A seasonal lifeline through dying hills.
The Cydoris River flows through the southwestern Hills of Dolor, emerging from springs in the high ground near the Widebarrow Mountains and winding northeast toward Gnotobi's lake. Along with its tributary the Marshal River, it provides the primary water source for the western desert region and ultimately feeds the Golden River system.
Course
The Cydoris begins as multiple small streams in the rocky highlands where the Hills of Dolor meet the northern Widebarrows. These streams converge in a narrow valley, forming a proper river that cuts through increasingly arid terrain as it flows northeast.
The river passes through some of the harshest parts of the Hills of Dolor, its banks offering the only reliable water and vegetation for miles in any direction. Travelers crossing the hills follow the Cydoris whenever possible—straying from it means gambling with dehydration.
Near the center of its course, the Cydoris passes Cydorite Bluff, a dramatic cliff formation where millennia of erosion have exposed layers of colored stone. The bluff is visible for miles and serves as a navigation landmark throughout the region.
The Marshal River joins from the south roughly halfway along the Cydoris's length. Beyond this confluence, the combined waters continue northeast, eventually feeding Gnotobi's lake.
Seasonal Flow
The Cydoris is highly seasonal. During Ve's brief rainy season, the river runs strong—sometimes violently so, with flash floods capable of sweeping away anything in the valley floor. During the long dry months, it shrinks to a trickle or disappears entirely in some stretches, surviving only in isolated pools fed by underground seepage.
This seasonal variation makes travel timing critical. Cross during the rains and risk being caught in flash floods. Cross during the dry season and find the water sources you were counting on reduced to mud.
Significance
For Keshwindi, the Cydoris represents the western approach—the route exiles traditionally took from Shyona, and the path by which the city maintains tenuous contact with the outside world beyond Gnotobi. Goldwatch patrols sometimes range this far west, watching for bandits or threats approaching from Sestros.
For Gnotobi, the Cydoris is simply one of the water sources that feeds their lake and, by extension, their wealth. The Harvest Council pays little attention to what happens upstream as long as the water keeps flowing.