Mor Bras

The Surface

  The Mor Bras, or Great Sea, is believed to be the largest ocean in Alvez, located to the West of both Kornôgel and Alkebulan. The Mor Bras is directly connected to other large waterbodies, including the Mor Marv, the Mor Kreizdouar and others, creating a contiguous body of water that covers much of the known world.   The full extent of the Mor Bras have not been explored, with the Westernmost locations being Fjallkonan, the Goshawk Islands and the Rodent Islands. Likewise, no region South of The Graves has been reliably charted. It has been surmised that the Mor Bras may connect to the Bahr Almura, the Mirror Sea, located to the East of Alkebulan.   The Northern boundary of the Mor Bras is the inhospitable Gandvik, circling the Black Stone at the Top of the World, Rupes Nigra.  

The Undersea

  The sea itself is by no means uninhabited, supporting a large number of settlements and sapient peoples. This submarine world, generally referred to as the Undersea, is host to its own geographic divisions.   The inhabitants of these submarine realms classify the Mor Bras into four regions: The Ar Mor (Coast), the Gwantenn (Shallows), the Bevenou (Rim) and the Isfontou (Abyss).   Ar Mor Bras   The coasts of Alvez vary greatly, ranging from calm, sandy beaches and wet-marshland, to windswept rocky cliffs and forests. Beginning in the North, the Ocean is found on the Western coast of Emain Ablach (The Wyldcoast). Much of the continental coastline of Kornôgel, from The Armorican Peninsula to The Shatterlands is taken up by the Mor Kantabria, a large gulf formed between the two peninsulas.   After The Gates of Ruin the coastline continues along the Western coast of Alkebulan until reaching the Graves, a coastal desert of ever-changing proportions and dangerous instability.   Gwantenn   The Gwantenn stretches for several kilometers past the Ar Mor, and is dominated by reefs, sandbars, undersea chasms and hills. The Marie-Morgane of Douarnenez Bay and the Selkie of the Mor Ailhenn make their home in these warmer, light-filled waters near the surface. Thanks to the efforts of these two Tuath, these areas of the Undersea contain some of the most actively charted parts of the Sea, though these discoveries are rarely shared with surface dwellers.   Bevenou At the edge of the Gwantenn, the elevation begins to drop quickly into the silent, dark depths. This is the rim of the "civilized" ocean, watched over by the Morghaz and exploited by the Finfolk. Finfolkaheem and Deepring are the major settlements in this region, but little is charted beyond major settlements and points of interest.   Isfontou The Deep Ocean, completely uncharted. The gentle nomadic Muirgeilt also inhabit this region, traveling along powerful ley lines of unfiltered Foyson. Few surface dwellers are aware of these depths, let alone visit them.

Tuath of the Seas

  Several cultures have developed in the submarine world beneath the Mor Bras, establishing complex societies, cohesive social units and formal relationships with other races. These include, but are not limited to, the following:  

The Marie-Morgane - The mermaids of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves are a Kontammet race of former Bediz tied by ere-hud to the sunken city. Inhabiting the Gwantenn, the Marie-Morgane have the most relations with terrestrial races. They are industrious, social and highly territorial.

The Morgazh - The mysterious Morghaz patrol the rim of the Bevenou, dedicated solely to containing the Isfont within the murky abyss and the defensive military strength of the race. Their largest settlement is Deepring, a massive fortress built on the precipice of a tremendous undersea chasm called Blackfall.

The Selkie - The sealmaids are considered a shy and generally peaceful race, keeping largely to themselves in the Gwantenn and Ar Mor. Unlike the other merfolk, they require air to breath and must remain close to the surface and coastlines and are the mostly likely to come ashore. Lacking the military stratocracy of the Morghaz or the aggressive territoriality of the Marie-Morgane, they live typically in large, but loose communities.

Semi-Sapient Species

Some species exhibit traits suggesting sapience, but lack cultural or societal cohesion to be considered an established race. Attempts at establishing long-term, formal relations with these races has not been accomplished by either Bediz or Fae entities.  

The Finfolk

- The Finfolk are a race of amphibious merfolk found along the Northern Ar Mor of the Western Realms, with a deserved reputation as horrific raiders and kidnappers, sacking coastal settlements, sinking ships and capturing mates in a continuing, frenzied obsession for silver and glamour. While they appear to have some level of sentience, they lack any ensemble of social cohesion, coming together only for short-term raids and mating. They lack proper relations with any terrestrial races, but are occasionally used as a directionless cause of mass destruction similar to a mercenary company.  

Muirgeilt

- The giant Storm-Maids of travel with the Wyldstorms along the leylines over the Isfontou. Their social complexity and individual sapience in unknown, as they do not appear to interact with the other species of the Mor Bras, appearing and vanishing back into the deep open ocean. It is not known if the creatures follow the storms, or if their presence creates the storms, but the two are often found together.  

Non-Sapient Species

In addition to the sapient species of the Mor Bras, there are countless flora and fauna, ranging from mundane fish and crustaceans to monstrous sea-monsters. These vary greatly by region.

Since before the beginning of recorded history, coastal communities have flourished on the banks of the Mor Bras, eventually creating the massive trade network that would serve as the basis of the Empire of Tarif, allowing the Empire to leverage its maritime power to control large territory on both Western Kornôgel and Northern Alkebulan, reaching as far as Albia. Other groups, such as the Northmen of the Lost Peninsula also navigated the waters.   When The Tear ripped The Veil and unleashed the chaotic magic of the Faewylde into Bedouar, the Mor Bras bore the brunt of the cataclysm, altering it dramatically and infusing it with powerful mystical energy. Dramatic changes to the shoreline occurred in the first few centuries, resulting in the destruction of Ys, Lyonesse and the Shatterlands, as well as the appearance of the Fortunate Isles.   The Ocean continues to play a significant role in the life of Alvez, and the advent of new sailing technologies and Windships have allowed greater navigation and connection, unseen since the days of the Empire.