Enjoy the beginnings of an unfinished project that will probably never become finished...
Feel free to rip anything you like out of this.
Alignments:
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Elements:
* Positive: Energy Earth Life Order
* Negative: Entropy Void Death Chaos
Pure Cycles (interaction via reinforcement):
* Positive: Order <> Energy <> Earth <> Life <> Order
* Negative: Chaos <> Entropy <> Void <> Death <> Chaos
Wave Cycles (interaction via conflict):
* Order <> Entropy <> Earth <> Death <> Order
* Chaos <> Energy <> Void <> Life <> Chaos
Both kinds of cycle hold a sort-of dynamic tension that creates each distinct elemental aspect. For example possibility
of life is created by conflict between void and chaos and supported/created by interaction of earth and order.
Each direction is associated with a particular set of elements, based on which of the Pillars makes its home in
that segment of the world.
N
#
###
# # #
W ####### E
# # #
###
#
S
* N: Life, Entropy
* E: Earth, Chaos
* S: Energy, Death
* W: Order, Void
Each elemental creature has an alignment, one of positive, positive neutral, pure neutral, negative neutral, or negative.
No creature can hold equal power in two elements, as they would interfere with each other and cancel. Two elements
adjacent to each other in a pure cycle may be held by the same creature, but one is always weaker. A creature with two
elements held this way is said to have a split alignment. Creatures with a split alignment have their primary element
weaker than normal, and the supporting element's adjacent element does not express itself (it is suppressed by the
primary element). Split alignments are generally a result of a creature that has taken service with the Pillar with
dominion over one of its minor elements (which has since become one of its major elements). Split alignments are very rare.
Positive or negative aligned creatures gain their power from pure cycle reinforcement. A negative creature with a west
aspect would have strong power over the void, with some minor ability in entropy and death.
Positive and negative neutral creatures receive power based on wave cycle interactions rather than pure cycle
interaction. For example a positive neutral creature with a strong north aspect would be life aligned, with minor
power over chaos and the void. A south-west (south major) negative neutral would have moderate death, minor void,
trivial energy, and trivial order powers (its theoretical minor powers over earth and life are canceled by its
major powers).
The only pure neutral alignment creatures are the Pillars, so for most purposes this alignment is meaningless.
Basically a pure neutral creature has dominion over an element and the negative of its opposite element. In addition to
the elements that it has dominion over, a pure neutral has power of some degree in all aspects of all elements. This
means the the South Pillar has dominion over energy and death, as well as the ability to use all the others. Since the
Pillars are so powerful, there is no point trying to rate their power in each element, except to say that their secondaries
are far weaker than their primaries, although their secondaries are still many times more powerful than the primaries of
all but the strongest of their subordinates.
The Pillars of Creation:
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The Pillars of Creation are four powerful pure neutral elemental creatures that are said to have created the world and
the many kinds of lesser elementals as an exercise in preventing boredom. Like it or not, every living being in the world
of the elements is a pawn of one (or more) of the Pillars.
The Pillars have many forms, and they often change them on a whim. Thus they are impossible to describe, but don't worry
if you see a pillar you will know it! The Pillars practically (and in the case of the South Pillar, sometimes literally)
glow with power. There is no mistaking them for anything else.
Elemental creatures generally serve the Pillar that has dominion over their major element. For example a life elemental
generally serves the North Pillar. Sometimes an elemental serves the Pillar of one of it's minor elements. In this case
it's alignment will slowly (over many years) shift so that its major matches that of its Pillar.
Not all elementals serve the Pillars, some strike out on their own to do as they wish. Generally elementals that forsake
service to the Pillars only *think* they are independent. Minor elementals generally have no real loyalty to the Pillars.
This leads many of them to think they are independent, but in reality the Pillars allow them to roam as a way to induce
some randomness into their game...
The Pillars never work together for any length of time, but they never work at cross purposes for long either. Generally
they "play" for "points", trying to steal each other's followers and gain minor advantages over each other. Sometimes
they allow their followers to war on each other, but never to the point of causing the balance to tip too far in any one
direction.
Numerology:
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Numerology in the world of elements is very different from what you may be used to. Numbers such as 3 and 7 are "weak",
whereas 2, 4, and 8 are "strong" (2 alignments, 4 core elements, 8 elemental alignments). Generally things are done in
powers of 2 or multiples of 8, with multiples of 4 also being popular.
Geography:
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The world of the elements is a flat, circular mass of land suspended in an infinite void. None but the Pillars know if
other planes exist in this void, and they certainly aren't telling their playthings.
The center of this landmass is more-or-less "normal", but the farther you go in any direction the less normal things
become.
The following region descriptions are very preliminary!
North (Life, Entropy):
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The north is filled with jungles and swamps. Living in this region is a constant battle between civilization and nature.
Roads can become overgrown in mere days if not for constant effort to keep them open. A structure abandoned by its owners
will be gone as if it had never existed in less than a month, torn to tiny pieces by the plants and animals.
The center-north is home to herdsmen, while the edges are mostly used by hunting, wood cutting, and gathering rare plants.
East (Earth, Chaos):
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The east is a land of mountains, every kind of mountain you can imagine thrown together in a (if you will pardon the term)
very "chaotic" manner. Storms rage over the the far east, but since this is where the best veins of minerals may be found
there are still some small (mostly underground) communities to be found there.
The center-east (particularly the center-north-east) is taken up with farming communities, while mining makes up most of
the other parts of the region.
South (Energy, Death):
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The south is a blasted land of volcanoes, powerful lightning storms, and deadly fauna.
The center-south is not as thickly inhabited as most of the other parts of the center, but some of the most celebrated
mage schools make their home in this area, viewing the danger as but another form of test to prove their ability.
Aside from the mage schools, most other activity in the south revolves around collecting the power of the storms into
special crystals (mined in the far east) for use in the machines of the west and hunting the native creatures for rare
products (valued partly for their quality and partly because of how hard they are to acquire).
West (Order, Void):
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The west is a strange and fractured land made of many geometric islands floating in the void. The farther west you go the
rarer and more regular the islands become.
The west is famed for its clockwork cities, vast edifices of machinery which produce finished goods for most of the world.
The cities of the center-west are more normal (albeit quite orderly), but the farther west you go the more ordered the
cities become, to the point where the farthest west city's inhabitants may as well be as regular as the machines they
create.
Trade between the islands is conducted via "void ships" (think zeppelins, but powered by clockwork constructs and magic
instead of gases). These void ships also serve the other regions to some degree, although most that do so travel beyond
the outer edges of the elemental plane.
Death and Life:
========================================================================================================================
Elemental creatures are not strictly mortal, that is they will not age, but they can die. "Killing" an elemental does not
necessarily cause it to die. When an elemental "dies" what happens next is up to the Pillars. If it was a particularly
interesting piece in their game it will be reborn with its knowledge mostly intact, sometimes with a new physical form.
An elemental that was insufficiently interesting will be remade, retaining almost none of its memories. The memories
that are retained are just enough for the "new" elemental to take its place in the game.
Sometimes an elemental will offend one or more pillars to such an extent that it will be destroyed instead of being
returned or remade. This is a very rare punishment, reserved for those that transgress against multiple Pillars or those
who actively try to ruin the game. When an elemental is destroyed, a new one is created. Such new elementals are generally
special in some way, sometimes very powerful, sometimes a novel new form, but always unique. This special status only
lasts for their first life, after that they are dealt with as any other. It is speculated that this special treatment
is a way to allow these new elementals to get settled into the game, a crutch to make up for their lack of previous
experiences.
When an elemental is to be remade they are allowed some say in how it is done, the more interesting the Pillars found
them, the more say they are allowed. An elemental that lead a boring (to the Pillars) life will simply be stripped of
most memory and returned as something boring (and weak), an elemental that was interesting will be returned with more
memory and with more power. Note that the Pillars notions of "interesting" are generally adjusted for ability, and
"interesting" generally ends up meaning "did something outside the norms". As you may imagine the Pillars are somewhat
capricious and mercurial, which injects a hefty dose of randomness to the whole mess...
An elemental's say in their remaking generally covers their new physical form, new alignment and not much else (AKA
it's an opportunity for players to respec their character). When an elemental is remade they will be placed into the
world at one of five points. Most are placed in the great city in the exact center of the world, but those who are special
to a particular Pillar will be placed in that Pillar's capital in the far reaches of their domain.
For most elementals being remade and reborn is a cataclysmic event to be avoided at all costs, after all there is no
way to be sure what the Pillars may decide. On the other hand few truly fear death. Avoid it, yes. Fear it? not really.
Some intrepid elementals will go into great danger, secure in the knowledge that if they make it the reward will be well
worth it, and if they fail there is a good chance that they will at least be judged "interesting". Such elementals are
often those who rise fastest in the eyes of the Pillars, and sometimes they make up the ranks of those who fall fastest
as well... Such is a risky path, and so it is only followed by the desperate, the crazy, the bored... Adventurers of all
kinds in other words.
Bestiary:
========================================================================================================================
The inhabitants of the elemental plane are a diverse lot, ranging from flesh-and-blood, living crystal, metal, even pure
energy held together by sheer force of will.
Unintelligent "animals" tend to follow basic patterns, with certain types living in certain geographic areas. Each one
that is killed will eventually be replaced by unknown means (they simply appear somewhere in the area when no one is
watching).
TODO: Lists of common "animal" types
All the intelligent elementals are unique. Many follow common patterns, but each one is in some way different from
those with a similar pattern. The only constant feature of all elementals is that their form is appropriate to their
alignment, and it always suits their abilities. An elemental focused on earth is likely golem-like, formed of stone
or metal, while order elementals are often crystalline.
For example a south-west (south major) negative neutral could be a lithe and agile creature made of an almost translucent
gray mist and having the ability to split bits of itself off to use as lock-picks and stilettos. The perfect assassin or
thief in other words. Its death aspect would make it dangerous and deadly, void would make it ephemeral and light (also
hard to see in shadows), energy would lend itself to magics, and order would help it control its manifestations. For
personality, this creature could be mercurial, but likely to kill first and ask questions later. It may also be somewhat
prone to shyness, lurking in the shadows, watching. It would probably have a rigid moral code, although this code may not
align with that of society... Just keep in mind that the stuff of the void is not particularly strong (glass cannon!).
A north positive aligned creature could take the form of a stolid flesh-and-blood humanoid, vigorous and strong. Such a
creature would work well with plants and animals, and could probably make a good healer. Its personality could be upbeat
and cheerful (although there are plenty of other possibilities). Boring? Possibly, but a healer that can tame animals and
make powerful drugs from plants and such (not to mention being second only to a death brute when riled) could be very
interesting in the right hands. Every adventuring party needs a solid healer, and one that is tough enough to double as a
fighter could be invaluable.
North (Life, Entropy):
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Life creatures are often flesh-and-blood or otherwise organic (plant-like?). Some entropic creatures are made from a flat
black material that drinks in light and energy, others are like twisted life creatures, organic, but poisonous rather than
wholesome.
East (Earth, Chaos):
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Earth creatures are often stone or metal, with some crystalline types making rarer appearances. There is only one constant
to chaos creatures, they are utterly random, with some being able to change their shape at will.
South (Energy, Death):
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Energy creatures are often just that, pure energy held together by the force of their will. These creatures can often
release bits of themselves as weapons or tools, some can even keep these pieces under conscious control. Death creatures
come in two broad types: Heavily built combatants and lithe assassins. Both types are much in demand as mercenaries,
leading many to travel.
West (Order, Void):
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Order creatures are often crystalline or mechanical. Bodies of order creatures are made from many materials, but they
are always very precise, operating with mechanical precision. An order creature seldom leaves anything to chance, but
they have problems dealing with the unexpected. Void creatures are often ephemeral, containing only enough matter to
allow them to interact with others. Some are so "thin" that it is possible to see through them, rendering them like
unto a dark shadow. Some void creatures can fly, and others can squeeze themselves through tight spaces.
Poll
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