Dreadswirl

by Dean Sgarbossa

There are many natural phenomena that shape the world of Ostelliach and how its people move, work, and live. Of these, the Dreadswirl is particularly spectacular to behold.
The great swell of the Chained Forge volcano on its isolated island is an impressive show of seismic activity, but it is only one part of a greater volcanic swath along the western edge of Ostelliach. Perhaps the only thing more memorable than a massive volcano, you could say, would be a never-ending churn of massive waterspouts cutting the ocean into pieces. In other words, the Dreadswirl.
The heat of the volcanic activity in the area warms the entire region but also produces huge waterspouts, tornadoes formed atop the choppy ocean. This renders the majority of the western coast of Ostelliach dangerous territory where no vessel dare tred. The Dreadswirl stretches as far as the eye can see in either direction from a vantage point of, say, Carrier's Crest, at least a hundred miles long.

Geography

The region of southwest Ostelliach known as the Dreadswirl is a deep water region hugging the coast of The Cradle, any rocks or smaller islands that had a chance to rise above the swells eroded away before they break through. The cyclones continue both north and south of Chained Forge's landmass, but are notably much worse south where the deeper water feeds thicker vortexes. To this end, some skeletal shipwrecks remain to the north but nothing breaks the waves south.

Localized Phenomena

Lightning storms are common among the water-based tornadoes of the region, an insult to injury rather than the primary danger.

Climate

The area around the Dreadswirls is warm, a volcanic aura that is tolerable for grazing animals a little further inland in Carrier's Crest and The Cradle but only at that far-removed distance. Were someone to brave the Dreadswirl and survive long enough to assess it, they would find the ambient temperature to be a balmy 85~90 degrees year-round. In fact, the cyclones are largely considered to be formed because of violently hot gusts meeting an otherwise more mild temperature of the non-volcanic parts of the region; said hot jets of air are likely much hotter.

Fauna & Flora

If there is life beneath the swells of these perpetual rapids, scholars know little about them (and they most likely are far, far below the churning waves).

History

It is believed that the Dreadswirl was once much less destructive, perhaps localized around Chained Forge only, or less concentrated in its intensity. However, in the time after the The Breaking when the magic of the world seems hellbent on destruction in a million different ways, the reality for the last several hundred years has been calamitous.

Type

Rapids