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Earth (element)

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This article is about the element. For the planet, see Earth.

The element of earth was one of the four fundamental building blocks of matter: solid, stable, and unyielding in character.[1][2] It encompassed all kinds of stone and rock, but also soil, metal ores and sand.[3][4]

“
The foundations of our homes, the strength of our weapons, the vaults of our greatest secrets—earth is nothing less than the grip of reality itself. It is the mightiest element. This cannot be denied.
”
— Kabril Ali al-Sara al-Zalazil[5]

Cosmology[]

Earth manifested its position in the cosmos as the Elemental Plane of Earth, one of the Inner Planes.[6][3] The element was also represented there in living form as earth elementals.[3]

The ruler over the portfolio of earth in Faerûn and Zakhara was the elemental lord Grumbar,[2][7] while it was held by Geb in the Mulhorandi pantheon[8] and Plutoq in the Maztican pantheon.[9] Among demihuman deities, Segojan Earthcaller of the gnomes,[10] Urogalan of the halflings,[11] and Dumathoin of the dwarves held dominion over earth,[12][13] but Garl Glittergold,[13] Callarduran Smoothhands,[14] Laduguer,[13] and all other dwarven deities were concerned with the element, too.[15] The evil archomental Ogrémoch also sought to rule the element of earth, but was secretly thwarted by the much more powerful Grumbar.[16][3]

Magic[]

School of elemental earth[]

Many magical spells utilized the element of earth.[17] Elemental earth was recognized as a "school of effect" (rather than one of the eight traditional schools of magic).[18][19] Wizards specializing in this school were called earth elementalists.[19] Earth was opposed to the element of air, both as a school of magic[19] and as a worldview.[2][20]

Magic-users in Zakhara had a similar but not identical notion of earth magic in the form of the province of sand.[4]

Likewise, the wu jen of Kara-Tur divided spells into five elemental groups, including earth.[21][22] In some traditions, earth was considered the same group as metal,[21] whereas, in other traditions, the two elemental groups were distinct.[22]

Divine earth magic[]

A number of deities granted divine spells that relied on the element, either in the form of the elemental earth sphere,[23] or the earth domain.[24][25]

Celestial bodies[]

Spacefarers also used the four elements to distinguish different types of celestial bodies present in the crystal spheres.[26] Earth bodies often were the most common celestial objects, and commonly featured the largest population.[27]

Major earth bodies in Realmspace were:[27][28]

Appendix[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (1994). Planescape Campaign Setting, A DM Guide to the Planes. Edited by David Wise. (TSR, Inc), p. 29. ISBN 978-1560768340.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Monte Cook and William W. Connors (December 7, 1998). The Inner Planes. Edited by Michele Carter and Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 30–39. ISBN 0-7869-0736-3.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jeff Grubb and Andria Hayday (April 1992). Arabian Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 111. ISBN 978-1560763581.
  5. ↑ Jeremy Crawford, F. Wesley Schneider (February 2025). Monster Manual 5th edition (revised). Edited by Judy Bauer. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7869-6954-8.
  6. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 256–257. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  7. ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 57. ISBN 978-1560763291.
  8. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0786906574.
  9. ↑ Douglas Niles (August 1991). “Gods & Battles”. Maztica Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 27. ISBN 1-5607-6084-2.
  10. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 188. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  11. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 215. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  12. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 70. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Eric L. Boyd, Erik Mona (May 2002). Faiths and Pantheons. Edited by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 96. ISBN 0-7869-2759-3.
  14. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 174–176. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  15. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 47–111. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  16. ↑ Villains: Cult of the Black Earth. Wizards of the Coast. (2015-04). Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved on 2015-04-26.
  17. ↑ Cook, Findley, Herring, Kubasik, Sargent, Swan (1991). Tome of Magic 2nd edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 151. ISBN 1-56076-107-5.
  18. ↑ Richard Baker (1996). Player's Option: Spells & Magic. (TSR, Inc), pp. 16–19. ISBN 0-7869-0394-5.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Cook, Findley, Herring, Kubasik, Sargent, Swan (1991). Tome of Magic 2nd edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 9. ISBN 1-56076-107-5.
  20. ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 23–25. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Gary Gygax, David Cook, and François Marcela-Froideval (1985). Oriental Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 26. ISBN 0-8803-8099-3.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 James Wyatt (October 2001). Oriental Adventures (3rd edition). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-2015-7.
  23. ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (August 1989). Player's Handbook (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc.), p. 34. ISBN 0-88038-716-5.
  24. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 62. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  25. ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 186. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
  26. ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1989). “Concordance of Arcane Space”. Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-88038-762-9.|74-76}}
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Jeff Grubb (August 1989). “Lorebook of the Void”. Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space (TSR, Inc.), pp. 87–95. ISBN 0-88038-762-9.
  28. ↑ Dale "slade" Henson (April 1991). Realmspace. Edited by Gary L. Thomas, Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 1-56076-052-4.

External links[]

Connections[]

The Building Blocks of the Multiverse
Elements

Air • Earth • Fire • Water • (Wood)
Energies

Negative energy • Positive energy
Schools of Magic
Abjuration • Conjuration • Divination • Enchantment • Evocation • Illusion • Necromancy • Transmutation • Universal
Schools of effect
Air • Earth • Fire • Water • Dimension • Incantation • Shadow
Schools of thaumaturgy
Artifice • Song • Wild magic
Zakharan provinces of magic
Flame • Sand • Sea • Wind • Universal
Netherese Fields of Mythal
Inventive • Mentalism • Variation
Others
Chronomancy • Hishna • Pluma • Paths of power
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