Great Raft of the River Besk

The Great Raft extends roughly 300 miles along the path of the Besk from the Ofayer city of Hathestole to the outskirts of Throne in Vizenia, briefly passing the Didacian city of Victus' Fall at the midpoint. The side of the river belonging to the Consulate is the sole region not covered by the Raft, having been partially 'unjammed' by the Didacian Corps of Engineers in the late 8700s for ship construction purposes, the unblocked area becoming a flooding hazard during rainy seasons.   The Raft prevents the Besk from altering its path as rivers naturally do. Instead, the seasonal water changes across time result in the formation of seasonal bayous and ponds, known as Beskal Lakes. The river, being laterally locked into place, has formed extremely deepened banks. The flooding of the Besk in the area covered by the Great Raft results in large eluvial and fertile soil from its top layer into the surrounding flood plains.

The area has become ecologically unique in Sinderlan, and Perradin as a whole. The jumbled nature of the logs branches are regularly replenished as they decay due to the naturally heavy rainfalls of Ofayer causing large numbers to be uprooted from the Stargash exterior annually.   Landscapes of the area range from watery bayous and ponds to enormous islands of floating grasslands with spires of dead treewood jutting up. Fauna and peoples affected by the Starfall migrated to the area as it proved resource rich in an otherwise desolate landscape, resulting in a highly varied population from various biomes. These include alligators, giant tortoises, muskrats, ettins, and Grung from the Ofayer swamps and deer, elk, owlbears, and treants from the forests of Vizenia. These creatures comingled and have created a highly competitive food web.   The underside of the Raft has become a refuge for the Beaverfolk peoples, who have created small settlements beneath the surface. The complex network of channels the river takes through the tangle of ancient broken wood acts as a natural defense for them and their livestock, Great Sludge Unicorns, which once grazed the swamps of Ofayer before the Starfall. They are reclusive and pay taxes to their respective duchies in exchange for solitude.

Raft Vents are a unique version of swamp gas which occurs on the Raft. As gas builds up beneath the surface of the raft from the perpetual decay of old wood and animal matter, the gas begins to seep out as pressure builds. This gas often times finds its way through hollow tree trunks sitting vertically, effectively becoming a funnel. Occasionally, these vents of gas ignite resulting in large columns of fire that can last anywhere from a few seconds to several days. Locals treat these as bad omens, and Augurs of the Kingdom caution to visit them should someone experience a particularly intense vent. Local folklore states that the vents are the spirits of those who got lost atop the Raft and those that lost their lives in the Starfall and War of the Beige Sky of 5467 between Vizenia and Ofayer.