The Scalding Sea

The churning mass of water that encircles the blackened shores of the Ashen Island is known as the Scalding Sea and it is aptly named. It is heated by the magma, beneath the rock of the seabed and its waters boil releasing steam and sulfur. To travel this sea is treacherous and few attempt it. The heat of the water stirs viciously fast and unpredictable undercurrents that will drag a ship of course and down into the depths. The harsh and unrelenting winds of Aqshy blow over the surface of the sea, creating towering waves known to smash and splinter ships. Any who have survived it will attest. Fear of the Scalding Sea is a lesson soon learned. Little is known of the depths of the Scalding Sea. The water is murky and dark, being marred by oily black smoke pouring from its volcanic crevices. These waters are even too hot for the native tribes, and any who stray deeper than half a dozen metres are quickly cooked alive. Some travelers may catch a rare glimpse of the shattered sea floor, or the obsidian black spines belonging to the illusive Spined-Drakhar .They rise out of the sea when quickly snatching up prey as they enter a violent blood frenzy.

The Mouth of the Sea

A thick mist hangs over the waters where the Scalding Sea flows out from Aqshy to meet the Oceans of the Lost Archipelago. Beneath this shrouding cloak of murk an mist, the waters of the bay teem with life. It is is tropical and warm, filled with plants, fish, and a thriving ecosystem to rival those of Ghyran. Yet life is never content, never stops, ever seeks to grow, thrive, and claim new frontiers. As the waters travel up the channel and into the scorching sea the wild life is met with naught but death. Plant life withers and dies in the boiling waters. Fish choke in the sulfur and ash of the deep, or are quickly ripped apart by the true predators of this inhospitable sea. And so it has become a graveyard, a place of piled bones picked clean by scavengers. It is a place where terrible dangers lurk in the shadows, where dark shapes flit between the bones of the sea bed. It is a place of dread for all who see it, a reminder of what becomes of the weak in the harsh lands of Aqshy.

People

The Scalding Sea is the lifeline of many primitive tribes that scratch out their existence in the Scorched Plains. These hardy and weathered peoples hunt and travel on the sea in flotillas of large wooden canoes. Their work is dangerously difficult, and it is not uncommon for boats or even entire fleets to be torn apart by the horrors of the sea. Yet all their sacrifices serve a purpose, for without these hunters and the shoals of Silverfins that are their prey, the tribes would surely starve.

Flora and Fauna

Few plants or animals are known to live in the Scalding Sea. The majority of Sea life in the region is found where the Sea meets the ocean. The creatures that do call this sea their home are the Silverfins. The aquatic Silverfins are the most numerous creatures that are found nearest to the surface of the sea. They feed on luminescent fire-algae. Then their are the mammalian Tuskux and the mysterious Spined-Drakhar. Although many more creatures are said to prowl the deeps, there is still much unknown to those who dwell above.