Sea Provinces
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THE SEA PROVINCES
By far the smallest provinces, both in terms of population and land area, are the Sea provinces. These consist of a series of large islands on the southeastern edge of the Elysian sea. They stand on the edge of the abyssal cliffs which denote the edge of the Midnight Ocean, which also borders the southernmost edge of the continent. The Sea provinces are renowned for their mild and beautiful weather, their breathtaking scenery, and for being surrounded by the gorgeous, crystal clear waters of the Elysian Sea. They are your archetypical beautiful tropical isles, the only fly in the ointment being their proximity to the Great Pelagic Ocean to the northeast and the Great Midnight Ocean to the Southeast. The storms and aquatic menaces which come in from the ocean depths conspire to give the Sea provinces a "wild and dangerous" air which is like spice to many who come to visit. Add in a real and pressing threat of rebel pirates who have fled to the nearby Pelagic Kingdoms from the recently crushed Eastern Federation and you obtain a rakish and scandalously fun place to live, if you don't mind the occasional pitched battle.
As if this isn't enough, rumors abound that some of those pirates from the Pelagic Kingdoms are those superhumanly enhanced warriors fielded by the Eastern Federation known as Invincibles. If this is true, then serious Imperial involvement is only a matter of time. The Legions are sure to be employed to hunt down and destroy these all but unkillable foes. The Sea provinces possess all of the Celegian Empire's pitifully small navy, primarily small coastal cogs and the rare sea going freighter.
The Celegian Empire sails only on the tamed and sheltered waters of the Elysian Sea, where any truly severe weather will be muted by the magical efforts of Daneth's Wardens. There is no true oceangoing merchant marine, for a number of reasons. The Celegian continent is woefully bereft of advantageous port areas for one thing. For another, the Empire developed a large and comprehensive set of high quality roads early in its history, which the Empire has always made available to the population at large. Lastly, the oceans around the Empire are notorious for three main characteristics; First, they have incredibly bad storms at the drop of a hat; Second, they are full of reefs, whirlpools, shoals, monsters, and other hazards, and; Third, the Empire has (in sixty thousand years of looking) never found anyplace to sail to. As near as the Empire can determine, the seas go on forever.
Some of the earliest records of the empire relate that in the 5800's there was a tremendous conflict between the Empire of that day and a race known as the Sea People. The Imperial records denote that the Empire crushed the Sea People utterly and that Domana himself slew the Sea Gods and then killed all life in the Great Desolate Ocean as punishment to the Sea Gods. Where the Sea People may have come from is a total mystery, and the tale is quite possibly apocryphal in nature. Due to the extreme age of the record and the fact that the record keepers of that era were notorious for their habit of "embellishing" the deeds of the Emperor to curry his favor, this record is viewed with suspicion. But whatever the reason, the Celegian Empire is in no way a maritime power and the Sea provinces are as exciting as it gets when it comes to oceanic adventure.
As a whole, the Sea provinces are a beautiful and exciting place to go, but they truly contribute but little to the Empire. Historically, the Sea provinces are a convenient place to allow rebels and misfits some latitude, out where they can do little harm. The Pelagic Kingdoms have been part of the Sea provinces at various times in the past, but the Empire has had "bigger fish to fry" and so they retain their independence.