Elemental Magics
Earth
Earth magic involves the manipulation of minerals and compounds commonly found in the land, from one mineral at a time to many. Elemetalists largely draw upon their own energy wells,
Subclasses include metallurgy, terraforming, and more.
Effects: moving small items to building massive structures to opening great chasms
Water
Water magic manipulates water, from a wide variety of sources and solutions, to varying effects. Water witches cannot create water, but they can condense water vapor from the air to use in offensive or defensive spells.
Effects: from filling a cup to localized rain to massive tsunamis
Air
Air magic requires the manipulation of elements commonly found in the air in order to manipulate or create wind.
Some argue this is really just telekinesis.
Effects: gentle breezes to wild gusts to destructive tornadoes
Fire
Fire magic involves the manipulation of heat and heat sources. This includes at a molecular level.
Some can only manipulate existing fire, while others can seem to create it.
Effects: warming a room to lighting a candle to walls of flame to firestorms
Earth, water, air, and fire are the four primary elemental magics. The current classification considers
verdant magic, ice, and lightning to be the ability to manipulate two elements at the same time.
Plants
Verdant magic, or plant-based magic, involves the growth and utilization of flora.
Potion-making is often included as subset of plant-based magic.
Some consider this to be a combination of earth and water magic, while others believe it to be a subset of earth magic.
Effects: growing a single flower to improving vast fields to offensive vines that ensnare enemies
Ice
Ice magic involves freezing, as the name implies. This can even be done through the condensing and freezing of water vapor in the air to create ice from seemingly nothing.
It is considered to be a combination of both air and water magic.
Effects: from cooling a room to creating flurries to blizzards
Lightning
Lightning magic involves the ability to manipulate electricity, static electricity, and lightning.This includes internally and environmentally.
It is classified as a combination of air and fire magic.
Effects: from small zaps to great lightning storms
Intellectual Debate
Of course, scholars, historians, philosophers, and witches debate whether these classifications are accurate. Some scholars believe there should be fewer classifications - for example, that ice magic and fire magic are two sides of the same coin, so to speak, as they both manipulate temperature, or that air magic and earth magic belong classified together, as they both involve the telekinesis of various elements and compounds.
Some argue that it's all really just specializations of the same exact magic: telekinesis. They assert that in each and every elemental magic, the caster is simply manipulating the surrounding elements: creating or destroying crystaline structures, forcing chemical reactions, and localizing atoms to "create" outcomes.
Those who believe it's all really the same thing, just different applications, strongly assert that the current education structures severely limit students, preemptively cutting them off from being able to perform a great range of magic, and that new spells and innovative techniques could be discovered if the current methods of teaching magic were not so rigid.
These people are often accused of being
Dabblers.
Laws and Attitudes in Various Countries
Elemental magic is widely accepted and used all over the world (except in
Paltetia, which outlaws all magic). It is largely considered to be secular, not related to any particular deity or religion.
Salaris is most well known for its magic academies and universities that focus on arcane and metaphysical magic. It is a very militaristic nation that approaches magic learning in a very structured, rigid way. As such, many of the country's attitudes and behaviors surrounding magic use influence the perceptions of others regarding elemental magic.
Perception versus Reality
Perception |
Reality |
Most powerful magic type |
This belief is a result of Salarian nationalism, though it has spread into other areas |
Requires a magic focus (wand, staff, sigils, runes, etc.) |
This belief is due to the way elemental magic is taught in Salaris, with wands. However, elemental magic can be conducted via a variety of manners, with or without a focus, and even concurrently with other magic types. |
You can only excel in one type of elemental magic |
The years of study required to improve an elemental magic makes it harder to learn and grow in two or more areas, but it is possible to develop more than one elemental magic type to high level, depending on a witch's determination, talent, and access to magic |
Elemental magic is safer and more controllable than other magic types |
This is a product of the rigid academic training many elemental magic users receive, however it is not necessarily true. Accidental mishaps happen all the time; someone wielding fire might lose control of it and burn themselves or someone else, or someone wielding air might accidentally create difficult breathing conditions. |
Limited applications or career paths |
Elemental witches can be employed in the military and specialize in offensive or defensive spells, or they might be employed in farming and agricultural needs, such as keeping fire midges at bay so workers can harvest cacao. The applications and employment opportunities are endless |
Comments
Author's Notes
Thank you for reading! This article may see some changes in the future