Expedition 123: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

## Summary

The party heads to the Greying Desert via the Mageline. They immediately run into the Bone Dragon that haunts the region and slay it, though Ranag nearly dies in the attempt. After being exhausted by the fight, the party talks to a rock, steals from a dragon, and regrets it.

## Details

The group heads through the Mageline, with Passion lighting the way and Uzmir providing direction. The group intends to find potential areas that hold the lost Ashborn cities of old, and perhaps clear some threats from the region as well.

The group arrives at the Desert, and employ magic to try and detect Candle Tree seeds, as well as significant elementals and undead. Since Ark'fayed was hoping to investigate the graffitied tower they'd seen when meeting Enkidar. The group decides to head there first. Unfortunately, on the way they run into the Bone Dragon of the desert.

The dragon had laid an ambush for the group, burying itself in the desert, and immediately sucked everyone but Confidence into the sand, restraining them. Bea and Ranag dig themselves free and engage, while Ark'Fayed, Passion, and Uzmir engage with a distance. Unfortunately, while Ark and Uzmir are able to lash out with magic to great effect, the dragon is immune to non-magical weapons, leaving Passion helpless. The dragon targets Ranag through the fight, wearing him out and eventually cutting him down. However, Bea was able to slay the abomination just before it was able to land a death blow on Ranag.

With the party exhausted, they briefly decided to try and get a bit more info before leaving. However, Bea manages to magically locate the Dragon's lair, and the party decides to investigate. Before the party arrives, the group comes across a large smooth, triangular stone that rises out of the stone, with text on it. Uzmir is able to read it as "Here stands Mol, Endless Watcher". Uzmir is able to identify this as an ancient Soulstone, an artifact of the Druidaica made for unknown purposes. Uzmir casts Identify on it, only for the stone to shift and touch him instead. It reforms into the shape of a young half-elven woman, though with a deep and stony voice.

The stone figure speaks in Common and identifies themselves as Mol, and seems happy for the visit, having not seem people in a long time. He was born in the dawning years of the Age of Peace (~2300 years ago). He mentions encountering Ashborn artifacts in locations he calls Cindervault and Magebond. The group asks for more precise locations, and Mol tells the party to search near the northernmost Leyspires, where they found evidence of a city.

Uzmir asks about the Leyspires, how many are in the desert. Mol reacts angrily, telling the party there are twenty-six after the Empire destroyed one in the Age of War, with no one able to rebuild it.

The group asked about what Mol is doing in the desert. He mostly watches, has conversations every century, and acts every millenium. He spoke briefly on his conversations, of note is that he spoke to Komrax the Damned, the bone dragon, last century about how to die. Based on the conversation, it seemed physical destruction is insufficient to destroy the dragon.

Over his life, he was once able to slay a dragon threatening his family. the second time, he tried and failed to save the Leyspire. Ark asks him if he knows how to repair or replace the broken Leyspire. To create a Leyspire, you need Living Stone in the Magebonds/The Wailing Leagues, a copy of the runes found on the other Leyspires, and a way to shape the Living Stone, such as using a Dao.

The group asks Mol if he'd like to ask us anything, and Mol tells the party that his stone can serve as a sanctuary against attack, and asks how the Druidaica are known. Uzmir tells him about the lack of knowledge, and Mol tells him of a vault of the Druidaica in the Magebonds that holds their records that could be used to give more information about them. The group spends the remaining time answering his questions, both general and absurdly specific. Once he returns to stone, the group continues on.

The group reaches the location of the lair, only to find it underground, buried beneath sand. Uzmir uses Locate Object, first on a Platinum piece, and then on jewelry, to see if they can locate the treasure trove. Uzmir is able to detect something, and after briefly conferring, Ark and Uzmir use Dimension Door to teleport down, with Ranag riding in the Bag of Holding. Those who teleport down are immediately harmed by a shards in a massive pile of bones. A glass ceiling holds the sand at bay, forming a dome that creates a sixty by thirty foot space. A series of scratched out runes surround the dome. Bea, Ranag, and Confidence immediately start looting valuables in the bones, while Ark and Uzmir investigate the room. The runes appear to be repeated layers of attempted necromantic runes, as if someone keeps making failed runes and coating it in more glass. Uzmir determines these are likely the dragon's attempts to destroy itself.

The group begins to leave just as Komrax returns, and the group flees to the safety of Mol. Komrax pursues, angry at the thefts, and faces the party down. Uzmir is able to convince him to let us live so we can find a way to finally kill him, and he agrees on the condition that we return the magic items we stole, as well as another one. Ranag gives up their Magister's Chain, and Komrax allows us to leave in peace, and the party returns home.