Elementalism

Elementalism is the art of persuading fairies and elementals to do one's bidding. All natural phenomena like earth, fire, wind, and water, but also trees and living creatures are made out of the great Words of the First God and so possess a will of their own. The expression of this will are the fairies and elementals, the lesser fae, who dwell in the invisible world overlapping the transient one. They are nature's mediators and help it with its work, beings with frail and nebulous existences that are omnipresent but also on the borderline of alive and dead, sometimes existing and sometimes not.

Basic techniques enable communication with them, to gather information or to receive warning, and more advanced spells, rather long and lyrical incantations, let the caster borrow the fae's power. But the pinnacle of elementalism is achieving such a strong connection to the fairies—a perfect communion with them—that they understand and do one's will even without speaking a single word. Those who can perform these arts are referred to as elementalists, most of which are elves, half-elves, or giants, that is, the greater fae and their descendents, because the essence of elementalism is being sensitive to, empathetic with, and accepting of the nebulous and fickle: A strong natural affinity with the fae is necessary. Moreover, to borrow the power of the fairies and elementals, they do need to have power in the first place. They are strong where nature is strong, and weak where nature is weak. Blood once told William to never get in a fight with an elf in a forest.

An advanced elementalist technique is the use of fairy trails: They exist on the boundary between the invisible and transient world and act as mystic shortcuts that allow elementalists quick and easy travel. Great affinity with the fae is necessary to even perceive them, and anyone who lacks this affinity and accidentally walks into one will face the fae's anger.

Where leylines meet and mana is strong there is a Domain and within each Domain there is a great fae known as a Lord: Lords of the Woods, Lords of Fire, Lords of the Sea. What a Lord actually is varies greatly, they can be a tree, a boulder, a wild animal, or any number of things. These Lords have sovereignty over the lesser fae and thus their elementalism is on another level, but having lifespans of a couple hundred years, being only concerned with nature, and having confidence that nature itself will always be there—no matter what calamity may befall people—they remain largely uninterested and uninvolved. Elves, having performed a secret trial and being acknowledged by a Lord of the Woods, form a contract with them: When the elf's life draws to an end, they will go into the forest and become a Lord of the Woods themselves. Though this usually requires the elf to be of strong fae blood, of the first generation of elves created by Rhea Silvia, Meneldor made such a contract, unintentionally, and temporarily carried the sovereignty of a Lord of the Woods, greatly increasing his affinity with the fae and therefore his elementalism.

Lesser Fae

 * Gnomes - elementals of earth
 * Sylphs - elementals of air
 * Undines - elementals of water
 * Salamanders - elementals of fire
 * Fairies of light - spirits that dwell in all sources of light
 * Spirits of life - fae dwelling within the bodies of living creatures
 * People of green - fairies of trees and plants
 * Fae of fear and confusion - used in elementalist mental attacks