Elementals

[Goldennose]

Where are elementals found? I know for example Undines are found in rivers and oceans, but are there elementals in Spirit Plane? Is is possible for a shaman to bind elemental from Spirit World?

[Lordabdul]

AFAIK, elementals are spirits that are able to materialize in the physical world. So you would encounter them almost as easily walking around the wilderness as you would travelling the Spirit World. And they would be everywhere: around a specific landmark (big ol' tree, nice big rock, etc.), along a river, at the top of a hill, etc... that is, unless I'm mixing up elementals with nature spirits like dryads and nymphs?

[soltakss]

It is unlikely that Elementals are found moving about in the normal plane, unless they are in a special place.

Darkness Elementals might be found in Shadows Dance or around a Castle of Lead. Water Elementals might be found in the seas, lakes or rivers. Earth Elementals might be found in the earth, but I think they can be found deeper, near the Deep Earth. Fire Elementals might be found in great forest fires, or on burning plains. Air/Storm Elementals might be found during a storm, or when the wind is high, or around holy mountains such as Kero Fin. Lunar Elementals might be found at the Crater, on the Red Moon or within the Glow Line. Blue Moon Elementals might be found skulking around the Blue Moon Plateau.

In the Spirit World, yes, sure, loads of Elementals there. Elementals can be found in the Spirit World near a place associated with that Element, so around Holy Spots or Temples.

Yes, a Shaman can bind an Elemental using the Spirit Plane, all they need to do is travel there and find an Elemental, using the normal rules.

[Lordabdul]

19 minutes ago, soltakss said:

It is unlikely that Elementals are found moving about in the normal plane, unless they are in a special place.

Sure, but then you proceed to list "special places" (or situations) as rivers, lakes, caves, storms, etc. Doesn't feel very "special" to me   But just so our expectations are in line, what I meant was that they're common enough that, for every full day of travel through the countryside, I suppose there's a 50% chance of seeing a spirit at least from a distance. Would that be a fair encounter rate?

Edited January 17, 2020 by lordabdul

[soltakss]

50 minutes ago, lordabdul said:

Sure, but then you proceed to list "special places" (or situations) as rivers, lakes, caves, storms, etc. Doesn't feel very "special" to me   But just so our expectations are in line, what I meant was that they're common enough that, for every full day of travel through the countryside, I suppose there's a 50% chance of seeing a spirit at least from a distance. Would that be a fair encounter rate?

It depends where you are.

I wouldn't expect to see a Darkness Elemental unless I was in a place full of shadows, but if I went into a deep cave then I could find them. The shade Table in Dragon Pass is a well-known haunt of Darkness Elementals and they are known to sniff around it.

Water Elementals frolic in the water, as lakes, rivers and seas are actually the physical forms of deities.

For me, you are unlikely to see Elementals and are unlikely to have them as random encounters, unless you are somewhere that has them. So, I wouldn't have a 50% chance of seeing one, unless I went looking for one.

[Lordabdul]

On 1/17/2020 at 11:00 AM, soltakss said:

It depends where you are.

Sure but that's the same thing as wild animals. You're unlikely to see Snowy Owls unless you're out at night in a nordic tundra landscape. You would get maybe one glimpse of a mountain lion or bear (from far away, hopefully) during a 2-days hike through western Canadian parks, depending on time of day and season. But, on the other hand, while seeing the occasional bald eagle flying around is a common sight, if you go to the right lake in September, you'll see hundreds of those big birds feasting on exhausted salmon.

In my head, I see spirits and elementals the same way. They're not uncommon by any means, the same way cougars and owls are not uncommon either. If you hike for a couple days, you'll get a glimpse of some wild life here and there, and I think you get some more or less equivalent glimpse of spirit life. Unless you stumble by chance on the "right" place and time and you witness some spirit flocking for some reason, which may be good or bad news for you depending on the situation.

[Sir_Godspeed]

Another thing that's worth considering is that things that are "mundane" things in the RW are signs of spirits in Glorantha. Will-o-wisps, echoes, mirages, unexplained noices, sudden windshift. This means that they in a sense exceptional and "mundane" at the same time.

My dad used to tell me that when the door opens or shuts by itself with no one touching it, it meant we were visited by "Evan Legless" ("Even Beinlaus"). As a young child I totally just bought that there was this invisible being who just came around every now and then, and it wasn't even threatening. Of course, it was really just the wind - but in Glorantha? Maybe a zephyr just playing around or saying hello to an Orlanthi stead, attracted by its inhabitants or a shrine or something.

Edited January 20, 2020 by Sir_Godspeed

[French Desperate WindChild]

4 hours ago, lordabdul said:

In my head, I see spirits and elementals the same way. They're not uncommon by any means, the same way cougars and owls are not uncommon either.

I agree with you but I would say "

In my head, I see spirits and elementals the same way. They're uncommon by any means, the same way cougars and owls are uncommon too."

Meeting a tree in a wood is common, meeting a bear is uncommon.