Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Saale originates on the slope of the Großer Waldstein mountain near Zell in the Fichtel Mountains of Upper Franconia, Bavaria, at an elevation of 728 meters. It travels 413 km before joining the Elbe just above Barby, shortened from its natural length of 427 km by a bypass canal.
The name Saale derives from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "marsh," related to Welsh hêl (river meadow), Greek hélos (marsh), and Sanskrit sáras (lake or pond). The Slavic name Solawa, still found in Sorbian texts, comes from Old High German sol (salt) and awa (water).
The Saale is a left-bank tributary of the Elbe, joining it just above the town of Barby. It flows in a generally northern direction through Bavaria, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt before reaching the Elbe.
The Saale's left-bank tributaries include the Schwarza, Ilm, Unstrut, Salza, Wipper, and Bode. Its right-bank tributaries include the Orla, White Elster, Southern Regnitz, and Northern Regnitz. The deep and navigable Unstrut joins the Saale at Naumburg.
The Saale is navigable from Naumburg southward. A canal was planned to connect it from Leuna to the White Elster near Leipzig, but that canal remained unfinished.
After leaving its source near Zell, the Saale passes through Hof, Saalfeld, Rudolstadt, Jena, Bad Kösen, Naumburg, Weißenfels, Merseburg, Halle, Bernburg, and Calbe before joining the Elbe above Barby.