Ulmir: Lord of the Waters

The Lord of Waters. He dwells nowhere long, but moves as he will in all the deep waters about the Earth or under the Earth. He is next in might to Eires, and before the Realm of Light was made he was closest to him in friendship; but thereafter he went seldom to the councils of the Great Ones, unless great matters were in debate. For he kept all the world in thought, and he has no need of any resting-place. Moreover he does not love to walk upon land, and will seldom clothe himself in a body after the manner of his peers. If mortals beheld him they were filled with a great dread; for the arising of the King of the Sea was terrible, as a mounting wave that strides to the land, with dark helm foam-crested and raiment of mail shimmering from silver down into shadows of green. The trumpets of Eires are loud, but Ulmir’s voice is deep as the deeps of the ocean which he only has seen. Nonetheless Ulmir loves both Elves and Men, and never abandoned them, not even when they lay under the wrath of the Great Ones. He harbors no love for Dwarves, nor they for him, for most Dwarves despise the great water, but he does not bear any vendettas against them, nor wish them ill. At times he will come unseen to the shores of the Earth, or pass far inland up firths of the sea, and there make music upon his great horns that are wrought of white shell; and those to whom that music comes hear it ever after in their hearts, and longing for the sea never leaves them again. But mostly Ulmir speaks to those who dwell in mortal lands with voices that are heard only as the music of water. For all seas, lakes, rivers, fountains and springs are in his government; so that the Elves say that the spirit of Ulmir runs in all the veins of the world. Thus news comes to Ulmir, even in the deeps, of all the needs and griefs of the Earth, which otherwise would be hidden even from Eires.   Ulmir is the patron of all seafaring folk and as such will have a great many temples in coastal regions and port towns, with worship becoming less common as you move inland. Most priests of Ulmir are retired fishermen, sailors, or sometimes pirates, and dress no differently than any other old sailor. They are founts of knowledge about the deeps for young people, and are more likely to give you practical advice than supernatural. However, they know a great many stories, whether by experience or hearsay, and may be able to tell you how to find and defeat sea creatures, assuming you believe their tales. This does not mean they do not have a genuine connection to Ulmir, however, and now and again one may bring a warning or message from him to their community, and woe betide the one who does not listen.