The Vosk River is a very important riverway on Gor. It is one of the largest rivers on Gor, at points up to forty pasangs (28 miles, 40km.) wide. The river flows westward and empties into Thassa at the Tamber Gulf, forming the Vosk Delta. The Vosk River almost divides the northern hemisphere into the lands owned by Ar and those owned by other cities such as Ko-ro-ba and Thentis. Ar battles Cos and Tyros for supremacy on the river while those towns and cities located on the river vie for their independence.

 

The Vosk River has a number of tributaries and it is possible that the books do not name all of them. The Olni River is a major tributary far to the east on the Vosk and the Salerian Confederation controls the Olni. The Verl River flows northwestward into the Vosk. Tabuk's Ford is a major town located at the basin of the Verl River. The Issus River is another northwestward flowing river. The city of Torcodino uses aqueducts to bring water from the Issus though it is more than one hundred pasangs away. The Cartius, an important subequatorial river, was once thought to be a tributary of the Vosk. But, the explorer Ramus discovered that was not true. He also discovered that the Cartius and the Ta-Thassa Cartius, also known simply as the Thassa Cartius, Rivers were different. The Ta-Thassa Cartius is a tributary of the Vosk and joins the Vosk near the town of Ven.

 

The Vosk River has its share of marine predators, including sharks and river tharlarion. One of the most unusual and dangerous creatures of the Vosk is a turtle. Certain hook-beaked turtles of the Vosk are massive creatures though no actual size is ever given. They are carnivorous and nearly impossible to kill. It is unknown if they are large enough to pose a danger to a ship or not but most assuredly a swimmer would be in dire straits if he encountered one.

 

At the western end of the river lies the Vosk Delta, a vast marsh and swamp that is over five hundred pasangs (350 miles, 500km.) long. The depth of its waters ranges from deep enough for an average ship to pass down to a few inches. The average depth though is commonly three to five feet. It is extremely difficult to navigate and its channels change frequently, sometimes almost overnight. Visibility is limited due to the proliferation of the ubiquitous rence plants. Though Port Kar claims sovereignty over the delta, the Rencer Caste actually controls much of the delta, especially now that they use the long bow. The Rencers are not kind to strangers traveling through the delta. Due to the delta's nature, it is almost impossible to maneuver a ship from the Vosk River, through the delta and to Thassa. It would certainly not be cost efficient for Merchant ships to attempt.

 

For all intensive purposes, the Vosk River is isolated from Thassa. This means that ships from Thassa, such as raiders from Cos, Tyros or Port Kar cannot sail up the delta to attack the Vosk. Conversely, Vosk River ships cannot sail to Thassa to engage in trade. Thus it is both a blessing and a curse. To construct a navigable channel through the delta would be a formidable engineering feat. It would require the acquiescence of Port Kar and the Rencers. There are no guarantees either would give their permission. Such a channel was never proposed within the books. The closest such engineering feat is the work of Bila Huruma in the jungles near Schendi to construct a channel between two lakes that were over four hundred pasangs apart.

 

As Ar is landlocked, the Vosk River is very important to it. Ar's navy basically consists of some ships on the Vosk, mostly wharfed at Ar's Station. Ar has long claimed hegemony over the southern bank of the Vosk. Ar's Margin of Desolation reached to the edge of the Vosk so most of the towns of the Vosk are located on the northern bank. But, Ar's claims have not gone uncontested. Both Cos and Tyros have also claimed control over the Vosk. They have supported Vosk River pirates in raids against Ar ships. This would all change with the formation of the Vosk League and then the Cosian invasion of Ar's Station.

 

 

There are twenty major towns on the Vosk River, mostly on the northern bank, and an unknown number of smaller towns. There is one city on the Vosk located at the junction of the Olni River. That city, Lara, is a part of the Salerian Confederation. The other three cities of the Confederation are located on the Olni River but the Confederation does have a major impact on the Vosk River region. River pirates were once a constant threat on both the Vosk and Olni but the formations of the Salerian Confederation and the Vosk League have nearly wiped them out.

 

The purpose of the Confederation was to protect river shipping from pirates. Port Olni and Ti were actually the first two cities to unite against river pirates. The other two cities would later join in and the Confederation would be founded.

 

Lara is located at the junction of the Vosk and Olni rivers. It is of major strategic importance as it is the gateway between the Vosk River towns and the Confederation. It could potentially stop all shipping between the two groups. One inn, in Lara, is the inn of Strobius. It is a large, stout inn though not a very good one. Ar could have destroyed the city but showed mercy. This would help the Confederation's decision not to engage in a major war with Ar.

 

Since the formation of the Confederation, piracy on the Olni is now largely nonexistent. This is due in large part to Lara as they are able to blockade pirate ships from being able to safely escape to the Vosk.

 

For many years, the towns on the Vosk River were separate entities. But, this made them susceptible to the voracious pirates that also prowled the waters of the Vosk. The pirates often had their own well-defended fortresses on the river. They had worked out arrangements with other pirate captains, dividing up territories and forming alliances. A typical pirate captain might own eight to ten ships and have three to four hundred men behind him.

 

The pirates sometimes would ally together for large-scale assaults on the river towns. When they wished to do so, a pledge symbol was passed around to confirm the matter. This symbol was a topaz, actually two pieces of a stone that fit perfectly together. Many of the river towns once paid tribute to the pirates, essentially a form of extortion. At one point, the town of Victoria decided to refuse to pay this tribute any further. The pirates thus decided to assault Victoria and show the other towns what would happen if their tribute was denied. The topaz was sent out to unite Policrates and Ragnar Voskjard against Victoria. This was the first time in ten years that this had been done.

 

A group of men, from different river towns, allied together to try to prevent the two pirate groups from uniting. A massive chain was stretched across the river just west of the town of Port Cos. The fleet of the pirates attacks the defending river town ships at the chain. The defenders are able to defeat and capture a number of the pirate ships though eventually some of the pirate ships do get past the chain. They manages try to enter the stronghold of the pirates which is guarded by an iron sea gate. They then wait for the remnants of the real pirate fleet to arrive at the stronghold and when it does, the defenders are able to destroy most of the Voskjard ships.The pirates were defeated, captured, enslaved and then sold. Their strongholds were burnt and destroyed. The stranglehold of the pirates on the Vosk had been broken.

 

In 10127 C.A., after this battle, nineteen Vosk River towns formed the Vosk League, an alliance to protect against piracy. These nineteen towns included Port Cos, Victoria, Turmus, Ven, Tetrapoli, Tafa, Fina, Ragnar's Hamlet, Hammerfest, Sulport, Sais, Siba, Jasmine, Point Alfred, Jort's Ferry, Forest Port, Iskander, Tancred's Landing and White Water. The treaties were signed on the wharves of Victoria. Victoria was appointed the capital of the League and a High Council for the League was formed. Callimachus, once a Warrior of Port Cos, was appointed the Commander of the League's forces.

 

The only major town on the Vosk that did not join the League was Ar's Station. Envoys from Ar did attend the ceremonies and they were supportive of the intent of the League. But, Ar would not permit Ar's Station to join. Ar was worried about losing its control on the Vosk if Ar's Station was permitted to join.

 

Ar's Station was established around 10114 C.A. on the south bank of the Vosk. It was founded to be an outpost and trading station for Ar. Ar's Station was considered an outpost of Ar and not an official colony. This meant that it did not have a Home Stone of its own and shared the Home Stone of Ar. In usual Gorean colonization, there is a faction in a city that due to overpopulation, political dissension or other reasons may decide to found their own city. Prior to moving, they will usually create a charter, constitution and laws. They will also obtain their own Home Stone. The colony will maintain some ties with the original city but will ultimately retain its independence.

 

The citizens of Ar's Station were unhappy that they could not join the Vosk League. As a partial consolation, they received one half of the topaz. The topaz had once been the Home Stone of Victoria but over a hundred years ago it was stolen by pirates.

 

Little information is given for most of the towns on the Vosk. We must realize that these are only towns so they are on a much smaller scale than places like Thentis, Ko-ro-ba or Tor. They also all appear to be run by Administrators not Ubars. They rely on river trade though many of the towns have few ships. Most of the towns are located on the northern bank of the Vosk. Drifters are common in these towns, sometimes men fleeing their pasts. Personal questions are commonly not asked. The Vosk River towns, in order from east to west, include White Water, Tancred's Landing; Iskander, Forestport, Ar's Station, Jort's Ferry, Point Alfred, Jasmine, Siba, Sais, Sulport, Hammerfest, Ragnar's Hamlet. Fina, Victoria, Tafa, Port Cos, Tetrapoli, Ven and and Turmus.

 

The recent creations of the Salerian Confederation and the Vosk League may be signaling a significant change in Gorean politics. For the longest time, Gorean city-states have been fiercely independent. They have refused alliances, preferring to remain on their own. But, it seems the beginning of a new era may be coming. As some Gorean towns and cities band together, it may lead others to do the same. But, time will tell if the Priest-Kings react to this new situation. The Priest-Kings have long preferred Gorean to remain separate and independent. They stopped Ar from getting too large. Will they do the same to these burgeoning new alliances? Or will such alliances be permitted until they threaten the balance of Gor.