Heyo, Ziggy here.
There's many people who lamented how we didn't see any new classes on Decem's character sheet. However, if you analyze all the information given in the volume as well there's a few things about the broader system that begin to materialize in conjunction with his character sheet. At least there is... more than meets the eye.
The simplest to understand that somehow "Over" Summoning exists - something mentioned before but never fully confirmed until now. Though the true identity of Behemoth is unknown, it appears to be a Primal Earth Elemental to Ainz. However, Decem learned the name from someone else so maybe even he is mistaken about it's identity. The question remains - how could something that strong lack skills and also resemble a Primal Elemental?
If we approach the topic broadly we can make a few hypotheses.
First consider Decem's build:
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Estimated Level mid 70's (based on MP)
Lv. 65ish Druid (barely a Tenth Tier caster)
Lv. 10ish Elementalist(Earth) - Arcane?
Barely tenth tier suggest ten of Decem's combat levels do not count toward Druid or Divine casting
Decem also has as much mana as Shalltear - someone with 80 job class levels manly in divine casting
Shalltear has approximately mid to high 70s worth of MP (verified by FD's pixel counting tables as well)
Summons Lv. 80ish Elemental (may or may not be a Primal Elemental)
strong enough Decem cannot beat it ( by 10+ Over powered rule, that means the Elemental is 10+ish levels over Decem as it doesn't have any anti magic skills to skew things in it's favor)
weak enough that his father (a Player, most on average are max level 100) can defeat it
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-from Firedragon1x "FD" the Word Processing Dragon Emperor
CLASS LEVELS:
Druid Lv. ?
High Druid Lv. ?
Summoner Lv. ?
Elementalist(Earth) Lv.?
Others
[V16]
“[Life Essence]. Hoo!” Ainz let out a voice in surprise. The elf’s HP pool was huge. It easily surpassed the Pleiades and was probably at least level 70 by YGGDRASIL’s standards. This made him an opponent they couldn’t be careless around.
[V16]
Psychic magic could end this in a single blow, but it’s doubtful whether it would work on Decem who was expected to be over level 70.
[V16]
Considering Decem was probably a druid above level 70, it was highly likely that Ainz couldn’t overtake him with his speed.
[V16]
Ainz showed his open palm to the twins, making a pose to tell them not to move. From his estimates of Decem’s HP and MP, he seemed to be above level 70 but below level 80.
[V16]
=========================================================================
Given Decem's relative level, his father being a Player, Zesshi being faster than he was, the admission that Decem feels he could not defeat Behemoth and Ainz's own observation of stats, it's fairly likely Behemoth who is stronger than Decem who himself is in the 70s is a level 80 being - a threat to Decem but not to Players(level 100s). That does line up with a Primal Earth Elemental being's levels revealed in the Season 1 Special novel - so Ainz's assumption appears correct.
We learn later that summoning beings stronger than yourself is normally an impossibility in YGGDRASIL. However, for beings of the New World in their logic specialists can actually summon monsters higher level than they are. After all, Slaine can summon high tier angels via rituals as well.
And we also know that New Worlders can use a unique Meta magic - OVER meta magic. Normally this just lets a caster expend more mana to use spells they do not know. But this is actually just one application of a broader mechanism - mana expenditure can enable casters for various effects.
Let's focus on Mana Expenditure - Mana Over-Consumption
Mana Over-Consumption: A mechanic of the New World where tier magic casters can expend additional mana (either via class skills or via skills like meta magic) for various purposes beyond the cost of typical spells to augment or skirt the rules of YGGDRASIL.
Examples of Mana Over-Consumption:
1: OVER meta magic (use mana to access magic you haven't learned)
“[Over Magic – Mass Light Cure Wounds].” Through the use of prodigious amounts of mana, one could forcibly cast a spell that should not have been normally usable. Aided by this metamagic enhancement, Shasuryu cast a spell that healed everyone’s wounds. “Oh…” Cocytus looked at Shasuryu with interest as the latter used a metamagic technique he had never heard of before. H
[V4]
2: Mana Offsetting Damage
“[Damage Translocation].” Her vision turned black, and at the same time she felt a massive impact, as well as her body being savagely hurled through the air. Her line of sight spun round and round, and she had no idea where she was. When she hit the floor, the impact was such that she bounced lightly off, like a ball. Then she hit the ground again this time sliding to a halt. However — she was unhurt. Evileye used [Fly] to get back up in a way that defied common sense. She was unhurt. However, had she not used a spell which converted physical damage to mana depletion, she would probably be dying by now.
[V6]
3: OVER casting: casting multiple spells at once
She activated three of these potent ― to her ― spells at once. She was simultaneously casting three spells, each one of which used a significant amount of mana. In addition, simultaneously casting spells was very draining in itself, and as the shock of using huge quantities of mana hit her, she felt light and floaty, as though she were about to pass out.
[V13]
4: OVER Duration
Adepts of Surshana had a special ability with a limited number of uses per day. This ability allowed them to extend the effective time of a spell by consuming their mana. Taking advantage of that ability, he had already exhausted most of his mana to maintain his other spells; therefore, he did not have enough mana to effectively use [Fly].
[V15]
5: OVER level meta magic
He came out of hiding from behind the tree and activated his abilities at the same time. He also activated the once-per-day trump card of the Arcane Devotee class that Holocaust Scripture required its members to acquire. He used it to access the spell-strengthening metamagics he had yet to learn. Naturally, he chose [Triplet Magic].
[V15]
6: OVER Summoning
Once you compile all the ideas you begin to see a broader mechanic at play here in the New World - by investing more mana into spells (over saturation of mana) you can produce effects beyond the logic of YGGDRASIL. The price is steeper but you can do things you shouldn't be normally able too. In this context, Decem summoning a summon way beyond his level isn't so strange if it is using the same principle of investing mana to maintain something he shouldn't be able too. If you can use spells you don't know, meta magic you don't know, or even prolong spells beyond duration, why not summon something stronger than you? He had to sacrifice levels to get that ability too, so it isn't so strange in Ziggy's opinion. The question is why is the summon he summons so much stronger than he is - beyond anything else he seems to know of?
It seems like there is an upper bound however on how Decem's OVER summoning works - just like we see Sharyusu cannot cast Tier 10 spells by using OVER meta magic. Using Maruyama's logic for the New World's physics or game design, that is there is a margin of deviation for powers that break YGGDRASIL's rules. This Margin of Deviation is first explored with Nigun - who having a Talent, can strengthen his summons to measure up to heroes of the Black Scripture(people a rank or so stronger than he is). Brain's Talent likewise let him use ONE more martial art (increasing his Focus Capacity by 1 which normally requires a few levels of Fighter investment). Hekkeran likewise can use a Martial Art to increase his Focus Capacity to use one more martial art. It's unknown but OVER meta magic probably is bounded to a degree as well. You would need more mana or more levels to do more.
Z.B. and Ziggy think OVER summoning could be operating on a similar logic of a minor bump in level to what you can summon (an OVER summon is something you can summon at the cost of continual mana depletion). Maru was somewhat vague but if we assume Behemoth is a Primal Earth Elemental and collect all of the details about Decem's level, we can construct a model for how this mechanic might stagger in generality with him as one data point.
Specialized Caster Summoning Bonuses(OVER Summoning Bonus):
Casters cannot normally summon above their level(YGGDRASIL)
MAX SUMMON LEVEL = Caster's Level
Exception - Specialized Summoners acquire bonus levels to summons(beyond their own caster level)
Ignores systems (the bonus is a summation from all possible classes not stacking based off systems)
Bonus levels stack so long as the bonus is not for pure casting but a secondary trait like BONUSes
+1 Level (beyond Caster/Character's Level) Per Tier as a summoner or classes with summoner bonuses
eg: Decem Level. 63-65ish Druid Tier 10 so +10 levels to summoning
Elementalist +1-2 levels to Elemental Summons (however many needed to get to mid 70s)
Decem estimated Level 75 (Bonus of about 11-12 levels to his own summons)
Level 87 Primal Earth Elemental theoretically summonable
Level 87: Primal Water Elemental
[Prologue]
Seven Levels Per Tier Theory
Tier 1
Lv1-7
Tier 2
Lv 8-14
Tier 3
Lv 15-21
Tier 4
Lv 22-28
Tier 5
Lv 29-35
Tier 6
Lv 36-42
Tier 7
Lv 43-49
Tier 8
Lv 50-56
Tier 9
Lv 57-63
Tier 10
Lv 64-70
Every tier you invest into magic and or summoning, you get a +1 to the max level of a monster you can OVER summon(should you invest in mana costs to keep a monster higher level than you out). This comes at the price of needing to dedicate levels to summoning and likely forsaking other Druid pathways in Decem's case. Hence his physical and casting wouldn't be quite as strong as a physical Druid or pure caster type Druid like Mare. Certain classes might be able to double dip with some summoning bonuses for example without being a specific Summoning class.
Theoretically OVER summoning may not be available until later however. That is you might need to invest into it several tiers before you unlock it.
Effective Summoning Bonus (OVER Summoning Level Range)
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Format Key:
Max Tier of Usable Magic(+ stacks two systems with summoning specialization)
OVER summoning bonus level to Summonable Monsters
Number of Casting Levels
Level Range of Max Summonable Monsters
===========================================================================
Tier 1
+1 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 1-7
Lv. 2-8 Max summonable Monsters
Tier 2
+2 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 8-14
Lv. 10-16 Max summonable Monsters
==============================================
Tier 3 (Krusch example - average Platinum to Mithril Adventurer)
+3 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 15-21
Lv. 18-24 Max summonable Monsters
Tier 4 (Nigun example - average Orichalcum to Adamantite rank adventurers)
+4 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 22-29
Lv. 26-33 Max summonable Monsters
=================================
Heroes and Outliers
Tier 5
+5 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 30-35
Lv. 35-40 Max summonable Monsters
Tier 6
+6 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 36-42
Lv.42-48 Max summonable Monsters
Tier 7
+7 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 43-49
Lv. 50-56 Max summonable Monsters
================================
Tier 8
+8 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 50-56
Lv. 58-64 Max summonable Monsters
Tier 9
+9 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 57-63
Lv. 66-72 Max summonable Monsters
================================
Player Descendants Only
Tier 10
+10 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 64-70
Lv. 74-80 Max summonable Monsters
Tier 10+1
+11 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 71-77 (Decem Example)
Lv. 82-88 Max summonable Monsters
Tier 10+2
+12 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 78-84
Lv. 90-96 Max summonable Monsters
Tier 10+3
+13 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 85-91 (Zesshi level Player Descendant)
Lv. 98-104 Max summonable Monsters
=======================================
Theoretical Player Descendants (max recorded is Lv. 88 - 92+ has no precedent)
Tier 10+4
+14 to own Level for OVER summoning
Lv. 92-99
Lv. 106-113 Max summonable Monsters
============================================================================
"Behemoth"
Decem claimed his Elemental had NO skills (besides it's hiding) - contingency summoning?
Ainz claimed Primal Elementals do have skills
a: Decem's summon isn't a Primal Earth Elemental
Something like a familiar outside YGGDRASIL
New Worlders can create custom summons? (no precedent)
Behemoth was formed from inert ground left dormant in certain locations
*Counter argument: Decem's spells also left water behind (so any druid spell might have this byproduct)
b: Decem's summon is a Primal Earth Elemental
As a summoner his levels let him pool anything from YGGDRASIL in the 80s he met the requirements for
IE cannot invent new summons but can pull from the entire YGGDRASIL monster collection
eg: Skeletal dragons something Ainz cannot summon are spawnable in the New World
By that logic, as long as it exists as a monster in YGGDRASIL it can be summoned
via OVER summoning or similar rituals
Khajit proves you can summon Skeletal Dragons via rituals
Because Decem never uses the summons name it cannot use it's skills?
True Names and Summons (eg Demons) "disappear"
NPCs like Narberal and Demiurge never use their full abilities without revealing their names
Dragon Lords like Tsa use false names while hiding their abilities.
Mercenary monsters like NPCs can be given names (do not need monster name)
Theory: Decem tried to summon the being his father talked about and accidentally summoned a Primal Earth Elemental - but mistook it for a Behemoth. As the Behemoth mistook that for it's "nickname" just like Ainz gave a rank to the Hanzo Leader, it still will follow orders. But it cannot use skills without it's True Name?
Rororo acts find as a Hydra but he's a mount not a summon. But how come other summoners can summon beings they know and use their skills?
Is the correct name the reason? Or do OVER summon beings like Lesser classes, lack Skills? Dominion of Authority used skills just fine and it was summoned via a ritual by far weaker casters in a manner similar to OVER summoning. When people summon beings do they need to learn their names from somewhere? Any being that can talk can tell it's name, but what about those unable to talk?
Slaine doesn't OVER summon unique angels and neither did Roble, so it does appear summoners cannot just summon anything unnatural even with OVER summoning.
That would suggest, the lack of precedence, that Behemoth has to be something from YGGDRASIL and given both Ainz and Schen considered it an Earth Elemental, most likely it is a Primal Earth Elemental. Given that the knowledge of monsters is not complete - there are some monsters not recorded in records, higher tier monsters may have unknown names. So Summoners may be able to summon monsters but may not actually know their actual names. In that case, we can explain how Decem named Behemoth but failed to learn it was a Primal Earth Elemental (inferred to be his father). No one else would be able to identify it besides Players and given what he did know, he learned about a raid boss but not the top tier of Elementals since it's a niche subject.
One alternate possibility was Decem's father taught Decem about the strongest Earth Elemental raid boss from some dungeon (the Elemental Guardian of the Land) and Decem mistook that boss for his Elemental (being something way stronger than should be summonable by a Druid. So it was Decem coming to a false conclusion using what little he did know - just like Decem came to the wrong conclusion about Mare and Aura and Zesshi. He lacked all the details and connected the wrong things. Clearly Behemoth from the game wasn't the Elemental Guardian of the Land. Likewise, the Elemental Guardian of the Land wasn't Behemoth either.
That's what seems to be the issue - Decem connected two separate descriptions from his father into one. A telling idea is how Decem didn't seem to know much about some of what a Primal Earth Elemental could do - namely elongating it's arms or moving through the ground. He knew it could form from the Earth itself, but that was it. The question remains, how do summoners know what skills their summons can use in the New World?
Intuitively it should be like how they know how to use magic items. But given Decem wasn't the one who named Behemoth - rather it seems to be he didn't name it himself at least, maybe summoners don't always know everything about their summons. Schoen thought it was more an Elemental Lord himself. using the common sense of the world, most superior beings would be "Lords". Yet Decem despite calling himself the Elf King(Lord), he did not think of himself as a Lord or special type of Elf as his father was also just an Elf. Which is actually correct - as a Player no such designations existed. Decem, born in this world however, would normally call larger, superior beings "Lords" like Dragon Lords. He also notably called ancient dragons just dragons not dragon lords as well. That makes sense given he knows stories of Dragon Lords his father killed as a Greed King and so would know a distinction between the two.
The precedence here is the idea how Decem comes to false conclusions using evidence. So like his first conclusion that Zesshi was the mother to the twins. Or falsely believing the twins to be his own descendants. Zesshi had a similar failing with trying to figure out Mare's identity and build.
The most likely explanation however is that summons summoned via OVER summoning like Lesser classes lose features to be summon-able. The precedence being Lesser classes come at a clear penalty. That same penalty idea might apply to Over summons. The sacrifice for them being Skills. They still have the base level and stats however, so it's not as crippling. In the New World it's a boon for the fact level disparity is so brutal that can be more valuable than skills.
===========================================================================
The Death Knight was another mystery. In Yggdrasil, all summoned monsters would vanish after a certain time unless special methods were used in their summoning. He had not used any such methods to summon the Death Knight and its summoning time was long past, but it remained here.
[V1]
“The monsters you summoned are similar to those in Yggdrasil, so I was curious as to whether the names were the same. Many of Yggdrasil’s monsters were derived from mythology… monsters like angels or demons should be no exception. Said angels and demons are most commonly associated with Christianity, but it seems quite unnatural that something called an archangel exists in a world without Christianity. That would mean someone like myself must exist in this world.”
[V1]
Someone was muttering to themselves. Angels summoned from magic had bodies created from their summoners’ mana, so they were definitely not light. They weighed more than a grown man, and then there was the weight of their armor to consider as well. There was no way they could be lifted up by the throat so easily.
[V1]
The Principality of Observation was a high-tier angel whose offensive and defensive strength were in a 3:7 ratio. It boasted the strongest defense of all other angels in its tier. In addition, Nigun’s natural-born Talent, [Enhance Summoned Monster], could improve the stats of any monster Nigun summoned. As a result, there were very few people who could defeat a Principality of Observation summoned by Nigun. Nigun had never seen anyone defeat it with just one spell. Even the Black Scripture, whose members’ power pressed against the limits of humanity, could not do it. In other words, Ainz Ooal Gown’s power exceeded that of mankind.
[V1]
It was an angel of the highest order, which could easily destroy a city. Casting the spell to summon that angel again required an incalculable amount of money and manpower, but Ainz Ooal Gown, this mysterious being, was worthy of being eliminated by its power. More importantly, it would be worse if the crystal was taken without the spell being cast.
[V1]
The legendary angel descended upon the earth, and Nigun exulted: “Behold! The glorious visage of the highest angel! Dominion Authority!”
[V1]
Still, there were many magic items which could summon creatures, just as there were many summoning spells in magic. Any monsters summoned with those spells would vanish after a while. Summoned monsters were not creatures which could persist for a long time.
[V2]
“So he’s definitely there. And the metal plates should be nearby… hm, a big mass of undead?” There was a group of undead around Nfirea. They were all low-tier undead, but they were present in surprising numbers. “…What do you plan to do? Teleport in and wipe them all out at once? Or perhaps use flight magic to attack them from above?” “Don’t be silly. Wouldn’t either of those methods mean that the problem gets solved without anyone knowing about it?” Seeing that Narberal had no idea of what he was talking about, Ainz continued his explanation: “Whoever created all these undead must have done so in preparation for something of earthshaking proportions. Therefore, if we save Nfirea and deal with that matter at the same time, it will greatly boost our reputations. If we do this on the quiet, we will only receive Lizzie’s payment, and we won’t be able to gain much fame from it.” That said, if they did not take care of the situation quickly, there was a high chance that Nfirea might die. Even Ainz could not summon this many undead and control them, so there must have been some sort of trick at work here. Nfirea’s life might well be an important part of that trick.
[V2]
The stroke of lightning made Crusch hurt all over, but she bit her pain back and cast [Summon Beast – 3rd]. A huge — roughly one hundred fifty centimeters — crab with an enormous right pincer appeared from the surface of the water, as though it had always been sleeping there and just woken up. Needless to say, it had been conjured by the [Summon Beast – 3rd] spell.
[V4]
“Ah yes, Master. Does that secret tome which records all manner of monsters mention that particular monster?” “No,” Fluder said while stroking his beard. “Perhaps the complete version of the Eryuentiu might, but the only copies circulating in the outside world are not complete.” One of his disciples seemed to have a question, which he addressed to a disciple next to him. While his voice was very soft, the room was the very embodiment of silence, and so his words seemed surprisingly loud. “What’s the Eryuentiu?” “Isn’t it the name of a city?” “I know that, but it sounds really weird.” “Hm… I looked it up once. I think it’s a word from an ancient language which means, ‘The great tree at the heart of the world.’”
[V7]
There were three types of monsters in Nazarick: the first were the NPCs, who were made just like the Players were; the second were the automatically spawning monsters of level 30 and below, and the last ones were the summoned monsters who could serve as mercenaries. These mercenary monsters had to be summoned via a ritual which used a book and then expending an appropriate amount of currency according to their level. Therefore, one could not summon them without a book.
[V8]
Summon spells ― including this Super-Tier spell ― would terminate after a while. Thus, he had to avoid wasting time
[V10]
Calca’s powerful voice filled the plaza, and the angels in the perimeter and hidden among the priests spread their wings and took flight. There were five angels who held swords of fire, summoned through third-tier spells — Archangel Flames. There were twenty more summoned through second-tier spells, Angel Guardians. And then, there was a single angel which Calca had summoned before arriving here — a Principality of Peace. While she did not remember what powers the angels possessed, she remembered that the Principality of Peace which Calca summoned could use low-tier divine spells and could use abilities such as the ability to grant protection from evil, smite evil, and cause mass silence, among others. That was because she had often seen Calca summon it
[V12]
The adventurers ran over to collect their comrades who had fallen by Remedios’s feet. While their immobile bodies were clearly dead, they still believed in the faint probability that it might not be so. “…How bothersome. Even if they are nothing more than insects, a swarm of them is still unpleasant.” Jaldabaoth sounded perfectly composed. Indeed, being able to negate the spells cast on him from the rear and perfectly evade physical attacks made him seem overwhelmingly superior. However— Do you think we’ve never fought enemies like this before? Unless their summoners were specialists, summoned monsters were generally weaker than the ones who called them forth. Therefore, there were cases where angels’ attacks ended up being useless
[V12]
“In other words, Jaldabaoth can conjure that demon any number of times as long as certain conditions are met? Or perhaps he can summon the same demon multiple times?” Neia could not cast spells, but she had heard this during her lectures. It was difficult to summon multiple beings with summon magic. In other words, when a summon spell was active, casting another summon spell would cause the previous summon spell to end. The currently summoned monsters would go back from whence they came and new monsters would be summoned in their place. However, people capable of high-tier summoning spells could simultaneously conjure several weaker monsters at once, of the sort that one would evoke with a low-tier summon spell. For instance, one could use a fourth-tier spell to summon multiple monsters that could be invoked by a third-tier spell. “I don’t understand at all. His method of summoning demons is still a mystery. While it felt like he was summoning them with spells, he couldn’t have summoned multiple demons of such power… but if he could, that would beg the question of why he did not do so in the Kingdom. Perhaps if he were a magic caster who specializes in summoning, he could simultaneously summon multiple copies of such a creature…” “So even if we defeated the scaly demons, Jaldabaoth could immediately resummon it?” “Just so. However, that refers to the situation where Jaldabaoth conjures them with magic. If he used some kind of special ability to do it, that would be another matter entirely.”
[V12]
“This might be a very basic question, but where did Jaldabaoth come from? Was the name of Jaldabaoth passed down from earlier days?” “That is unclear. We’ve studied all sorts of literature, but we haven’t been able to find that name in any of them. We’ve also tried looking for clues based on his appearance, but similarly, we haven’t been able to make any headway either.” “Could it be an alias? Maybe he caused trouble under a different name in the past?” “I doubt that. To demons — this applies to angels as well — their names are a very important part of their very being. If a demon wants to show up, it has to engrave its name into the world. Therefore, they can’t use false names. Experiments show that using a false name might even cause them to disappear on the spot.”
[V12]
The most likely explanation was that he had been given an alias. But why would he give him an alias? If he was from the Kingdom, he should have proudly declared his name and his intention to destroy the root of all evil that had started this war. Was it because he was someone who wished to remain anonymous of his own volition? Another possibility was that he was trying to draw Ainz’s aggression towards the real Riku Agneía, or perhaps the knowledge of his true name gave Ainz power over him or something. Although it was essentially pure wilderness when those lands came under his rule, they had still gathered quite a bit of intel from the demi-human residents of that land. Of the intel they gained, one was about the connection some had between their true name and soul, and how one could become more susceptible to curses should their true name become known.
[V14]
He had seen Earth Elementals before. They were weird chubby-looking things, smaller than humans and with arms too large for their bodies. But, the one that stood before him was not such a cute thing. A misshapen body made of boulders and mineral ore, and as large as the trees around it, enough to make one call it the Earth Elemental Lord. Thick and long arms with stout but short legs. Maybe it would have looked comical if it was much smaller, but its arms and legs displayed power that no monster should be capable of. The elf king stood behind it, looking at Schoen’s desperate struggle with a sneer
[V15]
“... By ‘this thing,’ you mean Primal Earth Elemental?”
“Primal Earth Elemental?”
“Of all things, that’s what caught your attention? A Primal Earth Elemental is what
you’ve summoned, right? Or is it a different race...an elemental with a different
name? Do you call it by a different name?”
Even though it was fine if the lowly worm died in ignorance, Decem was irritated
that he thought Behemoth was just a simple earth elemental or something from a
similar race. Considering he also had to educate his grandkids correctly, he had to
correct the enemy’s misunderstanding here.
“That’s Behemoth. The Elemental Guardian of the Land, Behemoth.” “Behemoth? So I didn’t mishear it...Elemental Guardian of the Land? Not the Great Magic Beast of the Continent? The raid boss? The Behemoth I knew looked a lot different...Who was the one that named it first? You?”
“Someone else, but — ”
[V16]
While hiding his smile — of course, his face won’t move in the first place — Ainz tried to recollect Primal Earth Elemental’s abilities. The Primal Earth Elemental that was over level 80 played the tank role among the Primal Elementals of the same level. No, fundamentally, all earth elementals filled the same role. Its attacks were considered to have nearly all of the metallic attributes under its level to be included in them. For example, if beings like Lupusregina who had a weakness against silver got hit by it, it would trigger that weakness. Also, as long as both the opponent and itself stood on earth, it would have a bonus to all of its stats, even though meager. But, that shouldn’t work now as the original floor that was exposed after all of the soil had collected near Decem was made from plant material. It also supposedly had the ability to hide in soil, but that couldn’t be used here either. All things considered, he could say that this was not a good battlefield for the Primal Earth Elemental.
...
It could also extend its arms like whips and do long-range attacks, but in that case,
its power would go down a lot.
Just like its attacks, its defense was also supposed to have metal attributes imbued.
It also had [Weapon Resistance V] against all weapons and physical damage
reduction on top of that. Considering all of the above, it was the ideal tank and was
troublesome to deal with using only physical attacks.
That said, it also had some weak points, naturally.
For example, it didn’t have any dangerous trump cards — that is, it had no special
skills. That meant that it had no attack that could turn the tide in a battle.
The other weak point was that everything that worked against metallic attributes
worked the same on the elemental.
...Herohero-san could probably take it down easily.
It was weak to acids and — there was one more element it was weak against.
[V16]
...Right. There’s no doubt that he is specialized in summoning. The earth elemental’s attack will be more powerful than usual. It will be disadvantageous for the fight hereafter if I receive damage for no reason. I
[V16]
Summoners being weaker than their summons is impossible in YGGDRASIL, but you are probably the lower-leveled one here.
[V16]
If this Primal Earth Elemental was a summon, all it needed was a single successful [Greater Rejection] and he wouldn’t need to prepare all these spells. However, if Decem really was specialized in summoner classes as he assumed, it probably wouldn’t succeed in dispelling the summon even with their large level difference. Plus, [Greater Rejection] could only dispel summons, not creations. Could it be an Elemental Adjutant? If it was created by sacrificing experience, it could be maintained nearly forever. But, it looks like he was consuming mana to maintain it so that shouldn’t be the case...I can’t really gamble on it though.
[V16]
One does not simply believe the enemy’s words, but it’s not like Decem was lying either. No one was able to beat Behemoth till now, even the ancient dragons weren’t a match. Though they used Second-Tier magic to strengthen their bodies, they were still beaten into a pulp by Behemoth in the end. Even Decem himself would inevitably die if he turned Behemoth into his opponent. His father was probably the only one who could defeat Behemoth, but he was already dead. That meant that there was no one left who could
[V16]
Thus a Skeletal Dragon may not be stronger than Khajit but it seems to suggest it was a summon off his normal summoning list. That would be a similar principle to Decem's summoning if it's a Primal Earth Elemental.
Khajitt (not a specialized summoner so can only OVER summon via rituals)
From the broken ground, something white slowly came out. It was a three meter tall mix of bones. Dragging countless bones, it was a beast with a head and four legs, a dragon. Its tail made of bones lined up together, hit the ground once with a bang. It was a monster called a Skeletal Dragon. By its level, it was not a strong monster. It was weaker than vampires. However, this Skeletal Dragon, had one thing that made it dangerous to Momon.
[WN]
While spitting his saliva out, Khajiit glared at Momon with hatred. “Why are you so irritated. Calm down.” “B, bastard!” Spending two months on a ritual to summon a Skeletal Dragon. And that was losing to an unfathomable man. Khajiit bit his teeth and tightened his lips.
[WN]
In other words, Ainz needed to give out orders when he is around. “Hah. This is annoying. However, this world’s magic that can summon a Skeletal Dragon cannot be underestimated. Even I can only make 12 Low Class Undead per day. I would like a Skeletal Dragon summoning magic.”
[WN]
“Skeletal Dragons have a difficulty rating of 48. It is at a level B Class adventurers can do something about. To defeat it alone—” As if he were speaking the impossible, Theo took a deep breath and continued. “He has a strength that rivals A Class. And being able to use Third Tier, and has a sword arm equaling A Class. How, I have have never heard of such a spellcaster! Isn’t he a warrior that can use magic!?”
[WN]
But, I cannot stop my words of gratitude. We really have been saved by Momon-dono. If a B Class party met a Skeletal Dragon, they would be Momon-dono. If a B Class party met a Skeletal Dragon, they would be massacred.”
[WN]
There exists a place known as the Katze Plains. It was the spawning location of one of the strongest undeads–immune to all magic, the Skeletal Dragons. Serving as the main battlefield of the Empire and Kingdom, the appearance rate of undeads there was high.
[WN]
Q: Khajiit was quite strong as a human. His plans to use a ceremony, his disciples, the Pearl of Death, the cemetery etc.
A: Among A-class Khajit is particular superior. In 4 months amassing power in the Pearl of Death lets him summon a Skeleton Dragon. With his disciples it’s 2 months? Should he rampage, it would lead to a great disaster.
[ARC]
Crafting this Skeletal Dragon had required two months of elaborate rituals and an immense quantity of negative energy. How could it be beaten so easily? He had worked and planned many years for this
[V2]
“[Summon Undead – 10th]!” The one to replace the twin obsidian swords was the level 70, melee warrior Doom Lord. A rusted crown sat on his dome and a blood-stained cape hung off his back. Adorning his full-plate armor were multiple scythe-like curved blades. Minute amounts of negative energy ebbed from the gaps in its armor in the form of a foul black smog. His health was constantly decreasing, a penalty placed upon the Doom Lord for its agility which was unthinkably high for a level 70. Optimal use of such a summon required mastery over unit placement
[V14]
Ainz had timed for this, as he cast another [Summon Undead – 10th]. It was a level 68 undead, an Elemental Skull. Its appearance was of a floating skull, surrounding it was a magical haze of light that constantly switched between four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. Ainz made it fall back and took its place at the front. The Elemental Skull was a caster type undead capable of using magic of the four major elements.
[V14]
“If that is the case. Ainz-sama, because I can also summon Doom Lords, perhaps Ainz-sama had already noticed ~arinsu. It felt like its combat abilities were weakened significantly, was it because Pandora’s Actor was the summoner ~arinsu?” “That would not be the case. While Pandora’s Actor’s transformations are weaker than the original, his summons should not be any weaker. In addition, he had been instructed to not use any special abilities of mine to strengthen the summons… In any case, shall we both summon Doom Lords for you all to observe after this? Perhaps you could figure out what had been bothering you.”
[V14]
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Ainz a specialized Necromancer cannot summon all undead (some exist out of his list)
Theory: New Worlders can summon all monsters from YGGDRASIL with the new methods
OVER Summoning
Specialized Summoners can do it via consuming Mana continuously (Mana Over Consumption)
Out of List Summoning
Casters can conduct rituals to summon monsters not normally summonable by their classes
Closer to Create Undead instead of Summon Undead in Khajit's case
OVER summoners can Out of List Summon (seeing as the monster is outside the summon monsters they should be able to summon under YGGDRASIL's rules). We can confirm that New World summoners can summon YGGDRASIL monsters so the concept of summoning lists still exists to some extent. The precedent of OVER meta magic letting one use spells either out of list or requiring higher level investment also proves the concept is at least sound - rather than a baseless conjecture. If spells can be accessed beyond one's level, why not summoning spells and by extension higher level summons? Out of List Summoning would potentially be a subcategory of the same core idea. The distinction being someone can theoretically Out of List summon monsters weaker than they are too.
=========================================================================
Primal Fire Elementals could be said to be among the highest ranking among all elemental monsters. They were over level eighty-five. Just like he had with the Moonlight Wolves, Momonga felt a mysterious connection to the Primal Fire Elemental. “Uwah…!” Aura was watching it intently as she made noises of surprise. As she looked upon the top-tier elemental, something that even her summoning powers would not be able to bring forth, Aura’s face bore a look of excited admiration, like a child who had just received a dearly beloved present.
[V1]
Momonga shrugged to indicate that it was all right. The Staff could summon one Primal Fire Elemental a day. In other words, the Staff could summon another such being after one day had passed. As such, defeating it would not be a great loss.
[V1]
Primal Fire Elemental—-An elemental spirit of the highest class. It was a level 80 monster. “Uwaa……” Aura’s voice was filled with admiration and looked up at it. In front of the highest class of spirit that he had never summoned before, Momonga had the face of a child that had received a toy that it had always wanted.
[WN]
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Bonus:
System Differentiation
Though Arcane, Divine, Spiritual(Psychic) and Other magic seem to be able to do similar things. We might actually finally found some distinction in how they differ beyond just job class pathways in the New World.
Decem, a Druid and Divine caster, had spells that actually had a strange property - after being dispelled, some residual trace of matter remained linked to the spell used. If you compare how things worked for Evileye and Lizardmen Druids you can begin to understand there is a minute difference in how their powers worked - for example none of Evileye's Elementalism left behind tangible evidence of manipulation. Rather, like all ARcane magic, it materializes out of direct mana fabrication.
In contrast, the Druids manipulate preexisting matter with mana infusion. Hence how Dyne would manipulate plants that are already present, Elves grow Elf Trees, and why when Druid summons die they leave behind residue of some sort and Druid spells leave things like water behind. Druid's thus might lose out in versatility but there is a tangible quality to their magic that can be useful in the right circumstances - for example Decem could use Tempest to water fields or create large bodies of water like ponds for paddy based agriculture with repeated use. Behemoth being able to hide inertly as just dirt is similar in principle - so long as he is not "materialized" he can persist without consuming mana.
Druids in comparison to Clerics at least, require a material component to their casting - that is they are susceptible to environmental scarcity and biomes in what spells they can use. Plant spells likely don't work in non-plant environments for example. This is a give and take process though. In such places where the resources are avaible, they can more easily terraform and alter the environment like how Mare uses Earth Surge to create permament hills versus how long it took the Empire, who specializes in using Arcane magic casters, took to make a single hill.
This might explain how Slaine could invent Arcane versions of Divine spells easily if Cleric and Arcane magic share similar properties, likewise explaining why Angels used by the Sunlight Scripture are no different from conventional summons mechanically.
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The last men of the group slowed down, extending their hands. They wanted to help Gazef onto their horse, but the angel looking down upon them from the heavens swooped down faster. Gazef drew his sword and swung at the angel. The steel blade became a swift flash of light. The stroke of the Kingdom’s strongest man was enough to cleave a man’s body in two. But the angel was not a man, and although it had taken a grave wound to its torso, it was not slain yet. The blood spraying into the air was the mana that composed the angel. It vanished like smoke.
[V1]
“Is that so… if all we intend to do is hide the walls, Mare’s idea will be enough.
Then, what if we piled up the dirt from the nearby land to make dummy hills as
camouflage?”
The gigantic pile of dirt shattered against the sturdy walls of Nazarick, like waves crashing against the shore. “…[Earth Surge]. He used his skills to enlarge the effective area, as well as his other class skills…” Momonga muttered in respect. In all of Nazarick, only one person could use this magic. “That’s Mare for you. It seems camouflaging the walls is an easy task for him.
[V1]
“Yes. He’s a druid — Dyne Woodwonder. He uses healing spells and magic that controls nature, and he’s well versed in herbal lore. Let him know if there’s anything wrong with your body; he has medicine that’s good for stomach pains.”
[V2]
Still, that was enough. After, Dyne’s first objective was to pin down one Ogre. “[Twine Plant].” Dyne cast his spell, and vegetation moved under the feet of one of the Ogres, turning into vines that tangled around its feet. Immobilized by the abnormally resilient plant life, the Ogre roared in frustration.
[V2]
That was one of Frost Pain’s abilities. That was a special move which could only be used three times a day — [Icy Burst]. It snap-froze everything in an area in front of it and caused massive damage. The wall of frozen fog was solid, and it blocked the oncoming [Fireball]. The orb of ardent flame met the wall of chill mist — by the laws of magic, allowing them to collide was the wisest choice. It hit— The scorching flames burst forth, warring with the frozen mist of ivory. It seemed as though two serpents, one white and one red, were trying to consume each other. After a moment’s resistance, both powers vanished.
[V4]
“All right, get the heavily wounded back to the village, the rest of you form up on us—” The sound of roaring fire interrupted him. Searing heat engulfed the surroundings, and the Swamp Spirits at the center of the blaze wavered. As the flames vanished like they had never been there in the first place, the two Spirits were in terrible shape. A single gout of fire had half-destroyed them. Before the Lizardmen could cry out in surprise, the fires raged once more. The Spirits could not endure the attacks and disintegrated into the roaring inferno. As the Swamp Spirits — who had demonstrated incredible power against the Beast Zombies — disappeared without a trace, the Lizardmen’s faces went blank, unable to keep pace with what was happening before them. What had just happened? They knew that the Swamp Spirits had been destroyed, but they were desperately trying to deny that reality. That was because if the Swamp Spirits really had been destroyed, it meant that there was a more powerful monster headed their way.
[V4]
Only five more still remained. However, they were the five strongest Lizardmen. Unfazed by Cocytus’s might or the deaths of their comrades, they moved out as one. A stone flew through the air. The armored Lizardman led the charge, followed by two more behind it. In addition, the two Swamp Elementals had cracks all over them after the cold attack, and lagged behind the Lizardmen because they were slower. The one at the rear incanted spell after spell.
[V4]
Cocytus looked at Shasuryu with interest as the latter used a metamagic technique he had never heard of before. However, the two Swamp Elementals blocked his line of sight. While Zenberu’s arm gradually resumed its original form, the two Swamp Elementals attacked Cocytus with their tentacles. However, Cocytus had already slashed at the Swamp Elementals’ bodies. As the Swamp Elementals dissolved into clumps of mud
[V4]
“[Crystal Barrier]!” The crystal wall before her eyes was cut to pieces and vanished before her eyes.
[V6]
The crystal shards had pointed tips, and originally, they should have been fired into her enemy’s body at close range to increase their power. However, she dared not approach the fiend before her too closely. She had resigned herself to death, and yet she dared not advance. Evileye could not help but mock herself for that. However, she ought to fight carefully when she did not know how powerful her opponent was. The masked demon spread his arms, as though in welcome. The shower of crystal flechettes hit him — no, they vanished before they did. So complete and sudden was the disappearance that it seemed as though they had never existed.
[V6]
“[Sand Field – All]!” Sand particles dispersed throughout the surroundings. Although Delta was too far away to reach, Alpha was completely caught in the area. Because it would affect one’s comrades too, this spell was useless in a group fight. Any opponent within its area would be immobilized, as well as being blinded, silenced and dazed. On top of that, because of Evileye’s trump card, the sand was infused with negative energy that would drain life force. This fifth-tier spell was her own creation. It was one of the strongest cards Evileye had up her sleeve. However, Alpha did not slow down, nor did she look like she was hurt at all. “But how?!” Was she immune to immobilization and negative energy? “You deserve praise for that! What a splendid set of resistances!” Alpha’s answer was to blur into a haze. As though she had performed a shortrange teleport, she materialized in front of Evileye and kicked her in the face. Her mask cracked with a mekii sound as Evileye was flung far away. She bounced off the floor with a dang, dang before she managed to recover, groggily shaking her head. “[Crystal Wall]!” Alpha’s fist collided with the suddenly materialized crystal wall, producing a thunderous crash. Cracks spread where Alpha had struck it, as though it had been hit by a wrecking ball. “…Hmph!” Another “dang” rang out, and as Alpha’s foot struck the ground, she transmitted her inner force into the cracks in Evileye’s wall, and it crumbled before her eyes.
[V6]
Apparently, this was a tomb of some sort, but when they actually saw it, it seemed to be sunk into the earth itself — as though something had pressed it down, like a basin. One possible reason why ruins like these had not been explored was because the surrounding land was grass as far as the eye could see, with no remains of ancient cities nearby to draw adventurers’ attention. In addition, small hillocks of dirt were scattered around it like stars in the sky, so even if there were ruins buried in one of them, they would have missed it. The central building protruded a little, but one could only see it after climbing to a high vantage like this. Part of the dirt wall surrounding the ruins had collapsed, exposing part of the walls, which was how the ruins had been discovered. That was the shared opinion of the various teams.
[V7]
The Empire had mobilized 60,000 knights for this operation. The garrison could house all of them, which itself spoke volumes about the base’s size. And this formidable castrum, as mighty as a fortress, was built on a piece of easily defended terrain. It was built on top of a hill. This hill was not native to the Katze Plains, but built up entirely through magical landscaping. Even the Baharuth Empire, which had adopted a national strategy of increasing the number of their magic casters, could not complete work like this in a short time. This structure had been built over a period of several years
[V9]
“The sight now — the sight of you two commanding an undead made me sure that you are my grandchildren.” Then, the floor moved. Like waves receding back from the beach, the soil roiled towards Decem.
While he was doing this, the earthen lump that coalesced before Decem turned into something huge. It was in the form of an elemental that Ainz knew. He could hear a gasp of surprise from Mare, but Ainz was surprised as well. A Primal Elemental!? Upon seeing the elemental that couldn’t be summoned by normal means before him, Ainz instantly raised his level of caution.
[V16]
Decem was only puzzled for a moment. He immediately dispelled [Tempest]. The rain and the winds borne of magic disappeared like they weren’t there in the first place, but the wet floor and his soaked clothes proved that it hadn’t been an illusion. Decem swiped away the wet hair that was stuck to his face and saw a wall standing between him and the undead’s location. The undead probably made it when the spell was dispelled
[V16]
Was it the undead who wanted the information, or was it the grandchildren who somehow got their hands on some information and wanted to know more? The two kids who were drenched from the rain had blank expressions so Decem couldn’t read anything from them.
[V16]
“That’s the end of our conversation.” Suddenly, the wall disappeared.
[V16]
“[Triplet Maximize Magic - Cacophonous Burst].” In front of Decem’s eyes, Behemoth — the invincible great elemental — turned into a large pile of dirt. He was assaulted by a great sense of — And then Decem was felt a profound sense of loss- — in that instant.
[V16]
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There isn't enough to say about Spiritual casters, but this might also explain why cultures with Druids tend not to also spit out lots of Clerics and vice versa - it's a slightly distinct utilization of magic. For Elves, they could use it to make Elf Trees and terraform to an extent over time in the right conditions. Druids thus would be better magical landscapers than other professions at least. And we see how they can live in harmony with trees manipulating nature to substitute for craftsmen ship.
That might not seem like a great innovation, but Elf Tree city scaping could adapt a grove of Elf Trees to any needs, just as Decem's own giant tree and the Elven Capital proved, things can be clumped and altered to suit the needs of the needs of the people without as much disruption and material resources and labor. Likewise, it gives Rangers an added advantage as it counts outdoors and confuses non outdoorsmen. Most of all though, the bridges and platform making is far simpler than any converted materials as they can be altered over time easily and expand to an extent.
Perhaps Druids improve over time in manipulating Elf Trees to grow. Hence the size of an Elf Tree might correlate either with time invested in it or the skill of the Druid manipulating it.
==========================================================================
From what they said, it seemed like the Elves could change the shape of trees using druid magic. Like creating cavities inside the trees or shaping bridges between trees. An Elf village was just a place where tens of those structures were bunched up together. This method of making things out of Elf Trees seemed to be at the core of Elven culture. Not just homes or furniture, they could also create weapons and armor out of it. It was possible to make the arrows they used for hunting to be as hard as iron. Ainz wanted them to demonstrate this magic as it did not exist in YGGDRASIL. They were surprised at that request because from their point of view, the tree the twins lived in was an example right there. It looked like they thought it was a mutated Elf Tree (because it looked different) that could only be transformed by those two. Furthermore, as that magic can only be used on Elf Trees, it didn’t work with other trees.
[V15]
Minor scrapes and such can be healed by magic but poison and disease need a talented druid to cure them. So portable herbs are highly valued.” “Not clothes, since we also make them from Elf Trees” “Homes, arrows...and even clothes. Looks like Elven druid magic is very convenient. You can’t do that, right Mare? ” “Eh? Ah, y-yes. I can’t use such magic.” Perhaps this peculiar brand of druid magic itself was a mark of Elven progress. He wanted those techniques if possible, but Nazarick’s residents probably wouldn’t be able to use them.
[V15]
Elven houses were made from short and stout trees called Elf Trees and the Royal Capital where a large number of them were gathered looked like a forest. The construction was the same as in any other Elven village, but it was especially striking when they were gathered in such large numbers. Maybe it was because they were denser in the capital, but it was overwhelming enough to pressure even him. Ainz felt like avoiding the place because it reminded him of his former gray-tinted world
[V15]
The trees were cleared around the Royal Capital and instead converted into a large field of grass. That was not a natural phenomenon, but something the Elves did for the capital’s defense. It was made to provide better visibility, making it harder for an enemy to approach the capital without being seen. But on the other hand, maybe this could also be considered as the Elf Tree’s survival strategy He initially didn’t feel anything strange when he heard that the Elves grew Elf Trees with magic, but perhaps instead, the Elf Trees were using the Elves to multiply themselves. He could imagine Elf Trees as a kind of monster. He should probably investigate this more to find out if they were intelligent.
[V15]
So the reason that physical or magical changes had not occurred in Dark Elves, was because on top of being the same race as Elves from the start, they were living in the same environment. There were also hardly any differences in culture, and their way of life was centered on the Elf Trees. Hence, the classes they gained were, just like with the Elves, mainly Ranger and Druid.
[V15]
The outer circumference of an Elf Tree had been made especially strong. It was a specially made tree that had been raised by having its growth accelerated by using magic on it many times and giving it vast amounts of nourishment to grow big and thick. The giant tree that had the sturdiness to simply repel whatever monster
[V15]
Through the effects of magic the growth of an Elf Tree was unbelievably fast. But even though it had grown this big so far, it couldn’t be accomplished overnight. To the Dark Elves who lived together with the Elf Trees, losing one was the same as having everything stolen from them. How many sacrifices would they have to make if they weren’t allowed to sponge off the other villages until they could once more raise a big Elf Tree?
[V15]
The existence of the Elf Trees and the Chief Pharmacist’s knowledge were among some of the things he wanted, but they were not incentive enough for him to absolutely want them.
[V16]
There were certainly plans to use the captured Elves. It wasn’t that difficult to force them to cooperate by using something like charm magic. That said, using mind control magic multiple times in a short period would gradually make them more resistant to it. Also, from the experiments conducted, they found that it would take a lot of time to grow the Elf Trees from nothing even if they used magic. They were unsure about how soon the conflict with the Sorcerer Kingdom would occur, but they had estimated that there was not enough time to create a city from scratch for evacuation purposes
[V16]
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Unlike other systems, Druid magic in particular seems best suited for these long lasting, permament alterations of the physical world. And unlike enchantments, rather than material costs, it's rather more an issue of just having the medium at hand. For things like water and air those are rather trivial, and even Earth isn't too difficult. Fire might be more limited due to humidity, but so long as air is present the medium shouldn't be too hard to manifest.
If magic having this queer distinction is weird, think of it like this - any school of magic that can harness Illusion magic fundamentally creates phantasmal occurences - ie magic that just disapperas after the duration is over with little discernible traces. After all, if it can manifest illusions using mana, it uses a similar principle for all the other magics and summoniings it does.
Druidic magic in contrast seems overly specialized, and we see it operates closer to elemental bending like in series like Avatar the Last Airbender(if this isn't something you are used too thinking about). The chief advantage to this is the ability to have more lasting after effects though it also means you need to set up more to maximize the usability of your magic. Phantasmal magic casting traditions just shit out magic and effects - Evileye can just make giant Crystal walls with little effort in the middle of a city for example. In contrast, Decem has to use vast amounts of dirt to manfiest Behemoth. casting sotrm magic isn't so hard when you consider mos tlikely you are fighting in somewhere with air and water.
This may be why the Lizardmen strangely enough summoned Swamp elementals and not just Water or Earth elementals - it's more a composite of water and earth, ie mud, based on the environment they lived in. So rather, it's a rare case of a composite style elemental though rather than bog like in YGGDRASIl its Swamp.
