Quicksilver Pass

"'Captain has me on watch looking for half-pint pirates tonight. Frankly I think the notion is ridiculous, how dangerous could a man the size of a child be, pirate or not? I suspect the other crewmen are making me go out in the cold simply because I'm the youngest member, I'll be damned if they make a fool out of me!'""- from a washed up journal on the banks of the Hook River"The Quicksilver Pass is a common trade route between the City of Bedivere and Karaz Kadrid. Stretching nearly 500 miles (800 km), the route is normally traveled in just over two weeks time, travelling both over land and by boat. Approximately 220 miles of the pass are taken by boat along the Hook River, with the remaining 280 by land. Many large trading cities such as Crow Petal Valley and Gnom Kazid lie along its path, having sprung up long ago when Dwarves and Man, and later Drow and Man, began trading along these lines. Vistani caravans, often laden with riches from unknown places, frequently make their way along the northern end of the Quicksilver pass.

The Quicksilver Pass gains its name from the superstitious belief that the opaque rapids of the Hook River are so turbid due to the amount of silver that has been spilled along its rocks from wrecked merchant vessels. It is a common saying amongst travelers of the pass that the water "runs quick with silver", hence the name.

Although it is true that the rapids of the Hook River pose a moderate threat to untrained captains, the real danger arises from Vistani pirates that patrol along the shore of the river. Dozens of ships are lost every year to plundering, and wealthy merchants know to protect their investment with the necessary defensive measures. Many attempts have been made to find and destroy the base of operations of the pirates, but it would seem that much like Vistani caravanners, the pirates seem to be nomadic. Piracy has seen a noted decrease, however, after the death of the pirate king 9 Lives Rackov at the hands of Denthur the Bulwark. Rackov, a vicious Smishani halfling, was infamous for his unnatural ability to survive crippling blows and was nicknamed 9 Lives Rackov for his propensity to evade death. Denthur was able to gum up Rackovs ship by propelling a sticking substance into his rudder, and, defeating him in single combat, earned the name Bulwark for his defense of the ship.