Dao are greedy, malicious genies from the Elemental Plane of Earth. They adorn themselves with jewelry crafted from precious gems and rare metals, and when they fly, their lower bodies become columns of swirling sand. A dao isn't happy unless it is the envy of other dao.

All That Glitters. The dao dwell in complexes oftwisting tunnels and glittering ore-veined caverns on the Elemental Plane of Earth. These mazeworks are continually expanding as the dao delve into and reshape the rock around them. Dao care nothing for the poverty or misfortune of others. A dao might grindpowdered gems and gold dust over its food to heighten the experience of eating, devouring its wealth as mortalsconsume a precious spice.

Lords of the Earth. A dao never assists a mortal unless the genie has something to gain, preferably treasure. Among the genies, dao are on speaking andtrading terms with the efreet, but they have nothing but scorn for djinn and marids. Other races native to the Elemental Plane of Earth avoid the dao, which are always seeking new slaves to mine the mazeworks oftheir floating earth islands.

Proud Slavers. The dao trade for the finest slavesthat money can buy, forcing them to work in dangeroussubterranean realms that rumble with earthquakes.
As much as they enjoy enslaving others, the daohate being enslaved. Powerful wizards have been known to lure dao to the Material Plane and trap them in the confines of magic gemstones or iron flasks. Unfortunately for the dao, their greed makes it relatively easy for mages to cozen them into service.

Dao of Zakhara. With it's strong ties to the elemental plane, genies are everywhere in society. This has led to a greater hierarchy of genies including these dao, sometimes referred to as lesser dao. While they are not able to grant wishes like the noble dao (CR 11), they still hold a prominent spot in dao society. They still are able to command any earth elemental to do their bidding. They are often seen as the second in command under greater dao.