Skip to content

The Old Chardon Canal

Variously referred to as the Chardon Canal, the Old Chardon Canal, the Great Chardon Canal, or just the Canal, this is an 87 mile long sea-level canal that connects the Endless Ocean near Chardon with the Emerald Bay and the Nevos Sea.

Built with magic by the Drankorians, and currently navigated by a mysterious group known as windcallers, who use magic to steer ships through the often windless passage.

Geography

The southern entrance to the canal is on a tidal estuary, near the small city of Pergia, just to the west. The canal is traditionally demarcated from south to north, so the southern entrance is known as mile 1.

At Mile 10 is Fort Ameli, originally a Drankorian fort, which guards the entrance to the canal proper. Ships making the passage north are required to dock here, to queue for a windcaller pilot, and to pay the toll.

From here, the canal runs due north for 12 miles, through gentle terrain, following the course of a river that has been widened and leveled.

At Mile 22, the canal enters the Cut, a narrow gorge through hills, with cliff walls stretching up to 300 feet high on each side. Too narrow for ships to pass, and clearly created by magic.

The Cut ends at Mile 31, as the canal enters Stillwater Lake, an artificial lake created by Drankorian magic. There is an anchorage and small village here.

At Mile 35, the Canal exits Stillwater lake into the Narrows. While shorter than the Cut, and with less dramatic cliffs, this is even narrower, with some stretches barely wide enough for a galley or large sailing ship to pass.

At Mile 36, the Narrows end, and the canal follows a more winding path as it exits the hills and begins to enter the swampy coastal plain of the Gulf of Chardon.

At Mile 56, the Canal enters Lake Cirelus, a small lake, and joins the route of an ancient river, its name lost to time.

By Mile 77, the river enters its marshy delta. The main channel of the Canal follows a deep passage dug out and dredged with magic.

At Mile 87, the Canal enters the Gulf of Chardon, passing Fort Varian, built on a tiny island in the marshlands. Services, docks, and a safe port can be found a few miles east, at Nevium.

Canal Passage

The canal itself is 87 miles long, although the southern 10 miles are a tidal estuary that ships can navigate on their own. Passage is regulated and taxed. Ships must passage the canal under the control of a Chardonian pilot. Galleys can proceed under their own power, but sailing ships must be controlled by a windcaller. Under control of a windcaller, most sailing ships can make 4 miles per hour in the canal, so the complete passage takes around 20 hours.

The Cut, between the Emerald Bay and Lake Stillwater, and the Narrows, between Lake Stillwater and the Gulf of Chardon, prevent ships from passing each other during transit, so departure times are coordinated to prevent blockages.

Typically, northbound ships have the right of way between Emerald Bay and Lake Stillwater from midnight to noon, and southbound ships have the right of way from noon to midnight. Between Lake Stillwater and the Gulf of Chardon, ships can pass each other in Lake Cirelus. Typically to cover the northern stretch, ships travel in convoy, with one northbound convoy departing Stillwater Lake and one southbound convoy departing Fort Varian each day, timed so they pass at Lake Cirelus.

Thus, it is possible to make the transit in one day, by departing Fort Ameli after midnight to arrive at Stillwater Lake in time to join the northbound convoy, or by pushing into the night from Stillwater Lake if traveling south. However, more typically ships overnight at Stillwater Lake, and make the transit in two days.