The Obscura Drift

Out in the middle of the Poseidic Ocean between Valanar and Avernell there lies a huge motionless fog bank known as the Obscura Drift. Beautiful and terrible in equal measure this unnatural phenomenon poses a very real threat to mariners of every creed and nation.

Fortunately for those intrepid enough to encounter the The Drift, it is usually easily avoided; being lit from within by fantastic storms that are a sight to behold, the eternal fog illuminated by lightning in a variety of dazzling colours and hues.

However, when these storms are not active ships have been known to lose their way and stray into the Drift, this is exacerbated by the fact that proximity to the Drift appears to have a strange effect upon instruments such as compasses and barometers. These unfortunate ships are never heard from again.

More concerning for sailors is the fact that every now and again fantastical storms come raging out of the Drift. These storms are always powerful and terrible, hurricanes that can wreck coastlines and destroy ships, but sometimes these storms are worse than simple hurricanes. The sailor's worst fear is to encounter a Drift Tempest, a magical hurricane that brings not only brutal winds but also supernatural phenomenon such as unusual rains of bizarre creatures and objects, sudden inexplicable and extreme changes of temperature, witchfire and hallucinations. Drift tempests have also been known to attract sea monsters such as Reticulated Ballistic Skipjack and even the unspeakable Insidious Vermiciasquid. Weak minded sailors have lost their wits entirely when forced to live through an encounter with a Drift Tempest and only the most deranged Captain would willingly sail anywhere near one.