So is Al Abbeden Fire, Ugulanthu Earth, Val'as Sherean Water and Ilasthasa air? It wasn't ever specified.

Yes, exactly!

Can we consider the [mwcard=MW1C40]Whirling Spirit[/mwcard] as the air elemental? He surely looks like one, but he does not have the name, not have the subtype elemental and is considerably weaker than the other 3 elementals?

If he is not, what is the difference between an "elemental" and a "wind spirit"? And if he is not the elemental, could we expect the air elemental some day?

Could there be a lightning elemental or an ice elemental?

Whirling Spirit is not an elemental but a sentient creature that lives in the Realm of Voltari (a place of existence from which most magic draws power.). Note the quote on the card “While summoned of Voltari, their essence is neither that world or this one.”

The Realm of Voltari crackles with ambient energy, and provides a volatile, harsh environment for the limited number of creatures who live there. The [mwcard=MW1C40]Whirling Spirit[/mwcard] is one such creature, as is the [mwcard=MW1C24]Mana Leech[/mwcard], and manticores such as Asto Vantu.

True elementals are tied to elemental forces and were originally created by the Elemental Lords. Lightning and Ice Elementals exist (along with many other types of elementals, both lesser and greater), though not currently as cards.

Is there a map somewhere in the net like it was in one OP Kit? I would like to show him that map.

You can find a map here, along with links to the history of the land, stories from online and published Organized Play Kits, and lots of other goodies : http://forum.arcanewonders.com/index.php?topic=15675.msg52559#msg52559

Part 4 recap: Unphased by the potential scholarship of the star map, Domatra races ahead and touches the Orb – which the couple now realize is not a V’Tar Orb but some sort of teleportation artifact. The celestial map fades away, and the Drakkonian power of the Nexus Orb teleports the couple to a cross-shaped chamber with large vaulted ceilings and a collection of ancient tomes and scrolls – the lair of a ancient Drakkonian Archmage. The lair is filled with silver Orbs that Bellarax and Domatra now instinctively know to be V’Tar Orbs; even more impressive is the V’Torrak that is here, able to open a direct portal to Voltari. The two mages stare at the wealth of treasure and power before them – and they know that their destinies – and the destinies of the nations of Etheria – hinge on who obtains the Drakkonian magic first.



BATTLE LINES: Part 5 (Conclusion)

Bellarax was a seasoned fighter but after many years of Academy life, he knew he was less likely to win in a straight out fight to the death. Domatra had lived in Ivarium all her life, save for the few short years they had been in Sortilege together, and she was often on the move with the Imperial Legions. Add to that her natural prowess as a Forcemaster -- well, Akiro might play those odds, but he would not.

Domatra would try to cut him down, to end their match swiftly, he was sure. But he meant to stay alive -- and to do that, he would have to use more than a little guile. From his study and translation of the stone tablet, he suspected that a daring mage could harness the power of the Orbs themselves during combat, bringing a new synergy to battle that just might turn the tide in his favor.

Still she would not be able to resist gaining control of at least one Orb first -- her curiosity would get the better of her. Plus, he knew that her Force spells would have little effect on these creatures. That could give him a slight advantage -- her ability to control the landscape around her was legendary.

He was gratified to find he was right. Domatra had moved closer to the first Orb, awakening the Guardian. Unlike her previous experience however, she knew what was coming, and deflected its attack on her forcefield as she moved in close to take the creature out with her forceblade.

Rather than running for another Orb, Bellarax rushed toward Domatra's battle, summoning a suit of of Harshforge Plate, along the way. Then, as soon as he was in range, he cast a tanglevine on Domatra, watching the vines wrap themselves around her legs, holding her fast.

The Guardian sliced down again, but once again Domatra's forcefield was able to deflect the blow. She flicked a withering glance at Bellarax, then teleported out of the tanglevine, right behind him. "Surely you remember this move." The forceblade arced out, across his face.

Except that it didn't. Bellarax revealed the Reverse Attack spell he had cloaked upon him, and the attack reverberated back at Domatra, sufficient enough to bring down her forcefield. In the wave of that blow, he summoned an Iron Golem, and positioning himself to strike her with his own blade.

"Enough!" The air around him rippled with force, and he watched as Domatra push herself backward a pace, giving her space to maneuver.

"’No success is enough, until there is victory’," said Bellarax, as he summoned his Helm of Command, and bound a Charge spell to it. He directed the spell at his creature, bringing his Iron Golem rushing back in, swinging at the Forcemaster.

He savored his latest quotation from the Arts of Lord Bellicar for all of a split second, before Domatra's Force Hammer spell slammed into his cranium, temporarily making him see white. Shaking it off as best he could, he sent the golem off to attack the Guardian, while he moved on to the next Orb.

Domatra accessed the situation, taking a quick look at the Guardian. The creature was hurting already, and with an iron golem in the mix, he surely wouldn’t last long. She lunged forward, closing range again with the guardian and the golem, but this time, targeting the Guardian with her forceblade, bringing the creature to the ground.

Bellarax saw his opening and took it. He cast Whirling Strike on his golem, which attacked Domatra first, then took control of the Orb with his additional attack. Bellarax could feel a strange new power flowing through him, healing him, and energizing his very senses.

Denied the first Orb, Domatra reassessed the situation. She knew Bellarax was a worthy adversary, but she suspected he would be no match for her up close, at least not without some serious support. Still, an iron golem and a V'Tar Orb… that might change the equation a bit. For the first time, she realized this was not the arena -- that a victory here might mean actual death for her colleague. But now that the die had been cast..., there could be only one outcome.

She whirled backward and danced away from the iron golem, and cast an unexpected Pillar of Light, damaging the golem, and momentarily blinding Bellarax, just enough for her to roll low and come up swinging against the Sistarran professor. Despite the Harshforge armor, her blade found its mark, and blood popped as it sizzled along its blue force edges.

Despite his tactics, Bellarax was in trouble. Domatra's attacks and force spells had done him serious harm. He caught his breath, gripped his sword a little more tightly and searched for a way to turn the tables, once and for all.

"You must end this!"

The voice did not come from Domatra. He assumed a guard position and quickly scanned the chamber, noting Domatra was doing the same. He looked over at her, the question plain on his face. "This is not some Mind spell trick of mine," she said, taking the opportunity to catch her breath.

"Then who..."

 Runed lines of a portal lit the air before them, opening a silvery blue archway. From it, two figures stepped through, both tall and lanky. Their cloaks and hoods were deep emerald green, with red velvet trim and golden filigree. Each carried a long staff of aged Wychwood, carved in the likeness of a serpent, body and tail entwined down the length of the shaft. They pulled back their hoods to reveal smooth Elven features, but their faces were longer, their eyes larger and deeper set. Though Elvish, they were not High Elf or Wood Elf.
 
 "And you are?..." Domatra demanded.

"We are mages of the Scaled Order," said the first of the Elves. "The Drakkons -- or Dragons as many call them in this day and age -- made Guardians to protect their Orbs and the V'Torrak. But to watch over their Legacy, they entrusted Us."

He continued. "You are scholars, you know the what will happen if the world is once more lit by fire and V'Tar. Leave this place, and leave the secrets of the past in peace."

"Interesting,” said Bellarax. “We are scholars, and yet we have never heard of you. Why should we believe you and your scaled order? As a scholar, I have to entertain the idea that perhaps you simply want all this for yourself. Leave this place? I'm sure you'll be right behind us, right?"

"How did you even get in here? Or find us?" added Domatra. "That's a pretty good trick of itself."

The first mage of the Scaled Order shrugged. "We have our ways, but suffice to say that when an Orb is touched, we know of it. We wouldn't be very good watchers if we didn't, would we?"

The second mage broke in, "Regardless, we're here now. Heed the last message of the Drakkons, the message they bid us deliver to whomever found their lairs, spellcraft and objects of power: ‘Know this -- the pure power of Voltari is not a thing meant for the consumption of the weak. It is an untamed tempest, and only through Domination can it be weathered. At the last, a moment will come in which that Domination will be undone, and the tempest will rage anew. This is no riddle, lest you miss our meaning -- we speak of V'Tar. We speak as sons of the Elemental Lords to the creations of the New Gods -- some things are best left alone."

The words rang through the chamber, and for the moment, Domatra and Bellarax were silent. But only for a moment.

"Best left alone? You simply want all the power for yourself!"

"You expect us to believe that? What scholar walks away from the secrets of the past? There's not a frost spell's chance in Infernia that's going to happen."

"I agree."

The first mage sighed. "I suspected as much. If you would awaken the V'Tar, then take control of them... if you can."

He raised his staff, and the ground of the chamber rippled, like stones tossed in a pond. In their wake the floor was left changed, with areas of deep pits, glowing lava, and quickly spreading ethereal mist.

The other mage murmured what sounded to Bellarax like Drakkonian, phrases of power that he had not seen or heard in his studies. In a second, many of the Guardians near the orbs had shifted form, becoming larger, broader, and covered in heavier spiked chitin.

"This is the Grand Arena," said the first mage. "If you wish to defy Drakkonians wishes, then stay alive." The two mage leveled their staves at Domatra and Bellarax, and readied their spells.

Domination of Etheria had begun.



Hope you guys enjoyed this Battlegrounds themed lore. Cheers!  -- Sabrath

Part 2 recap: Bellarax and Domatra begin translations on the strange Drakkonian artifact. As they mouth the ancient words and trace the runes, the tablet flares to life, surrounding them in shimmering white light. All around them, they feel the deep vibrations of a primal hum, and see a purple mist begin to rise. When the light recedes, they find themselves floating on a celestial island, with the stars overheads moving through their paths overhead, as if time flowed more quickly in this place. In the center of the island, they can see a strange Orb, floating and pulsating with multicolored light. Casting aside their book-learning, the two scholar-warriors race forward to examine it.

Now, enjoy part 3! -- Sabrath Kell


BATTLE LINES: Part 3

The center of the island was not far, but far enough that Bellarax and Domatra noticed that the ground itself did not appear to be natural. Though the sparsely growing vegetation, spiraling and occasionally intersecting veins of bright purple light were drawn. Occasionally, several veins would coalesce together, forming small, pulsing pools.

"Assuming we get out of this place," said Bellarax as he ran, "imagine what we can learn from all this! Actual Drakkonian artifacts -- and access to this place -- whatever it is! Perhaps this is the Nexus -- it certainly seems far removed from the nations of Etheria. From here, think of what the scholars of the Lyceum can learn of the movement of stars, of our moons, maybe of how time works in realms outside of our own! Who knows what else this place can help us find? I'll be writing scholarship on this until this brown beard of mine turns grey or falls out completely."

"Seriously?" Even in a full run, the contempt in the way she said the word came through solidly, and thick. "You are a scholar of the Age of Catastrophe, as knowledgeable as anyone can be of the wonders and powers of the Drakkons, and all you want to do with the knowledge that we have a V'Tar Orb nearly in our possession is write about it? There was a time when you still remembered what it meant to be Ivarium. Even with all the teaching and hand-holding that you do at Sistarra these days, surely you can still remember that the world outside those borders is bleeding! Have you forgotten that our soldiers have reannexed most of the city-states of Salenia? And those self-righteous-Westlockian-Asyra-lovers haven't so much as raised a single blade against us. But just imagine if we had a little more Drakkonian firepower to assist us." She smiled, and this time, the smile did warm those bright blue eyes of hers.

"They call it the Age of Catastrophe for a reason Domatra, or had you forgotten? The Drakkon artifacts were too powerful for the humanoid races. Supposedly, they drew upon the pure power of Voltari. More than one reference talk about how that unchecked power melted mountains, reshaped terrains, and perhaps was even responsible for creating the Darkfenne. Surely you are not foolish enough to unleash something like that into the world again. We've yet to fully recover from it from the first time."

They neared the center of the island, What they assumed was the V'Tar Orb sat suspended atop a metal base in the middle of a dark black pedestal, rotating slowly clockwise. All around the base were more of the Drakkonic runes that they had seen on the tablet. The orb itself appeared as smooth as Dwarven glass, but from what they could see, the glowing power of its center was not enclosed by any surface. It pulsed with color, red, then yellow, blue then green, then back to red again. 

More importantly however was the statue that stood before the orb. It loomed over them, angular and alien, carved in the likeness of a creature that neither had seen before. It had two sets of eyes and a set of formidable mandibles. Large, predatory arms ending in impaling spikes rose outraised, and a segmented thorax that might have been a tail wrapped around its legs. It was vaguely insectoid, as if it were the original nightmare insect from which all future bad dreams had evolved.

"I always assumed the Drakkons would be, you know, more dragon-like," Domatra said, eyeing the statue. 

"I don't think this is a Drakkon," said Bellarax. "I think this is a representation of a Guardian, a SSlak or a Usslak. Supposedly, the Drakkons created a race of creatures to protect their treasures while they weren't around." 

"Well, I think it's sweet that they erected a monument to their guards. Obviously they were a thankful race. Anway, we'll have time enough to examine this monstrosity at length once we take a better look at the Orb." She took a step closer to the pedestal.

Within a heartbeat, the stone of the statue receded in on itself, leaving in its wake a living, moving, chitonous creature. Without a moment's pause, it swung its impaling spikes down at Domatra, raking down the back of her arm and side in a spray of blood. Its tail swung around as it moved sweeping her backward off her feet, and away from the orb. 

Without thinking, Bellarax drew his blade and rolled in front of Domatra giving his comrade the seconds she needed to regain her feet. He parried another attack from the creature, deflecting its spikes and leaping backward from the bite of its mandibles. "Here's hoping magic still works in this place," he roared, as he cast a Hurl Rock spell at the creature. Luckily it did, and with a satisfying "crunch" the stone struck the creature, ripping off pieces of its chitin, forcing it to reevaluate its attack.

Domatra was back on her feet. "Out of my way, insect," she said dismissively, blasting the creature with a wave of force strong enough to push even a Steelclaw Grizzly into next week. The Guardian merely stared down at her with its double sets of eyes.

"Uh Domatra?" said Bellarax. "That thing's not budging. Got anything else?"

"More than enough of this," said the Forcemaster, vaulting over Bellarax's shoulder and twirling her forceblade around and down across the creature's face, splintering mandibles and ripping a deep chasm through its chest and the smaller, insectoid hands that writhed there. 

The creature gave out a short, high-pitched click-shriek, and collapsed before the two, leaving the way to the Orb open and unobstructed. Domatra raced forward, toward the orb, her prize now clearly in sight. 

Things began to change the second the Guardian's lifeless carcass hit the ground. The stars around the floating island had begun to shift and slide, some coalescing with others, some tracing fine, ghostly lines between their points, outlining the edges of shapes. Some points began to glow more brightly, others began to fade. 

"By all the Lords of Magic," whispered Bellarax, his sword lowered as he started upwards and around with awe. "It's… a map of Etheria." Some points were now red, others yellow, others blue or green. "Domatra!" yelled Bellarax. "Wait! Stop! This is significant!"

But Domatra had already reached the pedestal. "What power will prevent our nation's plan for reannexation now?" she said. "Ivarium will have the power of the Drakkons!" And with that, she touched the Orb.

...to be continued...

You're right -- we're a little behind on getting the full content of past OP Kits up on the website. 
Let me see if I can get that refreshed/updated so that you can enjoy the full story.

Taranis is the supreme Dark God. He is also one of the New Gods, who drove out the Elemental Lords during the Age of Catastrophe. (The Elemental Lords have been driven out, but they still have adherents, and obviously, their magicks are still studied, though in a much less prominent way at places like Sistarra. The Elemental Lords have, at various times in Etheria's past, attempted to regain their former glory...)

Adramelech is not a god, though he is quite powerful in his own right. He is the ruler of Infernia, another Realm of existence, one from which the demons are spawned. While in Infernia, he projects terrible power and control over his subjects -- in this respect, he is virtually like a God in his own Realm. Dark Mages in the realm of Etheria can summon an aspect of him into the arena, and though a deadly threat, he is far from his true deadly self. (The same goes for Malacoda).

As a God, Taranis projects his power to both Infernia and Etheria. Adramalech (and all the demons) fear and follow him.

Quote from: sIKE on January 07, 2016, 05:08:10 PM

Alas no Amadseer...

Hmm. So you say.

Without spoiling, Amadseer is currently slated to have a small part in Lost Grimoire.