Cormorant Isles

The Cormorant Isles are a series of small rocky islands in the Gulf of Adwa, situated off the northeast coast of Raziya. Although few of the islands are of any great size, many of them make up in height what they lack in area, and altogether they give the impression of a sunken city of pyramids and obelisks. Giving the islands their name, countless cormorants nest here, raising their young amidst the craggy rocks and fishing from the gulf's abundant waters. Occasionally Raziyan fisherman visit the islands to collect eggs to sell as a delicacy, or, more importantly, guano for use as fertilizer in Raziya and beyond.

Historically the islands have hosted other visitors: they were once a notorious ambuscade for pirates, who would launch attacks on the many ships passing to and fro through the Gulf, and then escape once more into the mazy passages between the towering columns of rock. So strong was the association between these islands and the corsairs who hid there that pirates came to be referred to as "cormorants," a usage that persists to this day.