Shannon Estuary

Shannon Estuary is a mythical place to the Celts of Hibernia, one of both great sorrow and great joy. According to legend, an unknown goddess was granted a vision by her mother. In her vision, she saw the coming of the Celts and how their deforestation and farming would cause great suffering to the land. She wracked her brain trying to think of a way to prevent, or at least mitigate, this suffering but it was to no afail. Both the goddess and her mother were goddesses of crafts, and the mother, fearing her daughter would one day surpass her, denied her daughter the gift of inspiraiton. The mother would then grant her daughter the vision, know she would be incapable of helping the land and thus humiliating her. So it was that the daughter came to the site of what is now called Shannon Estuary. Here she sought the well of Segas, also known as the Well of Generous Woman. It was said that this well was inhabited by female spirits who took pity on women who were abandoned or neglected by their parents. If you were sincere, the spirits would grant wishes to those seeking their aid, to fill the hole left behind from their parents’ neglect. So it was that the goddess was granted the gift of inspiration and set about carving out the great river of Shannon and the great lake of Lough Derg, where in the center she placed an eternal spring of fresh water. With this, she foresaw the suffering of the land reduced enough that the Celts would live in harmony with nature, rather than exploit it in an ever-increasing amount.

Some say that this story is non-sense and that it was in fact the hubris of the goddess, who sought to go against her mother and in her hubris, angered the well. This caused a great plume of water to sprout of the well, covering the land and forming the river and lake, with the name Shannon supposedly being the goddess’ and forever serving as a reminder to children not to go against their parents.

Whatever the story, the fact remains that Shannon Estuary is for one of the last truly safe places for adventurers to visit before heading further south. The village of Connla and the waystation of Ceannai will provide safety and provisions for the trek south into Lough Gur.

Shannon Estuary is, besides its great river, a land of many hills and valleys, both of which are fraught with danger. The spirits of wind and water are both strong here and some say that it was them that helped the Sylvan first arrive on Hibernia’s shores when they came to ask for help against the dreaded Fomorians.