This sea is travelled by pirates, smugglers, and worse, with most honest trade ships prefering to stay closer to shorelines. From here, people head into the vast Veridian sea so most ports nearby trade in supplies for long voyages.
The Elvish empire’s warships only skirt through the Sea of Vows and are infrequent at best, they know they are unwelcome and haven’t been able to control this portion of the sea effectively.