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Elementals - Info Post
Beings made of pure magical energy, elementals in this world bear little resemblance to the demons and humans that surround them - that is, unless they choose to. They are inarguably some of the oldest magical entities this world has seen, and some elementals are even older than biological life itself. Their absolute control over the elements they consist of rivals the power of nature itself, and, for some elementals, even eclipses it.
Due to their nature as beings of pure energy, the life cycle of an elemental is much different from that of normal beings. "Cycle," in fact, takes on entirely new meaning in terms of their lives. As an elemental grows older, eventually their energy reserves wane, and finally "wink out." This is the closet to old age an elemental will ever experience. However, for many elementals, this is only the sign of a new beginning. A new life can begin again for that very same elemental, perhaps even resuming from the same point, but with renewed vigor. Not every elemental is reborn this way, and not all those who do retain their memories, or their abilities. Some elementals even choose to give up their life to begin a new cycle, purposefully leaving behind their powers and their experiences in order to start over. For those that are lucky, however, memories and powers never reset, and only continue to grow. The life of an elemental could easily span centuries, millenia, or even millions or trillions of years.
Due to this incredible life cycle, there are different classes of elementals, some of which are so old, ancient, and powerful that few living can claim to have come into contact with them. The oldest and strongest of these much more ancient elementals is the Phoenix. This creature is so ancient that its powerful flames now make up the molten core of the very planet every other being walks upon. Few, though, even know of the Phoenix's existence now, or its role in keeping the world stable.
Following the Phoenix are the elemental Dragons, beings who rival, eclipse, create, or work with the forces of Nature as we know them. The dragons are responsible for formations of hills, mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans, glaciers, clouds, snows, forests, minerals, deserts, savannahs - literally anything that Nature can produce, the dragons are able to shape and control it to their whims. They are not selfish creatures, though; they do not use their control over these forces to their own ends, choosing instead to create a balance that allows as much life in the world to flourish as they are able, and to work against what forces demons and humans create to throw that balance off. Do not let their altruistic purpose fool you, though - having spent so long away from the beings they seek to protect, the dragons are hardly connected to them at all now. A certain haughtiness pervades them, leaving them scoffing at less powerful demons, humans, and even elementals as "lesser beings," thinking them incapable of perceiving the true nature of the world.
Many lesser elementals often aid in the dragons' work, watching over smaller parts of nature such as ponds, streams, creeks, or lightly forested areas between human settlements. These elementals rarely leave their duties, and are all but unknown to most, even their own kind. Often when their cycles end, their lose their powers and their memories, starting their lives over from the beginning, released from their ceaseless work to be replaced by another.
Finally there are the elementals who live among humans and other demons. While all elementals can shapeshift, these elementals are able to change their forms only between an appearance resembling a human, one resembling an animal, and one that combines features of both. Their powers are far more limited, requiring that they use their own lifeforce to do battle beyond their current form's abilities in purely physical combat, which can leave an elemental so exhausted from a battle that they may pass out - or, in extreme cases, be forced to start a new cycle early. Elementals who wink out from exhausting their energies in a battle almost never retain their memories, and often lose their powers as well. Don't let this fool you, though. Elementals of this rank may have to use their lifeforce to do battle, but as beings of pure magical energy they have far more lifeforce to use than most demons and humans ever will. This leaves elementals often feeling rather superior toward their fellow demons, and they will make little effort to hide these feelings of superiority. They don't even care if they grate on others' nerves, as they don't feel threatened by others. Their high and mighty attitude often leaves a sour impression on everyone else, so elementals have a reputation throughout the world as snobbish and unreasonable creatures.
Due to their nature as beings of pure energy, the life cycle of an elemental is much different from that of normal beings. "Cycle," in fact, takes on entirely new meaning in terms of their lives. As an elemental grows older, eventually their energy reserves wane, and finally "wink out." This is the closet to old age an elemental will ever experience. However, for many elementals, this is only the sign of a new beginning. A new life can begin again for that very same elemental, perhaps even resuming from the same point, but with renewed vigor. Not every elemental is reborn this way, and not all those who do retain their memories, or their abilities. Some elementals even choose to give up their life to begin a new cycle, purposefully leaving behind their powers and their experiences in order to start over. For those that are lucky, however, memories and powers never reset, and only continue to grow. The life of an elemental could easily span centuries, millenia, or even millions or trillions of years.
Due to this incredible life cycle, there are different classes of elementals, some of which are so old, ancient, and powerful that few living can claim to have come into contact with them. The oldest and strongest of these much more ancient elementals is the Phoenix. This creature is so ancient that its powerful flames now make up the molten core of the very planet every other being walks upon. Few, though, even know of the Phoenix's existence now, or its role in keeping the world stable.
Following the Phoenix are the elemental Dragons, beings who rival, eclipse, create, or work with the forces of Nature as we know them. The dragons are responsible for formations of hills, mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans, glaciers, clouds, snows, forests, minerals, deserts, savannahs - literally anything that Nature can produce, the dragons are able to shape and control it to their whims. They are not selfish creatures, though; they do not use their control over these forces to their own ends, choosing instead to create a balance that allows as much life in the world to flourish as they are able, and to work against what forces demons and humans create to throw that balance off. Do not let their altruistic purpose fool you, though - having spent so long away from the beings they seek to protect, the dragons are hardly connected to them at all now. A certain haughtiness pervades them, leaving them scoffing at less powerful demons, humans, and even elementals as "lesser beings," thinking them incapable of perceiving the true nature of the world.
Many lesser elementals often aid in the dragons' work, watching over smaller parts of nature such as ponds, streams, creeks, or lightly forested areas between human settlements. These elementals rarely leave their duties, and are all but unknown to most, even their own kind. Often when their cycles end, their lose their powers and their memories, starting their lives over from the beginning, released from their ceaseless work to be replaced by another.
Finally there are the elementals who live among humans and other demons. While all elementals can shapeshift, these elementals are able to change their forms only between an appearance resembling a human, one resembling an animal, and one that combines features of both. Their powers are far more limited, requiring that they use their own lifeforce to do battle beyond their current form's abilities in purely physical combat, which can leave an elemental so exhausted from a battle that they may pass out - or, in extreme cases, be forced to start a new cycle early. Elementals who wink out from exhausting their energies in a battle almost never retain their memories, and often lose their powers as well. Don't let this fool you, though. Elementals of this rank may have to use their lifeforce to do battle, but as beings of pure magical energy they have far more lifeforce to use than most demons and humans ever will. This leaves elementals often feeling rather superior toward their fellow demons, and they will make little effort to hide these feelings of superiority. They don't even care if they grate on others' nerves, as they don't feel threatened by others. Their high and mighty attitude often leaves a sour impression on everyone else, so elementals have a reputation throughout the world as snobbish and unreasonable creatures.