Well, we have naiads and draiads, right? We've got elemental races that are traditionally used in fantasy stories...but what about a magical elemental race? One that controls magic and interacts with the magical field of the world? Would that be workable? Has that been done before?

eruheran

Sounds, familiar. (from Magic as an animate character) But this has potential. Like I said elsewhere, wouldn't fights break out?

Well, I didn't want to derail Willow's thread.

Well, they're the guardians. They can't fight. At least, I don't think they can. They shouldn't. Are they perfect? I'm still looking into the whole nature gods thing. I don't think they would fight one another. They'd be almost like 'wish upon a star' thing where you could get magic from them (sort of like a vending machine, but not really). Obviously a few would be bad-tempered and much harder to get help from.

eruheran

Well, in my opinion not any more than naiads or draiads. They're just the guardians of magic, just like naiads and draiads (I forget which is which) are the guardians of trees and water, and essentially are that element. I can see how they would be confused as demons though.

I don't have any plans to use them, actually, since Enderion doesn't have magic *gasp*. But, on the other hand, Mesal does, so who knows, I may use these in a story some day.

eruheran

I like the concept.
(I find the vending machine analogy hilarious. )

I can't figure out how to make it work though. I mean, is magic an element? I'd have to wrap my mind around that first...

I was hoping somebody would.

As far as to magic being an element, I don't think it's necessarily an element like water or trees are, or even like wind is. It would definitely be stretching the idea of an element. But more what I'm thinking of is something like nature gods, each entrusted with a certain aspect of the creation:

Air gods - sort of like the Greek gods of the winds
Water gods - Naiads (or draids...I forget. Are draiads dry?)
Wood/plant gods - Draiads (or naiads)
Magic gods - Flai'ads (or some other name I settle on)

It's more a race of each thing entrusted to guard that element and who are masters of that element. Not so much an elemental race...I can get away from that name if it helps you wrap your head around it.

eruheran

I think if you had some old wise-man explaining to a youngster about the 'guardians of creation', I wouldn't think of them as demons at all. They were put there by God to protect magic.

Exactly. They're guardians.

eruheran

Hmm, how would you get them to help you? I like the idea. Is there just one for each element? What if some turned evil, that could have potential. Perhaps they are the angels of their world.

lol. I'm going to have an elemental race like that in my Nano. (thx for that idea on my thread. )

except that there's only one left.

What kind of magic would the guardians be using? Is it magic over the elements? Wouldn't that be encroaching on the elemental gods territory?

*is poked on this thread*

Can I get back to you? =P

Sure.

You never got back.

She's right.

*directs Andrew to this thread*

*laughs *

He's postponing everything (including answering these questions) til mid-January.

He couldn't come in here and say that?

He said that to me last night. I knew that he probably wouldn't get on this thread to say something and that everyone in this thread would be agonizing over Andrew's unknown response to my directing him, so I did it for him.

If it weren't for the fact that we are e-mailing, I'd say he was avoiding me.

*gaspeth*

(rerails)

*guiltily tiptoes into thread* Y'all need to ask yourselves if you'd rather I work on this, or Two Fathers, and TDR beta reading.

Andrew

You have learned to manipulate me well.

Well, now your TDR beta reading and questionnaire are done.

AHA!