The Bay of Knives
"Progress is always paid in blood. The bay simply collects its due."
A graveyard of ambition and the final resting place of many a hopeful sailor, the Bay of Knives is a treacherous stretch of water along Everwealth’s northeastern coastline, where the submerged remnants of the Cloudrend Mountains lurk beneath the waves like a slumbering beast. Though a bay in name, it is no haven for ships, its jagged, unseen peaks rise just beneath the surface, hidden daggers of stone that have shattered hulls and claimed lives for centuries. Early efforts to settle Gullsperch, Everwealth’s most ambitious frontier city, were met with relentless tragedy as supply vessels and exploratory fleets found themselves torn apart, their remains swallowed by the cruel tides. Even today, decades of efforts to blast, carve, and mark safe passages through the bay have only marginally reduced the danger.Geography
The Bay of Knives stretches along Everwealth’s northeastern coastline, a jagged break in the shore where the remnants of the Cloudrend Mountains descend into the sea, their peaks forming deadly stone fangs beneath the water. The coastline itself is bordered by steep cliffs, their wind-worn faces bearing witness to centuries of shipwrecks and failed crossings. The bay itself is deceptively calm in appearance, with glassy waters on the surface hiding the labyrinth of ship-splitting hazards below. Due to the underwater peaks and constantly shifting debris from wreckage, the topography of the bay changes frequently. Tides shift broken ships, uncovering new hazards while burying old ones, making even the most recent maps unreliable within months. The deeper parts of the bay remain largely unexplored, as diving here is a death sentence, with jagged stone formations and entangling wreckage waiting to claim even the most skilled swimmers.
Ecosystem
Life in the Bay of Knives clings to whatever wreckage it can find, adapting to the wreck-laden waters as part of its natural habitat. Hardy black barnacles, said to be nearly impervious to corrosion, coat the remains of ships, while razor-finned shiptooth eels lurk within the hollows of shattered hulls, waiting for prey to venture too close. The waters are cold and deep, inhabited by creatures well-adapted to the shadows of the sunken mountains. Salt-drenched kelp forests stretch between the jagged peaks, creating eerie, swaying corridors beneath the waves that are said to entangle anything foolish enough to drift too near. Above the surface, seabirds circle endlessly, drawn to the death below. Some sailors say that the birds refuse to land on the water here, as if they, too, know the bay's hunger.
Ecosystem Cycles
Unlike most coastal regions, the Bay of Knives does not experience dramatic seasonal shifts. The waters remain treacherous year-round, with only the intensity of storms fluctuating with the changing months. In winter, the winds howl through the shattered cliffs, making navigation nearly impossible. Spring and summer bring brief moments of deceptive calm, luring more ships to their doom as hidden peaks remain just as deadly beneath the waves. Over time, the ocean slowly reclaims the wrecks, pulling their remains deeper until only broken masts and rotted beams are left to mark where they fell.
Localized Phenomena
- The Whispering Gales - Winds rush through the ruined ships and broken stone formations, creating an eerie howling sound that sailors mistake for voices in the dark. Many believe these are the souls of the drowned, calling out for rescue.
- Tideborn Wrecks - Every few years, an old wreck resurfaces, shifting in the tides to reappear after decades hidden below. Some return nearly intact, raising speculation about strange magicks within the bay.
- The Knife’s Edge - A rare occurrence where the waters calm so completely that the jagged peaks beneath can be seen clearly from above, like dark spires reaching for the surface. It lasts only minutes before the tide rushes in, swallowing them again.
Climate
The Bay of Knives is cold and unforgiving. Strong coastal winds batter the cliffs, and storms roll in with little warning, turning the waters into a churning abyss. Rain is frequent, but it does little to clear the ever-present mist that clings to the bay at dawn and dusk. In winter, the wind cuts like a blade, bringing ice-laced gales that turn the sea into a writhing beast. Even in the height of summer, the water remains frigid, a cruel and constant reminder that nothing warm belongs here.
Fauna & Flora
- Black Barnacles - Hardened shell-creatures that cling to wood and stone, said to contain alchemical properties that slow decay.
- Ghost Coral - A bioluminescent coral that grows in the shallower wrecks, glowing eerily beneath the waves at night, marking some of the oldest remains.
- Harrowgulls - Large, dark-feathered seabirds known for circling above the bay, their presence often foretelling disaster.
Natural Resources
- Black Barnacle Shells - Sought after by alchemists and shipbuilders for their resilience, used in potion-making and experimental treatments for wood rot.
- Ghost Coral Fragments - Sometimes harvested by reckless divers, believed to contain latent magickal properties.
- Salvaged Wreckage - Anything from rotted beams to still-usable iron fittings, scavenged from the countless ships claimed by the bay.
History
The Bay of Knives has claimed lives for as long as any sailor can remember. Before the rise of Gullsperch, it was a known death trap for fishermen and traders who strayed too close. With the city’s founding, it became a critical passage, forcing ships to risk its waters in pursuit of trade and expansion. For thirty years, efforts have been made to tame the bay, explosives, naval routes, and mapping expeditions, but no method has fully succeeded. The peaks that once shattered wooden hulls now tear apart steel, and even modern vessels have been claimed by its unseen reach. Superstitions surround the bay, tales of vengeful spirits and cursed waters spreading through the ports. Some say that it is a remnant of the gods’ wrath, that the mountains beneath were not meant to be disturbed. Others believe it is alive in some way, that the bay itself chooses its victims. Whatever the truth, the wreckage-laden waters remain Everwealth’s greatest maritime obstacle, one that no amount of ingenuity has yet conquered.
Tourism
Few visit the Bay of Knives willingly, except for the reckless and the desperate. Salvagers trawl the shallower waters, hoping to pull treasure from the depths, though most find little more than rusted beams and shattered hulls. Scholars and alchemists seek out the black barnacles and ghost coral, while treasure hunters gamble their lives for the chance of uncovering long-lost cargo. Some thrill-seekers sail close just to test their luck, believing the bay will only take those who truly fear it. No proper inns or lodgings exist here. Those who come to the Bay of Knives do not stay long.
Alternative Name(s)
'The Shattered Expanse', 'The Sailor’s Grave', 'The Maw of the North'.
Inhabiting Species
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