Wakened Stone

Of all the earth magi, those who follow the path of the wakened stone achieve the greatest fraternity with the rock itself. They alone fully embrace kinship with the earth, drawing their power from communion with the living stone rather than by imposing their will upon it. Training in this skill therefore slightly improves the effectiveness of the call upon earth and quake spells, reflecting the scholar's enhanced capacity for healing from and rousing the anger of the earth.

The most visible manifestation of this communion, however, lies in the mage's ability to waken the very stone. When his earth elemental is the subject of the 'wakenstone' command, the scholar will cause the dormant rock to awaken, splitting apart and giving life to a young drake hatchling. Unlike the feral drakes born of the world, this drake will imprint upon the mage, becoming instantly loyal to him just as the earth elemental was. A mage may not maintain more than one drake at a time, nor may he be served by both a drake and an elemental.

A drake will, like earth elementals, be somewhat more dangerous underground, doing more damage and being more resistant to attack.

As the drake ages, it will eventually molt, shedding its mineral skin and growing larger and stronger. In doing so, it may acquire new abilities -- the specific powers gained vary according the type of drake, which itself is determined by the predominant type of stone present in the room wherein the elemental was awoken. By using the 'wakenstone' command without an argument a mage may probe his will into the earth, in order to ascertain the stone type prevalent there. While drakes will mature from simple time, they will do so considerably faster if used in combat.

Should the drake be killed or otherwise lost (such as by logging off while not in the same room as it), a new drake may be awoken from a new elemental. However, the new hatchling will have none of the gained experience and powers of the original, and will have to accrue them again.

A failed attempt to waken an elemental will destroy it, and thus the scholar is advised to proceed judiciously.

Primary Attributes: Wisdom, Charism.