Back to the Home page
For a more concise explanation of the Elemenstors, see the N00B page. |
Elemenstors
Harbinger Portent, The Unsunderer, bringer forth of powers heretofore unknown, sole manifestor of Elemanifestations, tamer of Ginormous Soul, the recalcitrant, wise and undebatable hero, discovered the Starborn Gem – or, one could say, the sentient jewel discovered him. The markings upon it must have been in the ancient language of stars themselves, because even as a Harbinger – a largely ascetic group for whom learning and prophecy made up the day’s work – he had never seen such strange symbols.
There may be too much about Elemenstors and the secrets of High Elemenstation to cover in a simple article, let alone the perversions of Char Reyarteb that led to the three twisted facets of Dark Elemenstation – Blood, Unlight, and The Unspeakable. But we can cover the basics.
Understand first that what we know and love of The Elemenstor Cycle and the tribulations of the world called Battal account for only roughly twenty thousand years of time. Supplemental materials and expansions brought the valor of the Magic Sword Kings and described the origins of the savage War Men; none of that material was in the original CCG.
While the secrets of High Elemenstation were revealed by the Starborn Gem, this knowledge would not be codified for millennia into something most people could learn.
In the Cerulean Citadel, a daunting structure that occupies the entirety of Mont Elim (see also: Mount Wor), one Grand Elemenstor of each cardinal element – Earth, Air, Fire, and Water – teaches those with the gift, or “knack,” for this exhausting discipline. Reordering the universe, after all, is hard work. (It is speculated that a fifth element, Heart, exists, but the question remains why one would want to devote themselves to this field of study.)
In any case, each prospective High Elemenstor is asked to bring something to their final test that they would like to become their familiar or Furniliar. Each Grand Elemenstor has a crystal of perfect rubian in his or her Santorum (see also The Wizbits) that imbues in inanimate objects the life of a wandering Elemanifestation, transforming them into companions for the budding Elemenstors, just as Harbinger Portent’s own crystal gem once did. Each of these gems is said to be one fifth the size of the Starborn Gem itself. Even though students are taught the techniques of Transchanting it is against school rules for them to create their own Furniliars.
I know it’s not well looked upon on these boards, but for this record to be complete I need to mention that the children's show, 'The Wizbits', is about the Four Underdogs when they were children. They don’t really stick to canon one-hundred percent, which is disconcerting, but it’s there if you want it.
For more detail on the magical arts practiced by Elemenstors, see Elemenstation.
Wasted Elemenstors
The realm of the Wasted Elemenstors is another topic that is perhaps too rich and varied to cover in detail, but here follows a brief summary.
Although known for their heroic and epic acts of subterfuge and arcane battle, not all Elemenstors were as well celebrated over the years since the great Unsundering.
A group of Elemenstors became known as the Wasted. These Elemenstors (such as Dogus Brankorking, Fire Elemenstor and his Smug Ape), tempted by the lure of an easy life full of ale, song and easily-impressed barmaids, gave up their lives of high adventure. These laconical ne'er-do-wells inhabit various bars across the world of the Shield and Sickle -- such as the Pig's Annoyance and the The Griffled Duck -- telling tales of past victories and travels which may or may not have been their own, in the hopes of impressing the local rubes into buying their next pint. These Elemenstors are shunned and glanced at awkwardly by the High Elemenstors and their kind.
Indeed, tales tell of an encounter in a tavern between an inebriated and surly Dogus Brankorking, and the slightly more renowned and sober (though nearly as irritable) Laethwin the Younger that ended in brawl which, though spectacularly messy, caused very little actual injury, as it consisted largely of spitting.
Comments (1)
Anonymous said
at 9:57 pm on Dec 17, 2005
I made a few adjustments to account for the slight misuse of the terms Elemenstor, High Elemenstor and Grand Elemenstor
You don't have permission to comment on this page.