A vast inland sea surrounding Mikisapi Island, connecting Donclik Sound to the interior waters of Central Aboyinzu. The name comes from old sailing hazards—ships that lost the currents could spend weeks circling the island before finding the exit.
Geography
Deadloop is roughly fifty miles across at its widest point, forming a near-complete ring of open water around Mikisapi Island. The northern passage opens to Donclik Sound; the southern channels connect to the river systems of Central Aboyinzu. The western shore is bounded by Chechol territory and the Sallow Hills; the eastern shore borders the empty approaches to the Wanderlands.
The water is brackish—salt from Donclik Sound mixing with freshwater from the mainland rivers. Depths vary wildly: shallow flats near the shores drop suddenly into trenches that plunge hundreds of feet. Local sailors know the safe routes; outsiders hire pilots or risk their hulls.
The Currents
Deadloop's currents flow in a rough clockwise pattern, driven by tidal exchange with Donclik Sound and the outflow of the southern rivers. Ships entering from the north can ride the current around the island's western shore, then exit south—a journey of several days with favorable winds.
The danger comes from missing the exit channels. Ships that drift past the southern passages get caught in the eastern current, which sweeps them back north toward Donclik Sound. Before modern navigation, crews could circle the island multiple times, running out of fresh water and food while the cursed waters of Donclik Sound crept closer with each pass. Hence: Deadloop.
Relationship to Donclik's Curse
The curse that haunts Donclik Sound does not extend into Deadloop. The mixing of freshwater from the mainland rivers dilutes whatever essence the kraken-matriarch left behind—or perhaps the curse simply cannot survive outside the sound's boundaries. Either way, Deadloop is safe. Ships can anchor here, crews can fish these waters, and travelers can take their time.
This makes Deadloop one of the only safe harbors in the region. To the north, Donclik Sound is cursed. To the east, the Wanderlands offer nothing. To the west, Chechol is landlocked. Deadloop—and the city-state of Tenches at its center—controls the only reliable maritime route between Central Aboyinzu and the South Sea.
What It Looks Like
Open water stretching to the horizon in every direction, broken only by the dark line of Mikisapi Island to the east or west depending on your position. The water is gray-green and choppy, kicked up by winds that have fifty miles of fetch to build. Fishing boats work the shallows near the shores; larger vessels keep to the deeper channels where the currents run true.
On clear days, you can see the Sallow Hills rising from the western shore, and sometimes the distant towers of Tenches above the forest canopy to the east. On foggy days—which are common—you see nothing, and navigation becomes a matter of current-reading and prayer.
For Adventurers
Deadloop offers:
- Safe passage through a region surrounded by dangers
- The only reliable maritime route between Central Aboyinzu and the South Sea
- Tenches at its center—neutral ground, trade hub, and political crossroads
- Shipwrecks from centuries of sailors who misjudged the currents
- A buffer zone between the cursed waters of Donclik Sound and the settled lands to the south