Dusty

Dusty is the Soil Spirit familiar of Ashewan Norvegicus.

## **The Basics**

* **Height**: 1ft 5”
* **Weight**: 15kg
* **Current Location**: Amber Creek
* **Education**: Semi attached to a Hive mind

## **Physical Appearance**

* **Eye Colour**: No eyes instead Dusty has two Purple gemstones where eyes are expected to be, through manipulation Dusty is able to show a limited range of emotions.
* **Composition**: Dusty as with all Soil Spirits is mostly composed of the crushed remains of larger Earth Elementals, but due to his time on the material plane Dusty is composed of various Gemstones and other types of stones.
* **Build**: Slightly bottom heavy
* **Distinguishing features**: unlike most other Soil Spirits Dusty is composed from various types of gravel, stone and gem.
* **Accessories**: None
* **Level of Grooming**: Incredibly low
* **Distinguishing “tics”**: None
* **Mannerisms**: Inquisitive and friendly even though Dusty doesn’t understand anything but Terran they approach new things with a childlike wonder.
* **Walking Style**: Plodding steps
* **Flight Style**: Bobbing along

## **Speech and Communication**

* **Talk Speed**: Fast and Harsh
* **Style of Speech**: Direct
* **Accent**: Terran (unable to be replicated by the common tongue)
* **Posture**: Squat and Ready
* **Do they Gesture?**: Dusty very rarely likes to speak often opting to use gestures to answer questions.
* **How much eye contact that they like to make?**: Constant, Dusty reads the faces of those not speaking Terran to gauge how a conversation is going
* **Preferred Curse Word**: Fuck (learned from Ashewan)
* **Personal Moto**: None
* **Speech Impediments**: None
* **Distinguishing Speech “tics”**: Sort of militaristic
* **What's their laugh like?**: Gravelly
* **Describe their Smile**: Cracked
* **How emotive are they?**: Given Dusty’s choice to be of few words they have taken to being very emotive with their gestures almost to the point where is it quite comical.

## **Powers & Abilities**

### **Innate Powers**

* **Tremorsense**: Dusty is able to feel the minute vibrations in the Earth and use them to visualise his surroundings.
* **Earth Glide**: A natural born ability of most denizens of the Elemental Plane of Earth, Dusty can meld into any unworked mineral or dirt surface and pass through them with ease.
* **False Appearance**: Due to the composition of their bodies some Earth Elementals can relax themselves into a neutral state where they appear to be just ordinary piles of dirt.
* **Slam**: Dusty channels their past life and experiences as Gritt the Tremorbringer and unleashes furious devastating punch.
* **Pebble Dash**: Dusty takes aim and fires a pebble with all the force of an equivalently sized Volcano.

### **Gifted by Ashewan**

* **Flight**: Much to Dusty's joy their Master Ashewan has given them the ability to fly in the sky, a gift Dusty is ever grateful for.

## **Backstory**

Legends of the Elemental Plane of Earth speak of a once powerful Earth Elemental named Gritt The Tremorbringer, an incredible being whose footsteps would shake the Elemental Plane of Earth, sadly this mighty moniker would be Gritt’s undoing as a cave-in caused by said footsteps ended their life. After Gritt’s body perished and fell apart many Soil Spirits were born from the remains and from the left elbow of the once great Elemental the Soil Spirit who would come to be known as Dusty was born.

Dusty’s early life was one of grunt work mining small tunnels and carrying debris with their siblings, Dusty sat at the bottom of the totem pole of earthen hierarchy only the slaves captured by the Dao sat below them but it was not their place to punish or harass they were quickly reminded of their place as well by the larger beings that inhabited the very furthest outskirts of the Sevenfold Mazework.

Dusty and their siblings along with the slaves were charged with growing the Mazework and expanding the sprawling Maze beyond it’s already incalculable size, because nothing is ever enough for the Dao, Dusty worked tirelessly for eons mining, dragging and cowering that was their life, their endless existence and then one fateful day the ground rippled under Dusty’s feet, a terrifying clawed hand dragged Dusty through the rippling vortex and the next thing Dusty saw was a small white thing with a weird shaped head, it looked like the slaves soft and not stone Dusty turned to see one of the great Dao holding them, the Dao informed Dusty that this soft thing was The Great Sultan’s new favourite and they were going to serve them and with that with not even a hint of seeing if this was ok, a shackle appeared connecting the pair and that is how Dusty met young Ashewan age 9.

In the years following their fateful meeting Dusty had never felt more…alive was that the word they felt, ever since meeting his new master who insisted on being called “Ashen One” an odd name to be sure Ashen One came from a beautiful earthen peak unlike anything Dusty had seen before the view above and around it was unlike anything Dusty had ever seen before, instead of endless stone and earth there was endless…endless the cavern roof of this plane was unreachable and shifted colours Dusty had never experienced such a thing even their vague memories of being a part of Gritt showed nothing like this. Dusty felt ever thankful to Ashen One for saving their life for allowing them so see all of this and deep down Dusty could feel the gratitude of their siblings in the hive mind.

The passage of time flowed and seasons changed and a harsh cold was running through the mountain though Dusty couldn’t feel the cold they could tell something was up words spoken in a language they couldn’t understand the faces on the larger beings his master lived with were more sad than usual, through their bond Dusty felt his master’s concern and knew things were bad, the great Dao who introduced them was no longer helping, deep down Dusty knew they would be like this The Dao were awful beings but Dusty daren’t say a word on the matter these were forbidden thoughts back home anything of the sort would see you slowly crushed into the finest dust, Ashen One took it upon himself to fix the problems, they entered the hovel of another being, this novel was big not as grand as The Sultan’s Palace or The Dismal Delve but it was clear this soft being was a higher rank than their Master, they started taking things shiny things, heavy things but the Higher ranked being found them came with a jar of flame and chased them, Dusty acted to protect their master and fired a pebble but the pebble never met it’s mark, the higher being fell it tripped on a large stone a curious stone.

The days that followed were scary there was shouting and running, things thrown, Dusty was kept in the bottle they had never felt so alone then Ashen One entered his soft face was wet, water poured from his eyes, Dusty watched in silence as he begged The Great Dao for help, pleaded, begged then, the Great Dao answered an entrance way was opened in the bottle it led them back, back to Dusty’s home plane there they were brought before The Mightiest of All Beings, The Great Sultan Dusty quaked even as Gritt The Great Sultan was beyond approach a being of immense power and influence The Great Sultan spoke with Ashen One and twisted his words used him to make a wish that would ensnare him as soon as his master said the words Dusty felt dread course through their body and indeed their hive mind the siblings felt it too, Ashen One was knocked out and sent back to the Material Plane, Dusty couldn’t follow till master summoned them Dusty sat there in the throne room terrified hoping they wouldn’t be noticed their sibling screamed through the hive mind to run but Dusty couldn’t fear had them, they remained still and soon Ashen One awoke.

As Dusty travelled across the planes a great wave of anguish and terror filled his soul, master was in danger when they arrived they saw it, the mountain where they had been living was being torn down the screams of the people living there echoed across the vast distance to the hill top where they were sat Ashen One had his head in his hands and they were screaming his soul was being torn apart by the pain of what he saw and Dusty could feel it all. Many hours later the mountain was gone Ashen One had fallen into slumber, Dusty watched over him protecting his master from the things that attacked in the night. Dusty didn’t know it yet but the events of this past day would lead to many years of suffering for them both.

## **Relationships**

### Family

Though Soil Spirit’s are not born as normal beings those that rise with them from a single Elemental are connected by a small hive mind of shared past memories and current ones, Dusty has several siblings

* **Gritt - The Head of the Tremorbringer**: It is innately known to the Soil Spirits where they came from and that the one born closest to or of the head takes on the name of their previous life.
* **Pebble - The Right Shoulder of the Tremorbringer**
* **Slate - The Left Hand of the Tremorbringer**
* **Pile - The Right Knee of the Tremorbringer**
* **Shingle - The Right Foot of the Tremorbringer**
* **Gravel - The Stomach of the Tremorbringer**

### Master

* **Name**: Master, Ashen One, Ashy One, Ashewan
* **Race**: Master
* **Age**: unknown
* **Occupation**: Master
* **History with Dusty**: Master and I were introduced by Raakooz, The Great Dao, Servant to The Great Sultan, The Mightiest of Beings, he called us “Friends” it means like Family but you choose them I have been with my master for most of his life he has given me so much he allowed me to stay with him even after…even after…My Master is sad I can feel it his joy is fleeting he used to be angry so angry he used to take that anger out on me, I know why but my master needed me so I took it, My master has changed recently he is like he used to be, at least on the outside when he lays down he cries I can feel it he cannot drop the feeling. There is only one who makes him feel joy.

### Friends

* **Name**: Fuff, White Fuff, Gweenth
* **Race**: White Fuff
* **Age**: Questionable
* **Occupation**: Master’s joy
* **History with Dusty**: Gweenth is kind and soft she is fun and bright and she makes Master Ashewan happy, I like her she was always there when I broke down my siblings want to meet The Gweenth and feel the Fuff, she is odd I know she is odd but I don’t know why she has her own bound beings like me but she treats them like equals and she has made Master treat me the same.

* **Name**: Big Wide Soft, Enda, Ool
* **Race**: Big bird
* **Age**: Unknown
* **Occupation**: Friend
* **History with Dusty**: Enda was old soft pink person but is now a big bird, I don’t get it but she is big and soft and flies really fast, Enda watches everything, everything. One time I broke a white stone disc used for food and Enda saw me…Enda sees everything.

* **Name**: Egger, Little Specky
* **Race**: Speeder
* **Age**: Unknown
* **Occupation**: Little itchy
* **History with Dusty**: Egger used to be like Enda a pink soft thing but now they are a small thing with lots of pointy bits they move fast and the pointy bits make me feel itchy.

* **Name**: Flower, Anka
* **Race**: Flower person
* **Age**: Unknown
* **Occupation**: Flower Maker
* **History with Dusty**: Anka tried to give me a pretty flower once but Master Ashewan said I couldn’t have it he didn’t trust back then, now I am can see Anka and get pretty flowers from her, she is kind she once got real sad when Master Ashewan fell down, it made me scared Anka should smile, it makes me happy.

* **Name**: Flora
* **Race**: Flower Person
* **Age**: A few moons
* **Occupation**: Flower Person
* **History with Dusty**: Flora is wonderful, they fly gracefully and dance on the stuff that shakes the trees, they make me feel warm when I see them like I am sat near a molten stream, I like them I want to see them all the time.

* **Name**: Worm Person, Aneeveea
* **Race**: Hueman
* **Age**: Unknown
* **Occupation**: Magic stabber
* **History with Dusty**: Aneeveea is kin to Rockick though Rockick appears unbroken so I don't know how Aneeveea can be descendant, Huemans are weird, Aneeveea wants to help master Ashewan doesn't like Master sad, Aneeveea is nice but owns a weird worm named Glibutt.

* **Name**: Worm, Worm Guy, Glibutt
* **Race**: Wormy
* **Age**: Don't care
* **Occupation**: Worm Bastard
* **History with Dusty**: I hate Worm Guy, they are mean and do mean things.

* **Name**: Big loud, Odd deer
* **Race**: Big Crushing
* **Age**: Unknown
* **Occupation**: Loud Crusher
* **History with Dusty**: Odd deer reminds me of my memories as part of Gritt, he a strong warrior, loud, defeated many foes, Odd deer keeps falling down and getting up, Odd deer not stop, Odd deer start off big but then can become Big like Big Elemental big, Odd deer strong, Odd deer doesn’t like me which is ok got a feeling I shouldn’t like him too something in memories tells me.

## **Trivia**

* Dusty enjoys pretty things, things which cannot be found in the Elemental Plane of Earth
* Though Dusty is genderless they respond to any pronoun given to them as they do not fully get the concept nor see the point in it.
* Dusty never lost faith in Ashewan not once
* Gwyneth’s loose fur sometimes get caught in Dusty’s body and it causes them possibly the closest thing to an itch an Elemental can experience.
* Dusty enjoys the feeling of water soaking into their body, the feeling is unexplainable
* Dusty has a feelings of affection for Arnica and the wonders she can make.
* Dusty often fakes emotions to fit in with the current mood in the room
* Dusty with the help of Ashewan is slowly learning common