ETHORA

Arcanus ARPG

The Elemental Flow

Elements & Elemental usage

Every Arcanus is born with an elemental affinity. Most carry one, some carry more, and a rare few are formally recognised as Elemental Knights.

Elements play an extremely important role in the society of the Arcanus. Almost every single individual has the ability to master one or more elements. Some use the elements to fire long-ranged shots, or hand to hand combat, and some put the power of their element into a weapon.

The basic elements are Electric, Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth. There are a lot more variants to these elements, like for example poison, blue fire, plants, ice, sand, metal, lava, etc.

  • Electric element rune

    Electric

  • Wind element rune

    Wind

  • Fire element rune

    Fire

  • Water element rune

    Water

  • Earth element rune

    Earth

Corrupt element rune

Tainted Divinity

Corrupt

The corrupt element originally used to be the Divine element, tainted and given by the now corrupt king Hidan and his underlings. The corrupt element destroys plant or animal life and is known to sicken someone when it is used to attack them. It also leaves an unpleasant aura, when someone acquires the corrupt element, it replaces one of their already existing elements. The replaced element will not be powerful anymore, but can still be used slightly. So it might not be useful in battle anymore, but still a little useful in daily life.

Read how — The Empurios →
Divine element rune

Sacred Light

Divine

The divine element is given to someone by a member of the royal family, or someone appointed by the royal family to be able to give the divine element. It is not only a destructive element, but also known to bear life fertile, and be some experienced users, it can even be used as a healing power. When someone acquires the divine element, it replaces one of their already existing elements. The replaced element will not be powerful anymore, but can still be used slightly. So it might not be useful in battle anymore, but still a little useful in daily life.

Horn Growth by Mastery

Each element someone manages to master will result in the growth of a new horn trait. An individual can have up to 3 horn traits.

These horn traits are a big giveaway of someone's powers, since you can see how many elements someone can use. This is why some powerful Arcanus choose to remove one or two horn traits, especially in dangerous areas.

Electric

Lightning, current, storm-charge
The crackling affinity. Electric Arcanus channel raw voltage through horn and claw, striking with speed and precision.

Wind

Storm, breath, far-traveled sound
The Stormbreak Isles know this affinity best. Wind Arcanus carry messages and songs across the continent.

Fire

Flame, heat, forge-craft
The Western affinity. Fire Arcanus tend the forges, the hearth-fires, and the great signal-pyres on the spires.

Water

Tide, rain, river
Found across the coastal and delta peoples. Water Arcanus read currents the way others read maps.

Earth

Stone, root, growing things
The most common affinity. Earth Arcanus farm, build, and tend the deep groves.

Corrupt

Tainted divinity, rot, decay
Hidan made this element by twisting Divine power into something darker. Corrupt replaces an existing element, warping the bearer's affinity into decay and ruin.

Divine

Sacred light, royal blessing
Gifted by the royal family. Divine replaces an existing element and marks the bearer as touched by higher authority.

The Inner Light

Core Energy

Behind every element is the core — a teardrop of living energy carried inside every Arcanus. It is the well that all elemental power is drawn from, and its size, health, and stability shape what the bearer can do.

The core is important to many aspects of an Arcanus's life, and is directly affected by health, sickness, and corruption. Its size depends on rank: the higher the rank, the larger the core. At Legendary and beyond it can grow so large it spills out and shapes physical traits and the battle armor.

The bigger the core, the longer elements can be channelled and the larger the attacks. The core will automatically halt elemental use at 5% remaining to protect its host. Forcing through that final 5% is a direct threat to the bearer's health, and to life itself.

A bigger core does not automatically mean a more skilled user. Learning to use an element takes time, dedication, and sometimes talent — a skilled elemental user does not have to be of a high rank.

Plate · Core Growth by Rank — Worker through Legendary+

Weakened Core

A Dimmed Core
Any Arcanus can carry a weakened core. It may be temporary — caused by physical or mental health problems, prolonged illness or chronic conditions, or exhaustion from over-exerting the core. The core can also be damaged when an Arcanus forces the use of their last 5% reserves; this affects their average output, both physically and with their elements. If the core is very damaged, it can leave them permanently weakened and shorten their lifespan. In extreme cases, it can result in death.

Loss of Control

When the Core Spills
Very powerful Arcanus — mainly Legendary and above, sometimes Warlords — can lose control of their core. It happens most to those talented enough to rise in rank quickly without becoming accustomed to the increase in power, and to those so corrupt they are no longer emotionally and physically stable. A spike of extreme emotion like anger or grief can be enough. It can, but does not have to be, destructive: sometimes it is a soft tremor, and sometimes it is fully explosive.

Practice

Elemental Usage

Two roads run through every elemental craft — to pull power from the world around you, or to draw it from inside. Both come at a cost.

Elemental powers can be used in various ways. Which way works depends on how big the core energy is and on the skill level of the individual. Certain ways of elemental usage take more energy than others, and are best suited to higher-ranked individuals with larger energy cores.

Elemental Manipulation

From the World Around
Manipulation of the elements in your surroundings is called elemental manipulation. Lower-ranked Arcanus profit a lot from using surrounding elements, because their cores deplete easily. Most daily craft is done this way.

Elemental Summoning

From the Core Itself
When there is nothing to use from your surroundings, you must fall back on elemental summoning — pulling the elemental power straight from the core. This takes up more energy and is mostly the domain of Knight rank and above, because it depletes the core much faster.

How an element is used also affects the necessary core energy and training. Take the water element as an example. You can take water from the rain or a lake and manipulate it to shoot at — or suffocate — an enemy. The larger the area you manipulate, the more energy it costs. Doing this by summoning the element instead of drawing it from the surroundings is also possible, but takes more.

Manipulating the essence of an element — such as changing the water's temperature — takes more energy still, because it borders on another element entirely (ice, or fire). This needs more advanced training and a heavier draw on the core.

A Scale of Cost — Summoning, from Cheapest to Most Demanding

Minor

A spark to light a smoke. The smallest possible summoning — barely felt by the core.

Average

A handful of lightning thrown from the palm. Routine for a skilled user.

On a Weapon

Channelling a summoned element along a blade — average cost, but it sustains.

Intensive

Warming a mug of water is possible at Soldier rank; pouring boiling water at an enemy is the work of higher ranks.

Using an elemental power to manipulate living beings is possible, but it is a very high-level skill and not without risk. It will raise the hate corruption levels of the one who does it.

Species Guide