Difference between revisions of "Elementals"

Revision as of 12:01, 30 July 2008

Elementals can roughly be defined as spirits inhabiting nonliving matter, though they are infinitely more complex than that. For example, a water elemental isn't just moving water with a mind of its own! Once the matter is possessed by an elemental, it becomes the body of the creature and forms complex organs just like in a regular organic creature's body. It take days or weeks for an elemental to properly develop its body when it first inhabits it.

Because of Felarya's magical nature, most elementals are able to animate huge masses of matter, making them gigantic. And because a large elemental needs a lot of energy to maintain its form, they need to eat a lot too. They hunt pretty much anything that is living and that they can consume. Their body is malleable, which means that their throat, mouth and stomach can stretch quite a bit, allowing them to swallow large prey.

Elementals are extremely hard to kill. If you fight one in its own element, the task can become all but impossible because the elemental will use the surroundings to sustain itself. Even if you manage to severely damage its body, the elemental will just leave it and search for another chunk of matter to animate in a quieter place. However, once an elemental spirit has chosen a type of matter to inhabit, it will never be able to use another type. A fire elemental will never become an ice elemental, for example.

The only sure ways to get rid of an elemental is to either devour its spirit (but creatures able to perform that trick are rare) or use a banish spell once the spirit is separated from the body, to take the spirit away. Using opposite elemental magic is also a good way to damage them (water vs fire for example). There is no existing spellcaster strong enough to harm an elemental using its own element (aside from the Coldfire used by some very rare beings, among them the succubus Arale).

How intelligent and conscious an elemental is varies enormously from one specimen to another. There are some spirits barely aware of themselves, and some with a mind closer to a gods than a human. Some use very animalistic appearances, while some prefer to shape their body just like a human.

List of elements

Under constrution

Nature Elementals

They are primal spirits who have chosen to construct physical bodies out of Felaryan flora rather than raw elemental forces. while Nature Elementals often develop a preference for a certain plant, they are capable of reconstituting bodies from another type when neccessary.

There are two loosely defined types of Nature Elementals: Wood Elementals, and Flora Elementals, both including a wide variety of forms.

• Wood Elementals inhabit and shape a tree, shrub, or other woody plant into their physical body. The two most known forms are Treants and Bramblewolves.

Bramblewolves are small wood elementals, with vaguely canid bodies, which are formed out of thorny bushes and shrubbery. They often have leafy manes or "socks" around their feet, and long, branch-like bushy tails. They have long, thin spines protruding from their manes and along their bodies for defense, and their teeth and claws are formed from thick, wickedly sharp large thorns. Bramblewolves are sightless and hunt entirely by vibration, travelling in packs of 3-5. They are nonsentient and of animal intelligence, vicious and nearly fearless when it comes to running down prey. Pretty much the only thing they fear is fire, since they are as vulnerable to it as most wood elementals are.

Treants are elementals that resemble mobile, humanoid trees. Unlike Dryads however, Treants usually don't have a human body and some of them have an inhuman appearance as well. Most of them possess a human visage in their trunks, though. Treants can commonly be found in the presence of Dryads, who are said to enjoy their company and treat them as trusted confidants.

• Flora Elementals are Nature Elementals who have shaped physical bodies from vegetation, raw plant matter, or vines. Notable species of Flora Elementals include Crimson Snapdragons, Kudzu Pythons, and Glade Unicorns.

Crimson Snapdragons are elemental creatures resembling a Komodo Dragon. Large, quadrupedal, and powerful animals, they are ravenous and rarely give up pursuit of prey once they have began. Their bodies are formed from the carnivorous plants in the Jungle of perils, with large, spiked jaws resembling a Venus Flytrap; as one might imagine, they swallow their prey whole.

Like Bramblewolves, Crimson Snapdragons are blind, lacking eyes. However, their ability to sense vibrations is limited, and only effective within their immediate area. They mostly lay in wait for creatures to pass by, blending in with the scarlet background of the jungle; once they sense the vibrations of a passing creature, they spring forward and spew a cloud of fine spores at them. These spores are harmless; but if their initial attack is unsuccessful and their prey manages to escape their jaws, the spores allow a Crimson Snapdragon to track the marked prey over incredible distances. They have an amazing sense of smell, and can detect even the faintest trace of the spores from miles away, allowing them to follow their prey tirelessly; the spores are very difficult to remove or wash away, and to remove them with water would require multiple baths.

Kudzu Pythons are yet another animalistic variant of Nature Elemental, resembling large constrictor snakes made out of tightly woven vines-like plants. They are very fast, excellent swimmers and climbers, and capable of powerfully constricting their prey. Unlike true constrictor snakes, Kudzu Pythons swallow their prey alive; they squeeze it until all the fight is left, and then swallow the prey before they can get a second wind. They are often very stealthy and more physically resilient than other Nature Elementals; while their vines can be cut, they are capable of disincorporating most of their body into vines, making their vulnerable points difficult to pinpoint. Although they lack venom, elemental magic, or other such traits, Kudzu Pythons can be a threat to large predators and small humanoids alike. Piercing weapons are useless against a Kudzu Python, as the weapons will just slip between its vines; In addition, by relaxing slightly, a Kudzu Python can expand, making it a larger threat and capable of swallowing prey much larger than itself.

Glade Unicorns are not actually unicorns, but rather a type of Flora Elemental that greatly resembles them. They are equine in appearance, but have hooves and a long, spiralling horn made of wood. They have leafy manes, "socks" above their hooves, and tails. In terms of coloration, they typically occur in woodland greens, but have also been spotted in autumn colors and bright floral colors as well.

Despite their animal appearance, Glade Unicorns are extremely intelligent, and capable of communicating with other beings. As a rule, they are typically peaceable, just creatures; they feed on plants rather than animals or sentient beings. They sometimes have a reputation as crusaders; Glade Unicorns refuse to tolerate what they perceive as injustice, and will attack those they deem wicked. Unfortunately, due to their inhuman mindset, it's difficult to predict exactly how they define "injustice" and "wickedness", which means that they can pose a significant threat to humans under certain circumstances.

When they must do battle, Glade Unicorns are fairly capable fighters with their hooves and horns; despite being made of wood, a Glade Unicorn's horn is capable of easily puncturing a steel shield or breastplate, let alone the average predator's skin, scales, flesh, and bones. Glade Unicorns also have an unusual ability some have described as an "Aura of Tranquility"; by shaking its mane, a Glade Unicorn can release spores into the air. Most creatures that inhale these spores will gradually become more and more relaxed and calm, until they are incapable of aggression. Glade Unicorns are fairly rare, and solitary, even for elementals. Many summoners travel into the forests of Felarya hoping to encounter one and befriend or establish a contract with it, as they are said to be powerful and reliable allies. Unfortunately for many would-be "masters", they have very high standards, and a summoner who is determined to be unworthy may find herself on the business end of the elemental's horn.

fire

lava

earth - sand - rock

air

water - fog - ice

lightning

darkness

Known Elementals

Déméchrelle ( darkness )

King Trazix ( Lava )

• Credits goes to Sean Okotami for the base idea of nature elementals, and to TheQuantumMechanic for their design and characterization.