Obsidian Ocean

Separating Iotura and Aitreas from Drumis, the Obsidian Ocean is a titanic body of water at the heart of the known world of Emaxus. It is some 3500-4000 miles longitudinally and around 2000 miles latitudinally.
Though not as frequently sailed as the Silver Sea or the Kaldr Harkfjyrd, the Obsidian Ocean is the only way to reach Drumis from Iotura, Aitreas, or the various island-states on the Obsidian Ocean itself. As such, with the settlement of Osedence and the Istavinion Strongholds on Drumis, as well as the rise of trade with some of the island nations of the Obsidian Ocean, trade routes across this body of water are becoming frequented by an increasing number of merchants; however, it is still treated with trepidation by many.
Not only is the Obsidian Ocean large and thus inherently risky to travel, it abounds with fearful myths and tales. From Ar'guzan to the fact that the worst Emaxian battles of the Reckoning took place on Drumis, many people think that the Obsidian Ocean is cursed. This is a large reason for why it's named the way it is: after the Obsidian Lords. Whether or not it actually is cursed is a topic for debate, but there are a number of strange phenomena that can or are known to occur here. Between a tsunami that happens every 5 years on the dot or the volcanic eruption that split Taesuxuzou into the Taesu Empire and the Xuzou Dynasty, the Obsidian Ocean seems to be a hotbed for strange or fantastic occurrences.

The Legend of Ar'guzan

Any sailor worth their salt has heard the legend of Ar'guzan -- of how the depths of the Obsidian Ocean are stalked by a leviathan of unimaginable size, a leviathan named Ar'guzan. Now, sailors who haven't braved the Obsidian Ocean believe that Ar'guzan is actually just a legend. Veterans of this great ocean will tell you otherwise.
Plenty of vessels are lost on the Obsidian Ocean. Massive typhoons, rogue waves, and prowling pirates account for many losses. Sometimes, entire merchant fleets can be wiped away without so much as a whisper to the outside world. But sometimes, a vessel -- or even just a handful of survivors -- will escape its blasted fate. Most of the time, these survivors tell tales of waves taller than ship masts or, in some cases, the threats of the seas: dragon turtles, merfolk, and the like; however, there has been a slow but steady stream of different tales.
Over the centuries, through shell-shocked survival tales and over-exaggerated shanties, a myth has grown around an entity called Ar'guzan. The stories vary widely, but they tend to agree on a few things: Ar'guzan is a titanic, underwater serpent between a thousand feet and -- in some stories -- several miles long. It has three sickly green eyes above a quad-mandible maw that can swallow entire fleets. It comes during storms, its arrival preceded by the sea glowing sickly green. This light is cast by crystalline ridges along its entire body that radiate a light of similar hue to its eyes. Some variations also claim that Ar'guzan has two massive pectoral fins with smaller ridges of their own.
The legend says that Ar'guzan has stalked the Obsidian Ocean for centuries, ever since the Reckoning. Beliefs differ greatly on why -- some say that it was tasked to it by the Obsidian Lords, others by Isael. Others still say it is the manifestation of every sailor that has died at sea, their raging souls dragging more and more sailors to their deaths. What Ar'guzan's origins actually are -- if it exists -- are unknown.
The name "Ar'guzan" was taken from an island-dwelling culture of tsunami-worshipping folk who call themselves the Children of Ar'guzan, but it is unknown if the "entity" they worship is actually related to the legend above.

Maps

• 

  Obsidian Ocean

  A map of the Obsidian Ocean and the major -- discovered -- islands within it!

Type

Ocean