The Stone
The Stone
Known Before as: Grondar, the World-Buried Heart
Current Form: Dormant Consciousness within the Earth’s Bones
Embodied Concept:
Endurance, Pressure, and the Unyielding. Grondar is the metaphysical foundation of the world—not the earth itself, but the principle of what cannot be moved. He represents strength without violence, judgment without words, and permanence that outlasts both glory and ruin.
Patron Of:
- Mountains, Caverns, and the Deep Earth
- Unshakeable Resolve, Oaths Bound in Blood or Stone
- Time, Patience, and the Crushing Weight of Legacy
- Stone Giants, Dwarves, Golems, and Buried Titans
Symbol:
A vertical slab carved with a spiral descending inward, enclosed by a ring of mountain peaks. Often carved into cave walls, etched into giant bones, or forged into the base of indestructible monuments. It does not glow or hum—it waits.
Common Appearance to Mortals:
Grondar rarely manifests visibly. When he does, it is as a colossal stone colossus, covered in moss and dust, rising from mountain roots with a face that does not speak. More often, he is felt—in the stillness of a cavern, the unmoving stone under a trembling world, or in the moment someone refuses to yield.
History and Myth:
Grondar was never a god of change—he was the boundary to it. When the Old Gods first clashed with demons and dragons, it was Grondar who stood unmoved at the center of the world, absorbing the violence of the cosmos like a mountain that cannot fall.
He did not speak during the wars. He endured. When the others fell or shattered, Grondar sank deeper into the world’s crust, becoming its invisible spine.
Some say his body is the skeleton of the world’s oldest mountain. Others claim his breath is the deep tectonic groan of shifting continents. His children—the Stone Giants and ancient dwarves—carry his silence, and build not to rise—but to last.
Doctrine and Devotion:
Grondar has no priests, only keepers—monks, oathbearers, or masons who leave their mark in stone. His “rites” are measured in generations, not hours. To honor him is to keep your word, finish what you start, or refuse to be moved when all else breaks.
He is often invoked during solemn oaths, funerals, or the construction of walls meant to outlast its builders.
Relationship to the Pantheon:
The gods of war and magic find Grondar frustrating, even frightening—he cannot be moved by prophecy or promise.
Even the Platinum Dragon steps lightly on sacred mountain paths where Grondar’s presence is strong. Tiamat has tried to shatter his deep temples—but they are below her reach.
Perception by Mortals:
Revered in Silence. Among dwarves, stone giants, and ancient builders, Grondar is not prayed to—he is consulted, endured, or built into. To speak his name casually is taboo. Among mortals, he is feared not for his wrath, but because he cannot be moved—and that makes him dangerous to those who thrive on motion, fire, or faith.
Relic of the Stone: The Heart of Grondar
"Let others chase the stars. I am what remains when they fall."
Wondrous Item (Stone Core, Amulet, or Weapon Pommel), Legendary → Artifact
Requires attunement by a Barbarian, Paladin, Cleric, Monk, or Fighter who has stood their ground against overwhelming odds without retreating or yielding.
Initial Form: The Heart of Grondar (Levels 10–13)
This relic appears as a fist-sized stone, unnaturally dense, carved with spiral runes so deep they appear bottomless. It beats slowly, like a buried drum. When held or worn, the bearer feels a gravitational pull inward—a growing stillness, as if anchored to something that cannot be moved.
Stone's Endurance (1/short rest):
As a reaction, reduce damage from any source by an amount equal to twice your level. If the attack still reduces you to 0 HP, you instead fall to 1 HP and cannot be moved until the start of your next turn.
Immovable Stance:
You may root yourself as a bonus action. While rooted, you gain:
- Advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws
- Resistance to force damage and any attempt to move you against your will
- Your movement becomes 0 and cannot be increased
You may unroot as a bonus action.
Oathcarved Flesh:
You gain the ability to inscribe an Oath Rune on your skin (or armor) as an action. Choose one objective (e.g., protect an ally, hold a doorway, lift and object). Until this condition is fulfilled, you have advantage on all saves and checks related to its pursuit, but disadvantage on anything that would cause you to abandon said objective.
Awakened Form: The Pulse of the World-Root (Levels 17–20)
Once awakened, the Heart fuses to your chest or soul, becoming a literal anchor of your being. Your heartbeat synchronizes with the deep rumble of the world’s bones. You cannot be knocked unconscious by damage while your Oath Rune is active.
Burden of the Mountain (1/day):
As an action, you may invoke the full weight of the earth upon your enemies. All creatures of your choice within 30 feet must make a Strength saving throw (DC 20) or be:
- Knocked prone
- Slowed (half movement)
- Incapable of teleportation or flying for 1 minute
They repeat the save at the end of each turn.
Last to Fall:
When you fail a death saving throw, it automatically becomes a success instead, once per long rest. If you are the last conscious member of your party, you gain temporary immunity to fear, charm, and exhaustion, and resistance to all damage, until you fall or restore one ally.
Weight of Silence:
You can no longer be detected by divination magic or prophecy unless you choose to be. Creatures attempting to read your mind hear only the sound of distant stone cracking under ancient pressure.
Awakening Trigger:
The Heart awakens when:
- You refuse to move in the face of death and protect something precious at cost to yourself.
- Or you complete an oath sworn in blood and stone—something vast, generational, or world-shaping.
- Or when Grondar answers you in the stillness beneath the earth and you accept the burden of endurance without seeking reward.
When awakened, your footsteps leave faint impressions even on stone, and your presence causes earthquakes in dreams of those who once called you weak.
