All life in arcardia is linked to Ichor in one way or another. Ichor being magic, essentially. It’s what makes up life in this world, nothing alive is without some link to it - it's the life force of all beings. Ichor is categorised into six main elements; ignis, terra, neross, aer, astra, and raequa. These are essentially fire, earth, ice, air, electric, and water, respectively.

There are then three other 'elements' or perhaps better described as categories, outside of the main seven. Arcane, umbra, and omni. Arcane is outlawed in most of Arcardia, umbra is the result of corruption, and omni isn't really an element, but a descriptor for those who aren't born with an affinity to any specific element.

Some people view arcane and umbra as the elements of light and dark, and they are sometimes referred to as the 'aberration' elements, though these two elements are not related to each other and do not work the same way - often times neither are really considered proper elements at all, especially Umbra.

Each symbol is supposed to be represented in its correct orientation, but each is designed so no matter what orientation it's viewed on, it's still easily distinguishable - this is so these symbols can be used on clothing for instance and still stay readable.

Each race of arcardia is of course also linked to Ichor, and they created subgroups based on how 'strong' their link to it is, and so the terms ‘linked’ and ‘unlinked’ were coined. These terms are used by most in arcardia because that is what the ruling class, specifically Anerc Katafygio, refers to them as - the other terms, which the ruling class does not officially recognise, are mono and omni elementals. The terms mono and omni are more frequently used in the outlands, along with the symbol for omni.

Mono and omni elements are not (normally) on an individual basis- certain races will either be mono or omni, and you only get some deviation from that with hybrids, elemental corruption, and sometimes random chance.

As is probably already clear however, there is often tension between these two groups - omni elementals tend to be seen as lesser by those who are mono, the stronger your link the 'closer to purity' you are; that's what many people in arcardia believe anyway. Despite there being less races who are omni elementals, they make up the majority of the population in arcardia. Especially in the outlands.

There are seven main elements; ignis, terra, neross, aer, astra, and raequa. These are essentially fire, earth, ice, air, electric, and water, respectively.

Ignis is the element of heat- or, well, fire. It is often viewed as being the most destructive and dangerous of the seven. It is the element most known for ‘breath attacks’ such as breathing fire.

Ignis is often viewed in this negative, destructive light, for two simple reasons; one, ignis is the one element that can really cause irreparable harm without much effort, as a fire left alone can easily become a natural one and continue burning… an experienced ignis wielder could burn entire cities to the ground if they so wanted. Two, unlike the other elements, ignis is stronger when paired with intense emotion, especially anger. In some ways this can be used to great advantage, but it also discourages control - and an unpredictable element is a dangerous one.

Due to the potential damage this element can cause, those using ignis, especially those with an affinity to it, have a unique pressure to keep their element under control. Often as part of training with Ignis, the wielder must learn to control their own emotions and impulsivity.

The element of earth. Individuals with this element can sometimes be thought of as stubborn or bone-headed… but it also has associations with strength, power, and stability.

Terra's abilities come from manipulating already existing minerals, as their power is essentially manipulating the earth itself. The manipulation of crystals, metals, even sand. Terra users can alter the ground beneath them, create something similar to earthquakes, destroying rock with a single hit, and even use minerals to form an armour. Generally terra users are associated with taking a more defensive stance, rather than offensive.

Due to their earth altering abilities, terra users are great for terraforming. Granted, even the most experienced users cannot alter massive areas in one go, but still it's easier than doing it manually.

Neross is the element of mist, snow, ice, and everything nice. It is the direct opposite of ignis, and individuals who wield this element are often associated with being rather cold (haha) and cunning. Also stubborn.. but tranquil.

Wielders of Neross can create ice claws or weapons, even armour, and they can use sub-zero mist that freezes anything it touches on impact. Ice created however does not persist for long if the environment it’s created in isn’t cold enough - after an individual stops channelling magic into it, it will likely just melt.

Neross users have also been known to be able to slow down their own metabolism as well.

Aer is the element of wind and weather manipulation. It’s one of the harder elements to master, and somewhat more uncommon for an individual to have a natural affinity for. This element is often viewed as having a graceful nature.

This element includes things like wind manipulation, air pressure control, and sound manipulation. Aer users who possess wings are able to manipulate wind currents around them, giving themselves incredible speed boosts, aiding in agility and in general manoeuvrability, and allowing them to fly for much longer distances without needing to rest. Non-winged aer users cannot fly using these abilities, but greatly aid in jumping and air time during that process.

Being able to manipulate air pressure and density, Aer users are also able to fly at much greater altitudes without negative affect, and very experienced users can even create breathable air pockets underwater. Aer users are also known to be able to create whirlwinds or even tornadoes. They are experts in cloud and weather manipulation - making them leaders in weather control.

Astra is the element of energy, or more specifically; electricity, lightning, and plasma. In some ways it is quite similar to ignis, as like ignis, astra is also an element of heat in part... and it can also be extremely unpredictable, but astra is particularly so. It's erratic and unpredictable nature is what astra is most known for - besides having common associations with speed, hyperactivity, and recklessness.

Astra users have a particularly serious pressure to gain control of their element, and when practising it's often done so in a very controlled environment - as electricity has a habit of connecting to unintended targets. Like ignis, astra can be very hot- but it isn't as effective in that field as Ignis is - despite it's heat, it is actually quite difficult to set things alight with it. Astra can cause damage through burning, but it's main power is its shock. Astra can paralyse and it can also strike at incredible force and speed. Just like how electricity normally works, it travels through organic matter, burning the body and potentially stopping the heart.

Experienced astra users can direct where electricity goes in organic material, allowing them to avoid or go directly to the heart of their victim. This however demands more concentration, and often a more up close and personal encounter. Astra users are of course much more powerful during storms, particularly if the user has wings, and they fly into one- they can really use the electricity in the air to their advantage. In this way, astra users are very much the antithesis of weather control. It is a common joke that astra users should stay very far away from that field.

Raequa is the element of water. It is considered the element of tranquillity and peace… though it does have a ‘dark’ side. As much as it considered these things, raequa also includes blood manipulation, as 90% of blood is made of water. This can lead to some frightful abilities, though most of the time it’s used as a method of healing. Generally, using blood manipulation for anything other than healing is heavily looked down upon in most of arcardia, and it's often viewed as a type of dark, or arcane magic.

Raequa can be very useful in bodies of water, as the wielder can manipulate the water around them to give them boosts in speed while swimming. It can also be used for such things like water walking, being able to manipulate the pressure of water and even being able to hold one's breath for longer underwater. Raequa users can also give themselves 'jump boosts' out of water - propelling themselves using jets of water.

Raequa users may be also helpful in weather manipulation, for things like rain.

Arcane and umbra. Though they are both in the category, they aren't related. They are very different from each other for various reasons and are simply labelled aberration elements for convenience sake.

Umbra is not really an element as much as it is a 'half formed' attempt at one of the existing ones, an incomplete magic. Nobody can have an affinity to it naturally and omni elementals cannot use it, the only way a being can have an 'affinity' to Umbra is either from an unsuccessful attempt at elemental shifting (if the individual does not die, which in most cases they do), issues during a mono elementals prenatal development, early birth or hatching, or one or both of the individuals parents being corrupted - but it's still not a given. Umbra is quite rare, it calls for a very specific set of conditions to trigger it. Some try to do it on purpose, to themselves or... sometimes trying to get a child born with an affinity to it. Though even if a person may have turned their element to Umbra, or be born with it, it's also not uncommon for the individual to then be killed by it.

Umbra can be very unpredictable and hard to control, often having a 'mind of it's own' which makes it very difficult to learn properly - also for the fact that very few people possess it and it's feared by most. The abilities Umbra encompasses are shadow based and mix into the realm of shapeshifting - someone with Umbra can transform parts of their bodies to shadow, this shadow being a mix of something in the physical realm and beyond. They can use these shadow abilities to create extra limbs or appendages, which can take any shape or size they want (within reason). Umbra users can also shift their entire bodies to shadow and pass through objects or people that way, even using it as a form of teleportation, shifting into a shadowy stream and zipping through areas.

With abilities like that, and its origin, it's not hard to see why many people of arcardia aren't fond of it... Though it's demonised more than it really should be. Individuals with Umbra are usually met with fear and resentment from others, sometimes forcing them to live far from populated areas. Some view them as two-faced, manipulative, and sometimes even straight up evil. It doesn't help that Umbra users often have a unique trait that makes their sclera black and pupils stark white, so they're easy to point out.

In the end, yes, it can be a dangerous and unpredictable element; and the reason a person may have it is usually unfortunate, as it is just an element that didn't connect with an individual properly - but it isn't 'evil'.

The element of abstract, the element nobody has ever been recorded to have an affinity to, but everybody can wield, mono or omni - but can only be harnessed through crystals. Arcane is the most dangerous, unpredictable, and powerful element known to arcardia. The usage and study of arcane is strictly prohibited across almost every region and district, and an individual being found using it faces severe consequences. It is a crime of the highest order, considered treason, especially under Anerc Katafygio.

Due to these laws however, little is known about how arcane actually works. It is the element known for powers such as time manipulation, healing, mind reading, seeing into the past or glimpses into the future, levitation, gravity manipulation, teleportation, creating illusions both visual and auditory, dream walking, and reality warping. Some even say that by using arcane, an individual could even stop or reverse the process of ageing, essentially rendering them immortal.

Arcane’s usage being forbidden is for a few reasons, and the most obvious being how incredibly powerful and dangerous it is. People are scared of its capabilities. It is the element that has been blamed for the cause of The Pale, as history has taught the people of arcardia that it was the civilizations before them that used arcane liberally, fought wars using it, and caused reality to collapse in on itself. The other reason; despite only being able to be harnessed through crystals, is that there has been no single recorded individual using arcane that did not become horribly corrupted shortly after. Arcane is a very potent magic and can easily destroy the body and mind of the individual using it. Those corrupted by arcane have never been able to come back from it, and the effects have shown far worse than those corrupted by the other elements. The user's body often rips apart, fragmenting between physical reality and something beyond.

Arcane is an element perceived by many as something the world was never meant to have. Some believe it was artificially created or some form of anti-life energy, others believe it is Ichor in its most purest form. In any case, there is no known individual in arcardia, past or present, who has been able to wield it successfully.

And all the ways everything can go wrong! Merging with one's element is a risky venture, but it is the final step to harnessing an element's full potential. Sort of self explanatory, merging involves an individual, well, merging with an element, essentially fusing their body and soul with the element itself. Only mono elementals can achieve this level of mastery.

Becoming merged also changes an individual's appearance. Depending on their affinity they will have parts of their bodies gain unique physical traits. Usually these traits are just alterations to pre-existing parts of an individual's body; For instance someone merged with terra may grow small crystals in their scales and a more rough/rock like texture to their horns/claws, or someone merged with ignis may gain cracks between their scales that emit a firey glow when using their magic... or someone merged with terra may grow small plants or flowers on parts of their bodies. In other cases, these traits may be entirely new; like growing horns, spikes, or plating. Usually it's only a few minor traits, nothing overbearing, but it means that merged individuals basically have massive signs on their bodies saying that they are indeed merged. Some view it like a trophy of sorts.

Individuals who have merged also gain the ability of fusing. Fusing is something only the merged can do- it is the act of two merged individuals fusing together to create one being for a short period of time.

As stated before, however, merging is a risky venture and is done with extreme caution. If it goes wrong, it can very easily lead to elemental corruption. Corruption is the unfortunate result of a merging gone wrong. Instead of merging with an element, the element begins to take over the user's body and mind - which can have devastating effects. There are varying severities and effects, but the user's element essentially becomes unstable, unpredictable, and dangerous to use. If the user continues to wield their element or push harder, the corruption will continue and even sometimes lead to death or the complete loss of mind. Some may also lose large portions of their memory. In very rare cases, an individual may even 'break' their elemental affinity and end up with umbra.

Corrupted ones can be saved and returned to a stable state, though the damage done cannot be undone, and usage of the element that corrupted them cannot be wielded anymore - rendering the user essentially elementless. There is also, however, a point of no return, where a user has gone beyond saving.

As stated previously however, omni elementals cannot merge, and therefore run no risk of becoming corrupted. Also because they don't channel magic through their own bodies, but instead through a secondary source, which creates a bit of a safety barrier. The usage of arcane, however, can indeed corrupt both mono and omni elementals.

An elemental shift is when a mono elemental attempts to change the element they were born with to another one. For instance someone with an affinity to ignis trying to switch to terra. Doing this is very risky - and it's also illegal. If the shift is interrupted, doesn't get completed properly, or just doesn't work, it can either kill the individual, corrupt them, or break their magical bond, leaving them with the element of umbra. Some try and perform shifts and intentionally break them in attempts to change their element to umbra.

Dark magic is the term for omni elementals (unlinked) that use magic. There’s nothing dark, evil, or unnatural about it; it’s just a term the ruling class use to demonise the usage of magic by omni elementals. They use the justification that omni elementals have to use an outside source in order to channel their magic - deeming it unnatural and therefore bad.

This outside source being a type of crystal - either by having it on a staff, in types of arm cuffs, as long as it’s on the body somehow or being held, it can be harnessed through that - therefore allowing an omni elemental to use magic and practise it like a mono elemental would. These crystals are easy to find and can be farmed. They are clear in colour, and when being used to harness energy they will softly glow in the colour of whatever element the holder is using. The holder's eyes will also change colour to match. If they're using more than one element at once, their eyes can either become a mix between colours or multiple colours at once. However, the colour only changes when they are actively weilding said element, and otherwise will return to its normal colour.

All this being said, yes, a mono elemental can harness magic like this as well (though are still limited to their element. Their eyes also won't change colour like an omni elementals would). The benefit of doing this rather than using it directly through their own body, is that they run no risk of becoming corrupted... and those who have been corrupted can use magic this way safely- and some do. Despite the stigma and sometimes legality.

It is believed that the affinities people have to these elements is hereditary, and generally people will marry those of the same element in hopes to have magically powerful offspring, or in other words, offspring that is as closely linked to Ichor as possible. This practice is especially popular in the mainlands, and with it, arranged marriages - so you will often see entire families that are all the same element. Mainlanders, like they care a lot about having purebred bloodlines, also care a lot about having magically powerful bloodlines. They believe the closer one is to Ichor, the closer they are to divinity, so it is no surprise that the rulers of Anerc Katafygio are all merged with families of all the same element.

If the parents are of different elements however, their offspring can be born with either one, or in some cases, a completely different one. This often happens with parents who have affinities such as ignis and aer, which can lead to the offspring being born with an affinity to astra, for instance. When this does happen, these are the common matchups;

Offspring of different elemental parents can also affect the way their affinity presents itself. For instance an individual with parents of Ignis and Astra affinities and the offspring born with Ignis for instance can make their fire behave more erratically.

An individual's elemental mastery can be placed on a scale, more or less. This scale represents the level of control, variety, and power one may have over an element. Scaling up doesn't mean the individual acquires new abilities or powers, it's just representative of how in tune with their element they are - elemental mastery is basically an art, not everybody in Arcardia can wield magic like nobody's business - including mono elementals.

The individual is yet to use magic, meaning if they're a mono elemental, also yet to discover their affinity. Granted it's often easy to tell what element an individual has an affinity to just by looking at them (colours, physical attributes), but not always.

The individual has used their element for the first time, but is yet to learn how to control it. It presents itself as sporadic and unpredictable. Mono elementals often discover it before the age of 10, as they don't need any outside source to harness it and it can happen even if they don't intend to.

The individual is able to perform basic tricks as they intend to and when they intend to. Most mono elementals, especially in the mainlands, are expected to reach this level in elemental mastery at the very least. It will usually take at least a few years of practice and some training to reach this level.

This is when an individual begins to perform abilities beyond basic wielding and can change the exact way their element behaves.

The individual can now manipulate their element as they please, and when they please. They know how to use it and warp it to their liking, and they can use it in much more powerful ways.

The individual’s element is as strong as it can be without merging, they have complete control over it and can manipulate it in many ways. It’s the last level before attempting a merge, though many stay at this level for the risk of corruption when merging. One must be observed and tested to see if it’s safe for them to try and merge, and if they do try, a second party always needs to be present in the event that something goes wrong. In saying all that, this is as far an omni elemental can go in elemental mastery - but unlike mono elementals, they can do so in more than one element. At this level, an individual is able to teach elemental mastery.

The individual has successfully merged their body and soul with their element, making it as potent and strong as it possibly can be, they are the living embodiment of their element. Individuals who have reached this level are seen as almost divine, as if they were chosen to be able to merge for some higher purpose. It can take decades to reach this level, and it is quite rare. As stated earlier, merging also allows an individual to fuse with other merged.

An individual who has mastered more than just one single element, and can use them together. Becoming an omnivide is incredibly difficult on its own, but especially so now given that in much of Arcardia, omni elementals practicing magic is illegal. Usually omnivides only ever master two elements, but omnivides that somehow manage to master four or more elements are often referred to as gaining 'truesight'. Like merging is considered something of divine order, mastering more than three elements, especially if it's the main four ones (ignis, terra, aer and neross), gains individuals a similar god-like status among others.