Traders Bay

Traders Bay was the only interior waterway in Impiltur. Because of its reputation as a wretched hive of scum and villainy, it was sometimes colloquially called Traitor's Bay.

Description
Because the coastal port cities along the Easting Reach were sufficient to support legitimate trade, the Bay never gained prominence as a mercantile route. Thus, much of the traffic on Trader's Bay consisted of fugitives, bandits, or smugglers attempting to move between the Cold Lands and the Easting Reach without attracting the attention of Impiltur.

Geography
The term "Trader's Bay" referred collectively to the final stretch of the Great Imphras River as it passed through two large lakes, Bluefang Water and Old Water, and emptied into the Easting Reach. The only settlement on the Bay was Bay Town.

History
Prior to the rise of Zhengyi the Witch-King in the mid–14 century, Traders Bay was part of the trade routes of Damaran merchants en route to the Sea of Fallen Stars, but this traffic disappeared with the Witch-King's conquests in the Vaasan War. Even after the restoration of Damara, the only legitimate merchants who chose to travel through the Bay were those desperate to reach the sea as fast as possible, while the rest traveled the safer and better patrolled land route.