Finally! (http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shot00005ql7.jpg)
Cathrynn made warsmith. Bit of a story, really. When I started L2 a year and a half ago, Cathryn was my main, a cute little dwarf artisan, totally the wrong choice for a new player, not that I knew that. after struggling like mad, I manged to get her to 38, at which point I stalled out completely. every time I gained 4%, I'd die. again, and again, and again. I just about quit L2 entirely, as I was making no progress, and nothing I could do seemed to change that, and I stopped having fun.
instead, I created a human wizard, and went warlock, making my class change about a month or two before c4. despite the limitations that warlocks faced then (and still faces now, actually), i've found the class to be a better fit, and l2 became fun again (more like a game, less like work, which is the point, really).
however, I never got rid of Cat, I was still attached to her because she was my first character. so, she spent a lot of time being a shop, and a hold all for Isk, spending her time in Giran buying and selling stuff, and gathering together mats from Isk and other player shops so Isk could craft first C grade and then, later, B grade. she also spent a lot of time after c4 fishing, partly as another way to make adena (fish gems for 5-10k, proofs for 100-150), partly because fishing is relaxing.
once Isk finished with his D grade gear, I passed his Oe'd SoL back to Cat (becoming a Bonebreaker in the process) and got her a mithril armor set (as I'd loaned my HP set out long since, and had not bothered getting it back), and she'd level a little now and again, making about 6% or so a month as well as finishing her class change quests, ending up 39 and about 40% when c5 finally hit.
now that C5 is here, leveling her got MUCH easier thanks to the herbs, and so my clan leader suggested I put her in the clan academy and go ahead and push her through to 40 and WS. done, and done. after about 6 hours of grinding (she had her pet wolf beside her, as always, so that slowed the xp down a bit, as well as seeding from the manor), she FINALLY made 40.
once out of the academy, i had to make a decision: did I want to keep leveling her, or was it really time to fully retire her as a shop dwarf and nothing else?
I made my decision, i'll keep leveling her, perhaps a bit faster now. herbs help, and the grind is simply not as bad as it used to be. however, that left the problem of c gear for her. Isk had just finished getting into Doom Light (and Tsu duals, because they are cheap and look good, the only real requirement for a weapon for a summoner), and funds were low. however I did have a +8 bonebreaker, after all... 2 days later it sold for 45kk adena, and this is the result. (well, this and 10kk adena left over)
That is a Karik Horn she's holding, if you don't recognize it. +6 (buy two FistBlades from the lux shop, keep enchanting until one of them breaks, turn it into the weapon of your choice at the blacksmith), with focus (can't argue with 206 pattk and +77 crit and blunt, so she can use hammer Crush). that is also composite armor, which is a loan. I'll be crafting dwarven chain just as soon as she can get to 43, mostly because it looks good on dwarves (and C set completers have gotten rather silly priced on Erica).
I don't expect her to own things, really. I'll probably get around to Tatoo'ing her for Str and Dex, make her a mini DD along with her pet wolf, and have her go out and do the manor for me every now and again, as a change of pace.
it is rather funny to note that at lvl 40 she has almost as much CP as Isk has hit points, and has nearly as much pattk as well. kind of nice being able to sit there and take a pounding from a mob and not worry about your hitpoints constantly.