Nightmarrow Isles

The Nightmarrow Isles are a spectral chain of mist-wreathed islands adrift in the western waters of the Noctavian Empire. Cloaked in thick fog, subject to erratic tides, and lit by ghostly bioluminescent flora, the isles are as much dream as they are geography. Time seems to shift strangely here, and sailors speak of stars that move differently above Nightmarrow than anywhere else in the world.

Though part of the Noctavian Empire, the Isles function independently under the rule of Queen Selene Umbra and her dread theocracy, Nightmarrow, which worships eldritch sea-deities and the drowned dead

Geography

• Mist-Choked Waters: Constant, clinging fog obscures visibility both on land and sea. The waters around the isles are perilous—strewn with hidden reefs, cursed wrecks, and drifting spectral lights.
• Black Sand Shores: Most islands have beaches of fine black volcanic sand, often littered with bones, rusted anchors, and effigies of forgotten gods.
• Drowned Forests: Ancient forests of half-submerged trees and seaweed-covered ruins dominate many islands. Some trees bleed brine when cut.
• Moonwell Pools: Crystalline tidal basins that glow with unnatural moonlight, regardless of the lunar phase.
• Tide-Tombs: Vast underwater crypts carved into reef stone, only accessible at specific low tides or via ritual. They house undead protectors and preserved lore.
• The Eldertide Deep: A trench that coils beneath the central isles, believed to be the resting place of a sleeping sea god. It radiates magical interference, dreamstorms, and ghost currents.

Notable Locations:

• Selaché, the Drowned Court: The capital city, a semi-submerged ruin-palace of coral and obsidian, where Queen Selene holds court in the flooded cathedral of the Drowned Moon.
• The Howling Channel: A narrow strait between two major isles where the wind wails like screams, and phantom ships are seen battling endlessly.
• Sister's Teeth: A jagged line of reef-islands shaped like fangs, infamous for shipwrecks and siren ambushes.
• The Bleeding Shoals: Crimson-tinged waters where ancient blood rituals permanently stained the sea. Still considered sacred to Nightmarrow cultists.

Localized Phenomena

• Dreamstorms: Psychic weather systems that induce shared hallucinations or prophetic dreams.
• Lunar Tides: The gravitational forces of the moon are magically amplified, affecting both tides and spells cast during lunar events.
• The Tide of Returning: Once per decade, the drowned dead rise from the sea and walk the isles for a night of memory and mourning.

Fauna & Flora

• Mistkelp: Glowing seaweed used in rituals and potions of memory and forgetfulness.
• Barnacle-Wolves: Undead lupine creatures that swim as well as they run, often used as guardians.
• Mooncoral: Shifting coral that responds to lunar cycles, opening like flowers to “drink” moonlight.
• Wraithwhales: Enormous spectral cetaceans said to carry the souls of drowned priests.
• Eyeless Gulls: Omens of bad fortune, these birds scream names of the soon-to-be drowned.

Culture and Inhabitants:

• Populated by the Moonbound, a mix of living and undead who venerate the moon, sea, and death as sacred forces.
• Most citizens participate in tidal rituals, dream divinations, and blood offerings to secure favor or protection from the Drowned Gods.
• Outsiders are tolerated if they show reverence, but non-believers rarely last long without suffering “accidental disappearances” or waking madness.

Type

Archipelago

Included Locations

• Selache, the Drowned Court
• Sister's Teeth
• The Eldertide Deep
• The Howling Channel

Included Organizations

• Drowning Choir
• Nightmarrow
• The Bloodbound Fleet

Related Ethnicities

• Moonbound

Characters in Location

• Elegy
• Selene Umbra

Inhabiting Species

• Barnacle-Wolves
• Eyeless Gull
• Mistkelp
• Mooncoral
• Wraithwhale