Magical Elements

The metaphysical energies that are the source of magic on Miragia.

Manifestation

Elemental currents flow between the building blocks of the material and immaterial world. They push and pull atoms or subatomic particles, such as electrons and photons. This way they can rearrange matter, shape electromagnetic fields, or redirect light and warmth.

Perception

These energies can only be perceived by beings attuned to the respective elements. What exactly they perceive is hard to describe to non-attuned people.
Some element wielders compare it to seeing impossible colors, others to hearing characteristic tones or smelling a peculiar scent. Since most elemental attunements manifest at a early age, wielders tend to take this perception for granted and struggle to imagine what the world appears like without it.

Organization

The elements differ in what exactly they influence. So far, 13 distinct elements have been identified. All but one have a conceptual opposite, and they are typically depicted on three circles around the 13^th element. Those so-called "tiers" are sorted from the concrete to the abstract.

Magical Elements

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Primary Material Tier

• Air: gaseous substances
• Energy: light, warmth, momentum
• Ground: solid substances
• Water: liquid substances

Secondary Material Tier

• Fire: burning gases
• Lava: molten rock or metal
• Plant: non-animal tissue
• Fog: tiny droplets of liquid

Immaterial Tier

• Soul: the identity of a being, such as personality traits or preferences
• Emotion: evaluations of events, actions, or other beings and objects
• Body: physical sensations and metabolic processes
• Thought: beliefs and reasoning processes

Core Tier

Very little is known about the inner core. It appears that it only contains one element, referred to as Spacetime. It is assumed to be responsible for portals that enable fast traveling between distant places, or for visions about the future and the past. However, no species is known to wield this power intentionally.

Localization

The elements are unevenly distributed on the planet. As a general rule, abstract elemental currents are more common near the poles whereas the concrete elements are dominant around the equator.

Miragia

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Geographical features play a role as well. For example, Ground currents are stronger near mountain ranges whereas Air currents are stronger around flat terrain or over bodies of water. The primary material tier ist most intuitively tied to the natural movement of such features. Air currents match the direction of the wind, Water currents follow rivers to the ocean, Ground currents push in the same direction as tectonic plates, and Energy currents travel west with the rising sun.
Diametrically opposed elements tend to cancel each other out. However, since there are no uniform fields of any particular element, most areas still contain weak currents of unlikely elements.
One notable anomaly is the element of Spacetime. Instead of flowing with a particular feature, its currents appear to form eddies around areas where opposing elements clash. At these nexus points, portals are most likely to open up in a reliable manner.

Type

Metaphysical

Subsystems

Elven Element System
Human Element System

Cultural Differences

Most species evolved to make use of the elemental currents in their habitat. Consequently, different cultures have different understandings of the elemental system. Most of them only cover the specific subset that the related species can perceive.

by Kathrin Janowski

by Kathrin Janowski

To this date, the most extensive research has been conducted by scholars of a powerful Vampire clan.

Wielding Magic

People able to manipulate one or more elemental currents are called "wielders". Typically, they can speed up, slow down, or reverse the flow of these currents. Skilled wielders can also alter their course to varying degrees.
All of these manipulations come at the price of magical exhaustion, depending on the magnitude of the effect. Said exhaustion can affect the wielder's wellbeing in various ways. They can become apathetic, moody, fatigued, unfocused, or any combination thereof.

Artefacts

Objects can be infused with an element. This rare art requires a highly-trained wielder to direct the natural currents into a compatible receptacle and trap them there. Afterward, the object can amplify the associated element in its vicinity while canceling out its diametral opposite on the elemental circle.

by Kathrin Janowski

Artefacts will eventually wear out from distorting the natural flow of these currents. For example, a Ground artefact will lose cohesion and crumble to fine dust, or a Fire artefact will burn itself out and leave a lump of nonflammable mineral behind.
As with the exhaustion suffered by wielders, the rate of decay is proportional to the magnitude of the artefact's power.