Shadmaus
The last great valley through which the Shadew River flows is the Shadmaus [pronunciation shad-MAY-us]. This steeply descending valley affords the mighty Shadew a succession of five cascades in its passage to the Shadmouth. The Aurician Empire controls the Shadmaus as part of the northeastern tongue of its highly prized Shadevan Provinces. Occupants of the Shadmaus are called Shadmaans. The farmland of the lower Shadmaus is some of the richest farmland in the temperate climates of the civilized world.
The Shadmaus overlaps with the region known as Transalpine Agogia. The storied Bhinsasa Mountains hem the southern border of the Shadmaus and the Amandal Jaggudorns reach across the northern boundary. In the summer, the gleaming Shadew River is easily rcognizable from the air and the foothills.
Five Cascades of the Shadew River
The five cascades of the Shadmaus are considered sacred to the god Shadew. Each cascade has its own name and number, starting from the highest to the lowest.
| Order | Name | Descent of Falls (Mdg) | Descent of Falls (Metric) | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balik Shadew | 134 gnödva | 172 meters | |
| 2 | Cheddi Yu | 102 gnödva | 131 meters | |
| 3 | Arthogan | 68 gnödva | 87 meters | |
| 4 | Galim Tog | 42 gnödva | 54 meters | |
| 5 | Brewde Shadew | 12.5 gnödva | 16 meters |
Historically, the Shadmaus has been home to dwarves, the Skrallen (Trolls), Agogians, Phumaise-speaking humans of mixed Ithatian and Skyfolk heritage. Although claimed variously through the ages by many rulers, the Shadmaus retains its distinctive Phumaise dialect and local customs.
The five cascades of the Shadmaus formed a natural barrier to river traffic from the great Asdaurian hinterland through which the otherwise slow and broad river flows. North of the cascades, the Shadew River is a great passageway through numerous tribes and kingdoms. But there was no present connection between the civilized nations of the Pallathantic and the grain and resources of Asdauria. The Aurician Empire and many business concerns engaged in the Five Locks Project to bypass the cascades through a complex system of locks.
Languages of the Shadmus
Phumaise is the commonly spoken language of the humans of the Shadmaus. There is a sizable minority of humans from the Shadmouth who speak Phumaise. Magistrates and industrialists from Aurice speak the Aurician dialect of Throvian. Jaggudornese Dwarven is spoken by the dwarven engineers and consultants who worked on the Five Locks Project. Finally the isolated Skrallen communities of the woods speak their own pidgin language. Temporary visitors and passers-through bring many more tongues for the brevity of their sojourns.
Religion
The river god, Shadew, plays an important role in the everyday observances of the Shadmaans. His riverside shrines can be found especially on the northshore which is holy to him. Thwar is honored as the god of rain and storms which can be quite violent. Mountain divinities representing the sacred numina of the Bhinsasas and the Jaggudorns are also propitiated. These are particularly important to the trolls.
Cities and Settlements of the Shadmaus
Hammergast and Auricetino are the two greatest cities of the Shadmaus. Auricetino rests north of the last cataract, Brewde Shadew, and was settled by Aurice in 2526, just one year before the Aurician Revolution.
Five Locks Project
The first serious consideration for building a system of locks and canals to enable large river craft to descend the river, bypassing the cascades was conceived by the ancient Ithatians who realized the resources and work required would be staggering. The Yophentheans who feared improved communications with the sky peoples of the Jaggudorns scrapped any such ideas during their empire. During Kalikán rule, the idea was touted again, but the need for advanced engineering and highly organized control scuttled any further development.
Although previous rulers have attempted to construct locks and canals to enable the descent of the Shadew River by grain barges, only Aurice due to its resources and control of the territory succeeded where Dwarves, Kalikán, and Ithatians have failed.
The provincial governor of the Agogian Provinces is overseeing the cooperative work of dwarven and Aurican corpora mercia to undertake the Five Locks Project. With its accomplisment, great barges now voyage a complete route from the vale of the Shadew in the Asdaurian highland to the Shadevan Delta and the resource-hungry nations of the Pallathantic Sea, bearing grain and all other manner of commerce. This has greatly enriched the corpora mercia of the Aurician Empire and made the it more crucial to the lifeblood of the eastern Pallathantic.
Dwarven and human engineers planned the basics of the project and continue to oversee it. The Five Locks Project is thought to be the greatest engineering and titancraft feat of the modern age.
See Also
Translations French: Chademayes German: Schadmäus Italian: Sciadameo Spanish: Xadmeo
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