Shadownet Cove

Just south of the mainland of Kotokai lies the infamous Shadownet Cove. An archipelago of hundreds of islands in the clear, bright teal waters of the Southern Sea, most of Shadownet Cove has been unexplored by sailors and travelers. With so many islands in such a small area, the region is poorly mapped and charted, and merchant vessels stay clear of it entirely, choosing to instead follow the coastline of Zimildran as they pass east and west.

The only sailors who know the waters and the islands (or at least a handful of the islands) well are often those who practice piracy. Shadownet Cove provides great cover for brigands of the high seas, and pirate ships have been known to hit merchant vessels and then retreat into the winding passages and mysterious isles of the Cove. Some brave and resourceful pirate-hunters have made their way into the Cove in pursuit of their quarry, but none have been so successful in their hunts as Captain Catherine DeFarigold. A successful Harsonian privateer who often finds work for the Urtada Empire in the Southern Sea, Captain DeFarigold is a rare case. Under most circumstances, traditional sailors will not suffer a woman on board their ship, as the superstitious seafarers see it as severe bad luck. Yet DeFarigold has not only become a successful privateer, but has grown in skill and success to captain her very own vessel, the Lady Margaret, making her one of the incredibly few female captains in all of Zimildran.

The largest island in Shadownet Cove is known as Tidewatch Island, an abandoned Kotokai village and fortress that has been since reclaimed by the - almost supernaturally - aggressive wildlife of the island. It is also rumored that the island itself is a Vault of the Ancients, more specifically the Ancient known as Namorikal. Some sailors who have ventured to the island have reported seeing a strangely colored stegosaurus patrolling the interior of the island, and the beast seems to be ignored by the predators that stalk the jungles. Others claim that this stegosaurus is actually a Warden in disguise.

Another island surrounded by mystery is the hidden Island of Fangs. This hollowed volcano cone is actually a hidden pirate outpost, a free port for those who sail under the command of the (self-proclaimed) Dread-Pirate King Larsson. Erik Larsson is considered by many to be the most powerful pirate in Shadownet Cove, if not the four seas of Zimildran. With his fleet of ships and array of loyal captains, he has been a considerable threat to any merchant and trading vessels along the southern coasts of Zimildran.