The Shifting Blue was an ocean that stretched beyond the Head and Body of the Greatwyrm, with waters deep and unpredictable. Its tides shifted without warning, and strong currents made long-distance travel dangerous. Mortalkind sailors rarely strayed far from Somnum's coastlines, knowing that beyond a certain point, the ocean became too unstable to navigate. Even the most skilled cartographers struggled to map its waters, as the patterns of the sea changed over time, rendering their charts unreliable.
The ocean teemed with creatures larger and stronger than any found on land. Some lurked in the deep, unseen except for the wreckage they left behind. Others surfaced without warning, overturning ships and dragging sailors into the depths. Stories spread of beings as large as islands moving beneath the waves, altering entire currents as they passed. Few who encountered these creatures lived to tell the tale, and even among survivors, accounts differed wildly, adding to the mystery and fear surrounding them.
Beneath the surface, intelligent societies thrived beyond the reach of land dwellers. The likes of Sea Elves and Merfolk were rumored to have built cities along the ocean floor, hidden by shifting currents or moving through the depths in elusive enclaves. Other beings, potentially more powerful and threatening than any on land, remained unknown to all but the most daring explorers. Ships that wandered too far from safe routes often vanished without a trace, fueling speculation about the unseen forces that controlled the deep.
Magic Storms swept across the ocean with little warning, making long voyages nearly impossible. Some raged for weeks, their winds tearing apart even the strongest vessels. Lightning struck in unnatural patterns, sometimes following ships as they attempted to escape. Even when the skies were clear, the ever-present threat of sudden storms kept most sailors close to shore. No reliable method of predicting these tempests ever emerged, leaving the deeper ocean a place of fear and uncertainty.
Despite these dangers, smallfolk still used the slightly safer waters closer to the ocean's edge. Trade and fishing remained confined to the coastal regions where the tides were more predictable. Expeditions that ventured too far rarely returned, and those that did brought back little useful information. Some believed distant lands lay beyond the Shifting Blue, but no proof had ever surfaced.