Raging River

The Raging River is a river in Daventry making up a portion of the River Fools.

Background

During the years when Daventry went into decline due to the loss of the three treasures, the Raging River flowed through the wilds of the kingdom south of Castle Daventry, where it passed the Mushroom Isle (location of the Land of the Leprechauns) in the bend in the river known as the Dangerous River and then split into two tributaries which passed around the Island of the Gnome. The river was quite treacherous earning it the additional name the River Fools.

On his journey Graham discovered some pebbles on a beach near the dangerous bend in the river, and later crossed the river via the Troll Bridges, and by Condor.

Sometime following Graham's coronation the Raging River had dried up or was filled in, and the Town of Daventry grew into once had been river's islands. Rumplestiltskin built his Gnome's House outside the town, across the dry dangerous river bed near the former Mushroom Isle. The Merelee River flowed to the south to the west of the former riverbed of Raging River & River Fools.

Almost two decades later, following earthquakes, droughts, and other disasters that affected daventry, the house had become a rickety shack, outside the crumbling town of Daventry. A wooden fence was built from north to south along the edge of the former river blocking access to the town.

Still its known that the following year (following Alexander's return and the defeat of the three-headed dragon), portions of the Raging River continued to flow or began to flow again. Some who want to vacation in Daventry are known to spend their time suntanning on the castle wall, or swimming in the Raging River! The latter is not recommended as many people have lost their lives in its dangerous currents. Which in the past had led to the full river system being known as the River Fools.

Behind the scenes

The Raging River appears specifically the name a portion of river within KQ1AGI. In KQ1SCI the river's name is not mentioned, although it is referred to as being a raging river, a rough river, among other descriptions. The rivers are very different in the original and remake whereas the river has shallow river banks in the original with a largely tranquil meadow, the river has carved out treacherous canyons in the remake with large boulders on the shore seemingly less likely to become the geography as seen in KQ3 where Rumplestiktskin would make his new home (as it would require much more work to fill in with sediment or otherwise).

The KQ1 Hintbook calls another section where pebbles were found in the Raging River, the 'Dangerous River'. This is the area where The gnome's shack is in KQ3 the river having filled in and stopped flowing there. The pebbles were moved to a lake in the remake. The original and KQ3 shows the west bank to largely green and tranquil area. In the remake the area is stony with large jutting boulders on the western shore.

In the map in the official KQ1 Hintbook, the section known as the raging river passes from the screen with the mushroom, south to the "Dangerous River" section, east to the 'Boulder in Raging River', and south to the 'Bend in Raging River'.

In the original KQ1 on the screen with the mushroom on the island, it is possible to cross the river, by walking across the lower edge of the screen (if Graham's boots are just off the edge of the screen). This is an alternative way to cross over to the island without catching a ride on the condor (but you miss points).

The Raging River is mentioned in Hoyle I, see Hoyle I quotes.

The Official Book of King's Quest, Third Edition along with details in KQ3 appears to explain why the river doesn't appear in KQ novels. As the town appears in those novels in the general location of the Raging River and it's islands. However, Hoyle I and the KQC do suggest that the River Fools still flows after KQ4 to KQ7 and later. This suggests that the river must have changed course and continues to flow to the east of the city. Or alternatively it changed course and flows to the west if the city perhaps having become the Merelee River.

Yet, the King's Quest Companion 1st and 2nd Editions(see An Encyclopedia of Daventry) and the Novels also support the idea that the town lies south of the castle (or roughly south east) in the general location of where Rumplestiltkin's shack and the Raging River were once located. Although the river does not appear nor mentioned in the novels (with the Merelee mentioned instead).