Elemental Realm of Water

## Description:

The Elemental Realm of Water, also known as the Deepest Blue, The Torrent, etc., is an infinite Realm of water constructed before the creation of the Material Realm to embody the element of water. The Realm is an unending ocean, although it is rumored to have a surface closer to the edge that borders Limbo; however, given the infinite nature of the Realm, unless a traveler arrives in the Realm within vision of the surface waves, they are unlikely to ever reach it. The deeper one goes, the darker, colder, and saltier the water becomes, eventually growing far too toxic for most foreign lifeforms to exist.

The Elemental Realm of Water was discovered many millennia ago, although few scholars at the time recognized that many whirlpools or large bodies of water led into a different layer of reality. The JPCU inherited this knowledge and sent many expeditions into the Realm to investigate it; given the Realm's relatively high habitability, especially when properly equipped, information on the Realm is abundant.

### Physical Description and Attributes:

The Elemental Realm of Water is an infinite ocean with unending depth. The deeper one goes, the colder, darker, and saltier the water becomes, although light does penetrate unusually deep; many miles of the depths are well-lit despite being far out of sight of the surface. Most notably, however, is the pressure of the Realm; despite being many miles underwater, the pressure does not increase at all until one reaches the darkest and deepest reaches of the Realm where the water is too toxic for most anything to live. The pressure is consistently as if residents are only under a few meters of water unless one ventures into the shadowy depths.

Despite being the concentrated manifestation of the element of Water, other types of matter have found their way to the Realm, either through transport through tears in reality or through creation by gods or other powerful entities. Floating islands suspended deep underwater are relatively common among the infinite ocean, as are floating "cities" of coral reefs and seaweed that cling to porous rock or the skeletons of long-dead leviathans. Entire cities, constructed from coral, imported stone, bones, or ice are also a well-known but rare feature of the Realm, acting as the primary points of trade and interaction for the sentient races and visitors to the Realm of Water. Each of these cities are often their own independent "states" due to the distance between large population centers, and almost all of them are racially diverse and constructed to house many different types of people from across the Realms; tourism to the Realm of Water is a major business for the ruling classes of Genies, Krakens, Atlanteans, and other aquatic lifeforms. The Krakens, especially, are known to create massive floating mountains or trenches in the deepest parts of the Realm, weaving stone and coral into labyrinths and deadly cave systems full of deadly traps, massive lifeforms, and toxic water; the Krakens tend to make their homes in these sea caves, both those naturally occurring and those created by the Kraken themselves.

The Elemental Realm of Water has many entrances across the many Realms of K2, from the Cosmic Corridor through The Unbeheld to the other Realms that border Water to the tears in reality in the Material Realm. Many whirlpools lead to the Elemental Realm of Water, and most large bodies of water (particularly in the deepest places or in seakales) have these portals as well; the JPCU and Dwarven Clan Deepwaves are known to have running lists of all known entrances to the Elemental Realm of Water. While there are many entrance, there are far fewer exits to the Realm, often requiring the intervention of deities, powerful entities like the ruling Genies, or powerful magic to cross back to the user's home Realm; while natural exits do exist, they are known to shift and move with the Realm's currents and open or close at random.

The Elemental Realm of Water's weather exists only on the surface, nicknamed the "Pirate's Paradise," where various weather patterns exist. From storms to calm seas to waves that crest miles above the surface, the weather on the surface of the Elemental Realm of Water is as varied and dangerous as the deepest parts of the Realm's darkest currents. Under the waves, currents and salinity make up the idea of "weather," with patches of water varying in salt levels or temperature moving around with the strong tides and currents over time.

#### Currents and The Tideways:

The currents present in the Elemental Realm of Water can be calm, gentle breezes or raging torrents capable of swooping up entire cities or leviathans and dragging them along for days or weeks before randomly ending. The consistent currents, named Tideways by Realm residents, are used for fast and low-effort travel across vast distances, and are stabilized and made permanent through maintained magics; these currents are often diverted to pass as many cities or settlements as possible, and are often the best way to find as many travelers or residents as possible.

#### The Surface:

The surface of the water of the Elemental Realm of Water is the perfect breeding ground for piracy and adventure, and features a breathable atmosphere identical to that of Earth. Flotsam and jetsam are commonplace, making treasure hunting or shipwreck-diving a lucrative industry; piracy is not only allowed but encouraged, and large fleets of ships troll the unending waves traveling or fishing or hunting; massive floating cities and settlements are rare but as famous as the Realm itself, often winding up in many tall tales by sailors and pirates in the Material Realm; fishing is, as expected, a major industry and the primary source of food for all non-aquatic lifeforms that lack the ability to breathe underwater; tourist trips and factions offer fishing trips that promise to hunt massive magical beasts of the seas, and many sailors seek the ultimate prize in the Realm of Water by hunting bigger and bigger prey.

The surface is not without dangers, however. Those pieces of debris thrown overboard or lost are done so for a reason, and not all the scavenged loot is worth salvaging; Ghosts and Ghost Ships prowl the waters and are common occurrences, making shipwrecks dangerous signs of doom for some and signs of treasure for others; piracy is almost as commonplace as water, and many interactions of ships involve a sense of mutual trust or risk devolving into a bloody combat; those massive beasts and leviathans are worthy foes for the mightiest of hunters and fishermen but swift death for entire fleets of lesser men. Raging storms and waves several miles high are also common, and are known to wipe out entire settlements overnight, adding to the salvageable debris that floats or sinks through the waters.

The day and night cycle of the Elemental Realm of Water functions by nature of the Realm's closeness to the World Tree and Limbo, which casts the light onto the Realm's surface that penetrates deep underwater. When the Realm turns on its path through The Unbeheld and the cosmos, the Realm undergoes its cycle of light and dark at around the same time as a day on Earth. When one looks up during the night, one sees "stars" of magical light in the sky, the stars organized into special constellations created by the gods of the Realm of Water to act as navigational tools for sailors; the underwater inhabitants of the Realm of Water do not care about these constellations, but may revere them as visible elements of their gods.

#### Salinity of the Realm's Waters:

The waters of the Elemental Realm of Water increase in salt composition as the depth increases, which creates an interesting dynamic for the lifeforms that call the Realm home. According to JPCU records, the first one hundred (100) yards closest to the surface of the water is fresh water, at which point the water becomes too salty for freshwater fish to survive; fishing equipment used by experienced sailors of the infinite sea is customized to get past this freshwater layer as a means of catching bigger fish. Pockets of water that varies in salinity from the surrounding water are also common, and can prove very dangerous to the settlements of aquatic lifeforms in the Realm, often forcing a temporary relocation of the residents or city to avoid certain death.

### Flora and Fauna:

The Elemental Realm of Water is one of the most life-filled Realms in K2, and is home to thousands - if not millions - of different flora and fauna. All species of aquatic flora and fauna found in the Material Realm are found in the Elemental Realm of Water, caused by millions of years of cross-contamination and accidental transplantation of lifeforms through whirlpools and portals. Dozens of sentient races call the Realm home as well, including Atlanteans, the Marids (Genies), Krakens and Scothyr, etc.

#### List of Known Species (Fauna):

1. Electrosharks
2. Atlanteans
3. Krakens
4. Scothyr
5. Water Elementals
6. [REDACTED]

### Religious Significance:

Many groups of people consider the Elemental Realm of Water to be a place of great religious importance, including the pirates of K2 who believe the Realm to be their Paradise and Davy Jones's Locker to be their version of Hell. For these pirates (including the Orcs and the followers of their faith), the Elemental Realm of Water is a paradise where their souls can sail the infinite seas for all eternity; this manifests when a believing sailor/pirate dies and their soul is taken to the Elemental Realm of Water, where their bodies and souls transform into Water Elementals or reincarnate as magic-imbued Water-Touched (Element-Touched).

The Dwarves have Clan Deepwaves, who view the Elemental Realm of Water to be the home of their deities. Clan Deepwaves views the transformation into a Water-Touched sacred, and seek to use their machines to explore the Elemental Realm of Water in search of their gods and glory. Clan Deepwaves sends all of its members on a solo expedition to the Realm of Water as their coming of age ritual, a rite that few people pass unscathed.

The Atlanteans view the Elemetental Realm of Water to be the corrupted counterpart to the Material Realm, and view the Elemental Realm of Water to be the home of their direct rivals, the Krakens.

The Krakens and their Scothyr cultists (along with the Cult of Deepest Eyes) view the Elemental Realm of Water to be their Paradise - the ultimate ideal to which they all strive. While the Krakens rule from their deep caves in the Realm of Water, their cultists work to reshape the Material Realm after the Realm of Water, including continued efforts to free their prophet, Cthulhu.