Eldritch Sea

The Eldritch Sea is a vast unexplored ocean that surrounds Durmista, isolating it. The sea is extremely dangerous to travel, and the people who do travel it rarely go far or risk death or madness.

Due to its unknown nature many rumors and superstitions exist about the ocean. Most agree that it is home to beings older then the world, beings that could rival the gods and destroy the world if awakened. Cthulhu and Dagon are two such names whispered between sailors and fishermen.

In times of hardship people by the sea may worship these great old ones or Nyarlathotep as sort of a mediator. They hope doing so will grant them sea life to eat or safe travel in the sea. While the clerics of goodly and lawful gods try to persuade folk away from such occult worship they often fail, as to their horror the great old ones often answer their prayers.

Despite all the danger exploreing the sea is alluring. Unexplored ruins and creatures never seen before await discovery. There is also the possibility of finding new lands. Hints of a land west of Durmista exist. Legends say that the fox like race, the Kitsune, come from a land to the west, as well as weapons like the Katana and warriors known as Samurai.

-From the notes of Elinor Pensmith, High Priestess of Oghma

"Perhaps one of the most recent and horrific cases of the danger of the Eldritch Sea is the case of the ship Strongbow. A ship that sailed sixteen years before the Orcwar. She was an exploratory ship built jointly by merchants and nobles of Nivine in hopes of finding new land. She was crewed by only veteran sailors with a sprinkle of clerics and mages that know their way around a ship. It was armed and ready to fight anything from a sea troll to a whale. Loaded with enough supplies to travel for several months no preparation was rushed.

''After only one month the Strongbow was found floating aimlessly off the coast near Nivine. When a ship was dispatched to inspect the boat they found a horrific sight. The crew of the Strongbow was dead. Blood stained the deck as the crew seemingly killed each other. Bits of their peers flesh could be found in the mouth and stomach of crewman searched.''

''Further investigation had clerics try a speak with the dead spell on several of the corpses however they only received gibberish or perhaps an unknown language as answers for any question. “Fhtagn” and “Barada nikto” are such examples. In the end the captain or his log were never found and the food and water stored on the ship was never toched. The local fisherman and sailors decided to burn the ship at sea, much to the dismay of the nobles who hoped to get some return on their investment.'' "