Elementals: The Gathering

The entity was a manifestation of the ocean itself. Easily capable of flooding cities or receding lakes and rivers. It had survived for tens of millennium by crushing adversaries under the immeasurable bulk of its waters. As time passed, it had witnessed countless nations rise and fall, each time tasting the blood of the fallen, as it inevitably flowed into its domain.

Even as the entity watched timbers rip off the bows of three ill-fated merchant ships, it stirred restlessly. Moments later, the ships vanished beneath the waves, swallowed within the eye of a great whirlpool – its creation. There would be no further trace of their existence.

Yet, Drownth remained restless.

Drownth was the last of a noble linage, a Water Elemental, capable of limitless action within its domain. In the realm of water, it had no equal. Sure, there were other minor water elementals; however, Drownth paid them little heed. He allowed them to reside over lakes, streams, and rivers. However, any potential threats were dealt with swiftly and permanently.

Time meant very little to the water elemental. The passage of time was as mundane as the endless waves fading into the sands. Yet, it was nearly time for the gathering.

Each of the four Elemental Monarchs met every two hundred years to discuss changes in the ways of men. Typically, the discussions quickly altered to disputes over domains. More specifically, who was stealing from who? Or who gained or lost area? Never could the monarchs agree. Never-the-less, they were bonded to meet whether they liked it or not.

If a monarch decided to skip the gathering, its inaction would permit the others to combine forces and take over the protester’s realm. It had been over twenty thousand years since a gathering had been missed and the consequences of such actions, were grave.

Arguments and hostilities were expected, yet no one was more malicious than Smolt, the Elemental Monarch of Fire. He was the destroyer of all things. His thirst to consume (everything) put him in direct conflict with Drownth as well as Corundum, the Elemental Monarch of Earth. There was no being that Corundum despised more than Smolt, for Smolt would attempt to burn everything in Corundum’s domain: Forests, grasslands, and even cities. Nothing was considered off limits to Smolt.

Then there was Air…

Fluorine, the Elemental Monarch of Air, commonly took the form of a female humanoid. Fluorine was the eldest monarch and resided over the largest of all elemental domains. If she were asked, she would say that her domain was endless. She maintained the balance between Earth, Water, and Fire.

To maintain balance, Fluorine could produce a breeze to fuel Smolt’s flames, consuming Earth, or blow lava out to subdue invading seas. Equally, she could create a vacuum, snipping the oxygen out of the air and snuffing out the gentlest spark or a large contingent of flames. She was both respected and feared by the other three monarchs.

Before leaving for the gathering, Drownth willed his spirit to the four corners of his watery realm. The master of the seas never left his domain unwatched and would maintain a portion of his presence within his watery kingdom. After what mortals would have considered hours, Drownth was satisfied that his domain was secure, and he moved his spirit to the designated gathering spot.

As Drownth emerged at the gathering, a raging geyser, rivaling the height of a king’s castle, erupted from the ground. As the rush of water reached its crest, it curved downward, suggesting it would swallow the earth below, but it did not. The whitecap crest remained churning, alive with an endless flow of pulsating sea water. It was indeed an impressive spectacle and one that Drownth reenacted every two hundred years. It was more to feed his vanity than it was to invoke a response from the other monarchs, for they cared little about his fashionable arrival tactics.

“You are late.” Fluorine stated, smoothly. It was as if the wind itself had gently whispered the words and carried them over for Drownth to hear. In the background, he saw a living embodiment of flame. Smolt. From his posture, it looked as if Smolt was seated. But on what, or how, was not discernible. Drownth also thought he noted a wry grin, somewhere hidden within the raging flames.

It was then that Drownth caught movement to his right. A large rock formation, comprised of inexplicitly large basalt and diamond patterns, took its place next to him. The spray from the water only enhanced the magnificence of the diamond shroud and Drownth tipped the end of his whitecap in respect for Corundum, the Elemental Monarch of Earth.

“Let us begin.” Fluorine said, as she looked everywhere, yet nowhere. Her boundless features were both visible and invisible, if such a form were possible.

To everyone’s surprise, a low guttural growl uttered…. “I will begin.”

It was then that the living embodiment of flame, Smolt, took on a more discernable outline. The flames shifted and expanded vertically into a column of fire. The fire danced until the shape of serpentine cobra appeared. Teeming, with what was nothing short of pure hated, Smolt looked in the direction of Drownth and hissed…. “You will pay for your treacherous actions, water!”

An instant later Smolt struck the water monarch.

War had just begun.