The River Shaar actually originates inside the Great Rift, where it drains the icy-cold Riftlake. The river plunges into a deep chasm at the north end of the canyon, where it begins an underground journey of more than 150 miles through caverns, fissures, and a couple of subterranean lakes. The gold dwarves channel some of the river's water into their realm for drinking, sluicing in their mines, and as a means of transport to different parts of the Deep Realm.
The River Shaar returns to the surface at the Landrise, emerging from a broad cavern at the base of the cliffs almost due east of the Shaarwood, near the ruins of Peleveran (see below). Still icy cold from its journey through the earth, its water is crystal clear and uncontaminated by the dwarven mining operations below the surface.
From the Landrise, the River Shaar winds its way across the Shaar, cutting a wide but gentle and relatively shallow course with numerous fords along its length. Eventually, it widens out into the body of water known as Lake Lhespen, then flows into the Shaareach Forest, where it merges with the River Channath to become the River Talar.
Many tribes rely on this waterway for sustenance, knowing that it is one of the few rivers in the Shaar that does not dwindle much in the hottest part of the year. Whereas many other watercourses are reduced to tiny trickles in sun-baked mud flats during the summer, the River Shaar flows strongly all year round. Some fish swim in its waters - primarily channel varieties and bottom feeders that prefer the sluggish motion of its current.