World-Building Website by Daniel-André Sørensen

The Personal Website of Daniel A. Sørensen

  • PROJECT THIRD ERA
    A fictional fantasy world project
< >
 
Surrounding the continents is the Worldsea, which was once one vast ocean, but has since been divided up into smaller seas. Life began in the Worldsea, as its energies during the ancient times gave birth to the first Primordials. These days the Worldsea's energies are weaker and not nearly as magical as they used to be, but they are still considerable. The Worldsea originally came from the ice that melted from the Worldshard, during the very beginning of the world's awakening.

It is in the Worldsea that chaotic magical energy first arrives on the planet; something which often causes magical storms or other magical anomalies in the oceans. Once that energy has been calmed by the Worldsea, it will slowly descend and be absorbed into the planet, until it reaches the Worldsoul. There the chaotic magical energy is made into pure magical energy, and it is sent back to the Worldsea again. The Ebb will distribute some of that energy to the world, but most of it will be intercepted by Celunar, who captures the magical energy in her shawl.

This is part of the process known as the Arcane Wheel, which ensures that magical energy in Nym's Eye flows.

The Worldsea itself is divided into six greater oceans, and then the many lesser seas within them. The greater oceans are home to the various corners and trenches of the Abyssal Depths, which connect to the Underneaths. It is said that seawyrms reside down in the ocean dark, along with other primordial and terrifying leviathans.

Other, more shallow areas of the Worldsea are home to rich and sprawling corral reefs, which were, according to ancient zjindri legends, planted, nurtured and inhabited by the zjindri ancestors, the sarazhi. It is within these reefs that the energies accumulated by the Ebb are strongest, which benefits the creation of what are known as Tidelands.

 

ABYSSAL DEPTHS

The deepest regions of the Worldsea are called the Abyssal Depths. No one except the aquatic sarazhi have ever been down there, and they described it as a place of unknown darkness. Seawyrms and other ancient Primordials supposedly reside in the Abyssal Depths, and according to sarazhi stories a being known as Azhanak, an Eldritch God, has made his lair down there.

There are also whispers that speak of how Nivna, the Elemental Titan King of Water, was cast down there during the War of Titans, and never truly perished. She is said to be collecting her powers to reassemble her broken body, and in the process she corrupts the waters of the Abyssal Depths.

Zjindri legends tell of how Claxul, one of the deceased Primordial Sea Mothers, rests in the dark depths. Her shell body has long been submerged and lost to the deepest underwater darkness, though her soul and spirit is said to still live through the Ebb.

The Abyssal Depths is spread out between the Worldsea's great oceans, and each is connected to the Underneaths, where the underground tunnels are flooded or form great rivers or lakes deep beneath the earth.

 

THE EBB

While the Worldsea is not as filled with arcane energies as it used to be in the ancient times, there are still remnants of those energies within it. Those who study or draw power from the Worldsea call this the Ebb. The Ebb is a tidal flow that comes and goes as the waves rise and settle along with Celunar, the Tidebringer. It is not as potent as the energies found in the Weave, but it is more accessible. Zjindri mages choose to draw power from the Ebb rather than the Weave, and when winds are low the zjindri Arks use the Ebb to pull themselves through the waves.

The Ebb fulfills another purpose, which is that of distributing the pure magical energies that return from the Worldsoul. Once that magical energy enters into the Worldsea, the Ebb sends it out into the world, or at least whatever it can grab before Celunar brings her shawl to take the rest.

Whatever energies the Ebb retains are gathered in the Worldsea's corral reefs, where they are nurtured and used to sustain those reefs. Zjindri Arks will temporarily anchor by such corral reefs to allow their people to hunt and harvest, and also grant their mages, priests and shamans clearer access to the Ebb. When meditating and drawing on the energies of the Ebb, zjindri spellcasters gain a sense of clarity that helps to empower their rituals and spells.

Particularly large and flourishing corral reefs are known as Shardreefs, and those were once maintained and inhabited by the ancient sarazhi aquatic kingdoms. These days the Shardreefs are kept mainly by passing zjindri or beasts of the sea, and ruins of the sarazhi can be found within them. Ancient sarazhi contraptions dedicated to harvesting the powers of the Ebb lie dormant or murmuring, still feeding the Shardreefs with the Ebb's energies.

 

TIDELANDS

Tidelands are larger and more developed areas of Shardreefs, home to several tribal zjindri settlements and ancient temples. Ruins lie submerged beneath the shallow waves, or stuck to corral and seaweed-covered isles that dot the Tideland. Places such as Tidelands are strong in the energies of the Ebb, having been nurtured for thousands of years since the first Shardreefs were planted and grown.


A Tideland is defined as consisting firstly of Shardreefs, and secondly it is a place near shallow waters, such as along smaller isles that are part of tidal reefs, or near larger islands and mainland stretches. Most commonly Tidelands are only found in tropical climates and in shallow waters. Deeper waters near Tidelands tend to be darker and less accessible, and are known as Darkreefs.


The largest known Tidelands reside in the Cradle Archipelago, but the most settled Tidelands are found near the zjindri homeland of Sen Arra. The zjindri establish small floating villages or island huts, home to many zjindri tribes, and they build docking outposts and ports on larger islands for their travelling Arks passing through the Tidelands.


Evidence of the Sarazhi is clear in the Tidelands, as their ruins, temples and aquatic contraptions are still present; often hidden by the thick seaborne foliage and dense corral structures. The sarazhi were the ones who first started to grow the Tidelands, and after them the zjindri have taken responsiblity to continue the task; depending on the Tidelands as safe-havens for their Arks and minor settlements, as well as a source of readily available food and fabrics. The zjindri treat the Tidelands with respect, taking care to not pollute them with too many bustling cities, and instead live mainly in small to medium sized villages. The zjindri also protect the Tidelands ferociously, ensuring that foreign colonists don't gain too much of a footing.


Tidelands are rich in not only sea-plants, but various sea-creatures as well. Life is abundant in a Tideland, and thousands of seaborne species make them their homes. An expansive ecosystem is ever-present in a Tideland, kept alive and nurtured through the Ebb's energies; gathered by various still-active yet faint sarazhi contraptions.


Zjindri tribes will hunt and fish the local sealife of a Tideland, but particularly established zjindri communities might develop the lands further to grow seaweed farms, fish farms, and so on. Clams harvested from the bases of corral islands are also a basis of zjindri life, since they seek and covet pearls strong in the Ebb's energies (richly found mainly in Tidelands).


Besides natural life, Tidelands are the only places that remain as a legacy of the sarazhi race. Their civilizations made use of the Tidelands as their homes, until they vanished from the seas many thousands of years ago. All that remains are their ruins; many of which have sunk beneath the waves of the Tidelands.