You arrive at Issar Roon's study only to find the door firmly shut. The old man's warning about entering his empty study without permission flashes across your thoughts. Not wanting to leave without a story, you decide knocking is the best course of action.

Go away!

At least the old man is there. You knock again.

I'm busy, leave me be!

Refusing to give up, you wait a few moments before knocking again. Before your hand has a chance to bounce off of the hard oak the door flies open as if an elephant smashed into it at full speed. Even more surprising, you find the old man sitting at his desk with his back to the doorway.

I do not want to be interrupted! I am busy with important research, and have no desire to talk to you.

Baffled by how the door could have opened, you stand unable to speak. The old man makes no effort to look at you, or stray from his books.

If you insist on standing there, at least come in and close the door. Perhaps I will tell you a short story when I have finished this work.

Happy that the old man has agreed to tell you a story, you do as he asks before sitting on his colorful rug. After a long time, Issar Roon turns towards you and begins talking.

Do you know what Maro-Sorcerers are? No, I guess you wouldn't. I have not seen any on this plane, and they often do not reveal themselves to those who are ungifted. At least, not in ways you would understand.

Maro-Sorcerers, or Maro as some Dominarians call them, are elementals in a basic sense, but are much more than the mindless beings wizards seem to love summoning. They are thinking beings, cognizant of the world around them and their own abilities. A Maro is an entity created by nature itself, frequently because of some harm that has befallen, or will befall, the natural world. Although, there have been a few cases reported of Maro appearing after extremely powerful magic has been used.

The old man's stories are always confusing and fantastical, but this one is the greatest yet. With such a strange topic, you wonder how the old man could dream up such ideas.

Because a Maro is manifested from the land it is often tied to a specific domain. Though there have been instances of a Maro leaving its place of origin, such as Multani, it is an uncommon and dangerous occurrence. When Multani left Yavimaya to help with preparations for the war against Phrexia the forest found a new avatar in the form of Rofellos. Unfortunately, Rofellos had a very different character from Multani, and unconsciously caused the forest to mimic his demeanor. If Multani had not returned to Yavimaya, the forest would have changed to a much more militant and aggressive environment permanently.

Maro have also been summoned by planeswalkers, though no one knows what effect that has upon the Maro and the domain it belongs to.

The old man says the last sentence at a rapid pace, changing the subject before you have time to fully consider what he has said. You wonder why, when most of what he says is gibberish to you.

Most Maro serve their place of origin, nurturing the land and protecting it from foreign sources. Others serve a master, like those summoned by a planeswalker. Many of the Dominarian Maro worship and follow Gaea, the protector of their plane. No one knows if she truly exists, but many powerful planeswalkers who have traveled to Dominaria assert that she is real. Of course, that means nothing to most people on the plane, the ones who diligently worship her as a goddess. The Maro support this worship, however, and encourage the residents of their domain to continue in their beliefs. Perhaps they know more than most mages and wizards of Dominaria.

The majority of Maro are quiet and reclusive. Many people know nothing about these magical beings that protect the forests of their plane. Ahh, but I remember one exception from my youth…

The old man seems to drift off for a moment before continuing.

Men of my town had grown tired of being cold each winter, and decided they would create a large stockpile of wood for their fires. They went to the edge of the forest and chopped down at least fifty trees that day. When they returned to the woods the next day, they found a Maro waiting for them. The Force of Nature, as it was called by my town, unleashed its fury on those men. Unsatisfied, it came to our town, and destroyed every fireplace it could find, including the simple fire pits used for cooking. From that day on, we only took fallen wood from the forest.

The old man's eyes have glazed over, looking into the distant past. When his mind finally snaps back to you and the study, his expression is replaced by a scowl.

There. You've had your story, now go. I must get back to my books if I am to accomplish anything today. And close the door on your way out!

The old man had kept his word in telling you a short story. You decide it best to follow his wishes in return.

This is a work of fiction based on the stories and entries provided by Wizards about some of the early characters. The author takes some liberty with the story for dramatic purposes. So the story portrayed here may not be the exact story according to Magic Canon. The author has found references and art to use in the following locations: Encyclopedia Phyrexianna and the MTG Salvation Wiki. Written by Brendan Weiskotten.