Wydra (WHY-drah, WID-ra (regional))
The Endless Well, The Water Tyrant, Crashing One
Neutral Evil Elemental Prince
Depicted as a massive column of foaming water, with glowing green areas suggestive of inscrutable eyes, simultaneously awe inspiring and strangely inviting, as if one could drown their cares forever within Wydra's bouyant embrace. Wydra's most common symbol is a circle, crowned with three rays at its top, and with a slim rectangular portal centered upon its base (representing passage to the Elemental Plane of Water).Like that of the other Elemental Princes, worship of Wydra has come and gone many times over the eras in a cyclic fashion as the powers of Elemental Evil have found purchase upon the world via the opening of elemental portals, only for them to eventually be defeated and become temporarily stymied by the closing of their portals. The names of the cults and churches dedicated to him have borne various names over the centuries, and in some cases more than one has existed at the same time.
In the modern era the most recent incursion of Elemental Evil has been quietly growing for a handful of years. The Endless Well's return to mortal affairs started among scattered descendents of the Cult of Crashing Waves. This fell cult has grown in size and influence with the return of Wydra's influence, and has started to spread membership beyond its original roots. However other lesser factions, spin off sects, and strains of Wydra's worship exist as well.
Devotees of Wydra evoke the complex nature of elemental water, superficially serene and calm upon the surface, but concealing unknown depths of dynamic power capable of outlasting and eroding virtually anything with sufficient time, and capable of overwhelming destruction when moved to it. These cultists tend to be intuitive, patient, and able to effortlessly adapt to whatever opportunity presents itself. They also tend to be unusually accepting to newcomers (the better to absorb them into the fold), insightful, and surprisingly social. They often seem to honor traditions in a casual way, while mostly living in the moment, with their long term goals hidden or inscrutable. But then, without warning, sudden and overwhelming power will be brought to bear in a crashing surge upon some target or objective...maybe opportunistically or maybe that was their plan all along. It's hard to say. Make no mistake, if roused to it the followers of Wydra are more than capable of leveling most opposition as surely as a tidal wave flattening a shoreline, but why start there if you don't have to? Such is not their way.
While air cultists tend to be somewhat obvious schemers always working an angle or manuevering for advantage, followers of Wydra are far more subtle in their cunning...oftentimes their plots are the ones you didn't see coming. While earth cultists are stoic and unmoveable and obviously intend to stand against whatever comes their way, the followers of the Endless Well are hardly less resilient despite not making any great theater of their resolve...oftentimes they tend to be the ones left standing when all is said and done. While fire cultists are energetically aggressive and obviously expansionary, the favored of the Crashing One slowly but steadily gain more followers and further their reach...and oftentimes they actually keep what they've acquired rather than taking and losing in an endless cycle of wasteful consumption.
Of all the followers of the Evil Elemental Princes they are the most prone to spreading where unchallenged, until they have surrounded or undermined or absorbed whatever was in their way. They are the most balanced and most insidious of the elemental cults in many ways, but their classic flaw is a strong tendency to be reactive, to be strategic when a more tactical response is called for, to wait and see.
Wydra does not have clerics; however druids of the Circle of Crashing Waves serve as priests of the faith and act to spread the conversion of new believers and swell the numbers of the cult. Some sorcerous scions whose bloodline carries the taint of elemental water find places of special favor among elemental water cultists, though there are certainly others who have no allegience to (or even awareness of) Wydra and seek their own destiny. Some swear service to Wydra in return for their dark patronage and arcane secrets (notably, it is usally such a fool who opens a portal to allow Wydra back into the world in the first place), and while such warlocks might follow an independent path most are cult leaders. Finally, a few practitioners of the esoteric wizardly School of Hydromancy worship (or at least venerate) Wydra, and when such learned devotees are encountered they tend to be in positions of power or leadership among the elemental water cults.
The Cult of Crashing Waves
Some tribes of islanders, hidden swampfolk, furtive fisherfolk, rapacious pirates, and ravening seareavers have kept the worship of Wydra alive since their last incursion upon the world. Some of the warriors of these septs are favored with watery blessings by their patron; most notably they may become adapted to an amphibian existence as they grow in Wydra's favor.
The wizened elders and matriarchs of these scattered septs are effectively the priests of the cult. This Circle seeks followers among survivors, those who have been cast aside, those who have been washed to and fro by life's tides, those who go with the flow but manage to get what they need. Accepting such folk into their fold graciously, nuturingly, supportively, using a soft touch and playing the long game, they grow their numbers steadily and loyally. There's no fondness for the fast convert, for such a fickle soul is as likely to convert to something else later. Real belief and the dedication that comes with it takes time to curate.
- The Barbarian subclass Path of Crashing Waves is available to player characters with DM permission; however this cult has a villanous agenda and those who follow this path are among its most prominent foot soldiers.
- The Druid subclass Circle of Crashing Waves is available to player characters with DM permission; however this cult has a villanous agenda and these fell druids are prominent furtherers of it.
Elemental Water Origin
Some sorcerous bloodlines trace their magical origin back to an elemental entity or power from one of the Elemental Planes, and water is no exception. During the long years between incursions of Elemental Evil such sorcerous potential tends to remain dormant and unrealized (though a very rare few elemental sorcerers do manifest their abilities even during such times) and such scions live out their lives without ever realizing their magical potential. But when portals to the Elemental Plane their bloodline is attuned to remain open upon the world, the manifestation of such abilities are much more common. Consequently, there has been a noticeable spike in sorcerers of this kind in recent years.
- The Sorcerer subclass Elemental Water Origin is available to player characters. Such characters' bloodlines might ultimately trace their arcane potency back to Wydra, or some other entity or power native to the Plane of Elemental Water. Either way, such characters might or might not have any knoweldge of Wydra and / or any of their various cults and followers, and they might or might not be entangled in Wydra related concerns, as their player prefers.
Water Tyrant Patron
Extremely uncommon but among the most insidious and effective of Wydra's servants, such warlocks gain great power from Wydra's patronage. But at what cost? Some are part of or are at least affiliated with the Cult of Crashing Waves, while others work alone or lead a cult or sect of their own.
- The Warlock subclass The Water Tyrant is available to player characters who have accepted Wydra as their patron and seek to increase the influence of Elemental Evil upon the world, with DM permission. However, a player character with such a nefarious agenda may not be appropriate in some campaigns.
School of Hydromancy
An esoteric school of wizardry which specializes in studying the Elemental Plane of Water, how to draw and channel arcane power from it, and better ways to summon and control it's native denizens.
- The Wizard subclass School of Hydromancy is available to player characters. While a few practitioners of this art worship or venerate Wydra, most do not, and a few actively oppose Wydra and its servants. An Hydromancer actively crusading to expose and eliminate servants of Wydra could be a particularly fun and thematic character in a campaign that encompasses the looming threat of this latest incursion of Elemental Evil.