Canopy Bridge

Vesarca’s largest natural bridge by far, the Canopy Bridge spans the entire width of the forested Avroa valley, its two pillars bursting from the tree canopy (hence the name) to rise high above the valley’s Redapple River. The bridge has been and continues to be known by a number of names throughout history, including the Duelist’s Bridge, the Duck-Apple Bridge, and the Gate of Shekso. The name one uses can be something of a shibboleth; knights, historians, and others with a keen interest in martial matters often prefer the Duelist’s Bridge, while local serfs who maintain connection with their ancestral cultures often maintain the older Gate of Shekso.

Throughout its history, the Canopy Bridge has been the site of countless duels. In ancient times, the champions of the Geozdan and Ukleh tribes - who lived on opposite sides of the valley - would meet to resolve disputes by combat. Many a defeated warrior has had his corpse flung over the edge, to crash into the river below - and no small number of living ones as well. Less spectacularly, however, it was also the preferred meeting place for the diplomats of the two tribes. Though less geographically relevant in modern times than it was for the Geozdan and Ukleh, knights and nobles from across Kosingia still duel atop the bridge for its cultural prestige, though it is now considered distasteful to throw an opponent - living or dead - from its heights.

Despite originating the tradition of dueling atop the bridge, the Geozdan and Ukleh themselves referred to the bridge as the Gate of Shekso, named for their shared water god. His kingdom was believed to lie beyond the Gate in the depths of what is now known as the Sea of Agliash, where the Redapple River drains. It was said that one could only safely traverse the river down to the sea by carrying with them a bushel of apples, Shekso’s favorite food. These apples were to be cast overboard and offered to Shekso once a traveler reached the sea.

The association of the river, the bridge, and Shekso himself with apples comes from the apple trees that grow wild throughout the Avroa valley, whose fruit tends to roll downhill into the river. In peak season, the river is dotted with thousands of red apples bobbing in the current. The more fanciful name of “Duck-Apple Bridge” arose in recent centuries, alluding to the children’s game of ducking for apples.