Blood Sea
The Blood Sea (Shingoryeoite Korean: 혈해, Hanja: 血海, romanised: Hyeolhae) is one of the largest oceans in the SAREIMA regions. It spans an area of 116,200,000km2 (44,865,070 sq mi), and is considered to be the coldest of all major seas that separate the SAREIMA regions. Geographically it separates Rushmore to Arrosia, as well as hosting inter-regional portals to other regions including Sonnel. Due to said significance, it is considered to separate the northern, calmer half of 'Old World' to the ever-eventful southern half of the 'New World'.
Through the ocean's ability to separate the two regions, which would subsequently accelerate with the formation of Anaia as a region under the Foxchester Declaration, the Blood Sea has played an integral part in the history and the development of many nations. Over several thousand years many people have crossed the Blood Sea, the difficulty of voyaging through the tumultuous, colour-changing ocean would mean that the 1503 Expedition of Agrippa de Leiningen from Quebec and Shingoryeo to Nassau Bay, New Gelderland would be considered the most impactful of crossings done between the oceans. De Leningen's expedition would mark the start of an age of expansion in international trade and expansionism of both regions by major powers.
Among the powers, it would particularly affect Quebec and Shingoryeo, as the Blood Sea would become the centre of the trade routes between northern Atlantian Oceania and southern Rushmore between the 15th and the 20th centuries. While trade between northern Calania and all regions of Rushmore was promoted, this would particularly thrive in the Vatmark and Terranea sub-regions where much of the Shingoryeoite Empire's wealth would be accumulated through extensive trades involving modern-era Afanc Strait and Gatchingerrak Union, two distinct multi-national blocs located respectively in Terranea and Vatmark sub-regions. Technological developments and an increase in naval conflicts between the increasing number of multiversal powers, best seen in the Southern Rushmori War of 1941-1945, the last great war fought over the oceans, as well as the Corvidae Conflicts of the 2000s, would come to increase the significance of the ocean. Alongside the Ocean of Tears that would separate eastern Rushmore from western Esportiva, the Blood Sea continues to function as a major sea of trade and transportation.
The Blood Sea roughly begins around the Calanian North Pole in central Arrosia, and extends past the Calanian North Pole into a wide, predominantly-undercharted middle half of the water, before meeting the southern end of the Rushmore region. Much of the Blood Sea's covered by sea ice on year-round basis and sees varied salinity and temperature, even though it remains among the lowest, if not the lowest, on both metrics. The Blood Sea's pristine nature is known for its vibrant marine life, with about 2,000 marine species known to inhabit in the area, and many nations coordinate their conservation efforts on the Blood Sea alone due to its sheer scale.
Perennial sea ice presence, combined with historical difficulty in navigating the open, turbulent mid-section of the Ocean, has made it particularly difficult to navigate over the years. Several aircrafts and ships over the past five hundred years have disappeared in the Blood Sea, with the most notorious example being the Disappearance of the Beija-Flor in Azurean year 1904 (Commonwealth year used being 1942). While multiple theories have existed behind a particularly high rate of disappearances and sinkings over the Blood Sea's mid-section over the years, they are generally dismissed for their lack of feasibility on scientific grounds.