Sorkelige

Written by strawberryAle

I've swum depths so deep and dark the sun's light fears to tread there. Seen krakens the size of castles, hunted sharks with teeth the size of swords, and whales great enough to cover that puny excuse you call a harbor. Yet, I refuse to go south. We fear it." -- Hakon, Great Arl of the Rana

"Sorkelige means 'Southern Mystery' in my tongue. It will always be a mystery. Even from me." Torunn -- A Rana warrior

Sorkelige is a land shrouded in mystery. Not only does it remain rumored to be the largest, greatest continent in all of Veska, but it also remains as the most mysterious. Even the Rana whom were given the privilege of not just naming, but being within the closest proximity of Sorkilege have very little to say of it. The Rana are known for being quite fearful of not just the continent itself, but the ocean around it as well. Men who sail to Sorkilege rarely ever return to tell the tale...and yet, the few that do speak of adventure.
They speak of Glory., fabricating grand adventures with goals so lofty or convoluted that no sane man would ever desire to make. The Sailors that return from Sorkilege always return with the mysterious mental illness known as Glory Fever.

Geography

Tik...Tak, tik tak...tik tak! It's all I hear! It haunts me...the red lights, the LIGHTS! We will never sail past the Rana. Never. --A surviving mariner that returned from a voyage through the Shadowed Sea.

Referring to not just the entire continent itself, but also the ocean as well, there's quite a bit to Sorkilege to explore.
Skygin Ocean: Of the most well known is the Skygin Ocean. Very few sailors have ventured too deep through this ocean and returned to tell the tale, and lesser still have managed to safely touch the massive landmass of Sorkelige. Also called the 'Shadowed Sea' by some, the Skygin Ocean's expanse is generally considered to be the area between Lyranova and the continent of Sorkelige. Some cartographers also consider the entire location beneath Sorkilege to be a part of this.
The few that survive the Shadowed Sea tell various tales. Sailors speak of patches of water so thick that the ship slows to a crawl. The water beneath them suddenly turns gelatinous and slimy, as it's forced to swim through something likened to a pool of tar, rather than water. Others speak of enormous leviathans that create patches of literal shadows in the ocean. Beasts so dark that the entire waters beneath them turn to a gigantic, black and inky darkness.
Stranger are the mentions of islands -- of actual islets and lands to explore and set surface on. These places seem to shift positions with the ships, or disappear outright, creating literal mirages and illusions of islands.
The Rana speak of strange red lights lurking within the dark, and the few brave enough to swim further south claim to find waters as dark as the ocean's floor. These red lights are also mentioned by sailors from the human kingdoms, claiming to see bright, red, glowing spheres that appear at dark.
Rana rarely speak of the gelatinous tar like most sailors; but the few that do make mention of their entire war party disappearing within the dark shortly after, claiming to see a bountiful harvest of fish laying in wait for them, only for them to vanish into the inky black shadows that stretch across the sea.
Sorkilege: The actual isle of Sorkilege remains rather large-yet mostly unexplored. The few parts of Sorkilege that have been explored reveal that it's mostly a chilled and icy beach that stretches across the coastline. Along this coast, often called the 'Hungering Beach', multiple chunks of ice and glaciers can be found. Countless ships can be found beached on these ice chunks, while hulls can be found beached upon the side. Despite this, there are no signs of survivors from the wrecks. No corpse can be found on the beach of Sorkilege, with the exception of wildlife naturally found there.
What sets Sorkilege apart from many is the enormous forest that makes up the entire center; trees are said to be covered in a thick frost during the winter. What makes these forests so strange, however, is the audible gunshots that are said to be constantly heard ringing throughout the forest. This is the farthest that anyone has ever gotten to in Sorkilege; no one has ever successfully managed to make their return to report on the loud gunshots, and settlements made upon the beach always fail due to the lack of wildlife. All who have entered the forest have disappeared, though some have gotten close enough to glimpse into it, none have returned from treading beyond the treeline.
The cold is so great in Sorkilege that none have opted to stay long enough to continue investigating the isle; it is thus frequently just considered a no-man's land.

Fauna & Flora

Frozen Trees:The frozen trees found along the coastline of Sorkilege are strange in the fact that they remain consistently frozen through the few accounts that have been given of the place. This is likely due to the incredibly small amount of exploration, but every report always claims the trees to be frozen stiff with no leaves. Gnarled branches instead, with bark white beneath a thick sheet of ice. Loud noises are constantly heard around these trees, and those that try investigating the sounds quickly disappear shortly after.

Giants: A race of giant men live further within the woods. They have only been sighted on two accounts, but their appearance and demeanor remains consistent. They're described as enormous men that stand about 12 or 15 feet tall, with bluish skin and squashed noses. Their hair is long and white, while a pair of bovine, furry ears are at the sides of their heads. They are incredibly hostile, and the two instances mentioning these creatures both end with the giants driving the crew back into the ocean to retreat.
Remorhaz: Along the coast is a centipede like creature, its mouth opening up like a tunnel of teeth. These creatures are as long as a man, blue in colour, and yet what sets them aside are the long spines across their back, filled with a bright-red fluid that's hot to the touch. Multiple Remorhaz attacks have been reported, and speak of these spines being so hot that blades have melted upon them.
Kraken: Rumour speaks of a Kraken so great that they blot out patches of water found within the ocean. This is to explain the phenomena revolving around the black patches of within the Shadowed Sea; it is said that a Kraken so great in size can be found prowling these oceans, casting a shadow that blackens the ocean. Some say it's the ink that does this, further explaining the tar-like consistency of some waters found within.
Afanc: The dreaded Afanc is an enormous sea dwelling creature covered in thick, heavy spikes. They are found mainly in the Shadow Sea, but occasionally swim further north towards Lyranova. These exceptionally rare behemoths are notoriously aggressive, and are nicknamed ship breakers due to their behavior.
Flayed Men: Frequently reported in the logs of explorers that are found traveling along the beach of Sorkelig are the Flayed Men, a race of membranous people whom lack any real skin. instead, their flesh is described as almost see-through and gelatinous -- not necessarily truly flayed, but oddly translucent in the sense that their organs are capable of being seen. These creatures are exceptionally hostile, and attack anyone on sight. They are also said to be seen within the Shadow Sea, swimming and disappearing within the patches of darkness found among the ocean.

Alternative Name(s)

Southerlands, The South Cap

Type

Continent