David Arneil
The Geography: Shos’olas, the Western Ocean
Shos’olas, the Bluest Calm
The Shos’olas is an expanse of open water in the westernmost of the world. It is an ocean that lies off the west coasts of Nyss and Stychia and the south and west coasts of Ifrane and Nira. It is named the Bluest Calm for the fact it is calm. It has few winds to carry ships across its span and the few small islands dotted throughout it are uninhabitable rocks used only as bases for expeditions trying to cross the ocean.
The calm waters are perfect for the formation of reefs, and as home to the strange wildlife lurking in the deeps. On occasion, this wildlife surfaces and washes up upon the shores of the surrounding continents, sparking new expeditions and igniting curiosity.
The Shos’olas flows between the continents connecting to the daughter seas of the Shos’olas; the Blue Shield, the Talon Sea, the Green Shield, the Red Shield, the Auelese Sea, the Bay of Spices, the Bay of Jewels, the Heart, the Mother and the Daughter.
The Blue Shield, between the north-western shores of Stychia and the south shores of Nyss. It is a cold sea, shallow and resplendent with fisheries. Cold-water coral reefs can be found along the coasts, and rocky outcroppings are very common along the northern shores. The Nyssan shores are mostly cliff and rock, while the Stychian shores are sandy.
The Talon Sea, a large bay in Nyss connected to the south to the Blue Shield. It is a cold sea, iced over for most of the year. It is a natural spawning grounds for fish from the Blue Shield and further south. The coastlines are largely sandy.
The Green Shield, on the western shores of Stychia. It is a temperate sea, trapped between the colder northern waters and the warmer southern waters. Storms are common, hitting the coastlines and in particular breaking over the shores of Vassai and Avania. In the calm however, favourable winds make for excellent trading. Deeper waters than much of the other seas of the Shos’olas provide haven for much different kinds of sealife, which is the main fare of the coastal regions.
The Red Shield, between the south-eastern shores of Stychia and the western shores of Ys. It is a warm sea, tropical and teeming with life. It is very shallow, even compared to the waters of all the Shos’olas seas. It has many islands along the coasts and a large number of coral reefs and atolls, some of which are far from the mainland. It has extremely valuable fisheries and pearl farms, which have formed the backbones of several economies including the Auelese and Arvans.
The Auelese Sea, between the south-western shores of Ys and the north-western shores of Nira. It is a warm sea, tropical and teeming with life. It is shallow and riddled with coral reefs and atolls. The Ysan shores are arid cliffs while the Niran shores are lush tropical rainforests and wetlands.
The Bay of Spices, a large bay in Nira connected to the north-east to the Auelese Sea. It is a warm sea, tropical and rich with corals and rock reefs which ring the many islands in the region. Favourable winds make for excellent trading, and the sheltered coves and harbours keep ships safe in the seasonal monsoons.
The Bay of Jewels, a large bay in Nira connected to the south-west to the Heart. It is a warm sea, tropical with dense sea-forests that hide away the sealife in the region. The thick sea-grasses make it hard to navigate, but it is worth the trouble for many of the coastal settlements as the fisheries provide bountiful catches.
The Heart, the central seas between the continents of Ifrane, Stychia and Nira, that emerges into open ocean waters to the south. It is mostly temperate in the north and south while warm in the central regions. Shallow, with strong tides and strong winds that form excellent trade winds allowing ships to easily traverse between the continents.
The Mother, a large sea in Ifrane connected to the east to the Heart. It is a warm sea, almost completely surrounded by the continent. Fed by the Heart, but with a narrow strait, it is a salt water sea but one with unique sealife. It has weak currents with few strong winds, making crossing the Mother hard without oared vessels.
The Daughter, a large bay in Ifrane connected to the south-east to the Heart. It is a temperate sea, with strong winds and currents. Prone to storms with rocky coastlines, it is a dangerous sea to traverse, and only worthwhile for the incredibly rich sea bed found here. It is covered in pearl bearing clams, giant crabs and lobsters, thick schools of stingless jellyfish and rare minerals carried into the depths from the exposed mineral veins on the coast.