Western Occulus Gate

Perhaps one of the more important geographic points when it comes to political shenanigans. It comes down to the trade routes.

— Marda Seafoot, Fisherman

Overview

The western strait of Quassus is considered a gateway to economic prosperity. It is the western connection between the Occulus Sea and the Azure Ocean. Those who control the strait effectively control one of the most important gates for the continent, and so the title "Western Gate" is a suitable label. The Western Occulus Gate is currently controlled by the Queendom of Lunaria. Lunaria is increasing its grip on this region in light of the increasingly aggressive actions of the Kingdom of Helia. The Kingdom knows the value of controlling the gate all too well and has coveted the region for a long time now.
There is an Eastern Occulus Gate on the opposite side of the continent. Because of the seismic activity of the Valjeta continental island that makes up its northern shore, the Eastern Gate represents a more perilous prospect. Rock falls, mudslides, and a sky full of ash are all dangers that could catch the sailor unawares. The Eastern Gate is also further from the beating hearts of civilization. Perhaps in the future the Eastern Gate will prove its value as the world recovers from the collapse and a new world order is established.
That is not to say that the Western gate is devoid of its own dangers. Traveling too close to one of many rocky coasts could sink one's boat. Pirates operate around the gate as a strait is an efficient funnel that can be leveraged to trap merchant vessels. However, the number of pirates have dwindled in recent times due in no small part to the Lunaria's increasingly common and coordinated naval presence.

The sight of wrecked ships near the mouth of a popular trade route has always been concerning to me no matter how ancient the remains are.

— Captain Amaya Quickwind, 1157AGC

The Azure Graveyard

Beyond the strait's western opening, along the sheltered southern shores of Dammerung lies a massive ship graveyard. The ships are of Ancient make, and they are strange for they lack any kind of sail. The hulls of these ships are made of largely featureless metal. Unfortunately this graveyard can tell us little of how the Ancients traveled the seas as only the hulls remained. Scavengers over the centuries have found and picked the vessels of anything of value. Curious adventurers still scour this graveyard when they can in the hope that something was missed. For the past two hundred years, nothing particularly interesting has been discovered. If the graveyard has any practical use remaining, it is in the foraging of high-quality materials for anyone capable of shaping the surviving materials for present day needs.
Sight of this graveyard is a useful marker for travelers approaching from the west as it is a sure sign they are approaching the Western Occulus Gate.

Unexpected Sea Mines

Rare in occurrence, ships traveling through the Western Occulus Gate are destroyed after running into an unexpected sea mine. These devices left behind by the The Ancient Order have survived the ages either by luck or by carefully executed malicious intent. The surprising and rare nature of encountering these dangerous devices would seem to suggest that they do not normally rest within our material plane. If the old world was one of peace and unity, then why were these mines at all? And why were they deployed in this fashion? Is there some other unrecognized force looking to secure its own interest in the Western Gate?
Whatever the case may be, sailors traveling this part of the seas are advised to remain vigilant.

Many wish to capitalize on the mass transport of goods through this strait. While some of the goods make it to their towns and villages most of it goes to the wealthy cities that lie deeper in the continent.

— Artur Neha, Traveler

Major Settlements

The most notable settlements along the shores of the Western Occulus Gate are as follows:

• Arcturus
• Lyra
• Ranta
• Strand
• Volanis

Ancient Metropolis

It is obvious that the Western Occulus Gate was a major trading route in ancient times. Apart from applying logic, a plethora of ruins still visible above the waves along and beyond the coasts are evidence enough of the importance of this geographic region to the old order. It is a growing belief that these ruins do not represent a collection of separate settlements but are the surviving remnants of a once massive Ancient city that spanned the entirety of the strait. To put the incredible scale of this Ancient city into perspective, several Radiant City of Sols could fit within its boundaries.
A horde of Specters and Undead inhabit the remnants of the Ancient city today making exploration of the ruins a perilous prospect. That is before one considers the abundance of Magic Fields, Magic Deadzones, and Magic Storms that can be found near great Ancient remnants. Additionally, the majority of these ruins lie underwater.
The many towns and villages largely attempt to avoid building near much less on the city's ruins. Avoiding the ruins was made easier since the shape of the shoreline of the strait was reshaped, greatly in some places, during the The Great Collapse.

All artwork is by starfarertheta unless otherwise stated.

Alternative Name(s)

Strait of the Metropolis

Type

Strait

Location under

Quassus Continent

Owner/Ruler

Queen Shava Lunaria

Owning Organization

Queendom of Lunaria

Contested By

• Kingdom of Helia

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Common Flora

• Dancing Seaweed
• Azure Kelp
• Sky Kelp
• Nightlight Kelp
• Chill Sargassum
• Sour Sargassum
• Chiming Algae
• Sprouting Seagrass
• Towering Seagrass

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Common Fauna

• North Azure Salmon
• Giant Salmon
• Red Lobster
• Ice Lobster
• Snow Crab
• Iron Crab
• Pale Crab
• Midnight Crab
• Sovereign Crab
• Screaming Crab
• Swearing Crab (really)
• Dragon Crab
• Ghost Catshark
• Frost Catshark
• Shadow Catshark
• Dammerung Halibut
• Lluvia Halibut
• Great Azure Halibut
• Celestial Halibut
• Hasty Scabbardfish
• Gust Vulture
• Ember Eagle

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Typical Magic Fields

(ranked according to occurrence)

• Aqua
• Freezing
• Aero

Consult Magic Fields for more information.

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Note(s) from the Archivists:

I wonder, what would happen if the Queendom decides to close this strait to everyone else. - Archivist Savitri.
It would be a declaration of war to anyone using the strait. That's a lot of people. - Archivist Edward
So there's very little reason for Lunaria to close the strait then? - Archivist Savitri
I would think so, yes. - Archivist Edward