Red Cliffs of Ostrapet

A spectacular span of towering blood-red seaside cliffs, the Red Cliffs of Ostrapet form a long section of the Huromian west coast. Their striking color is a consequence of their iron-rich composition, and iron mining operations have existed in the area for thousands of years. In ancient times, the culture hero Ostrapet, the warrior-smith revered by the Orea people, was said to source his iron from the cliffs. The iron and the red coloration were believed to derive from the blood of Vesarca itself, wounded in time immemorial by the great sea-dragon known as Mocsed. The Orea and their descendants considered themselves the spiritual children of Mocsed, since their livelihood depended on the iron of the Red Cliffs, and the sea-dragon is still a common fixture of west Huromian heraldry to this day. Mocsed most notably graces the banners of Draconis Noryer, Duke of Hurom.

Now, the cliffs are a popular destination for sightseeing cruises and a perennial subject for artists, celebrated in painting, song, and poetry. The cliffs are particularly worth visiting at sunset, when the crimson glare of the setting Jophias sets the red cliffs aglow with intense, fiery light. Coupled with the cliffs’ blazing reflection in the placid sea below and the scarlet sky above, the effect can be quite overwhelming, even apocalyptic according to many writers. When it rains, the cliffs even seem to weep blood, rivulets of red iron-rich water streaming over the rockface. Famed (if not especially skillful) are the lines penned by Baroness Auriga of Zasdak on this ominous phenomenon: