For as long as there had been Upland Abanye, there had been tales of a river so great and so wide that you could not even see the other shore seemed distant when standing on its banks. These tales also told of a people who lived along the river, keeping animals as their subordinates.

For the Upland Abanye, a large part of their continuing eastward drive was finding these legendary masters of animals and the great river they lived beside. Every few generations a village crept ever so slowly eastward. Eventually, it was certain the groups would meet.

This was not good enough for Yurh-Rru, Watum of an upland village at the eastern edge of Abanye civilization. He heard the stories, but was not content with letting the next generation finally see the river. He was going to take matters into his own hands, and see the river for himself.

The young Watum had assembled a group of a dozen men, armed to be safe, as well as two reed boats loaded with provisions and some gifts should they find the fabled people of the river. A week ago they had set out up the river by boat, but within days the river had become too small to traverse, forcing the party to abandon boats and travel overland on foot.

The group had traveled up and down great hills, passing through the mountains themselves, all the while as provisions ran lower and lower. But after over a week's travel by foot, their perseverance was rewarded, and as they cleared a particularly large hill, they saw a glistening river larger than any they could have imagined, glistening in a broad shallow valley before them. To the north, columns of smoke rose from what could only be a village, though if it was a village it was the largest these men had ever seen. Just how adept were the people of the river?

Wasting no time, the men departed for the village of River-people, preparing to present their gifts of carved Aban idols and beer. If they could prove to the others that the River-people were real, their village would have great prestige. And if the upland Abanye could learn the ways of these people and bring their goods home to Abanye lands, perhaps their status would rise in the eyes of the coastal Abanye.

For Yurh-Rru, much rode on this meeting.