Sea of Berlin
the Sea of Fire and Clouds
The Sea of Berlin is a body of salt water near the major continent of Ethae, and considered part of the Cota Ocean. The sea sits between the Western Reach of Ethae, called Anbar, to its east, and the peninsula of Mhar Ni Buron to its west. It opens up to the Cota Ocean at its north end, with its southern end curving into the Even Flow of southern Anbar.
The Sea of Berlin is largely an unknown sea to most common people. Even sailor that frequently navigate the trade routes of the Cota Ocean around Anbar's coast forget the sea, or more often simply do not know it has a name. Often it is nothing more than the calm northern region of the Flow. Those foolish travelers that brave the Flow, however, know its name well, fore it is either their last refuge before entering in a gamble of survival, or the thankful sight as they make it out of the deathtrap that is the Flow.
Though it suffers no less storms than the rest of the Cota during the harsher seasons, the waters and deep and relatively calm and it has been a refuge for many ships caught in a sudden winter storm as they travel. Most experience Cota sailors would rather brave the storm than risk traveling to deep into the Sea of Berlin, however. The sea's most famous feature is the sea fog, and the misty formations that cling to the waters in patches throughout. Though relatively thin and light most of the time, for days after storms, these islands of low clouds, hovering on the surface, are dense, creating a disorienting maze throughout the sea. Early mornings sunlight through these mists can create optical illusions of light, giving navigators a false sense of distance, causing many shipwrecks along its coasts. The evening sun brightens the formations with its oranges and red light, giving the sea an eerie illusion of burning, endless burning. Even experienced sailors have panicked and lost their minds in fear of the flames that are not there.
Most of the Jenuwan Order theorizes these formations are caused by gases below the waves bubbling up, changing the air at the water's surface. A few believe it is Magic, either a natural phenomenon of the Anon is the region, or an artificial one, created by some forgotten catastrophic even of the past, such as whatever created the Even Flow, and the storms that rage within. Either way, the Sea of Berlin can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the sailor that tells tales of his travels within.
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