Sea of Spirits

Who says there's no heaven still in this world?  
— Uthen, Dwarven Adventurer
  Neither salt nor freshwater, the alcoholic ocean was created during the End of All Things, when the planes of various party gods and leisure planes were violently ejected into Ithekshem. By some whim of fate, enough of the alcohol stored there emptied into the same place and formed an ocean. Since then, the divinity or magic of the booze has created something akin to an alcohol-based ecosystem.   Several settlements thrive along the edges of the sea or ply its "waters" in search of booze-fish, lost treasure, and... Of course... A lot of alcohol.  

The Seven (Alcoholic) Seas

Sometimes called the Alcoholic Ocean, the Whisky Waterworld, or the Beer Aquarium, the Sea of Spirits has become a world of its alcoholic own.
  The Sea of Spirits is a body of what is seemingly made of countless individual streams of colorful liquid, each merged but separate. Thousand of dazzling beverages flow within the sea, most of which haven't been explored by the survivors of the End of All Things. With everything in Ithekshem part of a single world, many estimate the Sea of Spirits to be at least so large as to dwarf even nations of the Old World. Every kind of alcohol can be found among its stream, from beer all the way to ambrosia, and most people along the coast make a living out of extracting different streams of booze for sale elsewhere.  
As always, life finds a way, and any number of strange creatures have made the Sea of Spirits their home, from Beer Ooze to Alcohol Elementals. No sentient life has managed to make a home in the depths of the sea yet, such as tritons, merfolk, or aboleth, and some think any who tried would be too drunk to do much.   Certainly, the animals that make their home there display the behavior of a party drunk, often acting in erratic or unpredictable manners - nothing is more dangerous than when you run into a drunk Kraken.
  Sailing the Sea has its own set of challenges, and the settlements along the coasts are still coming to grips with them. Most places are still rebuilding from the End of All Things, and explorers have only ventured a few miles out into the Sea of Spirits. Most travel is along the coast, from one settlement to another, but there's brisk trade from the Sea to other parts of Ithekshem who'd like to get drunk.
 

Party Rain

When it rains acround the Sea, it's invariably alcohol. Locals name every storm depending on what alcohol seem to dominate the bunch, and everyone has their favorite.   Of course, dousing everything around in potentially flammable liquid (especially as far as Dwarven alcohol is concerned) has lead to its fair share of disasters, too.  
On occasion, through freak accident or careless neglect, the Sea will sometimes experience firestorms where the surface of the Sea is ignited and a low flame bursts across the surface of alcohol, sometimes for miles.

Comments

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Dec 5, 2020 12:59 by Caitlin Phillips

This article has brought me so much joy. The visual image of the surface of the Spirit Sea being set afire is just breath-taking.

Cait x
Dec 5, 2020 13:13

Thank you :) I really appreciate it   It'll be a fun place to explore. I kinda imagine it being divided into parts based on the most prominent alcohol. We're in wine sector now!


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Dec 5, 2020 14:59 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

I had a lot of moments in this article where I had to change what I was picturing. "Sea of Spirits - oh spooky, oh wait, different kind of spirit." "Tequila ticks - sound like cute little - WOLF SIZE?!"   This is really great. I love the image of it being a myriad of colours. Yikes at how flammable it is though.

Emy x
Explore Etrea
Dec 6, 2020 08:33

Pun names are the best names :D


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Dec 5, 2020 19:43

After reading through this and the other articles related to the sea of spirits.....very well done! Take all my likes!

Dec 6, 2020 08:34

Haha, thank you very much! I hope you enjoy the rest of Ithekshem and the other worlds :)


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Dec 5, 2020 23:53 by Chris L

I can only hope to achieve a fraction of the inspiration it took to write this article! So much fun!


Take a look at my Institutions of Learning challenge article.

Learn about the World of Wizard's Peak and check out my award winning article about the Ghost Boy of Kirinal!

Dec 6, 2020 08:33

I've seen your work, you have much more than that :)


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Dec 6, 2020 15:01 by Chris L

I might run a guest appearance of the Sea of Spirits in the Kirinal Pit in a week or two. Just to see my players' eyes bug out.


Take a look at my Institutions of Learning challenge article.

Learn about the World of Wizard's Peak and check out my award winning article about the Ghost Boy of Kirinal!

Jan 25, 2022 11:49

Let me know if you do :D


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Dec 13, 2020 13:53 by Kaleidechse

Sounds like a truly beautiful place to hang out with a beer ooze drinking buddy! :D


Creator of the Kaleidoscope System and the planet Miragia.
Dec 14, 2020 09:33

Haha, thank you! It does, doesn't it? Chilling out on the tequila shores, enjoying the sight of whisky waves crashing down on the rocks... :D


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.