Cyan Reach

The cold southern ocean between Ristshan and Nalanosa, the atmospheric properties of elemental Water and cold give this region a distinctly cyan-colored sky, hence its common name by sailors who travel across it. While unassuming from the surface, it contains a variety of locales both beautiful and terrifying in its depths, from the civilization of Sen'valsai to the ruins of the Empire of the Icemen that once floated upon its surface.

Geography

Cold and deep, much of the sea floor of the Cyan Reach is akin to a sandy desert, with occasional patches of Diver's Bait forming columns of bubbles up to the surface. Submerged islands and seamounts form the most notable geographic formations, as well as the most diverse habitats. However, it does contain a few distinct regions worth noting, some natural and others resulting from the touch of civilization. While unnatural, the Imperial Ruins are a region so drastically altered by the Fall of the Icemen that they bear special mention. Powerful, decaying artifacts warp a region dozens of miles across, while massive towers extend from the seafloor, some even still reaching the surface at lopsided angles. Closer to the southern end lies the Nalanosan Labyrinth, a constantly shifting maze of icebergs said to contain its own share of secrets, along with forming a rare passage towards the End of the World. These regions are an attraction for only the most daring of adventurers on account of the dangers they pose. The Trench of Shadows, on the other hand, is typically avoided even by explorers. Considered the deepest region of The Eye's oceans, this trench is completely lightless in its deepest depths, and its crushing pressure alone is a problem most adventurers are entirely unequipped for. Even sailors tend to avoid the region above the trench for superstitious fear of something emerging from it, and old stories claim (without evidence) that the Great Serpent of Kurstach once slithered from its depths.

Fauna & Flora

Various forms of aquatic life survive in the Cyan Reach despite its frigid waters, though the climatic changes have all but wiped out most species of coral that used to be endemic to the region, barring those preserved by Sen'valsai. Various forms of seaweed and barnacles are still common, however, especially around the seamounts and submerged islands that gain rich supplies of nutrients from surrounding currents. These are in turn consumed by various varieties of fish, which are in turn often preyed upon by sharks and seals. Crabs, giant and otherwise, along with whales and squids, are more common among the northern regions of the ocean, closer to Ristshan. Sea monsters are rarer than the Violet Reach due to a comparative lack of food, but many still emerge from near Nalanosa, seemingly for the same reason that it has a reputation for massive land-based monsters as well. In fact, this same relative lack of food often makes the few that are present more aggressive and willing to attack ships, so the danger is roughly the same. On the more purely supernatural end, water sprites are common but all but unnoticeable within the depths. Some that take icey forms, however, float like snowflakes within the brighter waters. Apart from these, most other elemental life is rare apart from darkness and earth elementals converging in trenches. Aquatic fey are far from unheard of, with selkies, sirens, and nixies posing less physically massive threats.

Natural Resources

With the entire oceanic region to consider, it is hard to pin down everything that is available in the Cyan Reach. Diver's Bait certainly takes a prominent spot, but removing it from the oceans causes it to lose its supernatural properties almost immediately. Blubber is regularly hunted for by both Nalanosans and Chale whalers, but sea monsters and pirates alike make this a dangerous industry. And, of course, fish provide food for those both neighboring and residing within the ocean. One resource that many merchants are willing to go out of their way to obtain, however, is the reach's pearls. Seemingly influenced by the same concentration of elemental Water that tints the sky, the pearls from the region's clams are of exceptional quality and purity. Their connections to the mysterious underwater elvish civilization that has become their main supplier only adds to their mystique and value. Apart from Sen'valsai, however, no one would go out of their way to obtain much else from the sea floor.

Type

Ocean

Included Organizations