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This article is about the element. For the Maztican spell, see Fire (spell).
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The element of fire was one of the four fundamental building blocks of matter, both useful and dreadful, warming and consuming, changing and purifying.[1][2] Despite elements generally playing a neutral role in the cosmos, fire was seen as aggressive and evil by many.[1][3][4][5]

“
All the elements bow to fire. The strongest earth melts. Water boils. Even air ignites. We are all souls of flame, and we know what it is to burn.
”
— Marrake al-Sidan al-Hariq ben Lazan[6]

Cosmology

Fire manifested its position in the cosmos as the Elemental Plane of Fire, one of the Inner Planes.[7][3] The element was also represented there in living form as fire elementals.[3]

The ruler over the portfolio of fire in Faerûn and Zakhara was the elemental lord Kossuth,[2][8] while it was held by Tezca in the Maztican[9] and by Girru in the Untheric pantheon.[10][11] Among the Lords of Creation worshiped in southeastern Kara-Tur, Agni held dominion over this element.[12][13] Moradin of the dwarves[14] and Flandal Steelskin of the gnomes also had a special interest in fire as it was used in the forge.[15] Talos, the draconic deity Garyx, and the giant power Surtr administered the destructive side of fire.[16][17][18] The evil archomental Imix also worked to wrest the claim over the element of fire away from Kossuth, but the greater power remained firmly in control.[19][3] Beyond Realmspace, Sirrion the Flowing Flame held the portfolio of fire for the world of Krynn.[20]

Magic

School of elemental fire

“
We're no strangers to pain, we who play with fire. Masters of fire or great archmages alike. Sooner or later, we all get burned.
”
— The Simbul, Witch-Queen of Aglarond[21]

Many magical spells utilized the element of fire.[22] Elemental fire was recognized as a "school of effect" (rather than one of the eight traditional schools of magic).[23][24] Wizards specializing in this school were called fire elementalists[24][25][note 1] and Masters of Flame.[26][27] Fire was opposed to the element of water, both as a school of magic[24] and as a worldview.[2][28]

Magic-users in Zakhara had a similar but not identical notion of fire magic in the form of the province of flame.[29]

Likewise, the wu jen of Kara-Tur divided spells into five elemental groups, including fire.[30][31]

Divine fire magic

A number of deities granted divine spells that relied on the element, either in the form of the elemental fire sphere,[32] or the fire domain.[33][34]

Celestial bodies

Spacefarers also used the four elements to distinguish different types of celestial bodies present in the crystal spheres. Fire bodies were often found at the center of a crystal sphere, giving light and warmth to all its worlds. The sun of Realmspace (as its only fire body) was just such an example.[35][36][37]

Appendix

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In some areas of the world of Mystara, fire elementalists were called pyromancers.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 David "Zeb" Cook (1994). Planescape Campaign Setting, A DM Guide to the Planes. Edited by David Wise. (TSR, Inc), pp. 26, 30. ISBN 978-1560768340.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Monte Cook and William W. Connors (December 7, 1998). The Inner Planes. Edited by Michele Carter and Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 40–49. ISBN 0-7869-0736-3.
  4. ↑ Sam Witt (March 1994). The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook. Edited by Dezra D. Phillips, C. Terry Phillips. (TSR, Inc.), p. 8. ISBN 1-56076-828-2.
  5. ↑ Jeff Grubb and Andria Hayday (April 1992). Arabian Adventures. (TSR, Inc), pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-1560763581.
  6. ↑ Jeremy Crawford, F. Wesley Schneider (February 2025). Monster Manual 5th edition (revised). Edited by Judy Bauer. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 118. ISBN 978-0-7869-6954-8.
  7. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 256–257. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  8. ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 57. ISBN 978-1560763291.
  9. ↑ Douglas Niles (August 1991). “Gods & Battles”. Maztica Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 28. ISBN 1-5607-6084-2.
  10. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 95. ISBN 978-0786906574.
  11. ↑ Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 64, 172. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
  12. ↑ James M. Ward and Troy Denning (August 1990). Legends & Lore (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc), p. 130. ISBN 978-0880388443.
  13. ↑ Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume II). (TSR, Inc), p. 105. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
  14. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 94. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  15. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 177–178. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  16. ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 155–156. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  17. ↑ Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). Draconomicon. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
  18. ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Erik Mona (May 2002). Faiths and Pantheons. Edited by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 221. ISBN 0-7869-2759-3.
  19. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 2015). Villains: Cult of the Eternal Flame (HTML). Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2015-04-26.
  20. ↑ Kate Novak, Jeff Grubb (December 1997). Tymora's Luck. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-7869-0726-6.
  21. ↑ Ed Greenwood (April 2005). Hand of Fire. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 1. ISBN 978-0-7869-3646-5.
  22. ↑ Cook, Findley, Herring, Kubasik, Sargent, Swan (1991). Tome of Magic 2nd edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 151. ISBN 1-56076-107-5.
  23. ↑ Richard Baker (1996). Player's Option: Spells & Magic. (TSR, Inc), pp. 16–19. ISBN 0-7869-0394-5.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Cook, Findley, Herring, Kubasik, Sargent, Swan (1991). Tome of Magic 2nd edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 9. ISBN 1-56076-107-5.
  25. ↑ Tim Beach (October 1994). “Campaign Book”. In Lester Smith ed. Red Steel (TSR, Inc.), p. 30. ISBN 1-56076-895-9.
  26. ↑ Daniel Jones (June 2010). “Class Acts: Wizards”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #388 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 37.
  27. ↑ Cryptic Studios (December 2013). Neverwinter: Shadowmantle. Perfect World Entertainment.
  28. ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 78–80. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  29. ↑ Jeff Grubb and Andria Hayday (April 1992). Arabian Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 111. ISBN 978-1560763581.
  30. ↑ Gary Gygax, David Cook, and François Marcela-Froideval (1985). Oriental Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 26. ISBN 0-8803-8099-3.
  31. ↑ James Wyatt (October 2001). Oriental Adventures (3rd edition). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-2015-7.
  32. ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (August 1989). Player's Handbook (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc.), p. 34. ISBN 0-88038-716-5.
  33. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 63. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  34. ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 187. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
  35. ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1989). “Concordance of Arcane Space”. Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-88038-762-9.|74-76}}
  36. ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1989). “Lorebook of the Void”. Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space (TSR, Inc.), pp. 87–95. ISBN 0-88038-762-9.
  37. ↑ Dale "slade" Henson (April 1991). Realmspace. Edited by Gary L. Thomas, Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc), pp. 5–6. ISBN 1-56076-052-4.

External links

Connections

The Building Blocks of the Multiverse
Elements

Air • Earth • Fire • Water • (Wood)
Energies

Negative energy • Positive energy
Schools of Magic
Abjuration • Conjuration • Divination • Enchantment • Evocation • Illusion • Necromancy • Transmutation • Universal
Schools of effect
Air • Earth • Fire • Water • Dimension • Incantation • Shadow
Schools of thaumaturgy
Artifice • Song • Wild magic
Zakharan provinces of magic
Flame • Sand • Sea • Wind • Universal
Netherese Fields of Mythal
Inventive • Mentalism • Variation
Others
Chronomancy • Hishna • Pluma • Paths of power