The Golden Strait
It started with a flash of red. Harris had barely even noticed it from his position atop the crow's nest. Had almost been too focused on reloading his crossbow to let his attention drift to the woman (unarmored, free handed, straight backed; how could he have been so--) beside the captain of the Florin vessel. "MAGE AT THE--"
His words were cut off as the ship lurched and groaned under the spontaneous inferno. Harris scrambled backward, his back hitting the rim of the nest at such a speed that his breath was knocked out of him. The pained screams of burning crewmen rose to greet his ears as he coughed in an inhale. He tightened his grip on his bow. He spat out the exhale, only to force himself to draw a following inhale, breathing in smoke and the smell of burning wood and flesh. "MAGE AT THE HELM, CAPTAIN!" He shouted the sentence with all the volume and desperation that he could muster, as the din of battle continued.
He watched as Martin and Susana reloaded the ballista. He leveled his crossbow at the mage. He hoped, beyond hope that the smoke obscured his position. He released the bolt at the same time as the ballista. He watched as the woman made the casting maneuvers for a shielding spell. He watched as the bolt shattered through them. Her eyes immediately centered on him, her features twisted in a snarl, even as she jerked back and clutched at the wound in her shoulder.
She began casting again, her gaze flickering away from his own, and toward the mast. She began to cast again, her hands wreathing themselves in purple energy, as they flicked from one position to the next. Cadoran casting. Not precise enough to be Imperial. Harris could only desperately reload, even as he knew that his movements would be too slow.
The ballista fired.
The thunderous boom of the arcane spell was only muted by the groaning crack of the ship's mast. Harris screamed, clutching at the nest as he went down with the upper half of the mast.
Harris's vision went white when his back hit the waves, coughing out what little air remained in his lungs, as he began to sink.
The water was frigid, and Harris blinked, even as he couldn't force his limp limbs to move.
He sunk, dragged down by the inertia of his fall. Wreckage of the ship floated both above and below him, sinking into the depths of the Strait. Few had ever been forced to hazard a guess at how deep the Strait could get, after one left the banks.
Fewer had managed to survive to tell of what they had been forced to witness.
Harris watched as his vision blurred, stung by salt water and deprived of air. That was when he first saw it. A flash of the sunlight, brought to his eyesight by a serpentine tail. Blurred movement caused Harris's eyes to blink again, even as he slowly attempted to regain control of his limbs.
A single stroke upward was all that Harris could manage. Something, a sharp force grabbed at his left knee, pulling him back down into the depths of the Strait's frigid waters. Golden orbs, almost eyes, alien and angry glared up at him from where a clawed limb latched on his left leg.
Harris choked out what little air remained in his lungs, kicking with his free foot at the creature that held him. But it was in vain. Harris's fingers gripped for his crossbow, even as the being, the creature, the beast circled around him, akin to a shark. Almost human-like features stared back at him, eyes angry and glowing. Where legs should be, was an almost serpentine tail. Fins allowed for them to part the waters around them, almost graceful as they duck and wove around falling rubble.
He forced his gaze not to fall away from the creature. He watched as the sun's light fractured through the waves, off of the being's scales. He watched as it moved, clutching at an item raised to strike. He watched it bring the item-- a weapon? A trident? A dagger?-- down at him. He watched as blood dyed the water.
He watched as the light of the sun blurred and clouded away.
And then--
Darkness.
Geography
The Golden Strait is situated between the coast of Florin and that of Aljahim. Each of the surrounding banks of the strait are relatively shallow, though the middle of the passage is known to be incredibly deep. Numerous fishermen crowd the region, as the waters are rich with wildlife, however, it is most known for its direct connection of the Shamlian Ocean with its Prospero counterpart. Trade vessels flock to the area, as it is the fastest means of travel to get from the Western Eliwyn ports to those of the Prosperous East. Otherwise, ships must travel along the treacherous upper Northern Pass, or across the rough open waters of the Shamlian Ocean.
The banks of the Golden Strait are home to many fishing towns and port cities, both of Florin and Aljahimian origin, however they are not without their dangers. Numerous caverns, rocky upcroppings, sand banks, and shoals can make traversing too closely to shore incredibly risky, depending on the current tide and weather. Many men and women of both nations have made their livings as knowledgeable guides, capable of helping ships travel throughout the murky and turbulent waters of the Strait. Regardless of these experienced sailors, many of the locals colloquially and affectionately call foreign trading vessels 'Soldats Ivres' on the Aljahimian shores, and 'Junud Thamlun' on Florin coasts, due to the wobbling nature that many ships seem to take as they carefully make their way through the Pass.
The entrance of the Strait is situated just beyond the port city of the City of Brass, and it ends at the ruins of the city of Téméraire. about 100 miles south east of the City of Brass, the ruins of the Jotnar's Gateway hang over the waters. While the arch of the landmass has long since corroded into the sea below it, the runes engraved into the sandstone bases still stand proud.
An Artistic Rendition of the City of Brass, During the Rule of the Lady of Brass
Fauna & Flora
There are numerous fish and marine creatures living in the Strait. However, the most notable marine creature that lives in the deep waters of the Strait would be the Merfolk. The Merfolk are a civilization thousands of years old, and are reported to have been a people either blessed by Shalimyr or cursed by unknown creatures, depending on the rendition of the tale being told. The Aljahimans believe that they were blessed by Shalimyr, whom they called upon when their cities on land were being attacked and collapsed by an unknown opponent. The Wave Lord showed them mercy, a gentleness that he is no longer known for, and beckoned them to the safety of his depths. The people fled into the water of the Strait, their feet turning to fins as they swam, gills sprouting from their necks. Once within the waters of the sea, they crafted novel civilizations from the ruins of their destroyed cities. There they remained for centuries, apart and separate from the world above their waters. The Aljahimans believe the Merfolk to be a generally peaceful people, and many fishermen take to leaving portions of their catches out for the Children of the Wave Lord.
Their Florin compatriots, on the other hand, view the Merfolk as a cursed people, as a warning and a reminder of an ancient evil. The Florins state that the Merfolk were a people who prayed to false and evil gods, creatures and monsters that teemed beneath the waves of the world. They recollect that the Merfolk were punished for their worship, and were driven into the seas by their attackers. While most were reported to have drowned, the Florins state that the most faithful were transformed, warped into aquatic creatures by their corrupt Master. These masters dragged them deep into the Strait, allowing them to survive in a near animalistic state in their aquatic domain far below the waves.
The Florins forgo any beneficial contact with the Merfolk, though some braver souls are said to hunt the creatures. It is thought that their swim bladders, or lungs, are a critical component to long lasting potions of water breathing, though such hunting has decidedly angered the Merfolk. In recent centuries, the Merfolk have been found to grow incredibly violent in the presence of Florin vessels, and have even started attacking sailors who fall from Florin vessels. Such violence, however, is not shown to sailors of Aljahiman vessels, who report that the beings have saved drowning sailors by either dragging them to the beaches, or calling for the attention of the men aboard their vessels.
A Florin Artists Rendition of a Merfolk Attack on a Florin Vessel
Natural Resources
The region is known for its fishing and its connection of the Shalimyran Sea to its Prospero counterpart in the East. Pearl diving and amber collection are also popular means of employment along the coasts of the Strait. The pearls typically come from the titular golden oysters, called such for both their localization to the Strait, and the color of their shells. These pearls often make their way to Florin markets, justifying the Florin usage of pearls in fashions throughout the centuries.
The amber trade has grown more rare in the previous decades, with many locals thinking that the underwater deposits of the stone have dried out. However, there are still a few tradesmen and divers that collect and trade the precious stone, though the vast majority of them are Aljahiman. It is thought that the few deposits that remain are likely far off the shores of the Strait, deep in the depths that most fear to travel.
History
The Strait has been a civilized region of the world of Orbem, since before the Jotnar invaded the plane. While some of its ancient history has been lost and buried to time, many of the small fishing hamlets and towns have records or scrolls dating back to the time that Architects of Man first reached out to the various races. Historians believe that the Strait was the center of a large battle between the Jotnar and the Dragons, given the drastically different climates between the Florin and Aljahiman sides, and the presence of the Giant's Gateway near the middle of the Strait. Still, others argue that the Gateway's presence signifies that the Jotnar attempted to invade Aljahim from the continent of Elywin, perhaps to limited success, given the Lady of Brass's firm defense of her territory.
From beneath the waters of the Strait, the merfolk kept to their own colonies within the deep water, only occasionally encroaching upon the world of dry land above them. These few encounters with the men and women that sailed the Strait spawned many legends and stories. These tales and stories have structured an air of mystery around the Strait, drawing both interest and fear from the neighboring nations. The Florins, in particular, have always had a vested interest in the Strait, since their inception. Numerous Florin fables and wives-tales draw from interactions both with the aquatic and terrestrial creatures that inhabit the Golden Strait, and Florin ships have always been the most present in the narrow pass.
After the Dragonfall, and the Jotnar vanished from Orbem, the Lady of Brass established her respective city at the entrance to the Strait. From around her home, the towns and ports flourished, protected and kept safe from encroaching invaders. Perhaps because of this, despite the Golden Strait's relatively dangerous waters, the trade route has always remained very populated.
After the fall of the Lady of Brass, and the establishment of the Grand Caliph in the land of Aljahim, the Strait has still remained a vital area of naval importance. However, numerous Pirate Princes have also taken to calling it their home, having taken advantage of the Caliph's relative disinterest in the overt protection of the region. Slave traffic and trade has also increased in the region, though it was never overtly discouraged during the Lady of Brass's reign.
The first known Pirate Prince of the region was a man by the name of Hassan Asfour, and he personally led a fleet of close to 50 ships. It was thought that he either had an agreement with the Grand Caliph, or he presented tribute to the government in question, if only due to the fact that he sailed unmolested for years, becoming a terror not only to the nearby ports and towns, but to nearly the entire continent of Eliwyn. His fleets' disappearance has been the matter of many scholarly debates over the centuries.
The second and third prominent Pirate Princes of the region were more contemporary. Captain Cerise Vauxtiere is a Florin-born woman, who was reportedly a former noble of Florin, whose family fell out of favor during the Long War. It is thought that she either grew annoyed at the navy's attempts to curtail her power, especially after the fall of her family's titles. As such, she broke from the navy, traveled down to the Shackles, and named herself of the Pirate Queen of the Prospero Sea. From her guidance, the Pirate Prince Farah also rose to prominence. While initially given lead of a small fleet of ships to act as an enforcer of Hakim's will, Farah instead took to raiding and plundering the Golden Strait with abandon. At present, the Queen's fleet totals close to 7 ships, while the Prince's reaches close to 5. It is believed that the two have an agreement designating hunting grounds and relative allegiances.
Alternative Name(s)
The Devil's Strait, Shalimyr's Pass, and The Blind-Man's Folly
Type
Strait
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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