The deep, empty waters west of the Western Isles—the edge of the known world. Beyond the Stratlan Sea lies nothing that any sailor has found and returned to report. Ships that venture too far west don't come back.
Geography
The Stratlan Sea begins where the Western Isles end:
- East: The Shattered Sea, the Bynü Islands, the Cliffs of Shondromos
- North: The open waters beyond the Iron Sea
- South: Unknown
- West: Unknown
The transition from the Shattered Sea to the Stratlan is gradual—islands become sparser, depths increase, and eventually there's nothing but open water in every direction.
The Edge of the World
Sailors call the Stratlan Sea the "edge of the world" because, practically speaking, it is. The furthest west anyone has sailed and returned is perhaps 500 miles into the Stratlan. Beyond that, nothing.
What Explorers Report:
- Increasingly empty water with no islands, reefs, or features
- Unusual weather patterns—storms that appear from nowhere, dead calms that last for days
- Compass irregularities that grow worse the further west you travel
- A growing sense of wrongness that affects crews psychologically
What Explorers Don't Report:
Anything beyond a certain distance. Ships that pass that threshold don't return. Whether they sink, are lost, or find something they can't escape, no one knows.
Theories
Scholars and sailors have many theories about the Stratlan Sea:
The Void: The world simply ends somewhere out there. The Stratlan gives way to nothing—a boundary between existence and non-existence.
The Far Shore: Another continent lies beyond the Stratlan, but the distance is too great. Ships run out of supplies before reaching it.
The Barrier: Something prevents ships from proceeding—a magical ward, a planar boundary, or creatures that destroy intruders.
The Trap: Something in the Stratlan captures ships. They're not destroyed; they're taken somewhere. Where, no one can say.
The Loop: The Stratlan wraps back on itself. Ships that sail far enough west end up approaching from the east, but something in the crossing erases their memories—or their existence.
The Waters
Near the Western Isles, the Stratlan is normal ocean—deep, cold, relatively lifeless compared to the teeming Shattered Sea. Further out:
Depth: The Stratlan is deep. Ships taking soundings have played out thousands of feet of line without touching bottom. There may be no bottom at all; the sea seems to extend downward indefinitely.
Currents: Near the islands, currents flow predictably. Further out, they become erratic, sometimes reversing without explanation or carrying ships in circles.
Life: Sea life thins as you travel west. Eventually, nothing lives in the water at all—no fish, no plants, no creatures of any kind.
Navigation
The Stratlan Sea defeats navigation:
Celestial: Stars appear different in the deep Stratlan—shifted positions, unfamiliar constellations. Celestial navigation becomes unreliable, then impossible.
Magnetic: Compasses behave erratically, spinning or pointing in directions that correspond to nothing.
Dead Reckoning: Without reliable references, dead reckoning accumulates errors rapidly. Ships lose track of their position within days.
Who Sails Here
Most sailors avoid the Stratlan entirely. Those who venture in have reasons:
Fishermen: The edges of the Stratlan support different fish species than the Shattered Sea. Fishing boats work the boundary waters but don't go deep.
Bynü Proximity: The Xicrein twilight islands extend toward the Stratlan. Ships fleeing the Bynü sometimes end up in Stratlan waters by accident.
Explorers: Periodically, someone funds an expedition to discover what lies beyond. These expeditions don't return.
The Desperate: Ships fleeing pursuit sometimes take their chances with the Stratlan. Their pursuers don't follow.
The Last Light
Sailors who've gone furthest into the Stratlan and returned describe "the Last Light"—a point where, looking back, the sun seems to dim. Beyond the Last Light, the sky darkens even at midday.
Whether this is optical phenomenon, magical effect, or proximity to whatever ends the known world, no one can say. Those who pass the Last Light don't come back to explain.
What Brings People Here
Nothing should. The Stratlan Sea is empty, dangerous, and ultimately fatal to those who venture too deep. It is a boundary, the edge beyond which the world offers nothing but mystery and death.