River of Ice

The River of Ice was a major river in eastern Calimshan.

Geography
The river began at the confluence of Two Falls River and Bakkal's Creek at the cliffside known as the Cold Eyes. To the west were the fertile Schamedar Plains. The river flowed south into the Shining Sea.

Description
Despite its name, the river had no ice in at all and was not even that cold unless compared to the hot temperatures of Calimshan. It was called the River of Ice, because its waters fed by underground ice melts in the eastern Marching Mountains.

The river's two tributaries rushed and roared out of the Marching Mountains, over waterfalls and through deep gorges. However, about south of the Cold Eyes, the current slowed to a gentle speed, allowing fishing and boating. The river ended with a ravine for the last  of its journey. Every spring, the ravine flooded to its brim.

During the hot summer months, many nobles from the city of Manshaka would retire to estates in the southern foothills of the Marching Mountains in the vicinity of the headwaters of the River of Ice.

Fishing was popular in the spring and summer along the river's banks, as was panning for gems carried by the waters from mountains in the north. Even rubies had been found by lucky slaves at times.

Rumors & Legends
A local legend held that if one were ever to find two large rubies and allow the gems to reflect the light from the sun into her or his eyes, either great wealth or the prophetic gift of a seer would be gained.