Words and Art for a Young Adult Fantasy Adventure.

The world of Aether Torrent would be perfectly ordinary if not for all the magic and monsters.

Find here everything that newcomers need to know.

Aetherism -- the Elements -- Elementism -- Technolology -- Zoology

Elementism

Elementism is a "family of religions," moderate in membership yet growing steadily, which holds that magic as the power of the Four Elemental Gods. The gods are not siblings, but equal eternal entities who are the foundations of all reality and all creatures in it, and who (allegedly) joined forces to create the world.

Famously, each of the Four are known by multiple names that They seem to favor. Two devotees of the same god may have entirely different names for them, beyond mere translation. The names listed here are held as the favorite of one notable Elementist, Avani Lahar.

Fleuve exists in and as all water everywhere. Often called "Mother Sea", Fleuve played a major role in the creation of life by donating water to, and then mating with, fellow god Tottattil. All forms of life above trees and shrubs are said to be born of Her. She gave all of Her children cyclical souls and the ability to move, and is loved immensely by Her devotees -- whether out of adoration, respect, or fear of Her terrible strength.

Atmas exists in and as all air everywhere. Unlike Fleuve, Atmas is barren, jealous, and quick to shift emotions. She hates being confined and loves to stir things which have stayed still too long, and so has a reputation as a trickster. To followers of Tottattil in particular, She is often seen as adversarial. She gave life emotions, sapience, and free will, to make it similar to Her.

Degalvyi exists in and as all heat everywhere. He is always worried about time and resources, since fire of any kind has limited amounts of both. He gave life the comforts of heat and the joys of senses, but in doing so, accidentally gave life mortality. He apologized by filling the sky with stars so that life could take careful and precise measurement of its years.

Tottattil exists in and as all minerals everywhere. The Moon is his first creation, the first attempt at a world, which failed because a living world cannot be one element alone. Plants are also his creations, albeit devised with Fleuve's help, while all forms of life higher than plants are His and Fleuve's children. To all life He contributed the ability to grow, a sense of purpose, and a sense of judgment. He is fair to a fault, supporting all of His children equally as they go about their lives.

Despite having a single origin story, a single small pantheon, and the shared belief that without the gods there would be no magic, Elementism is hardly a unified faith. Four main sects, one for each god, differ with regards to morals, clergy, and the meaning, purpose, and destination of life.

Both Fleuvaic and Tottattilic Elementists believe in cycles of reincarnation leading to eternal perfect union with their respective deity. Both gods exhort kindness and constructive behavior, but vary in strictness. Fleuvaic rules are mighty streams; fighting them is futile, ignorant, and disrespectful. Tottattilic rules are pillars lining the path that He lays for each life; one is free to wander, but doing so risks aimlessness, instability, and associated perils.

Degalvyic Elementists believe that good souls go to the Sun, a pleasure dome of vibrant youth, until they and they alone decide to leave. Bad souls are snuffed out, forever and ever. Degalvyi alone is the judge of good and bad. He favors kindness, efficiency, and careful resource management as laid out in the Eight Commandments.

The departed soul of an Atmaic Elementist is as free as its goddess. Upon its death, Atmas herself welcomes it in an ecstasy of highest, purest emotion -- and then leaves, recognizing it as an individual just like Her. The devotee's soul is then able to go anywhere and do anything, restricted only by imagination, free as free can be, forever and ever. (Atmaics hold that the cosmos of all possible universes is big enough to allow for this.)

The majority of Elementists respect all of the Four, but follow the specific rules of only one, with widely varying degrees of sincerity. A minority of Elementists, called "zealots," respect only one of the Four and both prosthelytize and defend their particular god's ways with vigor and violence.

Most Elementists are aetherists, but not all aetherists are Elementists, for the simple reason that using magic does not require faith.

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