The Open Waters

The water stirred up, into spouts of terror and pirate vessels drifted through, just poking above the mist. I was grateful of the soft vapor above the water, because I was hidden from sight. At any moment, the mist could clear, and my sailboat would be pelted with cannonballs.
-Ossy Clenssy, Expert Sailor and Bestselling Author of Waters of Treachery

Plagued by pirates and storms, the open waters are no place for the weak. Pirates can do anything there, because it is outside of the empire's reach. The sailors guild and trade negotiations network have tried to claim the area many times before, but in the scoping process, pirates always seem to attack, destroying the machinery and causing them to retreat. This area is anywhere that is not within one-hundred miles of land. The pirates are trapped there, because if they leave, they can be arrested. Where storms hit the water, they only become stronger, stirring up the waters and killing off all of those ho have survived the pirates.

Geography

There are some small islands in the water, but mostly there is just open water.

History

At first, when the sailor's guild owned most of the world, the open waters were rather uncared for, but eventually, the ministry of order decided to change the guild's borders, to make control over it easier. The guild was unhappy about the minstry's decision, but never was able to reclaim the area. Once the decision had be made, however, a big mistake was discovered. Without any ownership of the land, there was no law, and it became a dangerous place. Pirates raised out of it, and destroyed any cargo that passed through. An area must first be inspected for issues, before being claimed, and the proper level mapping was impossible, with the threat of pirates. So, the area is now thought of as a land of the pirates, that they cannot leave.

Type

Ocean