Cold and stormy, the Bitter Sea forms the northern border of Khorvaire. To the west, a fast current of warm water runs through Demonsong Channel. To the east, a slow current brings cold water down from the Frostfell through the Lhazaar Principalities. As such, most trade around the continent proceeds in a clockwise fashion; ships leaving Sharn for Korth go up the western coast, while ships going from Korth to Sharn head down the eastern coast.
Travel in and out of the Bitter Sea is strongly seasonal; in the spring and summer, the seas are calmer and there’s little ice to worry about. But starting in the late summer, harsh storms build off the coasts of the Demon Wastes, making the otherwise swift passage increasingly dangerous. Before the Mourning, non-Lyrandar ships in the latter half of the year had the option of a slower but much safer route from Lake Cyre down the Rushing River into Karrnath. Now, House Lyrandar’s weather control is the only reliable way to make it from Sharn to Korth via ship for half the year.
Once winter arrives, ships heading south face a different issue—sea ice. Depending on the waxing and waning influence of both the frozen plane of Risia and the frosty overlord Dral Khatuur, the passage between the Three Sisters and the mainland may ice over. The development of icebreaker ships during Jarot’s reign expanded the shipping opportunities throughout the winter, although even over a century later the adamantine-clad and enchanted bows are not always capable of carving a safe and reliable path.
Political Tensions
The two primary political actors in the Bitter Sea are Aundair and Karrnath, with the former claiming much of Eldeen Bay while the latter claims Karrn Bay. Eldeen Bay is relatively sheltered from storms by the Icehorn Mountains but is also isolated from the nutrient rich currents that flow across the northern part of the sea. By contrast, Karrn Bay has bountiful fisheries from those northern currents curling down but is unprotected from the storms that cycle down along the same path.
However, while Aundair, the coastal towns of the Eldeen Reaches, and Karrnath all strongly claim the coastal waters, the real bounty of the sea lies in the northern waters adjacent to the Frostfell. Every spring, ships from Thrane and the Lhazaar Principalities join the coastal nations in harvesting fish from the frigid waters. Even with the official end of open hostilities, aggressive actions by fishing captains—ranging from posturing to sabotage to outright attacking other ships—are still common. Warships that patrol the area for threats like sea serpents must be more circumspect, as any hostile actions they might take are less easily dismissed.
In addition to the fishing operations, merchant ships with trade goods must contend with interference when entering or leaving the Bitter Sea. To the west, Carrion Tribe raiders sometimes raid ships that stray too close to the coast of the Demon Wastes. More commonly, Sa’arlath sahuagin— “The All Consuming”—rise from their dwellings along the ocean floor to pillage and take captives. Meanwhile, in the east, various principalities jockey for dominance, protecting ships that have paid them while raiding those that have not. The most fearsome and powerful of the northern principalities are the Bloodsail elves based out of Farlnen. The Bloodsails and others are detailed further in the supplement Politics of the Lhazaar Principalities.
Adventure Hooks
House Cannith and Lyrandar have a joint research facility on a small island in the Bitter Sea that was developing a cold-water submarine. However, they haven’t heard from the facility in some time, and the first team they sent to investigate never returned. What will the PCs find—an attack by a political actor, such as the Royal Eyes or the Lord of Blades? Or has some supernatural disaster befallen the facility?
A series of attacks on fishing ships has been attributed to a ship made of bones. Many believe the ship to belong to the exiled Captain Moren, former prince of the Bloodsail Principality. If it is truly him, rather than an imposter, why has he surfaced now and what does he want? If it’s an imposter, will the real Prince Moren intervene?
The ship the PCs are on is assaulted by a raiding ship made of ice and crewed by the minions of Dral Khatuur. After fending them off, some of the ship’s crew act increasingly paranoid until they turn homicidal. Can the party stop whatever possession or sickness is sweeping through before they fall victim?