Jason E Mohler

 

Two staples of fantasy are monsters and magic and, while the world of Crown Jewels is short on monsters, it does have magic. It’s not your standard run-of-the-mill Dungeons & Dragons™ magic, though. The magic of Crown Jewels is tied to the world’s gods. Or rather, its elemental spirits. There are four elements in the world, each one with its own traits: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water.

 

• Air (Edra): Edra is the bard’s element. She represents adaptability, whimsy, and a swift mind.

• Earth (Ordra): Ordra is the guardian’s element. He represents stability, calm, tenacity, and fortitude.

• Fire (Aia): Aia is the warrior’s element. He represents quick change, anger, and passion.

• Water (Isa): Isa is the lover’s element. She represents peace, quiet, slow change, love, and seduction.

 

While most people think of themselves as possessing a single element, they are a mixture of all four.

 

In addition to their different traits, the elements can also grant their followers lesser or greater gifts of various strengths. While many people are Touched, meaning they contain a trace of the Element’s gifts, some - known as the Blessed - manifest the full gifts of their elements. While as many as one in every hundred people may be touched, fewer than one in ten thousand carry an Element’s gift.

 

Unlike the Element’s traits, which are all combined within the people, gifts are never mixed.

 

Air

Telepath (greater): Those touched with this ability are good at guessing what others are thinking, while the Blessed have the ability to read other’s thoughts can recognize and identify gifts in others.

Forecaster (lesser): Forecasters can read the weather anywhere from the next day to the next season, depending on their power.

 

Earth

Healer (greater): Healers have great skill in treating others, with abilities ranging from being good at diagnosing and treating wounds and diseases to having the ability to fully heal patients within mere days.

Grower (lesser): The Grower’s gift ranges from reading soil and other growing conditions to raising significantly larger and healthier plants than others.

 

Fire

Seer (greater): Those possessing this gift vary from having a high level of intuition to being able to have full visions of the future.

Empath (lesser): These gifted vary in power from easily being able to read people’s emotions to being able to cure mental illness.

 

Water

Listener (greater): While the Touched can sense when others have regrets or the presence of specters, the Blessed can hear the regrets of the dead or dying, allowing them the peace needed to pass on to the next life.

Cleanser (lesser): The Touched can sense when food or water is unsafe while the Blessed can purify them.

 

While none are known to exist, legend tells of Embodiments of the Spirits: people containing the traits of a single Element and blessed with both their lesser and greater Gifts. Legend also speaks of two other Elements - Light and Dark - but, again, there is no evidence of their existence.