Forlorn Geomant

Thabit was not always alone.

Once, several daoi watched over Blackmoor Basin together. Not a commune, for daoi are too solitary for that, but a loose kinship of earth-watchers who shared the burden of protecting the land.

Then Mahkah Hemlig came.

Her geomancy tore through the Broken Lands. Mountains collapsed and valleys inverted. The other daoi fled, retreating to deeper wilderness where Mahkah's magic couldn't reach.

Thabit stayed. He stood his ground, drawing power from the endless reservoir of earth beneath him and hurling massive stones at Mahkah's elementals and scouts. A single strike could shatter wings, pulverize armor, and bring down creatures twice his size. He was dao, made of elemental earth itself. The power would never run dry.

But Thabit would.

Days became weeks and weeks became months. Every dawn brought new threats, and every dusk left him standing over rubble and broken elementals. The other daoi never returned.

When King Rennyn's forces marched through Blackmoor Basin, Captain Maud stopped before him and wrung the water from her beard.

"You're one of the dao," she said.

"The others left," Thabit said. "I remain."

"Why?"

"The earth breaks. Someone must stop it."

Maud understood that kind of duty. "We're marching against Mahkah Hemlig. Will you join us?"

He joined them without ceremony.

As they approach the Broken Lands, the devastation becomes overwhelming. Forests torn from soil, hills collapsed into sinkholes, bedrock twisted and reshaped.

When Mahkah's forces appear, Thabit will strike with everything he has left. He's been fighting alone for too long. This time, others fight beside him.