The Evergale Straits

There are many dangerous places on the seas of Cartyrion, but none is more dangerous than the straits that separate the Farsea and the Sea of Storms, the Evergale Straits are accepted by all who sail the seas as the most hazardous of all. Shallow reefs with narrow channels, thousands of years of shipwrecks, and the fierce storms that mercilessly buffet the islands and the straits between them nearly every day of the year make passage through the Straits the most feared leg of any sea-goer's journeys on Cartyrion.

Geography

The straits are the channels of sea - some wider, some rather narrow - between the islands that form a chain running in a northeast to southwest direction across the place where the Farsea and the Sea of Storms are joined. The currents in these seas are complex, and as a result the prevailing currents in the straits themselves can be confusing to mariners that are not accustomed to them. Some channels flow in one direction; some flow in the other. Entering the wrong channel has been the cause of many a wreck.

Ecosystem

The storms that churn the surface waters almost every day of the year, and the currents that flow between the two great seas, combine to make for watery regions that resemble rivers more than oceans. Many creatures, great and small, either make their homes in the rocky floors of the straits, or frequently pass through the straits on their way from one sea to the other. Undersea flora consists of plants capable of establishing firm holds on the rocks and debris at the bottoms of the straits.

Localized Phenomena

The Evergale Straits are so named because of the fierce storms that occur there on a practically continual basis. According to the sages, there are rarely more than two or three days in an entire year when the gales do not blow. Wind speeds that approach hurricane force are common.

History

The Seafarer culture of the Dwarves first arose in the city of Cliffport on the Farsea coast. When their voyages of exploration and trade first reached the Evergale Straits, they deemed them to be impassible. The Birdfolk, in the meantime were also developing a sea-going culture. Their Waveriders started out as fisherfolk initially, but due to the persistence of the hero Aanarakka, the Birdfolk were actually the first mariners to successfully navigate the straits on a regular and reliable basis.

It would be many years before the Dwarves, and later the other seagoing cultures of the Ratfolk, Catfolk, and Humans, would dare to test the Straits routinely. Today, though they are traversed often enough, passage through the Straits remains the most fearsome time of any voyage.