Picture a sphere of Earth. Above the Earth is Air (in various sub-forms, which will be enumerated shortly). Above the Air is Ice, and beyond the Ice is the Void.
Draw the Earth as a circle.
Upon the earth -- taking up about 1/3 of its surface -- is Wood. This Wood extends deep into the Earth, and rises as high as to scrape the Ice far above.
"Behind" the Wood -- in my mental picture, to the left of the Wood -- is a gigantic Fire. This Fire burns the Wood. It extends from a little below the surface of the Earth to the Ice above, since it burns all of the Wood that it touches. Fire will take up about 1/6 of the circle's surface.
Behind the Fire, you will get Ash, which will take up about 1/6 of the circle's surface.
What eats Ash, since Ash is a mish-mosh of metal, simple carbons, rock and inorganic poisons? Very simple but highly acidic creatures, which we'll call Ooze. Ooze will take up about 1/3 of the circle's surface, and will include deep oceans. which are not covered by plant life.
Finally, the Oozes are fed upon by more complex plant life -- specifically, Wood.
This is the "Circle of Life" for my Elemental Cosmography.
Above this circle is the atmosphere, which is subdivided into Storm (above Fire, Ash and half of Ooze) and Air (the rest of the atmosphere).
