Al-Adib River

The Al-Adib river, also known as the "River of Courtesy," wound itself through southwestern Zakhara for more than 100 miles across the plains of the High Desert to the coast of the Golden Gulf.

Description
The Al-Adib was filled with rancid water, courtesy of centuries of local humans using it as their dumping ground. This practice was forbidden by Sheikh Ali al-Hadd, ruler of Tajar, but most of the local peasants ignored his decree and continued filling the river with soiled clothing, vegetable matter, and even an occasional donkey carcass. Some areas of the river were so congested with garbage that dim-witted battan fish lurking just an inch beneath the surface could not be seen, making it one of the least attractive rivers in the Land of Fate.

Geography
The western portion of the Al-Adib was criss-crossed by a web of small tributaries, many only a few inches deep. Deeper tributaries played home to several variety of battan fish that were easily caught and delicious. Salty mineral deposits made the water here undrinkable, even though human pollution was considerably less than the eastern portions of the river.

Inhabitants
The western Al-Adib was dotted with slum settlements. The harbors where the Al-Adib emptied into the Golden Gulf near Tajar were typically jammed with merchant ships and vessels for aristocrats. Merchants here were extremely wary of beggars and usually killed on site unless a bribe of a silver piece was offered.