein from the world’s earliest shaping, when elemental cold pooled beneath forming continents.
• Gods’ Scar (minor sect): A mythic byproduct of divine conflict—its truth unproven.

Notable Sites Along the Coldfire

• First Fork (Arya–Dravis Border): Site of the Greatbridge of the Paleflame Accord.
• AnKhant-Iyire (Arya): Glacier-cave metropolis north-west of the fork; no cliffside docks. Limited sea access via a subterranean slipway to a tide-gated sea cave (small craft only).
• Zarkova (Dravis): Fortress-capital near the coast between the branches.

Game Notes

• Contact: Any direct contact = instant destruction of touched material (DM adjudication: no save).
• Environment: Within ~20 ft of the bank in storms or high winds, require cold/extreme environment checks as appropriate.
• Magic: Anti-magic does not extinguish the river; treat the Coldfire as a natural/magical phenomenon beyond routine suppression.