The Sea of Teeth

One bold enough to sail far to the north, beyond even the coasts of the Northmen, will look upon the Tennurhaf - a term in the Northern tongues that translates to "the Sea of Teeth." No one knows exactly where the name comes from. Some claim that the many rocky islands in the Tennurhaf are like the teeth of a great beast, while others believe that the name comes from the many-toothed sea monsters that call the place their home. Nevertheless, it is a frightful name, and the locale lives up to the reputation.

Life in the Tennurhaf is a brutal one. The winters are icy cold, and it is so far to the north that the sun
never rises for months on end. The dark waters of the sea are tossed by storms, with chilling winds and heavy rain and snow a constant sight. There are many small islands scattered throughout the sea, ranging from those large enough to be kingdoms in their own right to those that are little more than jagged rocks jutting from the water, with many a ship meeting its end splintered upon the stones. Some are so far north that nothing grows there. And that is not even getting into the beasts of the Tennurhaf - great serpents, grasping krakens, and whales that swallow entire ships whole. On many southern maps, the Tennurhaf is marked "here there be dragons" - and not without good reason.

Yet, men are nothing if not tenacious creatures. Even here, in this most inhospitable of lands, some semblance of civilization reigns. The seas of the Tennurhaf are too unpredictable for large, organized empires or merchant companies to emerge, but there are many clans, fiefs, and petty kingdoms scattered across the islands and the coast. The Northmen have charted routes across the Sea of Teeth and established colonies reaching as far as the great northern wastes, and they rule their lands fiercely. Due to the unpredictable climate and the rocky soil, farming is a tricky business in the Tennurhaf, and much of the wealth that flows through these kingdoms comes in the form of plunder raided from settlements to the south.

Art by ScenesbyColleen

Of all the Northmen, those of the Tennurhaf are most feared, for they have been hardened by their rough homeland and show no mercy. In the Sea of Teeth, it is only the strong who survive, let alone hold power. If there is any consolation for the settled folk of the south, it is that the Northmen are just as wont to turn their axes upon each other - kin-strife and blood feuds have marred the annals of the North for generations upon generations, and these quarrelsome folk war among one another just as often as they attack foreign shores.

Many southerners would never dream of setting foot anywhere near the Tennurhaf. To do so would be tantamount to suicide. There is nothing of value there, and too much hardship to face for the trouble. Yet, to some, that danger is its own reward, and one man's fear is another's opportunity...