The Vortex

The Vortex is the massive whirpool centre over the Master Gate of Water, for miles around it, the seas are increbily dangerous on the surface and pretty risky underwater.
The Vortex can be used to speed travel if you risk flingging your ship around the edges it to speed you up and hopefully sling shot you out of danger, but maybe 1 in 20 ships end up being dragged down into the Vortexes Depths, being ripped apart and flung across the sea floor, for The Nine Families to collect and reuse as they see fit. Many useful items have made their ways into the hands of the nobles of the families due to overconfidence ship masters. But still many use the shortcut as it can cut days off travel north south and east west due to being able to take a direct route and using the slingshot affect to gain a large amount of speed.

Geography

Within the Great Ocean, to the northern side, with the The Nine Families on 3 sides. The Vortex is a great whirlpool, constantly swirling water trying to suck anything down to the depths

Fauna & Flora

Around the Whirlpool you can find strange fish and other water creatures that are not found anyhow else within the seas of Godai, due to the closest of the entrance to the Plane of Water and the creatures other cross into Godai from that plane.

History

It is believed that the Whirlpool formed with the opening of the Master Gate of Water on the sea bed, creating some strange affects between the waters of the Great Ocean and the Plane of Water, creating a vortex of energy 100s of feet above it. The area directly surrounding the Gate is calm but above you can see the chaos of the whirlpool.