No idea on #1 aside from it being expensive.

#2 it appears to be in the game for me. The difference is that it is 'persistent' instead of 'persistant' in terms of seeing the helpfile, as shown below:

'PERSISTENT EARTHRAIN'
An invoker of strong earth magic who chooses this edge has carefully honed
their reflexes and unconscious mind to be able to maintain a rain of stone
even when they are knocked out. The success of this endeavor is by no means
guaranteed, and is unlikely to last for long under any circumstances.

SEE ALSO: RAIN OF STONE, EDGES


http://www.carrionfields.net/helpsearch.php?id=1942