The Plains of Pesh .
At the upper reaches of the Anhui River, as it flows down from the mountains through the Hills of Niranim it is already wide, silty and beginning to meander. It joins with another river, the faster flowing Ampash, and the land between the two is the fertile floodplain known as the Plain of Pesh, also called the Plain of Banners.
Pesh is a broad flat land. Drainage is poor but over the years the two rivers have left a layer of good topsoil. Even though both the Ampash and the Anhui now have dams and so no longer experience the devastating seasonal floods, they are still allowed to swell during the spring thaws, as this brings a renewal of the life-giving topsoil. Pesh, however, is no longer inhabited.
On the western banks of the Ampash lies the Empire, specifically the lowland Province of Giants. On the eastern shores of the Anhui lies the former Imperial Province of Nirhamsa, now an independent state calling itself the Magistracy of Nirhamsa. As the Empire collapsed inwards, and the Anhuine states rebelled, Pesh was the site of many battles.
Since the Anhui is a notoriously wide river, there are few crossing points by road along its length. Nirhamsa is one of them, being at the far end of a former Imperial Road (now maintained by the Merchant's League). Here, the road turned westwards, crossing the Anhui, Pesh and then bridging the Ampash.
Here, battles were fought as the Empire tried to bring land troops northwards and hence down into the rebellious outlands. The flat plains were ideal for land war, and the sight of the many coloured banners fluttering in the wind as the two opposing armies faced each other led to the name of Plain of Banners. However, after many sorties one way or the other, the result was deadlock. Trouble elsewhere in the Empire meant the recall of the Imperial Armies and a nominal victory for the rebels. In the Empire, the land is often referred to as Borapar's Shame, after the general in charge of the failed Imperial army.
Too many people had died on both sides for either to truly claim a victory, however. The bridge over the Ampash was converted to an imposing fortress - the Bridge of Forbidding, held by the Empire. Much the same was done to the bridge that crossed the Anhui and the crossing is guarded by the City of Corbasal. Both sides maintained a form of crossing the rivers, as both felt that they would one day need it to conquer the other. Both sides sent settlers in to take
advantage of the fertile lands, but these attempts were doomed to failure as the settlers soon fled, bearing reports of restless spirits and ghostly armies. The road that crosses Pesh atop a causeway has collapsed in places and is now known as the Shattered Road.
