Episode Seventy-two - Skyfall

General Summary

Part One

In the heat of the battle for Olostin's Hold The Cloak of Sauron emerged. He surged forward and stabbed Kelaryn through the stomach as Annabelle sent a Guiding Bolt straight into him. Arion then cut his back with Sol's Haste deeply wounding the drow as Aldrich held him in place with divine vines. The Cloak of Sauron then turned and cut Arion across the chest several times with his black sabre before stabbing him through the stomach with a poisoned dagger. As Arion's strength fought the poison Aldrich cracked his whip and slapped the drow with Divine Smite. Kelaryn then seized the moment and used her Minds Spike as the drow drew back. With all his might, The Cloak of Sauron screamed, "Arion!" Low the truth be known, Arion was swift in that moment and cut the drow deeply before he could parry. Catching the next blow on his black sabre, Arion sword then slid down it and chopped off the drow's fingers. With a strong opening, Arion removed the agent of Sauron's head. Arion then rushed after the fleeing orcs as he looked around to the battle as it closed. Along with Aldrich, they slew many. As they ran, Annabelle sprang to action and began to heal the wounded. With Kelaryn's aid she saved some seventy lives. All the while, Sol took the moment to loot the corpse of The Cloak of Sauron. After the battle drew to a firm close, the captain of the guard invited the heroes back to the village's keep to rest and feast. It was there that Lord Danhert thanked them, happily offering anything he could provide. As they rested, mended their wounds and armor, and ate well; they learned information about their journey, the existence of the town of Everlund to the north, heard of a purple man of fable by the River Rauvin, and were told that there was a town under the thumb of orcs with out a lord. The town was called Gravesford, they learned, and it was coveted by a man named Lord Saxton of Sundabar. In their time there, the voice of Sauron rushed in and proclaimed, "Final Victory will be broken. With your fall Toril shall be mine. My kingdom will come and you will fall to your knees before me. Fear me Arion." Like the threat made in Arion's dream the night before, I see you Arion, blood of Númenór. I see your ring. With your blood before me, it will be your prison forever onward, it was hollow. Though the townspeople were frightened, as was the lord, they swiftly changed moods as one among the crowd began to tell of the tale of the Champions of Destiny. He then spun the tale of their time in Neverwinter as the heroes snuck off with the lord to learn the secrets of the town. He offered the town's secrets, the newest of which were a vampire and wolfwere alliance. He told them of a large thieves guild in town and thanked them again for their service. After they enjoyed their night they left town via the northern woods and flew with Annabelle's Wind Walk, from her necklace, to the River Rauvin. There, as was rumored, stood Than, the Last Titan of Urgrund. Arion offered some tactical advice on the Titan's mood and problems. The advice was sound but Kelaryn still approached in anger and they found only anger in return. They tried to calm him but he angered further. "Unbelievable. You thought you could run off and save the worlds on your own, you thought you knew better then a 17 billion year old Titan and where did that bring you? Right back to me. You could not live with your own failure. You show up just shy of the death of Destiny of the Endless. All this time you wasted and your best chance was trapped here." “What arrogance you have to even speak to me. Your names were lost to the book and you gave Destiny hope for the first time but in the end your names were lost because they are worthless... You think you’re so special don’t you? Struggling in your despair, fighting for your purpose. All for that reward at the end, it’s pitiful. What is it with mortals and your fetish for priority? You squandered your time, you ignored your hunt for the glyphs, you sacrificed for petty lives when the universe was at stake, and in the end you failed to even forge your blade for MY Godfather Gems. Just answer me this, do you really think the lives of so few are worth the lives of so many?” “You’re a joke. You’re all addicted to being the main characters of your story. You’re all writing your own fantasies and assuming YOU are the protagonists. It’s almost interesting actually. Out of all these fruitless lives you all thought you would make the difference but what I know after 17 billion years is that you all are like children playing pretend. It’s a delusion of grandeur, you’re naive and you’ve been played the fool. You can’t even name your enemies after all this time.” “You should choose your words wisely. I still haven’t made up my mind about you. See, I ignored my destiny once. I can not do that again. Even for all of you. I know I’m on Toril now and now I know how best to escape this divine prison and once I’m outside I’ve decided what I’ll do. I will shred this multiverse down to its last atom and then, with my Godfather Gems, I’ll create a new one.” “Arion wake up to reality. You failed and I must take the reins. You need to learn that nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed existence. The longer you live the more you will realize that the only things that truly exist are pain, suffering, and futility. You’ve practiced them all and know them well. Everywhere you look, wherever there is light there will always be shadows. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The selfish intent of wanting to preserve peace initiates war and hatred is born in order to protect love. All of this I’ve learned after an eternity but now I will fix this reality. The Watcher had it right and I will follow in his footsteps. I will unmake this universe, because I know that the hardest choices require the strongest wills.” “Like I’ve told the gods I’ve killed before you, I am inevitable.”

Part Two

Taking a breath, Arion looked to Than and seemingly randomly, asked his height. Puzzled Titan responded with his height and then watched as Arion then motioned to a height of about three feet. Arion told him then, with his heart pounding, that he knew someone that height that had carried a burden, a great burden and for it gathered a reputation. He told Than that the Hobbit had accepted that great burden under his own will. He told Than that the burden was a trinket of an evil god, as Than would consider him. He told Than that the trinket weighed the Hobbit down and sapped his will. He told Than that the trinket wore the Hobbit down but yet he carried that burden thousands of miles. Arion told Than that he march forth whilst pursued by dangers that would have given even Than pause, but he carried on into his enemy's realm despite that fact. Arion told Than that the Hobbit carried out his quest with the hope that it might achieve even the slightest victory. He detailed to Than that never the less, and even if he failed, the Hobbit carried that trinket forward. He told Than then, that the trinket was destroyed and that a small man with none of Than's strength, none of his height, nor age, nor even his time had done that gargantuan deed. He then declared that, that Hobbit was stronger then Than had ever been. He rightly assumed then that even though Than could likely kill the entire company, it would just mean Than would have given up. That he would have failed on a quest that had taken billions of years and cost untold lives. He posited that Than would be treading upon memories and lives, and that he would never forget the day he fell, the day Than, the Last Titan of Urgrund, fell. Than let free a tear and eased for a moment. Arion then gave truth and told him that in the Hobbit failed. It took help to succeed because he couldn't put the trinket aside. He surrender the knowledge that was important was that the Hobbit carried that weight until the end. Arion then told Than that, given his life, he can't imagine that Than would be willing to lose in the end without hope. "In the end we may fail," Arion declared, "but who knows what will happen." Arion acknowledged that Than's life was unimaginable to him. That he can't believe what Than has seen but he admitted that he truly couldn't believe that Than would quit then, in that field. After speaking of honoring the fallen Arion offered, "if you will though we may lose, though I think there is more to all of this and we may win by unknown means, I ask that you keep trying and I offer my hand for you to join us." "I was lost in the idea that a very aspect of creation could fail." Accepting Arion's hand he continued, "but I will join you, I can fight for a little while longer." As the pair shook hands, they began even then to plan for the future. Asked by Arion if he alone could recover the Godfather Gems Than replied, "like your Hobbit, I could march into Apokolips and try." Together they discussed the quests ahead. For Arion and company, it was decided that their quest was to continue to create a tool that could contain the Gems. For Than it was decided that he would recover the Godfather Gems that were lost on Apokolips. After discussing the mortal that created his gauntlet, a human from an advanced world that Than killed, the heroes offered him a Teleportation Scroll but didn't want to take from his allies fearing for their safety and the wrath of the gods of Toril. As their destinations were set, and their journeys laid before them, Than turned and offered, "take care, I believe in you." Kelaryn took one last moment to make amends with Than and give him her ring of teleportation before they parted ways. Beyond the dome of magic Than was trapped in, the heroes took a moment and took a knee. As they started their transformation back into their Wind Walking form, they witnessed a light in the sky. A disk of light hovered there in the clouds for a moment then several bright streaks tore down from the sky. As if the sky were falling, the heavens cascaded down to existence and divines descended from the skies above. They planted themselves upon the plain and then surround Than. He charged and in Kelaryn's head he reminded that reality is often disappointing, but he has to try and fight. Their powers were to great, they tore him apart with bright energy. Morsels of Than's body drifted then in the wind, the slight breeze brushed across the faces of the heroes as they bore the burden of witness, helplessly. As they transformed, they stared up into the heavens as the sky fell. As a voice declaring herself Chauntea congratulated Aldrich in his mind, for distracting Than, Skyfall dominated the sky behind them.

Epilogue

The final members of the Champions of Destiny arrived in Gravesford on the 3rd of Flamerule, 1479 DR, on the heels of Skyfall. In town they spoke to first farmer who was warmingly welcoming. In the Market Square a little boy and girl were playfighting with sticks like swords and Arion showed the boy, whom was getting bested, a trick. He wanted to show one to the little girl as well but as the boy got the upper-hand, they ran away. They then bumped into another friendly local, the miller Galdath Hallowcrest who learned they were the Champions of Destiny, a name they did not choose. At the Reluctant Pig, the raspy, whispery innkeeper fetched some of the town's dwindling ale, which Sol later assumed was due to Lord Saxton's messing with the supple chain. After overhearing that the group had killed hundreds of orcs from Aldrich the innkeeper gave the party a meal, over which they spoke with a knight, a Knight of Three Roses. He had heard them speaking about Lord Saxton warned them not to speak ill. Together they talked and he remarked of his mother following Chauntea as Aldrich gave him a mushroom. After using Plant Growth, the knight was all but converted to Chauntea and remarked of his mother's likely pleasure. Aldrich then noted that Sundabar has wither a temple or an alter to his goddess as the knight learned that Arion was in fact the Lord of Deepwinter in Waterdeep. Then, after getting advice on the road ahead, to Olostin's Hold, the knight kindly departed. At the Church of Saint Gaed the Confessor, servant of the demigod Anur who is a champion of Tyr, the heroes spoke to an old, soft spoken, foreign priest. As the man pet the white kitten in his pocket, he told them about the town and its recent conflicts with the orcs in the Forest Rend. At the forest, they met Omolog, a thrifty orc, and got him to ask for a meeting with their chieftess for them. He also bought a mace from Annabelle and a longsword from Kelaryn as he was cleaned by Sol via Prestidigitation. Later on, the heroes visited Pinna, the local mage, and despite the fact that she stumbled all over herself in Sol's presence, they bought all of her supplies to her great excitement. Having earned a years wage and a few new great acquaintances, she waved them goodbye as they returned to the Reluctant Pig. After a peaceful night's rest, the heroes went down stairs for the complimentary breakfast. The door of the Reluctant Pig burst open with a crash, and all heads inside the bar turned toward the entrance. A man in heavy armor stood in the doorframe, silhouetted and statuesque, a cloak hanging over his left shoulder, with his right hand grasped around the pommel of his sheathed longsword. As the heroes jumped to their feet the knight strode in, with four armored warriors behind him, and surveyed the taproom. A squire emerged from behind the knight's cloak, unfurled a parchment, and declared, “Behold Sir Pelliton, Knight of Three Roses! The Blood Knight bears a proclamation from your new lord: Saxton, Baron of Bedegar and one Ruling Master! Your lord demands the head of Bonebreaker Dorokor and the White Tusk orcs, the lawless beasts that slaughtered the Baron of Bedegar and his family. The new baron promises the glory of a knighthood and five hundred gold marks to whosoever brings to him the head of the orcs’ bloodchief.” Sir Pelliton pointed then sharply to the wall of the tavern, and the squire scurried over to hammer the scroll to the wall, covering up several previous proclamations. The knight then personally strode forth into the taproom. His mouth curled into a venomous smirk. “Now that you have all been duly impressed, let me tell you dirt-eating, dung-bathing peasants one thing." As the words left his lip, Arion shot forth and socked the knight right in the mouth. The exchange of words were quick as the dirt-eating, dung-bathing peasants darted in all directions. The exchange of blows to follow took time however, they duel between Arion and the knight saw Arion disarmed twice, but even as his anger climbed he refused to deliver lethal blows. As the compliment of heroes and guard fought, one guard fell to his death as they desperately attempted to kill the fucking mage Sol Astair. Then, as the heat of the battle waned, Annabelle's spiritual mace went further then she'd hoped and smashed in Sir Pelliton's head. Knowing the squire had left to go find the knight's knight brother, the group acted quickly and took prisoners. Fearing the starvation of their families after the loss of their employer, the guards offered nothing however. Taking the prisoners and their bodies as Sol restored the tavern, the Champions of Destiny headed out once more in to the wide open world on yet another quest to once again chase destiny; though now on the heels of the Titan's fall.

Rewards Granted

Part One 2140xp Epilogue 1560xp

Missions/Quests Completed

Titan's Fall Grand Campaign Completed, Kingdom Come Campaign Completed, Quest of Fate Continued, Subquest Forging Fate Continued, Sidequest Battle for Olostin's Hold Completed, Sidequest The Siege of Castle Rend Started

Notes

Notable Party Damage:

Aldrich has a horrible burn scar on the left side of his neck in front of the ear from an azure fire elemental summoned by Seldra Tylmarande. His armor and shield are extremely claw marked from many Lizardfolk. His shield has a large fist shaped dent in it from when he was crushed by a Sacred Statue.
Noted Effects: Horrible Scar (Neck). You are disfigured to the extent that the wound can't be easily concealed. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks and advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.
Annabelle has a noticeable bend in her scale armor about the stomach where she was crushed by a Sacred Statue.
Noted Effects: None
Arion came from Arda with a scar that won't seem to heal.
Noted Effects: Minor Scar (Head). The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.
Kelaryn has two faint hand-print shaped scars on her left arm. She has a scar from the stab of a spear that she received valiantly fighting an ice devil on her stomach. She has a scar that emanates infernal essences from a horned devil's tail above her right breast. Kelaryn has a large scar that runs down over her left breast, across the center of her chest, and then down to her right abdomen where the large axe of a minotaur split her open. She has two large gore hole scars from a minotaur on the left side of her stomach. Her back is also tweaked from the hard battering she took from the minotaur. The scales of her Khuzdûl armor are dented above the left breast from a hit she took from a lizardfolk.
Noted Effects: Minor Scars (Left Arm, Right Breast, Torso, and Stomach). The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar. Mild Limp. Your speed on foot is reduced by 5 feet. You must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw after using the Dash action. If you fail the save, you fall prone. Magical healing removes the limp.
Sol has tear marks across the back and chest of his shirt, as well as down the sleeve, from the claws of lizardfolk. He has a burn mark on his cheek where a water droplet seared his flesh.
Noted Effects: Minor Scar (Left Cheek). The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.