Elemental Magic
Elemental magic is magic that draws from the elements and the environment. It is a natural magic that can both be used as a method in its own right and as a power-source for other magics.
The main form of elemental magic is the control and manipulation of physical elements that already exist in the environment. As much of this form of magic involves magically moving natural substances such as water, air, and plant-life, it shares many similarities with telekinesis, and though is often considered to make use of telekinesis, it has it own distinct techniques and methods that sets it apart from generalised magic used in everyday life.
Usually, an elemental magic user will only be able to control the specific element they have trained in; this is a trade-off for the ability to manipulate the physical properties of the element such as the shape, texture, and density. For example, a spell-caster manipulating the flame of a candle will be able to increase or decrease the intensity of the flame’s heat; while another will be able to create ice or steam using a cup of water. These are things that a normal telekinetic is not able to do, even if they are skilled enough to physically move an element around.
Many elemental magics are useful for the preservation of the natural environment or maintaining food supplies. Those trained with plants and similar might be able to take an apple tree sapling and have it bloom and produce edible fruit in a mere manner of minutes; while those able to manipulate water might find themselves able to purify seawater into drinking water by separating all contaminants magically.
Just as common as the manipulation of elements is the summoning of elements; bringing forth elements that were not immediately accessible in the environment, such as compressing energy in the air until it becomes electricity or heating small particles in the air until a flame is created, is a skill many elemental spell-casters learn. This form of elemental magic is part of the basis of summoning magic, and not all who learn how to summon an element will learn the techniques for manipulating an element’s properties further.
Likewise, not all who learn to manipulate existing elements will seek out the knowledge on how to summon them; especially if they live in an area over-saturated in their element, like the ocean or a forest, where they will always have access to the environment needed to cast their spells.
It is also important to note that, outside of its use by the Sentient races, elemental magic is an extremely powerful natural magic that often takes action on its own within its environment. It is responsible for the lives of many creatures on Demrefor, including elemental sprites and phoenixes.