Kaedroth

Kaedroth
Port of Arimathea facilities on the Kaedroth's north bank
Location
Country	Trellin, Arimathea
Region	Lekhmir, Retikh
Basin features
Cities	Seterië Vedalkae Qoredri Tythim Arimathea City
Tributaries
• left	3, 4, 5, 6
• right	1, 2, 7

The Kaedroth is the largest river in Arimathea by flow, length and width. It flows 596 kilometres (370 mi) from its headwaters in the Vekra Retiqa, in northern Lekhmir, in Trellin, and goes on to form a 140-kilometre (87 mi) portion of the border between Arimathea and Lekhmir and a shorter length of the border between Arimathea and Retikh. It flows out into the Great Bay of Arimathea, a large bay of the Sea of Jajich. It is the third longest river in Trellin, behind the Serëtanz and Flotir. It is one of the most economically significant rivers in western Teudallum, with four of Arimathea's ten largest cities (with populations from 500,000 to over 8 million) relying on the river for the movement of freight.

Name

The -oth ending of the name is a commonplace in the Ethlorek world, as it means a river. The combination of the first and middle elements, Kae- and -dr-, is less clear. The majority opinion is that Kae- derives from the word kaha, meaning the sea or ocean, but some toponymists believe it comes instead from kaië, meaning fire and often used in reference to Ryioi, the Ethlorek fire god whose cult is now suppressed. In either case, the prevailing identification of -dr- is with the verb dern, meaning to feed or nourish. It is believed that pre-Christian Arimathea was, like other non-Trellinese settlements of the Ethlorek peoples, devoted chiefly to Ryioi. Thus, the Kaedroth is the river that feeds the sea or feeds the fire.

Course

The Kaedroth rises in the valley of ___, in the northern Vekra Retiqa, the cordillera that dominates northern Trellin. It flows 31 kilometres (19 mi) before being joined on the right bank by its first major tributary, and the two continue in a southwesterly direction. Numerous river systems flow into the Kaedroth: the catchment of this river dominates western Lekhmir and about a third of Arimathea. The _Seterie river_ joins it, then the _next one_ joins on the left bank. On the Lekhmir-Retikh border it is joined by the __, and then the __, these two rivers forming the boundaries of medieval Vekara and the modern-day Retikan district of that name. The Kaedroth then swings away from the border with Retikh and turns west by northwest.

Vedalkae is the first major settlement on the Kaedroth; its name means Kaedroth-Bridge. Below Vedalkae the river slows and forms some grand meanders which are the largest in Teudallum. This meandering phase brings it past Qoredri, which lies on the river __, and is the most voluminous left-hand tributary of the Kaedroth. It is joined thereafter by its largest right-hand tributary, the __, whose basin drains most of northeast Arimathea. The river straightens out somewhat as it approaches Tythim, but its leisurely pace continues, and it branches into several channels that form large islands upriver from Arimathea City. These islands were once subject to the vagaries of the river and of monsoons, but substantial flood-control measures were put in place beginning in the 1700s and its course is now artificially stabilised, permitting permanent settlement on these islands and the lower Kaedroth's former floodplain.

Arimathea's capital, the City of Arimathea, lies mostly on the south bank of the Kaedroth as its estuary debouches into Arimathea Harbour. The river is so wide at this point that only three long road bridges, and a four-track railway causeway, span it within the city limits. Most vehicle crossings are instead carried by several tunnels under the river and by numerous ferry routes that operate between the north and south banks. Historically, the width of the river at Arimathea meant most settlement was on the south bank, and the north bank was considered a separate town, _name_, although it is now considered a municipality of the capital district, Serëforz. The Port of Arimathea occupies 10,870 hectares (26,900 acres) of land across both banks and is the single largest landowner in metropolitan Arimathea, the largest port in the Trellinese Empire and one of the busiest ports in Astyria. The harbour opens onto the Great Bay of Arimathea, a bay of the Sea of Jajich, and the Kaedroth reaches its end.