The Stone Eras - The First (essay)
Title: The Stone Eras - The First
Author: Geijon Khyree
(August 2010 - Jan 2012)
Grishom Stone first appeared as an entrepreneur in Wehnimer's Landing in the early fall for 5110 where he purchased Chol'gars bathhouse for renovations under the interim mayor Chambeli.
During the course of the attacks by the Summoners of the Arcane Eye with Albright and Raznel, Grishom briefly runs for Mayor while doing merchant work for people on the Albatross and during Frontier Days, he was endorsed by the Merchant's guild, but drops out quickly stating he had not been a citizen long and wishing to focus on his new business acquisitions. He endorses Chambeli in his speech. Grishom Stone is seen as charismatic and talkative in exchanges with locals.
Walkar Wellington wins the vote and is sworn in as mayor beating out Chatalaine Chembali and Barnom Slim.
The Orc Thrazyar is accused of aiding the summoners, and acting as an assasin while truthfully he was aiding the city.
Raznel increases her attacks on the city in the meantime with undead and plagues of disease all the while showing increasingly powerful attacks and the ability to transform herself into bugs to evade capture.
During a respite Willow Hall held a dance and ball event that Grishom attended with a woman identified as Ophilia from Ta'Illistim, visiting as a cartographer. Grishom had previously shared a fondness for women with green eyes while flirting with women with such features during merchant work.
The following day Ophilia is holding a dagger wound to her stomach. She claims Grishom is the culprit and he is arrested. Later, after no evidence against Stone, the real body of Opilia is found and the imposter is arrested and taken back to Ta'Illistim. In transport to Ta'Illistim the wagons are attacked and burned. Her body is not located assuming she escaped.
Grishom announces new renovations to the Landing Museum he is funding and the following month opens up the Stone Baths. He is killed by Vylina, resurrected and she is expelled from town. It is later found she was possesed and Grishom asks for her to be forgiven, which Mayor Walkar does.
The Ta'Mori and other groups, including Greganth have secondary agendas they push forward. Much of it in opposition to Mayor Walker and in accrodance to revealing the suspected true nature of Grishom.
Rumors swirl that Grishom has an island near Mist Harbor and dealings out of Brisker cove, but nothing is substantiated yet.
An undead knight appears before the Order of the Silver Gryphon and warns to respect the "Eyes" and that there is power "Beyond the Arkati". Sir Cryheart and the Order had organized and instructed heavily on the defense of the city, combating particular attackers like the golems and namely the Vathor demons.
Women around the Landing begin hearing a mysterious voice. Riend and Vylina experience particularly strong visions and the same voice. Grishom has seemingly strong feelings or trust in Riend he shares with her on several occasions, professing affection if not outright love for her.
Grishom states that while Landing is his home, Mestanir is his place of birth and he lends all the aid afforded to him to it's defense. Riend and Greganth reached out to him, as friends. Due to the demonic threat he sends enchanted weapons to Mestanir that are able to pierce the strongest demons defenses. Riend is noticed at this point to be struggling in her feelings for Grishom while working to expose him.
Thayzar gives details involving the faux Odilia, Raznel and others, but its abstract and detailed information only comes to light much later.
Riend remains concerned and reaches out to Grishom. In reality she's being tormented by the ghost of a woman named Madelyne, Madelyne Cross, the daughter of Elithian. He offers to contact his resources in creation of a potion to free her of the possessive spirit.
Mestanir is beset by golem forces similar deployed through red portals. Baron Chydenar dispatches knights to defend his people. Portals open in Wehnimer's Landing to Mestanir proper.
Mayor Walker steals away to Mestanir to gain details regarding one named Elithain Cross or to confirm his suspicions that Grishom Stone is the leader of the Arcane Eyes. This coincides with the attacks on Mestanir and Walker is later rescued by a group of near two dozen from the Landing.
The attacks in Mestanir and the Landing intensify, but are repulsed. Sir Detlev comes to Wehnimer's Landing through a portal to give details.
Odilia is revealed as a woman named Arleasta. She is killed in Mestanir and letters from her lover Nysorm are revealed. Later, more details are mentioned that Grishom woed her and gives reasoning for Nysorm's the animosity towards him. On her death after a prolonged attack in Mestanir and Wehnimer's Landing the portals close and the attacks cease. The letters also portend to a "Him" who seeks to be worshipped, using the golems as a source of faith.
Victory is declared in Mestanir. Local heroes are recognized by Mayor Walkar and Baron Chydenar declares Grishom "Hero of Mestanir" marking the end of the conflict.
The apparition afflicting Riend remains a concern and manifests at Hearthstone an ethereal fog then projects Madelyn's death by Grishom, him preying and killing on green eyed, black haired women and finally as the red robed summoner creating the golem, Mirayam. He denies it at the time, but events prove it's truth later.
Nysorm, Arleast or the "Fake" Odilia's lover then appears at the Mayors office to share details about Grishom Stone's past history. He conveyed that Sabasation Stone, Grishom's father, was a red Summoner along with a rival named Elithian Cross, of a group called the Arcane Eye that operated in Mestanir and practiced magic without Hall guidance against Imperial law at the time. Sabastion's views on the Arkati were as servants, which labeled him a heretic as the Arcane Eye followed Koar. Elithian Cross send his daughter Madelyn to deduce Grishom, which she did, before she ambushed Sabastian outside his home among a field of Sirenflowers and killed him. Grishom was a witness, wrestled the dagger from her and killed her. War between the Cross and Stone factions was set to break out, but Jantalar invaded with the Mandis Crystal, sending the Arcane Eye into flight in all directions. This would have occured around 5094.
Unrest in the Landing is increasing. Events with Thrayzar, enlisting Estrion's ghost to protect the Landing and other factors cause riots and shop closing due to fear and crime as opposition to Mayor Walker surrounding local events. During this time, Vaurus, an ex-militia member, on the last day of Frontier Days 5111 threw a crimson glaes orb into a crowd Grishom Stone was doing merchant work for, killing nearly 50. It was later learned that Grishom provided the explosive orb.
Walkar is arrested and jailed. Barnom Slim is named interim Mayor and Juramis is appointed Head of the City Council. Mayor Walkar is broken out of jail and Barnom Slim names him and Thrayzar criminals of Wehnimer's Landing.
Grishom then enlists the services of Akhash, a Tehiri, to create a potion that would rid Riend of Madelyn's ghost. Spiritcaller Akhash had previously assisted Walkar in raising wards in the town. Women continue to go missing in the Landing throughout this time period in growing numbers.
Barnom Slim announces Elithian Cross as the true enemy of the Landing and the leader of the Red Summoners.
Red-eyed black bats fly over the Landing, biting and draining blood from residents. Two-days later bone pillars in the Trollfang and coastal cliffs erupt from the ground. Staying to close to them would drain those nearby.
Nysorm appears and says he knows where Elithian Cross is. He opens a portal to him and indeed reveals Elithian who says he is not the enemy, Grishom is, but that he gains his power from a mysterious island in Mist Harbor that he seeks a scepter to counteract this power that keeps Grishom immortal. He flees, but appears the next night at Hearthstone Manor. As he does, golems and demons attack the city and Elithian withdraws again.
During a ritual involving Riend, Akhash was able to remove the spirit of Madelyn from her body after drinking a potion that rendered Riend unconscious. Madelyn freed, was bound to which Grishom removed a rune-etched dagger and absorbed her spirit into it. He then moved to Riend to sacrifice her, but Akhash had woven protective barriers around her that saved her life. Both Akhash and Riend awoke and Grishom fled.
Barnom Slim is caught fleecing the Moot Hall coffers, he throws a smoke bomb and escapes, later to be found in River's Rest hiding. (Those events lead to All the Lich King's Men.
Colson, a local citizen, having been murdered in mysterious circumstances, the bardess Arpelli is able to reveal that Grishom Stone killed him and framed Walkar. This causes Councilman Juramis to realize the further folly and he pardons the exiled Mayor when the truth is revealed.
Walkar returns during an invasion of golems and demons. Akhash was able to dispel the wards protecting Grishom's office at the Stone Baths revealing his sanctuary. Found within was an obsidian scrying pool and a tome on the art of blood magic. In the following days a dark storm came over Wehnimer's Landing, the bone pillars or "Hands of Erythro" shot red beams into the sky and shattered Akhash' wards protecting the city from magic. At the same time possessed women were walking, compelled to the Museum. A few were able to resist, but as many as one-hundred women traveled through the portal and in a planned sacrifice in a blood ritual by Grishom to animate the powerful urnon golems. The wards shattering did allow Akhash to locate Erythro island.
Battles intensified. The island was filled with monstrosities. Weeks of fighting continued including pools of blood forming in Wehnimer's Landing and flesh golems in the image of Grishom Stone rising up one by one to fight and kill. Elithian Cross was eventually able to seal the blood pools after two evenings. It was around then that Elithian had located the scepter he needed in a place called the Den of Ash where it was recovered by Ravashaak.
A final assault Erythro island then commenced where Elithian used a sphere powered created by Akhash to open the wards into the ritual chamber where Grishom was commencing his activation of the urnon golem. Elithian activated the scepter on a weakened Grishom Stone that turned him to stone and he was destroyed, which led Elithian to betray everyone, taking up the dagger, finish the ritual killing the women and animating Madelyne, his trapped daughters soul from the dagger, within the urnon golem. He then teleported away with her. The island began to decay and those gathered were left to fall back and retreat through the portal back to the Landing.
Afterwards, Mayor Walkar collapsed and his armor glowing a feint red light. This would later result in his transformation into the Abomination, but for a time the immediate threat and the first era of Grishom Stone ended.