The defining feature of western Mueras: a maze of channels threading between cliff-walled islands, sea stacks, and submerged rock formations. Approximately sixty miles of coastline compressed into perhaps two hundred miles of navigable (barely) waterway. Strong tidal currents reverse twice daily, fog rolls in without warning, and the acoustic properties of the cliff walls make it impossible to judge distance by sound.
No captain unfamiliar with these waters attempts Labyrinth Sound without a licensed pilot. The pilot guilds are controlled by the merchant-kings—each house maintains pilots for their section of the Sound, and passage fees fund the oligarchy. Killing a rival's pilots is often more effective than killing the rival himself.
The major passages, from north to south:
- Hammer Passage: Northern entry, controlled by House Hammren from the twin fortress-ports
- Kelwin Throat: Central narrows, notoriously difficult, controlled from Kelwin
- Hennipin Gate: Southern passage into Corpse Bay, controlled from Hennipin
Cliff Beach
A rare stretch of accessible shoreline along the western edge of Labyrinth Sound—one of the few places small boats can land without a harbor. Used by smugglers, fishermen too poor for harbor fees, and occasionally by those fleeing merchant-king justice. The cliffs above are honeycombed with caves, some natural, some carved. Local legend claims the caves connect to older passages beneath the Mueras Highlands.