Codex of the Troll Mystic: Elementals, Part 1

Khayd’haik the Trolf Mystic, aka the Troll Mystic, half troll and half elf (a trolf), is a walker of the dimensions, a traveler of the multiverse. He is collecting his observations of magic, whether of spells or items or creatures or other magical phenomena, into a tome entitled Codex of the Troll Mystic. Portions of the Codex are to be shared here! Specific examples of magic and magical phenomena in the world of Pharas will be included.

In this first installment, Khayd’haik begins a series on Elementals.

Elementals

Elementals are sentient creatures constructed entirely of a particular element—such as stone, water, flame, wind or shadow—and do not need food, breath, or blood to survive. An elemental will typically live somewhere rich in the type of element from which the elemental is constructed. For instance, a stone elemental might live in the heart of a mountain, while a fire elemental might live in a vein of lava beneath a volcano, and a water elemental might live in the depths of the sea. An elemental needs to remain in close proximity to a significant amount of its associated element, or the elemental will deteriorate and cease living, converting into a lifeless mass of its associated element.

How long an elemental can exist when separated from its associated element depends on the size, strength and age of the elemental, but most elementals will survive for at least an hour if conditions are not too adverse. In an extremely adverse environment, an elemental might not survive for even a few seconds.

Wherever there exists a significantly large area (a mountain range, an ocean) consisting primarily of one type of element, the chances are good you’ll find at least one elemental of the associated element living there. The larger the area, the more elementals it’s likely to hold. Elementals are territorial, and the larger they are, the more territory they claim, but even the largest elemental is not likely to claim an entire ocean or a whole mountain range.

The world of Pharas exists in a dimension adjacent to elemental dimensions of Stone, Wind, Flame, and Water. Each elemental dimension is its own universe, filled with the associated element. With the understanding that a universe is infinite in size, each elemental dimension could theoretically contain an infinite number of elementals. None of them do, and there’s a reason for that, as will be explained later. Nevertheless, there is an ample supply of elementals in close proximity to Pharas, and wizards in Pharas certainly take advantage of it, as will also be explained later.

Elemental Types

There are five elemental types: stone, wind, flame, water, and shadow. In some worlds the first three types are referred to by the names earth, air and fire. Shadow elementals are sometimes referred to as void elementals.

Shadow elementals are rarely encountered in some worlds. The inhabitants of such worlds might only know of the four other elemental types: stone, wind, flame and water.

In Pharas, the four elemental types of stone, wind, flame and water are most common. The sun-dweller wizards in Pharas know of shadow elementals, but only the shadow elf wizards are able to tap their power.

Some people think there are mud, mist, light, lava and other types of elementals. There are elemental-like creatures attuned to these elemental mixtures (mud is a mix of stone and water, for instance), but they are not true elementals. These creatures are referred to as para-elementals. Khayd’haik will discuss para-elementals separately.

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Other installments in the Elementals series:
Part 2 – Creation
Part 3 – Shape
Part 4 – Appearance
Part 5 – Interactions with Solid Objects
Part 6 – Interactions with Water and Liquids
Part 7 – Interactions with Air, Gases and Empty Space
Part 8 – Dimension Hopping and Summonings
Part 9 – Elementals in Combat (Coming Next)