Maelstrom Campaigns: Oceans of Roil

The Oceans of Roil cover an estimated seventy percent of the surface of the world that is not shrouded by the Mists. All of the oceans receive their currents from the southern hemisphere. The waters of the world originate deep within the heart of the Eilgoren Ocean, out of an immense eruption known as the Storm's Eye. The Eilgoren flows out of the southern arctic circle, and its icy currents intermingle with the more temperate oceans. While all of the individual oceans possess their own currents, all the waters traverse the entire circumference of Roil to flow into the Olgarn Ocean of the northern arctic, to ultimately empty into the World's Well.; The thunderous smashing of Black Trident's hull and the screams of its crew could be heard above the roar of the howling wind. Glamga Pune clung to Pagan Horn's mizzenmast, grasping his silver medallion and praying. From above, the lookout's yells confirmed his suspicions that Black Trident was sinking beneath the waves. Pagan Horn's captain was near him, fighting with the ship's wheel and shouting to the men in the rigging. The Admiral also stood on the sterncastle, but he was silent. Well he should be, too, for it was his own foolishness that had brought the wrath of Naultan upon them.; Pune ran his fingers across the lightning bolt and cresting wave symbol emblazed upon the medallion, and remembered when the admiral had ordered Patriarch Motorn to summon foul weather. The clear night would betray the ships to the forts of Rundi, he had said, while clouds would cloak their approach. Motorn had agreed with the Admiral, and prayed diligently to Naultan for a summer rain. But when his prayers had gone unanswered, in his anger the Admiral had keelhauled the Patriarch. And still, the fleet had sailed on.; The night had begun warm and serene, and Glamga Pune had taken care not to speak to the admiral, lest he share the greater priest's fate. But near midnight, clouds began to hide the moon and the waters of the gulf became increasingly violent. Still the Admiral would not turn back. But as they neared the shore, a typhoon came upon them quickly. Never before had Glamga Pune witnessed a gale of such incredible ferocity. Fighting against the storm, the ships tried to escape, but one by one, they floundered and collided into the reefs. Of the original nine ships, only Pagan Horn and Red Coral still survived. Better to have taken the clear night than to incur a storm of Naultan's fury.; The War of the Winds and the Time of Rains drastically altered most of the surface of the world. During the First Age, dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, and humans sailed across only a small portion of the globe in search of new lands. When the Mists descended, the oceans were reshaped. Seas were formed in channels between the Mists, and both separate and connect the oceans.

The Eilgoren Ocean: completely surrounds Yindurin, the south arctic. It is a dark and icy ocean whose swift currents channel through the Darincian, Ildaric, and Yesaruc Seas to reach the more temperate oceans. The waters of the Eilgoren are violent and harsh, and prone to horrible storms. In the outer reaches of the arctic circle, the Eilgoren is heavily laden with great icebergs which shear free of Yindurin and float along the treacherous ocean currents into the connecting seas.; Deep in the Eilgoren Ocean lies the what is known in the elfanir tongue as the E'rana Mortiris, the Eye of the Storm. The six oceans gush forth from this pillar of water which erupts from out of the murky depths, to rise high above the waters. The E'rana Mortiris - the Storm's Eye - is not stationary, rather, the hurricane-like force is always moving. The great spiral of water moves through the Eilgoren's heart, apparently imprisoned by the surrounding Mists which split the waters and channel them into the five other oceans. Elven legends speak of an island which floats upon the tremendous air currents at the top of the Eye of the Storm. It is known to them as Carendragor, or "isle of dragons".
The Oceans

The Jortirrien Ocean: encompasses the continents of Belara and Isvir. The Jortirrien's main current flows in a circle between the two continents. It receives its greatest influx of water from the Yesaruc Sea. While it must pour through the Multenan Sea or Salburi Channel to reach the Shidek, it empties directly into the Tracene Ocean. But the Jortirrien is restricted by Belara, Isvir, and the Mists.; The Jortirrien is a murky ocean whose turbid waters are muddied as they whirlpool between the two continents. The interaction of the Yesaruc and Jortirrien causes a great upwelling along much of southeastern Belara. While this deposits silt upon Belara's continental shelf, it erodes the southern islands of the Broken Isles. The Jortirrien threatens northern Isvir as well, for the ocean's currents pull away from Isvir to empty in the Tracene Ocean, and deteriorates the stability of the Broken Isles in the process.
The Oceans

The Olgarn Ocean: is inhospitable and icy in even the warmest of seasons. It lies high in the north arctic circle, and completely surrounds Lornkira. During the summer months, great icebergs break from the north arctic, and find their way into the heart of the Olgarn. Fortunately, they usually melt before reaching the warmer waters of the Shidek or Ultanic.; But where the cold Olgarn meets the currents of these oceans, terrible storms arise. The storms of the Olgarn are, without doubt, the most violent of Roil. And the worst of them are found in the sea channels which lead into the Olgarn itself. The storms manifest quickly and without warning. They can occur at any time, and in all seasons, thus making ship passage within the Olgarn hazardous throughout the year.; The primary reason for the Olgarn's turmoil is the World's Well. It is a whirlpool of gargantuan proportions into which all of the oceans empty. The World's Well is an unexplainable phenomena, but nonetheless, the vast vortex pulls the waters of the oceans and seas to it, then drags them down into its endless maelstrom.
The Oceans

The Shidek Ocean: is the second largest ocean in the world. It is a vast expanse of open ocean which touches only one of the known continents. It encompasses Kaladia's entire western coast, and borders two of the Olgarn's channels before its currents flow south to skirt the equator.; Unlike its marvelously blue eastern counterpart, the Ultanic, the waters of the Shidek are an ugly and turbulent muddy brown. To the north, the warm waters are churned about as they are pulled into the cold currents of the Olgarn. Far to the south, the hot waters of the Boragin and Multenan Seas merge with the more temperate currents of the Shidek. Along Kaladia's southwestern coast, the Shidek and Tracene Oceans clash together, and occasionally form typhoons which batter Kaladia's southern Belaran nations.
The Oceans

The Tracene Ocean: is slightly smaller than the Shidek Ocean. It does not possess the turbulent fury of the Olgarn nor the blue beauty of the Ultanic. But it does have the most active current of all the oceans. The greatest body of the Tracene parallels southern Kaladia. Its prevailing winds travel eastward, until its currents encounter the cooler waters of the Ultanic, when they slowly begin to turn south toward the equator.; As the North Tracene is relatively small in comparison to the Shidek, it readily feels the interaction between its warm tropical waters and the cooler currents of the Shidek. The result is a powerful upwelling along the southwestern coast of Kaladia. Though the Shidek's winds cool Kaladia's coast, the tropical air currents of the Tracene are pushed directly into inland Kaladia, where they are largely responsible for the arid climate of the Lyrmaddyn Desert.
The Oceans

The Ultanic (Selindawn) Ocean: is the largest single body of water upon Roil, and is believed by many to be the most beautiful. To the elfanir, the Ultanic is known as the Selindawn, the gentle mother of the water elves who dwell within its depths. The Ultanic stretches across much of the globe, touching the eastern coast of Kaladia and the western, southern, and eastern coastlines of Tirringir. Additionally, the Ultanic also reaches far south, where its waters connect to the Eilgoren Ocean through the Darincian Sea.; The waters of the Ultanic are spectacularly clear, and visibility beneath its beautiful, sapphire blue surface often exceeds one hundred feet. Hidden somewhere in the Ultanic is the fabled elven continent of Tirringir. Shrouded in secrecy and mystery, and concealed by the Mists, the legendary Tirringir is rumored to lie at Selindawn's heart, though only the elves truly know where.