Case Study: Elementums
Elementums are an ancient race of anthropomorphic, leonine mages with elemental abilities that are influenced by and sourced from their birthstones.Made and owned by PisceanPaws
✦ Elementums' bodies look very similar to a typical African lion, but their fur is thicker, having a protective outer "raincoat" layer and a softer inner insulation layer much like wolves
✦ Their long, narrow faces hold almond-shaped eyes and sharp noses (like the Outsiders' from The Lion King original animated movies, but they can vary greatly in size and color/pattern)
✦ Their eyes consist of a pupil and a colored sclera only
✦ Various pupil shapes have been observed, but the most common is a rounded shape that can narrow like a housecat's
✦ Their tails are long and fluffy, but lack the tufted tip that true lions have
✦ Some Elementums can have dorsal fur of various lengths
✦ Their front toes are elongated and slender, and each paw has a thumb-like digit, giving them the illusion (and functionality) of having human hands
✦ They have long, slender ears perfect for channeling Spirit Songs (more study needed about these!)
✦ Dental studies reveal an omnivorous diet; they have flat, molar-like back teeth and sharp front teeth and incisors, accompanied by the characteristic "barbed" tongue of many feline species
✦ Their claws are retractable and contain poison glands?!?! They can release the poison at will
✦ The claw sheaths can be any color but the claws themselves are a semi-opaque near-white color
✦ Manes commonly occur, but don't seem to be gender-specific like true lions' manes
✦ Noses are covered in the same textured skin as a housecat's for smell aiding and temperature regulation
✦ Coloring can be anything but is always reflective of the Elementum's Life Crystal and/or Element
✦ Scleras can be any color besides white or black, and pupils are only either near-black or a different shade of the sclera
✦ Gradient and heterochromatic eyes are possible!
✦ Elementums are sexually/reproductively ambiguous! They have no sexual organs or appendages!
✦ Each Elementum is hatched from a gemstone; when they hatch, they have the beginnings of horns or antlers (which grow as the Elementum does) composed of their gemstone (called a Life Crystal). These crystals are their mortality!✦ If both horns/antlers are untouched, the Elementum is in full health, and their abilities are at their strongest.✦ If one is damaged, the Elementum is weakened physically, spiritually, and magically. Exactly how much depends on the damage severity. They can partially recover under moonlight or sunlight (different crystals have different needs); however, this will not reverse injury! Damaged Life Crystals can only be fully healed in the River of Regeneration (a highly sacred place!).✦ If both are damaged but neither is broken, the Elementum is partially disabled and needs to make an emergency visit to the River as soon as they can. Any further damage during this time could be fatal depending on the severity.✦ If one Crystal is broken, the Elementum is permanently weakened. Breakage is irreversible and cuts off the circulation of magic and life force to and from the broken Crystal.✦ If one is broken and the remaining Crystal is damaged, this is considered critical condition; if the inflicted doesn't make it to the River before the next New Moon, their magic won't be sufficient enough to keep them alive.✦ If both horns/antlers are broken, the Elementum dies almost immediately.✦ Some Elementums have been observed shaving down their horns/antlers for safety, convenience, or aesthetical purposes!
✦ Others have been known to carve, embed, or engrave things into their horns/antlers
✦ Oftentimes, an Elementum will have a trusted friend or family member help them with these alterations
✦ Such modifications don't seem to have any sort of health impact; in other words, this doesn't count as damage or breakage, so it doesn't weaken the individual's magic or life force!
✦ This lack of harm seems to be due to the changes being intentional and consensual.✦ An Elementum's Life Crystal is determined similarly to a human's Zodiac placements
✦ The cosmic/planetary placements at the time of the Night of No Darkness ritual has a major influence in what type of Crystal comes out of the Fire of Formation
✦ The parent's/parents' Life Crystal(s) and emotional auras can also minorly sway the outcome, but this needs a deeper study!
Rituals:Reproductive Rituals:
✦ An Elementum wishing to be a parent, with or without contribution from at least one other, they must wade thru the River of Regeneration and seek a goose-egg-sized stone that calls to them with Spirit Song
✦ In a multi-parent pairing, not every parent must hear this calling, but not hearing it is believed to be a cause of family dysfunction
✦ The single Elementum, or the designated Nurturer of the pairing, must safeguard their stone until the next full moon with clear skies ("The Night of No Darkness," they call it), when the parent(s) will light a small bonfire under the stars
✦ Once the fire is ready, the parent(s) must consecrate the stone egg with either a drop of blood or an emotion-based tear (not a reflex tear!!) and place the stone into the heart of the fire
✦ Not every parent in a multi-pairing must consecrate the egg, but not doing so is another believed cause of dysfunction
✦ Once the stone is placed, the parent(s) will recite an incantation 3x before falling into a deep, unbreakable, spiritual trance until the fire dies
✦ Left in the embers is a Life Crystal egg in place of the stone; it must be kept in a ground-level nest to absorb nutrients and energy from the Earth to nurture the Eggling insideComing of Age Ritual:
✦ Ritual name unknown
✦ When an Elementum reaches maturity (roughly one lunar year after hatching, two years after their Fire of Formation), their loved ones gather in a circle around the individual at either midnight or noon (depending on their Life Crystal), and all recite an incantation or prayer of sorts, asking their deity/ies or ancestors to watch over the Youngling as they enter the next season of their life
✦ After this recitation, an older adult in the Youngling's family (or an individual of their choosing if such family is unavailable) will present the Youngling with a smaller version of their Life Crystal, which must be worn on an accessory of the Youngling's choice at all times going forward (this aids their magic and provides health, to a lesser extend than their horns/antlers)
✦ Typically, the chosen adult presenting the Crystal will be one with whom the Youngling shares the strongest bond
✦ Once the Youngling has their Crystal, a sigil is painted on their forehead by an Elementum of elevated social status (more study needed!!), using a temporary dye made of berries and/or fruits
✦ The assembled Elementums converge in a sort of close-knit huddle around the individual, recite another soft prayer or chant, and the ritual concludes; thus, the young Elementum is recognized as a mature adult and full participant in their society
✦ Elementums seem to maintain a polytheistic, pagan religious structure, meaning they have faith in multiple deities and they worship nature first and foremost
✦ Some Elementums have expressed pantheistic-type views as well, meaning they regard the Universe as a sentient and all-encompassing force synonymous with God rather than having a creator itself, and believe in a sort of cosmic oneness of all things
✦ It's not unheard of, though not very common, for an Elementum to convert and adopt a human religion, and it can be any of them (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Rastafarian, Pastafarian, Buddhist, even Atheist)
✦ There is no social, societal, or spiritual consequence for religious conversion; all belief structures, so long as they are not at the expense of others' autonomy or right to life, are welcomed in Elementum cultureTheir Native Deities Are:✦ Luxira (Luxe-EE-rah) - Goddess of Light
✦ Umbrelle - God of Shadow
✦ Phasma - Deity of Spirit (Divine self) & The Afterlife (not a deity of death itself! More of a Reaper or a Hades, they oversee the Other Realm and the deceased therein, and help souls travel from Life to Death)
✦ Ignicius (Ig-nee-shus) - God of Fire
✦ Terrall - Goddess of Earth
✦ Aquaris - God of Water & Ice
✦ Aëris - Goddess of Air & Wind
✦ Vitali - Goddess of Life & Fertility
✦ Mortemis - God of Death
✦ Amora - Deity of LoveThere seems to be no designated Deity of War, as Elementums don't believe in such nonsense. They view war as selfish and unbeneficial; meanwhile, they believe that all life is sacred and refuse to take it on a whim like humans do.More study needed!