The pieces of the elemental plate, the one thing keeping the planet in balance, and, at peace. Before the creatures of this world split it into eight pieces, numerous wars were fought over the thing, with nobody holding the plate for very long. Millions of lives were lost just over the dreams of one king or another to rule the entire planet with the plate's power, of course, after hundreds of years of wars, an agreement was formed, that the plate would be split into eight pieces, and each piece was to be given to the eight countries that were around at the time, Gaia, Nature, Water, Ice, Air, Lightning, Fire, and finally Lava, with each one getting its respective piece, and with each nation appointing a guardian to protect their piece. Interestingly, this had some sort of effect on the planet, with Natura, the gaia nation, growing into a huge, mountainous forest, Aqua, the water nation, flooded, Zephyr, the air nation was literally thrown into the air, and suspended there, and Magma, the fire nation started burning up, its plants wilting, and a nearby volcano erupting... of course, only the non-magical wildlife had to adapt, considering that the magical creatures were usually immune to their own element, unfortunately, this also left the center of the continent as a barren wasteland where feral beasts rule, though, a few families were separated due to a difference in their powers. Oddly, around this time, the lava, nature, ice, and lightning nations seemed to be wiped off the face of the planet, with no real explanation.

Two hundred years after the plate's split, and new guardians should have been given the job of protecting each piece... however, by now, only Natura cares about the old traditions, and some countries, such as Aqua have forgotten about their piece, let alone appointed someone to guard it. Zephyr has since made theirs into a centerpiece for the capitol city, and Magma seems to power their forge with their piece, and of course, nobody even knows that there are eight pieces to the plate, rather than four. Just as well... these four forgotten pieces have been moved, their effects already becoming apparent with frequent lightning storms in Natura, fish killed by overheating in the waters of Aqua, the constant lava flow freezing over, and snowstorms in Magma, and lastly, power outages rampant in Zephyr, a nation that has since come to depend on electricity. Obviously, nobody knows about these pieces, so they find someone or something else to blame... for example, Zephyr blames Natura for their power outages, Aqua blames their newly-discovered power source, solstones, and the power plants that use them on their overheating ocean, Natura blames everyone else for not holding to the old ideals for their lightning storms and forest fires, Magma thinks they're under attack from Aqua, blaming the snowstorms and dropping temperatures on Aqua spies. 

[hider=Species]
[hider=Dragons]
Large reptiles that may or may not have wings, and may or may not have fiery breath. They are fairly common throughout Gaia, being present in each nation. They typically grow to be about six feet in length, with their tail often being just as long as their body. Oddly, while most are quadrupedal, there are some who are bipedal, and even some whose wings have replaced their arms and hands, leaving them with only two limbs. Those who are bipedal are referred to as 'Drakes', and those who have a bird-like body (As in, the ones whose wings replaced their arms) are referred to as 'Wyverns'... though, they all prefer to just be called dragons, and some wyverns and drakes might see these names as racial slurs.
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[hider=Phoenixes]
Giant birds who are somewhat more common in the air nation than the rest, but they still exist in most other countries. They're particularly rare in the water nation, and their particular shape and abilities seem to differ greatly depending on which abilities they have. Those who use air resemble seagulls and other albatrosses, with their wing shape being thin, but longer than most, those who use water can resemble seagulls, penguins (who can't fly), or ducks, those who use gaia-based abilities often resemble parrots, or other jungle birds, while those who use fire typically just look like a standard phoenix. They typically grow to a height of about four feet, those phoenixes who use fire magic tend to call themselves 'True phoenixes', even if phoenixes from other countries can still rarely resemble a phoenix. They're quicker and generally better in the air than on the ground.
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[hider=Chimeras]
These strange creatures have only just started being considered citizens in all of the countries. The gaia nation was the first one to accept them as citizens, while the air nation was the last. Chimeras are... odd... for lack of a better word. Their bodies are typically made up of three different creatures, sometimes even the non-magical ones. Their body's shape and size depends on its constituent parts, making it next to impossible to figure out any numerical averages. The only consistent part of them is that they always have three heads, each of which is one of the species that makes up the rest of its body. They can occasionally fly, but even when they can, they're much faster on the ground than they are in the air. Unlike most of the species, they can select three elements to use, rather than two... however, they're usually not as good at using said elements as another non-chimera creature who uses the same element.
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[hider=Gryphons]
Odd creatures who appear to be half bird, and half large cat. Their head and front legs are that of a bird's head and legs, with feathers that go from their beak to their belly, and bird wings to go along with that. Their back legs are that of a large cat's, typically a lion's, and they usually have the tail to match that, with fur starting where their feathers end. They typically reach about five feet in length, and have a wingspan that allows for flight. Even so, they're faster on the ground than they are in the air. Gryphons are oddly common in the gaia nation, and obviously common in the air nation, where their somewhat poor flight is helped by the upwards air currents surrounding the area. Oddly, almost every possible combination of cat and bird can exist as gryphons... even if the sizes of the two animals match even worse than the common and typical eagle/lion combination.
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[hider=Slimes]
Amorphous, semi-liquid creatures who are incredibly common in the fire nation, somewhat common in the water nation, and very rare in the air nation. Their sizes vary wildly, with some younger slimes only being a few inches in height, and some of the older slimes measuring in at ten, or even fifteen feet tall. Their color usually indicates what their primary form of magic is, with fire slimes typically being red, yellow, or orange, water slimes typically being various shades of blue and green, gaia slimes are typically brown or dark green in coloration, and are more opaque than most, and the few air slimes that exist look like living bubbles rather than actual slimes... they are also typically clear or white. Often, a slime can shapeshift to look somewhat like another creature, however, flight, and magical abilities that the slime doesn't normally have will still be unusable, and the shapeshifted copy will typically just be the same color as the slime is naturally. All slimes, even air slimes, however, are capable of turning into a puddle and going under even the smallest cracks in doors or walls. While air slimes, much like normal bubbles, can be popped, this will not kill them, it will simply make them revert to a grounded form for a short period of time.
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[hider=Shadows]
Creatures that, much like slimes, have no real form at birth. They do, however, mimic the first creature other than a shadow, or another creature that already has a shadow imitating it that they see. Most, if not all shadows are nocturnal, and every single one copies its host's secondary magic, while using Darkness as their primary magic, unlike other creatures, whose primary magic is based around whatever nation they live in. They are found all over the planet, but they tend to hide from the light, and often guard cities from nocturnal beasts that, back in the early days of civilization on this planet, would have otherwise eaten the then-magically-inept, and then-not-civilized creatures. Nowadays, practically nobody even knows that these things EXIST, save for a few of the smarter creatures, and some who have actually seen, or met a shadow, usually the one that imitates them. They're usually great magic-users, however, they also typically can't take a single attack without getting knocked out, unfortunately. They CAN go out into the light, however, they will be uncomfortable, as if they're in a sort of heatwave.
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[hider=Capitol Cities]
[hider=Capitol of Aqua, the water nation]
Eau: The Capitol City of Aqua, the water nation of Gaia. This city was structured near the beginning of the creation of Aqua and has held up to a million citizens under the giant ocean. Visitors will normally require gear or some sort of assistance from an air elemental to breathe, and there are many attractions to see in the town, from amusement parks, to the giant castles that have since been abandoned and transformed into tourist attractions. They are most famous for their richer neighborhoods, but as with any town, poverty is riddled throughout. Even though it may be the capitol city, Eau is not the trading post of Aqua, rather another city by the name of Larmes d'un Oiseau de Mer is the selling and buying capital, being one of the few towns above sea level.
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[hider=Capitol city of Zephyr, the air nation]
Zephyre: The Capitol City of Zephyr, the air and wind nation of Gaia. Zephyre is centered exactly on its plate, and is its main attraction. It is the highest elevated city in Gaia, at around 11,000 ft. (3352 m) and is covered in flying arenas and other competitive attractions. While all have to be grounded at one point or another, the inhabitants rarely touch the floor of the city because of the constant airflow that shifts the town and causes weekly elevation changes. The town rises and falls a few feet per day, but usually returns to normal by the end of the week. Being that this town is above most clouds, Zephyre isn't popular among the folk that practice electricity because of this fact.
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[hider=Capitol city of Magma, the fire nation]
Verbren: The Capitol City of Magma, the fire and lava nation of Gaia. Verbren was founded in an active volcano in the northwest of Magma, and has been the manufacturing capitol of Gaia. If you find a sword on a walk in any of the nations, even in the Desolates, you can guarantee that it was forged in Verbren. Verbren, while being in a volcano and typically being a hundred degrees fahrenheit, has areas for tourists and visitors that use coal to energize coolers. Funny how it works, really. Verbren houses around 900,000 citizens and gets thousands of tourists per month, but be wary! Some of the larger and more brooding fire elementals of the north-central side of the town will try to hassle you and intimidate you.
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[hider=Capitol city of Natura, the gaia nation]
Terra: The capitol city of Natura, the gaia and nature nation of Gaia. This city was founded a few decades after the nation of Natura was recognized. The city that held the title before it was Solum Vis, now merely a town of 5,000. Terra was founded to draw people into the mainland from the edges and to house the warriors to help hone their strength. This nation, while having a moderately strong military with their strengths, is peaceful for the most part. They aren't quick to change their ways, and scorn the other nations for disturbing the balance of Gaia. Terra is a large town in the trees and underground. Bridges, catwalks, dirt stairways and tunnels connect the city, and the way of living is quite modest compared to other cities. Some neighbourhoods, even though not poor, choose to not use electricity or any technologies that damage Gaia in any way. The city houses two million and has many of the 'ordinary' types.
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[hider=Usable Elements]
Gaia: The element that controls the land. Users of this element typically use rocks, or if they're powerful enough (and there's some metal ore nearby), metal which they then shape into various forms... or just throw at you to attack... users of this element can't use it to heal.

Water: The element that controls the sea, ocean... and just about any body of water. Users of this element typically attack using water, either formed form the moisture in the air, or just from the sea, itself to attack opponents. Users of this element can also heal, however, this type of healing won't heal those who are weak to water.

Air: The element that controls, well, the air itself. Users of this element typically just use it to help them fly around, but can also use hurricanes to stop enemies, or blow them into trees, mountains, or rocks. Some can even make sharp blades out of the air, though, unlike Gaia magic-made swords, these don't last for very long. Users of this element can't seem to use it to heal.

Fire: The element that controls any sort of combustion, or simply just higher temperatures. Much like water users, fire users tend to use just the raw form of their element to attack, and, oddly enough, said fire can be created just about anywhere. The most common form of a fire spell is, in fact, a fireball. Interestingly, users of this element can heal using it, however, this type of healing won't heal those who are weak to fire.

Nature: The element that controls the various plantlife on the planet, as well as, apparently, life, itself. Users of this element typically summon plants from the ground, itself and grow them instantly, once summoned... they also tend to prefer to use said magic to bind, or otherwise stop enemies rather than harm them, though, poison and nature go hand-in-hand, and as such, this element also controls poison. Oddly, Gaia-born dragons can breathe poison, even if they can't use Nature magic. Users of this element can also heal using it, and said heal can also fix problems such as poison and paralysis... though it can't heal those who are weak to it, it CAN cleanse those who are weak to nature.

Ice: The element that controls lower temperatures, as well as the solid form of water. Users of this element typically try to form ice around their opponent, or simply create icicles, and throw those at the enemy, though, simply making it much colder around their enemy is also an option. Users of this element can heal, and can cure burns, however, they can't heal someone who is weak to ice.

Lava: The element that controls molten rock, and other hot, molten things. Users of this element typically just try to flood the enemy's side of the battle with the stuff, having it burst though right from Gaia's core, or, if possible, a nearby active volcano. This magic is incredibly difficult to control, and may end in an ally taking damage from your attacks. Users of this element can't use it to heal, as well.

Lightning: The element that controls electricity. Users of this element tend to use it in its raw form, shooting lightning bolts at things they don't like, while occasionally storing extra electricity to temporarily improve their speed, and magic resistances. Users of this element also occasionally charge their claws/teeth/talons/weapons with electricity, which will, of course, add that element to their next ordinary attack. Lightning attacks are bright, and loud, and as such, have a chance to stun, or even confuse the enemy. Users of this element can use it for some minor healing, but can also (unreliably) use it to bring someone back from KO... though, they won't exactly be at peak condition after that.

Ordinary: This is... kinda the 'default' element, used to designate non-magical, non-elemental attacks... though, there are those who CAN use magic that is still considered 'ordinary', it usually manifests as light, and, interestingly, can be used to attack and blind enemies. Users of this element are also typically better at hand-to-hand, or weapon-based combat than their peers, as well, though their magic skills tend to be sub-par. Users of this element can use it to heal... quite a bit, actually... this element can also be used to bring someone back from KO... miraculously even at peak condition, as well. Interestingly, even those weak to this element aren't immune to its healing powers.

Darkness: The element that controls shadows, darkness (duh), and the night. Users of this element typically use it to make shadows harm their enemies. Interestingly, this element can also be used to poison someone... though, said poisoning is less lethal than most Nature-based poisons, and is easily cured, unless the target is already weak, they probably won't die from it. Users of this element seem to generally be better at magic than their peers, though, they also tend to be physically weak, as well. All shadows (the species) use this as their primary element. Users of this element can also heal others, and even clear confusion, stunned, and rage conditions, and, though this healing is potent, it's done through putting the target to sleep for a bit, and won't work on insomniacs.

Obscurity: An interesting element that can be used in too many different ways to describe... it can be thought of as an element that can be used to alter the world in some way. One common use, however, is the user using some sort of artistic tool to bring drawings/paintings to life, and use said things either as weapons or allies. Interestingly, the user is very limited in their ability to do this, often starting off summoning/creating rocks, squirrels, or small, sharp sticks to aid them until they learn to control their abilities much better. Users of this element are often thought of as crazy, strange... or geniuses. Users of this element can use it to heal, often through summoning magical food with healing powers as thought up by the user, though, obviously, the target of this healing has to be able to consume it, somehow.

Null: The element that seems to simultaneously control nothing, and everything. Spells of this nature are usually shielding spells that cancel out a specific element for a short period of time, though, some expert users of this element can also use a nulled version of some other spell that they've seen before... of course, it won't have the original element tied to it, and will usually be weaker as a result. Users of this element are typically incredibly strong against magical attacks, however, their defenses also usually falter against the elements of Ordinary, Darkness, and Obscurity. Users of this element can use it to heal... provided they're good enough with the element to learn other spells, and have learned a spell that also heals... oddly, much like ordinary, even those who are weak to null aren't immune to its healing.
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[hider=Rules]
1. Please respect one another in OOC... your character can be as much of a jerk as you want them to be, though.

2. Please try to post at least one paragraph in every IC post... a decently-sized one, too.

3. No Power-, or meta-gaming, and please no godmodding, okay?

4. Please post ONLY finished apps in the 'Characters' tab.
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