River Fule

Template:Geobox The River Fule (/vʉːl/) is the second-longest longest river in Vyvland, stretching 302 kilometres from Vresre in Seerm province to Fulemaaf in Pegerm. Vlud ius the largest city on the river, with a population of 2.1 million, while Jesel lies further down the river, at its tidal limit. For much of its length, it is a major waterway used for transport and fishing. Large container ships use the river up to Niyport, and to a lesser extent Jesel, to transport goods in and out of Vyvland; historically, Jesel was used as a coal dock for the mines around Olsence to the south, while modern container ships pass out of Niyport.

Name

The name Fule is thought to derive from the Proto-Germanic word *flōduz, meaning "river", cognate to English flood and German Fluss, in addition to Vyvlander vlut. Thus, the river's name means "River River". The river's spelling has remained unchanged since before the Niysgroib reforms, and therefore is pronounced with the original /f/ sound and not the modern /ð/ assigned to the letter f. The name of the city of Vlud also derives from this root.

History

The Fule has long been a prominent feature of Vyvland, having been mentioned as the 'Great River' in many ancient Vyvlander texts. The river's wide expanse is known for having held back the rapid advance of Stanmer's King Eylav fi Paavyl for eight months in 1350, while important crossing points at Jesel and Vlud have grown into major cities. In more recent times, the Fule has been a major transport artery, and has helped the growth of Jesel, which lies at the highest tidal point on the river, and Niyport, which was built when conventional sea-faring ships became too large to sail to Jesel. Since then, the river after Jesel has been dredged, and this enabled coal barges to export Vyvland's plentiful coal reserves.

Due to the river's crossing of the former border between North and South Vyvland, it played an important role during partition, and its border crossing at Sdezon was one of the most heavily-guarded parts of the border. Still, multiple people attempted to cross the frontier through the river, the most notable being Gregor Viskerlenen in 1972, who the North declined to return to the South, prompting a diplomatic crisis. The border was also used by the Southern army to sail primitive guided torpedos through, with the aim of reaching the Northern monarchy's palace at Vecanbek, and ultimately Vlud. Both of these aims were unsuccessful. The North also attempted to use the river to flow herbicides down in the 1950s, to damage surrounding areas of farmland; this was mildly successful.

Defences on the central plains were constructed in the mid 19th century; they consist predominantly of levees and storm drains. To prevent flooding around Jesel, in 2004 a new method of minimising flood risk was built to the north of the city in addition to a northern bypass; the new road was built with large troughs on either side to carry excess water, which can spill onto the road if necessary and flow safely around the northern edge of the city. However, the river's defences are not immune to the most serious floods; hundred-year floods, such as those following the Great August Storm in 1993, are still able to burst its banks. The aformentioned flood caused millions of mynigs worth of damage, and took years to reconstruct.

Geography

The Fule rises in the Hoikrov area of Seerm province, before flowing down a narrow valley through the towns of Grinel and over the north side of the Jongklev, where it meets its first major tributary, the Jong. From here, it flows westwards in a valley to the south of Wesge Airport, before turning southwards and running onto the Upper Vlud plains, where it begins to flow more slowly. South of Vlud, it crosses the former North-South border, which was heavily guarded by towers on the surrounding hills and riverbanks, in addition to subsurface defences. From here, it flows through a small range of hills before flowing out onto the low-lying central plain around Bid. It flows around the Fijral Volcano at a radius of 20 to 30 kilometres, entering Jesel on its way, where it splits into two branches; this made Jesel, whose central quarter is located on an island in the river, a particularly advantageous crossing point. From here, it flows slowly to the sea, becoming fully canalised where it meets the Niyport Canal, a wide shipping channel constructed in the early 1800s. Its mouth is situated at the historic planned town of Fulemaaf, designed by Geadish architect and planner Johannes Brettel in 1704. The area around the river's mouth is historically associated with Vyvland's Swedish population.