Traveling to this plane is one of the easier ones to arrive too, so long as you know where to look. Throughout the bottom of the oceans of the Material Plane and during horrible storms, portals appear and disappear constantly, sending fish, creatures and even ships into the Plane of Water without anyone realizing what happened. Then again, those portals aren’t always reliable and a ship trying to make its way through a horrible storm in the Material Plane might slip through a portal and find themselves hundreds of feet below the surface and being crashed against rocks.

Another way of arriving at the plane is to travel from the Plane of Air, though that requires you to travel through the Plane of Ice. You could also travel from the Plane of Earth, which requires you to travel through the Plane of Ooze, which is just a massive swamp and a great way to be devoured by oozes. At the very extent of the Plane of Water, it merges into the Elemental Chaos, and that is another way to arrive on the Plane of Water.

Traversing the Plane

Traveling across the plane isn’t very difficult, especially if you have the ability to swim and breathe water. For those that can’t do either, ships are a great way of traveling. Despite the multiple lightning storms a day that sweeps through the plane, it is relatively safe to travel by ship from one island to the next, as those who reside below the waves care not for those who stay on the surface.

On the surface, a traveler might find a vast island of ships and driftwood that has been tied together as makeshift mega-rafts with traders, adventurers, and more surface folk. They travel from island to island on the Plane of Water, selling, trading and bartering for supplies.

Below the surface, it is highly recommended for any travelers to hire an elemental guide to take them through the waters. These deepwater locations are hard to find, and many of them float on the currents of the water. If you don’t know how fast the currents are, or where the coral palace of the Marid is located, you may never find it in this massive ocean of shifting currents.

Two Worlds

The Plane of Water, in 5th edition, is very much of two worlds. Above the water, the inhabitants are in the beautiful warm sun that arcs across the sky on their tropical islands and atolls. Below the surface are the true denizens of the Plane of Water who give no thought to those who must stay on the surface. The real activity of this plane resides beneath the waves, and if a traveler is unable to breathe underwater, they can miss more than they realize when visiting this plane.

Locations

Many of the locations of the Plane of Water are hidden deep beneath the surface, and few travelers have ever found those halls. Somewhere in the Sea of Light, fortresses of Tritons guard against the strange abominations that reside in the Darkened Depths.

Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls

The Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls is the seat of power known as the Coral Throne. This throne is sat upon by the Great Padishah of the Marid, the wise ruler of the Plane of Water and the Marids themselves. The citadel is located upon a free-floating coral reef, covered in buildings constructed of living shells and glowing pearls.

The inhabitants of the citadel are Marid’s and their entourage of servants and slaves, many consider the Marid to be one of the more benevolent masters when it comes to the genies. In this citadel, adventurers could be called on for espionage and court politics since each Marid assumes that they truly deserve to sit atop the Coral Throne and all others are inferiors.

City of Glass

At the crossroads of a collection of permanent portals to other locales is the City of Glass far below the surface of the Plane of Water. This city has massive sheets of glass that create a bubble around it, half-filled with water and half-filled with air. This city is a hot spot for trading, and merchants from all over can be found here.

Many claim that the glass that surrounds the city is unbreakable, but that has been proven false a few times when errant spells have destroyed the glass. The Marid overseers of the city quickly put to death those who cast the spells and repaired the glass while there was still air in the city.

Darkened Depths

Far below where the light is filtered into the ocean are the Darkened Depths. Here, creatures of evil plot their revenge, not just on those who inhabit the Plane of Water, but even those who live on the Material Plane. The Aboleths, Krakens and other abominations make their domains in these dark waters, all waiting for the day when they might rise again.

Isle of Dread