The Elemental Plane of Water
The Elemental Plane of Water is one of the four Inner Planes and the elemental source most closely associated with water, currents, tides, and aquatic environments.
The plane is an immense body of water with no known surface or floor. Travelers can move in any direction, and a diffuse light reaches through much of its more accessible regions despite the absence of a visible sun.
Temperature, salinity, and currents vary considerably from one region to another. Deeper into the plane, foreign matter becomes increasingly scarce as elemental water comes to dominate the environment.
The Coral Sanctum, domain of Nerissa, Primarch of Water, travels through the plane with its major currents.
Structure and Environment
The Plane of Water has no conventional coastline, seabed, or surface.
Water extends in every direction, interrupted by drifting debris, suspended rock, coral formations, settlements, and other material that has entered or formed within the plane.
There is no consistent sense of up or down across much of the plane. Pressure is generally experienced from all directions rather than increasing according to depth as it does in a Material Plane ocean.
The water itself varies considerably. Some regions are fresh, others saline, and some contain high concentrations of minerals or suspended material. Temperatures range from near freezing to dangerously hot, while differences in current and water composition can create distinct regions over enormous distances.
Farther into the plane, suspended earth and other foreign material become less common, leaving increasingly uninterrupted expanses of elemental water.
Currents and Travel
Currents are one of the defining features of the Plane of Water.
Some move slowly across enormous distances, while others form powerful streams, tides, or rotating systems capable of carrying creatures, debris, and settlements far from their previous positions.
Experienced travelers use reliable currents as routes between known locations. Changes in their direction or strength can make established journeys considerably longer or render older routes unreliable.
Creatures with a natural swimming ability have a considerable advantage. Others require magic, specialized equipment, or assistance from native inhabitants to move effectively.
Because fixed terrain is scarce, navigation usually depends on currents, magical landmarks, settlements, and other recognizable features, many of which may themselves be moving.
Settlements
Permanent communities are usually established around large objects or structures suspended within the water.
Rock formations, coral growths, wreckage, and material brought from other planes can provide foundations for construction. Some settlements remain attached to a particular structure, while others drift with the surrounding currents.
Air-filled chambers can be maintained for inhabitants and visitors unable to breathe water, though these require magic or careful construction.
The movement of the plane means that settlements do not always remain in the same position relative to one another. Travel between them often depends on knowing which currents they currently follow and where those currents are expected to carry them.
Connections to the Material Plane
Natural vortices can connect the Plane of Water to the Material Plane.
These crossings most often form within large concentrations of water. Deep oceans, underwater trenches, clear underground lakes, and powerful whirlpools are among the places where temporary connections may appear.
Some vortices remain stable for long periods, while others form only under particular tidal, magical, or environmental conditions.
Because many natural crossings occur underwater, travelers may need to contend with breathing, pressure, and difficult access before reaching the plane itself. Established portals provide more reliable entry when available.
Elemental Confluences
The boundaries of the Plane of Water are not absolute. Where its substance mingles with the neighboring Elemental Planes, the distinction between one element and another becomes increasingly unstable. These confluence regions form part of what planar scholars collectively call the Elemental Chaos.
Where Water mingles with Air, temperatures can fall sharply and ice becomes increasingly common. Floating fragments may grow into enormous sheets, icebergs, cliffs, and frozen structures surrounded by open water or cold air. Larger formations can contain fissures, caverns, and pockets of unfrozen water, while violent regions may be dominated by freezing currents, snow, and hail.
Where Water mingles with Earth, sediment and mineral content increase until clear water gives way to mud, clay, silt, and suspended stone. Some regions are thick enough to support weight briefly, while others consist of deep sludge or dense clouds of sediment through which movement and visibility are severely restricted.
These confluences do not form separate planes. Their extent and conditions vary, and the balance between their contributing elements can shift across enormous regions. Elemental creatures adapted to ice, mud, silt, and other mixed forms of water are particularly common along these boundaries.
Inhabitants
Water elementals are among the most common native creatures of the plane. Formed from its elemental substance, they move through the surrounding water and currents without difficulty.
Marids are also closely associated with the Plane of Water. They establish settlements and domains throughout its waters and possess considerable control over water and aquatic environments.
Nerissa, Primarch of Water, was the first Marid and remains the most important divine figure associated with them in Eldareth's traditions.
Many other aquatic creatures can survive within the plane. Fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and other water-breathing creatures may establish populations where temperature and water conditions suit them.
Larger predators also inhabit the plane, including krakens and other creatures capable of surviving far from settled regions. Air-breathing aquatic creatures face many of the same difficulties as other visitors unless they possess some means of breathing underwater.
Language
Aquan is the language traditionally associated with the Plane of Water.
It is a form of Primordial spoken by marids, intelligent water elementals, and many other creatures connected to elemental water.
Travelers who regularly deal with native settlements often learn Aquan, particularly when they depend on local guides or trade.
The Coral Sanctum
The Coral Sanctum is the domain of Nerissa, Primarch of Water.
It is formed largely from living coral and travels through the plane rather than remaining fixed to a single location. Its movement follows the major currents, though its route does not remain identical from one cycle to the next.
The Sanctum serves as Nerissa's principal seat of power and one of the four major elemental domains associated with the Primarchs.
Its drifting nature can make it difficult to locate without knowledge of current conditions or magical guidance. Those familiar with the plane track its movement through known currents and other recurring signs.
Natural Hazards
Currents present one of the most common dangers on the Plane of Water.
Powerful flows can separate travelers, carry them away from established routes, or pull them into unfamiliar regions. Large rotating currents can trap creatures and debris for extended periods.
Temperature can also change considerably between regions. A traveler may pass from comfortable water into freezing or dangerously heated currents with relatively little warning.
Some areas contain heavy concentrations of salt, minerals, mud, or other suspended material that reduce visibility or make movement difficult. Predators present another threat, particularly away from inhabited regions, where travelers may have few places to shelter or rest.
Becoming lost is especially dangerous because currents, landmarks, and settlements can all move over time.
Survival
The Plane of Water is relatively survivable compared with some of the other Inner Planes once the problem of breathing underwater has been addressed.
Creatures capable of breathing water can travel through much of its accessible regions without extensive environmental protection. Effective swimming remains important, particularly when crossing strong currents or traveling long distances without solid structures on which to rest.
Prolonged journeys require reliable navigation and access to suitable food and supplies. Temperature, currents, predators, and changing water conditions become greater concerns away from established settlements.
Deeper into the plane, foreign material and familiar landmarks become increasingly scarce as elemental water dominates the environment. Along the boundaries with Air and Earth, conditions instead become increasingly mixed and unstable as Water gives way to the elemental confluences of the Elemental Chaos.
For outsiders, the Coral Sanctum and other established communities provide the most reliable places to rest, gather information, and prepare before traveling farther into the plane.