The Sea Barrows

Child, you will learn some things soon, and some things later.  Such is the way.  But this you must learn now.  You are never, ever, to dive where the fishing grounds lie.  The things below do not hold with outsiders.  Should you venture there, your bones will lie with their bones.  The Sea Barrows brook no intruders.

Geography

The sea barrens lie beneath the waves on the coast of Mythia in the region occupied by the Sea Queens. 2 kilometres below the surface lies a cliff upon which they sit, beyond which the depth of the ocean has never been accurately measured. Although the cliff itself is sheer, the top is pockmarked with small depressions and rises, covering an expanse of ground some seven kilometres long.  The barrows are made of rock and covered in a thick layer of sea silt.
Along the ground, bones of various sea animals are strewn.  Ribcages and spines litter the barrows, some as large as a Queen's ship.

Ecosystem

The sea barrows are home to a wide range of life, from small fish to corals to larger ocean life such as sharks and stetara.  Apart from the life that permanently inhabits the sea barrows, they are also a site where nearly all larger ocean species travel to die.  It is unknown why this is, but animals from all reaches of the blue expanse travel to the sea barrows to die, from leviathan to whales to even cersa.
The local inhabitants seem oblivious to these migrations, going about their daily business with little regard for the regular influx of more unusual creatures.  Many make their habitats in the plants and craters that litter the barrows, as well as within the skeletons of long-dead creatures.  Some feed on the recently dead, supplementing their other diet.

Localized Phenomena

The sea barrows are a much-mythologised area of the Sea Queens' realm, and have been connected with various phenomena.  These include storms, apparitions, and other, stranger, occurrences.  Many ships ply the waters above the barrows for fish due to the large number of them that inhabit the region, but the phenomena seem to be incredibly localised - typically only affecting one or two ships even when more are above the barrows.  Over the years, the Sea Queens have noted increased severity of storms in the region, balls of light appearing below the waves before a storm hits, and even on a few occasions creatures coming to the surface that by rights should not be able to survive there.  All these events are connected to bad weather and seem to happen exclusively over the barrows, as no evidence of their existence outside this region has been found.
Additionally, there is a higher rate of capsize in the region above the sea barrows than anywhere else.  Although some captains choose to avoid the area because of this, the prospect of such riches that can be gathered from fishing the waters draw ever more merchants to the region.  The Sea Queens themselves make no attempt to avoid the region.
Any time someone has dived in the sea barrows, they have brought bad fortune to themselves and their crew shortly after.  Boats capsize, divers hemorrhage suddenly when out of the water, lightning strikes the mast.  Those few who have survived diving in the barrows are quick to warn others not to go there.

History

The true nature of the sea barrows was not known for quite some time in the early reign of the Sea Queens.  Originally assumed to simply be a convenient fishing spot, the barrows were the only productive area of the sea that the early sailors had access to.  As time went on and the Sea Queens ventured further along the coast and into the ocean, they found that the phenomena around the sea barrows were unique to it, and found very scarcely anywhere else.
The first person to dive the sea barrows was Cessa, of the aqua boats.  Employing a spellwrit to allow her to dive to the bottom, she was also the first to report back the nature of the ground.

The fishing ground that we called Bounty has a more accurate name... the sea barrows.  The cliff below is scattered with skeletons, bones each larger than a ship.  Smaller animals inhabit the carcasses, and seagrass twines its way around the ivory.  There is no sound, and on the edge the cliff drops to I know not how deep.  The barrows are not a place it is wise to dive in.  Perhaps they are also not a wise place to fish, but where else will give us the quantity of catch that we are accustomed to?
Cessa

Cessa was also able to return safely from the barrows, despite her flagship capsizing as she surfaced.  She herself seemed unaffected by the dives, but later died in mysterious circumstances when her basement flooded on shore.

Alternative Name(s)

The Graves, Theln's Domain

Type

Cliff