Into the Abyss

These are the five elements of creation. It is their interaction that creates Mana, the energy of magic. Perhaps the best known treatise on the interaction of the 5 elements to produce mana is that by Heward.

Each of the five elements exists in their raw form in their own dimension, or plane of existence. It is the intersection of the five elemental planes that forms the Planes of Man. The entire physical world is nothing but a collection of objects constructed from these five elements.

The first four are generally familiar to most individuals as they encounter reflections of these elements within their everyday life: the dirt beneath ones feet, the air one breathes, the fire one cooks dinner with and the water one must drink to live. The fifth however is less well known, and while it is omnipresent it is also elusive and ephemeral.

The fifth element, spirit sometimes referred to as Animae or the Element of Man is the raw essence of the life force. That which we call life is matter from the combination of the first four elements, infused with spirit or Animus. Animus is the reflection of Animae on the Planes of Man.

All of nature is dictated by the interaction of the elements, Astrology is the science that tells us how.

The Pentagram

The pentagram, so crucial a tool in the conjuration of creatures is the perfect ward containing all five elements. A pentagram has five “corners” if you will, each of which represents one of the five elements.

The exact nature, positioning and the five elements within the pentagram varies upon usage and need. Below is a traditional arrangement of the five elements within the pentagram. Further, the usage of a pentagram is also influenced by astrological factors as well as the current environment. Within various religions and pantheons there are always avatars and/or angels assigned to correspond to each element and for certain invocations these beings may stand guard or lend their presence on behalf of their element.

The Pentacle

A Pentacle is a combinations of a pentagram and other runes, symbols and logic. The runes of and symbols of a pentacle provide modifiers, or enhancements and instructions to pentagrams basic function. In essence, a pentacle is an inscribed spell based upon a pentagram. Multiple pentagrams are often combined together in a single pentacle each serving as building blocks, along with runes and other shapes and symbols of an inscribed spell.

Further pentacles often include braziers located either in the center of a pentagram or at the node points of a pentagram depending on the nature of the spell being constructed. Braziers typically contain materials that provide fuel for the spell. Often fire is used as the mechanism for immolation; however. acids and solid catalysts can also be used to consume the material depending on the nature of the material and the requisite elements to be invoked.

Chapter 21

What have I done? Tom cried in his mind. He had killed a man. He had done it for no real reason at all. Yes the man had hurt the kid, maybe killed it, and so Tom had killed him. Actually, he didn’t even know the kid had died, in fact it probably had only been severely wounded, so he had killed that man for even less of a reason. There was no justice in that; he had no right to do that. The man was wrong, he was probably even evil, but did he deserve the sort of death Tom had inflicted on him. First Tom had practically scared him to death, and then he popped him. In his mind the dying man’s exhalations echoed again and again. The hissing and gurgling noise he made as he had bled down Tom’s arm, would not go away.

Tom tried to cry in shame and anger at himself, but found that he couldn’t, apparently demons had no tear ducts. He was nothing but a cold blooded killer, if he’d had anything to throw up, he would have; but he’d never eaten anything in this form. He had ruthlessly, and thoughtlessly, killed a man in a very gory and disgusting manner. What had become of him, to get so easily provoked into such a horrible thing? What he had done was sickening, inhuman, demonic.

Demonic, that was the word, Tom almost laughed at the sick irony of it all. It was like Tizzy said, “... demons... that’s what we’re called and that’s what we are.” He had killed the man just like a demon out of countless video games and books he’d read. He wasn’t human, he was less than human, he was a creature of evil. Tom wanted to cry, but he couldn’t, even that was denied him.

He flew in random directions, continually berating himself, hearing the death gasps of the man he had killed, watching the man’s life seep down and drip off his elbow. How long he kept this up he didn’t know. It seemed like a small eternity that he flew around hating and loathing himself. Eventually however, he ran out of steam and hate.