The stream burbles along in gentle zigs and zags shadowed by the leaves of the tall trees that grow along its length. Farther ahead, it joins the much larger river whose mouth is many many miles away, in the mountains somewhere. Many a town or small fishing village relies on it for its subsistence, and several of them have temples to the god Aarethil, who claims the entire length of the river as its domain.

This is one such settlement, and a particularly large and important one—it even has its own acolyte. Its temple is big and very pretty, standing elevated in the heart of the city; large clear glass windows and panes and an absence of any taller structures nearby serve to ensure it catches every day's first and last sunbeams, and that whenever the moon is visible at all it is visible from within. Fountains in many shapes and sizes decorate it, the peaceful sound of running water serving as a reminder of the god's domain and focus on purity and cleansing.