Expedition 109: Earth, and Rock, and Stone

We visit Clarity's Earthen mother, Korduraga, the Bastion Marshal, in her court on the Magmal Border between the Plane of Earth and the Plane of Fire.

### Earth, and Rock, and Stone

A song Finnjamin wrote about Korudraga's story.

Of all the elements that walk the planes, and mountains that stand alone

Greater are none than the ancients who come from Earth, and Rock, and Stone

**Chorus**

**Her Earth, and Rock, and Stone, good folk**

**Stand against fire and their storms**

**In the Bastion of Stone she sits on the throne**

**Of Earth, and Rock, and Stone.**

Korduraga she's called, in ancient halls, among the folk of her court,

A dao genie around, elementals abound, and some who seek transport.

Not a tyrant of might, nor a queen of fright, she rules with a power her own

For the mountain is she, and she leads the army of Earth, and Rock, and Stone.

**Chorus**

The war rages on, Incadus set upon the conquering of the planes,

He would seek to see the many parallel seas engulfed in endless flames.

She sought to slay what he kept away to lessen the power he showed,

She struck out at him, but decayed from within - cracked Earth, and Rock, and Stone.

**Chorus**

She was carried away to this very plane, the one in which we thrive,

There found the two who carried her through and helped her to revive.

Their house was blessed, at her behest, with a hearth always warm,

Crops always watered, and a fair little daughter of Earth, and Rock, and Stone.

**Chorus**

She had to leave, no time to grieve, parting with the folk she loved

The war never won, Incadus ever strong, and fields of fire and blood.

But right behind had been assigned a fiend to strike her prone,

Instead he found and twisted round the gifts of Earth, and Rock, and Stone.

**Chorus**

The crops, they failed, the warmth, it assailed, their lives now filled with dread,

The daughter so new, grew horns and a hue of purple and hair of red.

The mother died, the town they cried, "The heretics we must disown!"

They man was framed, and so orphaned became, the child of Earth, and Rock, and Stone.

**Chorus**

Of all the elements that walk the planes, and mountains that stand alone

Greater are none than the ancients who come from Earth, and Rock, and Stone

### Detailed Writeup

We purchase a "plane shunt" from Xen Vayer, to the Plane of Earth, as close as she can get us to the Magmal Border (the border with the Plane of Fire).

We enter the plane of earth on the side of a canyon between two rock faces, and the rock seems to continue upwards forever. There is no sky, but some rocks glow brightly. With some effort, we find our way to the border - an endless mountain range, with some life in the form of trees, grasses, and animals. In the center is an estuary of magma, with a clear mountain above shaped exaclty like Clarity's horns. Beyond the border in the plane of fire is an ocean of gleaming sand.

We fly over towards to the correct mountain, and are protected with fire resistance. As we approach, we are struck by Earthbind from obelisks that pull us towards the ground with golden threads. We manage to dispel the effect, but not before we are accosted by waxy candle golems. We escape without hurting the golems.

We approach the mountain, and see a large doorway. From this doorway, a humanoid figure with black obsidian skin emerges. To confirm he is a friend, Clarity sends to her mother, and the response is a booming, earth-shattering voice: "I HAD THOUGHT IT WAS YOU. DO NOT MIND THE FOOTMEN. SALABIM WILL GREET YOU AT THE LOWER DOOR, AND WE WILL PREPARE HOSPITALITY."

The figure bows to Clarity, saying, "It is good to finally meet you, half-sister. I am the watcher of the gates of this home, and I must require that you pass its test before you enter." We then solve a riddle: "A precious stone, clear as diamond. Sought on Tark upon the horizons. With it, you can walk on water, but you cannot hold it for long. What is it?" The answer, of course, is *ice*.

We rise through the mountian through beautiful, organic tunnels to a grand hall. We meet many strange people, many of whom are earth elementals, but named guests as follows:

* Cardinal Toran, Dao
* Colonel Roundhouse, Githyanki
* Prince Salabim, Earth Elemental
* Torr Glasshammer, Dwarf
* Vic Stormfelr, Human

They present us with cakes and drinks, which all taste like if aliens were tasked with making food. There is slight hostility towards Ranag and Fakir in the room. We learn that the humanoids were refugees from the plane of fire, and were slaves of different Efriti.

Korduraga, the Bastian Marshall arives in her hall. Clarity reunites with her earth mom. "This is the Bastion, the place where the plane of fire stops, the first fortress to be assaulted by the forces of fire."

Ranag speaks with Colonel Roundhouse, who has seemed hostile towards him. He clearly thinks that Ranag is a fire elemental, and is an enemy from the plane of fire. Finn tries to de-escalate, but the gith challenges Ranag to a duel. Vic says that Roundhouse knows of a location in the plane of fire relevant to the Ashborn. Since Korduraga has no issue with it, the duel goes forth, but only until bloodied. Korduraga causes a deep circular pit to fall in the floor, and the fight begins. However, Ranag is so effective with Mage-Ender and its deattuning properties, the fight is over in one round. Colonel Roundhouse is very impressed, and gladly tells Ranag of the location of the ruins.

Ark, wishing to complete the Guildfolk's initation challenge to find out "something no one else on the material plane knows," asks Vic for something only he knows about - after all, he is not on the material plane. He tells them all about the great battle of the Krakensege, and only asks that Ark tells someone on each continent about his life and that battle.

Clarity finally gets some time to talk to her mother, and the tale is told quite accurately in the above song. She also explains that Clarity has many, many other siblings, but they are all elementals.

Finn suggests that we can take some of the mortals back to the material plane with us with the Scepter of Refuge. Vic, Torr Glasshammer, Salabim, and several other mortals agree to come with us back to the material plane. Clarity suggests to Korduraga that she pay her interns, so she creates a huge hunk of gold, which the travelers split. We travel back to the Nestle Valley, with more people than we came with.