Destroying the Titan Stones

Eleasias/August 1550

General Summary

Zephyr received a message from Bolivar informing him of news that the Harbinger of Darkness had been destroyed by a group of adventurers who make their home in ten towns. Although the stoned was destroyed nearly 10 years ago, the news of such a feat made Zephyr's head rush. "It's possible," he thought to himself upon hearing the news. "There's an end to this nightmare."
He immediately set out to meet up with Bolivar, Olga, and Willow to get all the details on how the stone was defeated and make plans to destroy the remaining stones. Bolivar explained how the group went to the ruins of a fallen kingdom and used a magic anvil and hammer to destroy the stone. The party then caved in the tomb the kingdom had been resting within, sealing off the secrets of the long forgotten civilization from potentially falling into the hands of evil, as there was a force oozing out of the kingdom that was responsible for the region's blight that recently cleared up.
Fueled by this discovery, Zephyr insisted that they have to unearth this anvil and use it to destroy all of the stones they were in possession of in order to once and for all thwart the plans of the Dodkong and prevent him from plunging the material plane into the abyss. The discussion was lengthy and at times heated, but ultimately the group came to the consensus that this needed to be done. A message was sent to the Guardians of the Dale, and the two parties agreed to meet in Bryn Shander.
Meeting for the first time since the events with the Chardalyn Dragon nearly 15 years ago, Bolivar and Willow greeted the Guardians of the Dale warmly and made introductions for Olga and Zephyr. The two groups then began discussing how to go about unearthing the anvil to be used to destroy the remaining stones. It was here that the Ragtags were told that an excavation was already made towards the city, lead by Vashra Safahr, the current Blackstaff of Waterdeep and a tiefling named Prudence. Once it was known that the Ragtags were interested in using the anvil, the they gathered the stones they had in their possession and set out to the Caves of Hunger.
Accompanied by the Guardians, the Ragtags were brought to the site of the fallen kingdom and made their way into the fallen city, which was tricky as the dangers of being in the area for too long were still a real threat. Not to mention the few horrors that somehow managed to survive the cave in and popped up every once in a while to feed on the unsuspecting miners.
After what felt like a lifetime to Zephyr, the team managed to clear the rubble to the mostly destroyed tower that contained the anvil. The bottom 10 feet of the tower managed to survive the cave in, and made an eerie circle around the pristine anvil and hammer in the middle of the tower. Steeling themselves, both groups made their way to the anvil and began the task of destroying the stones. The task proved difficult, as the stones had protections that prevented their destruction. Twice, Bulwark had to restore Zephyr’s vitality as the stones seemed to knock him into a stupor, but one by one the stones shattered upon the anvil until the only stone remaining in their possession was hidden beneath Zephyr’s breastplate.
Zephyr had grown fond of this stone - after all, it was the source of his longevity as he had lived well past what he thought was his lifetime. The blood of the dragons he slew gave him an extended life, thanks to the properties of the Liv stone. However, Zephyr also knew that this stone was the key to the Dodkong’s plans, and he’d rather die and see the stone destroyed then see the stone fall to the Dodkong.
As the group discusses with one another about the next step and the possibility of this act being enough, Zephyr took the moment to take in the sight of his friends who protected and kept him going despite the insurmountable odds. He then looked at the group who, knowing little to nothing about the dangers the Titan Stones pose, agreed to lead them to and help them unearth the anvil and destroy the remaining stones. The amount of courage it must have took for them to agree to return to a place that nearly killed them numerous times is admirable, and Zephyr would never forget this.

(there would probably be a conversation between Zephyr and the Liv Stone’s sentient personality, but I don't know enough about that to write it out in a story.)

“There’s one more.” Zephyr started. Bolivar, Willow and Olga, knowing of the stone in Zephyr’s chest, instantly turned to their friend and started to voice their objections, but Zephyr silenced them with a smile and waving his hand. “I know what you’re going to say, but I’ve been thinking about this since I woke up from the ritual we performed that freed me from his grasp all those years ago. It’s time to eliminate this from the equation for good.” Zephyr then began to doff his armor before continuing.
“He’s been dormant for ages, and whenever he finally does make his move, you know he’ll be coming for us - for me - vehemently. The last thing I want is for any of us to fall, but even more so for him to capture me and then be in possession of a stone this powerful. It has to be destroyed.”
The following conversation is lengthy and emotional, during which the group discusses the merits of life and choice. Ultimately, however, Bolivar recognizes that Zephyr’s mind is made up and there’s no further use in arguing over this.
A smile suddenly washes over the half-orcs face as Bolivar realizes that today marks 65 years since first meeting Zephyr at Vallie's End in the Greypeak Mountains. A single tear streaks down his face as he embraces his old friend.
With Bulwark’s help, Willow extracts the stone from Zephyr’s chest, causing him to fall unconscious, and hands the stone to Bolivar before going to work on trying to save Zephyr’s life. Bolivar places the stone on the anvil, and together with Olga, they smash the stone into oblivion.
Silence fills the chamber as Bulwark and Willow work feverishly to save Zephyr, however with the stone gone, the damage is too great and Zephyr succumbs to his fate. With the stones destroyed, the group takes time to mourn the loss of their friend before returning to the camp outside of the kingdom. They take Zephyr back to Quaervarr to bury him next to his mother, before returning back to their lives, free from the looming threat of the Dodkong, at least for the time being.

Report Date

09 Aug 2022