Chapter 8, Part VI: Three Prestons and a Funeral

The party set off for Doumshar, purchasing round-trip tickets for the Underdark Rail. Without incident, they made it to Doumshar.

In the town, they visited the Triumph Tavern where the bartender (Bar Preston) convinced a few of them to try the Sweaty Snail, a drink made from fermented gelatinous cube. They noticed that everyone in town seemed to be named Preston and that the town's motto was "If you're not strong, you don't belong."

Xerxes slipped away from the party to travel up to a shrine in a well-kept park called "Vola's Bluff." He took in the statue, seeing for the very first time, the face of his own mother. Behind her, etched into the shrine, was the symbol of Nihm-- a mountain with a rising sun above it. Meanwhile, the mean little girl Violet from the S.S. Tincture appeared at the Tavern and attempted to kick Vance, missing her mark, and warned them of a man following them. Vance stepped out of the tavern and loudly announced the presence of the Platinum Talons, noticing a scoff in response. Nohki detected footsteps from the roof, prompting Tagg to use Misty Step to reach the roof, where he was blasted with fire by a hooded figure. The man leapt off the roof, and Xerxes cast Hold Person on him, revealing him to be Hellspear.

The plaque at the shrine to Vola and Nihm

Vance shived Hellspear, who retaliated by grabbing Vance and using a Hellfire Orb, causing high damage and knocking Vance unconscious before disappearing. Tagg learned from the others that Hellspear was Firebrook's father. Xerxes used Healing Word on Vance, and Tagg helped him back to the bar.

In the bar, they spoke with Crazy Carl (Preston), who described a creature as big as a house, with large back feet, (not a rabbit), and having an unretractable claw on its leftmost toe. He also mentioned Gertrude at the flower store, who warned them about the creature, only seen in moonlight, possibly near the lake or harbor.

They met Preston Covel at the Lost Boys Social Club, where Xerxes inquired about the Colossus Trout. They learned that Bar Preston had poisoned the river. Tagg arm-wrestled Preston Covel and lost. Another hunter, Olga, warned them that the creature was the last of its kind. Xerxes recalled that they needed to hunt, not necessarily kill, the cat as per the words of Gyama.

BOJO informed the group via a disc-cord call about his proposal plans due to Hildar's deployment. The Platinum Talons headed back to Brimhold to help him set up. They gathered decorations and set everything up on a hill for him, knowing he was having a hard time doing too much.

BOJO, with the help of the Talons, threw an intimate and joy-filled party at Hildar's home. For the meal, Nohki prepared beef broth with roast beef chunks, potatoes, and six ears of corn as well as two special Florklifts for Hildar and BOJO. Vance walked into a room to find the lost members of the Mystic Crescendo, hired by BOJO to back Vance up as he played for the party. These members were the people Vance had traveled all this way to find, and getting to play with them again made Vance feel like he had come home, his spirits lifted.

Nohki set up the table and served BOJO and Hildar first. Tagg danced to the music with Shroot, while Xerxes enjoyed the food and drinks. He noticed BOJO in the special suit they had helped him pick out. Nohki served dinner, and Xerxes gave a speech to the room. They all talked about the people they loved and missed, with Xerxes telling his friends how he learned that his mother was Vola, the famous warrior from the last stand at Doumshar.

They spent the rest of the night together, laughing and dancing and soaking in the joy of each other's company until it was finally time to retire. The Talons headed into their wagon to sleep. They were awoken in the morning by Hildar's panicked knocking on the door, asking them if they had seen BOJO. The Talons knew that he was out on the hill, waiting for her to arrive so he could propose and helped to calm her fears. Once she realized that BOJO was on the hill, she immediately deduced that he was there to ask her to marry him. She raced down the road that lead to their hill, and threw herself at her fiance-to-be who had lowered to one knee in front of all of the beautiful decorations the Talons had put together for the happy couple.

But Hildar continued sailing through BOJO as his form faded, turned to a fine black dust that was absorbed quickly into the dirt of the hill.

A second burst of wind blows through the party. It's warm, and it feels like a ray of sun. As the breeze passes over you memories come flashing back. You're in Boymin and see an apprehensive detective questioning Xerxes about a recent death, then you see Junior taking the ORC members into custody and thanking you for everything you've done for Boymin, another moment pops into your head and you see Junior moving into the barracks and gleefully begin to hand out equipment to the citizens of Wiltspar to prepare for battle. Then you're brought back to that moment in the Wondrously Wagon during your trip across Gragthar where he told you how he wanted to propose to Hildar. You see him battling on the airship heroically fending off the deadly poisonous sludge. Finally, you see the moment you all presented him with the golden leaf from the Wiltspar where he solidified his dedication to protecting the tree for all time. The wind slows and you all come back to your senses and at the top of the hill now stands a beautiful jet black sapling and, at its base, a beautifully wrapped ring box. Then falling like a leaf off one of the branches, a small letter hits the ground:

Thank you all so much for reuniting us. I can't express how profoundly grateful I am to have known each and every one of you. Your kindness and support have meant the world to me. Please, tell Hildar that my heart aches with the weight of love I hold for her, and the pain of knowing I cannot stay by her side cuts me to the core. Fate leaves me no choice. Forgive me for the hurt I inflict by departing, but even in death my duty is clear. If tears must be shed, let them fall, but then, in the wake of sorrow, return to your noble purpose. I may not walk among you, but my faith in your ability to change the world remains unwavering. You carry the burden of hope to bring this world back from destruction, and though I am gone, my belief in you endures, eternal.

Forever Your Friend,
-Former Barracks Officer Junior Officer

The silence on the hill was louder than any of the screams of battle, than the explosions of the airships, as the Talons and Hildar took in what had happened. BOJO-- Junior Officer-- beloved friend, fierce crusader of good, and most significantly, a Guardian of the Wiltspar, had succumbed to the poison that had gripped him as he fought for Gragthar. And in doing so, he had transformed into a Wiltspar sapling. Hildar, not harmonized with the Wiltspar, could not see the small piece of Junior that was left, but the Platinum Talons could. And although he was gone as they knew him, a part of him would always remain to help them find their way home.


Completed: August 2024