The Noxatil Boundary

The borders of Scetyl and its secrets remain beneath the ever changing tides, but explorers and cartographers have been able to roughly map the perimeter of what can only be described as an underwater world within a world. There have been countless scholarly expeditions to the perimeter shallows, each returning only able to answer slivers of postulation, and some not returning at all. The Noxatil Boundary is so treacherous that captains have become keen to keep at least six hours out from first sighting, only wagering rafts and disposable vessels any further. What lies further in is said to be a veritable treasure trove of knowledge for apothics and orderers alike. There are four stages of the boundary that are commonly referred to: the lip, the shoal, the network, and the draft.

Where the lip begins is where most ships make anchor, as here the water is often shallow enough to do so. From here only the most significant protrusions can be spotted--massive porous monoliths thickly draped with kelp where yet unidentified semi-aquatic endemic life have been known to roost. All of these larger bastions lay base beyond the draft, so no civil soul has yet approached them. The entirety of the lip is netted with coral and flora of all colors and sizes, sometimes said to sheen and glimmer against the setting dusk. Most trinkets or souvenirs from the boundary tend to be retrieved from this region, even if hawkers state otherwise.

The shoal is identified by where branches of titan coral break the surface, indicating the presence crowded sandbars to be avoided. Here is where esteemed ecologists revel in the sightings of numerous bizarre amphibious species, including narrow-headed seals with barbed tail fins and schools of thickset salamanders armored with upper body shells. This is also where unfortunate ships tend to make their grave, some having been washed up for so long that their weathered skeletons have turned into moss-grown villages for skittery crustaceans. Should voyagers choose to venture further than the shoal, a sure method of preserving their return has been found by hoisting their raft up above the boisterous tide. Many a lost soul have been found at network entrances with bottled cautionary scrawlings among their remains.

Smaller porous protrusions encircle the inner perimeter like a rocky thicket. White sand inlets glisten like gemstones, welcoming visitors and denizens into a vast labyrinth of still water caverns. Within these soapstone homes resides thriving pockets of ecology, so uniquely separate from one another that each and every cave throughout the network is a new experience. Algae, gastropods, insects, and coral decorate the walls and crevices in a wide variety of colors and properties. Further in these breathtaking hovels, however, lies a burgeoning current woven throughout the region--the draft. Attempts at manipulating this ferocious undertow have all been in vain, proposing hypotheses that a greater power may be at play. Whatever the reason, this current marks a border that no man dare cross.

Although the region is largely inaccessible or treacherous, the massive coral perimeter surrounding it still provides breadth of materials and academia. It is regarded as one of the most invested mysteries of the eastern realm.

Type

Coral Reef, Barrier