Fathers of the Four Elements

From publisher blurb:

Four young mages once studied the elements with an unmatched intensity and devotion. Their desire: to bind earth, wind, fire, and water into living, subservient creatures. Countless hours of research and practice led to the earliest elemental spells, and after decades, they bound themselves to the very essence of the elements. Each mage transformed into the first of the four elemental creatures.

Centuries passed and the elemental mages’ minds descended into madness with power they had achieved. Longing for an end to their unnatural lives, they concocted a powerful ritual which bound the four mages to separate stone sarcophagi. It is here where they rest to this day still...