The Elements

From Breaking Worlds

Five elemental principles underpin the world of Arginet:


Wood is the element of birth and growth, healing and communication.

Fire is the element of youth and flourishing, passion and impulse.

Earth is the element of maturity and responsibility, strength and stability.

Metal is the element of age and experience, ambition and control.

Water is the element of quiescence and knowledge, investigation and reflection.


The five elements are connected in a cycle, where each is allied with two other elements and opposed by the remaining two. These relationships are vital for understanding the behaviour of spirits and the practice of magic.

Although they take the names of physical things they are distinguished more philosophically than materially. Spirits of Fire, for instance, care less about whether someone is literally burning than about whether they are figuratively burning with passion and energy. Similarly, although Metal is the most concerned with wealth and avarice, sacrifices of precious metals are appreciated by spirits of every element.