Mor Bras

Geography

The Surface

The Mor Bras is believed to by the largest ocean in Alvez, located to the west of the continents of Kornôgel and Alkebulan. The Mor Bras is further connected by channels and rivers to other bodies of water, such as the Mor Marv, Mor Kreizdouar and Mor Bihan, created a continuous body that covers much of the known world. The widely understood meaning of the term, however, refers only to the large ocean directly West of the two continents. The full extent of the Mor Bras has not been explored, leaving many to posit the existence of further landmasses to the far West and South.
A result of its large size and difficulties in navigation, little of the Mor Bras is properly charted, with the exception of the Ar Mor (coastal) regions and heavily trafficked trade routes. Several points mark the "edges" of known territory. To the West, Fjallkonan, a volcanic island of rock and ice, sits in the far North. To the South, the Graves, a dangerous shifting coastline bordering a vast desert, marks the farthest southerly point reliably charted. The phantom Island of Rupes Nigra, a magnetic lodestone at the North Pole, marks the most Northerly point, although the existence of this point is largely theoretical to the majority of Bediz scholars.
The shifting reality of Faerie beyond The Veil makes cartography difficult, with phantom islands, such as Hy-Brasil vanishing and reappearing, while floating landmasses such as Tír na nÓg drift in the mists. These erratic landmasses and shifting borders have led to the creation of technologies such as the Ailhedenneg and Phantom Maps to assist in navigation

The Undersea

The sea itself is by no means uninhabited, supporting a large number of settlements and sapient peoples. This submarine world, generally referred to as the Undersea, is host to its own geographic divisions.
The inhabitants of these submarine realms classify the Mor Bras into four regions: The Ar Mor (Coast), the Gwantenn (Shallows), the Bevenou (Rim) and the Isfontou (Abyss).

Regions of the Mor Bras

Ar Mor Bras - The coasts of Alvez vary greatly, ranging from calm, sandy beaches and wet-marshland, to windswept rocky cliffs and forests. The coastlines are dominated by terrestrial peoples, such as the Bediz, Fomorii and the Tuatha de Danaan, with the majority of settlement and trade occurring on the coastlines. Some peoples, such as the Jetins and the Fées-des-Houles make their homes exclusively at the water's edge.

The Gwantenn - The Gwantenn stetches for several kilometers past the Ar Mor, and is dominated by reefs, sandbars, undersea chasms and hills. The Marie-Morgane and Selkie make their home in these warmer, light-filled waters near the surface. Thanks to the efforts of the Marie-Morgane, these areas of the Undersea are the most actively charted by sapient species, although the mermaids of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves are rarely generous with giving this information to terrestrial peoples.

The Bevenou - At the edge of the Gwantenn, the elevation begins to drop quickly into the silent, dark depths. This is the rim of the "civilized" Ocean, watched over by the Morghaz and exploited by the Finfolk. Finfolkaheem and Deepring are the major settlements in this region.

The Isfontou - The depths of the Abyss are cold and silent, home of the Isfont Sluagh, twisted non-entities beyond the ken of comprehension. Creatures of the void, they loathe existence itself, brooding in their unknown lairs. However, the gentle nomadic Muirgeilt also inhabit this region, traveling along powerful ley lines of unfiltered Foyson.

Fauna & Flora

Tuath of the Seas

Several cultures have developed in the submarine world beneath the Mor Bras, establishing complex societies, cohesive social units and formal relationships with other races. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

The Marie-Morgane - The mermaids of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves are a Kontammet race of former Bediz tied by ere-hud to the sunken city. Inhabiting the Gwantenn, the Marie-Morgane have the most relations with terrestrial races. They are industrious, social and highly territorial.

The Morgazh - The mysterious Morghaz patrol the rim of the Bevenou, dedicated solely to containing the Isfont within the murky abyss and the defensive military strength of the race. Their largest settlement is Deepring, a massive fortress built on the precipice of a tremendous undersea chasm called Blackfall.

The Selkie - The sealmaids are considered a shy and generally peaceful race, keeping largely to themselves in the Gwantenn and Ar Mor. Unlike the other merfolk, they require air to breath and must remain close to the surface and coastlines and are the mostly likely to come ashore. Lacking the military stratocracy of the Morghaz or the aggressive territoriality of the Marie-Morgane, they live typically in large, but loose communities.

Semi-Sapient Species

Some species exhibit traits suggesting sapience, but lack cultural or societal cohesion to be considered an established race. Attempts at establishing long-term, formal relations with these races has not been accomplished by either Bediz or Fae entities.

The Finfolk

- The Finfolk are a race of amphibious merfolk found along the Northern Ar Mor of the Western Realms, with a deserved reputation as horrific raiders and kidnappers, sacking coastal settlements, sinking ships and capturing mates in a continuing, frenzied obsession for silver and glamour. While they appear to have some level of sentience, they lack any ensemble of social cohesion, coming together only for short-term raids and mating. They lack proper relations with any terrestrial races, but are occasionally used as a directionless cause of mass destruction similar to a mercenary company.

Muirgeilt

- The giant Storm-Maids of travel with the Wyldstorms along the leylines over the Isfontou. Their social complexity and individual sapience in unknown, as they do not appear to interact with the other species of the Mor Bras, appearing and vanishing back into the deep open ocean. It is not known if the creatures follow the storms, or if their presence creates the storms, but the two are often found together.

Non-Sapient Species

In addition to the sapient species of the Mor Bras, there are countless flora and fauna, ranging from mundane fish and crustaceans to monstrous sea-monsters. These vary greatly by region.

History

Since before the beginning of recorded history, coastal communities have flourished on the banks of the Mor Bras, eventually creating the massive trade network that would serve as the basis of the Empire of Tarif, allowing the Empire to leverage its maritime power to control large territory on both Western Kornôgel and Northern Alkebulan, reaching as far as Albia. Other groups, such as the Northmen of the Lost Peninsula also navigated the waters.
When The Tear ripped The Veil and unleashed the chaotic magic of the Faewylde into Bedouar, the Mor Bras bore the brunt of the cataclysm, altering it dramatically and infusing it with powerful mystical energy. Dramatic changes to the shoreline occurred in the first few centuries, resulting in the destruction of Ys, Lyonesse and the Shatterlands, as well as the appearance of the Fortunate Isles.
The Ocean continues to play a significant role in the life of Alvez, and the advent of new sailing technologies and Windships have allowed greater navigation and connection, unseen since the days of the Empire.

Alternative Name(s)

The Great Sea, The Sea, The Violet Sea

Type

Ocean

Location under

Alvez

Included Locations

• Albia
• Douarnenez Bay
• Eusa
• Fortunate Isles
• Glenan (+)
• Gwaien Bay
• Lyonesse
• Mor Marv
• Pleg-mor Gwaskogn

Related Tradition (Primary)

• The Courtship (+)

Inhabiting Species

• Iannic-ann-ôd

Related Materials

• Tan-Mor