The Darjugan River

River flowing through mountain canyon

Central to the story of Marise Leeson and her adventure in Moerden, the Darjugan River flows from the north through the coastal mountain range and desert of Moerden, turning southwest when it nears the coast. For much of its length, the river flows at the bottom of a deep canyon that it has carved out over the eons. The water goes underground in places and has produced many cave systems. Where the river changes course, caves are left dry and become inhabited by all manner of creatures, including dragons. It’s likely that, long ago, this watercourse carved out the Whispern Caverns, mentioned in Follow the Shadows, and one of the main settings in Book II of The Tales of Moerden. 

Humans, too, make use of the caves. The Darjugan cave, located at the point where the mountains meet the Moerden desert, is the site of one of the mosaics designed to help humans safely use sphere travel between Moerden and Earth. Though the river once ran through it, the cave is dry at the time Marise discovers it in Follow the Shadows. Its entrance is hidden by the plume of a water fall, now descending from above. The river is a substantial size at this point, and grows ever larger as it nears the coast.

The southern part of the Darjugan River canyon cuts through the Moerden desert and is the only place in the desert where animal and plant life is both plentiful and varied. In fact, the canyon is so lush with plant life that it’s hard to move around. It’s possible to travel down the length of this part of the canyon, but, while food is available, both plant and animal life can be a threat to survival. Keeping to the water avoids most hazards, but not all, and swimming is risky.

Some distance from the coast, the Darjugan River creates the Darjugan River Delta, a vast labyrinth of shifting waterways and floating islands. The delta is perhaps the most dangerous part of the Darjugan River system. Here, large carnivores called marsh travellers move throughout the delta and disturb the subsoil to such an extent that some believe they create the floating islands and keep the land mass of the delta in a state of constant change.

Darjugan is assumed to be the surname of the human or whom the Darjugan region of the desert and coast are named. It may be a misspelling, or rare spelling, of Daragan, or Daragon. It’s common for places and other things in Moerden to be named after people and things on Earth; however, in the case of Darjugan, there may be an alternate explanation: it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Daragon is a French surname meaning dragon.

© Rosemary Drisdelle 2025