"I am working on shifts each one step further." She paused and looked away. "There is no other mage here. Not anymore. The mage that originally made this place was-" She hesitated. "-experimenting, long ago. Some people went missing. Nobody knew it was the wizard. He attempted-" She swallowed. "-crossbreeding creatures. Monsters, even. Those experiments got wilder, assisted by magic, trying to create something."<br/><br/>She took a breath. "I arrived here to study as apprentice, from the Master of Transmutations. I wanted to become a great mage, but then I got to what lay beneath the tower." She looked at Marric very seriously. "The mage first transmuted me this way. From man to a woman." She smirked. "I have since then copied the method, but made it more<em>voluntary</em>and<em>temporary</em>." Swallowing, she continued.<br/><br/>"I was bound, and seeming to be intended for next set of tests he had in mind, not having had an elf in captivity before. Before it could begin, I used magic I had memorized beforehand to free myself, and when the mage came for me, I dueled him." Looking down at her feet, she sighed. "The townsfolk were proud of their most famous mage, not knowing what all he has been doing, and his magical items sold far and wide." She looked aside. "It may be deceit that I kept the tower, but I kept making magical goods, as well as trying to restore the poor souls he<em>destroyed</em>in his research." She looked away. "I did not continue that kind of study, but he proved it was possible and left a lot of bizarre, strange notes, that have let me study some<em>very unconventional</em>efffects as well."<br/><br/>She smiled at Marric guiltily. "I doubt any of the townsfolk alive today recall what I looked like when I arrived, compared to how I am now, but I try and remain at the tower and keep making the magical items necessary. I sell them as I can, further my research, and help keep this town thriving with the money they earn in taxes from this tower." She smirked. "And yes, they are bold enoguh to tax mages."