Elemental Treatise by Amaliel Golindreth

Amaliel Golindreth

Master Archivist

Arch-Wizard of Records & Lore

The Elven Institute of Learning & Magick

Helevorn

Kingdom of Quentari of the Nations of Avalon

The following treatise has been carefully preserved at the Elven Institute of Learning & Magick at Helevorn in Quentari, and translated from ancient Elven.

It has been dated from early in the Fourth Cycle of Ages, some 3000 years ago, and is considered the earliest and most reliable elemental study because of its ability to ring true through the Cycles of Ages. The author is unknown.

The Elemental planes

I have reached a number of conclusions in my studies that are both enlightening and troubling. It appears that the vast network and web of beings that I have named elementals exist beyond our small consciousness in a greater expanse of knowledge in vast realms of great power. The most troubling aspect of my research is that these beings of power, who can easily affect our very being, care as little for our existence as a small child may lose interest in a broken toy and discard it. Their battles involve us, certainly, and occasionally we appear to be the foot soldiers of these conflicts, but do they battle us? I think not. Their struggle is greater, and with each other. We are merely tools of their destruction.

The appearance of the elementals in this area has been of great concern to the local peasantry and nobility alike. It does appear that they have indeed not come to this place because of us but as I have feared, it is rather their struggle that must be played out here with consequences that reach far into their realms.

I have watched with trepidation a creature so hideous as to make my blood freeze, with a small wave of his hand kill scores of townspeople as they faced him. It was later that another came, appearing as a creature of life with healing and life-giving magics that then replenished the town and saved a good many of the fallen. But again I wonder why they have brought this conflict here and why they struggle against each other using creatures as frail and weak as we in comparison. Why do they not take this great conflict to their realms? Unless, of course, for some reason they cannot. I have been unable to get clear answers to this question but I shall try to make contact with one of the more approachable of these creatures to test my theories.

I have heard reports of many types of elementals and have questioned those with the more reliable tales and reputations. I can only conclude that there are pairs of elementals, linked through there opposite nature and destined to battle forever their opposite. I have observed beings of Life and Death, Order and Chaos, Sanity and the Dreaming, Brilliance and Shadow.

These creatures are different than the base elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, which are more physical in their nature. The latter creatures seem to battle in a duel that is somehow carefully balanced. They spar one another but rarely directly, as it seems that these beings, while their powers are great, cannot so easily destroy their counterparts.

The creature that I cannot place is the one that seems to manipulate time itself. I have heard a tale where such a creature interceded between the battles of light and shadow, the battle of these two had altered the cycles of the season in a small valley. The crops had failed and despair spread throughout the people. The creature of time itself appeared and seemed to banish the combatants. With a gentle look at the starving farmers, the creature set the season to right and deep snow blanketing the high summer melted away. The creature then told them to replant the fields. The farmers set to their task and within days, the grains had matured. It was as though the creature had somehow sped the growth of the crops, restoring them to where they would have been before the terrible battles.

Elemental creatures seem to have a structure of power within their ranks, not unlike our own great nobility. There are leaders, called Icons that control a specific part of the plane and all elementals within that part. Beneath the Icon there are great elementals which act like generals of an army. Their purpose is focused and it appears that their motivations and behavior are somehow aspects of the encompassing Icon. Beneath the Greaters are countless lesser beings, they are of even narrower behavior and much weaker in comparison.

One other interesting note is that the Great elementals vary from region to region and even the Iconic class seems to manifest itself differently. I am positive that in truth, they are all basically the same but are merely extensions of the plane that governs them.

As for the planes themselves, the great realms of power that have so affected us, I have extended my study to include the notes of Arillara Quel'Insiron. This amazing woman has actually had contact with an iconic elemental and has ventured to what I believe is another plane. Arillara was a great healer involved in the battle that I recorded earlier in my notes. When the Life Creatures appeared, Arillara approached them and asked many questions. The leader of these creatures, I believe to be Iconic, spoke with her at length and without warning, she disappeared! Shortly thereafter she returned and spoke of a vast place that she knew was not of this world. She also was acutely aware that while she was in no immediate danger, the very nature of her surroundings could not support her life. Her different nature and mortality would not allow her to survive on this plane and so she was returned, unchanged, to the village.

The interview with Arillara revealed much information and I have been able to draw some conclusions about the nature of the most powerful of the elemental beings. I believe that we are being presumptuous when we assign labels to these creatures such as "good" and "evil" or "right" or "wrong". It is without question that some of these creatures are at odds with our basic nature and we will always be at in an adversarial stance with them but there are others who seems to be far more aligned with our views. This is singularly the most controversial subject when dealing with elementals and the discussions about them. I have considered other countries, where perhaps there is oppression and wondered which of these beings they would consider good or evil in comparison. I can only say that the best way of dealing with these creatures is to have no expectations and to be wary of them.

Those elemental creatures that we find ourselves at odds with and would wish to destroy have an impact to us that cannot be denied or withheld without disastrous results. I am inspired to an analogy. Our world is a piece of delicate fabric. The threads of which are made up of each of the planes I have mentioned save time itself. Time is the loom on which the fabric is woven. Each thread holds an important and undeniable place in the fabric. Remove one and the fabric unravels, never to be woven again as it was before. I have seen a transference of power between Iconic elementals but I have never seen a planar influence cease on our world. I do not believe that an action that would so remove us from the planar realms can and should be endeavored.

END

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