Location from The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
A toxic, acidic river cutting through ancient forest — the highway to Elderling ruins and the barrier that defines Rain Wild civilization.
The Rain Wild River is alive in a way that feels malevolent. It shifts its channels, floods without warning, and the acidic water makes every journey a race against dissolution. Yet this is the only route to the Elderling ruins, to Kelsingra, and to the dragon birthing grounds — making it the most valuable and most dangerous waterway in the world. Only specially constructed vessels — like the liveship barge Tarman — can survive long-term exposure to the river. The Rain Wild Traders have spent generations learning its moods, and they still lose ships.
A broad, dark river flowing through impossibly dense forest. The water itself is acidic — it eats at wood, corrodes metal, and causes the Rain Wild changes in anyone exposed too long. Mist rises from the surface constantly, giving the forest a perpetual ghostly quality. The trees along the banks are enormous — old growth that dwarfs anything in the Six Duchies.
Also known as: The Rain Wild River, The River