Dominion of Earth

The Dominion of Earth allows those who master it to wield the power of the soil, stones, and metals that make up the world. Any such materials can be sensed and molded like clay, and great masters of the Dominion of Earth can raise mountains, shake the earth, and split the ground asunder. The mightiest of them can become pure incarnations of stone and metal, or even merge with the very earth itself.

Tremorsense (Novice+)
One's Tremorsense allows Earth wielders to detect the composition and presence of Earthen materials, such as metal, stone, or sand, as well as determine their strength and detect any cracks within them. The Tremorsense, as its name implies, also enables an Earth wielder to sense vibrations within the ground, such as those caused by earthquakes, or more subtle ones which are caused by the passage of living creatures. The Tremorsense also enables a sufficiently skilled Earth wielder to detect any traces of Vital Energy located within earthen materials. Finally, the Tremorsense dictates the range within which other abilities of the Dominion might be used.


 * Novice: So long as they are being reasonably attentive, Earth Novices are able to sense earthen vibrations within a few feet of them (unless they are extremely potent), though this is usually good enough to give them a sense of when someone is sneaking up on them. In order to assess an Earthen material for its qualities and the amount of Vital Energy it contains, they must physical contact with whatever they are scanning, and be concentrating furiously.
 * Adept: An Adept of Earth is typically able to detect fairly small earth based vibrations within a few hundred feet of them, allowing them to discern the presence of humans or other larger animals in their vicinity. More potent tremors, such as those found in a minor earthquake or caused by an explosion, can be detected within a range of several miles. One can also determine the composition of the materials, as well as locate any fault lines, caves, or other such geological features within a similar range.
 * Expert: Earth Experts have a Tremorsense that extends for several miles, and is extremely finely tuned. Though the use of the Tremorsense is reflexive at this point, its precision and sensitivity is something of an inconvenience, and most Earth wielders find it necessary to try to tune a large portion of the sensory input they receive out.
 * Master: Earth Masters wield a Tremorsense that varies, depending on their skill level, from tens to hundreds of miles, when they focus on scanning the earth around them.
 * Archmaster: Archmasters have the ability to extend their Tremorsenses across entire continents, and even entire realms, should they choose to dedicate their minds to surveying such a tremendous area. Typically speaking, however, large amounts of seismic activity will be detected by them whether they are focusing or not.
 * Absolute Master: The Absolute Master of Earth can sense the tiniest disturbance within the Earth, fully analyze every aspect of it, and detect the merest hint of Vital Energy inside the Earth anywhere within Creation. The only limit is that they can typically only focus on a limited number of areas at a time, with the range from their point of focus spanning multiple realms.

Earth Control (Adept+)
The signature power of the Dominion of Earth is the ability to shape it to one's will. To make stone flow like water, to make the earth split open or shake itself apart, to crush enemies in hails of rock or shred them to pieces with a storm of sand. Using this ability, an Earth wielder can control virtually any earth based material, such as rock, dirt, sand, or metal. The more processed the materials are from their natural state, such as quarried stone or forged metal, the more difficult they are to manipulate.


 * Adept: At this stage, an Earth wielder is capable of willing the earth within their Tremorsense range to move and reshape itself in rough, imprecise patterns. Pillars and spikes of rock can be made to rise from the ground to strike at foes, a ceiling made to collapse, a wave of sand made to rise, or a metal wall made to suddenly burst apart. They cannot influence objects that they are not in physical contact with, or are not in direct physical contact with the ground. Should they wish for greater precision, they can mold any earthen object they touch as if it were clay. The Adept is also able to unleash potent tremors through earth based material, using them to knock enemies of balance or damage the terrain. Finally, at this stage, the Adept is usually able to control enough earth to constitute boulders capable of crushing cars, or generate earthquakes strong enough to level a small building with enough effort.
 * Expert: Expert Earth wielders can command the Earth to reshape itself with significantly greater precision than an Adept, with a little bit of concentration. They can also manipulate any Earth based materials within their Tremorsense range, so long as they can sense it. This enables them to cause stones to hover in the air, or swirls of sand to float about. Experts are also able to cause rapid shifts in composition in the earth that they control. While this does not mean they can change the material, say, sand to rubies, they can for instance cause unyielding stone to shift into soft powder, or sand into an impenetrable wall. Lastly, an Expert has sufficient power over the earth to destroy a standard sized buildings, or unleash a tremendous rockslide.
 * Master: Earth Masters can make Earthen materials flow as if they were water with nothing but a thought, altering their composition with ease. By the time this stage is reached, the Earth wielder is capable of devastating entire cities, tearing it asunder with earthquakes and shaking rock, and can split apart mountains with little difficulty.
 * Archmaster: Archmasters of Earth have the capabilities necessary to reduce vast regions to nothing but scattered rubble. They have the power to raise islands and mountains with ease, or cast them down just as easily.
 * Absolute Master: The Absolute Master of Earth can reshape it on a continental scale, reshaping landmasses at a whim.

Gaean Invigoration (Novice+)
The earth is filled with Vital Energy, so that it might sustain life, as per the design of the great Primordials. Those who wield the Dominion of Earth are able to draw upon that Vital Energy to grant themselves strength and heal their wounds. The one drawback to this ability is that the Vital Energy within the Earth is limited, and drawing on an area too heavily will drain the Vital Energy there until it eventually replenishes. Restoring stamina is less energy intensive than healing wounds. More severe wounds take more Vital Energy to heal. In order to make use of Gaean Invigoration, Earth wielders must be in contact with natural earthen features, such as dirt, stone or sand, so long as they are capable of having living organisms grow on them and are at present possessed of Vital Energy. Processed and manufactured terrain such as cut marble or even worse, concrete, will not suffice, as they are completely devoid of Vital Energy.


 * Novice: A Novice of Earth finds that so long as they are in physical contact with the ground, they are able to draw upon the earth to replenish their stamina, oftentimes even without actively being aware that they are doing so.
 * Adept: Earth Adepts are able to draw upon the power of the Earth to heal any wounds the suffer by covering or immersing themselves with dirt, mud, sand, or some other earthen substance. Then, with a prolonged period of focused concentration, they can drain Vital Energy from that Earth, and use it to dull pain and speed up their healing processes. However, this method does not enable them to recover from wounds that are normally beyond their capacity to heal.
 * Expert: Experts of Earth are able to draw upon Vital Energies locked within the Earth so long as they are standing upon it, sending the power they are leeching through their bodies and into the wound. So long as they have the capacity to devote a large amount of concentration, they can continue to draw upon the vital energy of wherever they are standing, to recover from all but the most grievous of wounds within a few short hours.
 * Master: Earth Masters can restore nearly any injury within minutes by draining the Vital Energy of the Earth, and even transfer it into allies who they have physical contact with. The energy first flows into the Earth Master, and thence into their allies. Though not capable of regrowing lost body parts, a Master is skilled enough in extracting and making use of Vital Energy from the Earth that they can reattach something like a severed limb.
 * Archmaster: An Archmaster of Earth is able to drain and make use of Vital Energy from the Earth within mere moments, and can transfer such energy directly into anyone who is touching the ground. So skilled is the Archmaster at making use of the life energies within the Earth, that they can craft replacement limbs and organs out of the Earth, which, though they might be made of sand or stone, can still function fairly normally.
 * Absolute Master: The Absolute Master of Earth can heal any injury on anyone who is in physical contact with the Earth. There is no limit to how many wounds can be healed, as the Absolute Master can draw upon earthbound Vital Energy from all across Creation, making anyone under their protection effectively immortal so long as they remain touching the ground. Any injury can be repaired fully, and replacement body parts made from the Earth can be transformed into true flesh.