Selected passages from On the Mightiest, by Senior Heridath of Ithular:
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Looking up the definition of an ‘Elder’ in most dictionaries is not particularly illuminating. Most simply list some variation of “A mortal creature that has outlived its normal lifespan.” While technically true, it does nothing to explain what truly sets an Elder apart from merely being a particularly old individual, or even a standard immortal.
What defines an Elder is that they have not simply bypassed standard mortality; they have surpassed it. There is no potion which they must rely upon to stay young, no ritual which halts their aging, no artefact which staves off death. An Elder is an Elder by their nature, and age will never claim their life. Many Elders are also resistant to disease, poison, and even injury, but that is a result of their status rather than the cause. Furthermore, they only grow stronger with age, and this never becomes self-destructive in the manner which some species suffer from, as with dragons or hydras.
While no two Elders are truly the same, it is still informative to examine the methods by which various species may grasp the status of Elder, and the abilities common to them. Though even with that, I must stress that there is no such thing truly ‘common’ to Elders. All of them involve defying what is commonly thought possible by their very nature, and it can often not make sense the methods by which they surpassed their mortality. Then, of course, the radically different manners in which species may age likewise results in a number of truly unusual situations.
Nonetheless, this is an exploration of the current scholarly belief for how each of the following Elder creatures come into existence, as well as the abilities they are most frequently associated with. Note that this list is not comprehensive, for in some cases- such as with the Elder Goblin- while it is theorized that one could exist, no individual has yet accomplished immortality in a manner consistent with what classifies as an Elder. In others- such as the case of Elder Shifters, neither their normal capabilities nor what happens with Elders are well-studied enough to ascertain what attaining Elderhood does for the species.
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Elder Dragons are of course the most well-known type of Elder, and this is for good reason: they are all but living gods.
Dragons, even before they hatch, produce a substantial amount of mana, far more than most creatures save the most powerful of mages do. This only magnifies as they age, growing larger and stronger, and most importantly more magically powerful. By the time they reach their first millennia of age, their mana outpouring is comparable to that of a large Slip (though much of this is consumed simply continuing their existence). When they are likely to die of old age after circa fifteen hundred years of age, it is from mana toxicity- they simply produce more mana than their bodies can physically handle, or even properly release fast enough.
As dragons die of old age, they leave behind Dragon’s Heads Slips, the source of some of the strongest local ley lines. In the years leading up to their death, they are akin to a demigod, twisting the world around them with their mere existence, and able to use spells more potent than any non-divine creature could hope to manage.
Magically-inclined dragons who achieve the status of Elder Dragon tend to do so by focusing all of their magic into a single point, creating a crystal or orb of sorts made of pure mana. Ironically, this cuts the amount of mana a dragon gives off by a substantial amount, as what previously empowered the local Tapestry is instead focused to create a singular point of immense magical energy. This ‘core,’ be it set by their heart or held within their claws, functions as almost a rudimentary godhood, and the Elder Dragon ceases to need to concentrate or even be knowledgeable about the subject of their magical might- instead, it becomes almost an extension of their body. This allows them to accomplish feats impossible by conventional spellcrafting, with some Elder Dragons capable of creating life directly. Mountains may collapse, rivers may be rerouted, islands or even continents are raised or sunk at the barest whim.
Many magical Elder Dragons possess a perfect control over their own form; some describe it as their true self becoming their core rather than their flesh, but regardless, they become capable (if not already so) of assuming the form of any creature they so desire, even taking upon many of their powers should they be within the Elder’s vast, vast array of possible magic.
Of course, not all Elder Dragons prefer to use magic. Some instead manage to, instead of having their magic burn out their own bodies, channel it and consume it. Far from bringing their own flesh to ash, these dragons grow with their ever-strengthening magical might. A ‘small’ Elder of this variety would be the size of a hill, a more average the size of a mountain, and rumors persist that the mightiest of all Elder Dragons may be the size of entire worlds, or large enough to consume them as the barest snack.
Notable Elder Dragons include Vorshalinfexendrap, Watigrimdroxy the Light of Life (of the magical form) and Mount Ixruthis (of the physical form).
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Elder Hydras are, curiously enough, set apart by their intelligence above all else. While a normal hydra is usually little more than a clever beast, growing cleverer as it ages and becomes capable of supporting additional heads, their life normally comes to an end as their incredible natural regeneration acts up and goes out of control in some way, regrowing one part of the hydra at the expense of some other critical part of its biology. Elder Hydras, of course, do not suffer this fate. Instead, they continue to grow and continue to be capable of sustaining more heads, but what truly sets Elder Hydras apart is that all of their heads work together, forming a singular incredibly intelligent consciousness within the former beast.
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With this newfound intelligence, Elder Hydras are almost invariably seen with the most heads that their body can support, unlike normal hydras which do not grow additional heads until some external force severs one of their existing ones. Instead, Elder Hydras sever a head themselves once they are able to, and in this way grow all the more intelligent with time.
Their regeneration is of course similarly extreme, but whether it is stronger than an Elder Orc’s is unknown. There has, however, never been a single record of an Elder Hydra dying from anything, and all such specimens are naturally quite resistant to experimentation upon, regardless of any incentives offered.
Notable Elder Hydras include Royal Ksiezniczka and Cunning Lerneas.
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Elder Treants often appear indistinguishable from their non-elder brethren. The end of a normal treant’s life involves them slowly becoming less and less mobile until they end up as a rooted tree once again, and Elder Treants undergo a similar transformation, but they retain their minds throughout the entire process and remain fully aware (whereas most treants naturally lose their conscious mind and become merely a semi-aware magical tree afterwards). At a minimum, they usually retain some level of a face, the shape plainly visible upon the trunk of the tree or woven from its branches, and may communicate freely with any passers-by. However, most Elder Treants do not stop there. Instead. They shed large branches from their canopy, which become something of a clone of the Elder Treant, sharing all its experiences and powers. In some cases, this offshoot even shares a singular mind with the main body, whereas in others the offshoot must return to the primary body of the Elder Treant to report upon its experiences.
These offshoots are capable of venturing anywhere, and undergo a life cycle akin to a normal treant, at the end of which they settle into a tree shape permanently similar to how a normal treant would, though at this point the offshoot and the main Elder Treant are linked in mind if they were not previously, increasing the Elder Treant’s range of influence.
Within their range of influence, Elder Treants have full ability to cause trees of many sorts to grow and flourish or die, they can nurse sick and dying to health or curse an interloper to a swift yet painful death. Similar to normal treants, capabilities beyond this vary wildly depending upon the family of treant as well as the types of wood which they make their home, but any abilities which they possessed prior to becoming an Elder are retained and magnified, and any additional abilities which their offshoots may accumulate are similarly passed to the main body (though not magnified as much)
Notable Elder Treants include The Great Oak and Thornwood.
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Elder Giants, perhaps paradoxically on the face of it, shed their bodies and all the immense physical strength that comes with it. However, there is perhaps no other manner by which a giant could become an Elder. After all, giants normally simply find their body falling apart around them as they grow too massive; they become large enough that their own muscles can't lift them from the ground, their limbs become so long that to move them is to either scour their skin from the air itself being unable to part with their motion, or they move slowly to avoid such a fate and become unable to deal with even minor annoyances. Even an Elder Giant cannot, it seems, escape these simple realities of flesh and blood.
Thus, while their bodies may collapse, the spirit of the Elder Giant stands strong. Of course, seeing an Elder Giant does not seem like they are a spirit, but that is because Elder Giants manifest a new body around their soul akin to one which angels or devils might possess. Not truly flesh, not truly even material, yet flesh and material all the same.
Elder Giants, as their most obvious power, are always larger than whoever they speak with, and are always the largest one in attendance at that. While there is a maximum size which they can grow to, though it only increases with age, it is large enough as to be academic in virtually all situations. The only exception to an Elder Giant being the largest creature in a group is when multiple Elder Giants are in attendance at the same location, in which case the largest is also the oldest. In addition, Elder Giants possess an incredible degree of foresight, capable of seeing far into the mists of time from their lofty positions. If that were not sufficient, Elder Giants, with a prodigious frame and strength even beyond their normal size, may in time grow larger than a continent, and strength enough to lift entire worlds. Their spiritual bodies also cease requiring food or drink, enabling them to recline for centuries and even be mistaken as islands, mountains, or even entire continents depending on their age.
Notable Elder Giants include J’tain and Atigane.
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Elder Orcs are best described as warriors who fight with and win against their own mortality. Most commonly, they transcend their normal mortality while in the heat of battle against some other foe, and never truly stop fighting afterwards. It has been described in some instances as an orc becoming an Elder at the point where all their wounds dictate that they ought to be dead, when they have bled more blood than they possess in their bodies, when they have more wounds than not, yet continue to fight regardless.
This transition into an Elder Orc maintains this heightened sense of self. An Elder Orc is all but impossible to kill, as not only is their hide all but impervious to damage, as not only do they heal any such wounds faster than any but the mightiest hydra, but mortal wounds will simply fail to kill them. Cutting an Elder Orc in half will simply result in two halves continuing to fight, each half utilizing a crude form of innate blood magic to form a second half of their own body until such a time as they are able to rejoin. In addition to this truly impossible degree of regeneration and immortality, Elder Orcs grow stronger and stronger as they fight- or experience any kind of heightened emotion- and this strength does not leave them. Their bodies likewise become all the more resistant to any damage which they are inflicted with. Should an Elder Orc be burned, it will become more resistant to flame. Should its skull be crushed, its bones will strengthen. They cannot be stopped, and can only truly be given pause, an action which only ensures they are stronger for the next attempt to subdue them.
Notable Elder Orcs include Bloodfield.
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Despite bearing the name, Elder Vampires (of the Stokas variety, naturally) are not a proper Elder creature. Instead, the power which they possess comes not from age (as undead, age is meaningless) but rather from the strength and families which they have accumulated across the years. It is perfectly possible, in theory, for a very young vampire to be just as strong as one of the most ancient of their kind, and a vampire from ten thousand years hence may be no stronger than a fledgling should all their families have died out. (Families of Blood: The Stokas Vampire, Geshath)