The Water Lord, King of the Water Elementals
The eternal Istishia acknowledges change but holds to his essential nature. Do not try to be what you are not; rather, excel at what you are and carry this message of personal excellence to the world. Be flexible but not unreasonable. As the rains flow down to the ocean in the folds of earth and not up mountains, so do the truths of Istishia spread throughout the land through their natural routes, not through rank force. The mysteries of life are to be enjoyed and puzzled over, but realize that some answers do not come in this form or this world, but rather in the next. Realize that the cycles of life are mirrored by the cycles of fate; be prepared to pay the price or reap the reward for the actions of your past or your future.
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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Druid, Ranger, Shaman, Wizard, or Water Genasi
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Any Non-Dwarf, non-Darkling
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Initiation: Fast for a week, eating nothing and drinking only water
Holy Symbol: A cresting wave or a drop of water
(If you wish to become clergy of this god, you must take only one vow from those below—if you violate it you lose any moves, spells, and any other benefits granted by this god until you atone.)
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Falling Rain (You must prepare for all eventualities, and welcome every disruption and change as if you had originally wished it)
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Rising Steam (You must spread the worship of Istishia; purify waters and streams, learn and engage in seamanship)
Orben has many powers whose portfolios deal with water. Umberlee governs the oceans and ocean storms. Valkur strives to protect those who travel the waves, and Eldath has dominion over pools, springs, and waterfalls. Istishia (Is-TISH-ee-ah) is more abstract than all these deities. He represents water, but not any specific formation or body of water. He is a mutable yet dynamic deity who is dispassionate and difficult to pin down. He provides the atmosphere in which life is born, but not life itself. He furnishes a crucial resource, but apparently cares not how it is used. He is depicted as anything from an immense water elemental to a drop of rain to a water weird to a wave on the ocean. Istishia represents eternal transmutation that holds a fixed, essential nature at its core. He holds in his nature change accomplished over time, as water wears away stone, or sudden leaps from one state to another, as water changes to steam when heated. He is the guardian of all hidden treasures under water.
Like all the elemental lords, Istishia is relatively unfeeling toward his followers. His reactions are utterly unpredictable and thus, in an odd way, predictable in their unpredictability. The reasoning behind Istishia's actions is incomprehensible to most of Orben's inhabitants, including his worshipers. The alien and uncaring stance of Istishia and the other elemental lords has led to the mistaken impression in the Realms that they are only lesser powers and their followers merely oddball cultists.
Home Plane
Elemental Plane of Water
Portfolio
Water, purification
Favored Weapon
The Wave (Warhammer)
Myths
History
Technically, Istishia is not a true god but a primordial, a member of an elemental race once in competition with the gods before they were driven away. As one of the few primordials who did not war with the gods, Istishia remained in power on Orben.
Istishia is considered one of the four elemental deities, a god who remains unchanged by history and the passage of time.
Istishia's church has survived mostly untarnished throughout his reign. Istishia's church once included many clerics, but after the fall of Aer Arnad, a long succession of clerics shamed themselves when they attempted to cleanse the Salt Marshes and failed or perished. Istishia has largely withdrawn his power from the channelers of more "divine" energy, and has favored those who already surround themselves with and channel nature.
Relationship with other gods and churches
Beshaba, who is said to have gotten Tyche's looks where Tymora got her love, is considered to be attractive to many male deities and some have been devoured by her lustful passions. She rejected advances from Talos, among other hopefuls. Mortals who perceived the Maid of Misfortune are often destroyed by their lust or driven to maddened loyalty. Beshaba is the twin sister and sworn enemy of Tymora, whom she seeks to destroy, and perhaps paradoxically, is also Tempus' lover
Associated Lesser Deities
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Umberlee, God of Sea Storms and Drowning
Istishia is worshiped by Sailors, Pirates, Water Elementals, Water Genasi, and others who fear or feel a bond with the ocean and its destructive power.
Rites and Duties
Each morning for a follower of the Water Lord begins with a quiet prayer said in Istishia's name over a drink of water, and each night ends the same way. Spring tide and neap tide are celebrated with festivals by the church. During these festivals new members of the faith are dedicated to Istishia by being boisterously tossed into the sea or a lake or by diving into fountains or pools. Surface-dwelling communities of the faithful are often visited by water-dwelling emissaries from Istishia's aquatic churches during these fetes, and underwater churches in turn host surface-dwellers through magical accommodations.
Waveriding is the ritual that Istishian priests celebrate upon reaching a level of skill great enough to summon a water elemental from the Elemental Plane of Water. This ceremony is preceded by an hour-long responsive reading and chant, after which the elemental is summoned. The elemental then carries the celebrant on a long ride on the waves of a large body of water. When it returns with the priest celebrating the ritual, the elemental is tossed garlands of flowers, gifted with drafts of fine wine, and given beautifully crafted pieces of jewelry, pottery, or sculpture to carry back to Istishia's realm as it leaves.
Keeping waterways pure and clean is one major goal of the church, and this responsible long-term goal has made the Istishians one of the more easily accepted elemental "cults" to visit a town. (Wantonly polluting rivers, streams, seas, and oceans is considered an insult to Istishia, as well as likely offending a number of other nature and water deities.) Other ongoing goals of the church are better communication among the aquatic races and between the aquatic races and surface dwellers. Many Istishian priests dream of a day when all water dwellers can be united in their goals and efforts underneath the benevolent guidance of the church. That this goal is utterly un-achievable and presupposes the extinction of numerous major faiths seems not to sway them from clinging to it nonetheless—nor does it mean that they hold any malice toward other primarily aquatic faiths.
Most Istishian priests minister to the needs of the faithful in one region or are attached to a particular shrine, temple, or holy site. However, the church believes that those who remain in one location and are immersed in the same company for too long become stagnant, so all Istishian priests move on to new postings on a rotating basis (so that all priests are not traveling to or learning new positions at the same time). In general, a priest serves in one locale for five years and rotates to a new posting at the anniversary of the closest major holiday (Midwinter, Greengrass, Midsummer, Higharvestide, or the Feast of the Moon) to the date at which she or he became a full priest. Postings may be extended by petition from a priest or his or her congregation for year-long periods until 10 yeras of service at one locale is reached. At that point, a priest must move on to a new post. Postings are overseen by the prestigious Elder Oversight Committee, and most of the church politics in the Istishian faith surround the actions of the Oversight Committee or attempts to influence its future actions. Needless to say, the life-long appointments to the committee are fiercely fought over—when such positions open up due to death or retirements.
For Cleric/Wizards
When you gain a level from 2–5, you may choose a single Domain. A full list of domain spells and moves is under Choosing a God in Advanced Play Guides.
When you gain a level from 6–10, you may choose a second Domain.
If you choose the primary domain for your god, you also get the Primary Domain Move of that domain and take +1 to cast spells from the domain.
Clerics/Wizards
If you are a Cleric or Wizard (and your god permits your class), choose from the following domains. You add all spells of the chosen domain to your spell list, up to level 7 (once you meet the mana requirements) or up to level 9 (if it's the primary domain and once you meet the mana requirements).
Primary Domain
Water (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and this level 9 spell)
Primary Domain Move
Turn Fire, Control Water
Your Turn Undead becomes Turn Fire. It acts exactly as before, except it can only be used against fire elementals. You also gain Control Water. Control Water acts as Turn Undead, but against water elementals, and on a 10+ you can instead choose to control water elementals. Mindless water elementals will will treat you as an ally, following your orders and joining your side.
Level 9 Spell
Ice Storm | Level 9
A storm of ice punishes the nearby area, doing 2d6 damage to your enemies.
Secondary Domains
Life (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Unluck (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
For Non-Cleric/Wizards
When you gain a level from 2–5, you may choose a single Domain. A full list of domain spells and moves is under Choosing a God in Advanced Play Guides.
When you gain a level from 6–10, you may choose a second Domain.
If you choose the primary domain for your god, you also get the Primary Domain Move of that domain and take +1 to cast spells from the domain.
Non-Cleric/Wizards
If you are not a Cleric or Wizard, you gain access to all spells of your chosen domain up to level 3 and can cast them using the Cast a Spell Cleric move (you do not however gain any spells from the Cleric spell list). You can also gain a secondary domain move from that domain, in addition to the domain spells.
Primary Domain
Water (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and a Secondary Domain Move)
Primary Domain Move
Turn Fire, Control Water
Your Turn Undead becomes Turn Fire. It acts exactly as before, except it can only be used against fire elementals. You also gain Control Water. Control Water acts as Turn Undead, but against water elementals, and on a 10+ you can instead choose to control water elementals. Mindless water elementals will will treat you as an ally, following your orders and joining your side.
Secondary Domain Moves (choose 1):
Cold I Float, Hot I’m Free
You are unaffected by nonmagical extremes of cold or heat.
Go With the Flow
When someone tells you to do something you don’t want to do and you willingly do it anyway (without magical compulsion or threat), take +1 forward.
Secondary Domains
Life (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
New Hope
When you embark on a new endeavor with great risk or uncertainty, take +1 forward.
Unluck (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
I’m Bad Luck
Take -1 ongoing. Whoever enters your presence, looks at you, or interacts with you takes -1 ongoing as well until they cease to have anything to do with you.