River Oceanus

The River Oceanus is a fictional location in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

Description

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The first edition Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb describes the River Oceanus as one of the features of the Outer Planes, which "links the planes of Elysium, Happy Hunting Grounds, and Olympus in much the same way that the Styx links the lower planes". The river disappears and reappears a number of times in different layers of the planes, but it seems to follow a course that begins in Thalasia, the third layer of Elysium, flows through the second and first layers of that plane, then across the topmost layer of the Happy Hunting Grounds, then into the topmost layer of Olympus to its final rest in the second later of that plane, Ossa. The Oceanus is a more natural river than the Styx, and ho harm comes to those who drink of it. The Oceanus does still pose all the normal dangers of a large river, and does not have the supernatural boatmen of the Styx.^[1]:84 The book goes on to describe how Oceanus appears on specific Outer Planes. The first four layers of the plane of Elysium "are dominated by the River Oceanus, which beings in the fourth (outermost) layer of this plane and flows down to the innermost layer (the layer nearest the Astral). From there Oceanus meanders into the Happy Hunting Grounds and then into the innermost layer of Olympus." These three good planes are linked by the Oceanus in the same manner as the lower planes are linked by the River Styx. By contrast, the Oceanus is a slow, peaceful flow, navigable by mere mortals (though its peaceful flow is often broken by rapids, cascades, waterfalls, and occasional fallen trees). The river separates and recombines many times in its passage, so travelers often find themselves journeying down side channels that soon rejoin the main stream. There are creatures that live in the Oceanus, including nymphs. The lands of Elysium are fertile along the banks of the Oceanus, filled with pines and sweet-smelling flowering trees. Most of the realms of Elysium are found along the banks of the Oceanus. A traveler on the Oceanus can usually reach another layer by traveling downstream (or upstream, for the flow doubles back several times). Portals to the other planes on Amoria, the first layer of Elysium, appear as dark caverns, with no clues as to what plane they lead to; those caverns that swallow the flow of the Oceanus always lead to the Happy Hunting Grounds after an underground passage, though there is no guarantee that the passage is navigable by boat. The second layer, Eronia, is a mountainous region where the Oceanus is often broken by falls and cascades; the banks of the Oceanus here are sheer and of grey rock, though the life around the banks is as profuse as in Amoria. On the third layer, Bellerin, many of the large islands in the Oceanus contain huge nations of extraplanar beings. Thalasia, the fourth layer, is the great sea from which the Oceanus flows and eventually returns to after it reaches its destination in the realm of Poseidon in Olympus.^[1]:90 The Egyptian goddess Isis holds sway over a large realm of the layer of Amoria, including several paths of the Oceanus. The god Seker and his moveable realm Ro Stau spend most of their times adjacent to Isis's realm on the Oceanus. The Sumerian moon god Nanna-Sin travels the Oceanus in a great barque that is shaped like a crescent moon; in passing he provides a moon-like radiance to all on the banks of the river.^[1]:91 Krigala is the first layer of the plane of the Happy Hunting Grounds, closest to the Astral, and through it the Oceanus flows in a relatively straight course (compared to its winding through Elysium) into Olympus.^[1]:91 Ossa, the second layer of the plane of Olympus, is the outflow of the river Oceanus. There are often reports of huge, funnel-like maelstroms that lead directly back to Thalasia in an unending circle.^[1]:93

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The Planescape Campaign Setting (1994) boxed set by David "Zeb" Cook describes the River Oceanus in the booklet "A DM Guide to the Planes" as one of the paths between planes and layers. The River Oceanus is described: "Rising on the plane of Elysium is a great river, broad in its banks, whose waters flow smoothly across the upper realms. Its surface is calm, barely marred by ripples, and its depths are deeper than any line can fathom. The water isn't dangerous, but sweet - indeed fragrant - to those who stand on its shores. Its surface is calm, yet it has its share of dangerous currents and creatures in the depths below. This is the River Oceanus." ^[2]:44 The River Oceanus flows into Arborea's second layer of Ossa from Thalasia (on Elysium), and huge funnel-like maelstroms can suck creatures into Elysium.^[2]:50 The River Oceanus runs almost straight through the center of Krigala, the first layer of the Beastlands, headed between Elysium and Arborea; the jungles and forests are thickest along the river, and moving away from the river the land becomes plains, then dry veldt, then desert, rising into coniferous wooded mountains and arctic tundra. Along the river banks the faction called the Sign of One maintains a citadel.^[2]:53 Near the banks of the River Oceanus, which winds through all the layers of Elysium, are tall trees, waving reeds, and lush meadows; in the hundreds of miles beyond the river's banks, the forests give way to grassy plains, then rolling hills, until the land finally becomes rugged badlands. On Elysium's first layer of Amoria, there are several trading towns strung like pearls along the banks of Oceanus, the largest of which is called Release From Care. The goddess Isis maintains a realm on this layer, which is famous for the firefly lanterns that line the river's banks. On the mountainous second layer Eronia, waterfalls and cascades interrupt the flow of Oceanus. River travel without a guide can be dangerous, as the banks are sheer and rocky except for a few landing points. Here, the god Enlil maintains a mountain realm, while the god Nanna-Sin plies the river on his great crescent moon barge which bathes the river canyon in the silver radiance of moonlight as it passes. The fourth layer of Elysium, Thalasia, is the source and end of the River Oceanus, rising out of the sea that is Thalasia, which fills this layer. The primary means of travel on Elysium is by river.^[2]:57 The booklet "Sigil and Beyond" mentions that one way to get into the gate town of Glorium on the plane of the Outlands is by sailing a ship up a little-known tributary of the River Oceanus.^[2]:40

The boxed set Planes of Chaos (1994) by Lester Smith and Wolfgang Baur notes in "The Book of Chaos" booklet that the ream of the goddess Selûne in Ysgard is said to tentatively connect to the River Oceanus.^[3]:7 The balaena on the plane of Arborea are plentiful in Oceanus, which serves as their winter feeding ground; the are more common as modes of transport in the plane's second layer, but they can be found along the coasts of the first layer as well.^[3]:40 Ossa, the second layer of Arborea, is the outflow of the river Oceanus which flows from the farthest layer of Elysium, Thalasia.^[3]:50 The sea surrounding the realm called the Gates of the Moon, the realm of Selûne, somehow connects with the River Oceanus.^[3]:116

The boxed set Planes of Law (1995) by Colin McComb and Wolfgang Baur mentions in the "Mount Celestia" booklet that the balaena know the secret portal from the headwaters of the River Oceanus in Thalasia on Elysium to the bottom of the Silver Sea on Lunia, the first layer of the plane of Mount Celestia. Therefore, the balaena swim the Silver Sea and visit the island-citadels of Lunia, where they pick up travelers who believe they are bound for the upper reaches of the plane (but whom the balaena, through their connections with the powers of both planes, know are headed for Elysium).^[4]:10

A Player's Primer to the Outlands (1995) by Jeff Grubb notes that in the gate town of Ecstasy on the plane the Outlands, the city's gate takes people to the layer of Amoria on the plane of Elysium, on the banks of the river Oceanus.^[5]:13

The boxed set Planes of Conflict (1995) by Colin McComb, Dale Donovan, and Monte Cook mentions in the "Liber Benevolentiae" booklet that the Rive Oceanus "winds its leisurely transplanar way through all four layers of Elysium and the first layer of the Beastlands before rolling on to Arborea, where it disappears into that plane's second layer. This great river's broad banks are the centers of life on the layers of the planes it touches, more than any encampment or city." Much flora grows by the river's banks, nourished by the river's sweet waters, and here also gather many creatures to drink, feed on the plants, and sometimes prey on each other. Life is abundant within the river too, with schools of freshwater fish, turtles, otters (many of them giant otters), and other animals. Intelligent creatures such as the delphon, asrai, and balaena also live in Oceanus' waters. Oceanus' unfathomable depths hold huge fishes, whales, and reptiles - beings that exist within no prime-material lake, sea, or river. Folks who make their homes along the river are fortunate that these beings only rarely surface to feed. Oceanus serves as a convenient mode of transport across the Upper Planes. Merchants, proxies, fisherfolk, and travelers anchor their vessels at the outposts, villages, and trading towns that dot its shores. Crafts are large as small sailboats can navigate its churning width. Poll barges, catamarans, rowboats, canoes, rafts, and gondolas can all be seen atop the sweet-smelling waters. But like any normal river, traveling Oceanus can be dangerous. The smoothly flowing current can quickly turn to rapids strewn with craft-shattering boulders, or plunge off a high cliff or precipice, sending boat and passengers to impact hundreds or thousands of feet below. The river's banks can narrow drastically and swiftly, forcing vessels such as rafts and barges to put ashore. Any cargo must then be portaged along with the craft itself to a point beyond the hazard where journeying on the river is again safe enough for most travelers. Oceanus is deeper than people can fathom, and the river appears and disappears suddenly and without interrupting its flow; this effect is never noticeable to those traveling in or on the dimensionally deep river, only to those on its shores. Impossibly high waterfalls, deep gorges carved over the millennia by the water's force, tranquil crystal-clear lagoons, and dangerous predators lurking near the banks or under the surface await those who travel Oceanus.^[6]:6 The god Stillsong is most commonly encountered near the banks of the River Oceanus. When Stillsong is near the River Oceanus, delphons are never far away. Stillsong primarily wanders up and down the length of the River Oceanus.^[6]:7 The god Habbakuk enjoys taking the form of a great, blue dolphin and swimming the river Oceanus. There, he communes with others such as the balaena and the asrai, and makes use of Oceanus' waters for travel, food gathering, or a quick bath.^[6]:13 Oceanus divides the layer of Krigala on the Beastlands. The forests and swamps are thickest near the broad banks of the river. Moving farther from Oceanus' calm waters and rising in altitude are plains, veldt, and desert.^[6]:16 The River Oceanus flows through Krigala on its way from Elysium to Arborea. Near the river's banks is life - both plant and animal - the most luxuriant. The tallest trees, the largest herds, and the fiercest predators all live within sight of the great river's banks. Many use the river to travel on this layer, as the rushing water provides an effective barrier to most land-dwelling predators. Water-dwelling predators such as the giant crocodile and airborne hunters such as the giant eagle are not hindered, however.^[6]:17 The dominant feature of all four layers of Elysium is the River Oceanus. The river serves as the primary means of transportation on the plane and as the link between most of the plane's towns. It is a sort of watery highway between the layers, and in a larger sense, between Elysium and the planes of the Beastlands and Arborea.^[6]:48 One of the lesser gods of Elysium is Nanna-Sin, who poles his crescent moon-shaped barge up and down the River Oceanus.^[6]:50 In Oceanus' waters on Elysium, asrai, balaena, delphons, and nereids cavort with dolphins, aquatic elves, selkies, and other sea creatures. Rising from Elysium's fourth layer of Thalasia (which is also the name of the sea that covers most of the layer), the River Oceanus meanders through all the other layers of Elysium: Belieri, Eronia, and Amoria. Most travel on the plane takes place on the river. While anyone seldom has to worry about pirates on Oceanus' waters, the river is not without its dangers. There are falls, rapids, eddies, and whirlpools in spots. The river is full of life too - much of it pretty big. More than one predator has tried to get an easy meal by flipping over a traveler's small boat or raft. Each of the layers sports different terrain. Thalasia is a layer of small islands on the sea from which Oceanus forms. Eronia is rocky and mountainous, with great cascades and spectacular waterfalls that interrupt Oceanus' gentle flow. River travel can be rather dangerous here without someone experienced to act as a guide or ferryman. On Amoria, an untroubled land of woodland and meadows, numerous towns line Oceanus' banks like strung pearls. The layer of Amoria is the first layer of the plane, and it is the last that Oceanus visits before the river moves on to the first layer of the Beastlands. Most of the layer's towns are nestled along the banks of this immensely wide, sweet-smelling river. As Oceanus joins all four layers of Elysium, it is logical that locals make use of it as a convenient mode of travel and trade. A wide, arched stone bridge crosses over a particularly deep stretch of the River Oceanus, where a rogue asuras has taken it upon himself to be the guardian of this bridge, and lets none cross the bridge, or traverse the river by any other means, until he is assured that those wanting to cross are not evil.^[6]:52 Quietude, the realm of the goddess Isis, contains the small river Serenity, a tributary of the mighty Oceanus. Serenity has its source here, springing out of the rocks of the high plateau that is Isis' realm. As it leaves the realm, it plunges over the lip of the plateau, dropping several hundred feet and crashing down to continue its journey toward Oceanus.^[6]:57 Resting on the banks of the River Oceanus and being on the plane of Elysium's first layer grants the town of Release From Care the most cosmopolitan air and attitude anywhere on the plane. The river is the town's life blood. People with any business on the plane often seek and find river transportation here. Merchants come to Release From Care after picking up hand-crafted gnomish items from neighboring plane Bytopia, and once here, they use Oceanus as their road through the Upper Planes. The most popular service in Release From Care is the River Oceanus, which is literally Elysium's highway. River traffic is busiest near the towns, but a traveler seldom goes more than a few hours without sailing or poling past some others. While the river is vast, wide, and deep, most vessels are rather small. The dangerous areas of the river such as rapids and falls are well known in these parts, and most people know to avoid them. A traveler sees skiffs, canoes, barges, sailboats, rafts, and gondolas, but no clipper ships or even cogs. Oceanus has cut deeply into the rock of Eronia, the second layer of Elysium, carving deep gorges, grand canyons, roaring rapids, and tremendously high cascades. River travel is more dangerous on this layer than any other in Elysium.^[6]:58-59 The goddess Syranita sometimes nests at the site known as Precipice among her people the aarakocra in the high cliffside community far above a wide, deep lagoon formed where the river Oceanus plunges off the cliff nearby.^[6]:60 Oceanus passes through one portion of Belierin, the third layer of Elysium, and the rest of the layer is full of misty swamps, marshes, and bogs.^[6]:61 The fact that the site known as Rubicon lies on an island in the middle of Oceanus near where the river flows on to Eronia accounts for its continued existence. From here the guardinals are vigilant in seeing that nothing flows past on or in Oceanus' waters in an attempt to escape the layer of their imprisonment. From materials raised from the depths of the bedrock deep beneath the layer of Belierin's surface, the ursinals used their magics to fashion Rubicon in the middle of Oceanus. This allowed the guardinals to bar egress to any of the layer's prisoners via the river, while Oceanus protected the outpost from the ravages of the Hydra. The outpost also serves to divert anyone traveling Oceanus from exploring the layer. The island town of Portico on Thalasia, the fourth layer of Elysium, is a common stopover for travelers on Oceanus, as it is located near where the river flows into Belierin.^[6]:63 The booklet "A Player's Guide to Conflict" describes: "Oceanus, the pure river of the Upper Planes, flows through the first layer of the Beastlands, all four layers of Elysium. It's the river of sweet water and good intentions. That doesn't mean Oceanus holds no dangers; waterfalls plunge thousands of feet to the rocks below, swirling whirlpools take a berk down to his doom, and predators swim the river's waters and lurk along its shores." A character looking to get someplace in the Upper Planes can usually just camp by the riverside. Plenty of boat traffic follows the river (except near the more treacherous areas), and most of the bargemasters are happy to accept an extra passenger or two.^[6]:4 River Oceanus is the center of all life on Krigala, as the sweet-smelling waters feed the plants made thirsty by the sun Selera's unrelenting heat. Animals come to the river to feed, drink, and - for the predators - to hunt.^[6]:6 The River Oceanus rises from the sea of Thalasia, Elysium's fourth layer, and passes through all the layers before flowing on to the Beastlands and Arborea. Therefore, most who need to travel somewhere on Elysium use the river to reach their destination. Most of the layer Amoria's towns are located along the banks of Oceanus, including Release From Care, the largest town on all of Elysium. Oceanus, other waterways, and roaring winds have carved the rock of the layer of Eronia into grand gorges, deep canyons, bare cliff faces, and stark outcroppings and formations. Oceanus is more vigorous here; cascading waterfalls and dangerous whitewater rapids are common. The fourth and final layer of Elysium is Thalasia, which is covered by a sparkling sea, which shares the layer's name and is the source of the River Oceanus.^[6]:20 The town of Portico is an island paradise floating where the River Oceanus flows out of the sea of Thalasia and passes into Belierin. The town is built on stilts on an archipelago of low islands that formed when an immense coral reef was thrust above the waterline by a seaquake. The reef's proximity to Oceanus' exit point to Belierin was cause enough for a town and trading post to be erected here.^[6]:23

The Planewalker's Handbook (1996) by Monte Cook described how the river's "crystal waters are smooth and calm, as well as unfathomably deep. Sailing down the river is a straightforward way of traveling through and across Elysium, the Beastlands, and Arborea." The river's path is neither straight nor regular. It dips in and out of the planes it passes through without warning. Most people find that the river's flow takes them where they want to go without really understanding how. Merchants use the river to trade goods, and many others use it for regular travel, so characters can hire a boatman to take a traveler along its course.^[7]:12 The River Oceanus joins Elysium's four layers; inhabitants commonly use the riverway as transport, and build towns right upon on its shores.^[7]:21 The book describes the River Oceanus as one of the four best-known planar paths, which usually lead to many different planes, but also require some period of actual physical travel so they are not instantaneous like portals. Paths such as Oceanus shift and change as travelers move along them, so that one moment a character is on one plane and the next moment on another with no awareness of when the changeover occurred.^[7]:42

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The third edition Manual of the Planes (2001), by Jeff Grubb, David Noonan, and Bruce Cordell, describes that the river as a "plane-spanning waterway" that "provides a path between realms, layers, and neighboring Outer Planes".^[8]:86

References