Eadro

In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Eadro is the deity worshipped by the locathah race and merfolk race. His sacred animal is the jellyfish. His symbol is a spiral, indicating growth through unity.

Publication history

Eadro was first fully detailed in Deities and Demigods (1980).^[1]

Eadro was detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.^[2] His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).^[3] Eadro is described as one of the good deities that celestials can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).^[4]

Eadro was described briefly in Defenders of the Faith (2000).^[5] His priesthood is detailed for 3rd edition in Complete Divine (2004).^[6]

Description

Eadro appears as living water able to take the shape of a locathah, a merman, an amorphous blob, or anything else he pleases.

Relationships

Eadro is a member of the asathalfinare, an Elven word meaning "those who have their being in the sea haunted by the true dream." Other members of the asathalfinare include Deep Sashelas, Eadro, Persana, Surminare, Syranita, Trishina, and Water Lion. They meet occasionally in Thalasia to minimize conflict between themselves and their various peoples. They also discuss their common enemies, the sahuagin, ixitxachitl, sharks, and other monsters empowered by the ancient god Panzuriel, foe of them all. The asathalfinare also work to develop and maintain good relations with human and other gods of the sky and sea. Stronmaus in particular is well-disposed toward them.

Realm

2nd edition sources put Eadro's realm, Shelluria, on the Elemental Plane of Water, while 1st edition sources say he lives on the Outlands. His worshippers take the form of tiny, insubstantial, brightly colored fish in the afterlife. Shelluria is said to be a pleasant and bountiful place to live. Eadro has a mirror there that can view any underwater scene on the Prime Material Plane.

Eadro has been absent from his realm for over a decade, and even his most loyal servants have no idea where he has gotten to. He said only he had to attend to an important matter, leaving a council of three proxies to rule in his stead. In recent months their powers have begun to wane, so that they have summoned the nomadic triton god Persana to help them protect the realm.

Dogma

The locathah and merfolk believe their deity washes their gills with the Water of Life before dropping them into the Current of Existence. Eadro is aloof from other races, caring only about the merfolk and locathah he created. He watches them carefully, knowing the potential for conflict between them. He also keeps his eye on the races of evil that threaten them from without.

Worshippers

The vast majority of Eadro's followers are merfolk and locathah. Though they revere the same deity, merfolk and locathah are not always allies, as they must compete for resources and territory.

Clergy

Eadro's priests and shamans wear sand-colored clothing. They serve their communities, upholding traditional values (which differ significantly between the two races). Merfolk priests are suspicious, stern, and xenophobic, while locathah priests are more worldly, though still cautious and thoughtful.

Temples

Eadro is worshipped in aquatic dens.

Myths and legends

At the beginning of time, Eadro swam in a vast ocean on another plane before bringing those waters to Oerth in order to create the home of the sea elves and locathah. Before the world was ready, however, he needed to fight and defeat the patron of the ixitxachitl (who may not originally have been Demogorgon).

The locathah believe that merfolk were an experiment that Eadro made before he created his masterpiece, themselves. The merfolk believe the exact opposite.

References

Additional reading

• Baker, Richard, and Joseph D. Carriker Jr, and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. Stormwrack. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005

• Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online: