Maelstrom's Birth

Summary

The Kydian Maelstrom is well known to anyone involved in shipping goods across the Taefnal islands, as the huge region of whirlpools, strong currents, large sections of the Aludaoin (Sea-Star) Reef and rocky outcroppings around a central whirlpool rumoured to be thousands of miles wide creates frequent storms and harsh sailing conditions for sailors. This also makes trying to sail on the north side of Colmanas and Osthysia somewhat difficult, even for the seasoned experts.
Exactly how it came to be, however, has been lost to time, it’s origin now only spoken of in myth by those who sail above the waves as opposed to swimming beneath them.
The most popular myth states that the seas were almost completely lost to the elementals during the War of Primordials, under the guidance of Merrilkai (Primordial Titan of Water) and a Kraken Matron she had elevated to demigod status, Uuletrizk. The storm goddess, Kydia, originated from the strength of will and determination to take back dominion of the land and sea. Things looked bleak for the resurfaced Elves following the War of Primordials and First Frost, when they returned to a world where the Titans themselves were sealed but their powerful lieutenants still roamed free with no-one to contest them, but they were capable of recruiting new defenders to their cause. 
Kydia's first act as the Coming Storm was to battle Uuletrizk in hand to hand combat, calling down the Maelstrom in the form of an unending storm that rent Uulixothal (the city Merrilkai's followers had built to honour her and continued to inhabit) apart and cast it's disparate sections far beneath the waves into darkness, crushing pressure, and dangerous extremes of temperature.
Since Uuletrizk was struck down and sealed by the goddess and the Kraken's corrupted followers scattered to the open seas, the centre of the Aludaoin Reef where the city previously stood has been turned into an underwater hellscape of constantly changing pressure and instability. Any who make it out of the place alive are quickly slain by it's Oshmiri guardians, making the city's remains both difficult to get to and a treasure trove of undiscovered archeological finds and all the obscene wealth of an ancient age.

Historical Basis

There is some historical basis to believe the myth is true - the terrible conditions on the ocean near where the Maelstrom is located and the damage some event in the First Era did to the Triton’s level of culture and civilisation outside of the Elemental Plane of Water leads scholars to believe that although the story of a goddess fighting an ancient Kraken demigod over open ocean in single combat may be farfetched, it is generally agreed that a battle of some significance occured at the location, either above the waves or below. The common agreement is that if there were non-water breathing humanoids present, they likely drowned long before a firsthand account could be delivered to anyone else and took whatever they witnessed to their watery graves in the depths of the Kinsunder Sea.
Given the territory within the boundaries of the Aludaoin Reef are impassable by ship and extremely dangerous (even for the deep-sea dwellers of the Oshmiri) to try and traverse in person, it is impossible to be completely certain of the truth one way or the other.

Cultural Reception

Due to the cultural significance of the Aludaoin Reef, myths about that area and its formation are particularly held in reverence by the deep-sea Oshmir, to whom Kydia is a well respected figurehead (after Osha) who represents their constant struggle for survival against their natural environment and victory through perseverance, rather than just luck.
The Tempest’s Quorum, being the loosely associated but still firmly devout holy order of Kydia, are also steadfast believers of the myth in its function as Kydia’s origin story, and will repeat it for those who ask.

Date of First Recording

Unknown - thought to be recorded in writing sometime early in the First Era, mostly carried as an oral history beforehand.

Date of Setting

First Era (Exact date unknown)