The Sentient Sea

With its mildly hallucinogenic water and wildly unpredictable currents, even the most skeptical of travelers find themselves trying to appease the conscious waters of the Sentient Sea.

The Water That Thinks

Ever since the upper west coast of continent Navilon was first explored, stories circulated about the water's supposed personality. The intensity of the waves varied from day to day, and even depending on the people swimming or sailing along the coast. Once explorers set sail, every port was met with wildly different stories. Some people would sail directly toward small islands with generous deposits of gemstones. Other people would be helplessly swept into jagged rock spires. Sailors started assuming that the sea itself would make judgement calls on the people that set sail, and carried them to whatever fortunate or unfortunate shore that it decided. While this sentience hasn't been directly proven, its quickly become sailor tradition to attempt to appease the sea before setting sail.

Psychedelics

What has been proven, however, is that there are algae and seaweed species along the surface and sea floor that emit varying psychedelic effects. This has brought significant economic attention to the coast. Apart from the obvious creation of drugs by sailors and fishermen, there's a specific breed of adventurous noblemen who love to travel down to the Sentient Sea and gaze across the waters with the help of some "fine seafood cuisine." These people, evidently, attract the most misfortune from the waves.
These psychedelics are also rumored to be the cause of some of the less believable stores across the Sentient Sea. The algae contaminates the air, which adds a new challenge to navigating the Sentient Sea. Many people become too unhealthy or disillusioned to accurately chart the ocean, and are only carried back to shore via pure luck or "the will of the currents."

Ecosystem

Data on the ecosystem has been wildly inaccurate and unreliable. While scientists have worked tirelessly to create a foundational food chain, they are swamped with stories from sailors about goliath creatures that nearly swallowed their ship whole. The nature of the seaweed and other producers at the bottom of the food chain has also led to constant mutations of the fish that swim in the shallow parts of the water. A rather humorous book has been published that consolidates dozens of accounts of "krakens" or other legendary and mythical creatures that reside in the center of the Sentient Sea according to disillusioned sailors. 

Collected Stories

The following paragraphs are three stories, gathered by Louis Erlin in his book "The Oddities of the Natural World."

Luminescent Waves -- Interview with Captain Dwellor

"It was dusk right out of port. I swear I couldn't have been on the waters for more than a couple hours -- real close to port. The boys and I were kelp fishing when out of nowhere we started seeing streaks of purple and blue in the water. It was like hundreds of threads, all of them on their own path about 3 feet underneath the waves We all saw it too. All of us. A couple of guys even jumped in and swore that the water was hot despite the time of day. No one was creeped out really. We just carried on with our fishing."

Sailing 100 Feet Underwater -- Interview with Lord Hugo

"The captain of our sightseeing expedition had very generously offered to take us toward the center of the sea, which is supposedly more dangerous, but holds the potential for more discoveries. My friends and acquaintances were all... under the influence, but I was by all accounts grounded and sober. Still, I viewed it just as they did; our ship's gradual drop in depth. The air got thicker and the ocean surface stayed very clearly above us. Schools of fish flew overhead along with sharks, squid, and small serpents. What would have been dark was generously lit by luminescent coral that made the entire ocean feel quite like the glow of the night sky."

The Maw Of A Giant -- Interview with Alexander Chisolm

"I was below deck catching up on sleep when I heard the captain shout. As I climbed out of bed, I took a glance over our port side. The entire ship was engulfed in a whirl pool. The water fell in at the center, but through the chaos of mist I was able to make out a circular arrangement of teeth. I was sure everyone on the crew would die. I closed my eyes and whispered a prayer to the alleged water god. Moments after, the ship capsized. By some ridiculous play of luck, I woke up on the sands of the port that we set sail from. I haven't seen my friends since. I plan to go back one day and kill the beast that I saw."