The Tempest Tides

Off the western coast of the Far Reaches lay a smattering of islands inhabited to some extent by humans and other races. Past those islands loom the Tempest Tides. No one has ever successfully navigated the storm in this region. Several expeditions have been sent over the last 70 years, but none have ever returned to the Reaches. The area is wracked by storms so powerful that they can rip even the strongest ship to pieces in minutes. No one knows what lays within or beyond the Tides, and interest in finding out has waned in recent years as the number of lives lost has mounted.

Caused by Magic

As with most of the unexplained phenomena in the Far Reaches, locals tend to equate the volatile storms of the Tempest Tides with magical influences. While it is certainly possible that the unusual strength of weather patterns in the area is unnatural, Karos is given to powerful weather as a result of its youth. The storms in the Tempest Tides may be just another such instance of a volatile and unpredictable world.

Benefits

Superstition aside, the powerful storms and currents of the Tempest Tides bear fruit for the residents of the Far Reaches. For one, the weather pushes much of the largest and most predatory sea life deeper into labyrinthine depths of the Tides. Smaller sea life that seeks shallower water tends to be driven closer to shore, providing for excellent fishing both along the mainland coast and throughout the isles that bracket the Far Reaches' western coast. giant sculpin, white seabass, and amberjack are common in Reacher nets, driven toward the coast by storm-tossed seas, while sturgeon and turbot regularly push into rivers to be gathered up by fishermen from Frosthold and Redoubt.

Something Lurking

Rumors spread by braver seafarers who have dropped anchor near the outskirts of the Tides speak of massive beasts surfacing in the perilous waters. Sailors have claimed to have seen Leviathans, Kraken, and even Sea Dragons. One man even claimed his ship was attacked by one of these creatures - of course, his ship did not return to shore, and all other hands were lost. Most treat his story as the ravings of a madman. Still rumors of these massive sea beasts persist.