Adventures in Comalan: Vortex Archipelago

Close to the center of the world lies a forbidden place, an archipelago consisting of seven islands surrounding a great maelstrom. It is here where Karashartal, the mother of all krakens, makes her nest. This region is known as the Vortex Archipelago or, as Salican priests like to call it, the Birthplace of the Storm. It is in this treacherous part of the sea that the Doctrine of Storms was originally penned and it remains a powerful font of Salica's energy to this day. While it rests within the territory of Midania, it is uninhabited and no Midanian ship bothers to guard it. That is because the local environment, with its near-constant battery of thunderstorms and its terrifyingly large kraken population.

Even  with the dire warnings to stay away inherent in every inch of these lands, the fact that it is considered holy land is not lost on the hundreds adventurers who explore its center-most island. The Isle of Endless Rain hosts a slick, muddy mountain whose pinnacle glows with a shimmering blue light. It is said that those who bask in its glow can feel a sense of rejuvenation as their troubles begin to melt away. This is an experience that the templars who compose Resta's navy in particular covet as part of their training. In making the perilous journey to the summit, they cleanse themselves of their doubts, guilt, and fears to better prepare them for their duties at sea.

Further to the south is the Thunder Spires, a jagged crag of an island whose natural spires are made of a mineral that conducts lightning. It has been written by many visitors that a graveyard lies underneath the surface containing the remains of a lost civilization believed to have belonged to the same tribe from which Karashartal originated. Kraken activity is particularly heavy around this island, which makes it a draw for hunters, who camp there in droves beneath rubber shades to confront these fearsome beasts. While many accept that the krakens frequent this area as a result of Karashartal's residual loyalty to her human tribe, there are some who believe that the beasts are also protecting the treasure of the pirates who doomed the people that once lived there.

The Vortex Archipelago is a location synonymous with Adventures in Comalan because it weighs mortal risk against mind-blowing reward. Similar locations which resonate with divine magic exist, but this is the only place that such magic has ever been seen with the naked eye. To those who venerate Salica, there is nowhere that better embodies the forbidden paradise for only the most faithful to enter.