The mainland leyline system, inherently imbalanced, produces a unique byproduct known as Magical Crystal. While potent and effective for experimentation, its abuse can be detrimental to spellcasters in the long term. Elemental Spirits, mutated creatures drawn to the essence-rich areas, vie for territory and control, absorbing the raw magical power to become embodiments of elemental nodes.
Basic Information
Formation and Characteristics
Naturally occurring large amounts of Magical Essence attract certain beasts, leading to territorial conflicts as they vie for control and passively feed off the magical aura, which results in a later transformation into greater forms as elemental spirits due to their absorbtion of the essence. Mutating and transforming them into creatures that mirror the traits of the nearby nodes.
Variety of Elemental Forms
Elemental Spirits can embody natural elements like fire, water, acid, lightning, sonic, and also schools of wizardry such as transmutation, evocation, necromancy, abjuration, and more, whilst still resembling their base forms, Elemental Spirits bear empowered characteristics related to the elemental node they control and the abilities to manipulate nearby magic and cause phenomona that make them remarkably more dangerous to adventurers.
Territorial Conflicts
Elemental Spirits often engage in territorial conflicts, competing for control over areas with abundant Magical Essence, and thus adventurers and spellcasters navigating these regions must be wary of being caught in the crossfire. If a nearby elemental node is currently being harvested, the bleeding magical aura can attract notable numbers of various creatures seeking to claim it, and consequently throwing themselves at those attempting to harvest the resource with reckless abandon.
Heightened Intelligence
Due to the continual growth offered by their chosen sites, an Elemental spirit will often remain nearby to it's originating node, despite not being strictly bound to it. Notably amongst them, there are a few that of especial intelligence, and those creatures bearing a nature tied to divination commonly seem to have the good sense to avoid expedition members from the mainland, a trait which is strangely shared with those posessing conjuration.
There is a slight theory that some nodes may be interconnected somehow and a particularly strong spirit is aware of, and watching the expedition members. It's alignment to their goals however, is unknown much like the creature is, although this theory is often dismissed as delusional paranoia.
