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Name: Samantha Ritter
Gender: Female
Age: 12
Physical Description: Samantha is a small girl for her age, just under five feet tall and barely one hundred pounds. Her chestnut brown hair falls to her shoulders and she wears it either in a ponytail when it's hot or down when it's cold. Her brown eyes are light in color, close to amber when the sun shines on them just right. She has fair complexion in the winter but in the summer tans fairly easily, making those around her question her heritage. She usually wears simple dresses despite her father's high standing in society, not liking frills and lace too much, finding it easy to get those kinds of dresses dirty. She does have a few nice bits of clothing to wear for parties, though, and she doesn't hesitate to wear them when she knows she won't run the risk of getting them filthy.

Her preferred magic is earth.
Personality: Samantha is a very proper young lady, mindful of her manners in the right company. When she's alone, though, she's very timid and quiet. She's terrified of many things, including the dark, which is her biggest fear. She knows it's silly to be afraid of something that can't hurt you, but there's a nagging at the back of her mind that darkness will only bring pain and sadness some day. She keeps to her studies and is a very good student, both in school and her in etiquette classes. Samantha's favorite thing to do is to practice the piano. She's very good, some would even say a prodigy, but she has no desire to make money off her talent. It's just something she likes to do to calm herself when she's scared. Samantha also loves to garden, although she prefers flowers and trees over fruits and vegetables.

History: Samantha was born into a very wealthy family and has only known comfort and happiness in her life. She never knew her mother who died during childbirth, but there were enough maids and their children to keep her entertained through her youth. A daddy's girl, she always had the most in-fashion clothes, the newest toys, and whatever else she could dream of. Still, all the stuffed animals in the world did nothing to comfort her at night when the darkness crept in. Sometimes she'd hear bells in the distance, and they would soothe her to sleep. She felt like they chased away the scary things that crept under her bed.

One winter night, though, she found herself venturing out into the darkness and cold air alone, shivering even with the heavy coat her father had bought her for the holidays. Those bells...they were calling to her. Her room didn't feel safe, but the louder the bells got, the safer she felt.

The Summoning: When Samantha opened her eyes, it was dark. Pitch black, in fact. Her heart began to beat much quicker as her breath caught in her throat, and she looked around while clenching tighter to whatever was in her hands. How had she gotten here? Where was here? From the smell and the feel, she was underground. While she did love the earth, being in some cave that was so dark she couldn't see her hands in front of her face wasn't something she wanted to do. Tears formed in her eyes as she threw the thing down, and it scared her even more as it clattered to the stone floor. Wooden, then. And long. A ladle?

Suddenly a warm glow appeared before her, shining light on the room. There was a cauldron before her that was steaming gently, and the light coming from the thing over it felt warm, like a gentle fire. Suddenly a voice spoke, although it didn't echo in the cave as her crying did.

Hush, little one...there is nothing to fear. Come, child, come closer to the light. What is your name, my dear?

The voice was warm, friendly, and inviting. Samantha sniffled and moved closer to the shimmering air, feeling warmer and safer already. "S-Samantha Ritter," she stammered out as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. "S...sorry but...I don't...I think I'm lost. Can you help me sir?" A chuckle was her answer, but it didn't sound mean. It sounded amused, but kind.

Yes, my child, I can help you. I need your help coming out of here, though. Will you promise me to be a good girl? I know you already are, sweet thing. But in order for me to come out to keep you safe, you must continue to be the gentle, kind girl you are today for as long as we're together. Can you do that?

Samantha never nodded so quickly in her life. "Yes! Yes I'll be good, sir." He seemed so nice and warm, like her father. With whoever it was by her side she was sure she'd be the best girl in the world. "What is your name, sir?"

My name, my dear Samantha, is Thalin-Silme.

"Th...thali...Thalin-slime...oh sorry...silme? Can...can I call you Thal?" she asked, sniffling away the last of her tears. The chuckle filled her mind once again as the portal brightened and a little puppy came through to her feet. She gave a soft 'oh!' in surprise. A little puppy had been talking to her? She crouched down in front of him and reached out to pet his head, which got a little lick to her fingers in return. There were two small horns on his head and she wondered what kind of dog it was.

"Thal...okay Thal...you have to protect me now," she said softly. The pup growled quickly in agreement and barked, making the light from the portal shine even brighter. Together they worked their way out of the cave, Thal leading Samantha through the tunnels, and when they emerged daylight was staring to re-claim the land. Samantha smiled slightly and looked down at her new friend, relieved to be out of the cave and happy to have a new guardian.