The Murk

What is the Murk?

On the biggest loch of Alven, Loch Morgunt, there dwells a never-ending fog cover, affectionately called 'The Murk'.

The Murk mainly hangs over the central part of the loch but can grow to reach its borders at certain times of the year.

Seasons affect its spread and therefore, it is not advised to cross the loch during certain periods of the year - Midsummer and the weeks around Beltane are deemed dangerous on Loch Morgunt, and few ships sail the waters at these times.

Every year, the Alven seers are called upon to predict when and how far the Murk will stretch. The Morgunt Prophecies, published in The Book of Events Yet to Come are some of the most anticipated predictions of the year.

Traditionally, seers have been able to foresee - with more or less precision - the dates and times when it is safest to travel on the loch. All captains and sailors keep to these times religiously.

It is worth noting that the Murk is referred to as the Shroud in more literary publications.

Origins

No one knows when the Murk started to spread on Loch Morgunt. It seems that it has always existed in some shape or form.

The earliest mention of the Shroud can be found in The Book of Songs - one of the very few illuminated books preserved from before The Darkening.

The Book of Songs was found in an archaeological site 200 years ago and is one of the most studied and talked about relics from the Alven past.

In the Book of Songs, an unknown poet sings a dirge about his lost love. The verses address the Loch as a monster, a monster who stole their love by drowning their loved one in the Shroud of mist that covers the waters.

Excerpt from the Book of Songs,

My love, the sun rages on the shore,
and, I stand there in the light,
but you, my own very sun,
have passed beyond the Shroud
and in the Loch's jealous embrace
you hide your fair face
from both the star and I
forever dark.


Anon

Mistery of the Loch

Some learned Seers have put forward that the changing mists of the Murk have their origin within a very deep whirlpool at the centre of the loch.

The waters of the loch falling down the very deep gash at its centre create the fog that rises and spreads from its monstrous waterfalls. The expansion or contraction of the Shroud is explained by the difference in water flow that follows the seasons.


This theory has gained a lot of traction over the last 50 years or so, and a few intrepid adventurers have mounted several expeditions to discover the falls and their nature - up to now without success.

The last adventurer to try their luck was sponsored by Clan Deeryant. Feleen Rachson, a former Arkiven from Clan Ravenscraig put together a solid team of experienced sailors and keen Scientists, and 10 years ago bravely sailed into the mist on a beautiful day of High Summer.

Their boat, The Merman, was a seafaring ship that had been brought across land, at great cost, to the shores of Loch Morgunt, and a very solid affair.

Sailing from the southern shores of Loch Morgunt, from the bustling port of Glashelm, the boat was finally sighted three months after it left Glashem, near the northern port of Kinlochdal.

The crew was still on board and in relatively good health but had no idea how they ended up in Kinlochdal, and were shocked about the amount of time they had spent on the waters of the loch.

The Merman Eight as the crew was dubbed by the local gazettes have been the subject of intense curiosity, and their name still sells papers when inevitably, a new theory is put forward as to their unexplained disappearance.

Secrets of Loch Morgunt

Unbeknown to the clansmen of Alven, the centre of Loch Morgunt is home to an underwater magical species called the Ferians.

The Ferians are locally known as Water Sprites and are the subject of myths and stories, but no humans truly believe they are actual flesh and bone creatures.

To protect their homes from the bumbling, giant-like humans, the Lord and Lady of the the Ferian Court, through an ancient ritual, create a mist to rise from the surface of the lake.
The fog or mist has helped the Ferians to live in isolation from the rest of Alven for millennia.

The dangerous reefs that are found around the hidden and barren Islands of Rocks have traditionally finished off most of the ships that dare to venture within the Ferian fog.
Humans are notoriously bad swimmers and will drown easily if thrown into the water.

Not that the Ferians will actively kill any humans who have wandered near their tunnel homes, but they will not lift a finger to help them once their ships have hit the rocks of the dark islands.

In the event that the human crew and ship survive the deadly waters around the islands, the magic within the Mist will ensure that the People of the Lands - as the Ferians call humans - will not remember anything they might have seen while crossing the loch.

Myths

Many myths have grown from the presence of the Shroud or the Murk over Loch Morgunt.

Stories of monstrous water creatures or giant fish swallowing whole ships and their crew abound, as well as ships disappearing into the centre of the earth, only to find themselves reappearing into the dark sea of the Underworld.

Many believe that at the centre of Loch Morgunt can be found one of the few doors to the Underworld on this plane.