Khorvaire’s eastern expanse ends at the Lhazaar Sea.
This wild and tempestuous ocean is dominated by a cold current that comes down
from the Frostfell before turning away at Reaver’s Ridge. The southern isles
enjoy warm, tropical currents coming up from Aerenal and the Thunder Sea.
Reaver’s Ridge is an underwater mountain range said
to hold all sorts of treasures, from sunken ships to the ruins of ancient
undersea civilizations. It is said that Malleon the Reaver lost one of his
greatest treasure hauls here before he ventured west to found Sharaat. Dives to
the region have reported abundant wild magic.
The prevailing winds of the Lhazaar Principalities
blow from east to west and from north to south. These winds are strongest in
the north, where dry winds whip around the Frostfell and scour the land. Some
of these winds split off and blow south, bringing biting winds that chill the
bones of Lhazaar sailors. Following these winds from north to south is the
Lhazaar Current, which flows along the easternmost edge of the isles.
Winter in the northern isles like Orthoss is a true
test of wit and will. Sun only shines for a few hours a day for most of the
winter. Blackrock and Port Cairn are both so far north they experience complete
and total darkness during the winter solstice. Ice fills the northern seas
during the winter, locking in the ports and sending dangerous glaciers south.
Summer and fall bring storms crashing into the
temperate and tropical regions, dumping endless rain as they stall out against
the Hoarfrost Mountains. Storms that make their way to the mainland crash
against the mountains, inducing deluges that can suddenly flood lowlands or
impair ranged weapon attacks.
As with the rest of Eberron, the tides of the Lhazaar
Sea are dominated by the patterns of the moon Zarantyr. Unlike other material
planes, the relationship between the moons and the tides of Eberron is more
mystical than physical. Lunar alignments can bring tides to new highs and lows,
displacing hidden communities or revealing secret passageways.
Ecology
The Lhazaar Principalities encompass a wide variety
of biomes, from the frozen glaciers of Lost to the tropical rainforest of
Dreadwood Isle to the depths of the Lhazaar Sea. The people have adapted, and
with the frequent travel up and down the coast most sailors own multiple sets
of clothing adjusted to each climate.
The northern reaches provide the sharpest contrast
between land and sea. The bitter cold and harsh, dry winds leave little room
for large vegetation or animals on the land – instead, islands like the Three
Sisters or Turnaway are covered in grasses and populated by small mammals and
migratory birds. The scarcity of trees has long challenged northern
shipwrights. Still, these semi-frozen lands show surprising ecological diversity
due to the land bridges that connect them during the coldest winters.
By contrast, the seas around these northern isles are
rich in life, as the circumpolar current collects nutrients from all the seas.
Large fish and whales fill the northern sea, feasting on the ocean’s abundance
throughout the eternal daylight of the summer months.
Khorvaire’s rising demand for magical resources and
the opening of post-war trade has led to a substantial increase in the size of
the whaling industry. Not only do the enormous mammals provide valuable blubber
and bones, their large size gives them a propensity for soaking up ambient
magic, enhancing their alchemical utility. This uptick of activity has forced
even traditional whalers to venture north, closer to the dangerous Frostfell.
Farther south, the temperate region’s temperate
rainforests are filled with evergreen trees, deer, wolves, and all other manner
of beasts. The marshes feature magical creatures prized by wizards and
artificers. The abundance of trees is an invaluable resource for Lhazaar
shipwrights, who compete for access to wood infused with ambient magic. Despite
these resources, the torrential rains inhibit agriculture and limited historic
empires.
The seas in the temperate region are less abundant
than the more northern waters, as fewer nutrients make it to the Lhazaar
Current. The shallow waters and narrow channels on the interior of the isles
especially suffer, cut off from the open ocean’s riches. This does not mean Eel
Bay and the Far Strait are deserts – rather, life is more dependent on
nutrients coming from the land then nutrients from the north.
The southernmost tropical islands benefit from
nutrient rich upwelling along the continental shelf. The warm weather and
abundance of rain keeps the land healthy and promote a large diversity of
species. Without large masses of ice covering the ocean’s surface to form land
bridges the flora and fauna of each of these isles has remained unique – plants
found on Lorghalen are distinct from ones on neighboring Dreadwood isle.