Earth Elementalism

Earth elementalism is the form of Elementalism practiced by the Brech'mar, due to their spiritual bond with the elemental earth spirit, Gnome. This ability allows for the manipulation of aspects of the earth element, such as soil, rock, and metal.

The ability to manipulate earth comes naturally to the Brech'mar and all individuals are capable of it, to varying degrees. Half-Brech'mar born to a Brech'mar mother inherit the ability from her, though their potential may be limited if mixed with human blood or an opposing element (Air or Light). True mastery of earth elementalism requires time and devotion, including meditative practices. With the broad range of aspects associated with earth, most Brech'mar train toward specialties relevant to their job or tastes. Manipulation of the components of the soil is the easiest, while learning to manipulate less pliable materials is a greater challenge.

Minerals and metals fall under the Earth element. Basic skills include shifting soil and loose rocks, cracking rocks, and bending malleable metals. Brech'mar who specialize in mining, crafting, or building learn specific techniques relevant to their skills and find it hard to shift skill focuses after they've become accustomed to them. More advanced skills can manipulate the composition of rocks and soil.

However, Earth elementalism is one of the most challenging forms of elementalism to master because of vast number of chemical elements that fall under the philosophical Earth element. Air Elementalists have mastery over a rather limited amount of atmospheric gases in comparison, Water Elementalists only control water and liquids that contain water, and Fire Elementalists control heat, but Earth Elementalists can control minerals and metals on the minute and massive scale.

Elementalism and Classes

Traditional Brech'mar society has a hierarchy of classes that is centered around a hereditary career path and social status. The elementalism learned in these classes is specifically honed toward the lifepath one is expected to take.

Soil Class

In the Soil Class, elementalism is geared toward agricultural purposes, with some other supportive skills. As members of the Soil tend to live a more isolated rural life outside of the subterranean city, they are mostly self-sufficient, so they have a wide array of elementalism skills to support themselves.

Elementalism makes clearing fields, digging, plowing, and other essential tasks remarkably easier than for other races. More advanced skills in the soil include altering the composition by separating rocks from dirt, from removing gravel and pebbles to clearing away boulders. They can adjust the levels of sand, gravel, clay, loam, and other composites for soil drainage, nutritional requirements for plants, and changing the acidity of the soil. They can break down rocks into smaller ones or all the way down to sand and incorporate it into the soil as needed.

Brech'mar do not have control over the organic components of soil--such as composting plant or animal matter--but once it breaks down to more essential elemental components (such as carbon, potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc.) it enters into their realm of control. When working in compost to enrich the soil, the Brech'mar manipulate the non-organic components of soil to spread or bury it.

Construction of homes, walls, and other structures on the surface are also typically the responsibility of those of the Soil, rather than turning to the Granite Class. Soil homes are partially buried with rooms shaped from the surrounding rock and earth, covered by a domed roof. At least one part of the home generally has windows that face the sun in the front, alongside the entrance. Additional buildings for livestock or storage are sometimes on the surface, or depressed into the ground and sealed. Surface structures are often created by either pulling sold stone sheets up from the bedrock, or cobbled together with loose rocks and boulders drawn from the fields.

Basalt Class

The Basalt Class are primarily miners, but it also includes basic laborers. Miners are the backbone of the class, however, and have specific uses for their elementalism. In most Brech'mar society, men are the ones who primarily do the delving and mining, while women find less dangerous roles related to mining, find work in other capacities to serve the higher classes, or do domestic tasks for their own family. These individuals typically have a basic education of elementalism, if not job-specific skills.

Miners, however, firstly learn how to tunnel with elementalism, both in the process of breaking through the earth and in understanding the supporting structures of the mountain. As they advance, Basalt miners gradually learn to seek out and sift through earth and rock to find specific minerals or metals. Basalt miners also participate in construction by building tunnels and constructing foundations for the Granite architects to sculpt.

Very few Basalt homes are the finally sculpted abodes created by the Granite, but simple, basic structures built from the surrounding rock. Some older cities boast beautified Basalt districts that have been augmented over the centuries.

Gold Class

Part of the Gold Class is made up by artisans in various crafts. Most notably, this includes various smiths and metalworkers. Each house typically maintains a specific craft and have developed elementalists techniques in creating their work. Brech'mar smiths can shape metals in intricate and precise ways that humans cannot, but they can also alter the composition of metals they create, which has led to extremely lightweight, yet durable weapons and armor that they often trade to their Zaedyn neighbors and other allied races.

The other part of the Gold Class is made up of merchants or artisans who create beautiful or essential things that do not rely on their element. These who do not rely on elementalism for their craft typically have a basic set of elemental skills, or may choose to develop a line of skills that appeals to them.

Granite Class

The Granite Class are the architects of Brech'mar cities. Their elementalism is honed towards shaping stone and sensing the underlying structure and composition of it. Most of their ability is focused on working with rock, so they have little skill in manipulating metal. As construction can be an energy-intensive job, the Granite often employ laborers from the Basalt to do the foundational work, while the Granite shape the rest of the structure for purpose, aesthetic, and stability.

More advanced Granite artisans can alter the composition of the stone to strengthen weak areas, or bring out attractive features of the rock, such as colors or crystals.

Steel Class

The Steel Class is the warrior class of the Brech'mar. Though there has been little conflict for them as a whole since the War of the Gods, the Brech'mar maintain martial traditions that incorporate the body, weapons, and elementalism across the generations.

In combat, Brech'mar can turn the ground against their enemies; raising, rending, or shaking the earth beneath their feet. Their elementalism also allows them to shift rocks to roll them toward their enemies. Advanced warriors learn techniques to incorporate their physical and magical attacks, striking with fists or weapons while shifting the ground beneath their opponent, or themselves, to their advantage.

Diamond Class

The Diamond Class is a priest-mage class full of highly talented elementalists who devote their lives to mastering certain elementalist techniques, as well forging a profound connection with their spiritual selves. With the limited lifespan of the Brech'mar in comparison to their other elemental cousins, and the vast range of aspects under their element, the priests of the Brech'mar do not focus on learning all their is to know. They do catalogue and identify minerals and metals, with the help of those classes that work with them, but the elementalist skills that the Diamond spend their lives honing are on a grand scale.

The Diamond maintain the knowledge of large-scale control of their element for defensive, offensive, and preservation purposes. On the battlefield, they created massive earthquakes to destabilize the enemy, or opened up deep rifts to swallow armies, or caused volcanoes to erupt. These skills required multiple Brech'mar working in unison, however, and a lone Diamond priest can only achieve a fraction of this devastation.

During the Cataclysm, earthquakes and volcanic activity threatened much of the world. Brech'mar priests lent their strength to enforcing the structure of their subterranean abodes and diverting the energy of the earthquakes or magma floes to protect their regions. In the time since, earthquakes and volcanic activity are still a threat on occasion, and the Diamond class is called upon to protect those who would be affected.

Obsidian Class

The Obsidian Class is a noble class whose primary responsibility is political and social leadership, but it is common for members of the Obsidian to be taught combat skills from the Steel, powerful magic from the Diamond, and sometimes artistic skills from the Gold. Most Obsidian leaders are expected to lend their talents to the protection of their city in times of need.