It was a fantastic summer day in the Santa Cruz mountains just south of San Francisco. There had been a minor earthquake in the area just last night, and so Alex, an Earth mage by trade and geologist by hobby, was out searching for anything interesting that might have been uncovered. It wasn't unheard of for scientifically interesting fossils or geomantically charged stones to be unearthed after such quakes, so he was glad that the freelance nature of his work gave him the opportunity to come out right away.<br/><br/>Alex spotted what looked like recently bared rock a little ways off and broke into a trot, easily vaulting over a fallen tree. He was a fairly large man, with a well toned but not particularly bulky physique. More of a runner than a lifter. He was well groomed as well. Clean shaven, with simply styled brown hair and intelligent blue eyes behind a nice but unremarkable pair of glasses.<br/><br/>"Come on!" he shouted back over his shoulder. "I think we might have something here!"