The Elemental Plane of Earth: The Anvil (TIP)

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Wizard School 	Alterations
Air, Fire, Water	<
Earth 	+
My name is Tiv, and I am of the shad. My folk are not native to the plane of Earth, like the living stone that outsiders call "elementals" or the masters of rock you call "galeb duhr," but we have dwelled here long enough to have forgotten any other place. This endless stretch of stone is now home to the shad, and that gladdens us and gives us identity.
Some outsiders say that the plane of Fire is the most inhospitable of the Elemental Planes. While it might be the most dangerous, it is not nearly as difficult a place as the plane of Earth. Many travelers call this plane the Anvil, and there are a good many reasons for that.
First of all, outsiders cannot breathe here. There are occasional pockets of air, places where anyone with sense rests for a while and give thanks, but these often become the lairs of dangerous and hungry monsters. We shad have little need for air, but even we cannot survive within the solid earth. Travelers should be prepared for such obstacles.
Another challenge here is the matter of mobility. Getting from place to place in the plane of Earth can require endless effort, a very strong back, and a pick that would do great Dumathoin proud. We dig and burrow-that is our life. The shad do not follow the set paths. Instead, we make our own. The plane of Earth is both our lord and our adversary. It provides for us, yet presents itself as our greatest challenge. All told, if one does not fear being buried alive-a fear shared by many outsiders, I am told-one may like our realm and our way of living.