When most people hear “the four elements,” they probably think: fire, water, earth, & air.

Not so in Alani. I’m a rebel.

Now, I’m probably the biggest fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender in the room. But personally, I’ve always thought that the water element was overpowered. If someone can control water, they could actually control not just liquid, but the solid form of water—ice—and even the water vapor in the air.

Imagine a classic earth elementalist versus a classic water elementalist in a fight to the death.

THE EARTH GUY CAN:

  • Throw a piece of earth
  • Shape a piece of earth into a weapon
  • Move the earth under their feet
  • Create a shield of earth

THE WATER GUY CAN:

  • Suck the water out of the guy’s body, killing him instantly
  • Encase the guy’s head in water and drown him in about 10 seconds
  • Throw liquid water laced with poison
  • Control an invisible airborne poison via water vapor
  • Throw icicles like daggers or needles
  • Create a shield of ice
  • Create a fully-functioning waterpark complete with snow cones, popsicles, and ice cream

Okay, maybe they aren’t that unbalanced, but it still bugs me that the water guy has so many more possibilities. I mean, honestly, the snow cones are just too much.

A nerdier—er, more scientific—approach

In Alani, the elements are instead the three most common states of matter: liquid, solid, and gas. The fire element is instead the ability to accelerate or decelerate molecules.

“WHAT?” you say. “That sounds extremely nerdy and boring!” Well… it is pretty nerdy, but it ain’t boring!

Aris is the elemental power to control anything in a gaseous state. One would primarily simply think of wind, but an Aris user could also release an airborne poison and control it, or suck the oxygen out of a room.

CELESTIAL OBJECT: Aris is equated with Alani’s smallest moon, which is covered in a silvery white dust, giving it a bright but blurred appearance in the night sky.

Terruth is the elemental power to control anything in solid form. This includes stone, wood, sand, etc. A skilled Terruth user could fashion himself armor, tools, or a weapon in a time of need.

CELESTIAL OBJECT: Terruth is represented by Alani’s largest moon, which is the most easily visible in every night sky.

Malo is the elemental power to control anything in liquid form. This includes liquid mercury, poisons, and did someone say magma? A skilled Malo user is extremely dangerous—they can drown their victims with a surprisingly small amount of water held in the wrong place.

CELESTIAL OBJECT: Malo is equated with Alani’s blue-green moon, which is thought to have the strongest effect on the tides despite its smaller size. Its dark hue can make it difficult to find, so many people find it by looking for blotted out stars instead.

Phoera is the elemental power of energy. Phoera users can accelerate or decelerate molecules… but what does that mean? Literally, it means they can force a state change within an object, like melting stone or freezing water. Practically, it means cooking your dinner or igniting gasoline within a fuel tank and blowing it sky high.

A Phoeran elementalist can also manipulate electricity and light. Advanced users can bend light around objects, making them invisible.

CELESTIAL OBJECT: Phoera is associated with Alani’s sun, a yellow-orange main sequence star.

Which element would you choose?