Silvertide & Ambergleam

Flowing down from the west slopes of the Stoneheart Mountains, the Silvertide begins as a crystal-clear thread winding northward for more than 600 kilometers, gathering waters from hidden springs, melting snows, and countless rivulets. Its name comes from its clarity—glasslike, cold, and silver-bright, with a visible stonebed and a whispering current. On clear days, it’s said you can see the shadows of birds reflected on the riverbed as clearly as in the sky.   Fed by tributaries like the Twinpeak Flow and the Cinderflow, the Silvertide acts as a vital artery for ore caravans and mining barges, connecting the isolated highland mining outposts to the wider world. The river runs mostly narrow and fast along its upper stretches, but gradually flattens and broadens as it reaches the northern reaches of the Stonehearts.   It is here that the river turns eastward—and changes.   Roughly 350 kilometers furether downstream, the Silvertide meets the Majesty Run, a flow colored by its passage through the mineral-laden hot springs and sulfuric geysers of the Fumarole Fields. From this confluence onward, the once-clear waters take on a rich golden hue. The river is now known as the Ambergleam, and it bears its name well.   The transformation is more than cosmetic. The amber glow persists through the day and takes on a surreal brilliance under moonlight. Alchemists and riverfolk alike speak of its waters as "heavy with memory," although no magical properties have been proven. Its banks, in places, crust with trace minerals that glint in sunlight or rain.   From there, the Ambergleam flows another 500 kilometers, past fertile valleys, riverside towns, and the city of Gildenquay—a major stop for merchants, craftsmen, and guild couriers. Finally, it empties into the Azure Expanse at the great lake’s south-western edge.   Though not as crowded as the Eorlwaters, the Ambergleam is well traveled along most of its length. Smaller vessels dominate past the town of Hinterland’s Heart, where shallows and narrower tributaries limit barge traffic. Even so, it remains one of the realm’s essential east-west corridors, binding mountains to markets, ore to craft, and wilderness to city.