A sprawling archipelago in the western Shattered Sea, shrouded in permanent magical twilight. Home to the Xicrein elves, who kill anyone foolish enough to enter their waters uninvited.
Position and Borders
The Bynü Islands occupy the western reaches of the Shattered Sea:
- North: Open water toward the Siren Islands and the Cliffs of Syquindonos
- East: The central Shattered Sea and Knova's distant lights
- South: The Drifting Isles and deeper Shattered Sea
- West: The Stratlan Sea—the edge of the known world
The border between "Bynü waters" and "safe waters" is not marked on any chart. The Xicrein know where it is. Outsiders learn when they see the light begin to dim.
The Twilight Zone
Approaching the Bynü Islands, ships notice the light changing. The sun seems to fade. Shadows lengthen. By the time you're among the outer islands, it's permanent dusk, an eternal half-light between night and day that never changes.
The twilight boundary is a gradient. The transition takes roughly an hour of sailing. Once you're deep in Bynü territory, the sun is a dim glow on the horizon that never rises higher. Stars are visible but muted. Navigation by celestial observation becomes unreliable.
This phenomenon appears to be magical, but its source is unknown. Theories include:
- Ancient elven enchantment
- Planar bleeding from a realm of eternal dusk
- The presence of something beneath the islands that drinks light
- Simple curse, origin forgotten
Terrain
The Overhangs
The most distinctive feature of the Bynü Islands is their massive rock overhangs. Sea cliffs rise from the dark water, then curve outward, creating sheltered spaces beneath. Some overhangs extend hundreds of feet, casting the waters below in even deeper shadow.
The Xicrein build in these sheltered spaces—cave complexes, hanging villages, structures that cling to cliff faces in ways that seem impossible. Looking up from the water, you might not see them at all.
The Dark Forests
Island interiors are covered in twilight-adapted vegetation. The palm trees have black leaves; flowers bloom in shades of gray and deep purple; everything photosynthesizes differently here. The forests are dense, silent, and full of things that watch.
The Waters
The sea around Bynü absorbs light. Surface water is dark as ink. You can't see below the surface at all—which means you can't see the Xicrein warriors swimming beneath your hull until they attack.
The darkness isn't pollution or sediment. It's just... dark. Magical, probably. Terrifying, definitely.
Climate
The twilight affects temperature as well as light. The islands are cooler than the surrounding sea—comfortable for the Xicrein, chilly for visitors used to tropical waters. Humidity is constant; a thin mist often hangs in the air.
Rain comes frequently but gently. Storms from outside the twilight zone seem to weaken as they enter Bynü territory—another unexplained phenomenon.
The Outer Islands
The boundary islands where the twilight first begins. These are the most dangerous waters for outsiders—where ships realize they've gone too far and the Xicrein are already watching.
Warning signs dot the outer islands: stakes with skulls, wrecked ships deliberately left visible, symbols painted in what might be blood. The Xicrein make clear that their border is defended.
The only outsiders who linger are Drachma. A few families of the seafaring humans keep a trading camp at the twilight's edge, suffered there under an old truce, bartering iron and the news the Xicrein cannot gather any other way. They do not sail deeper, and they do not ask to.
The Grim Nautili
South of the main archipelago lies a region called the Grim Nautili—a scattered cluster of rocks and small islands where the Xicrein dispose of their kills. Bones, wrecks, and rotting cargo float in the dark water. Ships passing too close can smell death before they see it.
The Nautili serves as both warning and disposal site. The Xicrein don't bury their enemies; they feed them to the sea.
The Inner Islands
Deeper in the archipelago, the twilight is absolute and the Xicrein grow bolder. These islands have never been mapped by outsiders. What little is known comes from the handful of survivors over centuries—and their accounts are fragmentary, confused, possibly unreliable.
The Cliffdweller Territories (north): Vertical islands where the elves live in cliff-face caves. Attacking these islands would require climbing while under arrow fire from above.
The Deeproot Forests (center): Dense vegetation so thick that the twilight beneath the canopy is nearly complete darkness. The Deeproot tribe hunts from the trees; intruders never see what kills them.
The Tidewater Shallows (south): Where the Tidewatcher tribe lives partially in the water. They've adapted to the darkness below the surface and can hold their breath for unsettling lengths of time.
The Stonetongue Archives (east): Rumored location of the Xicrein's oral histories, maintained by the Stonetongue tribe. No outsider has confirmed this exists.
The Nightsinger Reaches (west): Territory of the tribe whose sonic magic is most developed. Ships near these islands have reported hearing singing before their crews went mad.
Navigation
Don't.
No reliable charts exist for Bynü waters. The Xicrein don't share their knowledge, and the few expeditions that returned did so without useful maps. Currents shift unpredictably. Islands seem to move—probably an optical illusion caused by the twilight, probably.
The only safe approach to Bynü territory is to not approach at all. Ships give the twilight zone a wide berth. Those that must pass nearby sail fast and armed, and they don't stop for anything.
The Dragon's Teeth Connection
North of the Bynü Islands lie the Dragon's Teeth—obsidian rocks guarded by Qorgath and her Erzqin. The two regions share dark water, dangerous navigation, and absolute hostility to outsiders. Ships caught between them face death from two directions.
Some scholars speculate the Xicrein and Qorgath have an arrangement. Others think the dragon and the elves simply don't bother each other—they have no reason to, when outsiders provide plenty of targets.
What Brings People Here
Nothing should bring people here. But:
- Desperation: Ships blown off course, crews fleeing enemies who won't follow into the twilight
- Greed: Rumors of Xicrein artifacts, twilight materials, ancient treasures
- Curiosity: Scholars who want to understand the twilight, the Xicrein, the history
- Foolishness: People who don't believe the warnings
Most don't return. The few who do rarely try again.