Sobat Ari-bor

A Delta Of Artisans Where All The Roads Are Water

written by Auden James

Town— Sobat Ari-bor is a society of weavers, fishers, and expert boatbuilders perched like a heron overtop a lush wetland, notable in part because the primary method of transport is canoes. Each year much of the landscape changes permanently when the Sobat River’s annual flood covers the delta.

The People

Hospitality is one of the central values of Sobat Ari-bor, so most travelers and merchants passing through the dense wetland can expect to be invited to stay in a family’s straw-roofed home instead of having to find an inn. Because the layout of waterways changes so often, there are very few bridges to connect the bright green hills that intersect to form the loose boundaries of the town, but there are plenty of boats of all colors and sizes. Crafts and trades are highly valued, and local elders who can teach advanced forms of quilting, knitting, and woodworking are highly respected.

Children in Sobat Ari-bor are affectionately called as Artists, a reference to the honor given to under-13s of decorating Ahkend, the local Monster, during his festival each spring. When new teenagers are welcomed into adult society they are inducted into the world of boatbuilding by hand-making their first canoes over the course of a year.

Local Monster

Ahkend is a seasonal Monster who appears and vanishes with the floods every year, heralding the joyous spring festival week before torrential monsoon rains and flooding redefine the local landscape. Ahkend is seen as a representative of rain and growth, traditionally depicted in art with a group of wise tortoises attending him. He is ponderously silent, yet everyone agrees he seems to take delight in allowing the children of the town to crawl all over him with their paint brushes during his ceremonial decoration at the start of the festival.

Notable Sublocations

  • Prija’s Fluxery—Makers of woodwork, jewelers, and smiths come from far and wide to learn techniques for reviving the almost-lost art of enamel. The Fluxmaster is tiny, possibly eternal, and you really don’t want to make her angry.
  • The Copper Head—Some prospective explorers say that this odd rectangle emerging from the water is the very top of a massive sunken monument from long ago, before the river came. But no one has any idea how to possibly get inside.
  • Lotus Lake—This picturesque market is a major attraction for both traders and travelers. At dawn, merchants of all kinds link boats at the mouth of the delta to form a colorful, lively floating marketplace you can float or swim through for an idyllic morning. Bring flowers to hang on the stalls and you’ll probably get a discount.
  • Ommit’s Shrine—The silent and unpredictable hippos are both considered to be like younger siblings of the guardian Monster Ahkend, and also a bit incompatible with nearby human neighbors. They live happily in a sacred wetland preserve, but since it has no hard boundaries the hippos stay near the shrine only so long as they are comfortable and content.

What Happens When You Arrive

  1. A group of small Artists disappeared with their parents’ canoes and now cannot be found!
  2. A pair of invasive crocodiles have escaped a cage into the wetlands, which could be disastrous since Sobat Ari-bor depends on fish as a staple food source.
  3. As the floods subside, the top of an ancient copper pyramid that sank beneath the delta has been revealed…
  4. Two merchant parties from rival guilds are having a dispute about pottery and won’t leave the town to sort it out elsewhere.
  5. Ahkend is late and the floods have not begun. Can the cycle be set right to prevent catastrophe?
  6. A one-eyed Monster in the shape of a Lion has appeared just before the spring festival, and it’s unclear what business he might have with Ahkend.