Dark, forbidding forests stand atop the cliffs. The western and part of the northern coasts are lined with narrow beaches of black sand. However, reaching these beaches can be very dangerous. The waters are shallow and rife with reefs, making it dangerous to bring even small boats close to the island. As the shore continues north, cliffs start to rise about fifteen to twenty feet from the beaches.
Larger vessels can approach the island at only one well-known place.
In the decades before the Second Cataclysm, Illtide Bay emerged as a regular portage for the vessels under the command of the notorious Gad Maccaby. He charted a safe course through the reefs, reportedly at the cost of two ships. Although Maccaby's grandson, Scarrel Maccaby, continues to plague shipping in the Blood Sea, he does not make use of Claren Elian. Scarrels dares not test the wrath of Malys. The majority of Claren Elian is covered by lush green forests, and even though Malys demonstrated her power by scorching the island's center, the hearty forests have already started to reclaim that land.