Dawn Sea, Major

Overview

Across the world people have heard of the sea so big it might as well be an ocean, a sea large enough the people who discovered it thought it might be endless. The waters undrinkable, the depths unthinkable. Those who sail it do so at their own risk, and the risk of their crew. Many ships have gotten lost in the waters, crashing into rock islands in the midst of a storm or getting sunk by the creatures that lurk below. Once you're in the open waters, you won't see land on the horizon for a long time.

History & Etymology

Before being claimed by the Elven Empire, the areas surrounding the Major and Minor Dawn Seas were prosperous. When the elves conquered the seas, they set up a navy to prevent unauthorized trade and fishing. They had called them the Sovereign Seas and ruled them with an iron fist, brutally shutting down any country that resisted. Many people eventually fled from the bloodshed, moving southward away from the empire.
When the Calamity of Blindness hit, the rivers that flowed into the Dawn Seas were hit with an oppressive drought. The sea level dropped drastically and forced even more people to relocate, despite the fall of the very same empire that had previously ailed them. With the fall of the empire however, the seas were renamed by the folk who still called the area their home. They called them the Dawn Seas for the way the early sunlight reflected off the brackish waters and for the hope of a better day.
Over a century after the last Calamity, the Dawn Seas have regained some of the prosperity they once saw. Though many of the regions surrounding it are still poor from the old drought, they have experienced exponential growth in recent years.

Trade Routes

All of the common routes stick near the coast, fearing the danger that swims within the great depths farther out at sea. However staying near the coasts is far from a guarantee of safety, the ships are easier to spot for those wishing to ambush them and a ship must be wary of the ruthless waves that hit parts of the shore. Regardless of all of these dangers, many ships set sail to trade the countless goods of the regions surrounding the sea.
Sometimes when a captain is in a rush, they may dare to sail across the open waters as a shortcut. Many of these hurried ships have met their end in this risky attempt. The ships that survive often have more than one terrifying tale to tell of what they saw...

Stories & Legends

Many tall tales have been spun about the vast sea, though few have been thoroughly verified. Here is a collection of some of the most common tales one can hear within the nearby regions.

The Ship That Never Should Have Returned

A young man once requested a captain to take him across the sea by the fastest route, straight through it, so he could meet with his lover before his sickness took him. While pushing straight through the center of the sea, a sudden storm came out of nowhere and hit the ship. This storm was supernatural, screams rang throughout it and pierced the ears of the people aboard. Fog fell down from the storm clouds and engulfed the ship, bringing down the shrieking ghouls with the cloud.
The following morning they escaped the storm, only the captain and the young and sickly man survived. When they docked, the people around could see what had befallen the ship. Whole chunks of the ship had been torn off and the sails were tattered. Trailing behind the ship was a small cloud of fog. The ship should have been within the boundless depths and the empty, ghost-like look in the captain's hollow eyes agreed.
From out of a hole in the hull crawled the young man. His skin was twisted and gray, and the sounds that left his mouth were haunting. His eyes were rotten and his limbs hobbled onto the dock. But when his warped foot hit the wooden board that marked land, the cloud of fog behind the ship rushed forward, released. It devoured the entire town, leaving the poor captain and the monstrous man as the only survivors of this tragedy.

An Oasis and Her Sister

Out in the unmapped vastness of the sea are two islands, both filled with the greenest trees and the most vibrant flowers one has ever seen. Rising from each island is a mountain, one jagged and sharper than a snake's fang and the other invitingly curved. A weary sailor may be tempted to anchor at the welcoming curved island, but beware; plagues of insects patrol that island, killing all who step foot on it. The jagged points of sister island scare these bugs away, making it a safe resting spot.
Those who are wise and choose the jagged oasis will find whatever their exhausted hearts may desire, with sweet spring water and fruit so good it will fill them up instantly. The animals that roam are kind and walk right up to a human, none will attack even the weakest of men.

The Trench

Deep below the surface at the largest depths in the sea is a trench that goes deeper still. Within it are incomprehensible things. Every inch of the trench walls is covered in a living coat of skin that writhes when touched. Bulbous growths protrude from these walls, giving home to creatures the mere sight of will make one mad. The few that have seen such things will swim for miles consecutively just to leave the presence of those horrors.
Regardless of the nature of this place, there are those who still continue to find this hidden place beneath the waves in the hopes of researching it. These scholars are deranged things, risking their lives just to discover whatever unfathomable mind lives behind that alien skin.

Type

Inland Sea