Gray Fogs

Gray Fogs were thick dark clouds of saline-Cascatine water vapor that appeared in remote regions of the oceans of the Shimmering Seas. Species from the Matoran Universe entered the Shimmering Seas by emerging out of Gray Fogs, and some that tried to pass back through Gray Fogs again to return home vanished from both the Shimmering Seas and Matoran Universe. Biosynth sailors from the Shimmering Seas that entered Gray Fogs, likewise, were never reported to have returned.

Appearance
Gray Fogs appeared as enormous walls of dark clouds that rose up from the water and across one’s range of vision. They were distinct from typical fogs in their shadowy tint, believed to be a result of Cascatine present in the Gray Fog’s vapor.

Properties
Little was understood about Gray Fogs. What was known was that those who entered never returned. Fear and superstition surrounded Gray Fogs in all cultures of the Shimmering Seas with experience dealing with them. For this reason, research on Gray Fogs was limited for fear that researchers would disappear into them forever.

The little research that was done was conducted by Biosynth scientists, who hunted down Gray Fogs in the open saline-Cascatine oceans and sailed along the edge of them without being consumed. Samples of the vapor that made up Gray Fogs were collected and analyzed on dry land. The air of Gray Fogs contained traces of salt and Cascatine. It was believed that water condensing around Cascatine particles suspended in the air gave Gray Fogs their uniquely dark tint.

Settlers from the Matoran Universe into the Shimmering Seas reported that the navigational systems on their vessels became compromised after entering Gray Fogs. It was believed that the high levels of Cascatine in Gray Fogs adversely affected maps and triangulation equipment onboard ships passing through them.

Sightings
Gray Fogs would usually only appear out in the open oceans of the Shimmering Seas, far away from any landmasses. On rare occasions Gray Fogs were reported within sight of remote islands, but never did Gray Fogs pass over the islands. Gray Fogs would repeatedly appear and disappear, then reappear in areas they had previously been sighted in. It was therefore difficult to predict when and where a Gray Fog would form, and for how long it would remain.

Beings from the Matoran Universe who settled in the Shimmering Seas often reported having entered similar fog-like anomalies in the Protodermis seas they sailed in from. It was unknown, however, whether or not these fogs were in fact Gray Fogs made up of saline-Cascatine water vapor.