Difference between revisions of "Topazial sea"

Latest revision as of 01:52, 16 March 2016

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A sleeping mermaid on the ocean floor.

Danger: Hazardous
Sub zones: Reef of Ryzelm, Great Topazial Rift, Merfolk city, Iceclad sea
Inhabitants: alguanes, leptabas, mermaids, leviathan mermaids, estuarine mermaids, ichthys, seagull harpies, bejeweled serpents, gulper eels, arthronodes, airgles, humans, Chlaenas, Cecaelias, angler seaweedles, hoetres, sea apes, Sea Krait nagas

The Topazial sea is a vast expanse of water that lies east of the "main" continent, the "main continent" being the one that has the Giant tree on it. It's truly immense and most of its eastern and northern reaches have never been mapped. Very few sailors have ever crossed this sea because of its dangers, but those who have, and survived, speak of another continent beyond it, even richer and more exotic than the "main" one. The vastness of the Topazial sea is punctuated with many small isolated islands, and most of the activity going on in the sea occurs around them. Many of these islands are like little worlds unto themselves, each with their own rules and particularities. The sea is also legendary for its seabed, littered with gems, and its healthy and extremely refreshing air. The Topazial sea is very dangerous however, with many aquatic predators of all sorts roaming it, who don't hesitate to attack even large ships. It's also, like one would expect, the home of giant mermaids, and some of them can become truly gigantic. The biggest of them all, the legendary Leviathan, is living proof that there is always a bigger fish. Piracy is also an issue, especially near the Torpaline coast, where several bands have been known to attack and ransom ships. However, the peril of the sea can't even compare with what can be found underneath it. There are monstrosities surpassing what is found in even the wildest imaginations lurking in the Depths of Topazial sea.

Islands of the Topazial sea

Reef of Ryzelm

Danger: High
Inhabitants: living whirlpools, Chlaenas, Cecaelias

The Reef of Ryzelm, also known as "The Poison Sea", lies in the southern part of the Topazial sea. The ocean floor here is made of a strange stone that releases toxic gas when mixed with salt water, filling the air above the reef with noxious gases that are highly lethal to humans. Moreover, the waters here are extremely treacherous, being a succession of whirlpools, vicious reefs, and moving flotsam. Making this place even worse is the voracious fauna of the reef, which is strange and very aggressive. One would wonder why anyone would bother to travel to this hellish place, if it wasn't to access the Chlaenas'underwater city of Ryzelm’oire situated underneath it.

Great Topazial Rift

Danger: Hazardous to High
Inhabitants: living whirlpools, mermaids, Cecaelias, dimensional trappers, kraken caelia, various creatures from other worlds

Located approximately in the center of Topazial Sea, the Rift is a dimensionally hyperactive sub-zone comparable to Miragia forest in its overall dimensional activity, though it covers a larger area. Its actual appearance is normal enough, looking like another stretch of sea until it's too late to turn back. The Rift is known as the absolute bane of seafaring navigation to Felaryan natives, for many devices, even some magical ones, will often cease functioning once inside the zone. Furthermore, the weather is prone to changing dramatically, from calm seas to black storms, tidal waves, and aggressive whirlpools in an alarmingly short period of time. The Rift only seems to connect to the seas and oceans of other worlds, meaning that the most common things to appear inside of it are sea vessels, aircraft, various sea creatures, and sometimes entire islands (though islands typically phase back out of Felarya rather quickly). Despite the sheer potential danger of the zone, there are wild claims that, similar to the Great Dimensional Gate of Ur-Sagol, it is possible to navigate to an entirely different world altogether if one wills it strongly enough, or otherwise enters a random portal. This keeps a small amount of traffic coming into the Rift from Felarya itself, though the effort is widely considered mad and suicidal.

There are many, both speculators and survivors, that believe the dimensional activity and fickle weather are two separate phenomenons, and that a resident kraken caelia is to blame for the weather, merely taking advantage of the zone's dimensional qualities in order to play with what appears, and fill her immense stomach.

The Rift is not an entirely static location. Its boundaries change in shape, though the exact center is stationary. The Rift's flexible and ever changing borders can lead to situations where a navigational chart will tell you that you're at a safe distance from it, but then it unexpectedly expands in one direction, possibly placing you inside the Rift. Often when this happens the opposite side of the Rift will have no activity. Obviously, if you want to stay out of it for sure, give it a very wide berth.

Iceclad sea

Danger: Very High
Inhabitants: Unknown

The Iceclad sea is a huge and extremely cold region of the topazial sea, further to the north. Gigantic chunks of ice as hard as metal, and enormous icebergs can be seen, endlessly drifting throughout the area, ramming into each other with formidable force, grinding, shattering, crushing, and pulverizing anything between them. Underwater volcanoes appear to be active as well, suddenly creating unpredictable and chaotic currents, adding to the impossible nightmare that is navigation there. It's widely accepted among Felaryan sailors that, to mount an expedition through Iceclad sea, you have to be either stupid, totally crazy, or both. Any sort of navigation here is downright suicidal; paths through the ice are only temporary, constantly opening and closing, and reforming themselves, stormy winds batter the sea, and a thick and persistent fog often blankets the area.

The rare stable islands are often made of bare ice, with hardly any vegetation growing on. Few creatures can survive in such a harsh environment, and those who manage it are extra strong, tough and dangerous. Overall, the Iceclad sea is one of the least explored zone of Felaya, being far too isolated, remote and perilous to just navigate in.

• Credits goes to Fish for the Great rift idea, and to Archmage Bael for his help on writting the Iceclad sea.