The nature of Gloranthan rivers

Rivers in Glorantha have a headwater - the furthest place from their to which their inland crawl proceeded in Godtime - and a "source" beyond their estuaries, their connection to the Heart of the Seas.

Rivers and sea currents are similar in nature, but sea currents never leave their element, whereas rivers ultimately do so, invading a territory that is alien and all too often hostile.

Sshorg was the First River, a tendril exploring the land after the Togaro Sea had risen above ancient Keetela in the southeasternmost corner of the Lozenge. People called her a serpent or called him a dragon as it made its way past the Spike and north towards Dragon Pass, and then beyond.

The tendril arched high above the land surrounding the initially shallow bed carved by this entity. With its head it would savor the riches of Earth and Soil there for the taking, sending down the delicious stuff back to its source through its interior, dropping out detritus when the good stuff between it had been digested and enriched.

Sshorg spawned many children, including mighty Seolinthur, the river that entered Genert's Garden, and spawned children of its own, of whom Zola Fel is the greatest, but also the Teshno River entering that land, and branches further northeast.

On its approach to Kero Fin, a bunch of other rivers had parted their currents from the parent current, tendrils of their own semi-merged with the parent tendril. These were the greater and lesser rivers of Kethaela, remaining behind when Sshorg had overcome the upland that would form the watershed between Kethaela and Peloria. Sshorg's head had proceeded all the way to the northern edge of Peloria when its back was broken across that watershed. Essentially, it had become beheaded, a truncated tendril no longer exploring inland, although its spawn still did, to the south of Kero Fin. North of Kero Fin, what remained was a head and neck just within reach of another lead to the Heart of the Seas from which its parent Togaro had risen, although this one led through the Hudaron waters and its child Arcos. The re-connected Sshorg turned inward to itself, its head climbing back the way it had descended.

Sky River Titan's battle leading to the Skyfall, and then Magasta's call to all currents (including the rivers) to lend him their strength to contain the Chaos Rift in the center of Glorantha caused the rivers to change their nature. Rather than bulging high out of their beds, they now have mainly flat surfaces and stay rather deeply inside their beds, and normally only the seaward current that used to be their inside remains somewhat strong. These currents still retain some sense of identity when tributaries join greater rivers, and then seas, all the way to the Heart of the Seas where Magasta draws on their strength to keep the rift contained. When crossing coastal flats, these currents may disperse into rather flat bands, or possibly even split up for a while before reuniting on their way to Magasta's Pool and beyond.