Billowy Bay

The Billowy Bay is a large coastal body of water that protrudes into the western coast of Runora from the Rivering Sea. It is an important economic zone in the Occident, particularly linking the kingdoms of Aërlarow and Norduī through a variety of direct trade routes.

Rivers
Several rivers empty into the Billowy Bay. The River Mal, which cuts southward through Aërlarow and is an important trade route, empties in a small delta along the northern coast. The Spryd, which runs down from the Easton Range through northern Norduī, quick and shallow. The Greenflood starts near Ferax, flows through and feeds the Loam, and ends at the quiet port of Fern's Rill.

Climate and Coastline
Billowy Bay is known to be racked by strong currents and powerful winds that send the waters rippling in treacherous manners, particularly at its opening. It makes travel into the bay difficult and costly - the northern shore is racked with shipwrecks and ghostyards.

Otherwise, the weather is mild, much like the rest of the area - warm summers, cold winters. In all recorded time, it has never before frozen, unlike other bodies of water north of it.

Much of the coastline is forested and uninhabited. There is quite a bit of settlement where the River Mal reaches the bay, as it is a strategic trading point, but most of the southern coast remains relatively wild, save for a few towns near the Spryd.

The Gale Stones hug the coast where the bay meets the Rivering Sea. Mountainous and parallel to its opening, they block many of the strong winds and allow a calmer trading passage out of the bay, which has given rise to the trading union between Aërlarow and Norduī.

Along the eastern coast, a marshy estuary serves to divide Algabar from Norduī. It, and the empty lands around it, is inhabited by Bola Heron clans, bandits, and exiles. There are some settlements, but they are wild and unknown to most residents of the Occident.

Settlements
Several settlements of importance lie on the coast of the Billowy Bay. The great city of Vasta, one of the greatest in the Occident, sits close to the Gale Stones and controls access to the Straits of Wela. The town of Nordun sits at the mouth of the River Mal and sends trading goods from Ma'lousk, Eoria, and other parts of Aërlarow. Fern's Rill, a small port town, sits at the mouth of the Greenflood and imports agricultural technology from Eriar and beyond. Claw's Tip, which sits on a small cape at the mouth of the bay, is a fishing town that serves mostly as a resting place for the ships that have been blown into the bay and been fortunate enough to avoid shipwreck.

Pirates and bandits are commonplace within the bay. Since the water is difficult and treacherous at times, it is more common for small trading sloops to slip between Nordun, Vasta, and Fern's Rill, rather than have large, expensive trading ships that could face capsizing. Pirates, who always employ such fast, swift ships, are known to harass ships, sometimes going as far as to seize them and destroy them.