The Ashen Ocean

The largest and the deepest ocean on Terram, The Ashen Ocean is Vessaille's greatest contribution to the planet. Expansive and vast, it is home to multitude of flora and fauna, and is essential to the survival of many marine-based civilizations.  

Geography

At nearly 63 million square miles in area, this largest division of the world ocean and the hydrosphere covers almost 66% of Terram's water surface, and about 45% of the planet's total surface area, larger than its entire land area. The vast expanse of The Ashen Ocean reaches every major landmass on the planet. Despite the best efforts of scientists, even with the help of arcane magic, the depth of the ocean is unknown.  Magical practitioners have the capability to breathe underwater, but have not yet contrived a reliable arcane method to withstand the tremendous pressures of the ocean depths, much beyond about 500 meters. 

Climate

The climate patterns of the northern and southern hemispheres generally mirror each other. Wind patterns in the southern and eastern Ashen are remarkably steady while conditions in the north Ashen are far more varied with, for example, cold wintertide temperatures on the east coast of Fellcrest contrasting with the milder weather off Mla'Ghir during the wintertide months due to the preferred flow of ocean currents. In the tropical western Ashen, the monsoon and the related wet season during the summertide months contrast with dry winds in the wintertide which blow over the ocean from the Fellcrestian landmass. Worldwide, tropical cyclone activity peaks in the late summertide, when the difference between temperatures aloft and on the surface of the water is the greatest. 

Natural Resources

FISHING - fish are one of the most important naturally occuring resources in The Ashen Ocean, and are a valuable economic asset for almost every marine nation on the planet. The shallower shoreline waters of the various landmasses and the more temperate islands yield red bok snapper, simman, lancerfish, herrogan crab, hk'lagir fish, and various species of shellfish. Overfishing has become an increasingly worrisome problem in more populated regions - leading to depleted fish populations, which in turn cause economic and ecological repercussions. As a result of overfishing, some species of the ultra-valuable yellowback tuna off the coasts of Northern Fellcrest, for example, have become extinct.

History

Across the lands of Q'ol Kagikh, Ba-Pogool, Mla'Ghir, Belth'coth, Omren, Fellcrest, Hasdall, and Lothlonde, more than 15,000 islands, both large and small, rise above the surface of the water. Multiple islands were at one time hollow basins of formerly active volcanoes that have remained dormant for several millennia. Close to the centerline of Terram, without vast areas of blue ocean, are a dot of atolls that have been formed by seamounts over long periods of time.
Important racial migrations occurred in the Ashen Ocean in ancient times. Reptilian, dragonborn, monstrous, gith, and mermish species first crossed the expanses of the ocean as early as 10,000 years ago. It is not known with any certainty what level of maritime technology was used by any of these groups - the presumption is that they used large rafts fashioned from some type of native wood, and possibly was equipped with some sort of sail. The earliest confirmed existence of a civilization is the tribal ruins of Bak'Huka on the southern tip of Ba-Pogool, believed to have existed 6,000 years before the dwarves began initial mining expeditions atop The Carigon Mountains. Elven explorers have reportedly sailed from the western tip of Lothlonde to the eastern coasts of the githlands of Mla'Ghir around 1500 BD. Attempts to circumnavigate the planet have proven to yet be successful; ships getting lost at sea and crews encountering pirates, sea monsters, storms, and landing on hostile shores have prevented a successful voyage. All other obstacles aside, the lack of an ability to properly navigate an uncharted course has proven to be the biggest obstacle thus far. 

Type

Ocean