Air Eaters

"From the highest peaks where storm clouds dance with fire, to the deepest valleys where wind meets flame, four mighty beings strode as masters of both elements. Their power bridged realms, their wisdom shaped worlds, and their fall would herald the breaking of divine law."

- The Codex of Elemental Mastery

Within the grand design of the Aina Continuum, where cosmic forces dance in eternal balance, the Air Eaters emerged as unique among divine powers. These four mighty beings, chosen from among the original pantheon of Malondria, stood as living bridges between the realms of Fire and Air, ensuring harmony between these primal forces.
Their dominion extended across the Surface worlds, where they maintained the delicate equilibrium between atmospheric powers and burning flame. Unlike other divine entities bound to single elements, the Air Eaters possessed mastery over both fire and wind, their dual nature making them invaluable mediators between realms.

"Through storms of flame they walked serene,
Where lightning danced with burning rain,
Four crowns of power rarely seen,
Four thrones where elements remain."

- Songs of the First Age

Altabar, first among them, commanded the surface flames with unmatched prowess. His nature proved as volatile as the elements he governed, shifting between moments of profound wisdom and wild abandon. His power manifested in spectacular displays where fire and wind merged in deadly beauty.
Anvirthiel, perhaps the most beloved, brought grace to their mighty quartet. As wife to Aejeon and mother to Malovatar, she understood the importance of balance in all things. Her mastery over renewal and growth made her essential to maintaining life in regions where fire and air met.

"In her hands, flame became gentle as spring breezes, while storms bowed like courtiers before their queen. None who witnessed her power ever doubted that strength and grace could dwell as one."

- Chronicles of the Silver Tower

Draleba, third of their number, claimed the storms as her particular domain. From her legendary Silver Tower, she wove weather patterns that maintained harmony across multiple realms. Her nobility and wisdom made her a natural diplomat between divine powers.
Lavos, last of the four, held dominion over surface volcanoes where earth, air, and fire met in primal fusion. His understanding of these convergence points made him particularly attuned to power's flow between realms, though this knowledge would eventually lead him down darker paths.

"At the crucible where elements merge,
Where stone meets sky in burning light,
Four guardians stood at creation's verge,
Four powers kept the balance right."

- Verses of the Elemental Kings

Their combined might ensured stability across realms that might otherwise have torn each other apart. Through their efforts, the fires of Malondria could warm without consuming, while the winds of Gerlandria could blow without quenching every flame.
Under the governance of the Drandsia Vatar, the Air Eaters established complex protocols for managing elemental interactions. Their methods became foundation stones of divine law, studied and emulated by lesser powers who sought to understand the delicate dance of opposing forces.

"They stood as living bridges between conflicting powers, their very existence proving that opposition need not mean eternal strife. In their mastery lay hope for all divided realms."

- Wisdom of the First Age

"Each bore a crown of dual nature - flame that danced like wind, storms that burned like fire. Their mastery bridged worlds that lesser beings dared not touch, until ambition turned that power toward darker ends."

- The Burning Chronicles

From their mighty strongholds, the Air Eaters established an intricate network of elemental governance. Their fortresses served as nexus points where the powers of fire and wind could safely intermingle, creating zones of extraordinary magical potential.
The Silver Tower, Draleba's seat of power, rose through multiple layers of atmosphere, its spires wrapped in perpetual storm clouds shot through with ribbons of living flame. Here, she trained generations of weather-workers in the arts of harmonious elemental manipulation.

"Storm and flame dance as one,
Where silver spires touch the sky,
Four thrones beneath the burning sun,
Where elements learn not to die."

- Songs of the Silver Spires

Anvirthiel's domain, the Verdant Citadel, floated on thermal currents high above Malondria's burning plains. Within its halls, she cultivated gardens where fire-flowers bloomed in winds that should have extinguished them, proving that opposing forces could nurture rather than destroy.
Altabar commanded the Crimson Keep, a fortress of crystallized flame that rode the highest air currents. His volatile nature reflected in its architecture - sometimes the keep appeared solid as mountain stone, other times it rippled like flame caught in a whirlwind.

"In halls where fire fears no wind, and storms bow to burning light, four lords shaped the laws that bound the elements in harmony. Their wisdom held chaos at bay, until chaos claimed their hearts."

- Scrolls of the First Age

Lavos made his seat in the Obsidian Spire, rising from the largest volcanic chain in Malondria. From here, he studied the confluence of elements, seeking ever deeper understanding of how primal forces interacted. This quest for knowledge would eventually lead him toward corruption.
Their influence extended far beyond their personal domains. The Air Eaters established schools where gifted mortals could learn to work safely with multiple elements, creating traditions of magical study that would survive even their fall from grace.

"Where elements wage eternal war,
Four masters kept the peace,
Till darkness crept through wisdom's door,
And made their power cease."

- Lament of the Elements

Under their guidance, civilizations learned to harness both fire and wind safely. Cities arose that used thermal currents for power while controlling flame with precisely channeled winds. Their teachings revolutionized everything from metallurgy to agriculture.
The hierarchy they established placed harmony above power, understanding above dominance. Lesser elemental beings - from humble fire sprites to mighty storm spirits - learned to cooperate rather than compete, creating an age of unprecedented stability.

"Four thrones they built between the realms, where wisdom guided power's flow. None foresaw how far they'd fall, when wisdom bowed to darker dreams."

- The Fall of Harmony

"Before corruption claimed their souls, they danced between storm and flame with perfect grace. Their power knew no equal, their wisdom no peer. Yet in that very mastery lay the seeds of their undoing."

- Records of the First Age

The first signs of coming darkness manifested in subtle ways. Lavos began conducting experiments that pushed the boundaries of elemental law, seeking to understand the fundamental nature of power. His research led him to discover traces of an ancient force that predated the Drandsia Vatar.
Within their mighty strongholds, the balance of power began to shift. Altabar's volatile nature grew more pronounced, while Anvirthiel found her attempts at maintaining harmony increasingly challenged by forces she could not name.

"Four crowns of might began to tarnish,
As shadow crept through wisdom's halls,
Their ancient oaths began to garnish,
Dark power's seductive calls."

- The Warning Signs

The emergence of Malovatar, son of Aejeon and Anvirthiel, brought new complexity to their hierarchy. His presence catalyzed changes in the fundamental relationships between the Air Eaters, as his growing power and ambition introduced previously unknown tensions.
Deep within the Obsidian Spire, Lavos made contact with powers that dwelled in spaces between elements. These entities whispered secrets of a fire that could burn through the very foundations of reality - what would later be known as the Black Fire.

"In chambers where elements once danced in harmony, new shadows writhed and twisted. The very air grew thick with portents, while flames burned with colors that had no place in natural law."

- Witness to the Fall

Draleba was among the first to recognize the growing corruption. From her Silver Tower, she observed subtle changes in weather patterns that suggested something was undermining the fundamental laws of nature. Her warnings went largely unheeded.
The traditional ceremonies of elemental balance, once celebrations of harmony between fire and wind, began to change. Observers noted that the flames burned darker, while the winds carried whispers of discord that set nerves on edge.

"Where once four thrones stood proud and true,
Now shadow dims their ancient light,
As powers older than they knew,
Rose up to claim the night."

- Prophecies of the End Times

Anvirthiel's attempts to maintain stability became increasingly desperate as she sensed the growing rift between her husband Aejeon and their son Malovatar. Her position as both mother and Air Eater placed her at the nexus of forces she could neither fully understand nor control.
The elemental beings under their command began showing signs of instability. Fire sprites merged with wind spirits in ways that defied natural law, while storm entities exhibited behaviors that suggested influence from powers beyond normal elemental forces.

"The voices in the wind grew strange, speaking of powers that should not be. Even the flames danced to rhythms that made scholars of elemental law shudder in recognition of approaching doom."

- The Last Days of Harmony

"When the final storm broke and darkness claimed the sky, four thrones stood empty in the burning wind. Their power, once bound by wisdom's chains, now served a darker dream."

- The Last Chronicle

As corruption spread through their ranks, the fundamental nature of their power began to change. Where once their mastery over fire and wind served to maintain harmony, now it twisted toward chaos. The Black Fire's influence reshaped their very essence, turning bridges between elements into weapons of destruction.
The betrayal of Lavos marked the point of no return. His decision to embrace corruption split the Air Eaters irrevocably, forcing each to choose between ancient oaths and seductive promises of greater power.

"Four crowns that once blazed bright and true,
Now cast their shadows long and deep,
While ancient oaths, both tried and true,
Lay broken where storms weep."

- Lament of the Betrayed

Anvirthiel's death at Lavos's hands shattered what remained of their unity. Her fall demonstrated how thoroughly corruption had undermined their sacred purpose, transforming former allies into instruments of destruction.
The battle that claimed Draleba proved equally catastrophic. Her final confrontation with Lavos rewrote weather patterns across multiple realms, as two masters of storm and flame unleashed powers never meant to clash.

"Through thunder's roar and lightning's dance, they fought beyond the bounds of nature's law. In their wake, storms learned to burn, and fire learned to weep."

- Witness to the Final Storm

Altabar's corruption completed the dissolution of their ancient order. His volatile nature made him particularly susceptible to the Black Fire's influence, transforming his mastery over surface flames into a tool of pure destruction.
In the aftermath of their fall, new powers rose to fill the void. Maratman and Mazamata, chosen by Lavos to replace his fallen siblings, brought a darker interpretation to the manipulation of elemental forces.

"Where wisdom once guided power's flow,
Now darkness shapes the ancient arts,
As broken crowns lie far below,
Where shadow taints our hearts."

- Songs of the Fallen

The corruption of the Air Eaters fundamentally altered how elemental forces interacted across the realms. Their fall created rifts in reality where fire and wind merged in ways that defied natural law, spawning anomalies that plague creation still.
Their legacy endures as both warning and prophecy - a reminder that even the mightiest guardians can fall, and that power without wisdom leads inevitably toward destruction.

"Look to the storm-wracked skies and remember their glory, for in their fall we learned that nothing holy stands beyond corruption's reach, and no power burns so bright that darkness cannot claim it."

- Final Verses, The Air Eaters' Tale