The ominously named Grave River runs from the Skyreach mountains at the east to the ocean in the west, cutting across the vast xenofungi forests that cover most of the ground south of Shiro Yoake. Besides several varieties of poisonous algae and bacteria, very few living thigs can be found in the slowly moving, putrid water. Majority of these organisms are known feed on decomposing fungal matter that ends in the in the river. Curiously, some species of bacteria live in a symbiotic relationship with the algae, receiving nutrients from their host while producing toxins that keep the organism safe in return. Several insects that cannot digest the fungal matter are known to use some of the algae as a food source, likely explaining the aforementioned unique adaptation.
During the hot summer months, a species of bacteria dubbed 'Blue Death' blossoms and creates massive colonies that cover large swathes of the river. This insidious small organism eats decaying fungal matter, producing cyanide compounds as it does so. In small quantities, the gasses produced by the bacteria cause headache and dizziness, but in larger concentrations can cause vomiting, seizures, loss of consciousness and eventually cardiac arrest. Because of Blue Death blossoms, every summer sees hundreds of local animals, both large and small, dying by the river. Carcasses of these animals lay scattered along the riverbank among decaying fungal stalks, creating a gristly scenery.
Location rules: Late Evening, Early Night, Late Night and Early Morning slots are considered 'nighttime' for the purposes of random encounters.
Random encounters have potential to be lethal. On foot, it takes an entire time slot to travel to Grave River. e.g. if you plan to spend Late Afternoon at the river, you must use Early Afternoon and Early Evening slots to travel. If the character(s) have an access to a mount or vehicle the location can be reached more easily - no time slots need to be reserved for traveling.