Elemental Renewal

Revolution

The Elemental Barons depose of the Elemental Tyrants after the Tyrants refused to perform their duties.

Elemental Isolation

After the Flood concluded, Ki and her heralds took over the role of maintaining Phoenix’s climate temporarily. It had been a long time since anyone had heard from the rulers of the Elemental Planes; rumors spread of their apparent death during the war.

When this temporary arrangement reached its fifth anniversary, Ki decided to ask the Exarchs if the rulers of the Elemental Planes were dead or not. She learned from Exarch Ensi that the Elemental Tyrants were not dead but closed off completely, refusing to interact with any outsiders, including different elementals.

Ki tasked her closest primus, Bahamut, with confronting the Elemental Tyrants and demanding that they perform their sacred duties again.

Confrontation

Each Elemental ruler greeted Bahamut with hostility. In their isolation, they had become harsh dictators, forcing their residents into isolation from the other Elemental Planes. These Elemental Tyrants believed their fellow rulers to be selfish backstabbers and refused to work tandem. Bahamut tried to appeal to them by explaining how vital their responsibilities were to the planes. His attempts at diplomacy fell on deaf ears.

Bahamut reported his findings back to Ki, who was frustrated. Since the planes were still rebuilding with nascent pantheons, Ki knew they could not afford another all-out fight. She tasked Bahamut with locating a group of heroes to help the Elemental Tyrants see reason, with one hero to represent each element to show the need for cooperation.

Six Heroes

Bahamut found a close ally in an exiled shuyookh named Lutea. Lutea was a genie who once held a position of power in Natura. During the Flood, her ruler shut off Natura completely and trapped everyone inside. When Lutea brought up the grievances of the people to her ruler, he banished her from the plane.

Lutea kept in contact with an acquaintance in Diabolis who informed her of a powerful warrior trapped within the House of One. Lutea explained to Bahamut that she would like to break this warrior out of imprisonment and request his aid in helping the Elemental Tyrants see reason. This warrior was from another world and he could be an asset in the event that the confrontations with the Tyrants became hostile. To free this warrior they required a team of adventurers that would be equipped to handle a heist.

Bahamut took to the Material Plane, visiting taverns and keeping a lookout for adventurers that met the criteria. He found Akachi, Kasumi, Render, and Terror; each of them would be attuned to the elements of earth, air, metal, and water, respectively.

The newly formed party used Bahamut to serve as a distraction for Dominus Kalugal by challenging the dominus to a duel. Lutea and the party snuck to the dungeon of the House of One to locate the warrior and free him from his icy prison. They relied on the skills of Akachi and Render to carve the warrior out. As the ice was carved away, the warrior began to melt the ice around him with immense heat. He did not need much convincing to help the party on their quest.

With all six elements represented, Bahamut entrusted the completion of the task to Lutea and returned to his duties of serving Ki.

Elemental Combination

As the party traveled amongst the planes, they focused their attention on showing the power of elemental harmony to the people of the elemental planes by performing small quests, solving mysteries, and protecting communities. Each community the party visited slowly warmed up to them and the idea of working with the other elementals.

While the party grew in strength and renown, they became difficult to ignore. They steadily began to wear out their welcome in each of the elemental planes. They became criminals in the eyes of the tyrants. It was not long after this that whispers of revolution began to spread through elemental settlements.

The Tyrants Grow Angry

Talk of revolution began to anger the Elemental Tyrants far more than anything else the party had done. The next time they stepped foot in a new Elemental Plane, they were met with a Tyrant ready to confront them.

The Metal Tyrant trapped the party inside a massive adamantine maze of puzzles and traps. The maze was airtight, meaning that if the party was not killed by the traps, they would slowly suffocate instead. The tyrants blindness to the use of the other elements prevented them from realizing that Kasumi could manifest breathable air to buy the party more time to solve the maze. Any metal traps thrown their way were immediately destroyed by Render warping the metal. Render forced their way out of the maze, shifting the adamantine as they needed. They confronted the Metal Tyrant and defeated them as a team.

The Earth Tyrant took a more direct approach, fighting the party head-on. He shook the very ground they battled on. The party focused on using long-range attacks. The warrior hurled fireballs while Terror and Kasumi worked together to conjure a powerful storm. Lutea spread roots through the earth to make it harder to move. Akachi attempted to reign control of the terrain from the Earth Tyrant. Render utilized the confusion and followed a path made by Lutea’s roots to sneak up behind the Tyrant and swipe at his legs. This alarmed the Tyrant and caused his concentration to falter enough for Akachi to control the terrain. With the tide of the battle turned, the party swiftly overpowered and defeated the Earth Tyrant.

The Air Tyrant battled them in the skies of Altiora. Akachi provided ground for the party to walk on, while Kasumi kept it from falling. On top of this challenge, the Air Tyrant was completely invisible. Lutea spread spores around the battleground, which revealed the Air Tyrants location so the warrior, Terror, and Render could battle the Air Tyrant on equal terms.

The Water Tyrant, by nature, was always shifting and changing his opinion and mood. Such traits made it impossible for him to rule. When the party arrived at Immergo, he was in an amicable mood and questioned why they spent their time turning the people against the tyrants. Terror explained that this was not their original intention, they just wanted to prove that the elements ought to work in harmony rather than against each other. The party learned that the Water Tyrant has not cared about leadership since the beginning; he simply adapted to what the others were doing. Terror reasoned that if the Water Tyrant did not want all the constraints of leadership, then he should quit. He had not considered stepping down to be an option until Terror spoke to him, but that is exactly what he did.

The Fire Tyrant was not as diplomatic. She set her entire domain ablaze, trying to keep the party away from the Igneus. Terror focused all her energy on keeping the flames doused for Akachi, Kasumi, Lutea, and Render. The warrior was able to move just fine amongst the flames. After a fierce battle, the party triumphed, and the Fire Tyrant was defeated.

The Wood Tyrant remembered Lutea well from their last encounter. They also were aware of the power Lutea’s adventuring party had accumulated after their triumphs over the other Elemental Tyrants. The Wood Tyrant instead issued them a challenge that he thought to be impossible: cultivate a bloom of a wish flower. If the party could complete the challenge, the tyrant would willingly step down. The party cultivated the bloom using their various elemental attunements to keep it alive and stable and presented it to the Tyrant. The Tyrant of Wood spoke a wish that the party never existed, and just as the flower was about to grant the wish, Render sliced the stem and killed the flower. Since the terms of their bargain were met, the Wood Tyrant stepped down from his position of power, granting the party total victory.

After the Fall

When the dust settled, new rulers for the elemental planes needed to be crowned to keep them balanced. The people chose the adventurers to rule as they were the first in centuries to use the elements in harmony instead of against each other. While most of the heroes agreed, the otherworldly warrior declined the offer. He did not feel he could rule an entire plane, so he appointed his adoptive son, Pyros, as the Baron of Fire in his stead.

The newly appointed Elemental Barons struck a new agreement with the Twilight Court to maintain the climate and seasons of the Material Plane. The terms of this agreement were so detailed that it is considered to be the most iron clad diplomatic agreement in the history of the planes.

Since this agreement, the Elemental Barons have ruled as equals. They rely on feedback from their subjects and each other to ensure that everyone in the Elemental Plane is being treated fairly.