Elemental

'Elemental' refers to any organism that possesses an arcane core in place of its internal organs, allowing it to behave like natural life but live for a potentially infinite amount of time. In the wider universe, elementals are rare and are considered a type of homunculus. On the planet Imperium, however, elementals are the guardians of the natural world, and are seen by the planet's inhabitants as pseudo-deities.

## Physiology

Elementals vary drastically in appearance and behaviour, but are tied together by their cores, which bind them to the magic of their home world. Though limited scholarship has been published in Imperium on Elemental physiology since many consider such writing blasphemous, there have been case studies undertaken on other planets throughout the universe. The elementals of these planets are tied to a concept known as the Arcanosphere, a bubble of arcane energy which surrounds most planets. Though not all types of magic rely on this sphere, they do affect it and the elementals tied to it. Some planets view elementals as an endangered species due to the possibility of powerful magic sending waves through the arcanosphere and damaging the elementals who rely on it to function. As one scholar has summarized, arcane energy is to elementals as oxygen is to many life forms; if a planet's arcane balance is disrupted, the elementals are always the first to suffer. Most elementals cannot leave their planet of birth without extensive arcane acclimatization via specially designed spacecraft. Without a constant and familiar arcanosphere, these elementals will simply cease to function and deteriorate down to their core.

While their reliance on arcane energy can be a curse, most elementals also view it as a tremendous boon, as their magical powers are usually tremendous. Depending on their rank, elementals can range from minor nuisances to truly godlike beings who can control the very geology of their home planets. Elementals who exist off Imperium tend to fall somewhere in between, and are typically solitary creatures rather than wardens of their environment. On Imperium, elementals have evolved into a rigid but dynamic caste system that is controlled by the highest ranking of their kind: the Elemental Lords. These Lords are unlike any other known elementals, and the general consensus -acknowledged by the Lords- is that they were carefully fashioned by the planet's creator as majordomos who could manage the world with a bare minimum of guidance from above. Though Imperium's Lords are powerful and devoted to the aspects of the natural world they represent, many have let slip that they have received no advice from their mysterious creator in several centuries.

On other planets, elementals take abstract shapes that occasionally border on humanoid but are mostly based on their immediate environment. Despite their reliance on arcane energy, elementals are known as highly adaptive beings within the confines of their home planets, and will often mimic changes in the world around them. Some are known to learn languages and adopt the customs of local races. On Imperium, this process is heavily accelerated, as all mid to high ranking elementals form their own isolated societies and are capable of interacting with most intelligent creatures. Many of Imperium's elementals enjoy taking humanoid forms, and some even go so far as to ape the physiology of other races and retain these forms for long periods of time. The former Duchess of Magma, Karen is an example of this trend, as she has adopted the form of an **Inu**, a half-dog humanoid that is rarely seen in Central Imperium.

## Behaviour

Elementals outside of Imperium are typically semi-sentient beings who react with great suspicion toward those who intrude upon their territory. Like wild animals, they are treated with caution and avoided unless their unique services are required. There exist records of tribes and societies developing magic which allows them to appeal to and befriend rogue elementals, who will perform services for these people in exchange for repeated exposure to such magic. Though elemental consultation is a tradition as old as time on some planets, many criticize it for preying upon elementals' natural dependence on the arcance, claiming that the magic used to attract elementals acts like a drug to them and can lead to addiction. There is evidence to support this theory on planets with high elemental populations, as the elementals on these planets tend to congregate in areas thick with magic. By contrast, in magic-sparse areas, desperate elementals have been witnessed preying upon one-another and attempting to integrate the cores of others into their own. The arcane dust produced by grinding down an elemental core is apparently like catnip to the species, and much like elemental consultation, it is thought to cause addiction.

On Imperium, elementals are more social and frequently engage in the affairs of mortal races, though it is accepted that their own affairs are their prerogative. Imperium is unique in that many of its races not only consult with elementals but worship them as well. There is a good reason for this practice: magic on Imperium is controlled by the Elemental Lords, who carefully manage the flow of arcane energy in order to keep the arcanosphere healthy. Learning magic beyond that required for simple tricks will involve worship of a specific Lord, depending on the school of magic one wishes to learn. Some schools require worship of multiple Lords, while others will become inaccessible if one has already agreed to worship another element. The complicated nature of magic on Imperium keeps many races tied to specific Elemental Lords, who they view as patron deities. These races tend to have more advanced magical abilities, but their societies are more commonly tied to elemental worship and consultation.

Even outside of these specific societies, many pray to and worship elementals for reasons other than the attainment of magic. In addition to looking after Imperium's magic, its Elemental Lords also manage the natural environment, which includes biomes such as lakes and forests that nourish life. Cultures that rely on these biomes frequently worship Lords such as Elarel and Euvine, in return for pure waters and bountiful yields. Other, more destructive Lords are feared by local cultures, and are in turn worshipped by these cultures in hope that these Lords will not visit their wrath upon them. Finally, almost all Lords are worshipped in some symbolic manner by one or two cultures, who associate the values and beliefs of their Lord with their own social conventions. Though these races are almost always classified as Patron Races and typically have the strongest magical connection to the elementals, some are more distant and have histories with the elementals which are not wholly positive. One example of such a race are the crablike Cladge, who live deep in Imperium's oceans and were created by Elarel, Lady of the Depths. The Cladge claim never to have been Elarel's favoured race, and believe they have been abandoned, resulting in a cautious and secretive culture that ironically mimics the behaviour of many water elementals.

The Cladge are not the only race to view the elementals in a negative light. History is filled with hostility between Imperium's mortal and immortal races, as well as persistent tension between the various elemental kingdoms. These tensions have exploded in vicious wars that have ravaged the planet, and many of Imperium's older races recall these wars when they are asked to justify their mistrust of the Elemental Lords. Some Humans refuse to worship elementals, while Desert Pigmen defer specifically to Cathix, Duke of Sand, rather than worship his superior Lord Krom'Thor. Such idiosyncrasies have only become more common throughout history, as the web of elemental/non-elemental interaction grows ever denser.

## Races and Classes of Elemental

In the universe at large, elementals will adapt to whatever environment they find most hospitable, though evolution and the spread of the species has led to elementals appearing in unusual locations, from the deep oceans of Lotl to arcane-heavy asteroid belts in Fringe Space. On Imperium, however, elementals are organized into a handful of overarching kingdoms, and there are no recorded cases of an Imperial elemental switching from one kingdom to another. There are, however, a handful of cases of powerful elementals refining their role within their kingdom and thus carving out a new niche. The most well-known example is that of Tacita Vesuvia, a former member of the unique Obsidian Lords, an independent council of elementals that serve as weapon-smiths to every major kingdom. By capitalizing on her council's strong ties to both fire and water, Vesuvia went rogue and proclaimed herself Duchess of Steam, a declaration that Charon, Lord of Fire, surprisingly endorsed.

Aside from special cases such as that of the Obsidian Lords, Imperium's seven main elemental kingdoms are as follows:

* Earth: The earth elementals of Imperium are some of its oldest and least-changed beings. Members of this kingdom are fiercely loyal to the directions given to them by Imperium's creator, which has led many to label them as stubborn and resistant to change. Their Lord, Krom'Thor, is described as ornery but direct, only visiting his wrath onto those who disobey his stated wishes or threaten the creator's original orders.
* Fire: By contrast, fire elementals are known to live relatively short lives marked by passion and violence. Very little is sacred to these elementals, and they are typically even more up front than their earthen counterparts, with a key difference being that they are governed by emotion and tend to strike without warning. They have seen changes in leadership throughout history, but are currently ruled by Lord Charon, whose temper is notorious throughout all of Imperium.
* Air: Air elementals are the soldier-poets of the elemental world. Their society is a heavily structured one, filled to the brim with tradition and ritual, but allowing ample room for creativity within its own boundaries. Air elementals engage most frequently with Imperium's mortal races and are among the least hostile of all the kingdoms, but they are known to keep secrets and speak in riddles as well as put protocol above the lives of others. An air elemental will not intentionally deceive, but caution should be exercised when relying too extensively on them. Their Lord Zephryn is a clever being who is known to keep an ear to the ground when it comes to mortal affairs.
* Water: The duplicitous water elementals are some of the most polarizing figures in Imperium's history. Though water elementals fulfil their duties, they have been suspected of everything from political manipulation to directly spying on the mortal races, to even assassinating radical mortal leaders in order to sway a race's development in their favour. Very few of these allegations have ever bore fruit, and yet the reputation of water elementals and their Lady Elarel continues to sour. Most water elementals keep to themselves and do not interact with mortals, a custom that has undoubtedly contributed to such superstitions. Furthermore, water elementals rarely communicate with other kingdoms, and foster mistrust between other Lords. It is worth noting that not all water elementals are viewed in such a negative light, as many do engage extensively with local cultures as guardians of their rivers and lakes. Others such as the Duchess of Fresh Water Nimue are generally beloved by both elemental and mortal, despite their questionable work ethics.
* Nature: Of all the elemental kingdoms, not even the water elementals inspire as many divided opinions as those representing Lady Euvine, Lady of Nature. Though Euvine herself is an avowed pacifist, this sentiment is not shared among many of her underlings, who protect all living things with varying degrees of fervour. The problem to many is that not all nature elementals protect the same living things. Many devote themselves exclusively to plant life, and treat most mortal races as invaders to be quashed. Others are so devoted to the mortal races that they will drive out representatives of other elemental kingdoms, even if these representatives are the victims of mortal aggression. With some nature elementals swearing pacifism and others tearing mortals limb from limb, it is no surprise that many cultures would rather take an altercation with a water or earth elemental than risk offending a potentially hyper-violent servant of Euvine.
* Light and Shadow: To many races, the elements of light and shadow represent two sides of the same coin. To others, these kingdoms are bitter enemies engaged in endless warfare. Very few races worship these elements because of the reclusive nature of their Lords, who are rarely if ever seen. Though they do not have as negative a reputation as their water counterparts, Light and Shadow elementals are treated superstitiously by most races due to how infrequently they appear. The exception to this rule is the colony of angels who protect Lady Light's temple in Blightwood. These angels, led by the archangel Gloriana, are aggressive and expansion-minded, frequently looking to expand their territory in Lady Light's name. The constant turf wars between Gloriana's angels and the Obsidian Lords of the nearby city Spire have become legendary. Shadow elementals, on the other hand, tend to stick to the Underworld, and do not seem to care much for life on Imperium proper.

Aside from these kingdoms, offshoots such as the Obsidian Lords do exist, but are exceedingly rare, and often play an important role in facilitating interactions between the larger kingdoms. As an example, the chaos elementals are a unique subset of the shadow kingdom that also have ties with every other element and thus act as arbiters during elemental counsels.

In addition, elementals are known to forsake their kingdoms and go rogue, often retaining their powers. Despite the fame Tacita Vesuvia has garnered as the first known steam elemental, the majority of rogue elementals do not risk such notoreity, and live in isolation, far from civilization.

The behaviour of an elemental is inevitably tied to its class in addition to its kingdom. There are five classes of elemental known to exist on Imperium:

1. The Elemental Lords. There can only exist seven Lords at a time: one for each kingdom. They are the most powerful of Imperium's elementals and possess a direct control over the planet's arcanosphere that is not seen anywhere else in the universe.
2. The Elemental Generals. Known as Dukes and Duchesses, Barons or Baronesses, Regents or Monarchs, etc. depending on the individual, these high-ranking elementals manage specific aspects of the natural world and report directly to their respective Lords. While they have many responsibilities, Generals are often more free to mingle with the mortal races than their Lords, and are often better liked. Their are exceptions: Dukes such as Golgar, Regent of Rot, are feared and despised by most living beings, a reputation that his allegiance to Lady Shadow does not help. Both Lords and Generals are capable of interacting with the cores of lower-ranking elementals, specifically those of their kingdom, though only Lords can work with the cores of Generals.
3. The Elemental Soldiers. These are the lowest rank of intelligent elemental. Soldiers are the elementals most races engage with on the most frequent basis. Their intelligence allows them to interact with mortals as equals, if not superiors, and relay important messages and orders from their Lords and Generals. Depending on the kingdom, Soldiers tend to be even freer than their Generals, and they are the most likely to go rogue out of any class.
4. The Elemental Guardians. Also known as just Elementals, this class is most similar to those elementals who exist beyond Imperium. They are semi-sentient, understanding instructions given by higher ranking elementals but incapable of communicating with mortals. Though they often have a job to do, Elemental Guardians do take interest in mortals, and are known to stalk, play with, or attack them, mimicking the behaviour of many sorts of wild animals. Unlike wild animals, however, Elemental Guardians should not be hunted or trusted, as they are unpredictable and will ultimately act based on whatever orders they have most recently received from their superiors. Hundreds upon hundreds of deaths are recorded every year from interactions with Elemental Guardians in the wild that went sour.
5. The Elemental Sprites. The final and lowest class of elemental are the Sprites, who are so simple that they rarely comprehend orders given by even the Elemental Lords. The nature of this class is largely a mystery to mortals; Sprites do not undertake specific tasks like Guardians, and instead will congregate in areas where Guardians tend to live. Many believe that Sprites are disposable underlings that are mass-produced to protect their Guardians. Others theorize that Sprites are made from fragments     of larger elemental cores, or that they are perhaps crafted by Guardians, who may possess an extremely limited ability to work with damaged or defective cores. Whatever the case, Sprites are by far the most frequent class of elemental and can be found in nearly every environment throughout Imperium. They can often be hostile and must be planned for when preparing to venture into the planet's wilds.