Starlight Sea

Most people are pretty sure Starlight Sea are myth and legend, but especially among seasoned adventurers there's many tales on how to get there and what one might be able to discover in those mystic waters. There is the occasional cryptic map that pops up at the taverns of adventure guilds or pubs at the shores where people claim to have charted those mystic seas and found ways to navigate them. Often those tales are told when someone who claims to have been there returns to share these tales and show off a mysterious treasure to two.

Many sitting around those tables will not believe them, but the occasional seaoned adventurer will find a crew willing to find those mystic waters and sail them despite the many who didn't return from those plans and the chances of them not even existing. Also powerful mages and some very focused scholars study the place and it's enviroment.

Those who make it to those waters will soon learn to fear them for all it's calm and quiet the Starlight Sea and all it's islands are filled with magic beyond the imagination of many. Creatures lurk in the sparkling waters of the endless night. Underwater volcanoes explode and tear everything between them and meters above the water into shreds while destroying themselves. Islands rise and sink seemingly at random, tho some claim this the work of gods and sometimes ... sometimes the stars fall from the sky and upwards out of the sea in sync to crush everything between them.

Geography

The Stalight Seas are a magical land made up mostly by a seemingly endless ocean. It is surprisingly easy to enter if you know where to look, however finding this entrance again once you've gone further from it is very difficult. It got it's name from the fact that even when the wind is blowing strong the water is perfectly calm and mirrors the stars above, so it seems that your ship is sailing in the middle of the stars. Some speculate that the "sea" is actually a magical mirror and everything that happens on one side also happens on the other with the exception of incredibly powerful magical creatures that can traverse those barriers without existing in mirror form as well. Most who have been there doubt this idea.


In that Sea of Endless Night only the glimmering stars light the way and anyone who wishes to orient themselves does good to take a good look at them, because they're the only way to find ones way back to where one came from in those waters. The many islands that keep their land above the ever flat sea tend to appear and disappear quite at random. There are signs to tell if the Island you are standing on is about to sink, which would make it a good time to return to your ship and run before the sea swallows the land including any unfortunate ships that are too close to the seas wrath.

Ecosystem

Many a legendary creature lurks in the dark waters of the star lit waters, looking for easy food that breaks up the monotony eating plain Abyss Fish that one might even have to fight another creature for if hunted in the wrong spot.

The islands are much more diverse than the waters around them. Some are plain rocks with nothing on them except for the occasional precious metals. Others are filled with trees that have silver leaves and snow white flowers. Flowers of magnificent beauty and magical properties might be found as well. There might also be birds, insects or amphibian animals that roam those islands in search of food or a safe place to raise their young.

Localized Phenomena

Nobody, not even those who have sailed the Starlight Sea for a long time, know why sometimes a star that has held strong in the sky for quite a while will fall down from the heights. If you're unlucky and your ship is in the wrong place it might get smashed. If one manages to find a fallen star on land they contain the very rare Starsilver which has incredible propteries for making enchanted metalwork.

Climate

The sea itself has a pretty moderate climate most of the time. There are storms that can make the temperatures drop quite suddenly, but it is a surprisingly habitable place if you ignore the monsters, magical anomalies and falling stars. Anyone who likes to sunbathe should avoid the area, since it is always night and bathed in starlight.

The islands climates are incredibly varied. They range from covered in layers of ice and snow to the heat of lava lakes and volcanoes. This makes it very essential to take a very close look to where you're sailing before one decides to anchor at a place.

Fauna & Flora

The main animal that can be found consistently everywhere in the entire Starlight Sea is the Abyss Fish. It makes the main food for anything living in and on the sea, as it was relatively nutritious and easy to come by. Anything bigger than an Abyss Fish ate Abyss Fish. There is no real information on what Abyss Fish actually eat.

The various Sea Monsters would eat most things coming close enough, ranging from Abyss Fish to smaller sea monsters that they managed to kill. These are also to be found throughout the entire Starlight Sea.

The islands are, once again very varied and their food chains are the same. Where birds meet smaller insects, they will eat them. Amphibians will also eat smaller insects if they find them. Bigger Amphibians will also eat small birds if they have them available.

The general rule is that whatever is smaller than a creatures mouth will be eaten.

Natural Resources

The islands of the Starlight Sea are filled with rare, often magical resources. This ranges from flowers with magical properties to precious metals like Starsilver.
The full extent of available material varies greatly depending on the islands one visits and there are still many new things being discovered whenever someone returns from a voyage to the Starlight Sea. Many powerful mages will pay great money for quite a few of these things.

History

The history of the Starlight Sea is entirely unknown. It seems to be an almost timeless space. The general agreement among those who have spent time studying the place is that it was created during the Great Calamity, when the gods were fighting each other.

Alternative Name(s)

The Sea of Endless Night

Type

Magical Realm