Geomancer

The Dwarves have an affinity for rock and stone. They spend most of their time beneath Teleria’s surface, digging new tunnels or uncovering old ones. They seek out hard-to-reach seams of ore with which to craft technological wonders, and carve paths down into the roots of the mountains to expand their realms. While much of this is accomplished by the humble pick and shovel-work of the Tunneling Guilds of Gloomdeep Hold and the Skyiron Dominion, some tunnels require a more specialized form of digging; the magical art known as geomancy. Geomancy involves the manipulation of rock by force of mind; only the most stubborn of souls can become skilled in its practice for, to be a Geomancer, a Dwarf must match their will against that of the mountains themselves. As such, Geomancers are rare. Those who display any aptitude at all for the artform are immediately snatched up by the Tunneling Guilds and trained to use their abilities for the good of their people, whether they wish to do so or not. A Geomancer learns to commune with the stone, and how to manipulate the fissures that permeate mountains. They guide Guild sapper teams to weak spots in the rock face, sniff out seams of valuable ore, and can hear a mountain's warnings of the approach of subterranean monsters such as rock-spiders or cave-apes. They are also adept at shaping stone, allowing them to open up new tunnels. For these reasons, Geomancers are often at the forefront of every Skyiron delving expedition. But not every Geomancer remains in the employ of the Tunneling Guilds. Some few break their contracts and go into business for themselves. One is Durok Sunblight. Durok was once a humble sapper, meant for a life of carving timing runes for magical explosives to open up new routes through the earth. But one day a mislaid rune caused a cave-in, of which Durok was the only survivor. Buried there, in the bowels of the earth, Durok heard the mountain speak to him, albeit not in words. Rather, some force rose within him and allowed him to mystically shift the tons of rock that had trapped him and carve himself a path to freedom. As this force flowed through him, he felt stronger than he ever had before, and as he emerged into the torchlight of his would-be rescuers, Durok wished he could continue to dig… and dig… and dig. When word spread of Durok's feat, a Tunneling Guild soon came calling. At first, Durok was reluctant to go with them, fearing that they might punish him for his unauthorized use of magic. But when he realized that they intended to train him to better use the power he’d felt within him, he was only too eager to go. But the training was slow, meticulous, and cautious. Too cautious, in Durok’s estimation. The power within him demanded to be put to use in ever more inventive ways, and he was only too happy to oblige it. He could turn solid stone to dust and back, cause tremors, and even petrify living things. But his Geomancy tutors refused to allow him to continue his experiments. Forcing him at every turn to keep to the rigid path they set out for him. Durok’s refusal to cease his experimentation saw him drummed from the Tunneling Guild, and prohibited from using his magic on pain of imprisonment or worse. But Durok had decided that such rules no longer applied to him. Employing his powers as he sees fit, he travels from place to place one step ahead of the authorities, offering up his services to any who will offer him the opportunity to explore the limits of his abilities.