Dead Man's Depths

There is a place in the Abyssal Sea that is known in every port in Mirintha. From the smallest dock in the most remote coastal village to the largest port cities. A place that sailors only talk about behind closed doors and not without at least one prayer to Daba, the goddess of the stars and navigation. In this cursed expanse, compasses fail, the stars disappear behind veils of mist and the wind carries the ghostly whispers of the lost. It is a place where ships disappear without a trace, usually leaving behind only the wreckage of shattered hulls and tales of doom. Let this be a warning to you, dear reader, not to underestimate the Dead Man's Depths.

Location

The Dead Man's Depths are located just offshore of Twin Horn Bay. All ships that want to sail along the southern coast of Borendal are therefore forced to take a detour through the bay. Nevertheless, the situation of the shoals could be far worse. The phenomenon has proved to be a blessing for the local population, as it significantly boosts trade.

Characteristics

There is no doubt that the Dead Man's Depths are an area where unusually strong storms occur, which also seem to arise very spontaneously and randomly. The first reports of the phenomenon date back to the year 72 of the Fourth Age. It is not known whether ships were lost in this area of the Abyssal Sea before then or whether the shallows have not existed as long as the rest of our seas. 

Ecology

Not much is known about what does or does not live and grow in the Dead Man's Depths. It could be just about the same fish, animals and plants as in the rest of the Abyssal Sea. But it could just as well be an area of the sea where nothing lives at all.

You haven't heard of the Crimson Wraith? Where do you live, inside a mountain? Next thing you tell me is that you don't know about the Dead Man's Depths at all.

— An upset sailor

Myths

According to legend, the waters are cursed and haunted by the ghost of Captain Wilhelm “Tiefenfluch” Wellenläufer, one of the first and most powerful pirate kings, who met his end in these depths centuries ago. His ship, the Crimson Wraith, is said to rise out of the fog at full moon and appear like a vision from the abyss with its tattered sails and skeletal crew. Those unlucky enough to enter the captain's realm are rarely seen again. Ships disappear without a trace, and those that return are found adrift, their decks ghostly empty.

The bravest or most foolish sailors attempt to traverse the Dead Man's Depths in search of treasures that Captain Tiefenfluch supposedly hid before his demise. But he has no intention of leaving his riches to the mortals and relentlessly hunts down anyone who dares to go near them. The story goes that any wreckage that takes over the deep only adds to his curse and any lost soul becomes part of his crew until he tires of them and releases them into the afterlife. The Dead Man's Depths are not just a place, but a graveyard - and its keeper is always hungry for more.

That can't be true in any case, but if it isn't, why is it that so many ships sink there?

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TLDR for my players

Don't travel through the Dead Man's Depths if you want to continue the campaign. Period.

The Truth

What the inhabitants of Mirintha are unaware of is the fact that the Vodnik have settled beneath the Dead Man's Depths. They withdrew from Mirintha's surface during the Ruby Fever and have since ceased all contact with the other civilizations. Using magic and their special relationship with the sea, they have found ways to protect themselves from potential discovery and therefore possible dangers.