Lightning, current, storm-charge
Electric
The crackling affinity. Electric Arcanus channel raw voltage through horn and claw, striking with speed and precision.
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 extraordinary role in Arcanus society. Almost every individual has the ability to master one or more — some fire long-range shots, others channel their element into a weapon, others bring it to hand-to-hand combat.
The basic elements are Electric, Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth. Beyond them sit the two special elements: Divine, gifted by the royal family, and Corrupt, the Divine element tainted by the fallen king Hidan. Either of these replaces an existing element rather than adding to it. Variants of every element are common — poison, blue fire, plants, ice, sand, metal, lava.
Each element mastered grows a new horn trait. An individual can carry up to three. The horns are a giveaway of their power, which is why some of the most powerful Arcanus choose to remove one or two before travelling through dangerous land.
Storm, breath, far-traveled sound
Wind
The Stormbreak Isles know this affinity best. Wind Arcanus carry messages and songs across the continent.
Flame, heat, forge-craft
Fire
The Western affinity. Fire Arcanus tend the forges, the hearth-fires, and the great signal-pyres on the spires.
Tide, rain, river
Water
Found across the coastal and delta peoples. Water Arcanus read currents the way others read maps.
Stone, root, growing things
Earth
The most common affinity. Earth Arcanus farm, build, and tend the deep groves.
Tainted divinity, rot, decay
Corrupt
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.
Sacred light, royal blessing
Divine
Gifted by the royal family. Divine replaces an existing element and marks the bearer as touched by higher authority.
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 many ways. The right way depends on the size of the core, the skill of the user, and what stands within reach. Some methods are cheap; others burn through reserves so quickly they are reserved for the higher ranks.
Elemental Manipulation
Pulling on what is already there — rain, river, the heat of a forge. This is the cheap road. Lower-ranked Arcanus rely on it because their cores deplete easily, and most daily craft is done this way.
Elemental Summoning
When nothing in the surroundings answers, the power must be drawn straight from the core itself. This costs more and is mostly the domain of Knight-rank and above, where the core can take the strain.
The shape of the use matters too. Take water as an example. You can pull it from rain or from a lake and shoot it at — or suffocate — your enemy. The larger the area you manipulate, the more it costs.
Manipulating the essence of an element is harder still: changing the temperature of water borders on another element, like ice or fire. Warming a mug of tea is possible at Soldier rank; boiling a wave at a foe is Warlord work.
Using an elemental power to manipulate living beings is possible, but only at very high skill — and it always raises the hate corruption of the one who does it.