Elementalism

Elementalists have been a staple among Rune Mages for thousands of years. The ability to conjure fireballs, hurl bolts of lightning, or shape the very earth upon which others stand is iconic among wizards.

Origins

The Cardinal Rune of Elements is believed to have been gifted to mortals by Aedrin, Dragon God of Nature. The abundance of practitioners of this discipline of rune magic is so prevalent that most commoners believe that simply being a mage implies that one has the ability to command the forces of nature. This belief is not unfounded as elementalists have been responsible for many wonders throughout history. But just as they are praised, they are also feared. The wrath of an elementalist is a terrifying thing to behold, a fact common folk are well aware of.

Initiation and Threshold Sickness

Like all disciplines of rune magic, an aspiring elementalist must find a wizard who is both willing and capable of inscribing the Cardinal Rune of Elements upon their flesh. The process itself is only mildly uncomfortable. However, the danger arises with the onset of threshold sickness. While the sickness of course varies from person to person, the most common maladies associated with the Rune of Elements are burning fevers, numbing chills bordering on hypothermia, pneumonia, and blistering agony in the bones. It is believed that many elementalists experience a sickness that is somehow related to what their Arche element may one day be.

Overstepping

Overstepping with elementalists is among the most severe in regards to rune mages. At its lowest level, the spell the wizard intended to cast will either veer completely out of their control or simply not work. At its most devastating level the magic the wizard commands will physically warp them and the world around them. A mage intending to work with earth could instead turn to solid stone themselves, ending in their death or a wizard intent on freezing enemies could instead flash freeze their own skin.

An elementalist who mishandles the elements too frequently risks being scorned by them. The elements might refuse to bow to the elementalist’s will making spellcasting exceedingly more taxing, even dangerous. At its absolute worst, this scorn can turn to being outright hunted by the elements and being forsaken by their Arche element. Those elementalists who reach this point seldom live very long unless great steps are taken to appease the natural forces they have so flagrantly abused.

The Elements

Elementalists have the ability to conjure the base elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Additionally they can manipulate the base elements in the natural environment. At higher levels, an elementalist can blend together the elements to produce para-elements. An elementalist cannot impose their will upon the elemental magic of another elementalist directly. Countering an element with its natural opposite however, is another matter entirely.

The Cardinal Rune of Elements establishes a bond between the wizard and the natural world, one that builds slowly over time. Through their rune the wizard is able to commune with the elements as one would commune with a spirit.

Abilities

Influence

Gained at Novice. The ability to exert one’s will upon the elements found in the natural environment around them. It is achieved by establishing a bridge between the wizard’s personal aether and the aether of the elemental substance found around them. Once established, the wizard can then manipulate it as they desire, to an extent.

Elementalists commune with the elements as opposed to lording over them. The power that an elementalist commands is born from a relationship fostered with the natural forces of the world in a give and take dynamic. The wizard creates a bridge between themselves and the element they wish to influence and is able to coerce it into action by feeding it their aether. The Rune of Elements anthropomorphizes the elements for the wizard awakening them to their moods, whispers and purposes.

Manifest

Gained at Novice. The ability to conjure an element at the expense of one’s personal aether. It can then be Influenced or Sculpted as desired.

Sculpting

Gained at Apprentice. The ability to sculpt is the ability to shape an element to more closely match a purpose intended by the elementalist whether artistic or pragmatic. An earth elementalist might reshape a piece of rock from a simple lump to a smooth sphere or a cube. A fire elementalist might coerce the flames to take on the appearance of a blade or other such shapes. The more refined and complex the shape, the more difficult it is for the wizard to sculpt.

Enmesh

Gained at Apprentice. Allowing for mundane items to be reinforced and instilled with the properties of a particular element or para-element for a limited duration of time.

Elemental Lodestone

Gained at Apprentice. While the elements manipulated in the world are mundane and simply influenced by the wizard's willpower and communion with the elements, that which is manifested by the wizard of their aether is considered magical in their entirety. Through experimentation and research, elementalists unlocked the power of the Elemental Lodestones. By manipulating Earth Magic, the wizard can create quartz-like crystals formed entirely from their aether. Once complete, the wizard can then imbue these crystals with their own elemental magic. The most powerful versions of these crystals are even capable of holding other forms of Personal Magic.

Arche

Gained at Journeyman. As the Elementalist grows more powerful and acquires the ability to influence, manifest and sculpt more elements simultaneously, they are faced with a decision once they’ve reached Journeyman status. They gain an Arche Element. The elemental force that has, over time, become closest to the elementalist taking a place in their magical practices far above that of the others. An Elementalist will only ever gain a single Arche Element but through this relationship and bonding many incredible things can be achieved outside of what would be possible with elements that do not share in the dynamics of an Arche. The Arche element will answer the call of the elementalist more readily, it will more easily serve as a conduit of the mage's power and is likened to having a close friend and elemental spirit always nearby.

Blending

Gained at Journeyman. The ability to combine elements in order to create para-elements. The wizard is only able to blend elements with their Arche Element or the Attuned Element of their environment. For instance an Elementalist whose arche is Water can blend together Water and Earth but cannot blend together Fire and Earth as fire is not their arche.

Deference

Gained at Journeyman. The elementalist gains heightened resistance to their Arche Element. Furthermore, the elements in general show a level of awareness and respect to the elementalist. The elementalist will seldom be without water in a desert, the fire in a burning building might withhold some of its intensity allowing for lives to be saved more quickly and successfully. It remains a conversation and the more aware the elementalist is of this conversation, the more understanding they gain in how to navigate the moods of the elements in the world around them.

Elemental Attunement

Gained at Expert. Every environment has an element that tends to dominate that particular area. A mine might be dominated by the element of earth or perhaps fire in the case of an underground lava flow. The desert could be dominated by earth or the scorching heat of fire or even the biting of the winds in more frozen climates. Upon becoming an expert in Elementalism, the wizard can reach out to their environment and attune to the element that logically stands out the most. With the exception of their Arche element, attuning to the predominant element in an environment means operating at a higher level with that particular element at the cost of the others being greatly subdued for the wizard. Attuned elements can be blended with their arche element with greater ease. Additionally, the wizard can blend other elements with the element they are attuned to though it is more difficult than would be with their arche element.

In order to attune to the element in their environment, the wizard meditates and reaches out to the environment around them. After a period of a few hours, the element that is strongest in that area will become attuned to them. Wizards who are skilled in meditation will see this time lessened. It is ill advised to remain attuned to a particular element where it is not dominant. This will have the adverse effect of taxing the wizard's strength considerably as their attuned element attempts to manifest at the levels as would be normal where it is usually the dominant element.

A wizard can only be attuned to a single element at a time. They can attune to a new element whenever they so choose as long as they have the time and freedom to meditate appropriately.

Prescience

Gained at Master. The elementalist’s Arche Element makes a point to protect their elementalist. Wind might intercede an incoming arrow and redirect it or a sheet of fire might suddenly manifest and burn an incoming aggressor. In each instance it is considered to be a spell being cast by the elementalist, regardless of how it manifests. They gain immunity from harm to their Arche Element in all of its forms.

Synergy

Gained at Master. The elementalist becomes a living embodiment of their Arche Element for a short time. While utilizing this ability the elementalist is capable of extraordinary feats with their Arche Element. An earth elementalist could compel the earth into motion so as to create an earthquake that can topple a city. A wind elementalist could be able to conjure tornadoes and hurricanes to cause mass devastation. While a lesser elementalist could certainly coerce the elements into motion to similar effect, the difference lies in the fact that the synergy enables the elementalist to become that which they manifest. Their Arche Element becomes a willing vector for their presence and power in the purview of the area the elementalist can affect. A synergy between the elementalist and their arche element can be used to miraculous or devastating effect that makes them truly terrifying to behold. The synergy can only be maintained safely for a few hours at most and will always induce heavy amounts of overstepping once ended.

Tier Progression

Novice(1-24)

Just beginning to grasp the power at their command, a novice elementalist is just starting their journey to befriending and working with the elements. They gain the power to influence the elements and coerce them into motion toward the wizard's intended desires. While they possess the power to manifest the elements from their own aether, it is still easiest to work with existing forms in the world around them.

Apprentice(25-49)

Having grown more capable as an elementalist, the wizard is able to begin Sculpting the elements into more refined and complex shapes toward whatever purposes they desire. The more complex the shape, the more taxing it is to sculpt the element in question. They gain the power to enmesh objects with an element, empowering said objects with elemental properties for a very limited duration. At Apprentice, their relationship with the elements has evolved to the point where they can create Lodestones. These stones can be imbued with Novice level elemental manifestations. They are now capable of safely manipulating two elements simultaneously. Their range of control extends to a radius of roughly 40 ft.

Journeyman(50-74)

With a firmer grasp on the power at their fingertips, Journeyman Elementalists are capable of exerting control over three elements simultaneously. They gain the Arche with their element of choice and in doing so gain heightened resistance but not immunity to that element in all of its forms. The elements have begun to show deference to the elementalist. A thunderstorm’s rain might make a point to avoid dampening the wizard too much, winds might not blow quite as hard, it might take longer before a fire’s heat burns. The elements have begun to recognize the elementalist as a friend and ally to be nurtured. This is made most prominent in the power to blend the elements together with their Arche element in order to create para-elements. Their lodestones are now able to hold Journeyman level manifestations of elemental magic. They can now hold Apprentice level manifestations of other Personal Magic. Their range of control over the elements they conjure or manipulate is limited to a radius of roughly 100 ft. and they do not tire as rapidly as before.

Expert(75-99)

The Expert Elementalist is truly a force to be reckoned with. With unparalleled control over their power, they are able to conjure and manipulate four elements at a time. They gain the ability to attune to the elements around them. Their others powers grow stronger and their connection with the natural world increases exponentially. Their elemental lodestones are now capable of holding para-elements created using their Arche Element as well as Expert level manifestations of elemental power. The lodestones can now hold Journeyman level manifestations of other Personal Magic. Their range of control over the elements they conjure or manipulate is roughly 200 ft. around the caster and they are capable of prolonged spellcasting.

Master (100)

Master Elementalists are an incredible force to behold. They exert peerless mastery over the elements and can manipulate all four elements as well as create unique variations of para-elements. For example, an elementalist whose Arche is Water, could combine Water and Wind to create ice. Not only that but they could join that Ice with Wind again to create a blizzard. The possibilities are only as limited as the elementalist can envision them. Their lodestones are capable of holding Master level elemental manifestations and are now even capable of holding up to Master level manifestations of other Personal Magic. They gain the benefits of Prescience. Their Arche Element will protect them where and when possible. They gain complete immunity to their Arche Element and acquire the incredible power to enact Synergy. Their range of control is limited basically to what is within their field of view.