(Flowing from the Dreadwood into the Hool Marsh)

The Dunwater River is the second-longest river in the Hool Marsh, surpassed only by the mighty Javan. Its headwaters rise from natural springs south of the Dreadwood, where the land begins to sink into the marsh. From there, the river nearly a hundred leagues through the Drowned Forest and Hool Marsh before emptying into the Javan Bay.

The Dunwater is a river changes as it flows toward the Javan Bay.

The Headwaters - “The Fens”

The upper Dunwater begins in the Fens, a tangled region of reeds, pools, and rising mist. These waters are fed by springs at the edge of the Dreadwood. The road between Nine Oaks and Kimberton runs nearby, and the area is notorious for bandit camps that prey on travelers and caravans, as well as occassional beasts that wander out of the Fens.

The Keep on the Borderlands, standing between the Dreadwood and the Hool Marsh, maintains patrols along the upper river. Their presence keeps the Fens from total lawlessness, though ambushes and disappearances remain common.

The Drowned Forest

As the Dunwater flows south, it enters the Drowned Forest, where the river slows and becomes dark. The dead cypress trees line the edge of the river. Few dare to travel this stretch, for it is haunted by oozes, will-o’-wisps, undead, and stranger things and considered the most dangerous stretch of the river.

Here stand the ruins of the Ancient Stone Portal, the Tomb of White Waters, and the Hanging Wreck, a ghostly ship suspended among the trees. The Drowned Forest is both a place of death and grim beauty, a no-man’s-land where even smugglers and bandits seldom pass.

The Lower Dunwater

Exiting the Drowned Forest, the river becomes broad and tidal as it approaches the Hool Marsh. This is the most active stretch of the river.

The Lizardfolk of the Dunwater make their lairs here, sharing the river with the Bullywug tribes and bands of outlaws who have built a fortified stockade along the banks. Trade, if it can be called that, flows freely among smugglers, bandits, and even the Bullywug.

Near the delta, the Dunwater spills into the Javan Bay, flooding the lowlands and feeding countless channels through the marsh. The Keoland garrison at Saltmarsh seldom ventures this far upriver, leaving the Lower Dunwater to those who thrive in lawless waters.