Tobias Karlsson, a below average human student of Fauleki Academy.

"...Tobias Karlsson!", the Wizened Wizard calls out, looking at you and holding out his hand in a beckoning gesture.

Tobias Karlsson, that's you. You are a small young man, standing only at 5'6" and built with slender, willowy limbs. You take after your mother instead of your father, they say, and it can be seen in your build as well as in the honey blond hair atop your head and the sparkling green eyes that are set in your boyish face. You are small and almost delicate looking in many regards and that has caused you to be pushed around a bit by the humans and elves who stand so much taller than you and the dwarves who, while shorter, are so much more solidly and strongly built than you.

You are the youngest son of a mage-smith (blacksmiths that specialize in magical weapons and armor) and you followed in the footsteps of your father and elder brothers by traveling to the Dwarven lands to attend Fauleki Academy along with many other aspiring magical engineers and smiths from the human kingdoms. You had high hopes for yourself as your father and brothers were highly skilled and accomplished mage-smiths and your mother had been a great enchanter of Starfall Academy in her time. You thought you would do well with their blood running in your veins and your will to learn and practice every day as much as you could.

You, however, had been wrong.

You tried your best, without a doubt, but you somehow always fell short when it came down to it. You would craft fine swords and shields, but found it impossible to work subtle enchantments into the items while you forged them. Your magic was always too weak compared to others or the enchantments did something far different from what you had intended. You still remember the helm of water-breathing you'd made and how it had caused the wearer to belch up gallons of brackish water instead of letting them be able to breath in water. Or the enchanted blade of fire that had only been able to make a bare spark when one ran magic into it. Needless to say, your time at Fauleki had been less than auspicious.

Still, you had stuck it out and worked hard and tried your best and, perhaps by sheer stubbornness or luck, you lasted long enough to make it this far. You had made it to the Ceremony of Summoning and, as always, you had high hopes for what was to come. You had dreams of showing those who thought you worthless or unskilled how wrong they were by summoning something great. A salamander or fire dragon, perhaps, who could help heat your forge. Or an earth elemental or golem that could produce or retrieve ore of great value for you to forge. You had great hopes and were as optimistic as could be, as you always were when you set out to do something.

Though, as you rolled up the sleeves of your simple linen shirt (having forgone the billowing robes of most sorcerers as many of Fauleki Academy did), it was hard to keep positive when you could hear snickering from your classmates who had already summoned their familiars or who were still waiting.

"Oh, it's little Toby's turn! This oughta be good!", you heard somebody call out.

"Go on, Toby! I could us a good laugh!", somebody else called.

"Who wants to bet he summons a newt or something? I got ten copper pieces on goldfish!"

You hear laughter at that, but you square your shoulders and ignore the calls as best you can as you step up towards the Wizened Wizard and the raised dais he stands on where a magical circle has been drawn and where the summonings take place. You feel a bit awkward in heavy work boots and leather breeches when standing next to the Wizened Wizard in his flowing robes of midnight blue, but he smiles that reassuring smile at you and gives you a nod of encouragement that puts you at ease almost instantly.

"Pay them no mind, child. You shall summon that which will match you most. Your familiar will complete you in ways you perhaps have not even thought of.", he tells you as he places a hand on your shoulder and gently guides you to the center of the summoning circle, "Your familiar already awaits you. All you need do is call to them. Focus your mind, your heart and your spirit and reach out to your familiar, young one, and all will be well."

You nod to the Wizened Wizard gratefully and then you take a deep breath and close your eyes as you focus your energy inside of you. You reach out with your mind, your heart and your spirit, reach out through the ether and to worlds beyond your own. You reach out and, in your mind, you whisper, "Come to me, familiar. Please come to me. I'm waiting for you. Please."

You call out in that silent mental voice, reaching out with power both mental and spiritual, throwing out your invitation to the void...and feeling it answered within a few moments of your calling out.

There's a blinding flash and a sound like a sonic boom as the summoning occurs, smoke filling the area around the summoning circle. You cough as smoke fills your nostrils and you wave your hands in front of you to try and clear it away. As you do, you open your eyes and you see a shape in front of you in the smoke. Just an outline, but there is something there and, in your excitement, you reach out towards it and your hand comes into contact with something...gooey.