Classification: aberrant energy consciousnesses inhabiting and tied to facets of the litho/hydro/atmosphere (landmasses, events, etc.)
Colloquial name: elementals.
Origins: elementals seem to arise when an aspect of nature becomes "distinct" enough to warrant its own aberrant embodiment. The minimum "degree" of identity is unknown, but likely not tied to noospheric metaphysics, as elemental predate the humans who delimitate Earth's areas. The elementals themselves do not think much about such things, and when questioned, claim they enter the world once they are born, like all things. Elementals are not unique to Earth, as the Fae's homeworld has many before they were exhausted by their Queens to stave off the Vorsook. Gaia has implied planetary elementals like her are not unique either, and that others exist across the universe.
Description: elementals are incorporeal by default. To beings with the appropriate arcane senses or equivalents, their auras appear coloured by their affinity, resulting in a fiery presence, a cold one, and so on. Elementals are believed to be capable of manifesting physical forms (as Gaia does, thpugh she might be an outlier), by arranging available matter into forms their animus can inhabit, but mostly do not. Elementals who were attracted to bodies crafted for them do not seem to mind this way of life or pine for an incorporeal state. Elementals can inhabit anything from volcanoes to wind currents, but do not alter their homes/bodies to any degree visible to the naked eye.
Elementals possess abilities related to their origin. Earth elementals can move large quantities of soil, rock and metal, fire elementals can control temperature and create lethally hot areas, air elementals can control wind currents and gases, and water elementals can create and control waves and water in all its states. There are subcategories, such as volcanic elementals, who possess a mixed set of abilities.
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Behaviour: elementals are mostly patient beings who disregard the world around them (it is believed natural disasters in polluted areas are the result of elementals lashing out), thinking in geologic time scales. This is not because their perception or processing speed is superior or inferior to that of a human, but simply because the elementals do not care much about things tat cannot affect them. Elemental behaviour appears to be influenced by their affinity, with volcanic elementals having comparably short tempers, for example.
Threat level: varies; regional for the strongest elementals. The Yellowstone elemental has all the power of the supervolcano's hypothetical eruption at its fingertips, and was once expected to break the continental United States in half, scorching what remained. Oceanic elementals, capable of manipulating tides to generate more force than the global nuclear arsenal, have been identified. It is believed the greatest elementals in all categories can output and control gigatons to teratons of TNT equivalent.
Neutralisation: elementals are not aggressive beings. Indeed, they are reactive, and only appear to act when the areas they represent are threatened, or when they are otherwise goaded into lashing out. The Collective believes keeping people from angering or manipulating elementals into attacking will keep them in their default, placid state, while we look for ways to get them involved in productive endeavours without the negotiations taking millions of years.