Elemental Leaders

Those who use elemental magic for leadership or politics.

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Galleggiante

Type: Ambassador

Galleggianti are ambassadors from elemental communities to other communities. They use magic of elemental air and wind to make their minds clearer, sharper, and faster, to aid in their work.

Galleggianti come from elemental communities in the mountains, hills, or grasslands who retain some of their old leadership structures from before imperial powers took over the area. They were once powerful leaders who were sent as equals to other communities, liaised with the encroaching empires, and were feared and respected by all, but now that most of their communities are subjugated or at best semi-autonomous in the imperial lands, they are more like informal liaisons from smaller communities to the cities and larger towns to speak on behalf of the oppressed and elementally aligned.

To wield their magic, galleggianti must study for many years, learning from mentors in the community, training in magic, politics, and an understanding of nature, winds and air, and the ancient traditions of their people. After years of study, they are taken into the wilds while the winds are high. They are tested in skills, knowledge, and insights, then left alone to meditate upon the winds and air around them. They must leave out everything but the feeling of air on their bodies. Some do this naked, but most wear loose clothing that emphasizes the winds. Regardless, eventually, air elementals visit them and engage them, specifically entering their minds (literally flying into their nose and ears and eyes). They must then engage in the visions and tests of the elementals; if they pass, they gain special abilities.

• Clear as air: galleggianti can clear their minds with one or two deep breaths, giving themselves +3 to AWA temporarily when trying to understand something.
• Windspeed thoughts: galleggianti can speed up their thoughts by running with the wind, giving themselves +3 to reaction temporarily.
• Galefocus: galleggianti can stand toward the wind, breathe it in, and hold it for a minute to give themselves hyperfocus (+6 AWA for one specific task) for an hour, though the come down is hard.
• High mind: galleggianti can literally move to higher ground and make their minds more capable of accepting new ideas, giving them a token for a new thought, usable once per week.
• Far-carried words: galleggianti can speak to the wind and send words a great distance or listen to them and hear things far away.

Many galleggianti end up in the cities, trying to keep up with city politics on behalf of their communities.

PRO / ATH +1 STR -1 AWA +4 WIL +1 PRS +2 STH +1

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Scatenato

Type: Elder

Over a thousand years ago, a supernova was briefly visible on Shem. When this happened, many of those who studied and worshiped the stars were permanently changed. Some of those who saw it were in a position to connect with it magically, drawing from its enormous power, keeping it in special altars in their communities. As time passed, it became tradition in these communities for the elders who led them to access this power to gain insights into the universe and world.

A scatenato is an elder of an elemental community that worships or connects with the stars or the cosmos who has access to this incredible elemental magic. To wield it, they must spend many years studying it. Most come from a background wherein they studied and served the powers of the cosmos already; they are literally the elders of the community. As they move into a role of leadership after years serving in some other capacity, they begin to study the special magic stored in the altars of their people. These altars are made of stone and metal attuned to the stars. They have a special bowl built into them that fills with cosmic energy, the power of the supernova. To wield it, they must give up all other magical abilities, for the power of the supernova is so great, it would overburden them to have multiple, even complementary, energies.

Most elders have proven themselves already, but to wield the power of the supernova, they face a special test, placing their faces into the bowl of the altar and engaging with the raw energy of an exploding star coursing through their mind, body, heart, and soul. When they pass the test, they gain certain abilities that help them as leaders and guides to their community:

• Curving vision: the scatenato can see around corners and deeper into the night than others.
• Elemental fusion: the scatenato can create small pieces of raw matter in their own clasped hands.
• Emotional diffusion: the scatenato can release their entire emotional core throughout a small group of people, influencing their feelings.
• Metaphysical collapse: the scatenato can enter a meditative state and let their entire soul collapse into itself, allowing them to redefine parts of their being.
• Cosmic ray:the scatenato can use up most oftheir energy and unleash a cosmic ray that burns with intense energy.
• Gravitational wave: the scatenato can use up significant energy to send out a gravitational wave to pin down every physical body near them.
• Mental cooling: the scatenato can calm minds and open them with their words.
• Superluminosity: the scatenato illuminates everything around them.

The scatenato draws energy from their altar every so often. After they use up the magic, they must recharge it in the altar, but they must rest between or risk entering an explosive state themselves. They use their abilities to keep their communities calm and collected in the face of adversity, wielding their devastating powers only in defense and even then rarely.

PRO / ATH -1 STR -1 AWA +3 WIL +2 PRS +2 STH /

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Sollevato

Type: Leader

Sollevati are individuals who draw magic from the dawn in order to inspire and rally others.

The power of the sun is considered by many to be the most powerful of the common elemental magicks. From the sun comes all life. From the heart of the sun comes raw matter. It is the center of many of the earliest forms of worship. Sollevati come from ancient cultures who understood its power, its importance to nature, and the ways to connect with and channel it.

Raised in the remnants of such a culture, most sollevati learn about it from a young age, but they do not commit to wielding its power until they are older. Still, most are long in the habit of rising before dawn to greet the sun. This is a core part of their lives and the most important source of their power. They must see the dawn each day, or they will weaken. They often have other occupations that they perform mundanely, but they wield the power of the dawn to become leaders in what they are doing. In ancient times, they would guide hunting parties or lead in the gathering by following dawn's light. In current times, they rally people to whatever task they are working on, but never in service to industrial powers.

To become a sollevato, there are many rituals they perform, following the mentorship of another sollevato. The rituals always involve greeting the dawn, engaging in visions, and submitting oneself to the raw energy of the sun. Eventually, they are challenged by solar elementals and are tested thoroughly. If they pass, they gain abilities that allow them to draw from the dawn each morning:

• Dawn's light: the sollevato may carry the dawn's light with them throughout the day, until the next dawn, and mete out the light when needed.
• Rising inspiration: for a certain amount of dawn's light, the sollevato may grant a single person during the day inspiration that increases every hour it is used under daylight.
• Diffused warmth: the sollevato exudes a mild warmth around themselves for a short time.
• Morning revelation: after dawn and before noon, the sollevato may tap into their dawn's light and use it all up to reveal something profound or important. This may be used only once per week.
• Diurnal visage: the sollevato may use the light to alter the appearance of their face for an hour before the next dawn.

Sollevato cannot use their abilities subtly, but they do try not to flaunt them too much, as this magic is regulated in imperial society.

PRO / ATH / STR / AWA +2 WIL +1 PRS +1 STH -2

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Tacitano

Type: Adviser

Tacitani wield the magic of elemental silence, which rests in the shadows, to subtly and carefully advise others. They developed in elemental communities who were in conflict with other, more powerful communities, finding themselves in political struggles with the fey or imperials, needing to find means to communicate that were less easily detected. Some serve elemental communities, some serve witches or druids, and some serve others but with an agenda to push them toward helping nature.

To become a tactitano, one must attune to silence and shadow. They must learn politics, communication skills, and the needs of their community so they can be able advisers, but to wield magic, they need to connect with dark elementals who teach them the secrets of silent expression. This is something taught from other tacitani, usually in secret, and only the tacitani and those they advise are even aware that the tacitano is anything more than a mundane adviser.

One must be a friend to nature, have an understanding of light and sound, dark and silence, and spend hours studying and training in subtle magicks. They must meditate in pitch darkness and complete silence for long periods of time. Eventually, they are tested in their knowledge and commitment. Dark elementals teach them secrets. They draw their power from the darkness, and thus, they must sleep in total darkness to have their magic. If any noise is made as they sleep, they will awaken and weaken, and so, they must wear special equipment to block out sound and light.

• Long whisper: they can send their whispers long distances, up to a few hundred feet away, to communicate.
• Aura of silence: they may briefly eradicate all sound in their presence for a brief time once per day.
• Subtle step: they can move through a crowded area without being noticed.
• Wordless speech: they can communicate complex information without a single word.
• Deafening gaze: their gaze can have a stunning effect, leaving a target unable to hear or understand written language thrice per day.
• Reading between the lines: they can pick up subtext effortlessly and magically.

They also use a mundane form of sign language that other tacitani know. They may teach it to those they advise.

PRO / ATH / STR / AWA +3 WIL / PRS +1 STH +2