My world of Sasam has religion very focused on material elements, and uses each as an example of both strengths and weaknesses. I've thought up a bunch, but I appreciate any suggestions. It's okay to go wild and not stick to any preconcieved notions about game religion, this is all flavor.
Air: associated with grace, speed, being untouchable, going with the flow, ubiquity, being far reaching, flying (both metaphorical and literal), vapidity
Water: associated with mixing, adaptability, power
Lightening: associated with speed, surprise, power
Stone: associated with stubbornness, old age/wisdom, knowledge
Wood: associated with life, strength, knowledge
Flesh: associated with life, vulnerability, youth
Fire: associated with warmth, destruction, sight
Shadow: associated with protection, danger, the inner mind
Water: Change
Lightning: energetic
Stone: Tradition
Shadow: mystery, evil
Hope I helped.
One that I like is Fire as a catalyst for change, not just destruction. Fire makes things different: chars flammable material into ashes, sure, but turns raw food into cooked food, turns ice into water and water into steam, and revitalizes forests by clearing the way for new growth.
Fire is also commonly paired with courage (sometimes to the point of stupidity), brashness (often to the point of unwise haste) and even recklessness; I don't see these anywhere in your list yet, so I figured I'd drag out these old melodies again.
@Natural20: :banghead: should have remembered that water goes with change. I'm not going to put evil under shadow simply because I'm sick and tired of that one, but it's okay that you said that since that is a traditional association.
@Luminous Crayon: Yes, give me old melodies. There are way too many for each one for me to remember them all.
@everyone else: you don't necessarily have to restrict yourself to these elements.
I've been thinking recently of water representing something such as chaos or unpredictability, maybe even evil. The chaos of the tides and the waves is often deadly, and it doesn't seem right that an element such as water should be considered something less than good, when one can so easily drown in it. Wood seems to me like it should represent friendship, love, kindness, and resilience.
For a twist, it'd be cool to see Water be the 'evil' element, and Fire be the 'good' one.
One that occurred to me early this morning:
Water as a symbol of wealth, prosperity, livelihood.
If it's setting appropriate, merchant ships likely run the world's commerce network; generation and distribution of wealth depends on those ships' travel. Farmers pray for rain for the sake of their crops; water is the difference between a land of plenty and a land of drought and famine. And just like wealth, water flows-- sometimes towards you, sometimes away from you.
I always associate Shadow-type elements with deception; not necessarily an outright lie, but a process of hiding and confusing the truth, the way a literal shadow might hide and confuse the appearance of an object.
For inspiration, I recommend you read over the elements Salacious Angel used in his setting, Dystopia. There are five there (ash, lightning, iron, steam, and blood), and the justification for those choices says a great deal about the world itself. Could be useful for your thought process.
A while ago I read a fantasy book where the forces of order and chaos were the primary/only manifestations of magic. The ocean stood for order, even though at first glance the waves made it apear chaotic, since the ocean's tides and under currents are an incredibly complex and structured system.
To me. Water represents unrelenting force, absolution and eternity. You could seperate the water element into three seperate ideas. River and Bay for wealth and travel, Lake and Coast for serenity, healing and rejuvination, and the Deep Ocean for age, eternity, wisdom, death, and mystery.
Metal: Industry, progress, un-natural.
Void: Time, absolution, emptyness, lonelyness.
Okay, let's update the list:
Air: associated with grace, speed, being untouchable, going with the flow, ubiquity, being far reaching, flying (both metaphorical and literal), vapidity
Water: associated with mixing, adaptability, power, change, danger, wealth
Lightening: associated with speed, surprise, power, being energetic
Stone: associated with stubbornness, old age/wisdom, knowledge, tradition
Wood: associated with life, strength, knowledge, friendship, love, kindness, resilience
Flesh: associated with life, vulnerability, youth
Fire: associated with warmth, destruction, sight, change, courage, brash/recklessness
Shadow: associated with protection, danger, the inner mind, mystery, deception
My own:
Fire: consumption, prudence
It's tangentally related, so I'll list this in the hopes it might inspire some ideas for you. Some time ago I created my own game system and we played a long campaign in it. In the system, everyone is an element (represented by one). I'll list the descriptions for them. If it helps to inspire, great.
[spoiler=Elements]Air:Airs are quick and agile, and usually slim, often smaller than people of other elements. A male Air typically stands between 5â,¬,,¢4â,¬Â and 5â,¬,,¢7â,¬Â, and weighs between 130 and 160 lbs; females are slightly smaller. Airs tend to be flighty, but bright; quick both physically and mentally. They are given to bouts of almost hyperactivity, and often prove to be quite creative.
Other elements can become lost trying to keep up with the thought process of Airs, which seems to jump around rapidly from one idea to the next. Airs sometimes view others, especially Earths, as a little or dull. Most Airs prefer to rely on the element of surprise to overcome foes before they can react, or simply to get away before their foe even realizes theyâ,¬,,¢re gone.
Airs are usually very aware of the surroundings, ready to leap into action a momentâ,¬,,¢s notice. Their excitable nature can make some Airs quick to panic when things look grim, but one should not mistake this for cowardice â,¬' in this excited state an Air is all the more likely to come up with a brilliant plan to overcome the difficulty.
Airs can gain power over the winds and lightning. They dislike being burdened down and wear little armor.
Earth:Earths are built for strength and stamina, often physically larger than other people. A male Earth typically stands between 6â,¬,,¢3â,¬Â and 6â,¬,,¢10â,¬Â and weighs 250 to 350 lbs; females are somewhat smaller. Earths lack the speed of other elements, but make up for it with sheer power. Earths tend to be very grounded, hearty, courageous, and determined; they can be extremely stubborn when they have made up their minds about something, and generally see it through to the end.
Though often slow to act, an Earth rarely fails to follow through with his convictions. They pride themselves on keeping a level head and taking time to choose a course they can believe in. Many Earths try hard to protect those around them, even if they are often the ones who have to get their friends â,¬Å"out of the mess they created for themselves.â,¬Â
Earths have extraordinary constitutions (most could easily drink any other kulaea under the table); they are difficult to take down.
Earths are often more in-touch with the natural world than other elements. They make superb hunters and trackers.
Fire: Fires are the epitome of a warrior; they have incredible strength and can use fire magic to devastate their foes. Fires tend to be aggressive, tenacious, and fearless. They are often arrogant (or at the very least, extremely confident), and can sometimes be difficult to get along with. Yet their confidence is not undeserved; Fires have the highest damage-dealing capabilities of any element, and are truly fearsome in battle.
Fires are passionate in the extreme, often carried away by their intense emotions. Everything they do, they do with fervor: when they fight they throw everything at their opponent; when they love, they do so with all their heart. They are intensely loyal to those they care about. A Fireâ,¬,,¢s sheer intensity of personality can be almost overwhelming to most people of other elements. The idea of defeat simply does not occur to them.
Fires often grow irritable with Waters for their â,¬Å"indecisiveâ,¬Â nature, feeling a Waterâ,¬,,¢s need to carefully consider every angle before acting a liability.
While they are famed for being immune to fear and pain, a true Fire knows (though he may be loathe to admit it), that he still feels such things, but has the mindset necessary to fight through effects that would debilitate others. Fires are immune to fear created by magical effects, but not to Horror or the terror it can create (try as they might to deny it).
Water: Waters are resilient and skillful, with great stores of energy flowing from them. They often go with the flow of things, yet, when they make up their minds they can be unyielding. Like their element, they seem able to change to fit any mold, adapting quickly to any situation.
Waters can gain the ability to heal themselves and to shoot high-powered blasts of water from their hands. Waters tend to be diverse in their skills, and more naturally adept at artistic pursuits than most other elements. They can be masters of music, painting, or any other aesthetic pursuit.
Waters pride themselves on their fine taste, their adaptability, and their natural calm. They often look down on Fires for their â,¬Å"inability to control their emotionsâ,¬Â and habit of speaking (and acting) without considering the consequences and implications. Waters believe in maintaining a fluid motion in themselves and their world â,¬' they avoid disrupting the balance in their mind or body with sudden outbursts or unnecessary panic. They believe in acting rationally, but understand the necessity of adapting quickly to changing situations.
Light: Lights tend to be noble and compassionate. They are usually honorable, courageous, and respectful. They are extremely perceptive, with acute senses. They also tend to be intelligent; literacy rates are higher among Lights than any other element. Light is the rarest element among kulaea; in fact, very few beings on Roaa are Lights.
Lights are usually calm and reserved. They tend to be sensitive towards others, and often work to control otherâ,¬,,¢s emotions when they get â,¬Å"out-of-hand.â,¬Â Lights are often distrustful of Shadows, who they see as inexplicably drawn towards shady pursuits â,¬' things that make many Lights uncomfortable. With the exception of other lights, they often feel they have the most in common with Waters, who seem best able to calmly react to the situation at hand.
Lights can effectively protect themselves against many varieties of harm, and can gain the powerful ability to heal not just themselves, but others as well. They can make effective warriors and are invaluable to any fighting group because of the aid they can provide their comrades.
Though not prone to sudden outbursts of emotion, Lights can sometimes surprise even their closest allies with their tenacious refusal to surrender in even the darkest of times.
Shadow: Shadows are quick and deft, with an aptitude for going unseen. They tend to be shadier than other elements, with a natural cunning. They are typically witty, and able to quickly adapt to most any situation, allowing them to escape from dire circumstances.
Shadows are the ultimate pragmatists. To say they do not care about others would be grossly unfair, but they are used to getting by on their own â,¬' in most Shadowâ,¬,,¢s minds, if you donâ,¬,,¢t stick up for yourself, no one will. They can sometimes be selfish or materialistic. Shadows tend to be uncomfortable around Lights, who they feel are constantly judging them. They often view other elements, especially Lights, as naïve to the way the world really is.
Though loathe to admit it, many Shadows are inherently lonely, and deep down they fear that they will be doomed to lead their whole life alone. Their self-reliance and pragmatism make it hard for them to trust, which, in turn, makes it hard for them to truly connect to others.
Shadows favor lighter, faster, smaller equipment (which also proves easier to conceal). They can gain many useful skills, such as the ability to pick locks or disarm traps. Shadows prefer to use their stealth to avoid conflict, or to overcome unsuspecting foes, when necessary.[/spoiler]
So:
Air: flighty, aware, excitable
Lightening: mentally quick, hyperactive, excitable
Earth: strength, stamina, grounded, hearty, courageous, determined, slow to act, level head
Wood: in touch with natural world
Fire: strength, aggressive, tenacious, fearless, arrogant, confidence, passionate in the extreme, intense
Water: resilient, can be unyielding, change to fit any mold, adaptable, not given to outbursts
Okay, I think by now I have enough inspiration. Kinda surprised no one tried Flesh, but then I didn't say you had to stick to my elements.
QuoteKinda surprised no one tried Flesh,
My theory is that we're not used to thinking of that in the context of elements, so there isn't a lot of preconceived baggage about it that we can just repeat right back.