The Well of the Wavekeeper lies an hour's walk inland from the village of Narwhada in the Summer Kingdom. Despite its name, it is not a well, nor is there any indication that the Wavekeeper has anything to do with it on a day to day basis. Still, priests of the Wavekeeper insists that a whirlpool of salt water spiraling down into the depths miles from the shore, unconnected to any other bodies of water, and with no visable source feeding it or its tide must have some connection to the Wavekeeper. And the flora and fauna it spits out only support the argument.
History
The history of the Well is as short as it is long. The Well predates the existence of Narwhada by decades if not centuries. There are records mentioning the Well from the Era of the Elements, which reference stories told in the Era of the Dragons. The Well has stubbornly swirled amidst the sand for a long, long time. And throughout all that time, all observers have agreed on one thing:
It's pretty weird.
Magic
The Well is obviously magical. No saltwater whirlpool ends up that far inland without a bit of magical assistance and magic detection lights it up like a Year's End bush. However, no one quite knows the nature or origin of that magic.
One For One
Aside from its location, there is another baffling aspect of the Well of the Wavekeeper. For every piece of matter that goes into the Well, a roughly equivalent piece of matter is expelled. Throw in a flower, get back some kelp. Throw in some rocks, get back a hunk of coral. Throw in a goat... get back a monster from the depths of the sea, one which was never meant to see the sun and yet breathes desert air through its gills and seeks violence upon those that ripped it from its habitat.
So, a one for one exchange.
This transactional nature of the Well is more mystifying to scholars and clergyfolk than the location of the Well. Were it simply a whirlpool in a weird place, that would be one thing. There could be a geyser of sorts far underground feeding it. It could be a remnant of some magic gone arry during the Element Wars. But few accidents have ever created such a transactional phenomenon, which both takes and gives.
Doorway to More?
Many have theorized that the Well is a portal to some other place or dimension, that place obviously being watery in nature due to the types of things that are spit out. High priest Konane the Welling, a cleric of the Wavekeeper, asserts that the Well connects to the plane of water, at least some of the time. Unfortunately, there isn't a good way to prove this seeing as how nothing that has gone into the Well has ever come back out, especially not something that is alive or can talk.
Wavekeeper Vibes
Despite the saltwater weirdness that goes on in the Well, and its name, bestowed upon it long ago by some fancy bard probably, there is little to indicate that the Well was actually created by or has any significant connection to the Wavekeeper. Priests and clerics of the Wavekeeper have long asserted that the Wavekeeper does have a certain degree of attachment to it. The aforementioned Konane has described being able to access higher levels of knowledge and power while near the Well. Scholars who don't have a direct line to the goddess have pointed out that the Wavekeeper kind of has a connection to all saltwater? To which priests of the Wavekeeper just shrugged.
At the end of the day, whether a holy creation of the Wavekeeper, a remnant of an age past, or a leak between planes, the Well remains a mystery to all that travel from far and wide to visit it.
Cultural Importance
As old as the Well of the Wavekeeper is, it has carved a place for itself throughout the kingdoms, but particularly in Summer.
Tide Pilgrimage
Followers of the Wavekeeper often travel on pilgrimages to visit the Well as a holy site. Pilgrims will stay in Narwhada for a time, walking out to the Well to meditate or throw items into the water as offerings. They treasure the return items they receive as messages or artifacts. Even if the return items are kinda gross or slimy. It is, in their eyes, a gift from the Wavekeeper after all.
This tradition is one of the reasons that the leadership of Narwhada maintain an iron fence around the Well and keep it locked outside of official tours and events. Pilgrims have been known to throw ill-advised items or offerings into the Well, up to and including themselves, often inviting a return item that is a bit more than bargained for. After a while the folks in Narwhada got a bit tired of waking up to sea-born monsters wandering through town looking for their next snack.
Trial
Narwhada also uses the Well in its yearly Trial. Goats are thrown into the Well in order to draw out monsters for participants to battle. Participants are ranked according to a combined score: how dangerous the creature provided by the Well and how quickly they dispatch it. The nature of the Well introduces an element of surprise to the Trial, turning out underwhelming in some years and extraordinary in others.
One memorable year, the Well spat out nothing but varying sizes of whales. Which, while not the most fearsome of land predators, proved interesting and amusing to attempt to kill in an expedient time frame.
Comments