![[Sarula.png|400]] **Lesser Deity | Archfey and Queen of the Nixies** **Alignment**: Chaotic Good **Also Known As**: The Nixie Queen **Divine Portfolio**: Lakes, Streams, Nixies, Water Magic **Divine Realm**: The Brythanion, Arvandor **Affiliation**: The Seldarine, the Fey of Sarifal **Holy Symbol**: Three Blue Lines with Three Crested Points Each **Divine Domains**: Tempest, Trickery --- ### **Overview** Sarula Iliene, the Nixie Queen, is a benevolent power of freshwater, lakes, streams, and the aquatic fey who inhabit them. Traditionally recognised as a lesser deity of Arborea, she is closely associated with the Seldarine, the elven pantheon, and the protection of rivers and lakes throughout the natural world. Her influence encompasses the magic of flowing water and the welfare of nixies, whose communities maintain a particularly strong devotion to her. Although Sarula possesses a generally peaceful disposition, she is considerably less passive than Eldath, the goddess of peace and quiet places. Sarula is willing to employ powerful magic against those who threaten her followers or the waters under their protection. Her benevolence does not prevent her from unleashing destructive floods or raising immense barriers of water when circumstances demand it. Sarula maintains a particularly close relationship with Rillifane Rallathil, the elven deity of woodlands and nature. Their association resembles that of a father and daughter, and his influence helped secure her position among the Seldarine. She also maintains friendly relations with Deep Sashelas, the elven god of the sea, whose domain receives the waters that pass through the streams and rivers under her care. Her position among the elven gods distinguishes her from other aquatic powers whose influence is largely confined to the oceans. Sarula's responsibilities concern freshwater environments, particularly those connected to elven and sylvan communities. She is revered by nixies, elven water mages, and other individuals whose lives depend upon rivers and lakes. Her followers seek to maintain the purity of natural water sources, protect those who live near them, and prevent the destruction of aquatic environments. In later traditions, Sarula was recognised as an archfey among the supernatural powers honoured by the inhabitants of Sarifal, the fey kingdom of the Moonshae Isles. This recognition reflects her longstanding connection to the fey and does not erase her established divine identity within the Seldarine. Sarula remains a relatively obscure power compared with the greater elven gods. Her worship is concentrated among communities whose lives are closely connected to freshwater, making her less familiar to those who dwell far from lakes and rivers. --- ### **Domain and Influence** Sarula Iliene's divine realm is located within Arvandor, the elven paradise of Arborea. There she resides at the bottom of an immense lake known as **the Brythanion**, within a magnificent palace constructed from glass and marble. The palace rests beneath the waters of the lake, surrounded by aquatic creatures and attended by nixies and other freshwater beings. Her most devoted priests and priestesses also dwell within the divine realm, serving their patron in the peaceful surroundings of the submerged court. The Brythanion represents the principal concerns of Sarula's divine portfolio. Its waters provide a suitable home for her followers, while its location within Arvandor reflects her association with the elven gods. Sarula's influence extends to lakes, streams, and other natural sources of freshwater. These waters support the forests, animals, and settlements that depend upon them, connecting her responsibilities with those of several other nature deities. She is particularly associated with the waters that originate from rainfall and eventually flow into the sea. According to elven religious tradition, Sarula collects the rains brought by Aerdrie Faenya and guides them through the waterways under her care toward the domain of Deep Sashelas. This relationship reflects the passage of water from sky to land and finally to the oceans, joining the interests of several divine powers without making Sarula responsible for all waters throughout the multiverse. Her principal worshippers include nixies and practitioners of water magic. She is also acknowledged by elves and other sylvan peoples whose communities depend upon the health of nearby lakes and streams. Sarula's influence is particularly important in regions where settlements share their waters with aquatic fey. Nixies inhabit freshwater environments and may maintain relationships with the elves and other peoples living along their shores. The goddess is concerned with the preservation of these habitats and the protection of those who dwell within them. Unlike Eldath, whose religious traditions emphasise peace and the avoidance of violence, Sarula is prepared to defend her followers through destructive magic when necessary. Accounts attribute to her the power to summon immense floods against hostile armies or erect walls of water to shield those under her protection. Her willingness to employ such force makes her a formidable guardian despite her otherwise quiet disposition. Sarula also maintains an association with the Feywild through her recognition among the archfey revered in Sarifal. The inhabitants of that kingdom honoured several ancient powers through traditions resembling divine worship, including Sarula, Lurue, Verenestra, Relkath, and other beings connected to the natural world. Her appearance within these traditions demonstrates the continued importance of the Nixie Queen beyond the religious communities that originally acknowledged her as a lesser deity. --- ### **Symbols and Icons** Sarula Iliene's established holy symbol consists of **three blue lines, each bearing three crested points**, arranged to represent waves. The emblem reflects the flowing waters associated with her divine portfolio, particularly the lakes and streams inhabited by nixies and other aquatic creatures. Its simplicity distinguishes it from the elaborate heraldic symbols associated with some members of the Seldarine. The symbol appears upon the ceremonial clothing of her clergy, frequently embroidered in blue against dark fabric. The crested waves represent the waters that sustain elven and sylvan communities, reflecting Sarula's responsibility for their protection and preservation. No separate official symbol consisting of a silver droplet surrounded by ripples, a leaping fish, or a spiral of water around an open hand is established in her principal religious descriptions. The three crested blue waves remain her recognised emblem. --- ### **Worship and Tributes** The worship of Sarula Iliene is concerned principally with the preservation of freshwater environments and the protection of creatures that depend upon them. Her followers regard lakes, rivers, and streams as essential parts of the natural world whose continued health must be maintained. Religious devotion therefore includes practical responsibilities, particularly the prevention of pollution and the protection of communities threatened by dangers arising within or near water. Sarula's faithful do not observe a fixed calendar of major holy days. Instead, ceremonies are conducted when particular circumstances require divine assistance or religious recognition. Such occasions include the death of an elder priest, the appointment of a new religious leader, the birth of a child among the faithful, or the approach of a natural disaster. The nature of the ceremony reflects the reason for its observance. Celebrations may be joyful when marking a birth or appointment, while gatherings held in response to death or impending danger are conducted with greater solemnity. The principal offering consists of elven wine placed within a carefully prepared urn. During the ceremony, the wine is purified through magic, transforming it into clean water suitable for the goddess. The resulting water is poured into a lake or river, returning the offering to the natural environment associated with her divine power. The practice reflects the relationship between Sarula and the waters that sustain the surrounding land. Her faithful also maintain a close connection to ordinary aquatic activities. Swimming, boating, and fishing are common pursuits among those who serve the Nixie Queen. These activities allow worshippers to develop familiarity with the waterways under their care and gain the practical skills required to assist others. Sarula's religious traditions do not require the complete avoidance of violence. Her followers are expected to protect their waters against pollution and other threats, and they may employ force when peaceful measures prove insufficient. The protection of freshwater environments is therefore both a spiritual responsibility and a practical obligation. --- ### **Clergy and Temples** Sarula Iliene possesses an established clergy consisting of clerics, specialised priests, mystics, and wizards devoted to elemental water magic. Clerics and specialised priests form the majority of her religious communities, while mystics and water mages provide additional magical knowledge and abilities. Her priesthood is particularly associated with elven settlements located beside large lakes and rivers. The duties of her clergy involve the preservation of freshwater environments, the protection of nearby communities, and the prevention of pollution or other dangerous changes to the waterways entrusted to their care. These responsibilities frequently require practical knowledge of swimming, boating, and aquatic survival. The clergy may also intervene when individuals are threatened by drowning, dangerous aquatic creatures, or other hazards associated with natural bodies of water. Her religious servants wear distinctive ceremonial robes. Clerics and specialised priests traditionally wear black robes decorated with embroidered blue waves. Mystics wear similar garments with grey waves, while wizards specialising in water magic use green wave designs. During periods of conflict, members of the priesthood may wear armour and additional identifying armbands while retaining the established colours of their religious garments. Sarula's specialised priests are known as **brooktenders**. These priests receive magical abilities suited to their duties as guardians of freshwater environments. They are particularly skilled in swimming and can employ divine magic associated with water, healing, protection, and the natural world. Brooktenders traditionally favour daggers, darts, nets, spears, and short swords. Their permitted armour includes leather, elven chainmail, and ring mail. Their religious training includes familiarity with aquatic creatures and languages, allowing them to communicate with nixies and other inhabitants of freshwater environments. Temples dedicated exclusively to Sarula are uncommon, reflecting the comparatively small size and specialised interests of her faith. Nevertheless, her established clergy and ceremonial traditions demonstrate that her worship is considerably more organised than the informal reverence offered to some lesser-known fey powers. Her principal divine sanctuary remains the palace beneath the Brythanion, where she is attended by nixies, freshwater creatures, and devoted religious servants. --- ### **Powers and Abilities** Sarula Iliene possesses divine powers associated with freshwater, water magic, protection, and the creatures inhabiting lakes and streams. Her supernatural abilities are particularly effective when defending aquatic communities or manipulating the movement of water. **Command of Freshwater** Sarula can exercise considerable control over freshwater, employing divine magic to alter its movement and form. Her recognised abilities include the raising of enormous walls of water, which can protect her followers against approaching enemies. She is also capable of directing destructive floods against hostile forces threatening the communities under her protection. These powers demonstrate that her association with water extends beyond peaceful manifestations and includes its considerable destructive potential. **Protection of Aquatic Communities** Sarula's divine influence is especially concerned with the welfare of nixies and other freshwater creatures. Her followers receive magical abilities suited to life near or beneath the water. Through these gifts, her clergy can better defend aquatic settlements, prevent dangerous changes to waterways, and assist individuals threatened by drowning or other hazards. **Detection and Purification of Water** Brooktenders can acquire the supernatural ability to detect the presence of freshwater. They can also employ magic to create and purify water, providing assistance when natural supplies are unavailable or have become contaminated. These powers reflect the responsibilities of the priesthood in maintaining clean and reliable sources of freshwater. **Breathing Beneath the Water** Experienced brooktenders possess the ability to breathe freshwater through divine magic. This blessing allows them to travel beneath the surface without relying upon ordinary breathing equipment. The ability is particularly valuable when attending aquatic communities or investigating dangers within lakes and rivers. **Movement Upon and Through Water** Sarula's specialised priests can receive magical abilities allowing them to walk upon the surface of water, manipulate its movement, or create barriers from it. More accomplished brooktenders may part or redirect bodies of water through powerful divine magic. These abilities provide considerable advantages when protecting riverside settlements or confronting enemies within aquatic environments. **Union with Water** Senior brooktenders can acquire the ability to become almost indistinguishable from the water surrounding them. Through this supernatural transformation, their bodies take on a transparent, watery appearance, granting them extraordinary concealment while submerged. The ability also permits rapid movement through aquatic environments, allowing the priest to travel with considerable speed. **Protection Against Water Elementals** The most experienced members of Sarula's priesthood possess supernatural protection against elemental water creatures. Free-willed water elementals are ordinarily unwilling to attack such priests unless the priests initiate hostilities. Elementals compelled to attack through magical control may still do so, although their effectiveness is diminished by the divine protection granted to Sarula's servants. **The Healing Touch of the Nixie Queen** One of the most extraordinary blessings associated with the specialised priesthood is the Healing Touch of the Nixie Queen. This divine intervention can restore grievously injured elves and, under particular circumstances, return the recently dead to life. To invoke the blessing, a senior brooktender must bring the affected elf to the shore of a lake and perform the necessary prayer before taking the recipient into the water. A group of nixies then appears through supernatural means and carries the individual away. After a period of several days, the nixies return with the recipient restored. An elf who suffered severe injuries may be returned fully healed, including the regeneration of missing body parts. If the individual was dead, the blessing can return them to life, although they remain considerably weakened by the experience. The intervention is subject to important limitations. The recipient must be brought to the lake within one week of suffering the fatal or critical injuries, and the blessing cannot be invoked repeatedly without a substantial interval. This power is among the clearest demonstrations of Sarula's concern for the welfare of the elves who honour her. **Divine Magic** Sarula's priesthood possesses access to magic associated with animals, charm, divination, elemental water, healing, and protection. These abilities reflect the diverse responsibilities of her followers, who must understand the creatures inhabiting their waters as well as the magical means of defending them. No established account grants Sarula universal authority over time, fate, every river in the multiverse, or all forms of aquatic life. Her principal powers are associated with freshwater and the protection of her followers. --- ### **Treatment of the Chosen and Faithful** Sarula Iliene is generally benevolent toward those who respect the waters under her care and provide assistance to the creatures inhabiting them. Her clergy are expected to maintain healthy freshwater environments, protect nearby communities, and prevent pollution or other forms of deliberate destruction. Those who demonstrate dedication to these responsibilities may receive supernatural abilities that allow them to perform their duties more effectively. Such blessings are particularly apparent among brooktenders, whose magical powers develop to include underwater breathing, the purification of water, aquatic movement, and powerful healing. Sarula is also willing to intervene directly when her followers face serious danger. Her ability to erect walls of water provides protection against approaching enemies, while her destructive floods may be employed against armies threatening elven or sylvan settlements. This willingness to use force distinguishes her from Eldath, whose religious principles are more consistently concerned with peaceful conduct. Sarula's favour is therefore associated with responsible guardianship rather than absolute nonviolence. Her followers are expected to understand the dangers presented by natural waterways and to take appropriate action when others are threatened. The established traditions do not describe a universal collection of supernatural punishments imposed upon those who offend her. Although Sarula can unleash destructive water magic, no confirmed account attributes curses involving stolen reflections, permanent nightmares of drowning, or supernatural rivers that pursue offenders across the world. Her treatment of the faithful is most clearly expressed through the protective and restorative magic granted to her clergy. --- ### **Myths and Legends** **The Brythanion** The Brythanion is the great lake within Arvandor that serves as Sarula Iliene's divine home. At the bottom of the lake stands her glass-and-marble palace, an extraordinary structure inhabited by the goddess, her freshwater servants, and her most devoted priests and priestesses. Nixies and other aquatic creatures attend the divine court, reflecting their longstanding relationship with the Nixie Queen. The Brythanion is also a symbol of Sarula's position among the elven deities, for her realm lies within the paradise shared by the Seldarine. Its waters represent the freshwater environments whose protection forms the centre of her divine responsibilities. **The Daughter of the Leaflord** Sarula maintains a close relationship with Rillifane Rallathil, the elven god of forests and nature. Although they are separate divine beings, their relationship has traditionally been compared with that of a father and daughter. Rillifane's influence helped secure Sarula's place among the Seldarine, allowing the Nixie Queen to become recognised within the elven pantheon. Their relationship reflects the close connection between freshwater environments and the woodland habitats sustained by them. Streams and lakes provide essential support for forests, while woodland growth helps protect the waters flowing through the natural landscape. Their divine association therefore represents complementary responsibilities rather than competition over the same portfolio. **The Rains of Aerdrie Faenya** One of the traditions surrounding Sarula describes her role in collecting the waters brought to the world by Aerdrie Faenya. According to the account, the rains of the sky goddess descend upon the land and gather within streams and lakes under Sarula's care. These waters eventually flow toward the sea, entering the domain of Deep Sashelas. The tale reflects the relationship between the sky, freshwater, and oceans, joining the responsibilities of several members of the Seldarine. Sarula is therefore associated with the passage of water through the natural world rather than the independent creation of all water. **The Friendship of Deep Sashelas** Sarula possesses a special relationship with Deep Sashelas, whose divine portfolio includes the oceans and the aquatic elves. Their connection arises from the waters that pass through Sarula's streams and lakes before reaching the sea. Although the two maintain friendly relations, their association has occasionally attracted the attention of Trishina, the dolphin goddess and consort of Deep Sashelas. Trishina is known to guard her relationship with the sea god carefully, ensuring that the affection between Sarula and Deep Sashelas does not develop beyond friendship. These relationships form part of the wider divine fellowship of the Seldarine, whose members maintain different responsibilities while sharing a concern for the elven peoples. **The Friendship of Eldath** Sarula maintains an alliance with Eldath, the goddess associated with peaceful waters, waterfalls, and quiet places. Their interests overlap in the preservation of natural water sources and the protection of those who dwell beside them. However, their approaches differ considerably. Eldath is renowned for her commitment to peace, while Sarula is prepared to employ destructive magic against enemies threatening her followers. The Nixie Queen therefore represents a more forceful aspect of freshwater protection, recognising that rivers and lakes can provide both sanctuary and formidable natural defences. Their friendship demonstrates that divine powers sharing similar interests do not necessarily possess identical temperaments or methods. **The Wrath of the Waters** Although Sarula is generally quiet and benevolent, accounts of her divine abilities describe her willingness to unleash destructive floods against hostile armies. Such interventions are associated with the defence of elven and sylvan communities threatened by invasion. The floods serve as an expression of the formidable power possessed by flowing water, whose capacity for destruction is as genuine as its importance in sustaining life. Sarula may also employ walls of water to shield her followers, demonstrating that her supernatural abilities can provide protection without necessarily destroying those who approach. These accounts distinguish the Nixie Queen from entirely pacifistic water deities. **The Enemies of the Nixie Queen** Sarula's position among the Seldarine has brought her into opposition with several powers traditionally hostile to the elven gods. Her recognised enemies include the drow and orc pantheons, reflecting the longstanding conflicts between those divine groups and the Seldarine. She also maintains an enmity toward the Queen of Air and Darkness, whose influence is associated with the darker aspects of the fey. These hostilities connect Sarula with the wider struggles affecting elven and sylvan peoples, even though her own worshippers are principally concerned with freshwater environments. **The Nixie Queen of Sarifal** Sarula's name continued to be honoured among the supernatural powers of Sarifal, the fey kingdom established upon Gwynneth in the Moonshae Isles. The inhabitants of Sarifal revered powerful archfey and primal spirits through traditions resembling divine worship. Sarula was included among these beings, alongside other ancient powers associated with the natural world. Her recognition within Sarifal demonstrates the continued importance of her fey identity, despite her established position among the Seldarine. The surviving accounts do not explain the precise circumstances through which her divine identity and later recognition as an archfey became connected. --- ### **Encounters with Sarula Iliene's Influence** Encounters with Sarula Iliene's influence are most likely to occur beside freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers, particularly those inhabited by nixies or protected by elven communities. Travellers entering such regions may encounter members of her clergy engaged in maintaining the health of the water or assisting individuals threatened by aquatic dangers. Brooktenders are particularly important in these circumstances because of their exceptional swimming abilities and divine magic associated with freshwater. An encounter with nixies may also provide evidence of Sarula's influence. These aquatic fey recognise the Nixie Queen as their divine patron and may maintain relationships with nearby elven communities. However, nixies possess their own customs and magical abilities, and their presence does not necessarily indicate the direct intervention of Sarula. Sacred places associated with her worship may contain ceremonial vessels used for the offering of purified water, while religious servants can be recognised by their dark robes embroidered with coloured waves. Travellers seeking assistance from her clergy may receive aid in crossing dangerous water, locating freshwater supplies, or dealing with supernatural hazards affecting lakes and rivers. In more serious circumstances, powerful brooktenders may employ magical barriers of water or other divine abilities to defend threatened settlements. Those investigating the wider traditions of the Seldarine may encounter references to the Brythanion, the submerged palace of Sarula in Arvandor. A direct audience with the Nixie Queen would be exceptionally rare and would require reaching her divine realm or receiving a manifestation of her supernatural power. No established method of summoning her or securing a personal audience has been recorded. Her influence is therefore most clearly recognised through her priesthood, the nixies who honour her, and the freshwater environments whose protection forms the centre of her divine responsibilities. --- ### **Conclusion** Sarula Iliene is the Nixie Queen, a benevolent power of freshwater, lakes, streams, and water magic whose traditional worship is closely associated with the Seldarine. Her relationship with Rillifane Rallathil and Deep Sashelas reflects the importance of freshwater within the wider natural world, while her alliance with Eldath demonstrates her concern for the preservation of peaceful aquatic environments. Although generally quiet and compassionate, Sarula is capable of employing formidable destructive magic when her followers are threatened. Her established clergy, particularly the specialised priests known as brooktenders, maintain the health of rivers and lakes while providing protection and assistance to those who depend upon them. From her glass-and-marble palace beneath the waters of the Brythanion, Sarula exercises divine authority over the freshwater environments associated with her portfolio. Her later recognition among the archfey of Sarifal also preserves her connection to the fey, demonstrating the enduring place of the Nixie Queen within the religious and supernatural traditions of Faerûn.