Lying between the Reiker Heights and the Hohesesienen Hills at the sluggish confluence of the River Reik and the River Teufel, the Reiker Marshes are notoriously treacherous, and inexperienced captains frequently run aground in its deceptively shallow waters. Tattered flags and corroded signposts mark the most perilous sections, but these are woefully insufficient. River guides locally known as "huffers" are available to guide boats through the waters for a reasonable price, most of whom gather in the towns of Prieze and Babenborn on the Reik, and in significantly fewer numbers in Buxhead on the Teufel. The waters are at their most dangerous in the five-mile stretch at the end of the Teufel where it meets the Reik. Locally called "Leopold's Folly" after the Emperor who tried, and failed, many times to dredge the red-silted waters in order to make it safe for deep-drafted ships, wise barge captains avoid it completely, preferring to pay tolls to pass through the Grünberg Canal rather than risk their crew and cargo.[1a]
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