The Roil (Roy-oil)

Summary

The so-called 'Roil' is a kind of sea that surrounds the entirety of Zahmal, within the confines of the large circular barrier mountains but before the continent itself. Waters from Vastia flood in through the broken barrier mountains, colliding with the strange metallic composition of Zahmal's shorelines. The natural abundance of energy within Zahmal, particularly this border region, causes a lot of reactions with the water.   The end result is an endless churn of boiling hot liquids and freezing cold ones, intermixing with noxious chemical gases and chaotic mana. These conditions make it some of the harshest waters on all Veltrona to navigate, and the unpredictability of its temper is especially insidious. In many respects, the Roil forms the major line of defense to Zahmal proper. Without a good deal of preparation, most who would make the journey by sea are often stymied by the Roil. Those who dare brave it often lose their lives, crushed to smithereens as their capsized vessels sink into the jagged sea floor beneath.   Aerial travel is by far the safest, but that too has a range of dangers. Low-altitudes have to contend with the Roil's gaseous offshoots and high-temperature steam clouds. The frequent divine tempests from around Vastia create generally destructive barriers that even dragonkind finds difficult to surmount. Thus, much like the waters below, finding the right timing and preparedness to pierce through to Zahmal is a challenge.   In many respects the Roil shares a lot of behavior with Chompy Waters, but unlike the latter, lacks any similar volcanic activity. It's not very clear why the Roil works the way it does, but it's clear some combination of powerful elements is at work. Very few types of aquatic specimens willfully live in such conditions, and the ones that do are most deservedly quite exotic. Some aren't even seen anywhere else on Veltrona, bearing the same alien distinctiveness as other fauna on Zahmal proper.

Geography

The Roil's general terrain is both metallic and jagged, being inordinately durable in ways even iron or steel would be envious of. There is some suspicion it wasn't this naturally, as most areas of Zahmal are not nearly as hardened or durable. Some have likened it to a sort of shell–some natural defensive barrier meant to protect the softer inland continent.   Those more pragmatically minded generally believe the constant divine tempests from Vastia have more a hand. That is, eons of being buffeted by some of Veltrona's most powerful weather systems created a sort of galvanizing effect. In this light, it's not so different from divine mountains and their own natures.   Sharp cliff-sides, jagged peaks, and other weather-worn features are the norm within the Roil. Very little land to even anchor to, let alone stand on, can be found that is any sense of being comfortable. In the few times the Roil and the weather experiences a moment of calm, the entire sea can feel unnervingly dead and petrified; unmoving in any sense.

Ecosystem

Very little of recognizable fauna and flora from Veltrona lives within the Roil. Its extreme environment and chaotic nature mean only very specialized or hardy creatures can survive for long. Most specimens that are found exhibit the same predominantly metallic nature as those on Zahmal proper. Alien and unique lifeforms of all kinds make their appearance in fleeting moments, preying on chance opportunities, stragglers from Vastia, or some kind of resource.   The relative sparseness of life suggests that the Roil's conditions are not very hospitable even for Zahmal's natives. In such a sense, the Roil may be a barrier to them as much as it is to any one on the outside.

Natural Resources

The abundance of metal in the Roil makes it ideal for potential mining operations, were it not thousands of miles from the other continents on Veltrona. Its nearest neighbor, Varnkof, presents the best opportunities for a short ocean voyage, but it is also located very far from most civilizations. In this respect, very little accurate prospecting (or, at least, any information relating to it) has spread far. It's unclear what the Roil could offer up otherwise.   One notable phenomenon, however, is the abundance of lightning mana. The chaotic, high-energy conditions of the Roil mean things like flash lightning storms are very common. These spontaneous bursts of energy are believed to be responsible for much of the melted, blasted, and otherwise scarred metallic terrain. At least, what can be attributed to lightning and not just a divine tempest.
Type
Sea

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