Iolite Ocean

This ocean to the northeast of Ylirn is the largest known body of water on Enatyr. Nobody has crossed it in living memory. It is famed for the impossibly clear, dark blue of its waters, often compared to the rare gemstone after which humans have named it. In some places the water looks almost crystalline, its surface seeming to glitter with facets like a cut gemstone. The change in color between this, the true ocean, and the light blue-green waters that line the coast is stark and very sudden. Most sailors will categorically refuse to cross this line, not even to avoid navigating island chains or reefs, adamantly insisting that if a current or the wind should carry them to where the lookout can no longer see the 'normal waters' of the coast, the ship would never return. No islands are known to exist within the Iolite Ocean.
In dockside bars and aboard ships one can hear strange tales of the Iolite ocean and its crystalline depths. Some boast proudly to have sailed her, only to be met by the incredulous quistion "Upon the midnight waves, did you? Till the line was nowhere to be seen and the deep waters were all around?" after which most quickly admit to have had the coast firmly in sight. Others spin tales of underwater cities built of coral and gemstones, Storm Giants who walk the waves surrounded by their thunder, ancient creatures of malevolent will who roam the depths by day and the surface at night. Some claim it is the personal domain of the god of the sea, others fear that something darker rules those depths.

Localized Phenomena

Occasionally, when looking at the right angle with the overhead light in the right angle, the color of the water shifts completely from midnight blue to faceted colorless. This can result in spots on waves which are see-through, showing a fractured image of what is behind them as if looking at it through a cut diamond, or projecting rainbows as if it is a prism.

Natural Resources

Some nobles and wealthy merchants from more southern lands pay large sums of money for ice made from the waters of the Iolite. Ice does not naturally occur in the ocean, though parts of it are far enough north that it should. Magic and rituals are required to freeze it, and once frozen it thaws so slowly that it can be at room temperature for weeks. Moreover, it retains its deep blue color even when in a small amount and can be carved into beautiful sculptures. This ice is also used in ceremonies of the Vimndarul dwarves, most notably their wedding ceremony.

Type

Ocean