Lhorulu

The Lhorulu is one of the great tributaries of the Rhoyne, the longest and most storied river in the known world. Known as the 'Smiling Daughter,' it is one of several major rivers that flow into the Mother Rhoyne, each contributing to its legendary scale and power. The Lhorulu rises in the Golden Fields, a fertile region that gives the river its name and character, and its waters join the Rhoyne near the site of Chroyane, the ancient festival city of the Rhoynar that was destroyed during the wars with Valyria.

Geography and Character

The Lhorulu is described as a 'Smiling Daughter,' a name that evokes the gentle, life-giving nature of its waters as they flow from the Golden Fields. This contrasts with other tributaries like the Qhoyne, the 'Darkling Daughter,' which carries gold and amber from the Axe and pine-cones from the Forest of Qohor. The Lhorulu's waters are a vital part of the Rhoyne's vast hydrological system, and its confluence with the Mother Rhoyne marks a point where the river begins to swell to its most impressive dimensions.

The Confluence and the Festival City

The Lhorulu meets the Rhoyne at the site of Chroyane, the festival city, a place of legendary beauty and wealth that was destroyed during the Rhoynar wars against Valyria. The city's ruins, now known as the Sorrows, are a haunted and desolate place, but the river itself remains a powerful and living force. The joining of the Lhorulu with the Rhoyne is a key moment in the river's journey south, as it gathers strength from its daughters before flowing past the great cities of Volantis and into the Summer Sea.

Narrative Significance

The Lhorulu is mentioned by Yandry, the Dornish captain of the Shy Maid, as he describes the Rhoyne's grandeur to Tyrion Lannister. The river's vastness is a recurring theme in Tyrion's journey east, and the Lhorulu's contribution to that scale is a key part of the river's mythic geography. The river's name and its association with the Golden Fields and the lost city of Chroyane serve to deepen the sense of a world rich with history and legend, a world that Tyrion is traversing as he moves toward his uncertain fate in Slaver's Bay.