Elementalism

Meneldor casting an elementalist spell

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

Elementalist Spells

Name	Incantation	Description
Fire Breath	"Salamander! Scorch him!"	Fire stretches from a firesource towards the foe.
Hold	"Gnomes, gnomes, take his feet! Harden, bind, and nail him down!"	The ground itself clutches at the enemy's feet, immobilizing them.
Mute	unkown	Muffles sound.
Ochre Dust	"Gnome and sylph, dance hand in hand! Whirlwinds of ochre and curtains of dust!"	A whirling cloud of dust forms.
Protection From Arrows	unknown	Sylphs change the direction of arrows to protect the caster.
Slip	"Gnomes, gnomes, slip underfoot!"	The ground ripples and wriggles, causing the foe to lose balance.
Stone Fist	"Gnomes, gnomes, form a fist! Clench your hands and strike the foe!"	Many small stones come flying from the ground towards the enemy.
Tailwind	unknown	Usud to accelerate boats or the caster himself.
Waterbreathing	unknown	Presumably the ability to breath under water.
Waterwalk	unknown	The ability to walk on water.
Wind Cutter	unknown	Only mentioned in the fight against Kittelsen.
unknown	"People of green, grant me a night’s shelter. A bed of grass and roof of trees, and tolerance for a sudden guest."	The trees contort, soft grass grows, and bushes crowd together to form a comfortable and protected tent.
unknwon	"Sylphs, Sylphs, maidens of wind. Your steps are the wind's steps, your songs are the wind's songs. Sing in chorus, sing in rounds, cheer and shout applause."	The sylphs repeat a spellcasters Words, greatly amplifying their effect.
unknown	"Sylphs! Elegant maidens of the wind, princesses who dance in the gale! Those foolish enough fancy themselves better dancers: Show them the bitter taste of earth!"	A a burst of downwards air denies a foe's ability to fly.
unknown	"Thou spirits of life, drink my blood and eat my flesh."	A presumably self-sacrificial healing spell.
all types	"Fairies of all kinds, faint spirits, those who play in the twilight and the morning mist—Awaken! Your gentle guardian, the lord of the woods, is in crisis! Now is the time to repay the kindness you have been shown! Grip your blades, nock your bows! Arrow of Salamander, Hammer of Gnome, Spear of Undine, Blade of Sylph. Now the horns of war hath sounded! These arrogant invaders—May the Great Four damn them all!"	Menel incants this close to the Lord of Holly’s domain to start a full-scale attack of all the elementals: Flaming arrows, huge hammers of rock, helices of boring water, blades of raging wind.