Istishia

Istishia
A wave
Alignment	True Neutral
Divine Rank	Greater god / Primordial
Pantheon	Faerûn, Zakhara
Portfolio	Elemental water, purification
Domains	3E: Destruction, Ocean, Storm, Travel, Water 5E: Tempest
Home Plane	Great Wheel/World Tree: Sea of Timelessness (Elemental Plane of Water) World Axis: Cresting Spires
Worshippers	Bards, sailors, travelers
Favoured Weapon	A wave (Warhammer)

Istishia, the Water Lord, and King of Water Elementals, is the one of the four elemental lords who remained on Toril after Ao split the planet between the gods and the primordials.

Relationships

Istishia is a fairly distant god, allied only to deities with relation to water like Deep Sashelas, Valkur, and Umberlee. He opposes Kossuth every chance he gets. He often sits back and watches Ben-Hadar and Olhydra closely, only intervenening when one of them seems to become a threat to him.

Worshippers

Istishia's church is separated into several sects that work together to accomplish goals for the different aspects of Istishia's worship. New sects are contantly created and absorbed into already existing ones, and priests change sects every five years. The priests often work to keep sources of water from becoming polluted, and act as intermediaries between land and ssea-dwelling races.

Dogma

Everything is interconnected and cyclical. Water always triumphs, for earth dissolves through water, fire is extinguished even by steam, and air becomes clouds and then rain, completing the eternal cycle. The Water Lord is the great equalizer and leveler of the elements, acknowledging change but holding 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 folds of the 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 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.