The River Rats

The River Rats were a group of Lumberjacks which formed at the start of the golden age of Cragwater known for their trade of cutting down trees from The West Woods and then tagging and sending the logs down the Nipeek River toward many a lumbermill which could use them. They made a significant profit doing this and eventually became known as one of the largest lumber companies in the world. This industry, however profitable, was dwarfed in comparison to the vast sums of money made via the technique known as barging. The River Rats knew that their industry was not nearly as valuable as that which arose from the Cloud Catcher Mountains, but they had a distinct advantage in that they controlled the Nipeek in the stretch of area through the West Woods. Constructing wooden fortifications and gates The River Rats prevented the transportation of mineral wealth on the river, and would instead offer to purchase the materials for a low price. They would then construct crudely made barges out of lumber that needed transporting and pile the metals as high on these as possible and send them down the river with a complement of men. This created massive profits for The River Rats, who would gladly sell these materials at high prices. The River Rats ended up transporting the majority of the minerals produced in The Cloud Catcher Mountains despite being a lumber company. Despite the massive amount of wealth acquired by The River Rats, their influence ended when The West Woods became corrupted. The threat of giant spiders and dire wolves was more than enough for the majority of The River Rats to disperse, and the rest could not continue their operations without them. Rumours still circulate, however, about barges teeming with mineral wealth, breaking down and being lost to the waters of the Nipeek.