Technically, the first version of this map has been around for years, not just months and Talmid's map on which it was based has been around even longer. I see what you mean there. Actually, according to the original description of the Ocean Strait as the Elepharian river was first called in Perpetual Doom that river went all across the equator of Militiregnum (as written by Sir Talmid). However, Talmid himself was the first to go sort of against it. Although we don't see the river ending on the right side of the map, on the left there's sea. But I suppose I was the one who decided to cut the river off in Map 2. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It means we can have the gravitational effect all across the equator without making the Skyfalls a planet-wide event. Instead that's exclusive to Elepharia.
But yeah this connection of Elepharia to Morcia has existed ever since Talmid's map or one might say ever since Perpetual Doom itself, where the Knights just ride to Elepharia and where the journey is described and the only thing they have to pass is the Ocean Strait, not an actual sea.