Fendry I is a watery world, but this water is rarely seen, for great floating plates of ice cover the surface. Some rocky islands, mostly of volcanic origin, are scattered here and there. But despite this initially hostile appearance, the deep seas contain an abundance of fauna. Huge sightless fish cruise the depths, filtering plankton from the water and being preyed on by even larger sea creatures. Though there is a market for the meat of some of these monstrosities, catching them is fraught with difficulties and the practice of fishing beneath the ice is now seriously in decline.