ADDENDUM TO PREVIOUS WORK: THE FAYEEN QUESTIONS

By Hersius

INTRODUCTION

Recently in helping Vosche of Ushindi Taluna construct a regional map, which can be found at http://soiroom.hyperchat.com/talunac/GorSouth.jpg, I decided to offer periodic Addenda to previous work in this Department. There is only so much that one can say in a column about any one topic and keep any sense of balance to the piece, and offering Addenda to comment in greater depth about something might be a workable way of responding to reader input. As the first Addendum item, I therefore offer four alternative interpretations of the Fayeen river system. Relevant information is found in Book 10, Pages 27, 32, 33, 36, 37, 41, 43, 44, and 238.

THE FAYEEN QUESTIONS

First, here is some relative location information about the three relevant settlements. Tor is at the northwest corner of the Tahari. Pages 32 and 36. Kasra is located to the west of Tor. Pages 32, 33, and 41. Kurtzal is located north of Tor. Page 41. Kasra is situated on the Lower Fayeen. Pages 32, 33, and 41. Kurtzal is simply upriver from Kasra without the river being named. Pages 41 and 43. The Fayeen system has to begin somewhere north of Kurtzal, so its origin place can only be in the southwestern part of the Voltai above Tor. Page 27.

Second, here is some information regarding the relative location of the Fayeen system and Tor. Kasra is a starting and ending place for caravans, some of which appear to enter and leave the Tahari without going through Tor first. Page 37. The distance between Tor and Kurtzal is over land with no mention of any intervening river. Pages 41 and 44. This suggests that the Fayeen system is the closest river system to the west of Tor and that if the Fayeen is two rivers, the Lower Fayeen is the closer to Tor. Travel upriver from Kasra to Kurtzal and then overland by wagon from Kurtzal to Tor takes four days. Pages 41 and 44. This suggests that the Fayeen system is very close to Tor when viewed from orbit but that it is an appreciable distance away when viewed locally.

The above ideas and the descriptions of travel on the Fayeen system from Kasra to Kurtzal suggest that the Fayeen system is geographically outside of the Tahari while being within the political and cultural sphere of the Tahari settlements.

On Pages 32 and 33, the Lower Fayeen is said to be a sluggish, meandering tributary, like the Upper Fayeen, to the Cartius. On Page 238, Kasra is said to be at the juncture of the Upper and Lower Fayeen. These ambiguous passages, in light of the above information, can lead to four interpretations.

Kasra and Kurtzal could both be on the Lower Fayeen, with the Upper Fayeen being a separate river, and Kasra could be the place where the two rivers almost but not quite join together. In this interpretation, either the Lower Fayeen and Upper Fayeen begin as separate rivers or begin as one river and then branch north of Kurtzal. This is consistent with both Fayeen rivers being tributaries to the Cartius, and if the rivers begin as separate rivers, it is consistent with there being no mention of a single Fayeen River.

Kasra and Kurtzal could both be on the Lower Fayeen, and Kasra could be the place where the Upper Fayeen diverges off from the main river. In this interpretation, the Lower Fayeen leaves the Voltai and there is no Upper Fayeen before Kasra. This is consistent with both Fayeen rivers being tributaries to the Cartius, and with there being no mention of a single Fayeen River. This is also consistent with the idea that the Salt Road originates in Kasra and does not have to cross the Upper Fayeen as it proceeds northwest.

Kasra and Kurtzal could both be on the Lower Fayeen, and Kasra could be the place where the Upper Fayeen joins the Lower Fayeen from the northeast. In this interpretation, both the Lower Fayeen and the Upper Fayeen leave the Voltai, with the Upper Fayeen becoming a relatively small river ending as a tributary to the Lower Fayeen at Kasra. This is consistent with both Fayeen rivers being tributaries, the Lower Fayeen being tributary to the Cartius and the Upper Fayeen being tributary to the Lower Fayeen. This is also consistent with Kasra being a true juncture as a place of joining rather than a place of divergence or near miss. Note that in this view, only the Lower Fayeen reaches the Cartius since the Upper Fayeen becomes incorporated into the Lower Fayeen. This is also consistent with the idea that the Salt Road originates in Kasra and does not have to cross the Upper Fayeen as it proceeds northwest.

Finally, the Upper Fayeen and Lower Fayeen could be the same river at different locations. In this interpretation, the river that originates in the Voltai is known as the Upper Fayeen, and when it reaches Kasra, it becomes known as the Lower Fayeen. This is consistent with the fact that the Fayeen system is never referred to as either a river or as rivers, so whether there is only one river or there are two rivers is not specified. This is also consistent with the fact that Kurtzal is located simply upriver from Kasra and that whether Kurtzal is technically on the Upper or Lower Fayeen is never stated. Geographically, the Upper Fayeen could be the river at its higher elevations as it descends. The description of sluggish and meandering could still apply to the river at all locations. Upper would refer to upriver from Kasra, and Lower would refer to downriver from Kasra, which would highlight the importance of Kasra as the major depot of the salt trade. This is also consistent with the idea that the Salt Road originates in Kasra and does not have to cross the Upper Fayeen as it proceeds northwest.

Two final notes. The river runs west from Kurtzal. Page 41. It is possible to locate Kurtzal north or slightly northwest of Tor and to have Kasra either west of Tor meaning southwest of Kurtzal or west of Tor meaning northwest of Tor and straight west of Kurtzal. Also, if you want the Fayeen system to run north of the rainforests and enter the Thassa Cartius, the Fayeen system would continue to run westward from Kasra and would have to skirt most roads and rivers as it links in the west with the Thassa Cartius. If you want the Fayeen system to run down the corridor of plains between the rainforests and the Voltai to the subequatorial Cartius, then the Fayeen system would run south and southwest from Kasra.