Timmean and Volk, Training Day

[Volkihere Malacalo]

Volkihere goes to Timmeans farm.
"Timmean are you here"!
Volk shouts.

[Timmean]

Timmean glances up from a plot of soil he'd been preparing for the latest batch of seeds. "Ah, Volk! How are you?"

[Volkihere Malacalo]

"I'm good and yourself."
He says oddly entertaining the social convention

[Timmean]

Timmean nods slightly and shrugs.

"Doing reasonably well, all things considered. Getting work done. Passing the days." As he takes a swing with his hoe, slight smile touches Timmean's lips; "Not dead yet. Now, shall I assume that you're looking for something? Further training, perhaps?"

[Volkihere Malacalo]

"You have assumed correctly, I do wish further training. May we begin."
He stands firm and at attention.

[Timmean]

Timmean smiles, chuckling to himself.

"Certainly, Volk, but no need to be so formal; I'm no grand sage. Actually, this is an excellent place to start..."

He turns back to the field, raises his hoe, and swings it hard, driving the end of the tool into the ground with a loud thunk. Panting slightly, he nods at the patch of ground.

"What do you see here? More importantly, what do you feel? ...oh, and before I get too far ahead of myself, what would you actually like me to teach you?"

[Volkihere Malacalo]

"I would first like to learn, to strengthen my connection to the earth and make my spells more powerful, and in the earth, I feel life, healing, and energy.

[Timmean]

Timmean paused for a moment, nodding slowly.

"Yes, true, but go deeper than that." He places the hoe on the ground between the two of them, then stoops down to brush at the spot he had hit, revealing a large rock just under the surface. "The earth has form, and structure; a never-ending web of mud, soil, and rock. Yet it isn't simple, and not at all uniform. It's chaotic, in a way, this vast and seemingly random mass we simply call 'earth.' Yet it supports us; it feeds us; it even defends us. And it can be ordered to do these things even better. Think of a building or fortress, with an ordered foundation of stone. Think of a bridge or a wall, with the earth formed and shaped into a specific structure."

He pauses for a moment and grins a little. "Think of this farm; the earth here ordered and cared for to produce specific crops, in far greater quantities than would normally grow. In the same way, you can focus the earth's power, 'order' it if you will, to make it more powerful, and more effective."

[Volkihere Malacalo]

"I see what you mean I focus, practice, and work my power and it will strengthen its self."
Volk looks at Timmean waiting for confirmation that he grasped the lesson.

[Timmean]

Timmean tilted his head, mulling over this response.

"Well yes, but you need to strengthen your connection with the earth to start with. Practice will help, certainly; but that practice will only be as effective as the connection you have to the earth. You must grow that connection first, then your focus and practice will be all the more meaningful."

He reaches out, gently raking his fingers through a loose patch of soil, then pauses. He turns his gaze back to the hoe lying between the two of them, chuckles, and nods at it.

"Actually, that may be a good place for you to start. You don't have to, of course, but I've found working the earth can sometimes help one... bond with it, in a way."

[Volkihere Malacalo]

He nods, and begins to work the earth. He is very poor at doing so, but it looks as if he is trying. (He will continue to do so until he gets it or Timmean stops him.)

[Timmean]

For the next three hours or so, Timmean continues to work with Volk, giving basic directions on how to shape the soil, and more detailed direction to help him strengthen his connection with the earth. By the time they had finished, Timmean is convinced that Volk's focus and control over earth mana should be improved.

"How are you feeling? This can be hard work, I know, but you certainly seem to be growing stronger."

[Volkihere Malacalo]

"It feels good like contentment. I've never said this out loud but earth always felt more at peace, fire always felt like desire passon, it's interesting. When your ready I wo also like to learn to bind people to the earth."

[Timmean]

Timmean bit back a laugh, instead nodding with a bit of a grin.

"Well, the earth certainly tends to be much more steady and calm; it helps to nourish, grow, and build. But the earth can still have it's fury - rare as those moments may be. Have you ever heard of the phenomenon called an earthquake?"

[Volkihere Malacalo]

"I know very little but the ground shook once and one of my elders called it an earth quake." He looks at Timmean thr a mask clad face.

[Timmean]

Timmean nodded solemnly, "Yes, that sounds right. I've only experienced one earthquake myself, and it was small, like yours. Still, I was indoors, and it shook the building and knocked a few things from our shelves. If it had been larger - which I've heard of happening to other villages - there could've been terrible damage. The earth is slow to anger, but it does have fury."

"Now, as to the spell you wish to learn; the binding spell, I believe you said. First, find a patch of earth that's packed tight, preferably in a small mound or pile. There should be something around here you can use."

[Volkihere Malacalo]

He walks to a pach of earth outside of the garden, it looks like what Timmean discribed. Then he stops and stands next to it. He looks to Timmean for further instructions.

[Timmean]

Timmean follows Volk to the spot, studies the patch, and nods slightly. "Not perfect, but it will certainly do. With this spell, you cause the earth do two things: one of them, obviously, is to stay in one place, tightly packed, so that the target of your spell will be trapped. That much is easy. However, for the spell to be useful, you must first cause the earth to move and surround the desired target; that is hard. The earth rarely moves on it's own, and even then it usually moves slowly or downhill. To cause the earth to collect in on place - even for a small amount of earth like you see here - takes a force of will. The action will become easier and more natural with time, but for now, it will take concentration. Now..."

Timmean stoops down and holds his hands just over the small mound. He tilts his head and narrows his eyes, as if concentrating. "Yes, yes, this will certainly work. Study this spot; feel this spot. Learn how it differs from a loose patch of gravel, or even a patch that's just as tightly packed, but flat. Use it like a guide; when you cast your binding spell, you will use your mana to cause the earth around your target to form just such a mound, encasing a foot or leg inside."

[Volkihere Malacalo]

Volk focuses on one patch of dirt, for around twenty minutes, and in one moment the earth begins to shift and erode around a stick on the ground he then looks to Timmean for him to aknolage that this was what he was suposed to do.

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