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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haldrik" data-source="post: 8053780" data-attributes="member: 6694221">What does elemental cleric religion look like? What are the beliefs? How are the customs? Who are the sacred community?2e• Four elements: water, fire, air, and earth.• Each cleric − and each congregation of a cleric − especially reveres one of these four elements.• The water cleric is the most socially influencial, but all four elementalists are equally powerful magically4e• Elementalism = Primal → animismHow are the clerics different from the druids? The four elements are inhuman. Elements feel impersonal. Thus clerics are more iconoclastic. By contrast, animals and even plants and landscapes exhibit more personality. Thus druids are more about personal relationships with the features of natures.Loose inspiration from reallife Daoism feels useful for comparison, where the "cosmic forces" are assertive Yang and receptive Yin. But the Dao is itself a harmony that transcends and includes both.Consider Avatar The Last Airbender.For the Dark Sun elemental clerics, each element is a fundamental "cosmic force". All that exists physically and mentally are made out of these four forces.The concept invites a "fifth element" that is itself a harmony that transcends and includes the other four elements. A kind of Dao. Namely, "force".Fifth element: force, gravity, ether, spirit, consciousness, soul, quintessence.In a psionic context, this "cosmic" "force" is telekinetic. The force is inherently conscious. Psionic abilities are sacred, as a foundation of reality. There is a nexus between the "conscious observer" and the manifestations of this physical world.  The clerics view gravity itself as a form of telekinetic force.Relating to soul, this transcendent force relates to healing via ki and persistence of consciousness.The clerics are iconoclastic and mystical, seeking to expand their mind further, to commune with the infinite mind force that includes all mind forces.The fifth element focuses the intention and mystical contemplation. A choice of one of the four elements focuses the action and practical skills.The goal is the fifth element. The means is one of the four elements.This infinite mind force manifests the four the elements.To manifest an elemental power, such as pyrokinesis, is to unify ones own mind with the infinite mind beyond, which manifests this fire primordially.To manifest an elemental is the mystical technique.The Clerics of each element are friendly rivals. Their respective ideals (perhaps pragmatism and justice, balance and compassion) are conflictive. The congregations tend to be competitive with each other, trying to outdo each other, but occasionally cross the line into hate.Because fire and air tend to be "active", while earth and water tend to be "passive", game playability might benefit from elemental coupling: earth-fire versus air-water. Thus the rivalry is mainly between the Clerics of Earth and Fire versus the Clerics of Air and Water. Often stone-shaping versus weather-control.The Clerics are egalitarian, generally lay-led. Most communities elect someone to lead the service. Each community has its own electorial traditions. Some communities take turns each week to lead the ceremonies. Some communities have an incumbent, repeatedly reelected, often a clan elder. Some communities require experienced Clerics, with one or more heading a congregation, but layleaders might still be voted in to do particular ceremonies.Congregations tend to form alliances with other congregations. Some alliances are fairly organized, with representatives from each congregation forming a council, whose authority is generally respected. Other alliances are little more than traderoutes. Political territories are a variagated patchwork, where local clans overrule any other consideration.Each cleric is an elemental mystic. Likewise all of the members of a congregation tend to be contemplative and ecstatic, seeking a deeper meaning for their own psionic capabilities. Elemental manifestations inform most of the religious ceremonies. Sometimes a nonpsionic becomes a member of the congregation because the wider culture reveres psionics generally. Typically, the congregants are themselves psionic elemental practitioners.It is Rare for psionic characters to manifest "flashy" elemental powers, but these sacred elemental communities encourage such features.Sacred spaces are traditionally outdoors anywhere, high altitude for air if possible, ceremonial bonfires or brazers, or cups of precious water. Rare permanent structures are known, whose architecture and furnishings artistically arrange patterns in the rhythm of the element.Mechanics.• The Divine Elemental Cleric employs the Psionic tag to cast a spell without the material component / holy symbol.• Each Cleric Element gets its own Domain with its own Domain Spell List: Earth-Fire and Air-Water − including elemental cantrip.• A Background for each elemental congregant might also confer a certain spell: Earth-Fire Background, Air-Water Background.• . . .</blockquote>

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