Rypo Bay

the Plashin Sea

Rypo Bay is a bay of the Piercing Ocean, between the islands of the Rypo Archipelago to its north, and the coast of Novyum to its south. While, officially to cartographers, the bay only consists of this region, most extend the bay to include all the sea channels between the islands of the archipelago.

The bay is relatively deep and a good anchorage for ships. The sea channels of the islands is another matter. The channels have deep valleys between the islands, but they are sporadic with shallows throughout the waters. Ice is also a hazard, especially in winter.. Strong winds blowing down from the north, are exasperated by the islands, making sailing difficult for the inexperienced. Winter storms make the region completely impossible to sail in. The native Yulfing people begin learning to navigate the waters in their minority. Only when one can show mastery of the channel's waters can one become a whaler that will travel out to the deep ocean.

Deep in the valleys of Rypo Bay are diverse coral reefs drawing life to the region. The fish of these reefs feed larger animals, such as the Rypo Seal that are abundant in the archipelago. Which are in turn used by the humans as food. History claims there were once larger sea mammals in the bay, but they have long since been hunted out of the waters of the islands.

Rypo Bay is the burial ground for the Yulfing. When any of their people die, they ritualistically row the body out to the center of the bay. Their stones with the names of the persons ancestors carved into them are bound to the body and dropped into the water. It is the circle of life to the Yulfing. Their dead feed the fish, which feed the seals, which feeds them. Only criminals are not given this honor, because the Yulfing do not want that 'evil' essence to circle back to another one of them in the circle.