Thalmyra, the Deep Flow
Thalmyra, the Elemental Plane of Water, is a realm of infinite depth and perpetual motion. There is no surface, no seafloor—only endless currents, swirling gyres, and bioluminescent vistas that stretch for eternity. It is a place of dreams and deception, serenity and sorrow, where time itself flows like a river and memory is often washed away by the tide.
The metaphysical nature of Thalmyra is fluid identity. Nothing here is fixed for long: reefs reassemble themselves overnight, creatures shift form with their mood, and even light is unreliable, bending in impossible angles. Tides here are ancient, some looping back on themselves, others forming maelstroms that link to realms long forgotten.
The plane's spiritual anchor is Tarnis, the Binder of Tides, a genasi idol of rivers, contracts, and sacred flow. His seat of power, the Pledgefont Trench, lies in a twilight abyss lit by promise-lights—orb-like manifestations of binding oaths, floating in solemn reverence. Tarnis is often portrayed as a serpentine figure of water and ink, with eyes like whirlpools and a voice that speaks in rushing currents.
Inhabitants of Thalmyra are just as fluid: water elementals swirl in packs like aquatic wolves, while marids rule over schools of memoryfish and oath-eels. Nereids and undines dance along the thermal ridges, and colossal leviathans glide in the dark with minds older than most gods.
Thalmyra is not a realm of war, but of bargains and secrets. Forgotten pacts, buried emotions, and long-lost alliances can resurface in its depths. Sorcerers and scholars alike dive into its waters to unearth these truths—though many who enter never return, or do so subtly changed. The plane tests all who seek it: not with fire or stone, but with the quiet temptation of letting go.
Connection to Ammondell: Deep within the Isle of the Blood Moon, a subaqueous arch of coral and black pearl forms a gateway to Thalmyra. Guarded by moon-bonded sahuagin and an ancient water naga, the portal is most active under lunar eclipses, when the tides of the Arcane Sea and Thalmyra synchronize.
Some mortal orders see this plane as sacred, especially those who value law, memory, or the cleansing power of water. To others, it is a realm of drowning truths and unbearable sorrow. Yet even the staunchest fear can give way to awe, for Thalmyra is where promises are remembered, even if the world forgets.
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