Barrier Isles

The Barrier Isles is a chain of rocky islands, sand bars and sucorolith reefs in the Vesmien Ocean, 2500 km west of the southwestern tip of Anásthiasplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnásthias

Anásthias [a-NAS-thee-ass / ænæsθiːæs], or [an-ass-THEE-as] is an equatorial island continent, heart of the Civilised World. The north straddles the equator and is hot and humid, while most of the equatorial centre is an upland plateau with fertile river valleys, and stretches of arid plains and desert in the shadow of the mountains. The south is temperate but more wild, separated from the civilisations of the north by the almost impassable Harthera.

The sinuous chain stretches over 1000 km north to south, a hazardous barrier which smashes ships and has prevented exploration into the westerly seas. The warm shallow waters around the island are an important breeding ground for viridplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigVirid

Referring to the Virid Kingdom of flora and fauna, toxic to human life. sea creatures. The resultant spors generate seahars, organic fogs which are dangerous to human health. These, along with seasonal mists caused by the meeting of water tropical water and cold currents from the south, is the source of the Sea of Smoke's name.

The area has been known in sailors tales for centuries but in the 9th century the region was surveyed by Hesjbagaaian adventurers. Of the three ships, two had their hulls torn out by treacherous rocks. They saw nothing but empty sea on the far side, concluding that since the barrier must extend endlessly to the north and south, it marked the end of the world. Subsequently no more attempts at exploration have been made in this part of the world.