Calinan Sea
"If you want to get rich, if you want to escape your past, if you want to forge a legacy, or if you don't know what to do next, the Calinan Sea is the answer." -Avadian proverbThe Calinan Sea is a large sea between the continents of Arikanda to the north, Calina to the south, and Sembar to the northeast. It is also the colloquial term to refer to the lands and city-states in the regions near both sides of the sea.
Geography
The Calinan Sea flows out into the Boundless Ocean at its westernmost point. It is bordered to the north by the southern coast of the continent of Arikanda, and the the south by the northern coast of Calina. At its furthest east it is bordered by the Strait of Kas, the point where the continents of Arikanda and Sembar meet.
The sea is home to a number of islands scattered around the seas. The most prominent are the Beyan Archipelago, a long chain of hundreds of islands between southwestern Arikanda and northern Calina, and the island of Tenun in the far west.
History
Humanity has sailed the Calinan for at least the past ten thousand years, if not more. For the bulk of that history, most travel was done in small canoes and outriggers, and rarely did people travel beyond sight of land. True sea travel throughout the Calinan came from the Avadians roughly 3000 DoM, with the advent of bronze technology allowing for the construction of more sophisticated ships able to be manned by crews. The Avadians' location in the Beyan Archipelago made them adept at learning navigation of the seas, and by the end of the third millenium DoM, the entire Beyan Archipelago was regularly traversed by ships, with some carrying out expeditions across the seas.
In terms of the political balance of power of the Calinan Sea itself, the Avadians have been the dominant sea power throughout history; from their days as scattered tribes through to their current days as a Great Empire. Seaports have traditionally been held by Avadians, and many outposts were built on both sides of the sea. The Avadian control of the sea was challenged during the Avadian colonial expansions into the territories of Tanoron in the first century DoM, resulting in the Coastal Wars, the first and only full-scale war in the Calinan Sea, from 98 to 74 DoM. This ended in a stalemate, with the Sovereignty agreeing to reduce their outposts in Tanorite lands, but with free trade permitted throughout the Calinan. Despite this and the secession of the colony of Maganti, the Avadians were masters of the sea.
It is only in recent decades that this undisputed power has come to be challenged in the form of the Kingdom of Kjoqvist, who have sailed down the Boundless Ocean from the north and have begun to expand into the Calinan Sea with their own ports, fleets and diplomatic agreements. In the last decade, tension has grown between the Sovereignty and the Kjor, and it could appear that for the first time in history the Calinan Sea itself may become contested territory.
Maps
-
The Calinan Sea
A map of the Calinan Sea and surrounding areas
Comments