The Unfalls

The Unfalls are a reverse waterfall in the land of Eden—a waterfall which shoots upward rather than falling downward.

Yeah but whhaaaaaaaat?

Formed by Bü‘ükopo Oadü, the longest river in the land, these falls have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in Eden—with more than six million cubic feet of water gushing up and over the crest every minute. They are a magnificent sight and quite worthy of their place on the list of the Seven Wonders of the Post-Apocalyptic World.

Geography, Geology, and Magic

The Unfalls are located at the southern-most point of the Bü‘ükopo, near the dividing line between the Wonderlandian provinces of Motherland and Fatherland. It is here that the waters of the river rise 167 feet into the air—up and over the cliff above—before flowing north and east once more.

The river’s waters are projected upwards by a perpetual spouter, the result of the river descending as close as it ever does to the magma which churns beneath the surface of every part of Eden.

Adherents of The Old Faith believe that it is here at the Falls that the goddesses Mira and Phina continue the argument that is at the very core of existence in this universe: order vs. chaos.

A lot of Edenians think they’re full of bologna, that the Old Faithful are truly reaching with that belief, and that there’s no reason to try and graft even more meaning onto this magical place.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, however, that only the blessed halflings can safely ascend up the Falls—though rumors abound that Reekian scientists are hard at work on a technological solution to this problem.

As for why the halflings’ watercraft magically rise up and over the Falls when they arrive there, it is believed by many that they are those divinely chosen caretakers of the land and that the Falls can sense the halflings’ good intentions.

History

The first eyewitness account of this majestic place comes to us from The Journals of Lüe, written and published during The First Age. A Winkie explorer who would go on to map the entirety of Eden, Lüe called the Falls “ni kopo wü oadü ” of the land and would include them in the first-ever list of Postapocalyptic Wonders proclaimed in Eden.

Since then, the Unfalls have been seen as the halfway point in the Bü‘ükopo—a dividing point between the calmer and less dangerous western half and the wilder and more untameable eastern portion.

Representatives from the technologically advanced Democratic Republic of the Reek have long advocated for the construction of hydroelectric plant at the falls—an innovation they believe could power the whole of Nalké with clean energy—but the Luddites of Wonderland, who prefer magic to technology, have squashed any and all such conversations.

As have the four extant tribes of halflings in Eden, who consider the Falls a most sacred place indeed.

Tourism

The Unfalls are a popular location for the exchanging of marriage vows and other proclamations of romantic commitment. Riverboats cruise to the northern edge of the falls with regularity, allowing tourists to bathe in the warm mists there. And aerial views are offered from both the Nalkénean side (via helicopter) and the Wonderlandian side (via spellcasting, of course). But though the halflings could make a pretty penny by charging to carry visitors up and over the falls in their “blessed” boats and watercraft, they never have.

That is an experience reserved for the halflings and the halflings alone.