Post by Gabrielle DuMinuit on Jul 7, 2007 15:40:18 GMT -5
The elementals, also sometimes called sakkri’e, are the only true immortals in Nyeusigrube. They are not gods, though they have at times masqueraded as such in order to be worshipped. In their natural forms, they can see and hear, and they can drift through the minds of mortals, but they cannot otherwise interact with the natural world. In order to gain a physical form, they must be bound to the mortal realm.
There is no way of knowing when or how the sakkri’e were created, but most scholars agree that their essence goes back as far as the world itself. The sakkri’e themselves do not recall, as a young elemental has no awareness of its own existence, and no memory. It is not until humans started to lift their eyes and ponder the heavens that any of the sakkri’e became aware. Some of them touched the dreams of human beings, and over the course of years, created a sense of self out of the absent thoughts of thousands of mortals. Masquerading as gods, the spirits of the dead, or other illusions, they gained power through the worship of humankind.
Out of the countless, formless sakkri’e who exist as candle flames, ocean waves and north winds, only a handful ever reached this state. However, those that did invariably craved more. What is the knowledge of touch without flesh, or the understanding of song without ears? What is existence without the ability to manipulate the world? Flesh and bone and blood and breath are mortal powers. The ability to touch and affect the world is a gift only allowed those whose years are fleeting; it is not something the immortal sakkri’e can do on their own.
In order to gain these powers, an elemental must bind itself to the mortal world. Each elemental is bound in a different way: fire by blood; earth by flesh; air by breath; and water by tears. To bind an elemental thus, a mortal must make the appropriate sacrifice. Often, in return, he will gain part of the elemental’s immortality. A bound fire elemental is known as a uala; an earth elemental is known as a k’jait; air is known as a chime; water is known as a lyr. The most famous sakkri’e to ever make this trade (and most pertinent to Nyeusigrube) is Leona, a fire elemental who was bound by brother and sister Zadre and Diosa in approximately 33,000 BCE. Her immortality is what gives power to all the greater and lesser Nyeusi. In return, they feed, maintaining her mortality.
With each progressive step toward mortality, an elemental gains weaknesses. Mortals name almost everything around them, and only with that given name can an elemental maintain its sense of self. However, once named, it must answer to its name and obey the one who calls it. For this reason, most sakkri’e hide their true names, especially once they are bound to this plain. Once bound, an elemental can be contained; its mortal form can be killed, which would hurtle the elemental back into the formless mass, and likely destroy its hard-won self-awareness. Such power over the immortal is sought by many and achieved by few- and always with a high cost.
Elementals known in Nyeusigrube:
Leona (fire): bound by Zadre and Diosa
Lashandra (fire): controlled by the Clan of the Flames, in Egypt, until the high priest’s second, Fala, freed her
Cirjs (fire): bound and controlled by Damon and Riza Vida, exiled witches, until she made a trade with a Spartan mortal named Aubrey for her freedom
Leshan (earth): named and bound by Jeshickah, the first while she was mortal and the latter after the first Midnight fell
Lance (earth) and Vervain (air): two very young elementals, who work together and perform as part of the band Poisoned Chocolate.
Velten (earth): named in 1798 by the spirit-witch of the Shantel [see elavie], and bound in modern day by Ryan le Coire's coven.
(Information (c) Amelia Atwater-Rhodes)
There is no way of knowing when or how the sakkri’e were created, but most scholars agree that their essence goes back as far as the world itself. The sakkri’e themselves do not recall, as a young elemental has no awareness of its own existence, and no memory. It is not until humans started to lift their eyes and ponder the heavens that any of the sakkri’e became aware. Some of them touched the dreams of human beings, and over the course of years, created a sense of self out of the absent thoughts of thousands of mortals. Masquerading as gods, the spirits of the dead, or other illusions, they gained power through the worship of humankind.
Out of the countless, formless sakkri’e who exist as candle flames, ocean waves and north winds, only a handful ever reached this state. However, those that did invariably craved more. What is the knowledge of touch without flesh, or the understanding of song without ears? What is existence without the ability to manipulate the world? Flesh and bone and blood and breath are mortal powers. The ability to touch and affect the world is a gift only allowed those whose years are fleeting; it is not something the immortal sakkri’e can do on their own.
In order to gain these powers, an elemental must bind itself to the mortal world. Each elemental is bound in a different way: fire by blood; earth by flesh; air by breath; and water by tears. To bind an elemental thus, a mortal must make the appropriate sacrifice. Often, in return, he will gain part of the elemental’s immortality. A bound fire elemental is known as a uala; an earth elemental is known as a k’jait; air is known as a chime; water is known as a lyr. The most famous sakkri’e to ever make this trade (and most pertinent to Nyeusigrube) is Leona, a fire elemental who was bound by brother and sister Zadre and Diosa in approximately 33,000 BCE. Her immortality is what gives power to all the greater and lesser Nyeusi. In return, they feed, maintaining her mortality.
With each progressive step toward mortality, an elemental gains weaknesses. Mortals name almost everything around them, and only with that given name can an elemental maintain its sense of self. However, once named, it must answer to its name and obey the one who calls it. For this reason, most sakkri’e hide their true names, especially once they are bound to this plain. Once bound, an elemental can be contained; its mortal form can be killed, which would hurtle the elemental back into the formless mass, and likely destroy its hard-won self-awareness. Such power over the immortal is sought by many and achieved by few- and always with a high cost.
Elementals known in Nyeusigrube:
Leona (fire): bound by Zadre and Diosa
Lashandra (fire): controlled by the Clan of the Flames, in Egypt, until the high priest’s second, Fala, freed her
Cirjs (fire): bound and controlled by Damon and Riza Vida, exiled witches, until she made a trade with a Spartan mortal named Aubrey for her freedom
Leshan (earth): named and bound by Jeshickah, the first while she was mortal and the latter after the first Midnight fell
Lance (earth) and Vervain (air): two very young elementals, who work together and perform as part of the band Poisoned Chocolate.
Velten (earth): named in 1798 by the spirit-witch of the Shantel [see elavie], and bound in modern day by Ryan le Coire's coven.
(Information (c) Amelia Atwater-Rhodes)