The Boiling Sea
The Boiling Sea
Steam and Stilts
| Difficulty | 1/5 | Inhabitable. Dangers are mostly avoidable. |
|---|---|---|
| Entity Count | 3/5 | The Boiling Sea is inhabited by a widely diverse range of entities, some of which may be hostile. |
| Chaos Gradient | 4/5 | Day-night cycle can cause dramatic changes in the environment. |
| Basset-Frazier Index | 2.66/5 | Only the sea is anomalous. |
fig 1.0 A lone Stilthouse.
Description
A sea of scalding water and fleeting life, The Boiling Sea is composed of an incredibly large sea of saltwater with stilt cities scattered atop the surface, with no discernable end. 20 meters below, however, there is a rich seafloor comprised of rocks, sand, various metals, and concrete. Spread throughout this seafloor are holes of differing sizes that are up to 10,000 meters deep. The sea's effects make traveling on the water for extended periods difficult, with the only way to traverse the sea safely is by boat. Fortunately, there are abandoned boats scattered throughout The Boiling Sea's environment.
Most explorers prefer to avoid the sea as much as they can, choosing instead to spend their time navigating the stilt cities on the surface. The stilt cities themselves are structures that are suspended above the water by stilts made of wood, metals, and concrete, and can vary greatly in size and scale. The smallest cities are usually only a single building, while the largest stilt city to date is made up of 248 buildings. On average, however, these cities usually have only between three to seven assorted structures. While both environments can prove dangerous, the sea is far more hazardous to explore compared to the cities themselves.
fig 2.0 Another lone Stilthouse.
The main property of The Boiling Sea happens with its day and night cycle. This cycle has been titled The Boiling Point by the inhabitants of the stilt cities. During the day the water of the sea reaches average temperatures of between 10 degrees Celsius and 90 degrees Celsius. This is the safest time to traverse the water and when most boats are found on the water. At night the sea rises drastically in temperature, reaching temperatures of 130 degrees Celsius at the highest. This is why locals call it The Boiling Point. The temperature also causes the water to bubble and cause miniature explosions of water. These explosions can instantaneously kill wanderers too close to them by scalding them. As time progresses the water either drops 10C an hour or rises 10C an hour depending on whether AM or PM. When the time is AM temperatures drop 10C, and conversely when it is PM temperatures rise 10C an hour. Another property of The Boiling Point of The Boiling Sea is that the water during the night seemingly brightens and shifts to a vibrant white and blue hue. Lastly, any water taken from the sea will still follow The Boiling Point cycle. This means that the water will still change temperature even when taken out of the sea and to other limspaces. While this may seem helpful as it allows access to boiling water and heat- if unproperly contained and used can cause terrible damage.
As the Boiling Point is reached clouds of steam are released slowly as the water evaporates. While this steam is hazardous, it is avoidable by seeking shelter. If enough steam clouds form they may start dissipating or raining down water. Depending on the time at which the clouds rain, the rain may either be harmless and beneficial or dangerous and destructive. However steam clouds are rare and most steam released by The Boiling Point dissipates quickly.
Entities
Despite the boiling of the sea at night, marine life still lives in the sea. Only two non-entity species live outside the holes of the seafloor. The first of these are seagulls. Tests on the seagulls found nothing different about them from baseline seagulls. Due to decades of breeding, seagulls have been fully domesticated and are a primary source of eggs, meat, and feathers. The second species is a unique type of crustacean. Visually they resemble a crab species. However, these crabs have a grey coloration and a large hollow shell. During the night they retract their arms and legs inside their large shell. This somehow protects them from the heat. The crabs are called Refractory Crabs and are often fished for their meat and shells. With enough Refractory Crab shells, people can make heat-resistant supplies such as thermal plating.
The rest of marine life resides in the many holes of the seafloor. The larger holes house entire ecosystems of marine life including plants and animals. The majority of these species are non-anomalous aside from their behavior. The main anomaly of the marine life is their strange and unique life cycle. Each species lives its entire life in a single day. Before the night comes each species reproduces and houses its offspring inside pockets inside of a species of red coral. Upon The Boiling Point cycle coming, every species outside of the red coral is boiled and killed by the water. On the next day, a majority of the remains of the marine life are gone. This repeats every day and night.
Three notably anomalous species can be considered entities. The first is the red corals also known as "Safety Corals." This species of coral is unaffected by the boiling of the water and thus makes it a safe place to put eggs inside. The coral doesn't attack back and seems to feed on a portion of the eggs by melting and absorbing the eggs. Bringing the corals outside the water drains the coloration of the coral and removes the heat-resistant properties.
The second group of entities is known as the "Great Sea Worms". These Great Sea Worms are the sole creators of the holes in the seafloor. They vary hugely in size. The worms possess a drill-like organ on their head that is capable of drilling through the seafloor with extreme efficiency. These worms rarely come to the surface, however, they have been seen drifting on the surface for long periods of time for an unknown reason. It is believed that these worms have large caverns under the seafloor that they reside in when not digging. It is unknown how they reproduce or whether they are resistant to The Boiling.
The final group of entities is known as "Stilt Walkers". These Walkers look like they are made of the same material as stilt cities, however, they are made of a hard chitin-like material shell with flesh underneath. They possess multiple stilt-like legs that move slowly as they traverse the sea. These legs are connected to their main body. Their main body is a large mass with a flat back that can carry several thousand tons of weight. On the underside of the body is a hole that houses a collection of needle-like teeth attached to a long snake-like tongue. They use this tongue during the night to impale boiled fish inside the holes of the seafloor and then drag them into their mouth. These Stilt Walkers often have a house or other building on their back. Where they get their building shells is believed to be from destroyed stilt cities. They try to mimic other stilt cities this way as they seem to have developed a taste for human flesh. Going inside one of the Stilt Walkers buildings causes overwhelming waves of dread and a loss of balance. Stilt Walkers have been known to slowly integrate their way into established stilt cities and wait for long periods before trying to feast on a wanderer. Stilt Walkers are the most dangerous entity on The Boiling Sea, as such, it is a good practice to be cautious of any stilt city building. If necessary, one could knock a Stilt Walker down by breaking two of their legs or pushing them off balance. When knocked over they are incapable of getting up and will drown or boil in the sea.
fig 3.0 A Stiltwalker.
Stilt Cities
The stilt cities are less dangerous and are where most lost people will be. Stilt cities as previously mentioned are composed of buildings on stilts. Though more flimsy, these buildings are often connected by bridges made of the same materials as the stilts. Buildings all share a marine and coastal-like aesthetic. The buildings don't follow one culture, as such wanderers can expect to find buildings with differing languages on signs. Restaurants found in stilt cities are 9 times out of 10 going to be some kind of seafood restaurant. The size of the city often dictates what kind of buildings are in the city as such, smaller cities are less likely to have important buildings like hospitals.
There are many dangers to stilt cities. Often bridges may break, stilts may snap, and buildings may fall. While all these can be avoided by being careful and observant there are other unavoidable dangers. As mentioned there are Stilt Walkers. There is also the threat of the water beneath being launched onto the city by the bubbling of The Boiling Point.
However, the most dangerous threat in stilt cities is other people. Entire generations of people have lived in the stilt cities, living and dying. Over time they forgot where they came from. A majority of the people in the stilt cities are not aware of baseline reality at all. What we see as everyday objects they see as magic and the work of gods. These people have different morals than others. They will kill and steal for supplies and items. If you show a calculator to someone, chances are that you will be killed by someone the next day for it. They are still human in the end so if necessary a wanderer could easily kill one in a plethora of ways. The simplest way to kill one of these wanderers is by knocking them into the sea. More times than not, no one will try and save them.
The Abyssal Portal
fig 4.0 The Abyssal Portal
The largest hole in the seafloor is 16 kilometers in diameter. The hole is called The Abyssal Portal because it has the clearest vision of the sea life and the depths below. This hole is where most studies were conducted on the marine life and how we know of their life cycles. The Abyssal Portal is also a popular fishing spot for the surrounding stilt cities. As we discovered that the holes were created by the Great Sea Worms we realized that The Abyssal Portal may have also been made by one of the worms. If that is true then it is possible that the largest lifeform ever discovered is beneath the seafloor. If this worm comes back to the surface again entire cities will be struck by massive waves and destroyed.
Stilt City Neptune
fig 5.0 A portion of Stilt City Neptune
Stilt City Neptune is the largest stilt city ever found and recorded with a size of 248 buildings, several roads and bridges, and a collection of boats. Neptune has 1 hospital, 1 fire department, 1 security department, 23 restaurants, 16 warehouses, 2 entertainment stadiums, 48 shops, and 156 houses. Most of Neptune's buildings were found where they are now, however, several were built using supplies and deconstructed stilt cities. Neptune has a long history. Originally Neptune was founded by a few shipwrecked people who had given up hope of returning home. Over time more people arrived. These wanderers stayed and started new lives and families. Then generations of people lived and died. They fought wars with each other, made peace, and established a monarchial form of government. The leader of Neptune rules over the city as their emperor/empress. They are chosen based on their heritage. Their heritage dates back to one of the original wanderer founders.
Neptune is a generally safe place with access to food and supplies. A large portion of wanderers ends up staying here. It is best advised to come here when in The Boiling Sea for supplies, food, and rest because the next voyage will require all you can get.
Shifting Water
Shifting Water is the name for the seawater of The Boiling Sea. Whether the water is in the sea or some other container it is still classified as Shifting Water. The name Shifting Water originates from the properties that cause it to shift in temperature over a set period of time. The table below shows the time and temperature of the water.| Time | Temperature |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 130C |
| 1:00 AM | 120C |
| 2:00 AM | 110C |
| 3:00 AM | 100C |
| 4:00 AM | 90C |
| 5:00 AM | 80C |
| 6:00 AM | 70C |
| 7:00 AM | 60C |
| 8:00 AM | 50C |
| 9:00 AM | 40C |
| 10:00 AM | 30C |
| 11:00 AM | 20C |
| 12:00 PM | 10C |
When properly utilized and contained Shifting Water can be quite useful. As the Shifting Water maintains its shifting property even when outside The Boiling Sea, a universal time system has been set up. By measuring the temperature of contained Shifting Water wanderers can determine what time it is currently throughout most of time and space.
Attempts at creating a thermal generator using Shifting Water have proved fruitless as the water slowly evaporates into an intangible vapor.
While Shifting Water has many valuable uses it is extremely dangerous to collect and contain especially in large quantities.
Recommended Equipment
Thermal protection. Travel supplies. Oars. Reliable weapon
Valuable Resources
Fish. Supplies found in stilt cities
Recommended Actions
Find a stilt city. Try and group up with wanderers who are planning on leaving. Or you could try and stay in one of the large stilt cities and live a new life.
Communities
Sea Seekers
Sea Seekers are a group of wanderers who actively explore the sea in hopes of finding new stilt cities or stranded wanderers. These wanderers are good company and will help others find an escape or guide them to larger stilt cities. They have an HQ on Neptune and two other lesser stilt cities. They also possess the largest boat in The Boiling Sea The S.S. Seeker. The S.S. Seeker is a large restored cargo ship that the Sea Seekers have transformed into a mini mobile city.
Atlanteans
Atlanteans are the name of residents of Stilt City Neptune. They chose their name despite Atlantis being Greek and Neptune being Roman because the original wanderer founders mixed up their cultures. This has been asked to be changed repeatedly, however, the residents have resisted. Atlanteans are generally nice to each other but they are known to be harsh to outsiders. They obsess over electronics and other items. Often they will steal from wanderers or kill them.
Currently, there are 534 Atlanteans. This number is mainly composed of locals but a small percentage is of wanderers who decided to reside in the city.
The Atlanteans also have a unique law system in place. Instead of a courtroom, lawbreakers are held in a designated stadium. The current leader gathers residents to the stands of the stadium and asks whether the individual(s) are guilty of their crimes. If the criminals are said to be innocent they are set free. If either the residents agree they are guilty or the criminal admits to the crime then depending on the level of the crime, the criminal will face consequences. Minor crimes result in forced labor for the royal families. Major crimes result in execution by throwing the criminal into The Boiling Sea. This system is corrupt and rigged for the emperor. Sometimes crimes will be fabricated so that individuals will be executed and so that the royals can have more workers. The system is also set up against outsiders. Outsiders 9 out of 10 times are found guilty by the crowd.
The Atlanteans have a large fishing and stilt city deconstruction industry. They don't go out to trade but rather use their city as a trading hub. They buy Refractory shells, electronics, metals, and seeds for high prices.
Access
Entrances
As The Boiling Sea is one of the Cardinal Transitorius seas of Thalasso, it can be accessed through its correlating Cardinal Threshold, Demon's Duel. Besides the threshold access, The Boiling Sea can also be accessed rarely through a boiling Rift Gatewave that travels across Horizon. Though, this method is ill-advised as the boiling Rift is exceptionally hot. Besides these methods, there are no reliable ways to enter The Boiling Sea.
Exits
The Boiling Sea sparsely has islands of massive bones. These islands attract vast amounts of marine animals and birds for unknown reasons. In the middle of these bone islands are lakes that shine brilliant azure. Anything atop the lakes gets dragged into the water where it will be transported within seconds to a sea of the Horizon layer.
To return to Baseline, you must pass through Demon's Duel and escape through there. To access Demon's Duel from The Boiling Sea, scattered far away from any Stiltcities are bleached white torii gates. Entering these gates transports you to Demon's Duel.