Erechine Lagoon

The Erechine Lagoon is a large inlet linking the mouth of the Parraphthes river with the Emel Sea. The northern part near the city of Havar-Erek is mostly a freshwater lagoon, while the southern part consists of mudflats and saltwater swamps, with two main navigable channels. The inland areas are moderately settled with large farms and ranches on the hills, while the area of thick brush and swamp near the lagoon itself is almost completely uninhabited.   The northern parts of the lagoon are said to have been the site of some of the worst defeats of the Erechine empire during the Breaking of Nations, and are widely believed to be haunted by dangerous beasts, ghosts and worse. The Taorminite empire made a policy of sending in the troops to purge the area on a regular basis.   Ancient Wonder: the Orbs of the Erechine Lagoon In the shallow southern end of the Erechine Lagoon at a depth of between ten and fifty feet are about seventy egg-shaped orbs, fixed on their points in a polished slab of stone.  The smaller orbs are some five feet in length, while the largest are thirty.  With the return of magic to Casiphon, the orbs glow faintly with slowly changing rainbow colours. Several of the smaller orbs were removed and taken to Taormun.   The weather is fairly warm in summer, though wet all year round and cold at other times of year, with regular snow in the uplands during winter.