The Story of the Origins of Elementals

This was created to be a legend that can be a whisper in Creation, especially among the elementals and would probably be the story that gods are willing to tell.

## Story

In the beginning, there were the Creators and, among them, Gaia who was both her own being and Creation itself along with all its life.  She had five souls: Air, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth.  The aspects of her five souls flowed through Creation like blood through the human body.  Her five souls each had their own mind and identity and these were The Elemental Dragons.

However, neither Gaia nor The Elemental Dragons could anymore control the flow of these aspects of her soul than can a human command her blood to move as she desires.  They knew such control would be necessary if there were to be other forms of life were to be able to flourish in Creation.  So Water fed Wood and thus was born Mindful Forest - an impossibly tall and great tree that moved like humans do today.  It's birth brought great pleasure to Gaia. Mindful Forest was the first elemental, exemplifying the aspect of wood but, while patterned after Wood’s nature, not sharing Wood's Dragon form. Mindful Forest was tasked with overseeing all life within this world.  Pleased with these results, Wood refreshed Air and thus was born the Wind Master, the first elemental of air. Then Air fanned Fire and thus was born the Great Garda, the first elemental of fire.  Then Fire renewed Earth and thus was born Urwl, the first elemental of earth.  Then Earth channeled Water and thus was born Oceku, the first elemental of water.  Together, they were known as the First Five.

For countless aeons, Mindful Forest, the Wind Master, the Great Garda, Urwl, and Oceku controlled and saw to the maintenance of their respective aspects, while the gods saw to more specialized tasks (both groups seeking guidance from The Elemental Dragons when necessary).  Then the uprising against the Creators happened.  In their outrage, their first act of retaliation was to shatter the First Five.

The elemental chaos that followed - earthquakes, infernos, floods, hurricanes, and toxic fecundity - defined as much of the sorrows of the uprising as the battles themselves.  But so powerful were the First Five that, while they did not share their godly cousins' immortality, they could not be truly destroyed.  As their raw, formless motes of essense began to pool and mix with the untamed aspects, a million million tiny forms of elemental life began to emerge.  They were small at first, such as need fires and wind sprites - scarcely more powerful than the least of gods.  Over time, though, some of the more powerful smaller forms aged and grew into consciousnesses that were very similar to the elementals we see today.

In the time that it took the first elementals to form, The Elemental Dragons had already instructed the gods on how to run a Creation without the Creators present in it.  This being completed, The Elemental Dragons withdrew from direct intervention in Creation's affairs.  It was only after this that the first elementals became known to the gods.  Puzzled on what to do, the first elementals were allowed to manage their aspects (as the First Five were) and were given membership within the godly ranks, but not allowed to hold personal rank of their own (like the gods did).

As time passed, the most mindful of the elementals aged and grew in size and power until their forms reach that which their hearts remembered - that of a dragon.  These mighty lifeforms caught the attention of Wood.  Their form pleased Wood and, in one of its rare returns to the material world of Creation, it declared them the children of the Five Elemental Dragons, which they have been known as ever since.  Wood then declared that these "lesser Elemental Dragons" would assume responsibility as heads of courts that would control and see to the maintenance of their respective elements, just as the First Five did.

## Sources

Extracted and refined from "Exalted Second Edition - The Books of Sorcery Vol 4 - Roll of Glorious Divinity, Part 1 - Gods and Elementals" page 73 to 75.