The Split

Yes, the wasteland continues out towards where the Silt-Salt Sea churns its regular wrath, but here, huts of mud-daub and imported timber have sprung up in the shade of plateaus not far from a great cut in the ground. The Silt-Salt Sea runs through it at a surprising click.     Deeper: The south-west point of Corrhéo's north shore is cut with a geological feature that allows the sea to rush through, creating a fast-moving, turbulent passageway that’s difficult to cross. A series of high rope ladders stretch across stone risers, secured with mesh or old fishing nets for safety on the sides. The bridges are narrow, just 2.5 feet wide—too thin for cargo caravans, which are left to try their luck floating across the 'river'.   A few ferries transport wagons across and during low water levels, temporary bridges go up.   A small community, Brekwater, regulates flow across the bridges. The wind-eroded people don’t maintain them actively, as the bridges were established long ago, but they monitor the crossing because The Split is vast. Beyond it lies a half-mile of dry silt wasteland, only traversed by those bound for the Gone Keep—visitors, tourists, or travelers.   This community has settled around The Split itself, thriving on the ample fishing opportunities provided by the tide’s passage. The fishing targets various creatures from the Silt Salt Sea, but there’s also a growth along the cobbling rocks—tubular creatures called craeg, much like sea tubers or sea cucumbers, that filter the sea and in the process, collect precious minerals.    Small caves along the cliff edge, accessible by rope, are shallow shelves where the community harvests these tubers, as well as salt crystals and mineral deposits left behind in tidal pools.   At the northernmost tip of The Split, a dam construction is being instituted by Carga, the Electric Lord, using undead labor. Carga relies on large, lumbering undead trolls to cut and move stone during low tide. However, progress is slow due to the limited number of the undead workers.    The local fishing community oppose the dam, but are cowed by Carga’s formidable power.   Carga’s efforts face more than just local opposition. The creatures that live in The Split—now more aggressive due to the constriction caused by the dam—use their mandibles, pincers, and ravenous mouths to devour the legs of the undead trolls. In recent years, a school of these carnivorous fish has allied with a pair of salt witches, forming a collective entity called the Milk Weld. These schools of fish and crabs are larger and tougher than typical ocean creatures, occasionally swirling into a white strand that marks their presence in the sea.   The fishers and local community fear these creatures, even though the trolls do not. These schools of fish have become a native entity within the Split, posing a significant threat to anyone.

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