Samakar "Stonespeaker" Turnbottom / Daran / Earth Mage

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[Sammy Turnbottom]

Name: Samakar “Stonespeaker” Turnbottom

Gender: Female

Age: 65 (appears 35 in human years)

Race: Gnome

Tribe: Daran

Occupation: Earth Mage level 5

Title: Stonespeaker

Overview:

Samakar (Sammy) Stonespeaker is a loud, social and garishly dressed gnomish woman with a penchant for shiny gemstones and the wilds of nature. She is a woman with a deep fondness for the world outdoors and shuns the smelly alchemy labs and intellectual occupations typical of her race. Instead, by an unusual twist of fate, she came to learn Earth Magic by apprenticing with a senile old dwarf and then attended the Ximax Academy of Magic. Sammy is a quick witted little gnome and her friends know her to be loyal, steadfast and unafraid of confrontation. Earth magic is Sammy's joy and her vivacious mood can switch to quiet pensiveness when she is focused on spell casting or any sort of magic discussions. Her main focus of her magic is in the creation of earth golems.

Physical Appearance:

Height: One ped and two nailsbreadths
Weight: Nine hebs, seven mut
Eye Color: Gnastheen green
Hair Color: Viperene sand

Sammy is a noisy gnome, not only in her voice, but in her appearance as well. She is of average height for one of her race, a little over one ped tall. However, her height can be deceiving as she sometimes wears thick soled boots to increase her height by a few nailsbreadths, as well as keeps her hair in extravagant, upward styles that further increase her sense of height. In her youth, Sammy always enjoyed exploring outdoors under the bright sunshine and developed a nice tan as a result. Although still pale by most comparisons, she is a bit darker than some typical gnomes who would be hunched over a lab table indoors most of their life.

Sammy is deceptively strong as well, but from the appearance of her arms (when uncovered by her voluminous robes) she looks quite thin. What she lacks in brute strength, she makes up for in grace and agility, and instead has built wiry, lean muscles upon her body. As a child, she had always liked to run through the grass and leap over the boulders, and thus obtained some decent exercise growing up. She doesn’t run and leap so much in her adult years, having been studying and practicing her magic for so long that she had rarely left the Ximax Earth Tower. Nevertheless, she maintains her physique however she can.

Sammy’s love for gems and pretty stones is evident in that she displays them in her hair, on her fingers and upon her robes. Sammy’s father was a talented glass maker (who also had other, illegal means of making a living) and she first fell in love with shiny baubles as a young child. Her love for the stones of the earth has meant that she keeps several upon herself as a sort of loyal display to her art. In her hair, she has tied many ringlets made of stone, which she has created herself. Her long hair reaches to her waist, but one would never know it as she keeps it tied up high upon her little head with but two ponytails hanging down on either side of her face. The stone ringlets tie all through her braids. She keeps but a few precious gemstones also tied at the ends of her braids, but not many are displayed openly for fear of her head being taken from her shoulders for just the stones!

The gnome’s clothing consists of earth tone colored robes (naturally) of dark reds, blues, deep greens and browns. She wears an occasional black, but not often as she feels that black signifies negative emotions. Her robes are always fitted snugly to her body with loose sleeves and are wide about her feet, giving her ample room to run if need be. Her robes are often lined with small polished stones of green, red or blue color (not gems). Her appearance, as she walks down the streets during the day, is often seen as highly shiny as the sun sparkles off the stones.

Personality:

Sammy is a person of many facets, or so she is told. She is a social person who enjoys conversation and the love of life. But much like the properties of her chosen field of study, the earth element, Sammy is also very loyal and steadfast to her allies and friends. Magic discussions are a favorite topic for Sammy and she gets very serious and deep when anything magic related comes into the conversation. She is a studious individual and always makes a habit to be punctual and alert. She rarely does things just for the sake of it and never makes commitments lightly.

Personally, Sammy is a friendly gnome and always ready with a story or small talk. She is afraid of offending people and seeks to please those she meets. This often requires her to go out of her way more than she'd like, but the thought of someone being displeased with her is not something she relishes.

Gems and stones always bring a smile to Sammy's face and she is always ready to inspect, fondle or purchase a particularly shiny bauble that catches her eye. She has made ready friends with the local gem cutters in the city and also has a friendly reputation among the city's artisans due to her sculpture work. Sammy could go on for hours talking about stones and nature, and sometimes those she speaks to wonder if she is indeed some kind of druid or ranger. She laughs off such rumors, but she does feel a kinship with those of the woodlands and prefers the company of stone to the company of a laboratory flask.

Steadfast, loyal and stubborn would generally describe Sammy overall. She remains a loyal friend and consistent ally. Her word is her life and she makes good on it. When angered, Sammy tends to withdrawal and secretly work against those who offended her. On rare occasions, she'll use magic to turn someone away. The few times she has been physically attacked, she never hesitates to use her magic in deadly ways such as earth spikes, golems or to slow down her opponents movements in such a way so that she can escape.

History:

Samakar “Stonespeaker” Turnbottom was born to two irresponsible and neglectful parents on a foggy morning on the 17th day of Dead Tree, 1516 in the city of Ximax. Her birth was easy for her mother, who barely realized she had had a baby until a bloody mess suddenly appeared in the bed one morning. Sammy’s mother Shana, and her father Torin, weren’t expecting their baby until a few more weeks, but Sammy was early and here to stay. Torin couldn’t be bothered with a baby at the time, as he was busy preparing a large order of glass for the Church of Armouros to be used in a temple enclave. Shana, after imbibing a bottle of ale, promptly cleaned up the mess and suddenly realized that she had no baby equipment for which to care for this child. Ever the drinker (although rarely during her pregnancy on orders from her doctor) Shana delved into the drink and for the next few years left her daughter neglected to cry in her crib.

Sammy survived her parent’s neglect only due to a young gnomish girl who often assisted Torin in his glassmaking. This gnomish girl was named Quinna. Her parents had died in a lab explosion when she was a baby and was apprenticed by her uncle to Torin’s glassmaking shop. Quinna took it upon her self to secretly care for baby Sammy when irresponsible Shana was away. Torin, of course, never cared or realized that his daughter had a surrogate mother, as his life was quickly spiraling downwards into a life of crime. He was falsifying his logs and over-pricing his glass to pay for his wife’s drinking habit. When certain rogues within the city found out about Torin’s secret wealth, they demanded a “protection tax” and for him to create glass for certain criminal enterprises throughout the city. Torin was not a man of strong faith or will, so he quickly agreed. Not long after, Shana found a new man to cling to and left Torin for a traveling gnomish dance troupe (not that Shana could dance – she left for the handsome gnomish bard who was a part of the act).

Sammy was now ten seasons old and without a mother and barely with a father. Young Quinna took it upon herself to keep Sammy so they could find a home together away from Torin’s influence. Torin himself sank into a depression and agreed to allow his daughter to live with Quinna and her uncle. Torin apologized to his daughter for his neglect and only then came to realize what a beautiful daughter he had. However, he couldn’t escape his situation so easily and promised Sammy that he would work to clean up his act with the thieves guilds and care for Sammy as he should. Quinna and Sammy left Torin to his business and went their own way. Torin, for his part, began secretly diverting some of his earnings into a safe place for Sammy to use later once he cleaned up.

Quinna and Sammy came to live now among Quinna’s distant relatives. She told them that she had been released from her job with Torin and had to find a new apprenticeship. They took the news of Sammy coming to live with them fairly well, as Quinna was able to tell quite a convincing lie about Sammy’s origins. Sammy was a highly adaptable girl and took into her family with ease, but was never close to any of them except Quinna. Quickly, the two became more like sisters than mother/daughter. Quinna was only ten seasons older than Sammy and the two got along famously thereafter.

For the next five years, Quinna and Sammy worked as city messengers, running from place to place carrying letters and packages for people. Sammy enjoyed the outdoors and liked to walk everywhere while Quinna preferred to hire wagons to carry her around. Sammy enjoyed the work. She met many people and made many contacts, but few loyal friends. Sammy was a gregarious individual, but kept her many acquaintances on a shallow level and didn’t allow them to know her too deeply.

Quinna came to realize that Sammy was a loyal, steadfast and deeply stubborn girl. Sammy kept the same delivery route and never changed it. She kept the same habits and was careful to avoid deviations to her schedule. She rarely had any fun, as opposed to Quinna, who loved to dance and drink in the local taverns, leaving her “sister” to fend for herself in a corner. In reality, Sammy hadn’t found her true life’s love and she was afraid that she missing something.

On Sammy’s fifteenth birthday, she realized where she wanted to go in life. She delivered a package to a wealthy old dwarf who lived in a small cottage outside of the city. Sammy had heard stories that this dwarf was a strange and curious fellow and was to be avoided at all costs. But, she had a package to deliver and she intended to complete her job. She approached the cottage and rapped on the door. There was no response. She took a peek in the window (dwarven house windows were low to the ground unlike human homes). She saw a fantastic display of many kinds of stones, gems and other strange items. It was like a gnomish lab, only more “natural” with wooden carvings, stone statues and other items. Ever curious (as befitting her race) Sammy walked around the cottage looking for a back door. There, in a beautiful rock garden, she saw the old dwarf speaking to a mound of earth!

As Sammy watched, the dwarf continued to speak some strange language (she spoke Tharian, but not the dwarven Thergerim tongue) and wondered what the man was doing. Within moments, before her eyes, the mound of earth moved and began to reshape itself. It grew tall and thin and branched out into four parts – arms and legs. Where the shoulders would be sprouted a "head", causing the mound of earth to resemble a humanoid shape. Sammy watched, dumbfounded, as the dwarf spoke gently to the earth-man, smiling and laughing with it. He paused every so often, as if allowing the earth-man to speak. He then broke out into a fit of giggles, as if the earth-man had just told a funny joke.

Sammy was awed at the dwarf’s power and realized that he was one of those rare Earth Mages from Ximax. The package she was holding fell from her grasp to crash on the ground causing the dwarf to spin around to face her. The earth-man crumbled back into a pile of dirt again. The dwarf snarled his displeasure at having his focus broken and shouted obscene remarks at the gnome. Sammy hardly heard, though, as she was still focused on the mound of dirt that only seconds before resembled a man. The dwarf paused in his tirade and stared at the gnome curiously for some time. He approached the girl and picked up his dropped package. With a smile, he opened it up and took out a long rod made of gray stone. He inspected it for damage and tucked it into his belt. The gnome girl before him was still slack jawed, so he snapped his fingers loudly to bring her out of her reverie.

Sammy started and saw the dwarf before her. She asked about the man made of dirt and the dwarf only chuckled. The two spent the afternoon speaking further of the dwarf’s earth magic and showed her more of his skills. He often rambled on and on about the nature of stone, which would have bored a typical listener, but he had Sammy’s attention. The gnome told the dwarf of her love of gems and stones, which perked the dwarf’s attention. He wondered if the gnome girl held a talent for earth magic as he did. He decided to test her.

Gwall presented Sammy with several stones. He told her some were precious gems and some were merely polished river stones. Being blindfolded, and using touch alone, could Sammy tell them apart? Gwall thought that anyone with a talent or "connection" to the earth could do so as the subtle differences between a gem and polished stone could be "felt". Many couldn’t do it, or only succeeded with sheer lucky guesses. But someone talented in the earth touch would know. Sammy good-naturedly began her test. She picked up each individual stone between her thumb and forefinger. She rubbed it, grasped it tightly and even smelled it. When she decided, she placed the real gem to her right and a polished stone to her left.

It took her half the afternoon, but Sammy was finished. To Gwall’s surprise, Sammy had ordered every stone and gem in their proper places by touch alone. Although not a definitive test of earth magic talent, it told Sammy that perhaps she had a future as a gem cutter or stone artist. Gwall, though, had other ideas. He recognized Sammy’s intelligence and attentiveness to duty and responsibility. He offered her a chance to attend school in Ximax as a student of the earth element. The gnome laughed at that possibility. For one thing, she had very little money and second, she had no one to sponsor her. A gnome girl shows up at Ximax with a few coin in her hand asking for admission? Impossible!

Gwall giggled and spoke to some more of his rocks before finally agreeing to help Sammy get into Ximax. He offered Sammy an apprenticeship as a sculptor for a few years to gain some skill in magic. Gwall, himself a high level earth mage, gave the gnome a chance of a lifetime: an apprenticeship to a mage before entering Ximax. Once the school saw her talent, they would allow her in. Gwall would help with the cost. But, Sammy had to earn it by helping with some of Gwall’s sculptures for the next few years. Sammy agreed.

The next five years saw Sammy working hard as an apprentice sculptor and mageling to the often senile Gwall the dwarf. The old dwarf was a capable teacher and could truly focus when casting spells and teaching basic magic. As for other things, such as cooking or relating to real people, he often was scattered and aloof. Nevertheless, the gnome and dwarf worked together well and created some fabulous pieces of sculpture that they sold to temples, wealthy nobles and taverns. Even Quinna, who never liked getting her hands dirty with dirt and stone, assisted and the three took to living and caring for old Gwall’s cottage home.

Sammy’s twentieth birthday was fast approaching. She had already learned a great deal of basic magic from Gwall and was proud of her sculpture work. She was ready for Ximax at last when she received word from her father Torin. A letter was delivered to the cottage from Torin saying that he had finally rid himself of his past troubles and was ready to meet his daughter again. After ten years, Sammy reunited with her father and the two shared memories. Torin was deeply sorry for his bad parenting and revealed that he had been saving up some of his earnings for his daughter should the time come for her to use it. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, as Sammy revealed her intention to go to mage school in Ximax and Torin’s savings were given to her for just such a purpose. As for Torin, he had decided to go back to Cavthan where there was a sizable population of Daran gnomes there. He would re-open a glass making shop and make an honest living.

Life at Ximax was tough. Sammy’s initial talent and knowledge learned from Gwall earned her a place among the advanced classes where she thrived, but she had to work hard to achieve it. Some of her fellow students were a small group of four other dwarves, several humans and a couple of elves at the Earth Tower. Her friendship with Gwall gave her respect among many of the instructors, but also some level of trepidation. Gwall, she learned, was considered a rogue mage who had gone a bit crazy while at Ximax. There was an accident that occurred over thirty years ago where some students were killed and Gwall was blamed for it. Whether Gwall really did cause the accident was never proven, but he was expelled as an instructor.

While Sammy spent the next fifteen years living at the Ximax Academy of Magic, Quinna opened up her own shop selling trinkets and pieces of sculpture to the public. The two gnome sisters still lived together (sometimes with boyfriends) and regularly visited Gwall at his cottage. After Sammy graduated, she had a yearning to go out into the world to adventure and experience nature. As a mage, she wanted a chance to test herself and her skills. The gnome took a job with a group of explorers who find caves, mountains and other risky things to do for fun. Most of the group are young humans who enjoy living dangerously and Sammy thought that was a good way to break away from the rigors of school for awhile. Although still stubborn, rigid and loyal, Sammy yearns to open herself up to the world and find what it means to live life to its fullest.

Magic:

Sammy is a practitioner of the physical aspects of Earth magic. Her knowledge and skills are of equivalent to a 5th level mage as she has a solid understanding of Sphere II techniques. She is a highly focused and structured mage, believing that the earth holds the strength and power above the other elements. She enjoys the many facets of the earth element, from being able to mold it to her will or how earth creates such fantastically beautiful gemstone treasures. She appreciates how earth can give her unwavering solidity in mind and body when she needs it.

The focus of Sammy's spells is her ironwood staff. The staff is slightly shorter than a ped in length and is made from the hardened wood of a fantastic ironwood tree native to Northern Sarvonia.  Sammy finds solace and comfort in having the staff as it functions as a walking stick and focus, whereby Sammy can point and direct her spells. She finds it helpful to have a center of focus, such as the staff's tip, to concentrate on during spell casting. The staff itself can be made lighter or heavier by manipulating the influence of earth ounia within it. Sammy is never without her staff and is almost hindered totally when she is forced to cast without it.

Her favorite spell is the creation of earth golems. By utilizing the Sculpt Earth spell, Sammy focuses on the solidity property of Earth by reducing the influence of the Earth ounia within a body of soil or stone. With enough focus, she can weaken the solidity property of the soil or stone and will the now softened body of earth into a single humanoid shaped golem. Sammy is capable of creating golems of up to two peds in height or width, and possibly larger, although she has not experimented with such sizes yet. The golem can be as thin or as bulky as she wills it to be. The greater the size and shape of the golem, the more focus and concentration is required to keep the golem moving. Once the general size of the golem is decided, Sammy continues to focus on the solidity property within the earth and wills the golem into a crude looking mass of arms, legs and a head. Or course, the golem can be made and moved in any shape, but Sammy finds that having a massive piece of earth move about like a giant humanoid is plenty intimidating.

Once the golem's general shape is formed, Sphere II techniques allows Sammy to focus on the earth's property of inertia to give the golem's legs movement by sliding them across the ground. Also, by focusing on the property of inertia, Sammy wills the golems to actually fight by swinging their arms in powerful blunt, but slow, attack. Weapons such as blades or arrows simply pierce the hardened dirt and stone doing little damage. The creation of the golem means that Sammy must focus upon them solely and if her concentration breaks, the golems stop their movement. Once the focus is gone, depending on the soil or rock used, the golems will either fall apart into a pile of soil or simply keep their shape as a now unmoving statue of stone.

Sammy is capable of creating multiple golems, albeit with her current skill of Sphere II techniques, only one golem at a time can be made to move. However, because of earth's natural solidity property, Sammy can manipulate one golem and quickly shift her focus upon the second golem and focus on the inertia property there to make it move. The now unmoving first golem keeps its shape and position and awaits Sammy's commands of will. In this manner, the mage can have up to two golems fighting or working for her, albeit just not in synchronized tandem. But, her focus can shift so rapidly between them, that it gives the impression of dual moving golems. This, of course, requires enormous amounts of focus and concentration, as manipulating the solidity property of two earth golems is a heavy burden. Sammy finds, however, that the smaller the golems, the easier they are to manipulate, but not by much.

Sammy has made use of her magic in other ways such as a defensive wall for herself or her allies. During one of her cave adventures, she had to create a wall of earth between herself and a wild bear that came after her. She formed the wall to cover her while the animal clawed and bit the earthen shield. She then focused on some of the rock spikes lining the cave ceiling and on the solidity property of earth by weakening the earth ounia’s influence specifically at the base of the spikes. The spikes could then fall upon the bear injuring it and causing it to flee.

Earth spikes from the ground is one she used before to ward off a band of thugs trying to rob her. The spikes were small, perhaps fifteen nailsbreadths in height, and she made them come up from the ground swiftly into her opponent’s boots stabbing their feet. As the gang limped away, she had some fun by slowing their movement by strengthening the solidity property of earth within their muscles making their steps slow and their weight higher. Each step was twice as painful for them and it gave the town guards ample time to catch them.

Her job exploring caves and dungeon delving often requires Sammy to break down rock that may be blocking a passage. During this, she focuses on the earth property of solidity by weakening it within the rock and reducing its influence making the rock easier for others to break down. With enough force and if the rock or wall is not so thick, she can often break it down herself with a focused blast aimed at a specific area of the wall or rock. The solidity property is weakened rapidly and the object shatters. She can also perform the same spell upon smaller objects such as blades, tools or even armor by weakening the earth ounia's influence and on the solidity property of the object. She can make it brittle or make it more durable.

Strengths:

Earth Magic – Sammy is an accomplished Earth mage, having been first apprenticed to a dwarven mage for five years and then attending school at Ximax for another fifteen years. She is an accomplished practitioner of the physical aspects of earth magic having using it in her sculptures and dungeon delving.

Fast Learner – Sammy is capable learning and understanding new concepts quickly and easily. She learned sculpture and earth magic basics quickly and put them into practice sooner than a comparable student of her rank. New things come quickly to her, and she is able to adapt readily to new and unexpected situations.

Steadfast – Schedules and order are important to Sammy, as she craves stability in her life. Adventuring often has a sense of chaos to it, but Sammy has a way to make the chaos stable by giving herself focus and her surroundings some element groundedness. She maintains a constant consistency in her dealings with others and always makes good on her promises.

Languages – Growing up in a human city gave Sammy the opportunity to learn Tharian. Being a gnome, her first language is gnomish and she speaks it well, if sometimes sprinkled with Tharian words here and there. She learned very basic Thergerim from living with Gwall, who spoke naturally in his native tongue to his golems, rocks and pets. He demanded that Sammy learn some Thergerim as well.

Weaknesses:

Size – Being a gnome, Sammy has had to cope with her small stature and the treatment she receives from the bigger people. Where she grew up, humans tended to push and shove gnomes around, making them feel weaker and socially lower than others. Gnomes are known for their intelligence, not their strength, and Sammy was no different, but her size is not advantageous when dealing with pushy tall people.

People Pleaser - Sammy wants to make people happy and she often lands herself into trouble by over-committing. She often is true to her word, but tends to make so many promises to people that she tires herself out quickly. Her fear is letting someone down so she works herself into a frenzy trying to keep to her word.

Wanderlust - Curiosity is often the hallmark of a gnome and Sammy is no different. She is typically a steady and cautious individual, but she has more often found herself exploring that cave a little further, or poking her nose into someone's business just a little more than she should. She asks herself what could happen...if...? Her curious experiments with magic have threatened to injure or kill her more than once before when that rock she tried to manipulate suddenly falls nearly squishing her.

Weak Judge of Character - Sammy often lacks the discernment to judge a person's character for good or evil and tends to fall into alliances with questionable crowds. Her aim to please others often gives people a way to take advantage of her. Threatening Sammy with disgrace or disappointment often works better than physical threats. Her naivety will get her involved with bad people because she wants them to pleased.

Possessions:

An ironwood staff. Sammy's prize possession is a gnarled staff made from the tree of the ironwood, a unique plant found in Northern Sarvonia. The staff was originally a half burned piece of wood that Sammy found among some ruins she was exploring north of Ximax during her early life at Ximax. The staff is a dark elken brown in color, liken to the color of earth itself, and extremely hard. The hardness is an earth element quality and Sammy found that she could easily manipulate the wood's ounia. The mage spent almost two days among the ruins fashioning a staff from the wood by breaking and mending the burnt, forgotten piece into a staff suitable for her size and handling. The staff has since been painted a garish red and blue color with golden highlights at the tips and center. A brilliant blue stone is attached to the top tip encircled with shiny golden metal.

A sturdy leather belt with a half dozen small pouches, filled with reagents.
A brown leather cloak.
A bedroll.
A week's worth of dried beef jerky and waybread.
A waterskin.
An undisclosed amount of currency.

[Sammy Turnbottom]

Bump and finished. Ready for comment.

[Mannix]

Hiya Sammy.  When I saw gnome I couldn't resist commenting.

She doesn’t run and leap so much in her adult years, having been studying and practicing her magic for so long that she has rarely left the Ximax Earth Tower. (If she rarely went outside then how did she tan?)

Curiously, she is rarely a victim of crime, probably perhaps because she once fended off a gang of thugs in her youth using her magic and never again saw trouble after that.(I'm not sure you could say that thugs wouldn't attack her because she attacked a gang once. They may not in that area, but what about different places?  Also, I'm not sure, is this is telling characters how to act?)

A true Earth Mage could do so as the subtle differences between a gem and polished stone could be felt. (I'm no magic expert, but aren't you only a mage after training. It's just that you say 'a true Earth Mage'.)

All done.

Mannix

[Sammy Turnbottom]

Thanks for catching those inconsistencies, Mannix.

I have made the changes in Teal. I removed the part about being a victim of a crime as I couldn't re-word it properly...

[Azhira Styralias]

Just bumping this up as it has been a few days since the last comment... I am in no hurry.

[Twén Aråerwén]

Sorry for not getting to this yet Azhira! I am working two jobs at the moment so things have been hectic for me .... sorry. I promise this is next on my list for the CD-Forum darlin, should be early tomorrow.

~Sincerely~

Cáo fá cár'tuulén:Twen Araerwen

[Twén Aråerwén]

At last a few free moments to comment on your magic!

Life at Ximax was tough. Sammy’s initial talent and knowledge learned from Gwall earned her a place among the advanced classes where she thrived, but she had to work hard to achieve it. She was among many other dwarves, <-- Although dwarves would be found in the largest number within the Earth Tower they would definitely not out number the humans by any stretch of the word. a few humans and even fewer elves at the Earth Tower. Her friendship with Gwall gave her respect among many of the instructors, but also some level of trepidation. Gwall, she learned, was considered a rogue mage who had gone a bit crazy while at Ximax. There was an accident that occurred over thirty years ago where some students were killed and Gwall was blamed for it. Whether Gwall really did cause the accident was never proven, but he was expelled as an instructor.

Sammy spends most of her time practicing the physical aspects of Earth magic. She is a highly focused and structured mage believing that the Earth holds the strength and power above the other elements. She enjoys the many facets of Earth, from being able to mold it to her will or how Earth creates such fantastically beautiful gemstone treasures. She appreciates how Earth can give her strengths when she needs it and how it remains solid through hard times.

The focus of Sammy's spells is her ironwood staff. The staff is slightly shorter than a ped in length and is thin enough to not be terribly heavy in the gnome's hands. The hard wood staff acts as a walking stick and focus whereby Sammy can point and direct her spells. She does not manipulate the staff itself except to perhaps make it longer or shorter by re-shaping the ounia within. But, she finds it helpful to have a center of focus such as the staff tip to concentrate on during spell casting.

Her favorite spell is the creation of earth golems. By utilizing the Sculpt Earth spell, Sammy can create up to two humanoid shaped beings made of earth that are approximately one ped in height.<--The contradictory nature towards Earth and movement would make the utilization of more than a single golem impossible. The Earth mage would have to force its movement by will alone and will can not be divided. Or, she can create a single earth golem that is one and half peds in height. The golems are not very bulky and thin in appearance. By focusing on the earth ounia within the dirt and stones, she wills the golems into a semi-solid mass of arms, legs and a head. These earth creations  have the ability to “walk” over the earth. The golem’s feet do not leave the ground, but slide along always touching the earth’s surface. These golems can be made to fight by swinging their arms giving them a powerful, but slow, blunt attack. Weapons such as blades or arrows simply pierce the hardened dirt and stone doing little damage. The golems are immune to fire and largely to wind,<--Fire would make the Earth less likely to retain shape and wind could be used to forcibly remove pieces of Earth ... no? but are susceptible to water as they render the golems as mud making it harder to keep the earth ounia hardened. The creation of the golems means that Sammy must focus upon them solely and if her concentration breaks, the golems stop their movement. Depending on the soil or rock used, the golems fall apart into a pile of soil or simply keep their shape, albeit they are easier to destroy with a simply swing of a blade.

Sammy has made use of her magic in other ways such as a defensive wall for herself or her allies. During one of her cave adventures, she had to create a wall of earth between herself and a wild bear that came after her. She formed the wall to cover her while the animal clawed and bit the earthen shield. She then focused on some of the rock spikes lining the cave ceiling and weakened the earth ounia’s influence specifically at the base of the spikes. The spikes could then fall upon the bear injuring it and causing it to flee. Rarely does Sammy use her magic in offensive purposes, but can if need be. Earth spikes from the ground is one she used before to ward off a band of thugs trying to rob her. The spikes were small, perhaps fifteen nailsbreadths in height, and she made them come up from the ground swiftly into her opponent’s boots stabbing their feet. As the gang limped away, she had some fun by slowing their movement by hardening<--Strengthening the solidity property of Earth. the earth ounia within their muscles making their steps slow and their weight higher. Each step was twice as painful for them and it gave the town guards ample time to catch them.

Her job exploring caves and dungeon delving often requires Sammy to break down rock that may be blocking a passage. During this, she focuses on the earth ounia within the rock and reduces its influence making the rock easier for others to break down. With enough force and if the rock or wall is not so thick, she can often break it down herself with a focused blast aimed at a specific area of the wall or rock. The ounia influence is weakened rapidly and the object shatters. She can also do a similar spell with smaller objects such as blades, tools or even armor. She has found that by weakening or strengthening the influence of the earth ounia within a blade, she can make it brittle or make it more durable. She has never found a purpose to do this in a combat situation, as she does this mostly in her sculpture work.

Those are the basics I see 'elementally' wrong here. I think you are a bit vague overall with describing the specific properties used. Yet let's get pass the basics before addressing more complex issues.

~Sincerely~

Cáo fá cár'tuulén:Twen Araerwen

[Sammy Turnbottom]

Thanks Twennie!

Ok, a few things confused me.

1. I guess I don't understand how manipulating two earth golems constitutes being impossible. How is willing two beings composed mostly of earth ounia to make basic movements any harder than animating corpses for a fire or water necromancer? One would think that manipulating a core earth property would be simpler (albeit more exhausting due to the fact that earth's central property is to remain solid and unmoving). A corpse, on the other hand, is not composed of mostly fire ounia, but a complex mixture that requires moving.

I am not sure how to say what I want to say...I guess that I thought manipulating strictly earth ounia (or manipulating a flame or splash of water for a fire or water mage) would be something easier done as there is much less ounia of the other elements to worry about. Does the basic stillness property of earth make it that much harder to manipulate? Wouldn't an earth mage learn to compensate for that?

Perhaps I should specialize in one golem to make this whole debate go away?

I've removed the bit about the golem's reaction to other elements...I need to be more specific with that.

Second, you'll have to be more clear on how I am being vague...I thought I was pretty detailed...at least not any more or less vague than my other mages' magic sections. 

[Twén Aråerwén]

Water Necromancy is limited to a single corpse as well. Only fire goes beyond a single manipulation due to the animation property. All of Earth's properties are anti-movement/animation so hence the caster has to mentally will each manipulation like a marionette. This would be doubly difficult considering what you are doing with the golems are forming them ... creating solidity into shape then moving them. Also, golems have no 'life' per'se to bind in any shape or form to them, hence the caster would be required to focus their will upon them just to simply move them even slightly.

By vague I mean, you use very little direct reference to which properties you are influencing and how. Was expecting much more clarity from someone with your knowledge in magic darlin. With the vagueness of Earth magic as a whole I was sorta expecting to see some of what is known and what it is you foresee in it. There really isn't much there that can be worked with outside of discussions on the dev. board and what Jose, You and some others have discussed in the past.

~Sincerely~

Cáo fá cár'tuulén:Twen Araerwen

[Sammy Turnbottom]

Ok, we're going to try this again...

The magic section has been updated for Twen or another magic expert to peek at.

The rest of the CD is available for comment. 

[Azhira Styralias]

It's been four days...

Still...

waiting...

on...

comments...

ANY...

comments...

With so many new CD mods, this is no excuse... 

[Simonne Miller]

Ok then! *cracks knuckles*

Just kidding

I really just have one small comment. I feel that the way you portray her personality shows some inconsistencies. In the beginning you say that she doesn't make any friends and keeps away from humans, preferring the company of her golems to talk to. But then she made friends quite easily with the stonecutters, and she's a loyal and steadfast friend. And then lastly in your strengths and weaknesses, you say that she is a people pleaser and wants everybody to be happy... It might be just me, but I find that a bit inconsistent.

Other than that though, I don't have any comments. I'm leaving the magic section for Twen

[Nox Echiiscuan]

Since you're so keen to get comments, and I'm feeling particularly constructive today. All of my comments will be made lovely in lime.

Name: Samakar “Stonespeaker” Turnbottom

Gender:Female

Age: 60 years (approximately 30 years in gnome age equivalent)

Race: Gnome

Tribe: Daran

Occupation: Earth Mage

Title: Stonespeaker

Overview:

Samakar (Sammy) Stonespeaker has been described as an aloof, quiet gnomish woman with a penchant for gemstones and nature. She is a woman with a deep fondness for the world outdoors and shuns the smelly alchemy labs and intellectual occupations typical of her race. Instead, by an unusual twist of fate, she came to learn Earth Magic by apprenticing with a senile old dwarf and then attended the Ximax Academy of Magic. Sammy is a shallow, quick witted little gnome and was never one to make lasting friends. She instead uses her magic to make them in the form of earth golems<-Comma.) which she creates to defend herself and speak to when she is lonely.

Physical Appearance:

Height: One ped and two nailsbreadths
Weight: 9<-Nine Hebs and 7<-seven Mut  (Just for consistency's sake, pick whether you would like to write out the numbers or not.)
Eye Color: Gnastheen green
Hair Color: Viperene sand

Sammy is a noisy gnome, in appearance that is. She is of average height for one of her race, approximately one ped tall. However, her height can be deceiving as she sometimes wears thick soled boots to increase her height by a few nailsbreadths<-Comma.) as well as keeps her hair in extravagant<-Comma.) upward styles that further increase her sense of height. In her youth, Sammy always enjoyed exploring outdoors under the bright sunshine and developed a nice tan as a result. Although still pale by most comparisons, she is still<-Remove this word.) a bit darker than some typical gnomes who would be hunched over a lab table indoors most of their life.

Sammy is deceptively strong as well, but from the appearance of her arms (when uncovered by her voluminous robes) she looks quite thin. What she lacks in brute strength, she makes up for in grace and agility<-Comma.) and instead has built wiry<-Comma.) lean muscles upon her body. She always liked to run through the grass and leap over the boulders and<-Comma.) thus<-Comma.) obtained some decent exercise growing up. She doesn’t run and leap so much in her adult years, having been studying and practicing her magic for so long that she has rarely left the Ximax Earth Tower. Nevertheless, she maintains her physique when she can.

Sammy’s love for gems and pretty stones is evident in that she displays them in her hair, on her fingers and upon her robes. Sammy’s father was a brilliant glass maker (among other illegal things)<-(Glassmaking is illegal? Or so that's how you made it sound here. Perhaps you should consider rephrasing it a bit. How about "Sammy's father was a brilliant glassmaker that also had other, illegal means of making money,"... or something of the like?) and she first fell in love with shiny baubles as a young child. Her love for the stones of the earth has meant that she keeps several upon herself as a sort of loyal display to her art. In her hair, she has tied many ringlets made of stone<-Comma.) which she has created herself. Her long hair reaches to her waist<-Comma.) but one would never know it as she keeps it tied up high upon her little head with but two ponytails hanging down on either side of her face. The stone ringlets tie all through her braids. She keeps but a few precious gemstones also tied at the ends of her braids, but not many are displayed openly for fear of her head being taken from her shoulders for just the stones!

The gnome’s clothing consists of earth tone colored robes (naturally) of dark reds, blues, deep greens and browns. She wears an occasional black<-Comma.) but not often as she feels that black signifies negative emotions. Her robes are always fitted snugly to her body with loose sleeves and are wide about her feet<-Comma.) giving her ample room to run if need be. Her robes are often lined with small polished stones of a green, red or blue color (not gems). Her appearance<-Comma.) as she walks down the streets during the day<-Comma.) is often seen as highly shiny as the sun sparkles off the stones.

Personality:

Sammy is a person of many facets, or so she is told. She is often sullen and aloof when alone while her mind is busy thinking on her magic, her travels or her schedule for the next day. She remains a studious individual<-Comma.) and always makes a point to be punctual and alert. She rarely does things just for the sake of it and never makes commitments lightly.

Personally, Sammy is a friendly gnome and is always ready with a story or small talk. She never really enjoys talking to people<-Comma.) but has come to train herself to do so. She is afraid of offending people and seeks to please those she meets. This often requires her to go out of her way more than she'd like, but the thought of someone being displeased with her is not something she relishes.

Gems and stones always bring a smile to Sammy's face and she is always ready to inspect, fondle or purchase a particularly shiny bauble that catches her eye. She has made ready friends with the local gem cutters in the city and also has a friendly reputation among the city's artisans due to her sculpture work. Sammy could go on for hours talking about stones and nature<-Comma.) and sometimes those she speaks to wonder if she is indeed some kind of druid or ranger. She laughs off such rumors, but she does feel a kinship with those of the woodlands and prefers the company of stone to the company of a laboratory flask.

Steadfast, loyal and stubborn would generally describe Sammy overall. She remains a loyal friend and consistent ally. Her word is her life and she makes good on it. When angered, Sammy tends to withdrawal and secretly work against those who offended her. On rare occasions, she'll use magic to turn someone away. The few times she has been physically attacked, she never hesitates to use her magic in deadly ways such as spikes, her golems or to slow down her opponents movements in such a way that she can escape.

History:

Samakar “Stonespeaker” Turnbottom was born to two irresponsible and neglectful parents on a foggy morning on the 17th day of Dead Tree, 1516 in the city of Ximax. Her birth was easy for her mother<-Comma.) who barely realized she had had a baby until a bloody mess suddenly appeared in the bed one morning. Sammy’s mother<-Comma.) Shana<-Comma.) and her father<-Comma.) Torin<-Comma.) weren’t expecting their baby until a few more weeks, but Sammy was early and here to stay. Torin couldn’t be bothered with a baby at the time<-Comma.) as he was busy preparing a large order of glass for the Church of Armouros to be used in a temple enclave. Shana, after imbibing a bottle of ale, promptly cleaned up the mess and suddenly realized that she had no baby equipment for which to care for this child. Ever the drinker (although rarely during her pregnancy on orders from her doctor) Shana delved into the drink and for the next few years left her daughter neglected to cry in her crib.

Sammy survived her parent’s neglect only due to a young gnomish girl who often assisted Torin in his glassmaking. This gnomish girl was named Quinna. Her parents had died in a lab explosion when she was a baby<-Comma.) and was apprenticed by her uncle to Torin’s glassmaking shop. Quinna took it upon her self to secretly care for baby Sammy when irresponsible Shana was away. Torin, of course, never cared or realized that his daughter had a surrogate mother<-Comma.) as his life was quickly spiraling downwards into a life of crime. He was falsifying his logs and over-pricing his glass to pay for his wife’s drinking habit. When certain rogues within the city found out about Torin’s secret wealth, they demanded a “protection tax” and for him to create glass for certain criminal enterprises throughout the city. Torin was not a man of strong faith or will<-Comma.) so he quickly agreed. Not long after, Shana found a new man to cling to and left Torin for a traveling gnomish dance troupe (not that Shana could dance – she left for the handsome gnomish bard who was a part of the act).

Sammy was now ten seasons old and without a mother and barely with a father. Young Quinna took it upon herself to keep Sammy and<-so they could find a home together<-Comma.) away from Torin’s influence. Torin<-Comma.) himself<-Comma.) sank into a depression and agreed to allow his daughter to live with Quinna and her uncle. Torin apologized to his daughter for his neglect and only then came to realize what a beautiful daughter he had. However, he couldn’t escape his situation so easily and promised Sammy that he would work to clean up his act with the thieves guilds and care for Sammy as he should. Quinna and Sammy left Torin to his business and went their own way. Torin, for his part, began secretly diverting some of his earnings into a safe place for Sammy to use later once he cleaned up.

Quinna and Sammy came to live now among Quinna’s distant relatives. She told them that she had been released from her job with Torin and had to find a new apprenticeship. They took the news of Sammy coming to live with them fairly well, as Quinna was able to tell quite a convincing lie about Sammy’s origins. Sammy was a highly adaptable girl and took into her family with ease, but was never close to any of them except Quinna. Quickly, the two became more like sisters than mother/daughter. Quinna was only ten seasons older than Sammy and the two got along famously thereafter.

For the next five years, Quinna and Sammy worked as city messengers, running from place to place carrying letters and packages for people. Sammy enjoyed the outdoors and liked to walk everywhere<-Comma.) while Quinna preferred to hire wagons to carry her around. Sammy enjoyed the work. She met many people and made many contacts, but few loyal friends. Sammy was a gregarious individual<-Comma.) but kept her many acquaintencesacquaintances on a shallow level and didn’t allow them to know her too deeply.

Quinna came to realize that Sammy was a loyal, steadfast and deeply stubborn girl. Sammy kept the same delivery route and never changed it. She kept the same habits and was careful to avoid deviations to her schedule. She rarely had any fun, as opposed to Quinna<-Comma.) who loved to dance and drink in the local taverns<-Comma.) leaving her “sister” to fend for herself in a corner. In reality, Sammy hadn’t found her true life’s love and she was afraid that she was missing something.

On Sammy’s fifteenth birthday, she realized where she wanted to go in life. She delivered a package to a wealthy old dwarf who lived in a small cottage outside of the city. Sammy had heard stories that this dwarf was a strange and curious fellow<-Comma.) and was to be avoided at all costs. But, she had a package to deliver and she intended to complete her job. She approached the cottage and rapped on the door. There was no response. She took a peek in the window (dwarven house windows were low to the ground<-Comma.) unlike human homes). She saw a fantastic display of many kinds of stones, gems and other strange items. It was like a gnomish lab, only more “natural” with wooden carvings, stone statues and other items. Ever curious (as befitting her race) Sammy walked around the cottage looking for a back door. There, in a beautiful rock garden, she saw the old dwarf speaking to a mound of earth!

As Sammy watched, the dwarf continued to speak some strange language (she spoke Tharian<-Comma.) but not Thergerim) and wondered what the man was doing. Within moments, before her eyes, the mound of earth moved and began to reshape itself. It grew tall and thin and branched out into four parts – arms and legs. Where the shoulders would be sprouted a “head” and the mound of earth resembled a human with arms and legs!<-(You already mentioned the arms and legs. It sounds odd and breaks the flow of the paragraph. How about "Where the shoulders would be sprouted a "head", causing the mound of earth to resemble a human.") Sammy watched<-Comma.) dumbfounded<-Comma.) as the dwarf spoke gently to the earth man, smiling and laughing with it. He paused every so often <-Comma.) as if allowing the earth-man<-Missing modifier.) to speak. He then broke out into a fit of giggles<-Comma.) as if the earth-man<-Missing modifier.) had just told a funny joke.

Sammy was awed at the dwarf’s power and realized that he was one of those rare Earth Mages from Ximax. The package she was holding fell from her grasp to crash on the ground<-Comma.) causing the dwarf to spin around to face her. The earth-man<-Missing modifier.) crumbled back into a pile of dirt again. The dwarf snarled his displeasure at having his focus broken and shouted obscene remarks at the gnome. Sammy hardly heard, though, as she was still focused on the mound of dirt that only seconds before resembled a man. The dwarf paused in his tirade and stared at the gnome curiously for some time. He approached the girl and picked up his dropped package. With a smile, he opened it up and took out a long rod made of gray stone. He inspected it for damage and tucked it into his belt. The gnome girl before him was still slack jawed<-Comma.) so he snapped his fingers loudly to bring her out of her reverie.

Sammy started and saw the dwarf before her. She asked about the man made of dirt and the dwarf only chuckled. The two spent the afternoon speaking further of the dwarf’s earth magic and showed her more of his skills. He often rambled on and on about the nature of stone, which would have bored a typical listener, but he had Sammy’s attention. The gnome told the dwarf of her love of gems and stones<-Comma.) which perked the dwarf’s attention. He wondered if the gnome girl held a talent for earth magic as he did. He decided to test her.

Gwall presented Sammy with several stones. He told her some were precious gems and some were merely polished river stones. Being blindfolded, and using touch alone, could Sammy tell them apart? Gwall thought that anyone with a talent or "connection" to the earth could do so as the subtle differences between a gem and polished stone could be "felt". Many couldn’t do it, or only succeeded with sheer lucky guesses. But someone talented in the earth touch would know. Sammy good-naturedly<-Missing modifier.) began her test. She picked up each individual stone between her thumb and forefinger. She rubbed it, grasped it tightly and even smelled it. When she decided, she placed the real gem to her right and a polished stone to her left.

It took her half the afternoon, but Sammy was finished. To Gwall’s surprise, Sammy had ordered every stone and gem in their proper places by touch alone. Although not a definitive test of earth magic talent, it told Sammy that perhaps she had a future as a gem cutter or stone artist. Gwall, though, had other ideas. He recognized Sammy’s intelligence and attentiveness to duty and responsibility. He offered her a chance to attend school in Ximax as a student of the earth element. The gnome laughed at that possibility. For one thing, she had very little money and second, she had no one to sponsor her. A gnome girl shows up at Ximax with a few coin in her hand asking for admission? Impossible!

Gwall giggled and spoke to some more of his rocks before finally agreeing to help Sammy get into Ximax. He offered Sammy an apprenticeship as a sculptor for a few years to gain some skill in magic. Gwall, himself a high level earth mage, gave the gnome a chance of a lifetime: an apprenticeship to a mage before entering Ximax. Once the school saw her talent, they would allow her in. Gwall would help with the cost. But, Sammy had to earn it by helping with some of Gwall’s sculptures for the next few years. Sammy agreed.

The next five years saw Sammy working hard as an apprentice sculptor and mageling to the often senile Gwall the dwarf. The old dwarf was a capable teacher and could truly focus when casting spells and teaching basic magic. As for other things, such as cooking or relating to real people, he often was scattered and aloof. Nevertheless, the gnome and dwarf worked together well and created some fabulous pieces of sculpture that they sold to temples, wealthy nobles and taverns. Even Quinna, who never liked getting her hands dirty with dirt and stone, assisted and the three took to living and caring for old Gwall’s cottage home.

Sammy’s twentieth birthday was fast approaching. She had already learned a great deal of basic magic from Gwall and was proud of her sculpture work. She was ready for Ximax at last when she received word from her father Torin. A letter was delivered to the cottage from Torin saying that he had finally rid himself of his past troubles and was ready to meet his daughter again. After ten years, Sammy reunited with her father and the two shared memories. Torin was deeply sorry for his bad parenting and revealed that he had been saving up some of his earnings for his daughter<-Comma.) should the time come for her to use it. The timing couldn’t be more perfect<-Comma.) as Sammy revealed her intention to go to mage school in Ximax and Torin’s savings were given to her for just such a purpose. As for Torin, he had decided to go back to Cavthan<-Comma.) where there was a sizeable<-sizable population of Daran gnomes there. He would re-open a glass making shop and make an honest living.

Life at Ximax was tough. Sammy’s initial talent and knowledge learned from Gwall earned her a place among the advanced classes where she thrived, but she had to work hard to achieve it. Some of her fellow students were a small group of four other dwarves, several humans and a couple of elves at the Earth Tower. Her friendship with Gwall gave her respect among many of the instructors, but also some level of trepidation. Gwall, she learned, was considered a rogue mage who had gone a bit crazy while at Ximax. There was an accident that occurred over thirty years ago<-Comma.) where some students were killed and Gwall was blamed for it. Whether Gwall really did cause the accident was never proven, but he was expelled as an instructor.

While Sammy spent the next fifteen years living at the Ximax Academy of Magic, Quinna opened up her own shop<-Comma.) selling trinkets and pieces of sculpture to the public. The two gnome sisters still lived together (sometimes with boyfriends) and regularly visited Gwall at his cottage. After Sammy graduated, she had a yearning to go out into the world to adventure and experience nature. As a mage, she wanted a chance to test herself and her skills. The gnome took a job with a group of explorers who find caves, mountains and other risky things to do for fun. Most of the group are young humans who enjoy living dangerously and Sammy thought that was a good way to break away from the rigours<-rigors of school for awhile. Although still stubborn, rigid and loyal, Sammy yearns to open herself up to the world and find what it means to live life to its fullest.

Magic:

Sammy is a practicionerpractitioner of the physical aspects of Earth magic. She is a highly focused and structured mage<-Comma.) believing that the earth holds the strength and power above the other elements. She enjoys the many facets of the earth element, from being able to mold it to her will or how earth creates such fantastically beautiful gemstone treasures. She appreciates how earth can give her unwavering solidity in mind and body when she needs it.

The focus of Sammy's spells is her ironwood staff. The staff is slightly shorter than a ped in length and is thin enough to not be terribly heavy in the gnome's hands. The hard wood staff acts as a walking stick and focus<-Comma.) whereby Sammy can point and direct her spells. She does not manipulate the staff itself<-Comma.) except to perhaps make it longer or shorter by manipulating the ounia within it. She finds it helpful to have a center of focus<-Comma.) such as the staff's tip<-Comma.) to concentrate on during spell casting.

Her favorite spell is the creation of earth golems. By utilizing the Sculpt Earth spell, Sammy focuses on the solidity property of Earth by reducing the influence of the Earth ounia within a body of soil or stone. With enough focus, she can weaken the solidity property of the soil or stone and create a single humanoid shaped being made of earth that is approximately one and a half peds in height. The golem can be as thin or as bulky as she wills it to be. The greater the size and shape of the golem requires more focus and concentration. By focusing on the solidity property within the dirt and stones, she wills the golem into a crude looking mass of arms, legs and a head. By using Sphere II techniques, Sammy focuses on the earth's property of inertia to give the legs movement by sliding them across the ground. Also, by focusing on the property of inertia, Sammy wills the golems to actually fight by swinging their arms in powerful blunt, but slow, attacks. Weapons such as blades or arrows simply pierce the hardened dirt and stone<-Comma.) doing little damage. The creation of the golem means that Sammy must focus upon them solely and if her concentration breaks, the golems stop their movement. Depending on the soil or rock used, the golems fall apart into a pile of soil or simply keep their shape, albeit they are easier to destroy with a simply<-simple swing of a blade.

Sammy has made use of her magic in other ways<-Comma.) such as a defensive wall for herself or her allies. During one of her cave adventures, she had to create a wall of earth between herself and a wild bear that came after her. She formed the wall to cover her while the animal clawed and bit the earthen shield. She then focused on some of the rock spikes lining the cave ceiling and on the solidity property of earth by weakening the earth ounia’s influence<-Comma.) specifically at the base of the spikes. The spikes could then fall upon the bear<-Comma.) injuring it and causing it to flee. Rarely does Sammy use her magic in offensive purposes, but can if need be.

Earth spikes from the ground is one she used before to ward off a band of thugs trying to rob her. The spikes were small, perhaps fifteen nailsbreadths in height, and she made them come up from the ground swiftly into her opponent’s boots<-Comma.) stabbing their feet. As the gang limped away, she had some fun by slowing their movement by strengthening the solidity property of earth within their muscles<-Comma.) making their steps slow and their weight higher. Each step was twice as painful for them and it gave the town guards ample time to catch them.

Her job exploring caves and dungeon delving often requires Sammy to break down rock that may be blocking a passage. During this, she focuses on the earth property of solidity by weakening it within the rock and reducing its influence<-Comma.) making the rock easier for others to break down. With enough force and<-Comma.) if the rock or wall is not so<-too thick, she can often break it down herself with a focused blast aimed at a specific area of the wall or rock. The solidity property is weakened rapidly and the object shatters. She can also perform the same spell upon smaller objects<-Comma.) such as blades, tools or even armor<-Comma.) by weakening the earth ounia's influence and on the solidity property of the object. She can make it brittle or make it more durable. She has never found a purpose to do this in a combat situation, as she does this mostly in her sculpture work.

Strengths:

Earth Magic – Sammy is an accomplished Earth mage, comparable perhaps to a level IV, having been first apprenticed to a dwarven mage for five years and then attended<-attending school at Ximax for another fifteen years. She is an accomplished practitioner of the physical aspects of earth magic<-Comma.) having using it in her sculptures and dungeon delving.

Fast Learner – Sammy is capable learning and understanding new concepts quickly and easily. She learned sculpture and earth magic basics quickly and put them into practice sooner than a comparable student of her rank. New things come quickly to her<-Comma.) and she is able to adapt readily to new and unexpected situations.

Steadfast – Schedules and order are important to Sammy<-Comma.) as she craves stability in her life. Adventuring often has a sense of chaos to it, but Sammy has a way to make the chaos stable by giving herself focus and her surroundings some element groundedness. She maintains a constant consistency in her dealings with others and always makes good on her promises.

Languages – Growing up in a human city gave Sammy the opportunity to learn Tharian. Being a gnome, her first language is gnomish and she speaks it well, if sometimes sprinkled with Tharian words here and there. She learned very basic Thergerim from living with Gwall, who spoke naturally in his native tongue to his golems, rocks and pets. He demanded that Sammy learn some Thergerim as well.

Weaknesses:

Size – Being a gnome, Sammy has had to cope with her small stature and the treatment she receives from the bigger people. Where she grew up, humans tended to push and shove gnomes around<-Comma.) making them feel weaker and socially lower than others. Gnomes are known for their intelligence, not their strength, and Sammy was no different, but her size is not advantageous when dealing with pushy tall people.

People Pleaser - Sammy wants to make people happy and<-Comma.) often<-Comma.) she lands herself into trouble by over-committing. She often is true to her word, but tends to make so many promises to people that she tires herself out quickly. Her fear is letting someone down<-Comma.) so she works herself into a frenzy trying to keep to her word.

Wanderlust - Curiosity is often the hallmark of a gnome and Sammy is no different. She is typically a steady and cautious individual, but she has more often found herself exploring that cave a little further, or poking her nose into someone's business just a little more than she should. She asks herself what could happen...if...? Her curious experiments with magic have threatened to injure or kill her more than once before when that rock she tried to manipulate suddenly falls<-Comma.) nearly squishing her.

Weak Judge of Character - Sammy often lacks the discernment to judge a person's character for good or evil and tends to fall into alliances with questionable crowds. Her aim to please others often gives people a way to take advantage of her. Threatening Sammy with disgrace or disappointment often works better than physical threats. Her naivete <-naivety will get her involved with bad people because she wants them to pleased.

Possessions:

An ironwood staff<-Period.)
A sturdy leather belt with a half dozen small pouches, filled with reagents.
A brown leather cloak.
A bedroll<-Period.)
A week's worth of dried beef jerky and waybread.
A waterskin.
An undisclosed amount of currency.

I just nitpicked you, mostly, it appears, for comma usage. Yes, yes I did. You bet your butt, I did...

Man. That took forever. It was hard going, as this is a well written and long CD. But I did it. Woot! Anyway. That's all the help I can give, as I don't really know, well... anything about magic. I would've mentioned the personality inconsistency, but Sim beat me to it- so I just took it out. It'd have been silly of me to point it out when Sim had already done so. So, yes, there you go.

Bobspeed,
~ Nox ~

[Sammy Turnbottom]

Ok, corrections made!

Grammar corrections are in lime green (except the commas and small bits)

Yellow corrections are to correct the personality inconsistencies.

I've left the magic section alone from grammar corrections in case Twen has me re-write anything.

 

[Twén Aråerwén]

!Rejected! Haha! Just teasing Samakar. The magic section reads nicely now, although you have a couple run-on sentences, that happens when explaining complex ideas. ~First Approval~

~Sincerely~

Cáo fá cár'tuulén:Twen Araerwen

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