The Restless Deep

The Restless Deep connects the Crista Islands to Tel Morath  and Solea but the voyage between the two shores is long and dangerous. Storms are common along the shoreline of Arcanix but most sailors have the experience to make it through these squalls. Occasionally, a hurricane comes close enough to shore to seriously threaten Solean and Tel Morathian ports, but, with the exception of the Amethyst Gulf, they rarely make landfall on the continents. The waves and wind from hurricanes can destroy ships and docks, tear houses from the ground, and kill people caught in the storm. Hurricanes sometimes move onto shore and blow inland, though they die out quickly as they travel away from the ocean. Hurricanes also threaten sailing ships in the warmest stretches of the Restless Deep. In tropical zones of the ocean, such as the Crista Islands, hurricanes can form year round but are most common in the Kingdom of Meirval. The storms form suddenly and can be anywhere from 50 to 350 miles in diameter. Winds can blow over 100 miles per hour, and hurricanes usually last a week. Any ship caught in such a storm has little chance of survival.
The open ocean has its own dangers as well. Sailors tell stories of rogue waves, also called Snake Waves, named after Sereptra, the Great Betrayer, the father of foul seas. Such waves are powerful and dangerous, not merely because of their size but because of their spontaneity. On otherwise calm waters with predictably small waves, a Snake Wave can suddenly rise and engulf even the largest ships, smashing down with devastating force. There’s no way to predict or prepare for these rogue waves, and sailors regard the phenomenon with fearful superstition.

Type

Ocean