The Cryptic Span

As far as is currently known, the Cryptic Span is an area of open ocean with no known landmarks within. A relatively small space within the vastness of the ocean around it, the Cryptic Span stretches 360 miles in what is believed to be a vaguely circular shape, and has no known inhabitants other than the ocean life that enters from the surrounding areas. The seas are described from the relative boundary areas as "pristine and blue; as welcoming as any other waters could be", but are also described as having an air or aura of something unnerving.

The Cryptic Span is marked by the failure of all navigational devices, both magical and mundane, upon approaching the area. Even the use of a sextant is unreliable, as the skies in the area of the Span are described as having a "strange haze" about them that distorts and discolours the skies, especially at night. Additionally, sailors and adventurers report to feeling a sense of unease of impending doom when sailing close to the region, which makes them immediately wish to turn back. None of these folks have ever been able to identify or describe what or why they felt this way, just that the Span gave off a strange air or aura.

In addition, the Span is also said to possess mysterious lights or reflections in and above the water, often of a faintly greenish hue. These lights, during the day, are often dismissed as reflections of sunlight despite their strange colour, but at night they are referred to as Sea Wisps or Morgan's Candles. Some reports claim that these lights move in strange ways, floating in the opposite direction to the movement of tides and winds, and have on occasion been reported to be seen "dancing" upon the surf. It is believed that these lights operate in a similar manner to Will-o'-the-Wisps, and are meant to mark boundaries to a sacred place. However, nobody can agree as to whether the lights are there to lure travellers into, or ward them from, the area.

The Span is also famous for its terrible storms, that rise suddenly out of nowhere and dissipate just as quickly. These storms are formed of bluish-purple clouds that produce heavy, driving rain that soaks to the bone in seconds, as well as thunder, lightning, and strong wind. The storms are said to have a magical air about them, though the specifics of the magic detected elude scholars to this day. These storms create waves that can reach a hundred metres high, capable of wrecking ships as they slam into them and drive them beneath the surface. Such storms are massively disorienting, and ships that accidentally enter the boundary regions of the Span often speak of leaving it several hundred miles away from where they believed they entered. The storms are also said to contain sounds like the screams of dying men, and shadows of Sapient-like figures have been seen moving within. This phenomena is what led to the additional nickname of both the phenomena and the area, "The Storm of Ghosts".

All this aside, nobody is truly sure of what the Span is like aside from a three mile stretch of boundary around the area. Ships that venture too far into the storm-prone waters simply disappear, with no sign on the waves of any sort of incident or accident, such as flotsam or derelict hulls. No crewman aboard these ships has ever been found, dead or alive, and many of the disappearances are attributed to some kind of supernatural phenomenon or entity. Many sailors believe that the Sea Wisps are in fact the souls of dead sailors who perished in the Cryptic Span and are now trapped there, but scholars question the legitimacy of this claim as other instances of Sea Wisps do not support such theories. Promoters of this theory point to other sea-bound ghost stories, such as that of the ghost ship, The Harbinger, in support of their claims, though critics often rebuke the similarities as mere coincidences.

Most scholars agree that the climate of the Cryptic Span is unpredictable, and difficult to truly pin down. This is predominantly due to the strange phenomena that gather in the area, as well as the sudden appearance and disappearance of the famous regional storms. The weather can go from clear and cloudless to a torrential lightning storm within moments, and there is often little to no warning that such changes are inbound.

Records of the seas before the Age of Chaos are sparse, at best, but what little information there is points to the fact that the Cryptic Span did not exist prior to the Fall of the Age of Arcana. Due to the surrounding oceans being littered with atolls and archipelagos, and based on scant evidence (such as maps), it is believed that the Cryptic Span may have formerly contained islands or island chains, though there is no evidence to support that these islands still exist. With the Fall of the Age of Arcana, and the subsequent destruction of the Floating Cities, it is believed that a Floating City may have impacted on the island chain in the area, detonating its mana reserves and destroying everything up to several hundred metres beneath sea level. This massive Mana Explosion is believed to have caused the supernatural phenomena that occur in the area.

Specific mentions of the presence of a No-Sail Zone in the area date back to the second century of the Age of Redemption, though these texts are scattered and unclear, with many of them contradicting each other. It isn't until the early fifth century Y6A that the name "Cryptic Span" makes an appearance, and the effects of the area begin to receive better documentation. By the mid-sixth century, reports of strange occurrences, lost ships and mysterious phenomena in the area are becoming more consistent, and exploration vessels were sent to the region to discover what was going on.

The 1st Cryptic Span Expedition team consisted of twelve vessels, each one crewed with experiences sailors and carrying representatives from the Schola Arcana of Sempervirentis (Curtana, West Eirinn), the University of the Holy Weavemistress in Arcans (Madelya, Duraloth), and the Scholar's Keep of Luas (Luas, Karadal). Of these twelve vessels, none returned, and the last communication was sent by carrier bird from the lead ship, The Golden Crest, to the Scholar's Keep. The communication detailed that the ships had arrived in the outskirts of the region, but were struggling with their navigation equipment failing and had seen strange lights at night across the sea.

The 2nd Cryptic Span Expedition team involved another ten expeditionary ships, though this team also contained a contingent from a private benefactor, who was known only as Lord Lyulph, who were there as observers only. This contingent boarded an eleventh ship, The Lykos, and followed behind the main expedition to document progress and serve as a report station. Of the 2nd Expedition, only The Lykos returned, reporting that while they dropped anchor some three miles from the last known location of the 1st Expedition, at a nearby atoll known as Gussymouth, the rest of the Expedition continued on without them. Two days later, after a massive storm rolled through the area the Expedition were sailing (missing Gussymouth), only five of the ships returned with the rest reported to have been lost in the sudden maelstrom. The remaining five ships, after repairs, then set out to see if they could rescue anyone or collect any flotsam, but those ships never returned to the atoll. After a tenday of waiting, The Lykos set out themselves to try and rescue marooned sailors, but upon reaching the edge of the Cryptic Span found their navigation equipment was not working. Seeing no signs of wrecked ships and having no way of reporting back to the mainland through carrier bird, as well as having no way of exploring the uncharted area safely themselves, the captain of The Lykos made the decision to turn back.

Exploration of the area has since been sparse, with most ships turning back upon reaching the boundary and those that enter the area never returning. The Cryptic Span was designated an Area of Unknown Phenomena and marked as a No-Sail Zone in 607 Y6A.