
Elemental Plane of Air
The Elemental Plane of Air was an Inner Plane[9] or Elemental Plane[14] of the Great Wheel cosmology and the World Tree cosmology models. After the Spellplague, the Elemental Plane of Air collapsed into the Elemental Chaos, mixing with all the other Inner Planes.[15] Air is one of the four elements and two energies that make up the known universe and therefore of keen interest to cosmologists as well as spell casters that wish to harness and wield the raw power of the elements.[16]

    1 Cosmology
    2 Description
        2.1 Notable Locations
    3 Inhabitants
    4 Realms
    5 Appendix
        5.1 Notes
        5.2 Appearances
            5.2.1 Adventures
            5.2.2 Novels & Short Stories
            5.2.3 Video Games
            5.2.4 Board Games
            5.2.5 Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
        5.3 Further Reading
        5.4 External Links
        5.5 References
        5.6 Connections

Cosmology[]

According to the Great Wheel cosmology model, the Elemental Plane of Air could be reached via the Ethereal Plane, an adjacent elemental plane, or by an elemental vortex.[9] If traveling through the Deep Ethereal, a blue curtain of vaporous color indicated the boundary of the Plane of Air's Border Ethereal region. Once in the Border Ethereal, a traveler could observe the Plane of Air and be detected by its denizens.[17] Using the spherical model, this plane was adjacent to the para-elemental planes of Ice and Smoke and the quasi-elemental planes of Lightning and Vacuum.[10] Elemental vortices could occur wherever a high concentration or nearly pure form of an element was found, and could be temporary or permanent. A vortex to the Plane of Air could manifest in the eye of a hurricane or in the clean, crisp air atop a high mountain, for example.[3] There was a vortex to the Elemental Plane of Water called the Waterspout not far from the djinn city/palace called the Citadel of Ice and Steel.[18] Temporary gates could be created by the plane shift [19] spell or the abilities of high level druids.[9][20]

In the World Tree cosmology model, the Astral Plane connected all planes with the Prime Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane was only used for journeying between locations on the Prime.[21] The Elemental Plane of Air was not connected or coterminous with any other elemental plane.[22] The spell astral projection [23][24] could be used to reach the Plane of Air via a pale blue color pool.[25] Additionally, the gate [26][27] and plane shift [23][28] spells could be used to open a temporary portal to this plane. To reach the plane in this manner required a tin fork tuned to the note of A as a spell focus.[29]
Description[]

The Elemental Plane of Air was filled essentially completely with air but had various impurities that tended to form pockets or bubbles in the otherwise pure atmosphere.[30] Gaseous bubbles included clouds of every type, fog, steam, mist, smoke, poisonous clouds and acidic vapors; also the rare intrusion of elemental fire which is flame without fuel. Liquid impurities were usually water or water-based and tended to form floating spheres when not buffeted or frozen by the winds.[18] Solid matter could be found here, from dust, ash, salt, or sand, to chunks of earth approaching the size of a large asteroid. The larger chunks were often brought into the plane by intelligent beings and were very likely to be inhabited or formerly inhabited.[18][31] As described by the Great Wheel model, a traveler with a guide could approach the boundaries with the para- and quasi-elemental planes: where the whiff of smoke eventually became hot, thick, and choking, or the tang of ozone soon lead to heavy storms with arcs of lightning in all directions, or the temperature dropped until flakes of snow, crystals of ice, and lumps of hail finally became a wall of ice, or the light faded to gray and the air thinned out until there was nothing.[18][32]

If you had to describe the Elemental Plane of Air in a single word, it would have been "blue". The very substance of the plane seemed to radiate the magnificent sapphire hue of a clear summer day on the Prime Material Plane.[30] Visibility was twice what the best conditions on the Prime could allow unless, of course, something obscured vision.[33] Weather was the primary natural hazard in this plane. The winds were normally light to moderately strong throughout the plane but could intensify into tornadoes, maelstroms, and hurricanes with powerful lightning. These extreme weather events were common,[34] and when other elements got caught up in the storm, it could produce pounding rain, blinding snow, pelting hail, freezing sleet, and storms of choking smoke, biting sand, burning ash, scalding steam, or searing fire.[31] The worst of these was the maelstrom, a toroid-shaped tornado that could last for decades.[18][35] Being caught in one was like being in a violent dust storm and death was only a matter of minutes away unless the victim was able to achieve great speed (escape velocity),[35] perform an act of great strength[18] or receive outside assistance.[35][18] Spellcasting was impossible within a maelstrom.[18]
Notable Locations[]

    Borealis[18]
    Citadel of Ice and Steel[18]
    Taifun, Palace of Tempests[18]

Inhabitants[]
A and inhabited island in the Plane of Air.

A djinni and inhabited island in the Plane of Air.

Invisible, and yet the most common denizens of this plane were the elementals themselves[3][36] including aerial servants,[37] invisible stalkers[1][2][38] and wind walkers.[39] Unless magic was employed their outlines were only vaguely visible if dust or debris were caught in their bodies. When made visible, air elementals were usually large wispy beings with aerodynamic bodies and wings, or propelled themselves by forcing air through their bodies and using fins for maneuvering.[2] Others, sometimes called animentals,[36] mimicked the shape of Prime Material animals and monsters.[3]

Immigrants[note 1] to the Elemental Plane of Air included the djinn,[1][2][34][40] some jann,[2][41] mephits of the air, dust and ice subtypes,[3] and arrowhawks.[1][3] Reported sightings of other creatures included beholders,[3][42] belkers,[1][43] cloud giants,[43][44] devas,[2][45] hippogriffs,[3][46] ildriss,[47] pegasi,[3][48] skriaxit,[18] spectres,[2][49] sphinxes,[2][3][49] sprites,[3][50] sylphs,[18] and vapor rats.[2][51]


---


Elemental Plane of Earth
The Elemental Plane of Earth was an Inner Plane[10] or Elemental Plane[16] of the Great Wheel cosmology and the World Tree cosmology models. After the Spellplague, the Elemental Plane of Earth collapsed into the Elemental Chaos, mixing with all the other Inner Planes.[17] Earth is one of the four elements and two energies that make up the known universe and therefore of keen interest to cosmologists.[18] The abundance of large gems and huge ore deposits lured many greedy prospectors to brave the significant dangers of this plane.[2]

    1 Cosmology
    2 Description
        2.1 Notable Locations
        2.2 Divine Realms
    3 Inhabitants
    4 Appendix
        4.1 Appearances
        4.2 Notes
        4.3 References
        4.4 Connections

Cosmology[]

According to the Great Wheel cosmology model, the Elemental Plane of Earth could be reached via the Ethereal Plane, an adjacent elemental plane, or by an elemental vortex.[10] A vortex called the Pale River led to the Elemental Plane of Water and a vortex called the Iron Crucible connected to the Elemental Plane of Fire.[20] If traveling through the Deep Ethereal, a brown curtain of vaporous color indicated the boundary of the Plane of Earth's Border Ethereal region. Once in the Border Ethereal, a traveler could observe the Plane of Earth and be detected by its denizens.[21] Using the spherical model, this plane was adjacent to the para-elemental planes of Ooze and Magma and the quasi-elemental planes of Minerals and Dust.[11] Elemental vortices could occur wherever a high concentration or nearly pure form of an element was found, and could be temporary or permanent. Vortices to the Plane of Earth were nearly always found in the heart of mountain ranges, particularly young ones.[22] Temporary gates could be created by the plane shift [23] spell or the abilities of high level druids.[10][24]

In the World Tree cosmology model, the Astral Plane connected all planes with the Prime Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane was only used for journeying between locations on the Prime.[25] The Elemental Plane of Earth was not connected or coterminous with any other elemental plane.[26] The spell astral projection [27][28] could be used to reach the Plane of Earth via a moss granite color pool.[29] Additionally, the gate [30][31] and plane shift [27][32] spells could be used to open a temporary portal to this plane, but could be extremely dangerous unless the destination was previously scouted. To reach the Plane of Earth by means of a plane shift spell required a zinc fork tuned to the note of A.[33]

An unusual ability granted by Moradin to his ardent followers, the Hammers of Moradin, allowed them to use the Earth Plane as a transitive plane much like the shadow walk spell allowed spellcasters to skirt the edge of the Shadow Plane and quickly travel between locations on the Prime Plane.[34]
Description[]

The Elemental Plane of Earth was an infinite expanse of solid matter pockmarked by bubbles of other elements and riddled with fissures and tunnels created by burrowing creatures or the occasional small mining operation.[22][36] Ensconced in a few of these pockets were trading outposts and the rare hidden wizard fortress.[20] Solid does not imply stationary: the substances of this plane were constantly moving in a slow, grinding motion punctuated by earthquakes from small tremors to massively violent upheavals.[4][37] Open spaces were gradually filled by the relentless shifting[20][36] (or marauding earth elementals)[15] unless action was taken to prevent it. Air could be found in scattered pockets but unbreathable gasses were also present—unprepared travelers lucky enough to arrive in a cavern might slowly asphyxiate while the unlucky quickly suffocated by being buried alive.[36][37] Other pockets of magma, water, ooze, dust, or ash were particularly dangerous for miners if they accidentally breached one of these.[20] No light existed in the Plane of Earth except for rare luminous gems buried in the crushing darkness. Travelers able to pass through stone were effectively blind unless they used magic such as a ring of x-ray vision,[38][39][40] or until their eyes reached an open space where darkvision could operate or a source of light could be produced.[36] Hearing was actually enhanced while encased in earth, to the point where travelers could detect any movement through the rock within a certain radius of their position.[37]

As described by the Great Wheel model, the solid earth changed in proximity to the para- and quasi-elemental planes. A native guide was necessary to find these border regions and each had their own dangers. Near the Plane of Ooze, more water was present and the rock gradually lost cohesion. Approaching the Plane of Magma the temperature rose until the rock glowed with heat and became viscous. Proximity to the Negative Material plane dessicated the earth and caused it to crumble to dust. Toward the Positive Material plane, veins of ore, crystal, and gems became richer and more prevalent, finally crossing the border to the quasi-elemental plane of Minerals.[41]

Every type of rock, soil, mineral, metal ore, sand, and dirt could be found here in abundance, ranging from talc soft to marble tough to diamond hard. Mining operations tended to be small and short-lived because the movement of the substance of the plane and intense gravity caused cave-ins, and the native population defended their territory and/or food supply.[22] In addition, there was the unusual problem of where to put the discarded mine tailings.[37] The dao were the only people known to successfully manage large continuous mining operations in the Plane of Earth. They did this in the Great Dismal Delve mercilessly using slave labor to dig and repair earthquake damage.[2][4][42]
Notable Locations[]

    The Great Dismal Delve[2][4][20][42]
    The Sevenfold Mazework[43]
    The Hidden Fulcrum[44]
    The Pale River[45]
    The Iron Crucible[45]
    The Aviary was a gigantic air-filled cavern inhabitated by a colony of avariel; due to its effective lack of gravity it was a paradise for all who enjoyed flying.[46]

Divine Realms[]

    Geb of the Mulhorandi pantheon had a realm here called the Caverns under the Stars.[41][47][46]
    Grumbar, the Lord of the Earth, Gnarly One, King of the Land Below the Roots, Boss of Earth Elementals,[48][49][50][51][52] was thought to be a mountain-sized earth elemental with god-like powers that rarely granted audiences.[42] His realm was called the Great Mountain.[53] After the Spellplague it was revealed that he was a primordial and he formed a new realm called Root Hold in the Elemental Chaos.[17]
    Kabril Ali al-Sara al-Zalazil, Great Khan of the Dao, the Fountain of Wealth, the Perfect Compass, Atamen of the Mountain's Roots, and other titles lived in the Great Dismal Delve in a palace called the Sevenfold Mazework.[20]
    Ogremoch, Prince of Evil Earth Creatures,[54] had a citadel called Stonemire[55] atop a large mesa within a huge pocket of vacuum[42] near the paraplane of Magma.[55]
    Sunnis, Princess of Good Earth Creatures, resided in a fortress called Sandfall.[55]

Inhabitants[]
stalked by in the Plane of Earth.

Adventurers stalked by xorn in the Plane of Earth.

The matter of the plane itself came to life, with earth elementals being the most numerous creatures on the plane,[2][3][4] with typically blocky, angular bodies covered in sharp edges, ranging from man-sized to mountainous.[42] Other native creatures looked like rough-hewn statues of Prime Material Plane animals and monsters or animated crystalline forms[3] like crysmals.[56] Then there were the alien-looking khargra,[3][57] xorn,[3][4][58] and xaren[3][59] with tri-fold symmetric bodies and a taste for metal. All natives and some creatures with an earth-affinity could move through the plane like a fish through water, the rock flowing around them and closing back up again, leaving no tunnel.[15][note 1]

Immigrants and visitors to the Elemental Plane of Earth included basilisks (greater),[3][60] chaggrin,[61] the dao,[2][3][4][62] dwarves,[15][63] an occasional blue[4][64] or copper dragon,[4][65] galeb duhr,[20] gargoyles,[15][66] janni,[4][67] lava children,[3][68] mephits of the earth and salt subtypes,[4] the pech,[3][69] sandlings,[3][70] stone giants,[4][71] thoqqua,[4][72] and wraiths.[3][58]

---


Elemental Plane of Fire
FA-symbol
Elemental Plane of Fire is a Featured Article! It is one of the best articles created by the Forgotten Realms Wiki community.
However, if you can update it or think of a way to further improve it, then please feel free to contribute.
The Elemental Plane of Fire was an Inner Plane[9] or Elemental Plane[15] of the Great Wheel cosmology and the World Tree cosmology models. After the Spellplague, the Elemental Plane of Fire collapsed into the Elemental Chaos, mixing with all the other Inner Planes.[16] Fire is one of the four elements and two energies that make up the known universe[17] and more than any other element has fascinated sentient beings since the beginning of time. The flickering of a candle, the spark of a flint and steel, or the dying embers of a campfire, all have the potential to grow and engulf the world in flame—can a drop of water, a breath of air, or a mote of dust do the same? Elemental fire is pure flame that does not require air or fuel to burn and can take on a solid, liquid, or gaseous state, yet it will ignite and consume anything flammable and unprotected from fire.[14]

    1 Cosmology
    2 Description
        2.1 City of Brass
        2.2 The Elemental Foundation of Fire
    3 Inhabitants
    4 History
    5 Realms
    6 Connections
    7 Appendix
        7.1 Notes
        7.2 Appearances
            7.2.1 Adventures
            7.2.2 Novels & Short Stories
            7.2.3 Video Games
            7.2.4 Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
        7.3 External links
        7.4 References
        7.5 Connections

Cosmology[]

According to the Great Wheel cosmology model, the Elemental Plane of Fire could be reached via the Ethereal Plane, an adjacent elemental plane, or by an elemental vortex.[9] Two known vortices to adjacent elemental planes were the Iron Crucible that led to the Elemental Plane of Earth[18] and a vortex to the Plane of Air atop Jabal Turab, the Mount of Dust.[19] If traveling through the Deep Ethereal, a red curtain of vaporous color indicated the boundary of the Plane of Fire's Border Ethereal region. Once in the Border Ethereal, a traveler could observe the Plane of Fire and be detected by its denizens.[4] Using the spherical model, this plane was adjacent to the para-elemental planes of Smoke and Magma and the quasi-elemental planes of Radiance and Ash.[10] Elemental vortices could occur wherever a high concentration or nearly pure form of an element was found, and could be temporary or permanent. Vortices to the Plane of Fire could often be found in pools of molten lava or the upwelling of magma in active volcanoes.[20] Temporary gates could be created by the plane shift [21] spell or the abilities of high-level druids.[9][22]

As described by the World Tree cosmology model, the Astral Plane connected all planes with the Prime Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane was only used for journeying between locations on the Prime.[23] The Elemental Plane of Fire was not connected or coterminous with any other elemental plane.[24] The spell astral projection [25][26] could be used to reach the Plane of Fire via a fire opal color pool.[27][note 1] Additionally, the gate [28][29] and plane shift [25][30] spells could be used to open a temporary portal to this plane. To reach the Plane of Fire by means of a plane shift spell required a copper fork tuned to the note of A.[31]
Description[]

Arriving on the Plane of Fire was like stepping into the flaming maw of an ancient red dragon; if one didn't have protection or immunity from temperatures high enough to melt stone then death was swift.[14][32] The following discussion assumes a visitor and all their clothing and gear had this capability and either did not need to breathe or could compensate for a superheated, often toxic atmosphere that could immolate one from the inside[32][33] (think cloudkill plus incendiary cloud). In general, the more fluid the elemental fire, the hotter it was and the more damage it did to unprotected material.[3] Permanent physical structures were very rare.[32][33]
Efreet and the City of Brass in the Plane of Fire

Efreet and the City of Brass in the Plane of Fire

Unlike the other three elemental planes, the Plane of Fire had normal gravity and a landscape, although most of the "ground" was made primarily of loosely packed elemental fire and felt like walking in a swamp of hot coals.[33] The rivers and oceans were filled with a more liquid version of the same stuff and swimming worked normally as a mode of transportation.[32] Non-native flying creatures found the atmosphere thin and therefore did not have their usual speed or maneuverability. Visibility was hampered by the smoke coming off the flames engulfing, but not consuming, nearly every solid, liquid, or gas (and creature) on the plane. What one could see was usually distorted by heat ripples. Geographic features such as hills, mountains, and cliffs did not have a geologic lifespan because even the more solid areas slowly moved like a subterranean magma flow as seen on the Prime Material Plane.[33] While rare, the plane was home to a native plant known as the flame flower.[34]

If the Plane of Fire had weather, it was of course hot and deadly. Rains of hot ash moved about like thunderstorms, threatening those on or near the ground with hot embers and blinding ash.[3] Those in the air had to watch out for clouds of superheated steam blowing around and condensing scalding water on exposed surfaces. The water quickly evaporated and the cycle began anew.[35] Easier to avoid but just as deadly were the rivers of magma and "firefalls". Matter from other planes either evaporated, burned to ash, or melted into magma. Magma mixed with elemental fire formed a rapidly moving, incredibly hot slurry that coursed around the terrain and occasionally cascaded over a cliff edge to create a firefall, often manifesting an elemental vortex in the spectacular display.[3] The Great Wheel cosmology model explained these hazards and others as pockets of elements from all the other elemental, para-, and quasi-elemental planes that got sucked into the Plane of Fire and cast adrift to face their fate.[36] Cold spots could even be found where it felt like the middle of the Raurin desert at midday.[20] With a guide, a traveler could approach the borders with the other planes, where the smoke finally choked out the fire, or the fire became nothing but cold ash, or the molten earth absorbed the fire, or the radiance ultimately outshone the fire.[37]

The dangers of the plane could not be overstated, but those that survived the trip saw wonders and beauty at nearly every turn. Flame colors spanned the rainbow, from the vermilion of a forge hearth to the yellow-white of heated iron, from the blues and greens of alchemical reactions to the familiar candle-flame yellows and oranges. The conflagration formed fountains, jets, sheets, rivers, waves, walls, rains, cascades, clouds, swirls, and pits of brilliant incandescence on a scale found nowhere else.[14][38]
City of Brass[]

One famous refuge from the destructive heat was the City of Brass, home of the efreet. At the will of the grand sultan, the city was protected from the pervasive smoke and flames, and visitors enjoyed unrestricted vision and uncomfortable yet tolerable temperatures,[33][39] but walls and surfaces were still hot enough to burn unprotected flesh on contact.[1] The city sat in a bowl of golden brass 40 miles (64 kilometers) in diameter that floated about the plane[39] or hovered over a huge disk of obsidian that was cracked from the heat.[1][33] Architecture included soaring towers, grand minarets, and everything from tool sheds to palaces made of brass. The treasure vaults of the grand sultan, and his wrath towards any who attempted to acquire even a single piece, were legendary.[33][39]
The Elemental Foundation of Fire[]

An important feature of the plane was the Elemental Foundation of Fire, one of four magical switches (one in each of the four elemental planes) that when activated caused the Onyx Tower to rise on the Prime Material Plane.[40]
Inhabitants[]
Two efreet in the City of Brass.

Two efreet in the City of Brass.

Surprisingly many creatures and races could tolerate and even thrive in the Elemental Plane of Fire. First and foremost were the fire elementals, of course, being constructed directly from the substance of the plane itself. They could assume the form of animals or monsters from the Prime Material Plane,[14] mimic humanoid shape, or create composites with elemental shapes: a lava lion with a flaming mane and charcoal eyes, or a man-shaped torso with fire jets for arms and legs and a tiny tornado of flame for a head, for example. Fire elementals could usually be distinguished by the different colors of flame coming off their bodies, but when standing still they could blend into the background just as a rogue could hide in shadows.[2] Fire bats,[2][41] fire snakes,[42] harginn,[43] phantom stalkers,[2][44] and salamanders[2][45] were also thought to be natives of this plane, but the origins of magmen (or magmin)[3][32][46] and the azer[2][3][47][48] were hotly debated.

Visitors and immigrants to the Plane of Fire included brass[3][49] and gold dragons;[3][50] the efreet;[3][51] fire giants;[3][52] hell hounds;[3][53] some janni;[3][54] mephits of the fire, magma, and steam varieties;[3][55] pyrohydra;[3][56] rast;[3] and thoqqua.[3][57] Trading missions and diplomacy brought many peoples to the City of Brass, such as the mercane[3] and devils from the Nine Hells.[14]

The language spoken by the natives was called Ignan and it resembled the hisses and clicks of green wood being consumed by a burning campfire.[14]
History[]

On the material plane, in the land of Thay in Faerûn on Abeir-Toril in the Year of the Prince, 1357 DR, the tharchion Hargrid Tenslayer and the zulkirs Aznar Thrul and Nevron opened a gate to the Plane of Fire and contacted Fyzzar, a salamander lord, and Sultan Marrake of the efreet, bypassing Kossuth, the Lord of Flames. They offered an alliance, begging their help in conquering coastal cities in exchange for a permanent gate and a foothold in Faerûn in the conquered lands. The greedy elementals accepted, and launched an invasion, rapidly capturing or destroying the cities, before demanding their payment. The Thayans promptly betrayed them, expelling the efreet but missing the salamanders, who retaliated by launching the Salamander War. Aznar Thrul and the clerics of Kossuth persuaded the Firelord to intervene, and he sent his own fire elementals to drive the salamanders out.[58][59][60]
Realms[]

    Kossuth, the Lord of Flames, the Firelord, Tyrant among Fire Elementals, the Fire Tyrant, once had a palace made of elemental fire here,[39][61][62][63][64] called the Crimson Pillar.[65] After the Spellplague, it was revealed that he was a primordial and he created a new realm in the Elemental Chaos called the Undying Pyre.[16]
    Amaimon, King of the Azer, had no specific palace but traveled with his court from tower to tower (the azer were marvelous metalworkers and built grand towers scattered about the plane), holding feasts and fetes with dancing.[39][47]
    Marrake al-Sidan al-Hariq ben Lazan, Sultan of the Efreet, the Lord of the Flame, the Potentate Incandescent, the Tempering and Eternal Flame of Truth, the Smoldering Dictator, and other titles, lived in his Charcoal Palace in the City of Brass.[19]
    Imix, the Prince of Evil Fire Creatures, once dwelled within a tremendous active volcano on this plane in his pyramidic Temple of Ultimate Consumption.[39][66][67]
    Zaaman Rul, the Prince of Good Fire Creatures, entrenched himself in his fortress called the Hidden Heart.[68]

Connections[]

There were several permanent connections to the Plane of Fire on Toril in the Material Plane.

In his lair beneath Zhentil Keep, the banelich Stallac Benadi constructed an open, one-way gate to the Elemental Plane of Fire. It was used for disposing of mining rubble and incinerating unused corpses.[69]

In the lair of the black dragon Harondalbar in the Sunset Mountains, Faren Starlight created a furnace that vented magically to the Plane of Fire. This was used for cooking, heating, and magical experimentation.[70]

Across the River Agis from the city of Memnon laid the ruins of the ancient efreet city of Memnonnar. Deep beneath these ruins was the Great Brass Gate, a vertical ring of solid brass about 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter, that formed a two-way portal to the Fire Plane. Seepage from this portal filled nearby passages with toxic smoke and heated the surrounding ruins to such a degree that some of the walls glowed.[71]

---


Elemental Plane of Water
The Elemental Plane of Water was an Inner Plane[9] or Elemental Plane[15] of the Great Wheel cosmology and the World Tree cosmology models. After the Spellplague, the Elemental Plane of Water collapsed into the Elemental Chaos, mixing with all the other Inner Planes.[16] Water is one of the four elements and two energies that make up the known universe and therefore of great interest to cosmologists.[17] This plane was abundant with life: native creatures born of the elemental nature of the plane itself, sentient water-breathing peoples, and most every species of aquatic life that could survive after being sucked through a vortex from their plane of origin.[14]

    1 Cosmology
    2 Description
    3 Inhabitants
    4 Realms
    5 Appendix
        5.1 Further Reading
        5.2 References
        5.3 Connections

Cosmology[]
meet a near an in the Plane of Water.

Adventurers meet a kuo-toan near an elemental vortex in the Plane of Water.

According to the Great Wheel cosmology model, the Elemental Plane of Water could be reached via the Ethereal Plane, an adjacent elemental plane, or by an elemental vortex.[9] The Pale River vortex on the Elemental Plane of Earth had its source here, and there was a vortex to the Plane of Air called the Bubble Net.[18] If traveling through the Deep Ethereal, a green curtain of vaporous color indicated the boundary of the Plane of Water's Border Ethereal region. Once in the Border Ethereal, a traveler could observe the Plane of Water and be detected by its denizens.[19] Using the spherical model, this plane was adjacent to the para-elemental planes of Ice and Ooze and the quasi-elemental planes of Steam and Salt.[10] Elemental vortices could occur wherever a high concentration or nearly pure form of an element was found, and could be temporary or permanent. Vortices to the Plane of Water could often be found in the deepest parts of the seas and oceans, in clear underground lakes, or as surface whirlpools in any large body of water.[20] Temporary gates could be created by the plane shift [21] spell or the abilities of high level druids.[9][22]

As described by the World Tree cosmology model, the Astral Plane connected all planes with the Prime Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane was only used for journeying between locations on the Prime.[23] The Elemental Plane of Water was not connected or coterminous with any other elemental plane,[24] however both the cross-planar rivers Styx and Oceanus were known to have vortices to the Plane of Water[14] and there were known portals to the Fated Depths.[25] The spell astral projection [26][27] could be used to reach the Plane of Water via a dark blue color pool.[28] Additionally, the gate [29][30] and plane shift [26][31] spells could be used to open a temporary portal to this plane, provided a lead fork tuned to the note of A was used as a spell focus.[32]

It was said that portals to the Water Plane could be found in the cold, clear depths of the Moonsea[33] in North Faerûn and the Riftlake[34] in the Great Rift of South Faerûn.
Description[]

There was no deep or shallow, no dark depths nor wavy surface, just an endless ocean that felt as if you were submerged several feet (say a couple meters) in any body of water on the Prime Material Plane. There was no sun, yet the water itself seemed to glow dimly with a bluish green luminescence. Volumes of water at any temperature and salinity could be found if you knew where to look or had a guide.[1][2][14] The Great Wheel cosmology model explained this by the proximity to the para- and quasi-elemental planes: water became cold and formed icebergs as you neared the Plane of Ice; water became brackish as you approached the Plane of Salt; water became silty and slimy as you neared the Plane of Ooze; water started to boil as you approached the Plane of Steam.[2] The World Tree cosmology described this plane as having all varieties of water constantly in motion, influenced by currents and tides. Life that depended on particular conditions flowed along with their preferred environment or suffered the consequences.[1][14] Impurities such as bubbles of air, chunks of earth, and even short-lived balls of fire could be found floating about due to elemental vortices or the workings of powerful beings. Habitats and settlements typically formed near sources of food and shelter, or near portals and vortices to facilitate trade.[35][36]

Supporting the teeming life of this plane were the corals and plants that made their way here and found purchase. Huge drifting three-dimensional reefs and loose spheres of freshwater grasses, kelp, and seaweed were home to myriad species and were fertile fishing spots.[37] Travelers had to keep in mind that large predators knew of these fishing grounds also, or else they might discover just how bite-sized they actually were. Just like a Prime ocean, the Elemental Plane of Water seemed to have no limit on how large some creatures could be as giant squid, aboleth, and kraken were known to prowl the plane.[14] Small creatures could be deadly too, with poisonous spines or barbed tails. The smallest of them all was perhaps the deadliest: algae that formed the infamous "red tide". Exposure of the eyes or lungs to the red tide caused blinding sickness.[37]

If the Plane of Water had any weather, it was the currents, whirlpools, tidal bores,[36] and flows of ice, steam, or silt[20] that could inconvenience a traveler or be a deadly surprise. Usually invisible, currents could be strong enough to pull visitors off in some direction for long distances before they were able to exit the current. Tidal bores were the most dangerous currents, hitting like a thrown boulder and carrying the unlucky creature away for miles (kilometers). Whirlpools were caused by countervailing currents that sucked everything in a tightening spiral, some of which led to vortices to other planes.[36] Ice and silt flows were fairly easy to spot before encountering, but steam flows were nearly undetectable and could cause nasty burns or boil the flesh from your bones.[20]
Inhabitants[]

It is difficult to determine what type of creatures were the most numerous in the Elemental Plane of Water but presumably the water elementals had the upper hand because they were manifestations of the plane itself.[14][35][38] They could take on any shape their fluid bodies could form but they were extremely hard to see, similar to the effect of a robe of blending,[35][39] and therefore were often described as blurry versions of Prime Material Plane animals and monsters typically of the aquatic variety.[14][40] Water weirds, an intelligent life form that could possess water elementals, were also thought to be native to this plane.[2][41]

All other peoples and creatures are interlopers or inadvertent immigrants by way of being sucked through an elemental vortex. Those that made a home here and thrived included some jann,[40][42][43] the marids,[40][42][44] the nereids,[40][45] and the tritons.[40][42][46] Besides almost every species of salt- and fresh-water marine life, there were reports of sightings or encounters with many creatures including aboleth,[42][47][48] charonadaemons,[40][49] black[42][50] and bronze dragons,[42][51] eyes of the deep,[40][52] giant nautiluses,[53] mephits of the ice, ooze, steam,[54] and water varieties,[42] mud-men,[40][55] sea hags,[42][56] tojanida,[42] varrdig,[57] and will-o'-wisps.[40][42][58]

Trade also brought many different races to the Elemental Plane of Water. Merchants that traded with the dao and the marids included aquatic elves, humans, kuo-toans, lizardfolk, locathah, mercanes, and sahuagin.[59]
Realms[]

    Ahto, the Finnish King of the Seas, contemplated matters of water and current in is realm named Curling Wave.[60]
    Ben-hadar, the Prince of Good Water Creatures, had a realm called the Coral Reef of Ssesurgass, containing a massive hidden fortress as his main seat.[61][62][63]
    Blibdoolpoolp, the Sea Mother of the Kuo-toa, once dwelled in the Elemental Plane of Water in her domain called the Murky Depths.[2][64][65]
    Eadro, deity of the locathah and merfolk, had his realm of Shelluria on the plane.[65]
    Istishia, The Water Lord, God-King of Water Elementals, once had a realm called Sea of Timelessness here.[40][66][67][68][69][70][71] After the Spellplague he was revealed to be a primordial and he formed a domain in the Elemental Chaos called Cresting Spires.[16]
    Kalbari al-Durrat al-Amwaj ibn Jari, Padishah of the Marids, Pearl of the Sea, Mother of Foam, Mistress of the Rivers, Savior of Fish, Patron of Waterspouts, and many more titles, had a palace near the Bubble Net called the Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls.[18]
    Olhydra, Princess of Evil Water Creatures,[72] once inhabited the ruins of a huge citadel made from black coral. She claimed it was the capital of a great empire that she destroyed long ago.[40]
    Persana, god of the tritons, shared the realm of Shelluria with Eadro.[65]
    Tefnut, mother of Geb in the Mulhorandi pantheon, was said to live here,[2][73] though she also had a realm in Bytopia.[74]

Appendix[]
Further Reading[]

    Richard Baker, Joseph D. Carriker, Jr., Jennifer Clarke Wilkes (August 2005). Stormwrack. Edited by John D. Rateliff, John Thompson. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 9. ISBN 0-7869-3689-4.