Elementum

Essentia and Substancia

In the legends and myths of Avaelia there exist beings known simply as Elementum. These creatures inhabit specific forms of nature or an exact substance. Most people tend to assume that Elementum are dumb, feral creatures born directly of pure Elementum substance, called Materium. This is not true in all cases. There are Elementum with intelligence, wit, a will of their own, much more than simple beasts. Such Elementum are known to scholars and the wise as Essentia Elementum, while those without a free will are called Substancia Elementum. When a mage, or devout follower of a certain faith, dies or through a lost practice of dangerous and avoided magic, one’s soul is bonded with the element strongest in their lives. Substancia are those without a soul, regular Elementum that appear throughout the lands birthed of pure Materium. Essentia are those with a life essence, a soul, bound to a particular Materium through means of either immense magic, or through a divine blessing of their chosen Faith Patron.