River Ashaba

The Ashaba is one of two major rivers running through Cormanthor (the other is the Duathamper, or Elvenflow). It cuts the forest roughly in half, from Shadowdale in the Dalelands to Semberholme. The river is several hundred yards across, and deep, more than 30' (9m) in places. Its banks slope steeply in most places.

Fishing
The Ashaba contains carp, walleye and bullhead, although the carp in particular can grow to a very large size – large enough to be a threat to a human-sized creature. The northern part of the river was overfished by orcs who used large nets to scoop up many fish at once. In an attempt to combat the larger carp, the orcs dumped large amounts of poison into the river, but this just turned the carp black and made them more aggressive.

Crossing
There is only one bridge across the Ashaba, located about thirty miles to the south of Mistledale. It was damaged by a black dragon with poor eyesight who attacked it, thinking it was an enemy.

Flooding
Every spring, the heavy rains have a chance of causing the river to flood its banks, although the flooding is not severe, but it will cause hundreds of fish and frogs to become stranded in the muddy river banks.