An elementalist, a type of wizard dedicated to controlling the forces of nature and the physical elements of the world of Mallus, a magical lore called Elementalism.
An elementalist is a wizard whose magic concerns itself with natural forces and the elements of earth, air, fire, and water, also known as Elementalism. As well as being able to control the forces of nature to some extent, elementalists have some limited control over the four traditional physical elements and the spirit beings composed of them known as Elementals.[1a]
Elementalists were most common in the Old World in the days before Emperor Magnus the Pious and the High Elf Archmage Teclis established the Imperial Colleges of Magic and the foundations of Colour Magic after the Great War Against Chaos (2301-2304 IC), though they still exist today.[1a][2a]
As essentially wizards of nature, elementalists have a close affinity with living things and -- though reclusive -- tend to be kindly and slow to anger. The magical energies upon which an elementalist draws are fundamentally opposed to those of Daemonic and necromantic magic. Those who have embarked upon a career as an elementalist may never become daemonologists or necromancers.[1a]
Finding a teacher of Elementalist magic is not as easy as finding other wizards, but much easier than finding a daemonologist or necromancer. Many elementalists are hermitic and live in isolated dwellings close to sources of great natural energy (waterfalls, oceans, volcanoes, mountain tops, and so on). Individuals wishing to learn elemental magic must convince their would-be teacher of their sincerity, demonstrating their love of nature in some way.[1a]
In the years before the creation of the Colleges of Magic, when magic-users were not accepted in Imperial society, wizards like elementalists were shunned in some places, and welcomed in others, so the acceptance of magic at that time depended on where one was in the Empire, and what kind of magic the wizard was using.[2c][3]
For instance, during the Anarchy in places like the Grand Duchy of Talabec, wizards like elementalists in tune with the natural world were thought of as healers and wise people, those who could be relied upon to bless the crops and heal livestock. But if one went to the Reikland -- where the Cult of Sigmar reigned supreme -- and were seen to utter a strange-sounding phrase, that person might find themselves a target of the witch hunters and end their days atop a bonfire.[3]
Elementalists in Society[]
Elementalist wizards have a reputation as people who dislike order and civilisation and prefer their own independence. Other wizards caricature them as grumpy eccentrics and liken them to a Dwarf in temperament, though not within earshot of either. Most elementalists have a deep bond to the natural world and prefer to spend much of their time in the wilderness areas of the world of Mallus away from civilisation. Although there is a major school of elementalism in Nuln and specialist schools elsewhere, most elementalists prefer to live in wilderness areas, where they feel closer to the elements they manipulate.[2a][2b]
The common people in rural areas tend to have an uneasy relationship with elementalists. On one hand, elementalists are seen as useful people to have around, with their ability to manipulate the weather and affect the growth of vegetation. On the other, these spell-casters can call down the very power of nature itself, channelling it through themselves -- stir one to anger and you could find your harvest blighted, your fields flooded, or your entire hamlet reduced to scorched ruin by a fire storm. It is an uneasy relationship.[2b]
Because elementalists spend most of their time alone in the wilderness, they tend to become cut off from society and forget Human concerns in the pursuit of their art. More than one elementalist has set off a volcano or earthquake, just to see if it was possible or to experience the thrill of unleashing such power, with no thought of the damage caused to nearby farms and villages.[2b]
In particularly remote and superstitious areas, there have been cases of powerful elementalists being treated as demigods by local farmers: a capricious force of nature, to be propitiated by offerings of food left on their doorstep in the middle of the night. Sometimes this power goes to the elementalist's head, and more than one has been tried and burned at the stake by the witch hunters for blasphemy, their hapless worshippers burning alongside them.[2b]
Most elementalist spells are specifically designed to allow the wizard to interact with facets of the natural world, including its flora and fauna. As a result, after the founding of the Orders of Magic, many elementalists in the Empire retrained as Jade Wizards and Amber Wizards, whose chosen Winds of Magic -- Ghyran and Ghur -- they had long channelled unwittingly.[3]
Miniatures[]
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