Ashton Greymoore is an earth genasi barbarian and a member of Bells Hells. Ashton is played by Taliesin Jaffe.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Official art of Ashton, by Hannah Friederichs.[art 4]
Ashton is 5'10" tall[34] and has green stone skin and short, dark-purple crystal hair. They have a prominent hole in the left side of their head filled with slag glass, through which an opalescent brain can be seen, and the eye on the cracked side of Ashton's head is milky white, and it has been implied that it is no longer functional.[35] There are cracks across Ashton's left side, patched together with what looks like slag melted gold (like kintsugi).[36] Their blood is a very deep red, almost black.[37]
Official art of Ashton, 2023 update, by Hannah Friederichs.[art 5]
Ashton has piercings made mostly of nails, carries multiple leather pouches, and wears a lot of well-worn leather with red fabric lining. Originally, the back of his hand-decorated jacket said "JUST DON'T". He carried a big glass hammer which has "FUCK OFF" engraved in it.[38] On Ashton's pant leg was a patch with a symbol of the Clasp.[39]
During the party's voyage on the Crimson Abyss ghost pirate ship, Ashton got a tattoo on the shoulders and back of a flaming bell and the primordial words, "From the earth, of the earth, to the earth."[40] After Ashton's plunge into the lava pool within Athos Peak, the gold-filled cracks in their left side appeared to be somewhat healed, although the gold remained.[41]
Official art of Ashton in his "titan" form, by Tyler Walpole.[art 6]
Official art of Ashton, 2024 update, by Hannah Friederichs.[art 7]
After Ashton absorbed the power of Rau'shan's shard, their entire body was destroyed and then reformed. The gold veins in their body became glowing orange before cooling to their original appearance, and their right arm was replaced by a larger, rougher, black stone arm, "halfway to an earth elemental's".[42][43] When Fearne's touch awakened the Shard of Ka'Mort inside Ashton, they became one or two feet taller, stone spikes grew from their body, and their eyes became stone gray, with yellow vertical cracks acting as pupils,[44] and a glass-like surface that makes them unaffected by dust and wind.[45] His legs trunked out at the bottom.[46] Ashton was able to drop this effect and return to his normal appearance, but his right arm remained hard and gem-like.[47] While transformed, his constant pain was almost unnoticeable, but returned when the effect dropped.[48]
When the party was preparing to travel to Aeor, Ashton altered their clothing slightly, having new gold hardware added to the boots and up the right pants leg. The pants themselves were half blue and half yellow-blue plaid, with a ripped black leather skirt piece and a torn cropped shirt. Only one black leather glove was spiked, because Ashton traded some of the spikes to Fearne to wear in return for a stolen piece of Fearne's lace. Their hair was chipped into almost a mohawk. A new black leather vest with gold shoulder spikes and grommets bore on its back the image of six bells, with two more faded into one corner, and the words, "Smiley Day".[49]
After the dunamantic glass in Ashton's head was utilized and consumed in the Rites of Catatheosis to make the gods mortal, it was replaced during his resurrection. There was new cracking around his face, as yet unfilled with gold (although Milo would fix that days later), as if the replacement glass was slightly too large. It was both smoother and darker than before, and had a sense of depth that had not been there previously. Its center appeared to be a smaller dark opal pearl, orbited by tiny glowing lights.[50]
Personality[]
When Campaign Three opened, Ashton was living in the Fownsee Hollow neighborhood inside the Core Spire of Jrusar, in what would be considered destitute surroundings by anyone of means. It is a location where people come or are thrown to be forgotten. However, they saw it as colorful and fun, and had decorated their room with cast-offs and bright trinkets of little actual value.[51]
Ashton described himself as "cranky and unpleasant", and FCG immediately agreed with him.[52] Ashton recognized that he could be difficult with people.[53] He identified his main goals as self-reliance, and freedom to move about.[54] He is not sure if he's ever been in love or not, but there are many different forms of love and he's had close friends in the past.[55] On several occasions, Ashton has manifested an aggressive protectiveness towards members of Bells Hells, but they are also capable of being reassuring and understanding when necessary, even with complete strangers.[56] After having spent a lot of time with the other adventurers, the genasi has become a little more hopeful too, being willing to become more heroic and inspiring.[57]
On 4-Sided Dive, Taliesin stated that Ashton has a complex series of rules that they live by, including "If you have a deal, you don't fuck with it. If you fuck with the deal, [there will be a] new deal and I get to make up what it is," "Don't put your hands on me if I don't know you,"[58] and "Whatever's happening right in front of you is the most important thing."[59] His rules also apply to the people they care about; in fact, Ashton gets angry with himself when he realizes that he is starting to care about someone, because he is aware that he is exposing himself to betrayal or other hurt.[60] Right now he has a general distaste for any form of authority, preferring to cause chaos wherever he finds it. That and other things are part of what the barbarian considers "fun", although he is aware that not everyone enjoys the same things as him.[61] Despite the most recent positive feelings towards their friends, Ashton still considers themself romantically unlovable, not being really aware of being someone's crush when it happens.[62]
Ashton has always taken pride on being a "nobody", but secretly wanted to have some sort of legacy. Prior to joining Bells Hells, they saw themselves as a person who always loses.[63] After learning about the Hishari and their connection with Ka'Mort, the barbarian was both glad and annoyed by finally getting a past of their own,[64] and being biased regarding their origins, deliberately ignoring some of the controversy surrounding the Hishari.[65] After unsuccessfully attempting to absorb the fire elemental shard of Rau'shan, Ashton realized it had taken them less than a week to do exactly the same thing as their father Efterin had done in grasping for power,[66] admitting they were both selfish and conceited.[67]
After the glass in Ashton's head was utilized and consumed in the Rites of Catatheosis and then replaced, Ashton's personality seemed changed, and he observed that since he now had a new brain, it would be odd if he weren't different.[68] He had achieved his greatest wish in life: to be irritatingly heroic in a way that was both inconvenient and obnoxious.[69]
Biography[]
Background[]
Fan art of Ashton, by MateuszWilma.[art 8]
Although at the beginning of the Campaign Ashton only very vaguely remembered his early childhood, he was born part of a group called the Hishari in a village in Issylra, a commune built around a charismatic leader named Efterin, his father.[70] At that time, Ashton was a normal-appearing child without the rocky elements that later became a part of their physicality.
The Hishari delved into esoteric elemental worship without fully understanding what they were playing with. As a child,[71] Ashton was part of a climactic ceremony around a vibrant, glowing gateway, and watched a cataclysmic event rip everything apart. It was his last memory of his parents before he was found wandering the deadlands outside Bassuras, and after passing through the portal, Ashton began to slowly change into his present rocky form[72] and was taken to the Greymoore State Home in Bassuras.[73] The people running the place "weren't that bad", but they always seemed to be exhausted.[74] Ashton attended school for a while, but before 835 PD he had already dropped out to do odd jobs and go on adventures,[75] running with a crew called the Nobodies who had grown up together as kids in the Greymoore Home.
Several years before 843 PD,[76] Ashton and the rest of the Nobodies broke into Jiana Hexum's home in Jrusar as part of a job. Jiana walked in on the attempted burglary and used magic to push Ashton back. They fell out the window and were gravely injured. Milo Krook was able to patch them up with "some weird chaos fairy magic bullshit".[77] Specifically, Ashton still had a grip on a crystal vial of a magic-looking, shiny gray liquid he had found in a trapped crate inside the room, and when nothing else seemed to be reviving Ashton, Milo poured the contents of the vial into the hole in Ashton's head and sealed the wound with glass.[78] This was later confirmed to be distilled dunamis, otherwise known as a Potion of Possibility.[79] Ashton's arm was patched with the gold he would have received as payment for the break-in.[80] Ever since then, Ashton is in constant pain whenever he moves.[81]
The rest of the Nobodies left Ashton behind when they left Jrusar, and Jiana eventually was able to track down Ashton because of his distinctive head injury. Rather than turning them in to the authorities, she instead asked for their services as a means of paying off their debt to her. Ashton accepted.[82]
As of "The Trail and the Toll" (3x03), Ashton was in debt with multiple third parties, which included Hexum.[83]
Ashton claims to have done a lot of work with the Clasp. He mentions having done a lot of work with smuggling between cities, as well as brawling, breaking and entering, and work as a bodyguard.[84]
Ashton has since lived in Jrusar for some time.[85] A few months prior to the events of "The Draw of Destiny" (3x01),[86] Ashton was hired by the Rayia family to investigate the disappearance of the Division of Public Benefit, who they hired a week before to clear out their silver mine from unknown monsters. Upon arriving at the assigned place, they discovered Fresh Cut Grass, along with several corpses of the other party members scattered across the camp.[87] The automaton was very kind and helpful from the very beginning, and Ashton took them home, thinking he had found the perfect roommate and cleaner; however, they would end up becoming very good friends.[88]
Campaign Three: Bells Hells[]
Arc 1: Destiny's Call[]
The group that became Bells Hells first came together after being individually drawn into a fight against animated furniture in the streets of Jrusar, and through that making the acquaintance of Lord Ariks Eshteross. After the death of Bertrand Bell, Orym happened to mention his background with the Ashari of Zephrah to Eshteross, and Ashton immediately was struck by the similarity between that name and the name of his own childhood people, the Hishari. This was the first time he had heard anything that vaguely connected to his past, and it was at that moment he decided to stay with the group.[89]
The day before Bells Hells infiltrated the Moon Tower, Jiana Hexum requested Ashton's assistance in a wager that she would be able to successfully steal a designated item from the Twilight Mirror Museum in the Heartmoor Hamlet owned by her rival Evon Hytroga. She promised to clear Ashton's debt if they were successful, and to pay extra if Hytroga were to be even further embarrassed.[90] The party agreed,[91] and met with Jiana eight days later to finalize the details. She offered them 500 gold apiece (minus Ashton) for the theft and double that if they embarrassed Hytroga.[92]
Arc 2: Sand and Shadows[]
During the successful heist, Ashton noticed and felt strangely familiar with a suit of Hishari armor on display. He took the mask-like helmet with him.[93] Afterwards, the group returned to Jrusar and collected their rewards from Jiana. She confirmed that Ashton's debt was paid.[94]
Ashton admitted to having trouble remembering the events of the break-in they had been involved in at Hexum's manor, which had created the debt in the first place. Using Detect Thoughts, Imogen and FCG were able to allow Ashton to regain some of those memories. In flashes, he recalled a dark corner table in a tavern with figures (including Milo Krook) seated around it. One figure said, "These shipments she's getting are timed. There's something to it. I think tonight's our chance." Ashton saw himself in Hexum's manor crowbarring a crate open, as a woman named Sally hurried him. As he pulled a crystal vial free, dull red runes begin to glow on the floor of the chamber. He remembered falling from the balcony, frantic voices saying, "He's dead, just leave him," and blurred images. Then a bright unfocused light, flickering shapes lightly drifting, and Milo asking, "Are you okay?"[95]
When the spell dropped, Ashton was furious. They told the others that Jiana had had one of those crates in her office while they were there. They also recognized all of the other figures in the memories. Ashton wanted to go to Bassuras, hoping that since the Nobodies met there, some some of them might still be there.[96]
When the party reached Bassuras, Ashton dealt with the crawler gang that met the skyship and they recognized his last name, "Greymoore", as indicating he was "from the House".[97] Later, Laudna tearfully confided in him her ongoing tension with Imogen over the inadvertent destruction of the gnarlrock, and Ashton comforted her and suggested getting Imogen a new rock.[98] Ashton also visited Justi Pross at All-Minds-Burn and got their pledge to help hide Armand Treshi should Bells Hells capture him. Justi suggested challenging Paragon's Call to a Deathwish Run.[99] That evening, Ashton told Fresh Cut Grass that if anyone made FCG feel bad, Ashton would kill them.[100]
In the morning, Ashton visited Paragon's Call where General Ratanish greeted them in a friendly way. He accepted Ashton's story of looking for casual work. Ratanish introduced Otohan Thull, and Ashton was awestruck to be meeting such a famous figure. Otohan told them they must must prove themselves either by fighting or by participating in the Deathwish Run. Ashton, as a local kid, chose the race, and Otohan set the time for dusk that evening.[101] In the race, Ashton drove one vehicle, succeeding in almost reaching the finish line before crashing at a final trap set there. That evening, they stayed with FCG who was being repaired at Imahara Joe's, and Ashton was present there when Birdie Calloway arrived.[102]
During the battle against the Fist of the Ruiner gang, Ashton healed Fresh Cut Grass from unconsciousness with a Potion of healing. He also pickpocketed a giant's thimble from Fearne as the battle was continuing.[103]
After Ira Wendagoth stole the Moontide Crown and disappeared, Ashton asked Orym for the Weave Lens Orym had removed from the Veilscatter Scope. Aston, thinking that as a magical item it would be immune to damage, hit it with their hammer, shattering it.[104] Laudna immediately cast Mending on it but the party was unsure if the enchantment remained. Later, Ashton urged the group to investigate what seemed like missing memories of Birdie and Oleander Calloway, and when they did, they discovered multiple blurred, tampered-with memories of their interactions with Ira.[105] That night, Ashton fell asleep looking at the Hishari armor from the Twilight Mirror Museum heist, but only felt a tingle at the back of their mind.[106]
When FCG went berserk and attacked the party physically and verbally, Ashton grappled him rather than attacking. When FCG recovered, Ashton realized that the horrific scene encountered on their first meeting could indeed have been created by FCG himself, remembering that one of FCG's ocular units was damaged when Ashton found him and had to be replaced, so that FCG could be the one-eyed monster he described as the attacker. Ashton told FCG, "I think, upon reflection of the day that we met-- I think that might've been-- I don't think that the cave is what killed your friends. I think you might've had an episode." Ashton also pointed out that any one of them except Orym could snap at any moment; it's happened before.[107]
Fan art of Laudna and Ashton in the dust storm, by Cha Cha Rae.[art 9]
On the party's return to Bassuras and the Paragon's Call's headquarters, the Seat of Disdain, Ashton joined Laudna to retrieve the tracking ring used on Armand Treshi. On the way back, Ashton told Laudna he thought she was hiding a bunch of bad shit. Ashton had come to terms with being broken, but thought Imogen and FCG could still fix themselves. Laudna suggested they could give them the life she and Ashton never had. Ashton told her he worries about her, and suggested she communicate with everyone more. Her bullshit is adorable, but not all the time.[108]
In the chaos created by the attack on the Seat of Disdain, Ashton managed to steal some of the Potions of Possibility being loaded onto a crawler for transport. In the initial action of the battle against Otohan Thull that followed, Ashton was brought from nearly full health to unconscious in one turn, but was fed a potion of healing by Orym. He was subsequently knocked out and healed back by Laudna,[109] and was caught in Imogen's pulse of psychic energy, remembering:
Later, Ashton told the party that prior to this, his memories of his early childhood had been unclear. He was originally a member of the Hishari, an elemental-centered tribe, and the leather ceremonial mask he took from the Twilight Mirror Museum was identical to the one worn by his father in the vision. That was the last day he spent with his parents. He was too young to be able to remember clearly, but he remembers "watching everything go, everything rip apart" in some kind of cataclysm. He woke up wandering the deadlands outside Bassuras and was placed in the Greymoore Home.[111]
Once back in Jrusar, Ashton asked Imogen and FCG to jointly cast Detect Thoughts on them in an attempt to recover more memories of the night the Nobodies broke into Jiana Hexum's home and Ashton was left gravely injured or possibly dead. The memories were familiar, the story of their injury and repair, and the use of a Potion of Possibility sealed into their head. Pushing further, Imogen was blocked by a glass-like wall similar to the glass in Ashton's head. Gradually, it filled with swirling star-filled grey mist. She got flashes of disconnected images of Ashton, an infinite number of potential Ashtons, none of them the one they know, some injured, some not, some with normal skin rather than the stony earth genasi form. Ashton's nose began to bleed as Imogen experienced fear similar to the first time she ran from the red storm of her dreams.[112]
Fan art of Ashton's potential, by Cha Cha Rae.[art 10]
FCG saw Ashton's memories of that night through Ashton's eyes but found himself alone and trapped in a series of crystal chambers. Ashton, meanwhile, was trapped in the moment they saw the white flash of the trap in Jiana Hexum's home exploding. When FCG looked down, his body looked like Ashton's, and he realized that Ashton was in almost constant pain when they move. When Fearne looked into the glass in Ashton's head, she saw two tiny figures floating there. Ashton began to become aware of the invasion within their mind and tried to hit themself, but was too woozy and failed. Imogen Commanded "Wake up!" causing the glass around them to shatter and they all found themselves back in the tavern room. They realized the Potion of Possibility was what gave Ashton their powers.[113]
When Keyleth transported the party to Whitestone to find help to return Laudna to life, Ashton angrily confronted Lord de Rolo about his refusal to help if there was a chance Delilah Briarwood might return with her. Percival told him not to lose his anger, but warned him that if they brought Delilah back, Percy would kill them all to protect his family and his city. When he left, Ashton angrily punched a statue and encountered three bears, one of them ancient. Ashton told the youngest bear that it must be nice to be able to growl at people and not have to explain yourself.[114]
Arc 3: The Solstice Approaches[]
After Bells Hells returned to Jrusar they discovered that Otohan had killed Eshteross, and that they had inherited the Silver Sun from the orcish noble. With the ship they started their journey to Yios, and during that journey Ashton had an honest conversation with Orym in which he reminded the halfling that being "the good one" of the group was probably very stressful, and it was ok to ask for help. He even allowed the fighter to touch his arm and hug him, despite the barbarian's general dislike for physical touch.[115]
Later in the journey Bells Hells went with the Gorgynei to Zha'Vrollo, a temple in the Gloomed Jungles where Chetney went through Sahyaadon's trial and transformed into a bigger and more terrifying incarnation of his wolf form. His friends had to fight him while the gnome tried to regain control. Ashton battled with enthusiasm, although constantly appealing to Chetney's mind, mentioning how they would prefer to face the blood hunter as himself, not as a mindless monster. Eventually, it was the earth genasi's angered speech that was the one that helped Chetney fully regain control, after which Ashton punched him for making the fight so hard for the group.[116] The next morning, before the Silver Sun came to pick them up, Ashton convinced Annaline (who also fought with a hammer) to do some sparring, during which she gave them advice about how to confront Chetney if necessary.
After arriving to Yios Bells Hells went to a casino for a last night of fun before starting their mission in the city. Ashton bought custom drinks for all of them, and played different games; at some point, when Fearne told a guard she was a traveling professor, Ashton helped her by saying he worked for "Professor Calloway". When they were in their room, the genasi talked to Pâté de Rolo and asked him to protect Laudna; during the same conversation they also threatened Delilah Briarwood just in case she was somehow listening through the familiar, which left Pâté quite confused. While they were in the room Ashton also thanked Imogen and Orym for being the reason why the group was in Yios, since otherwise the barbarian would have never visited the city.
The next day, after Bells Hells fought Shithead, an undead bird that was chasing Fresh Cut Grass, they noticed that Ashton had left. When Imogen talked to them via Sending, the genasi said that he was "following a thing".[117] After a brief journey to the Elemental Plane of Fire, Ashton's friends decided that they should travel to the Feywild next, and Imogen cast Sending to Ashton agreeing to meet at the Aydinlan Seminary. Ashton showed up covered in food and disguised with a magical glamour that he immediately dismissed, explained that he had run into Violet (a spellcaster that worked with him and Hexum in the past), ending up dragged into a chaotic mission against a local mob called the Baneful Brood, which led to interrogations, kenkus being kidnapped and the local sentries of the city arresting some of the criminals; Ashton explained that they had done all that so Violet wouldn't feel like the genasi owed her anything, and so she wouldn't cause trouble for Bells Hells (they also boasted of having obtained a valuable contact, only to realize that they weren't in their true appearance at the time).[118]
Bells Hells divided into three groups: Chetney, Orym, and Ashton stayed at the entrance of the Seminary where the genasi updated them further on his separate adventures in Yios until they saw Ludinus Da'leth leaving the building. Worried about the rest of the group, Ashton helped Orym intimidate Carolle the receptionist into not giving them trouble as they rushed to Kadija Sumal's office, discovering that Ludinus had talked with Imogen and Fearne after cursing Professor Sumal and stealing documents from her. Ashton spoke calmly and soothingly to Kadija. Ashton also hit Orym after he made a joke about Exandria being flat so he wouldn't encourage that idea. When the party Plane Shifted to the Harrowcall Fens near the home of Fearne's grandmother Morri Calloway, both Ashton and Orym expressed how intense the Fey Realm seemed to them in the very short time they had been there. When Morri offered them a cocktail, Ashton eagerly accepted.[119] The group stayed at the mansion for the rest of the day, and Fearne caught up with her grandmother, who, despite her sinister appearance, was very welcoming. The druid showed her friends her old room and (with Morri's permission), the Fatestitcher's collection; there Morrigan, who had previously showed interest in the genasi's damaged head, inspected it and was surprised when the magic within reacted to her. Ashton decided to show the hag their strange abilities by raging, manifesting powers that not even the rest of Bells Hells had seen before, surprising them all; in order to gain Morri's favor, the barbarian took the magical bust out of the portable hole and gave it to the old fey, who was pleased by this. The next day the adventurers said goodbye to Morri, who gave them directions on how to get to Unseelie territory and how to find a portal back to the Material Plane; grateful for the magical bust the mortals had given her, the hag gave them magical items and a substance to ensure their return to Exandria without suffering from the time warp. Ashton showed particular enthusiasm about the idea of receiving more drinks from the hag.
On the way to Sun's Shadow the adventurers met first Dr. Nesbitt (a bird friend of Fearne's who had followed them to say goodbye to her before leaving) and then a patrol of three nomadic centaurs who tried to capture them to sell them to the Unseelie Court; Bells Hells ended up fighting them, knocking two of them unconscious and killing the third and the animated tree they had summoned; during the fight Ashton used his dunamantic powers to ruin an enemy's shot, and after the battle was over, the genasi broke the arrows and briefly checked if centaurs had pockets (since he had always wondered).
As they were about to enter the Shiver Keep the party had to dodge an Unseelie patrol, and in the process Ashton became bogged down by a particularly sentient section of ground; although they were hidden by magic (including, ironically, Ashton's Pass without Trace), Chetney had to throw some ball bearings, making noise that attracted the fey enemies; meanwhile, Ashton managed to free their now bloody leg (since, as Morri had warned them, sometimes the earth takes its "iron tithe"), and Bells Hells entered the fortress. There, Laudna and Orym went ahead climbing the walls, and to get under a door Ashton used their portable hole, in which they locked up two guards until they suffocated, at which time the barbarian took the opportunity to put on the armor of one of them. Shortly after, during the sabotage of the Malleus Key, Ashton used his rage several times, skilfully fighting the creatures guarding the machine.
After destroying the machine Ashton and their friends fled through the forest, avoiding the Unseelie the best they could. When facing Terrosh, the portal guardian, the barbarian was the first to notice how they should interact with that entity, speaking in rhymes and later singing, and offering a porcelain thimble (that he had stolen from Fearne) as payment to use the portal, which the strange fey being accepted, sending him through it to Exandria.
When Bells Hells appeared in the Taloned Highlands, near Imogen's hometown, Ashton helped finding a place to rest, telling Fearne he had really liked her home. When FCG mentioned wanting to make a new recipe, and Ashton gave them a gift: ingredients he had stolen from a kitchen in Yios; the genasi expressed his interest in FCG cooking, and that if they could get the aeormaton to develop senses of taste and smell, it would be perfect if he could prepare his first meal himself. After some deliberation the group took the dead Unseelie guards out of the portable hole where Ashton had left them, sending them through the portal with a note, as "snacks" for Terrosh.
After Imogen, FCG, Laudna and Chetney traveled through dreams and found out Ryn had been petrified near the Malleus Key in the Tishtan ruins, Ashton asked about the experienced and expressed his concern about the possibility that the Planerider was being interrogated even in her current state. Later in the journey the genasi also wondered if Imogen was able to communicate with her reilora.
After one last night of rest the party arrives at Imogen's village, where Ashton was particularly protective of Laudna, making sure she felt safe in the village that had treated her badly in the past. When they met with Imogen's dad, Relvin Temult, Ashton advised FCG not to feel responsible for whatever that encounter may cause. However, despite the initial tensions, the father-daughter reunion proved relatively productive, and when the Silver Sun arrived FCG and their friends left Gelvaan in dramatic fashion.
While Bells Hells traveled to the Tishtan excavation site they noticed that there were strange multicolored lights in the sky, and trying to determine their nature Ashton raged, producing a small spark, but nothing beyond that to help him (they finally determined that the lights were the ley lines, visible due to the proximity of the apogee solstice). As the group discussed potential allies and plans to stop the Ruby Vanguard, Ashton dismissed the idea of Fresh Cut Grass blowing himself up, though they did appreciate the aspect of infiltrating as part of the excavation workers; the genasi suggested contacting his old group, the Nobodies, and FCG ended up asking Milo Krook to pass on information about their mission. Later, following a dream in which Liliana Temult had expressed to her daughter her confidence in Ludinus' plan to destroy the gods, Ashton eloquently reminded their friends that if the Ruby Vanguard were really doing something good they would tell people, but instead they moved in secret and made everyone who came in contact with their organization miserable.
Fan art of Ashton and Laudna, by Melissa Hahn.[art 11]
Before going to bed Ashton and Laudna spent a while drinking together; the sorcerer congratulated the barbarian on their speech and inquired about their mysterious past; Ashton talked with her for a bit about their shared background, and expressed interest in the differences (both had been death, but the second time it happened to Laudna, she had woken up finding her friends still with her, unlike Ashton). The genasi admitted that while he hated everyone in Bells Hells a little bit, he loved them a little bit too; though reluctant, he told her about the few memories he had from his past, how he had witnessed a family member being torn to pieces, and how the only word he remembered from his childhood, "Hishari," had prompted him to join their current group when he learned that Orym was an Ashari. Laudna encouraged her friend to talk to the halfling, and they said they would do so after dealing with the solstice. Laudna helped him go back to bed.
In the following days Ashton used his contact with Hexum to find out where to get resources in Bassuras, he (as well as Fearne) also learned a bit from Xandis about how to fly their skyship, and during a dust storm they used their extraordinary strength to keep the mast instead. Ashton tried to apologize for whatever he said to Laudna while drunk, but she brushed it off, praising the vulnerable moment and reiterating that the barbarian should talk to Orym. While in Bassuras, Ashton, Imogen and Orym went to the shop of a dwarf called Yuni, from which they acquired materials and magical objects, although paying an immense amount of gold. When Bells Hells were dividing up their items (new and old) Ashton showed interest in using Imogen's Feywild shard, but after finding out it could only be used by a sorcerer they handed it over to Laudna.
In the last period of the journey Ashton suggested to Orym that in order to know more about his mysterious seed he should feed it, and thanks to that the group received a hopeful message from Keyleth, who wanted to join forces against Ludinus. After that Chetney expressed his confidence in their possibilities, being scolded by the barbarian for saying such things out loud. The night before their last day traveling to the ruins Ashton spent some time in their room, working on a project, but later they drank for two hours in the back of the ship, arguing with people who weren't really there.
Fan art of Fearne and Ashton's goodbye, by Pyromeekorai.[art 12]
On the last leg of their journey, Bells Hells reviewed their plan to infiltrate the Tishtan excavation site and try to destroy the Malleus Key by crashing the Silver Sun against it. They decided that Fearne and FCG would stay in the ship with Ira (who they still didn't trust, although Ashton was comfortable not trusting him) and Captain Xandis to be able to achieve that and then magically abandon the ship before impact; during that part of the flight the barbarian wondered if the Nightmare King had witnessed other solstices, and as they got closer to the ruins he also wondered about the effects the antimagic waves from the excavation might have on the ship. When Imogen, Laudna, Chetney, Orym and Ashton, disguised as members of Paragon's Call and the Ruby Vanguard, were about to leave infiltrate enemy territory, the genasi hugged Fearne, trying to steal something from her but she noticed; when they confessed they wanted to take something personal and irreplaceable, Fearne kissed them in the head, leaving the genasi briefly surprised, although shortly after he told her that she was really great.
After a short journey the adventurers reached the Tishtan ruins, where thanks to Imogen's confidence they were able to get in smoothly; however, a little further they were stopped since some of them looked suspicious, which led to a battle. Although Ashton started the combat immobilized by a mage's Hold Person, that spellcaster lost concentration after being attacked, so the barbarian started raging and attacking, feeling smug during the whole battle. Shortly after they met Beauregard Lionett and Caleb Widogast, two allies of Ryn who also wanted to stop Ludinus; during their conversation the wizard talked about the dunamis the Vanguard was using, and when he explained the nature of dunamancy, Ashton was really interested, recognizing the similarities with their own chaotic powers.
When the adventurers were joined by FCG and Fearne after a bit, Ashton proposed that while most of the team were hiding inside the defeated Warder (now under the cleric's control) a couple of them should stay outside as guides, and the party ended up doing that, with Imogen and Orym pretending to be a member of the Vanguard bringing a prisoner. However, one of the exaltants didn't believe the sorcerer, and a brief battle ensued, during which the barbarian managed to kill a half-giant; initially they kept a halfling as prisoner and interrogated him, but when they were leaving Ashton snapped his neck.
Because of the sabotage happening in the excavation, Ludinus decided to rush his plans with the Malleus Key, rallying his forces (and the captured Caleb and Beau) while delivering a speech, during which Ashton and Laudna went to another power source (using the barbarian's Pass Without Trace to be stealthy), and after avoiding the security glyphs they attacked it until the genasi decided to toss a stick of dynamite into the machine, after which they both left, returning to the main chamber.
Arc 4: Separated[]
After the Malleus Key activated, Bells Hells were sent far away, and Ashton (who initially was convinced they had succeeded), Laudna and Orym appeared in a cliffside, in an area with geysers from which the beam of red energy hitting Ruidus was visible, although very far away. Ashton, after noticing how weird their new situation was, started laughing nervously, but ended up calming down. The three of them started climbing the cliff, led by Orym, who was using the warlock's immovable rod and some rope to assist the group; Ashton's earth genasi powers proved to be useful moving through that rocky surface, and he helped Laudna when she needed it. They were joined by Deni$e, a dwarven woman who had been sent there as well, but from Tal'Dorei, and the barbarian acted welcoming towards her when the rogue showed a personality similar to his own. Later, when they found a very scared Bor'Dor Dog'Son in the forest, Ashton was the first to accept the half-elf's offer of hospitality, even opening the portable hole and taking out the two corpses that had been forgotten inside. When a third person, Prism, joined the group, the genasi was annoyed by her sentient spellbook, Dynios.
When three plant monsters attacked the party Ashton fought with great enthusiasm, displaying their chaotic powers, and at the end they praised Deni$e, a barbarian like them. After the battle the group prepared for the night, and using Bor'Dor's first bonfire and the two corpses Ashton had in the hole, Prism created an alarm system, casting Magic Mouth so that the corpses would speak if someone got too close to that area; when Bells Hells explained to their new friends their mission against Ludinus, the barbarian, who had initially been optimistic about their performance, declared that the group had failed to stop the archmage. During their watch, Ashton and Laudna talked for a bit, and he comforted her, noticing that she was trying really hard to keep her composure and not have a mental breakdown from being separated from the other half of Bells Hells; the genasi assured her that no matter what, they would keep their friends safe and reunite with the rest of Bells Hells.
While following the Outerwalk Road Ashton, who hadn't slept well, was not very willing to exploring more than necessary, and expressed that feeling when some of their friends showed interest about a creepy abandoned gallows. When the group arrived to Hearthdell the barbarian complimented the tobacco of a local man, Hender, buying some and making the old villager more willing to share information with them.
After talking to Elder Joan Abaddina Bells Hells joined a secret meeting in the Fairfroth Brewery, in which the townsfolk were planning how to drive out the followers of the Dawnfather who were occupying Hearthdell; during that reunion Ashton showed his willingness to fight for the people. It was decided that Orym and Bor'Dor would try to gain the trust of the bastions to send them to Marquet to face Ludinus instead of oppressing the villagers; while that was happening the earth genasi cast Pass without Trace to help Mother access the temple without being noticed. When things turned sour for the two diplomats on the team, Orym gave the warning, and the rest of Bells Hells and the villagers attacked the Sunrise Sanctuary, with Ashton charging at full speed.
Fan art of Ashton's attack, by Cha Cha Rae.[art 13]
During the battle Ashton raged, surrounding himself with a colorful dunamantic aura; however, shortly after he and Orym ended up paralyzed by Flameguide Kiro's Hold Person, until she lost concentration after being attacked by Prism. The genasi continued to attack the followers of the Dawnfather, while their rage altered the odds around them, making their allies' attacks more successful. The barbarian exchanged a few blows with the temple's Judicator and then, in order to hit the Dawnborn Angel summoned by Flameguide Kiro's dying prayer, he spoke in Primordial to the Earth Elemental that Elder Abaddina had summoned and which was still under the influence of the elemental eidolons; the entity threw him into the air, allowing him to hit the celestial warrior.
After the battle was over and the Sunrise Sanctuary was destroyed, Ashton advised Prism against tossing to the people the money they had found there to avoid a stampede. The genasi also talked to Laudna, sharing her negative feelings about the town and their situation with the temple, where they had felt very uncomfortable in front of the angel. When Bells Hells returned with Elder Abaddina to her cottage, they spoke for a bit about religion, spirituality, and how it all connected to Predathos and the elemental eidolons; Joan and Ashton also spoke briefly about the strange glass-like element in his head, although she wasn't able to provide any information about it. The next morning the old woman allowed Bells Hells to use her scrying well, and Ashton was surprised to see Dorian, describing him as "their bag of dicks".
While traveling through the Serratus Wilderness, Ashton decided he wanted to try meditating to connect with the elements and focus a bit more in his past. Orym tried to guide them through the process with his words and giving them a massage. During a rest, Bor'Dor cast Calm Emotions on the barbarian, allowing them to relax and feel the presence of the spirits of the land who accompanied them during their watch. The following day, when Bells Hells found a crater with a petrified skeleton in it, Ashton used his affinity with the earth to safely extract the remains, taking for himself the ring on one of its fingers. That night, feeling that Prism needed some confidence, the genasi let her use their Pipe of Remembrance, so its smoke would reproduce her biggest achievement (convincing a mage of the Cobalt Soul to let her return to Exandria with him); the next morning she thanked Ashton for the gesture, and they spoke for a bit about their own academic and adventuring experience. When Bor'Dor expressed concern about Bells Hells' chances against Ludinus and his plan, Ashton argued that if they did nothing, the results would be bad; later he tried to comfort the half-elf about the lack of news about his brother, and allowed him to use his pipe as well: the smoke showed Bor'Dor casting Fire Bolt surrounded by his new friends, feeling like he belonged."A Long Walk of Reflection" (3x62)
When the adventurers reached the Irriam Canyon, Ashton descended using Laudna's Feather Fall, and when they were in the bottom the earth genasi cast Pass without Trace so the group could avoid being noticed by a large sleeping creature camouflaged as a flowery hill; they entered a cave with an archway with inscriptions in Primordial that Ashton was able to read: "Within the Verdant Tomb, we keep her spirit enduring". The place was filled with crystalline formations, and when the adventurers were advancing, the barbarian was at the end of the line. When they tried to call Hevestro, Ashton made a half-hearted attempt in Primordial, but when they found a strange green obelisk, he became interested, finding some resemblance between the monument's material and the residuum (remembering Lord de Rolo and his words about that substance).
Fan art of Prism moving the body, by Elaine Tipping.[art 14]
Bells Hells encountered Evithorir the Taker, a fey thief that had claimed the Verdant Tomb and its content and wasn't welcoming towards the adventurers; while the adventurers were speaking to them Prism Prestidigitated one of Ashton's rings to turn it colder, telling him about fey's alleged weakness to cold iron. When they started fighting the creature the genasi, surrounded by their gravity rage, focused their attacks on the red orbs Evithorir had summoned, specially after the Taker magically frightened them; when the adventurers managed to free Hevestro from his captor's shadowy grasp, Prism sent him to Ashton via Dimension Door for protection, which confused both Dynios and the barbarian, who despite everything picked the body to keep him safe.
After the fight Ashton took the chance to speak with Hevestro and ask him about the Hishari when the archdruid mentioned a similar term, learning a bit about the now destroyed town, as well as its charismatic leader. Later, when Deni$e started interrogating a very suspicious Bor'Dor he revealed that he had been lying to the group, and after revealing his true past and his connections, he attacked the group. Ashton used his hammer to hit the sorcerer, although focusing on stopping him rather than kill him; however, when it became obvious that Laudna was about to kill Bor'Dor because of his treason, the genasi pushed Prism away a bit and turned her around, so she wouldn't see the half-elf die. After everything was over Ashton tried to comfort a very shaken Laudna.
The next morning the barbarian took an interest in the crystals of the cave, and asked permission from Hevestro. He in turn asked permission from the spirit of the tomb, who granted it. Prism chatted with Ashton, confessing her desire to continue adventuring rather than return to her life with the Cobalt Soul, and accepting the genasi's advice on potential destinations, since he liked the idea of the wizard becoming an annoyance for important people, suggesting she go to Percival de Rolo in Whitestone. The shadar-kai ended up deciding she wanted to visit Marquet, which the genasi approved, and when they were preparing to leave and she asked for personal possessions of her new friends (to use for her Scrying spell) Ashton tried to give her a ring, but at the wizard's request he ended up giving shards of his amethyst-like hair.[120]
When they arrived Prism stayed with them for a little longer, talking with her friends about her possible destinations; Ashton told her about the local Ascension's Rise University and gave her advice about lying, since the shadow elf wanted to start introducing herself as a high mage of the Cobalt Soul. When the group was traveling in a gondola with a gnome courier they tried asking him about the current situation in the city, and Ashton tried not to attract attention so as not to intimidate him more than he already was; later, when they were arriving at the Spire by Fire Inn the genasi mentioned they wanted to visit Milo with FCG.
When they found Team Wildemount Ashton used it as an excuse to show Ishir that he brought him new clientele, and the two groups started speaking and sharing anecdotes; during the conversation the barbarian tried to show their new ring to their friends, only to discover that Fearne had already stolen it, leading them to declare how much had they missed her, as well as to declare they needed more liquor. Ashton was who clarified to Prism that FCG was nervous around her because of her bird familiar.[121]
Fan art of Prism's best friend, by Elaine Tipping.[art 15]
Eventually it was decided that Prism, Deanna and FRIDA would do a research mission on their own to provide Bells Hells with valuable information, while the main party returned to the Tishtan excavation site. The two groups exchanged farewells, during which Ashton hugged the gnome cleric (with whom he had shared a moment of mutual understanding, since both worried about their respective aeormaton friends) and advised her about defining her own identity; he also wished Prism well, who, even though she had previously stated that she considered Orym her best friend, still valued her bond with the genasi, giving him a quill and some papers in case he wanted to try to meditate and relax through writing.[122]
Arc 5: Race to the Moon[]
Once the seven original members of Bells Hells were left alone, Fearne mentioned to Ashton that she had a corset for them, and the group continued to share the information and discoveries they had made on their respective trips; however, Laudna was particularly irritated by how apparently enjoyable Team Wildemount's adventure had been, complaining about it, and when Chetney offered to sleep with Team Issylra to help them relax, Ashton admitted they, surprisingly, had missed the gnome. Seeing that the warlock urgently needed to relax a bit, the party agreed to put off their plans until the next morning and take the rest of the day to rest and make preparations. Fresh Cut Grass and Ashton visited the Krook House, talking to Milo about some updates for the barbarian's weapon. Ashton and FCG talked about FRIDA, and the former admitted he was very happy, since his friend had found in the gunslinger something he had been trying to give them for the very beginning: a reason to live. The genasi was behaving in a strangely positive manner, and he even asked Milo to check on the Nobodies if they could.
When FCG and Ashton returned with their friends the barbarian presented their friends with beer and orange slices (from the one fruit Imogen gave them), and Bells Hells shared their recent discoveries, and argued about how important faith was in their mission; Ashton explained that during their hard life they had prayed on occasion, but the closest thing they had had to an actual answer was when the Dawnborn Angel tried to kill them in Hearthdell, so they declared that so far they believed in their friends, and if the gods were interested in their success, they should approach the genasi themselves. The group had to stay one extra day, during which Milo was able to finish Ashton's request, improving his hammer with the crystals from the Irriam Canyon, a potential chaotic addition to the barbarian's equipment.
When Bells Hells arrived to Zephrah the wind started dragging some of them, and Ashton reacted immediately in order to help his friends. They were brought to a very weakened Keyleth, who asked them for their help healing her wounds (by fetching a special flower in the Grey Valley). When they left, Ashton was very interested in one of the tapestries showing an Earth titan and representing an event, "The Ascension and the Sealing"; outside, the group talked to Thollo, one of the Tempest Blades, and since he seemed to know some history the earth genasi used that chance to ask him about the Hishari, showing him the helmet they had, listening to the information they could offer (not unlike the one they already knew) and requesting more if he ever found it. After visiting Orym's mom the halfling and Ashton visited the local blacksmith, Torth, to ask for some equipment, although the barbarian ended up visiting Fanny Z, a designer who accepted his commission for a new, more inspiring outfit, since Ashton wanted to feel a bit more like a hero.
When Orym's sister-in-law, Maeve, sent Bells Hells to the Grey Valley with her magic, Ashton tried not to acknowledge Avandra's orientation through FCG's Divination spell. He used his Pass without Trace so that the group could move through that dangerous area more stealthily while they were looking for the flowers. When they finally found them, they were attacked by several undead and a devourer-like demon. Ashton attacked their enemies with their hammer, the use of portals produced by their rage, as well as the fire powers of their ring; at some point during the battle the barbarian noticed that Imogen was preparing to cast a spell, and suggested she should cast it through their modified hammer so the weapon would act like a prism, but the sorcerer rejected the idea because she didn't want to hit their friends by accident. Even without the experimental use of Ashton's hammer, Bells Hells were able to defeat all the enemies. The adventurers rested for a bit, and they talked about the gods (Ashton abstained from voting if he liked them or not); Laudna asked about the genasi's past and the Hishari, and during the conversation he admitted that he had joined Bells Hells after hearing for the first time the very similar term "Ashari".
After a brief fight with some vrocks the party reached the Iridon Bastion, which had been taken by demons that had killed some people and captured the rest in cages. The adventurers fought the fiends, and when Ashton approached they used their hammer, now combined with an immovable rod, to climb a tower. In combat the barbarian fought fiercely, hitting several demons and scaring some of them, as well as taking a special interest in Extovass, the leader of the demons, wanting to take its tusks as trophies. After the battle ended Ashton seemed very interested in the interactions between Fearne and Teven Klask, a champion of Asmodeus who had helped them during the fight.[123]
The night they spent in the Grey Valley Ashton was curious about the blade Chetney had found, and when it presented itself as Graz'tchar, the Luminary Blade, the barbarian was suspicious, questioning the sword and eventually getting bored of its elusive answers. The following morning, thanks to Ashton's idea of using the portable hole to transport people, the party (including the rescued Ashari and the survivors from the Iridon Bastion) Teleported to Zephrah, and after Keyleth was successfully healed she spoke with the party about potential approaches to Ludinus and Predathos. When the Voice of the Tempest noted she was not a champion of any god, Ashton inquired about the source of her power, to which she responded alluding to the natural forces of Exandria; Ashton then pressed, asking about the Hishari, and eventually revealing their connection to them, asking more information that Keyleth provided. Suddenly interested, the leader of the Air Ashari asked Ashton to step forward and magically examined him, and she determined that he had a fragment of Primordial power within him, describing him not only as a genasi, but as a "titan of blood", and that this was an accomplishment of the Hishari, though it came at great cost. When the adventurer mentioned the strange power in his head, Keyleth was uncertain if it got along with Ashton's blood; she also confirmed that one of the symbols of his jacket was the symbol of the Hishari. After speaking about Efterin and the potential power of Ashton's connection with the elementals (which included talking to the entity Elder Abaddina had summoned in the Sunrise Sanctuary), Bells Hells wondered if they should look for Evontra'vir, the Great Tree of Atrophy, on the island of Kalutha in the Shattered Teeth, and maybe borrow power from it. That led to a conversation about how they could use Ludinus Da'leth's harness, and who could repair it; when FCG seemed unsure about if they should ask Dancer or D, Ashton suggested the latter, since Dancer was already angry with Fresh Cut Grass, and the aeormaton liked making new friends anyway.[124]
Ashton decided to go back to Fanny Z's place to retrieve his new outfit, but he ended up hiding before arriving, having a panic attack after the huge revelations about his connection with the titans; as he regained his calm it seemed to him that the earth and stones around him moved in response to his mood and the rhythm of his pulse. When he arrived to the shop Fanny Z revealed she had finished early, and while she was busy with the last details of the outfit, she complimented Ashton by telling them that, since some of their notes for the clothing design had been so specific, they probably knew who they wanted to be better than they realized. The earth genasi felt good about their new look, like they were actually seen. After that they went back with their friends, following the noise and chaos of Chetney and Laudna battling in their skysails; when the gnome crash-landed, Ashton made sure to give him space (by preventing people from helping) and laughed at him. When the entire group was partying the barbarian got complimented for his new outfit, and Fearne also praised his newly discovered connection with the titans; she also confirmed that she still had the remains of Extovass, since Ashton wanted to do something with them. While they were celebrating Ashton also made sure to give silver pieces to FCG so he could join them while they were drinking.
The next morning they traveled with Keyleth to Yios to look for Dancer, and after picking her up and finding out that she needed Imahara Joe's help to fix their harness, the group started looking for a tree. Shithead attacked them, and after FCG destroyed it some guards came over, drawn by the ruckus. Ashton intimidated one of them, Stanley, by saying that he would remember him, before leaving thanks to Keyleth's Transport via Plants. The group went to Imahara Joe's discovering him and his friend, Verna, being held by General Ratanish and six members of Paragon's Call. A battle ensued, during which Ashton started fighting a monk that ended up being killed by the Erupting Earth cast by one of the mercenaries; after that they focused on an enemy rogue, and when the spellcaster allied with Paragon's Call (a desert warden druid) took the form of a giant eagle to fly away with Joe and Verna, Ashton used their chaotic powers to hit the druid from a distance and immediately teleport there, grabbing Imahara Joe and preventing him from taking too much fall damage.
Fan art of Orym giving Ashton a "gift", by Cha Cha Rae.[art 16]
The combat ended when Ratanish, who had been Banished by FCG at the very beginning, returned to the Material Plane, being mercilessly attacked; Orym disarmed him and made him fall to the ground, leaving him exposed for Ashton, who crushed the goliath's chest with his hammer.
With Ashton's help the group and the rescued tinkerers went to Hondir's abandoned home, where they started inspecting Ludinus Da'leth's arcane harness. However, after some time, Ashton left with Imogen. The barbarian tried to find a former associate, Pocket, without success, so they visited the All-Minds-Burn instead, finding Shady Sally (a member of the Nobodies) there; the genasi, after a brief confrontation (during which they used their time powers to mess with their former friend) told her to gather the other members of the group, since they would be needed to help save the world, and then went with Justi Pross; the eisfuura guided the two adventurers to the bowels of their headquarters, where she introduced them to the strange entity that personified the All-Minds-Burn: a mucous mass that connected the minds of all the members, being the source of their psychic powers, and that kept the bodies and part of the essence of those who had already died. They had a psychic conversation during which Ashton offered the entity to connect with his own mind, although admitting that he didn't know how dangerous could it be; despite that, by the end of the conversation the two adventurers had won the entity and its crawler gang as allies, taking the Brood Pit (some sort of seed) with them.
After they left, Ashton and Imogen exchanged impressions of that meeting and he admitted that he was aware of the strange presence behind Justi's group, as well as the past of her parent with the mucous entity; the genasi and the Ruidusborn talked about how satisfied they were with the current situation, and told to each other how special they were. When they returned to the group, however, they were met by a panicked Laudna who believed the barbarian had kidnapped the sorcerer. When they were leaving Ashton used Pass without Trace to make sure the group wouldn't get unwanted attention in the streets.
After Keyleth sent them all to Slival, Ashton behaved cautiously, mistrusting their surroundings and advising the rest of Bells Hells about the best route to follow and the best place to camp, so they would be protected in case of an attack. After a night of sleep the adventurers discovered that FCG had befriended the local dolabos, and although they were somewhat unsure about the plan, they followed the tiny creatures' instructions to light a bonfire that would attract Toriz. However, the monster known as Bari Mondolo came first, so they fought for a bit until Jirana and her giant toad-like creature arrived. Ashton introduced himself for the first time as "Ashton of the Hishari" (as a parallelism of his friend being "Orym of the Air Ashari"), and asked Jirana questions about the Great Tree of Atrophy, his people, and the titans; she provided all the information she could, including the names of the two titans whose deaths destroyed Domunas: Rau'shan and Ka'Mort. Before they left, the genasi expressed how glad he was for FCG accepting the galapa's wisdom (even though she had told them the same things Bells Hells had repeated to the cleric several times), and asked her how to grieve something you don't know you have lost; the old woman told them that time could mend many things.[125]
Bells Hells used Speak with Dead to interrogate the desert druid warden and General Ratanish, after which Ashton took any useful equipment they still had and destroyed the rest. When the adventurers summoned Captain Urlu Novos and his Crimson Abyss, the undead pirate sent his crew to kill them and a battle ensued. The barbarian used their chaotic rage powers to attack their enemies, and also helped Laudna recover from the unwanted effects of FCG's Turn Undead. After Captain Novos agreed to provide transportation in exchange for his old compass and Graz'tchar, Ashton talked to Chetney and agreed to give him Ratanish's Boots of Speed, receiving the gnome's Ring of Temporal Salvation. The genasi then spent some time talking to Cyrillia, the undead fire genasi navigator of the Crimson Abyss, telling her about Ruidus and its strange activities (which she confirmed, since she hadn't seen the red moon for weeks) and the possibility of the gods disappearing. After that he went below deck with the rest of his friends.[126]
Fan art of Ashton getting his tattoo, by Cha Cha Rae.[art 17]
During his time on board the genasi approached Vendallo, the tattoo artist, and with some assistance from Orym convinced him (appealing to his pride as an artist since his tattoos would never be known if no one outside the Crimson Abyss had them) to tattoo the tough skin of his back: an inscription in Primordial reading "From the earth, of the earth, to the earth." The process was long and painful, but the barbarian was very satisfied with the result, and during the dance party on their last day in the vessel, they admitted to Laudna that the experience with the crew had been better than any attempt of organizing a mutiny.
Fan art of Ashton overlooking Kalutha, with the three peaks in the background, by SuzySnoo.[art 18]
When Bells Hells arrived on Kalutha, Ashton immediately felt like they were in the right place, and whispered in Primordial hoping the Great Tree of Atrophy would know they were there. The group climbed into a cavern where they were attacked by a basalt caecilian, and the barbarian managed to kill it by smashing one of its heads. He immediately smashed it again just to make sure it stopped twitching.[127] While searching for Evontra'vir Bells Hells encountered a river, and using Laudna's Immovable rod and Ashton's hammer they used a rope to cross it; the latter would help the former when she fell into the water, although Fearne would end up using her magical ring to telekinetically move both out of the river. During the night, the genasi and Chetney got distracted, allowing shadow creatures to get close and attack Orym and Laudna. Ashton woke up their friends, and held Laudna so FCG could Turn Undead and send those monsters away. The following morning the cleric tried to use the barbarian's connection to earth to Find the Path to Evontra'vir, and failing; not long after, when they were encountered by Aishio hunters, Ashton spoke to them, explaining the intentions of their visit, and although the locals allowed them to continue, the Hishari was unable to persuade them to help them.
Fan art of Evontra'vir, by Niko Vanhala.[art 19]
When they finally found the Great Tree of Atrophy, inside a dark sinkhole between mountains, Fearne and FCG Guided and Enhanced Ashton as he approached. The former Gau Drashai shared its knowledge with Ashton, explaining the nature of his power (a shard of the Empress of Earth), telling him how Efterin (his father) had been following all the steps leading to the doom of the Hishari and Ashton's creation, revealing the existence of the spark of the Rau'shan, the Emperor of Fire in the Chynes Maw on the island of Igthuldus, and allowing him to use his Pipe of Remembrance so they could see Evontra'vir's most heroic moment in life; during the conversation the barbarian stated that he was not an important person, but the former archdruid argued that few "nobodies" managed to reach that place. The Tree also answered some of the questions of the others adventurers, emphasizing that their collective chaos and Ashton's potential could stop Ludinus, although warning the genasi that attempting to use the power of two primordial titans alone could kill him.[129]
Fan art of Fearne and Ashton with the shard, by Sech Bravo.[art 20]
After Bells Hells were sent to Igthuldus they found a crack in the stone and, with some difficulty and magical assistance (including Ashton's influence over the earth) they managed to access a chamber with several magma mephits and a pool of melted rock. After learning the spark of Rau'shan was in the lava, the genasi dived into it, using their rage and their magical ring to reduce the damage, and been strengthened by FCG's powers. With Fearne's help he took the crystal-like relic out of the magma, after which the group started wondering what to do with it; Ashton considered trying to absorb it somehow, although he was also willing to give it to Fearne, since using the spark and the shard might kill him. Soon after Ludinus and his allies appeared, and (after Chetney took the artifact to hide it) the barbarian focused on killing their enemies, moving a Reilora near the lava and allowing Orym to finish it, and attacking the archmage, who had Fearne imprisoned with Telekinesis. Once the battle was over (and after it was revealed that Ludinus was, in fact, a Simulacrum), Ashton urged his friends to leave that place as soon as possible, so FCG Teleported them to Whitestone.[130]
Fan art of Allura, Ashton, and Percy, by Elaine Tipping.[art 21]
Bells Hells went to Whitestone Castle, retrieving the newly repaired Quintessence Array and confirming it worked. Ashton showed Allura Vysoren the spark of Rau'shan and asked her (purposely ignorning Lord de Rolo) about the possibility of infusing himself with that power, knowing he already had the dormant shard of Ka'Mort inside himself. Allura adviced them against it, so Fearne became the preferred candidate. The faun was ok with it, and willing to help the genasi activate his own shard of primordial titan, although she seemed slightly confused when he said he had always wanted a sister. After that Allura asked about the glass in Ashton's head, and they shared the information they had about it (including the drawing of a device Ashton sometimes saw in dreams), receiving in return the revelation that the barbarian's head contained something very similar to a Luxon beacon, a "half-beacon", something very new, and with strong dunamantic potential; Ashton became very interested in visiting the Kryn Dynasty in the future after the explanation. In the following meeting in the war room, Bells Hells offered to do a scout mission to Ruidus, and Ashton asked Percival de Rolo for any protection they would need in the red moon. After that conversation the adventurers talked briefly about seeking allies among the followers of the Betrayer Gods, and the barbarian proposed to search in weird places.
Ashton ended up going with Chetney and Orym to the Altar of the Raven, to see if they could communicate with the goddess of fate. In a basement under the temple they encountered Othinon the tombkeeper and five empty sarcophagi; after a brief conversation Ashton had an idea, and put himself inside a sarcophagus, so his friends did the same. They ended up having a shared vision of the Raven Queen, and although it was scary and disturbing, it ended with the feeling that they were noticed, and oddly appreciated. As they were leaving the Greyfield they walked in front of a temple of Pelor, and the genasi threw some copper in its direction as an offering and an indirect insult, since Orym and them had dealt with hostile followers of the Dawnfather in Hearthdell. When Bells Hells reunited in front of the Sun Tree Ashton purchased the crepes that the witches had commissioned to Andrew the crepe seller without actually buying them, and after that, the whole group returned to the castle to rest. Ashton acquired a book about the de Rolo family, in order to learn about Whitestone's recent history.[131]
The following morning, after Ashton played for a bit in the snow with FCG, he and Fearne went to visit the Heart of Whitestone. There they had a candid conversation, during which the barbarian confessed his attraction to her, and also his trust, asking her to defend his decisions if it was necessary during their future challenges; the faun ran away after admitting she found the genasi attractive too, so they stayed there alone, watching the clock and how it worked.
Fan art of Ashton kissing Fearne, by Agata Fiszer.[art 22]
Fan art of Ashton after taking Rau'shan's power, by Edu Benavente.[art 23]
That same day, after a meeting, Bells Hells went to the ziggurat under the castle to use the harness in a controlled environment, and while the rest of the team was distracted (thinking Fearne was about to absorb the power of Rau'shan), Ashton did it instead, after kissing Fearne. After some seconds it became evident that the elemental power of the Emperor was too much, and it started destroying the genasi's body. The rest of the adventurers came back, and with Fearne's help started using magic to maintain their friend alive and whole, although his physical form was cracking and getting dangerously warm, as he raged repeatedly trying to reduce his own damage. Their entire body exploded at some point, restoring itself immediately thanks to the Ring of Temporal Salvation, but the process continued, even after the Quintessence Array left their body. Eventually Ashton's body recovered, seemingly accepting the new power inside of it (and leaving him with a new volcanic-looking arm); the barbarian was relieved, but his friends were extremely angry about his recklessness, and Fearne even kicked him in the head.[132]
Fan art of Ashton and the shard, by Melissa Hahn.[art 24]
Fearne then tried to hit Ashton with their hammer and break the weapon itself. Ashton's mind (which Imogen read) was filled by the obsessive thought that he had repeated his parents' mistakes barely a week after learning about them. Moreover, he felt as if his connection with earth had grown stronger, but the fire inside of him was becoming unbearable, and he vomited a new crystal containing the elemental spark that had rejected him, leaving him physically weaker in the process. Ashton admitted to the remaining members of Bells Hells that he had been trying to connect with the legacy of his family, and how, in the time he had been "gone", he imagined what would have happened if he stayed with his parents. It wasn't a good life, they weren't good people. Ashton told their friends that, despite what it looked like, they did care about them and what they thought, and that they saw similarities between FCG and themself. Afterwards Ashton went outside and found Lord Percival observing the windows Fearne broke, thinking Gwendolyn was responsible. Percy offered Ashton advice, since he himself had been tormented by his own demons and guilt in the past, saying that although Ashton should feel free to wallow in guilt, he shouldn't let it affect the others. Later, when the barbarian apologized for what he had done, Chetney told him he should leave if he wasn't sure he could control his own impulses, especially now that he had hurt Fearne. Ashton returned to the group in the morning, when the werewolf, wanting to check if the new rock arm had new abilities, sparred with him for a bit (the arm, however, didn't display anything special, although it resonated with the rock around them somehow). When they went to retrieve Laudna she was wary of being near Ashton, so Ashton was told to stay away; however, when the entire group finally reunited, he and the warlock had a sincere conversation and she gave him a present: a doll meant to represent him (made with vandalized wood, a chipmunk's skull, and some quartz), that the genasi actually loved. They also had a conversation with Fearne, in which both expressed regret for what had happened, although the faun admitted it would take time for her to like them again. The group reconciled (with some tension), and since they needed to reconnect with each other before going on their next mission, they decided to travel (with Allura) to Ligament Manor, so they could recover without wasting time on the Material Plane.[133]
Orym spoke later with Ashton in private, expressing his concern about the genasi's most recent actions, but told them they had a soft heart and should be focusing their energy on the battles ahead. Ashton was willing to share details of recent events with Nana Morri regarding the elemental shards, which seemed to fascinate the hag. When Allura was explaining what she knew about the Fatestitcher, Ashton was suspicious about how sincere the arcanist was being about the reputation of Fearne's grandmother. During the team-building exercises organized by Fresh Cut Grass and the Fatestitcher, in the phase about honesty Ashton confessed their guilt about the day when the Nobodies abandoned them, as well as the most recent incident hurting Fearne's feelings, and their fear of one of the adventurers turning against the rest; they also tried to interrogate Pâté to see if he was controlled by Delilah. They walked blindly guided by Fearne and Imogen during the phase about communication, but the thunder wasps made them fall into the void despite their attempts to return to the narrow path.[134] In the phase about trust he was one of the less suspicious players, helping his friends whenever they were in trouble and trusting them for the most part (he even found one of the three branches, although a fey thief stole it and Chetney had to recover it); they all ended up trusting each other, and successfully completed the task.
After the trials Bells Hells spoke for a bit and Ashton stated that they felt like the whole group had the potential to make mistake as big as theirs in the right circumstances, but that was one of the reasons why they worked as a team. Fearne decided she was ready to take the shard and after some preparation in the garden (during which the barbarian gave her their Ring of Volcanic Flesh), the Quintessence Array began to absorb the spark of Rau'shan; Imogen also took that chance to approach Ashton and kiss his cheek, apologizing for making him feel like he couldn't share his plans with them before. Fearne took a lot of damage, but with her friends' help she managed to survive (Ashton, specifically, allowed FCG to drain his own health to give it to the druid). After that, following the rest of Bells Hells' advice, Ashton and Fearne shook hands, making his own elemental shard react, granting him his own benefits (as well as a vision of primordial earth at the beginning of time), and making both adventurers extremely excited, and for the genasi specifically, the feeling that he was complete.[135]
Ashton and Fearne left for a while, running around and playing with their new powers, even trying them with each other, and being generally excited about it, with the barbarian being somewhat reluctant to boast about his new abilities, but noticing that they affected his perception of chronic pain. Eventually both of them changed back to their less elemental-like forms, they hugged, she returned his ring, and more comfortable around each other, they returned together to Ligament Manor. There, Ashton showed approval when they knew Chetney had made a deal with her Nana, finding the whole idea (and the potential consequences) hilarious. Later, when FCG cast Shared Dream to bring Bells Hells to Imogen's dream in Ruidus, the genasi was one of the members of the team that joined, getting the chance to see the red moon under its surface. The following morning Fearne had a small reunion with many of her animal companions in the manor, giving them permission to use her room, but only if they shared (since Dr. Nesbitt wanted it for himself). Bells Hells had breakfast together, and Fearne talked to her parents, being praised by her new powers, that apparently had given her a reputation in the nearby swamps already. After exchanging promises with the druid about spending more time together in the future, the Calloways said goodbye to their daughter.
Bells Hells returned to Exandria with Allura (the very same day they had left) and met with Percy de Rolo, Keyleth, and other relevant figures allied against the Ruby Vanguard before leaving with Keyleth to get closer to the Malleus Key; during that period of preparation, Ashton organized the content of the Portable hole so that everything would be easy to find.[136]
When they arrived at the ruins, the adventurers found a nervous young member of the Vanguard in a tent, and Imogen (with some help from Ashton) convinced him to go fight so he wouldn't bother them. During a confrontation with two reilora, Ashton shoved one of the enemies over the edge of the pit after Orym used Grasping Vines to pull it away. The party faced two more reilora in order to rescue a prisoner, and Ashton killed one and left the other seriously injured. When they reached the Bloody Bridge, Ashton grabbed Orym and Fearne and threw them into the red beam before following them, leaving only Chetney and Imogen behind.[137]
Arc 6: Ruidus Reconnaissance[]
After escaping the main encampment at the bridge's base, the group became clouds for travel. A storm forced them into a cavern where Imogen tried to connect with Predathos. When Orym told her that she should exploit that ability to the advantage of the group, Ashton supported the idea, saying that it would be better if the sorcerer used that ability on her own terms. Imogen and Ashton also considered if they should plant the Brood Pit in the cave, but Imogen thought the environment wasn't ideal. Bells Hells continued traveling in cloud form until they found a Ruidian village. While the group was speaking with Elder Barthie there, Willmaster Edmuda and her allies appeared. In the ensuing battle, Ashton raged and focused on the Reiloran Shrikes, but eventually managed to attack Edmuda and knock her unconscious. When the combat noises startled the local wuukors and caused a stampede, the barbarian helped some villagers so they wouldn't be hit by the animals.[138]
The adventurers took Edmuda, Petrov Godo and Verdo in order to interrogate them, putting them in the portable hole. However, when Ashton checked inside moments later, Willmaster Edmuda, already awake used her powers to Dominate them, forcing them to immediately attack Imogen, although very quickly Orym jumped to protect her as she used her powers to close the portable hole, cutting the connection between the reilora and the barbarian; unable to receive more orders they stayed immobile, until Orym hit them and made them regain control. In retaliation, the adventurers opened the hole again and Ashton knocked the reilora unconscious once more, after which they made sure to tie up and blindfold the prisoners just in case.
After using the Quintessence Array to leave Edmuda powerless for a day, the group started interrogating her and the other two prisoners, gaining information from the Willmaster and convincing the young recruits that she was a dangerous traitor but that the two of them would be ok. Petrov and Verdo were then allowed to go escorted by Fearne and FCG, but after learning that Otohan was with the caravan Bells Hells ran away after killing Edmuda (Laudna consumed her life force instead of letting Ashton suffocate her inside the hole in the following minutes); before they left Barthie gave Ashton permission to hit him, so that it wouldn't look like the bormodo had been their ally; the barbarian, however, didn't hit hard enough, so Barthie encouraged them to do so, to make it look more believable.
The adventurers traveled as fast as they could in cloud form, eventually hiding from a storm in a deep cleft in the ground. There they explored deeper until they found a stream of underground water that led them to a waterfall and the ruins of an elven building with gardens still flourishing. They found the remains of the local inhabitants, probably taken away along with the Exandrian land used to form Ruidus.[139]
After Fearne discovered an aquatic portal connected to Exandria and despite Ashton's caution, the adventurers went through it, appearing in Lake Umamu near the abandoned village of Ria'Doin. They investigated the settlement with Ashton checking the biggest house, although they didn't find anything valuable there. That night, people started feeling an inexplicable urge to go outside, and Ashton believed he had heard something. The four affected walked into the lake, and Ashton resisted Imogen's Command to stop. In the water, a strange entity grabbed them with its tendrils and Ashton was the last to successfully throw off charm. Eventually the group escaped and returned to Ruidus, traveling to Kreviris through a bane worm tunnel. At the others' urging, Ashton activated the shard of Ka'Mort, merging into the stone and moving very fast through it, acting as a scout for their friends, both on and under the surface of the moon. They emerged from the rock so suddenly that Chetney attacked them with his wood chisel, but Ashton powerfully threw the weapon into a wall. When the effects of the transformation ended, Ashton was exhausted and Fearne transformed into a dire wolf to carry them. Eventually Bells Hells saw the capital of the Imperium in the distance.[140]
As they were approaching to the city Ashton cast Pass without Trace to make the group stealthier; shortly after they encountered a strange furred tadpole, and althought they weren't noticed by it, when the Exandrians realized the creature was carnivorous they decided to avoid the ground, and climbed on top of a big rock that Imogen moved with Telekinesis; the earth genasi used his powers again to make sure that on the next leg of the journey they wouldn't make any noise because of the big rock either.
Bells Hells stopped in one of the outposts of Kreviris, Tyran A, and while they were there Ashton made up a game of questions to interrogate a bormodo in exchange for secrets about Exandria; while they got some information about Kreviris and its points of interest, the bormodo kept asking about fruits and their flavor, so eventually the adventurer got bored and left; after getting some water without raising suspicion Bells Hells continued. After meeting a couple of friendly children in the Clutch, a humble neighborhood, they were stopped and interrogated by a group of reilora riding avadons, but that conversation led to combat. Ashton killed one of the reilora with his hammer, and immediately after let Laudna cast Blight through it so that she could hit several enemies with a single spell, and it worked; they managed to kill them all and take a box they were carrying with them. In the Jagged Edge they met with Zhesh and her colleage Jidoh, and Ashton took an honest approach by sharing most of their current situation to the Ruidians; Zhesh agreed to help them meet a person connected to the Volition.[141]
When an Imperium patrol visited the shop Bells Hells stayed in the cellar, hidden by Laudna's Darkness, while slithers looked for them burrowing through the walls and the floor. With some effort they managed to drive the Ruidian soldiers away from the shop without being discovered, after which the adventurers stayed with Zhesh for a while longer, and acquired new gear made of Ruidian glass, which Ashton (who took some glass jewelry for themself) paid with a bunch of gems; the glassmith was particularly impressed with the barbarian's hammer when they allowed her to examine it, and she even offered them to take it from their hand if they so desired. Then the adventuring party left and managed to locate the safe house of the Volition, and on their way there they considered using a scroll of Greater Restoration to eliminate Ashton's exhaustion, although they ended up deciding against it, since the spell was supposed to be used to help the petrified Planerider Ryn. In the safe house they met with Rashinna of the Golden Hammer, leader of the rebels, and convincing them that they were on their side.[142]
Bells Hells spoke with Rashinna and her people about the potential missions they could join, and they reunited with Ira, who had been working with the Volition; after that, the myceits that were with the rebels guided them to their room, and Ashton tried to thank one of them tossing a silver piece, although the coin hit the small creature in the head. The adventurers, who had learned that both Fearne's biological father and Imogen's mother were in Vaterra Kreviris, talked about the possibility of meeting with them or allowing the Volition to attack them; they focused on Liliana and how likely it was that she would betray the Vanguard, and Ashton pointed out that they were assuming too much about Imogen's mother's ability to redeem herself. After the sorcerer contacted Liliana through dreams and failed to persuade her the adventurares stayed awake a bit longer, speaking about the gods, and Ashton questioned how necessary they were for the world, reminding their friends that Exandria existed even before the deities arrived. The following morning, when Rashinna was asking about the missions and their members, Fearne, encouraged by Ira, joined his mission to sabotage Sorrowlord Zathuda's plans, and Ashton and FCG went with her; the cleric decided to cast Greater Restoration on the barbarian, so his still lingering exhaustion wouldn't affect his skills. To move easily among enemies, the Nightmare King disguised them with the Seeming spell, making Ashton look like a quanikka.[143]
Ashton and their friends followed Ira through the streets of Vaterra Kreviris, until they arrived to the excavation site, where they were brought to a room in which Sorrowlord Zathuda and Sunder King Ozo Cruth were arguing. While they were there, an avadon showed interested in the disguised Exandrians, and for a moment Ashton thought that it was smelling some griffon meat they had in their pocket, just to realize said meat was already rotten and unrecognizable, and FCG managed to send the beast away. The team continued making their way deeper, and eventually reached the end of the tunnel. There, Ira used magic to send most of the workers and guards way, but a reiloran hulk resisted and Fearne had to Charm them herself. While the Nightmare King and FCG were preparing the bombs, the hulk, still suspicious despite the enchantment, approached Ashton and started questioning him telepathically; however, the barbarian was too evasive in his answers while trying to explain he was with the mystic Ira was disguised as, so the reiloran grabbed him by the throat. When Ira was preparing to leave (since they only had one minute before the explosion) he saw Ashton and the hulk, and Polymorphed the latter into a snail. Then the entire team ran off, with Ashton taking FCG in his arms to go faster, using his Time rage.
Fan art of FCG being carried from the explosion by Ashton, by Jesstin (@WaterFaulter).[art 25]
These two were left alone in the tunnels when Ira transported himself and Fearne out with Dimension Door, and Ashton activated the shard of Ka'Mort to move through the walls while still carrying his friend outside of the rock; when the light of the detonation was too close, the genasi tried to use the portable hole to protect Fresh Cut Grass, and although it partially worked, both ended up whooshed out of the tunnel, taking damage from the explosion and from the fall. Despite the daze, FCG managed to heal Ashton a bit while Fearne joined them. Suddenly, the red aura around the druid got brighter, as she, worried about floating away like Imogen had, grabbed Ashton's hand, who reassured her.[144]
After the Prime Pillar released a wave of magic that dispelled the Seeming spell, the adventurers tried to hide as Gloamglut and Sorrowlord Zathuda got closer. Ashton, who was still in his titan form, hit a wall and created a hole in a building, allowing him and his friends to move through it; however, when he tried to repeat it he hit way too hard and knocked a different structure down. Gloamglut continued chasing them, and as they were hiding inside the first building it attacked with its fiery gaze, hurting both Ashton and Fearne. Ashton, however, used Pass without Trace so the monster didn't notice them when inspecting their hiding spot. The group then realized that the safest way to leave was by burrowing, and since Ashton could do it by themself, Fearne and FCG transformed into slithers to go with them. The three of them found their friends and followed Evoroa's instructions to locate the tunnels that would lead them outside Vaterra Kreviris. When Laudna noticed (thanks to her orb) that Otohan was near, Ashton tried to collapse the tunnel, but it did not prevent Otohan's appearance and a battle began. Ashton started combat from inside the wall itself, startling his enemy after she killed Chetney (who was Revivified shortly after). Otohan was a dangerous foe, and although the barbarian hit her several times with all their might, the Exaltant knocked them unconscious. At the conclusion of the battle, a very stressed but determined FCG sacrificed himself by detonating his own core with Guiding Bolt, killing both himself and Otohan in the process while Ashton was still unconscious. When he woke up he found his friend's coin and took it. The whole group, devastated, took Otohan's corpse and Fresh Cut Grass's metal remains and left, with the genasi collapsing the tunnel behind them.[145]
When Liliana joined the group, Ashton reconnoitered the terrain, then stated that he did not trust her, asking directly if she would even hear Imogen's cries if Ludinus decided to kill Bells Hells. Despite the tension, Liliana transported them to the Bloody Bridge where they returned to Exandria. Ashton and Fearne returned to their normal forms, exhausted after using their primordial powers. The group finally talked about FCG's sacrifice, and Ashton angrily stated that FCG had always had that tendency, and he had feared they would end up like that for a long time. He also reflected on Liliana, commenting that he hoped the ends were great because the means were not forgivable. When Orym reminded the group that Otohan's blade had killed his father and husband, Ashton pointed out that whatever they did with the weapon, Orym should have the final say on it. He then laid flat on the floor in exhaustion and when Laudna asked if they would be all right, they told her they would know in the morning. Evoroa helped them get up, and Ashton thanked her, complimenting her attitude, although immediately afterwards they told her they hoped she was worth the hefty price Bells Hells had paid for her.[146]
Fan art of Fearne and Ashton cuddling, by Pyromeekorai.[art 26]
When Bells Hells finally arrived together to the camp they found out Dorian Storm had traveled there with Keyleth. They were all very happy to see Dorian again, and saddened to know that Cyrus was dead. They decided to spent some time sharing information and drinking, remembering both Dorian's brother and FCG, so Ashton began to tour the camp collecting bottles of liquor, and took the chance to stop where Evoroa was (chatting with Keyleth and protected by Ashari warriors) and apologize for his last comment towards her, admitting that it had not been fair; she forgave him, and the barbarian left to go get drunk with his group.[147] Before going to bed, Fearne hugged Ashton and asked how he was; the barbarian asked if it was ok if they slept together that night, and she accepted, although clarifying that sleeping was all they were going to do. They spent hours resting together, with the faun spooning the genasi, but before dawn Fearne woke up and was lured by a sugar glider into a reunion with her father. Ashton didn't wake up until Dorian, alerted by Orym (who had followed Fearne), told the rest of Bells Hells that their friends needed help. The barbarian, very worried about Fearne, helped them leave the encampment using their immovable hammer to go over the wall. Eventually they found the two missing adventurers, still alive, and they brought them back so that they could rest.
The following morning Bells Hells went to a meeting to share with Keyleth and her allies all they had learned during their most recent mission. After the adventurers were assigned a new mission (to continue gathering information and get the two Ruidusborn away from an area where the enemies could capture them), they started preparing, and Ashton took the chance to open the portable hole and clean it a bit, shocking Dorian and the members of the Exandrian Accord alike, since they had a lot of corpses and severed body parts in there. After that, the adventuring party, accompanied by Archivist Seth Domade, Teleported to Zadash, where they found Astrid Becke, one of the archmages of the Cerberus Assembly; the wizard tried to escape, and the adventurers stopped her, with Ashton grappling her putting her between his hammer and the wall, and then keeping her there as the rest of the team acted.[148]
After questioning Astrid, Ashton and his friends went shopping. The genasi explained to the group that back in the Greymoore Academy they dealt with loss through art, and suggested to honour FCG through their clothes and other forms of crafting, something that inspired the adventurers when they ordered new outfits to withstand the cold in the Emerald Curtain (Ashton told the tailors they were a music band that had recently lost a member); after that they also stopped at The Invulnerable Vagrant to buy some magical gear.
That night at The Lodge of the Eclipse, Ashton hugged Fearne to steal some of her lace frill for a project, and then stayed to drink and enjoy some the establishment's burlesque shows; however, soon after they decided to approach Essek, and since he was a powerful mage, showed him their head with the strange glass, raging to manifest some of its magical properties. Essek, very fascinated by it, examined it very carefully, determining it was dunamantic in origin, and declaring the genasi was an organic source of dunamis, advicing him not to trust anyone with that knowledge. That led him to a conversation about dunamancy, the Luxon, and his regretful collaboration with the Cerberus Assembly, which indirectly led to Ashton gaining his powers; Imogen joked about how that made the drow a father figure for the barbarian, but neither of them seemed to agree.
Before going to bed Ashton spent some time in the crafting session they had inspired in the group, and allowed Laudna to Animate the doll she had made for him so it would help them. Later that night, Ashton was awakened by the commotion of Laudna and Orym fighting over Ishta. Noticing the tension, the genasi approached and whispered to the warlock that she should apologize for unintentionally hurting the Ashari, and then stayed near her for support; however, shortly after Ashton noticed that Laudna was getting nervous and clocking ways out of the room, so he mentally told Imogen they should pay attention in case she left.[149] Laudna and Imogen ended up exiting through the window to speak with some privacy, but when they finally returned Ashton tried to cheer the warlock up, reminding her that when they had done something stupid (trying to absorb the Spark of Rau'shan) she had forgiven them and given them a doll, so the barbarian offered their magical pipe to Laudna, in case she ever needed to remind herself of her heroic moments. The group had a conversation about trust, and after that, they all went to bed; Ashton and Fearne agreed to continue their interrupted spooning night, and slept together.
The following morning, before they left Zadash, Bells Hells got their new outfits (Ashton also got a "haircut" when he asked Chetney to use his chisel on his head), and then Essek made some attempts casting Teleport, but he wasn't able to bring the group to Eiselcross right away; at one point, with Imogen's assistance, they appeared in a snowy glade in an unidentified pine forest, and the wizard decided to rest for four hours. While they were there Ashton tried to climb one of the trees to better examine the area, but he kept failing, so Fearne did it instead, noticing a frozen lake in the distance, and mountains stretching to a large city, several days away; she told her friends about it, but no one was able to tell where exactly they were. Eventually Essek was able to bring Bells Hells to Eiselcross, guiding them to the Aeorian ruins, where Ashton and their friends started exploring. At one point the group approached one of the stasis bubbles, and after Chetney used his Grim Psychometry on it and described a vision of everything slowing down, Ashton told Essek that whenever they used their time powers there was a blue glow, similar to the hue of the magical dome in front of them; that made the wizard theorize a little about dunamancy being connected with such spellcraft. They reached the Genesis Ward successfully, and found a big tent full of corpses of members of the Ruby Vanguard. Some members of the group started investigating that crime scene, but when Orym warned them that a huge monster was approaching the area, the three witches went with Ashton to hide, helped by his Pass without Trace spell. However, even with that, Laudna accidentally drew the creature's attention to them by breaking a rock.[150]
During the battle Ashton raged, and when Essek accidentally cast Gravity Fissure too close to the barbarian (and Fearne) their head reacted to the magic, going multicolored before returning to normal, something that made them throw up. Despite this, Ashton focused on the fight and used his powers to move extremely fast towards the enemy, hitting it and then moving away before being attacked. When the combat ended after Orym killed the monster, Ashton used some of his remaining dunamantic rage to slightly slow the halfling so he could feel cool for a longer moment. After that the barbarian had a brief chat with Essek, since both were excited about the ways their powers interacted in battle, and they agreed to explore that in the future; after that conversation Ashton commented they liked the wizard, and complimented his looks. As they kept descending deeper into the ruins, Ashton expressed how exciting it was to be one of the few people visiting them in centuries, to which Essek responded by pointing out that about fifty different people had walked the area more or less recently. Eventually they all reached a room filled with chains and corpses, the most recent of which belonged to members of the Ruby Vanguard. After learning that something called "Dominox" had killed those people, Fearne summoned Teven Klask to ask for help, and the devil explained to Bells Hells how dangerous Dominox was, as a grand demon. Ashton expressed their concerns about being influenced by Dominox and being turned against their friends, but the demon ended up playing with the minds of Chetney and Dorian instead, making them suffer with horrible visions.[151] After Imogen got her own vision and failed to convince Dominox to talk to them directly, they continued exploring.
When they were checking a new room they found Braius Doomseed, a wounded minotaur paladin who was there to kill Ludinus; Ashton and Dorian helped him with a healing potion and the Cure Wounds spell respectively. While they were there, Dominox sent more visions, this time to the barbarian, using a dying Fresh Cut Grass to make him feel guilty, and telling him to destroy the Pinion of Service; this only made Ashton angry, and he told "FCG" that he had spent all the time he could trying to prevent them from self-sacrificing, after which he told the demon that if he wasn't going to speak with them clearly maybe they would abandon him in his prison. After the vision ended and they kept exploring, Braius told them that he didn't know much about Ludinus Da'leth's plans, and Ashton reproached him for not paying more attention, although to soften this they called the minotaur pretty, causing him to return the compliment. When they found the engine room they were looking for, Ashton admitted they wanted to destroy the device, although they didn't want to deal with the demon inside, and when Dorian asked if it was because of fear, the barbarian responded that they feared the possibility of losing the fight. After they went in they negotiated with Dominox (in the form of a little girl) for a bit, trying to convince him to hurt Ludinus but not them in case they freed him; as they were doing so, Dorian landed near Ashton and told him that even if he was scared of losing, they were all losers there already, after which he unsheathed his sword, preparing for a fight. After a brief attempt of examining the engine Dominox lost his patience and attacked them; Ashton was dragged towards the demon by his Writhing Chains, but the barbarian's Erratic Defense helped him reduce the damage of the following attacks, after which his Space rage teleported the enemy away. The demon, however, used his recent connection with Ashton to use Mind Feast, hurting the genasi and forcing them to run away from his group. Ashton then raged again, getting Gravity, and using it to hit the engine itself, after which he avoided the Chain Spear Dominox sent against him. When Dominox started getting weaker he recovered some energy by using Mind Feast against Ashton again, but they focused on attacking the Nox Engine, completely ruining it. Shortly after, and thanks to a portal created by Ludinus Da'leth himself, they were able to push the Grand Demon of Loathing into the Abyss, allowing Teven to destroy him permanently. Once the battle was over, Ludinus told the group that he wanted to talk to them, and they followed him to the Occultus Thalamus, where the archmage, after explaining some of his past witnessing the destruction caused by the gods, showed them what the device contained: the memories and history of Aeor and its destruction.[152]
Arc 8[]
They watched it together, after which the adventurers argued with Ludinus about their very different conclusions regarding the gods. When Ashton interrupted Ludinus he snapped at them angrily, which caused the barbarian to tell him he should be more careful with them, being the person who agreed with him the most in that room; later, as their friends were still arguing, Ashton explained that Ludinus saw all the gods as if they were all Betrayers, theorizing that even having knowledge about them would cause someone as sweet as the Everlight to see them as enemies, worth destroying (after that Ludinus assured them that they were the only people who had seen the recording so far). They kept asking Ludinus stuff, and Ashton wondered where had he been when Aeor fell; the archmage explained that he saw the flaming city falling from the sky, and then grew up in the ruins. When Laudna mentioned that the gods they had watched in the recording were like Bells Hells, in a way, willing to do anything for the rest, Ashton argued that such dynamics shouldn't exist, and that if the gods were powerful because of their "throne", such thing should be destroyed. Eventually Ludinus left after causing Delilah to manifest and react to a magic item the archmage produced, and in order to avoid problems Chetney catched it and put it in his bag of holding, that he then threw towards Dorian; Ashton tried to hold Laudna, but when the spectral form of her patron came out of her, the barbarian attacked it, using Erratic Defense when the necromancer attacked him too, although she managed to hit him and drain some of his energy. The battle continued, as the adventurers tried to knock the enemy without killing Laudna; Ashton managed to stay conscious after two dangerous spells, Blade of Disaster and Horrid Wilting, and then adopted a Diamond Form to protect themself against spell damage.
After the battle was over the barbarian found the unconscious Orym to give him a healing potion, and only then did he recover his genasi form, very exhausted. The group talked for a bit, and eventually Essek decided to bring them to his house in Rexxentrum, to do a bit of research and find a way to help Laudna with her issues with her warlock patron. Before going through the Teleportation Circle Ashton took a piece of FCG's metallic body and left it in the chamber of the Occultus Thalamus, saying "Welcome home, buddy". In Essek's house, the barbarian decided to lie down on the floor while talking with his friends, admitting that he was impressed with Laudna, since he had always believed she would be easy to knock unconscious; during the conversation he also got irritated when he noticed Braius being flirty as he healed Fearne.[153] During the ritual to help Laudna seal Delilah inside the Pinion of Service, Ashton raged and used his dunamancy to help his friend. After succeeding in the task, the adventurers celebrated, and Ashton used "What the fact is up with that?" to learn more about Braius and his life before meeting Bells Hells. After that, they debated about the gods, and Dorian and Ashton agreed that after watching the fall of Aeor, revealing the deities as closer to actual people, they had new complicated feelings about them; moreover, the barbarian wasn't satisfied by the fact that the Prime Deities created the Divine Gate to move away from Exandria, since that made them powerful figures choosing the most convenient punishment for themselves. They continued partying, and Ashton convinced Braius to smoke using his pipe, allowing them to see the minotaur's most heroic moment: kill and skin a man who had betrayed him, and then use his remains to make art.
The following day Ashton and Essek spent some time together during which the latter examined the head of the genasi, while they talked about how they got hurt and how Milo healed them; Essek tried to further explain dunamancy to the barbarian, promising to do more work together after their mission, and giving them a black marble to use as focus whenever that power became overwhelming. The drow brought Bells Hells back to the camp near the Red Center, but they found it destroyed, with enemy forces walking around killing survivors, and Gloamglut flying over them; Ashton immediately cast Pass without Trace, but shortly after confirming Keyleth and her allies were in Vasselheim, Essek Teleported them there. As they walked through the Dawn City to attend a meeting Ashton noticed the remains of the Earth titan nearby, inhabited, and he said that that, combined with the big temples, showed the arrogance of the people of Vasselheim. Eventually they reached the Platinum Sanctuary, where many important political figures had gathered.[154]
During the meeting Bells Hells shared the information they had about Ruidus, Ludinus, and his most recent plans, and Ashton warned them about the archmage wanting to share the information of the fall of Aeor with the world; when the Holy Curator argued that it didn't matter since that was already a cautionary tale about mortal hubris, Ashton got angry and replied that it was also a sign of divine arrogance, and Chetney and Imogen had to ask them to calm down. After they left and walked with Keyleth and her friends for a bit, Ashton noticed the symbol of Sarenrae Pike Trickfoot had, and after confirming she was a follower of the goddess, warned her that her avatar had been in Aeor too; while they walked there was concern about people in the meeting not being sincere, and Braius mentioned that he had ways to force the people to speak the truth (which Ashton found hot). Before Allura and Kima left the barbarian exchanged compliments about weapons with the latter. They went to the Abundant Terrace and spent some time in the Birthheart so that Orym could commune with Melora, and he got more power for Seedling and some visions about Predathos. While they were there, Evoroa, who was still in awe with Exandrian beauty, apologized for the trouble Ruidus was causing them, and Ashton told her there was no need to be sorry, and that she deserved to be there and enjoy it.
Fan art of the kiss, by Taylor Weltzer.[art 28]
Before going to bed Ashton was drinking and threatened Chetney with stealing the sticks he was using to carve, although they lost interest shortly after. At one point Braius joked about the group behaving like the mortal avatars had, making plans to destroy a dangerous machine, and Ashton said that the difference was that they could permanently die if they failed, although that made him admit that he was interested in speaking with the Arch Heart, giving their apparent wish to perish; when he mentioned that artists were messy Braius acted offended, so the earth genasi added that sometimes they were like that in beautiful ways, and that the paladin was pretty. As the conversation about gods continued Imogen wondered if gods could be empowered with any form of devotion, or if they needed genuine prayers, and Ashton recalled the temple they had seen in Hearthdell, theorizing that in that case the Dawnfather's church wasn't too concerned about how heartfelt the prayers were. Bells Hells played Truth or Spin the Bottle, and Ashton admitted that he agreed with some aspects of Ludinus and his philosophy, even if he was still determined to stop him; shortly after, when Dorian admitted he was struggling after losing Cyrus, the barbarian proposed a toast for their fallen comrades, and reminded the bard that he was an impressive person. After they finished playing Ashton took the bottle and pointed at Fearne directly, and they ended up kissing covered by a blanket, with the genasi stealing and then returning a little spoon without her noticing.
The next morning Bells Hells attended a meeting in the Trial Forge to make plans to present to the rest of the emissaries in the Platinum Sanctuary. There, after Fearne asked the Bright Queen of the Kryn Dynasty about her religion, Ashton decided to rage for a few seconds, causing confusion, curiosity, and concern among the Kryn in the room; the Bright Queen stated she would like to talk with Ashton after their mission, and when the barbarian expressed their excitement, she told them they shouldn't be.[155] As they were making their way back to the Platinum Sanctuary Imogen told them about her most recent vision, in which her mom told her about Ludinus' plans in a ley nexus and in the Fey Realm. At the meeting place, as the meeting progressed, potential missions were laid out, and Bells Hells were presented as the right agents to send against Ludinus and the Ruby Vanguard, but some of those present began to question their capabilities and loyalties. Noticing that Ashton was getting angry, Dorian told him through Imogen's Telepathic Bond to stay calm. The adventurers were asked to speak about themselves and their skills and value, and when Vord showed curiosity and concern after Braius mentioned the primordial connection of two of his teammates, Ashton telepathically apologized to the rest of Bells Hells before speaking outloud, offended by the unnecessary prejudice against long lost titans, when a new enemy was threatening all Exandrians; he assured that he intended to fight for the cause, after which he and Fearne activated their titan powers to show off, with the barbarian using his Acceleration Wave to make ten people in the room feel faster. That left many in the room (including the silver dragon Athudashionus) very impressed.
After Keyleth gave Bells Hells new titles and Highbearer Vord ended the meeting, Dorian was found by his father, Zeru, and they spoke for a bit, until the ruler of the Silken Squall gave his son their ancestral blade, and he gave him Bertrand's sword; Ashton told Dorian they wished he had kept his rapier, but the bard replied he didn't want to leave his father weaponless in such dangerous times. Shortly after the barbarian apologized for having an unfair first impression of him, admitting they no longer thought that Dorian was a spoiled clown (although they wished he was funnier), and asking him not to harden too much, since their team needed someone with softness after losing FCG; Dorian, in turn, apologized for shutting them down during the meeting, and Ashton told him not to worry about it, explaining they were trying to be better, and showing amused irritation when Dorian told them they hadn't done so bad speaking in public. After Chetney had a short conversation with the Bright Queen Fearne dared Ashton to go speak with her too, and he agreed, giving the faun a slightly burning kiss before doing so. Ashton apologized for putting Leylas off earlier that day, explaining that even if he didn't understand what was bothering her, he was willing to listen, learn, and share information. The ruler of the Kryn Dynasty asked them to come back alive from Ruidus, and gave them some advice about how to contact the light inside of them, while also stating that she found curious that an adventurer ready to go on a dangerous mission was just beginning a journey of self-discovery. When Ashton asked her if she and her people worshiped gods like the Arch Heart, the Bright Queen explained that the Kryn Dynasty worshiped something older and greater, and that perhaps the barbarian would be able to contact them before she showed him. Ashton returned with his group and told Chetney that the Kryn leader had been speaking about him a lot.
After that Bells Hells visited the home of Scalebearer Waylon Amaredda, who was a huge fan of Chetney, and decided to spend the night there, with Ashton showing curiosity about certain beds Chetney had designed for members of specific lineages.[156] Before going to bed they spent some time speaking about their next step, and decided to travel to the Fey Realm, and meet with Ira at Ligament Manor the next day.
In the morning Waylon prepared breakfast for them, giving Chetney the most luxurious one, and Ashton joked by telling the oldest person in Bassuras had died the day he changed his diet; later they met with Keyleth, who sent them to the Feywild. As they traveled through the Harrowcall Fens Ashton and Fearne tried to trick Dorian into walking in a fun way because those were the rules in that plane, but Imogen guided him to move safely. When they arrived to Ligament Manor, Morrigan was very happy to see them, and told her granddaughter that she had been watching her fate closely; that caused Imogen to telepathically tease Ashton by wondering if the Fatestitcher had been watching him kiss Fearne. After Ira arrived and they spoke for a bit, Morri gave them spectral steeds to reach Pravenier; during their flight there they were going so fast that Ashton hit a fey bird in the air. When the group arrived to the ruins they started exploring in two groups, and Ashton cast Pass without Trace to move more stealthily. At one point Fearne tripped over a root and the barbarian had to catch her, after which they remained still and without attracting attention, while a hawk flew over the area, attracted by the noise; not long after he also catched Orym in similar circumstances. After Ira started attacking the Unseelie guards outside an old temple of the Arch Heart, Ashton hit one of them with their hammer pushing them against Chetney's claws; the genasi also killed the last enemy by raging, hitting their neck, and sending them through a portal created by their rage, causing their body to crash against the floor. When they were done, Bells Hells started planning on how to deal with the people meeting inside the temple, and Ashton activated his titan powers, swimming through the ground with the intention of hitting the foundations of the building and collapsing it if necessary.[157]
Fan art of Ashton's attack, by Elaine Tipping.[art 29]
When the fight began Ashton stayed under the surface for a bit before peeking out of the mud, checking where was everyone before moving towards a column. After Chetney and Braius weakened Ludinus, Ashton attacked him by surprise, Time Raging and hitting him with his hammer and a Chaos Burst so hard they broke the wizard's concentration on the Dimension Door they were preparing to cast; however, when Ashton attacked a second time, Ludinus leaned into the impact, and his Simulacrum form produced a detonation that hit everyone around, also damaging a nearby pillar. After a short pause in which they tried to negociate with the Unseelie they continued fighting, but then the temple started collapsing, and they had to leave; Ashton used Chetney to activate their Singularity Assault, moving most of the group towards safety. Even then, when the building fell it left Imogen, Braius, and an unconscious Sorrowlord Zathuda trapped, and the barbarian and Orym immediately started to move rocks to rescue them, although shortly after the temple was magically rebuilt; when they all went inside (after Ashton took Zathuda's blade as a precaution) they found the animated and repaired statue of the god of the fey.
The Arch Heart sent them to their realm in Arborea, presenting themself in front of Bells Hells, and chatted with them for a bit; they recognized the primordial presence in both Ashton and Fearne, even going so far as to touch Fearne's chest to sense it better (which made the barbarian to tense up), and declared that the two of them were beautiful and felt familiar. Impatient, Ashton asked the god what did they really want, and how could they say they cared about art if they weren't willing to leave anything behind. The Prime Deity then explained a plan to them (to seize the power of Predathos and control it before anyone else, in order to force the gods to leave the world so that they could be together and mortal life could prosper on its own), and that left the earth genasi surprised, and wondering what would happen to the gods' domains if the main pantheon left; he also declared that since they watched the recording of the fall of Aeor he knew that if there was a god that would intervene in their mission, that would be the Arch Heart. After they granted them a boon Bells Hells were sent back to their temple,[158] and when they arrived and they saw the figures of the Unseelie guards in the entrance, Ashton moved through the earth to see what was going on, confirming they were neutralized by Ira's magic.
The adventurers, with the assistance, tried and failed to Modify the memories of their Unseelie prisoners to make them believe they had been betrayed by Ludinus, but it didn't work so they had to knock them unconscious. Then they organized the next step of their plan: they would trick the emissary, each time he regained consciousness, into believing Ludinus had returned and was attacking them all; when they started, however, Dorian knocked Cashadoor again too fast, causing Ashton to take control of that step in the plan, and leaving the other genasi with the task of waking the fey up each time. When Sorrowlord Zathuda tried to run away using that distraction he was knocked unconscious by Chetney and died just as Gloamglut was trying to rescue him; while Fearne calmed the dragon now using her blood Ashton stayed inside with the other two prisoners, keeping them in the ground by locking their hammer in place, but went outside when Morrigan finally arrived to take them home. In her avian form, the hag grabbed Laudna, Ashton, and Kamal (the last Unseelie guard) and flew back to her domain followed by the rest of Bells Hells.
When they arrived to Ligament Manor the Fatestitcher used her Loom to transform Zathuda into a sentient tapestry, and they brought it to the tiki bar to interrogate him, with Ashton providing one of the nails in their ear to hang the new decoration there. The barbarian stayed with Fearne for a moment, expressing sympathy because of their shared experience with absent parent figures, and then let her lead the conversation with her father, intervening thrice: one time to encourage Zathuda to help his daughter understand Gloamglut better, another to check if more of Ludinus Da'leth's allies wanted to betray him (Athion didn't know), and one last time to comment that if the Sorrowlord wasn't sure if he really loved Birdie Calloway it was because he didn't understand love at all. When they were returning to the garden Fearne and Ashton stayed together and the barbarian suggested they should sleep with the dragon that night. After dealing with the Unseelie prisoners (killing the emissary and sending Kamal back) Bells Hells talked for a bit about their future plans, and when Orym expressed his concerned about how reliant they were on intuition, biased opinions and chance, Ashton blurted out that it was good that they no longer had someone on the team who trusted a toss of a coin, after which he walked away. The earth genasi returned to the tiki bar and used sauce to draw a smile where they thought the invisible tapestry was; shortly after Laudna saw them and congratulated them, since they had walked away from a conversation before their emotions dominated them. Ashton and Fearne went together to the garden, and she used her magic to move away the roots holding its neck, so that it could move more comfortably; she explained that she would let it go after a night of rest. For the next hour Ashton watched as the druid took care of the dragon to make sure it felt clean and neat, and exposed it to the smells of the members of Bells Hells. When she was done she released it, and after it stretched its wings, Gloamglut grabbed her by the armor and coiled around her; although it didn't allow Ashton to approach her, the dragon patted him on the back with the tip of its tail, allowing him to pet it and to stay nearby with them. Before falling asleep, the barbarian said how lucky they were for being able to experience things like that.[159]
The following morning Ashton and Fearne woke up, very comfortable, and the barbarian admitted they would love to come back to visit, and that they didn't expect to live long enough to see things like the Fey Realm (the people from Greymoore rarely did). Gloamglut got up shortly after and after stretching and teaching Fearne how to call it, it left, and Ashton teased the faun when she tried to replicate the sounds the dragon had just made. After breakfast Morri sent them back to Vasselheim, and they went to the Raven's Crest to commune with the Matron of Death; when they were at the door Laudna tried to use the knocker, but it was so heavy that Ashton had to help her lift it. The high priestesses of the temple told the group they had to get inside a pool of blood and voluntarily "drown" in order to speak with the goddess of death; after some hesitance, Ashton and Chetney sank at the same time. They woke up in the presence of the Raven Queen, but she was cold and distant, and told them to go home, focusing on them again only after Ashton taunted her, reminding her of when Emhira convinced SILAHA they shouldn't die because she wasn't done "playing" goddess; she then showed them different people that had been crushed by destiny (Liliana, Opal, and Vespin Chloras). After Imogen made a powerful statement about the virtues of Bells Hells (which included describing Ashton as a unique individual with the power of a titan), the Matron of Ravens decided to test if the adventurers would be able to do what was necessary, and made the images of her three examples attack them. During the battle Liliana Reversed Gravity but Ashton, after raging, used a portal to attack her and stop her spell, and then transport her to the center of the group.
When they proved they worth by defeating the three foes the Raven Queen agreed to speak with them, revealing that, like the Arch Heart, she didn't want to destroy the Divine Gate and cause a second Calamity. She answered the adventurers' questions, and revealed some of her experiences as both a mortal and a goddess. When Ashton asked if it had been worth it going all the way to become a deity, she told him that she still didn't know, and that's why she was so curious about what the future would bring. Later, Chetney asked how to help the Champion of Ravens trapped in the Red Center, and the Matron explained that they would need to remove the Luxon beacon from the Malleus Key and then destroy the machine (in that order); that caused Ashton to ask what was the issue between the main pantheon and the Luxon; the Raven Queen explained that it was a different entity they didn't understand, and gods didn't like to feel like they weren't all-knowing and all-powerful. The earth genasi also asked if Laudna (given her condition as a Hollow One) would be ok, and the Prime Deity confirmed that the warlock was just a victim of circumstances who didn't deserve to be hated and was already on the right path, and to make her existence safer, she connected her silver thread of fate to the rest of Bells Hells, turning it gold. Shortly after that, the goddess of death sent them all back to her temple.[160]
When they left, Ashton considered if they should try to commune with the titans, since the Arch Heart had mentioned their shards were important; Imogen used Sending to ask Keyleth about it, and she told them that although the primordials were dead, places of great elemental energy like Pyrah or Terrah could be useful for the task. Shortly after the group encountered Captain Xandis, who was now part of the Exandrian Accord's aerial forces, and they spent some time catching up. As they were going back to the Platinum Sanctuary Fearne wondered if they should ask the Betrayer Gods their opinion on their plan, but Ashton argued that at the moment it would probably be risky to contact them; when Orym mentioned that they should say goodbye to their loved ones before their next mission, the barbarian agreed. They met with Allura, and after talking with her about their mission Chetney convinced her to give her some money, and Ashton mentioned they should try to get some gems, since they were useful for both spellcasting and bribery; the genasi also asked Allura if she knew were to find a spiritual member of the Ashari, and she told them that the closest was probably Cerkonos, although she wasn't sure where he was. Before leaving Vasselheim, while the others went shopping, Ashton, Fearne, and Laudna visited the body of the earth titan, now known as the Titan's Block, to see if they could commune with it. Feeling somewhat anxious, they started moving through its tunnels, and Ashton instinctively guided them to its heart cavity, a massive chamber like a giant geode; while Laudna was trying to collect some gems, Fearne lit a fire for the genasi and held their hand as they put their rocky arm touching the ground. There was a slight shake in the Titan's Block, and although Ashton activated his titan shard, he didn't change, and instead underwent a trance and fell unconscious, not reacting for two minutes.
In that state Ashton felt the body of the titan trapped and unmoving for millenia, unreactive, as well as an unknown presence, and they started raging repeatedly as they tried to talk to it, asking for a name and explaining that the gods might leave Exandria; after some time they managed to move and saw a crown of mountains forming around them, and a presence recognizing the Empress of Earth as part of the barbarian. Ashton tried to communicate with that strange consciousness, asking how to change the world to make it like the titans wanted, but as an answer he got visions making clear that the primordials were scattered and lost; when he said he didn't feel lost, a gargantuan hand held and squeezed him, and when it opened, he saw a green gem-like eye watching him: Ka'Mort herself, the presence he had felt before. The earth genasi held her in their hands, and when confirmed she was a memory, asked to be able to remember, apologizing for being broken; when they put the gem against their forehead they got visions of Exandria before the Founding, in a cycle of destructive fire and equally destructive earth producing brief moments of creation. The Empress told him that the world had always been changing and it would again, and when he asked about the people living in it, she answered that if they weren't strong enough they would change too; after asking him to remake himself, he woke up, and told his friends that he had spoken to Exandria herself. After they were done there they went to Shank's Cantina, the bar inside the titan's butt, while the barbarian explained things about the vision, and when they were there they took a couple of bottles of alcohol, and as part of the payment the three of them signed on the wall.
When they found the rest of the adventurers they were visited by Abrianna Mirimm, who gave them a present from the Kryn Dynasty, which Ashton immediately sensed as dunamantic in nature. After that Bells Hells returned to the Platinum Sanctuary, and after saying goodbye to Allura they met with Leeta and Maeve, Orym's sisters-in-law, and they all traveled to Ria'Doin. While they waited for the other team that was going to go to Ruidus, the started drinking, and after a bit Ashton approached Dorian, offering some of their good liquor, and talked to him for a bit, about Opal and the barbarian's desire of being a better person. When Ashton said he wanted to apologize to people and help them, Dorian pointed out that to accept whatever others had for him would be good for both parts; after that, the bard walked away with Ashton's good liquor, so the earth genasi kept drinking the cheap booze from Shank's. After a while the group they had been waiting for, the Mighty Nein, arrived to the town, and Bells Hells welcomed them at the door, posing to try to look cool in front of them.[161] Both groups started talking, and Ashton showed interest on the Traveler when Jester Lavorre started talking about her deity; when Fjord drew attention to the barbarian's odd appearance Jester asked them if she could draw them, and Caleb Widogast asked about their head, recognizing them as the person Essek had told them about, and casting Fortune's Favor to see how the dunamis source reacted to it.
After they crossed the portal in Lake Umamu with the help of the Ashari they walked through the Ruidian tunnels until Imogen got confirmation from Zhesh that they could hide in the basement of the Jagged Edge. They started talking about how to get there, and Chetney started counting his friends using nicknames, but called Ashton by his own name when he noticed he didnt want one of his own; while they were talking Ashton also pointed out that he felt like Beauregard Lionett was the person in the Mighty Nein he liked the most even though he felt like they would disagree in a lot of things, and she told him she felt the same. They Teleported to the basement to spend the night inside Widogast's Nascent Nein-Sided Tower to enjoy a wonderful Heroes' Feast as a dessert; Ashton was the most excited about exploring the extradimensional tower, and was the one who saw their rooms first. While they were eating, noticing how Jester was feeding Dorian while he played music, Ashton tried to do the same with Yasha Nydoorin, but she told them to stop; they then asked her about relationship advice, but the other barbarian argued she didn't know how she ended up with Beau, and sent them to Jester. After the tiefling failed to guess Ashton's crush three times she realized he liked Fearne, and both she and Yasha complimented her looks (Ashton complimented Fjord's in turn); Jester explained he should approach her in a romantic way or in a very aggressive and direct way, or he could simply be honest with her. Ashton thanked her for her help and praised her pamphlets about the Traveler; Jester gave him a little dick as a present and then performed a demonstration of the "direct approach" by going to Fjord and making out with him, causing Ashton to clap. Shortly after the cleric and Fearne both transformed into cats to explore, and the genasi said they were adorable. When they noticed Chetney had started working on a wooden piece to commemorate that evening, Ashton, Laudna, and Imogen spent some moments wondering how their group's name was spelled, and the barbarian and the sorcerer joked about the possibility of Chetney dying due to the effort that night. Eventually it was time to go to bed, and Fearne and Ashton boasted about having faced Ludinus before this mission, although Beau told them to be careful anyway. Shortly after that the barbarian and the druid left together.[162]
The next morning, Ashton woke up in Fearne's bed, and she told him to leave, because even though it had been great, she wanted 15 more minutes to sleep by herself; later, during breakfast, both of them got very nervous when Jester mentioned she had heard people having sex that night. The two groups discussed their upcoming plans, and before leaving they also decided to use the harness a couple of times, and after playing Rollies Ashton ended up absorbing the magical power from Dusk Hunger, claiming some of its fire; he and Imogen also remembered the seed that the All-Minds-Burn had given to them, and they spoke for a bit about planting it. As they walked through Kreviris disguised as Ruidians, they noticed an Exandria-themed hrine with the petrified Planerider Ryn, so they made a brief stop to free her, after which they accessed Vaterra Kreviris through a tunnel. They met with Gaz Tomo, and he told them how he survived his encounter with Liliana; Ashton was suspicious at first, but when they noticed the sequels of the sorcerer's magic on the juggernaut, they determined they were telling the truth. Through him they established a collaboration with the Volition to coordinate their own attack with the explosion the rebels were already planning in the Prime Pillar; later, when Veth Brenatto offered Gaz some booze Ashton drank too.[163] While they waited for the Mighty Nein to leave with the Volition, the two groups stayed together and talked. Ashton admitted that if it was possible, they would like someone to cast a spell to prevent them from being psychically controlled, so that they couldn't attack their friends. When Caduceus Clay prepared some tea, the genasi also offered some alcohol for those who wanted (he would later give some to Braius while he was getting a tattoo from Chetney); when they noted that Gaz, like many Ruidians, wasn't aware of some drinks and meals from Exandria, Ashton joked by saying how unfortunate it would be if all the denizens of the red moon turned out to be lactose intolerant. When Jester and Fjord started talking about their wedding plans the tiefling invited Bells Hells and Braius offered to officiate, but when he learned that someone had that role Ashton suggested him to do portraits in the event instead. Just before the Mighty Nein left Veth, who had heard the barbarian's concerns before, made a series of gestures and blew on their face, after which she declare they would be protected from mind control. After the older adventurers were gone Ashton talked to Fearne and showed her some mushrooms he had stolen from Caduceus, and offered her to try them with him if they survived their mission; when she told him she would be honored, the genasi assured her he would try any mad plan as long as it was with her. After they both agreed they were amazing, they hugged.[164]
When Imogen informed the group that she had had a vision of Ludinus harming Liliana with his own Quintessence Array, they agreed they had to rescue her, although Ashton pointed out they had to go remembering the enemy might be expecting them; they also suggested to improve their illusory disguises somehow, but in the end they ended up using Fearne's actual appearance to make the Ruidians believe the group had captured a rogue Exaltant. Once they were inside the tunnel leading to the Hallowed Cage they were attacked by three avadons that ended up inside their portable hole (Ashton shoved one of them); after that Imogen gave the Brood Pit to the barbarian so they could choose a good place to plant it. Shortly after they encountered a myceit colony and they guided them to a chamber in which their "core" lived. Ashton, noticing the place was moist enough, left the Brood Pit there, which started reacting. Braius ended up being restrained by the myceit tendrils, and when Fearne interacted with it she was able to establish a psychic connection, learning that the entity was curious about the seed, and telling that to Ashton; the barbarian explained it was a "friend" wanting to explore a new home, and the druid added that said friend felt lonely. The fungal entity, after embracing the Brood Pit, allowed Bells Hells to continue their journey. As they were leaving Imogen praised Ashton for his decision. Eventually they located the structure of the Prime Pillar, accessing it stealthily (with the earth genasi casting Pass without Trace); while Chetney was using his magical monocle to scout the area Laudna asked him if he would want her pipe to complete his look, causing Ashton to remind her that the pipe was actually theirs. When they found the place where Ludinus was absorbing Liliana's power, after a short preparation they attack. The barbarian used his rage to move through the battlefield and attack the enemy, although some of them had psychic defenses. Regardless, one by one they fell and weakened the barrier protecting their leader; after Laudna killed the last one the barrier disappeared, and Ashton attacked Ludinus directly, but missed because of his Silvery Barbs spell. Shortly after Dorian trapped the archmage inside a Forcecage, ending the fight and saving Liliana.[165]
The group talked to Ludinus for some minutes, and during the conversation Ashton declared that regardless of his group's plans, their priority was to prevent the wizard from using Predathos; when Ludinus started treating them like children, the barbarian stated that the only other people that had treated him like a kid were gods, and that the archmage, just like them, had lived enough (the prisoner agreed with that last part). After Ludinus revealed the story of how he lost his parents because of the gods during the Calamity, Ashton admitted that their own backstory was similar, but remarked how different the two of them were despite the trauma. Eventually the wizard got out of the Forcecage and they all raced towards the Hallowed Cage, with Ashton activating the shard of Ka'Mort on their way there. A new battle ensued, and the archmage unleashed a powerful Ravenous Void that pulled them all towards it; with some assistance from Fearne and Little Mister the barbarian managed to move away, and although he was targeted by Da'leth's magic, he managed to land one hit of his hammer that made him drop the concentration of the Ravenous Void. Eventually they left Ludinus weak enough for Imogen to Stun him and Orym to kill him. The group rested for a bit, using that chance to debate about what to do next about the gods (Ashton insisted that if a new age was indeed coming, they should focus on shaping it to favor the new generations), but when they noticed the corpse of their enemy had disappeared, they started suspecting he might be alive in a new body somewhere else, so they decided to go inside the Hallowed Cage themselves. There, they met the "shadow" of Predathos, in the vague luminous form of a reiloran child, asking them to wake them and free them so they could feed. After a tense conversation (during which Ashton asked where did the entity come from, leading to a series of visions of a strange palace where its hunger started) Predathos got inside Imogen to use her as a vessel.[166]
As their battle against the Red End started, Ashton, despite being overwhelmed by the psychic pressure, locked their hammer in the air and tried to call Imogen inside the monster (biting their tongue in the process); when they got no reaction they suspected that they had to "open" it to rescue their friend inside. Predathos attacked the barbarian with its claws, and shortly after Braius reminded them that if they had to kill Imogen to defeat Predathos, they should; then he used Truthbearer to defend Ashton from a new attack. When Ashton finally got the chance to hit back, empowered by Laudna's Silvery Barbs, he caused massive damage, but that made the Red End use the Touch of Piercing Winter in response. When Laudna used the Mask of the Matron Bells Hells were pulled from combat for a few moments, speaking with the Raven Queen and telling her about Predathos and the potential solutions to deal with it; Ashton became the main supporter of Imogen when she suggested that the gods could hide in Exandria as mortal avatars to avoid Predathos, pointing out that a more humble air favored them anyway. When Braius pointed out that the option should be offered to the entire pantheon, not only the Prime Deities, the barbarian added that whoever wasn't interested was free to leave the world. After receiving boons from the Matron of Ravens, the fight resumed, and with renewed power the adventurers kept attacking Predathos. Dorian destroyed its form with Chromatic Orb, but when they thought they were done, the Hallowed Cage started shaking, and the actual body of the Red End started emerging from the ground.[167] As the battle entered a new phase the Ashton and Predathos exchanged constant attacks, and although the barbarian was empowered by the Matron's boons, he was getting increasingly weaker. Dorian, noticing this, cast Healing Word on them, and when the Red End attacked again, Fearne tried to stop it with Silvery Barbs', but Ashton still got bitten, although they managed not to get swallowed by the entity. Chetney gave him a potion, and slightly restored, the earth genasi kept attacking with his hammer, causing different types of damage with each hit thanks to his chaotic rage; he then moved to the center of his friends as he transformed his body in diamond, becoming temporarily invulnerable and empowering the group. However, Predathos took that chance to hit most of Bells Hells with a single blast, but Ashton was unaffected, and used their powers to support some of the others.
Fan art of Ashton's hammer jammed in Predathos' mouth, by @zhellers.[art 31]
Shortly after, the God Eater managed to swallow Imogen; Chetney cast Shatter with his scythe, hurting it and helping Ashton gain access to the mouth to rescue their friend, locking their hammer in place to ensure the jaws wouldn't close. Seeing that, Laudna used that to their advantage, casting Disintegrate through the weapon to split it and hit both the head and an arm of their enemy. The battle continued, and at one point Predathos tried to bite Ashton again; despite being exhausted by the combat and his own abilities, the barbarian activated his Dreadful Misfortune, and caused the entity to bite itself. Eventually Imogen defeated the God Eater with a thunderous Meteor Swarm, and absorbed its remaining energy.
The Hallowed Cage started crumbling, so the adventurers, encouraged by Ashton, fled with Liliana, trying to heal themselves at the same time. They ended up being rescued by Planerider Ryn, who Teleported with them to the secret portal to Exandria. They found a holy army ready to fight them, and when it was revealed that Imogen was carrying the God Eater with them, many of them prepared to fight them; however, when tit became obvious that the gods and their forces couldn't kill the vessel without freeing Predathos again, they agreed to talk, and Ashton told them they should start by apologizing for being so rude. They ended up agreeing to escort Bells Hells to Vasselheim, returning with them to Exandria, and they all traveled together to the Dawn City.[168] With the help of the Matron of Ravens and her priestesses, Bells Hells were transported to an extraplanar space in which they had a meeting with the gods to explain their plans and the idea of them becoming mortals with the Rites of Catatheosis created by the goddess of death. During the conversation, Tiamat moved around the group (causing the Raven Queen to be on guard) and asked what would happen if she decided to devour them all and run away; Ashton (whose elemental nature was reacting to the presence of the draconic goddess) teased the Scaled Tyrant asking how was it like to have five heads, and wondering if she would be reborn with five in her next life. He declared that Vasselheim didn't have a temple for her but he saw them as a city of cowards, and wondered if the goddess wasn't tempted to go to Exandria to learn what people really thought of them. After the barbarian declared that even them knew some secrets part of the pantheon shared as avatars in Aeor, the Scaled Tyrant promised she would make sure to find Ashton first, and they answered they would be waiting.
Fan art of Ashton's sacrifice, by Sabira Langevin.[art 32]
The gods ended up agreeing, and the Matron used her ritual; she needed a Luxon beacon to completed, and when the Kryn refused to provided, Ashton offered himself, hugging Chetney and Fearne and telling Bells Hells he loved them before going with the goddess, accepting outloud that he was Ashton Greymoore of Bassuras, child of nobody. She used him as a focus and threw him into the sky, completing the ritual and causing the crystalline part of his skull to burst with gray light as the magic took effect. As the barbarian's body was falling Bells Hells moved in his direction trying to catch him, and giving Chetney enough time to use Banishment on him. When the body reappeared Caleb Widogast ended up using Telekinesis to catch Ashton, and although at first no one knew how to heal him (since part of his head was missing and it seemed to reject resurrection rituals), the wizard brought him back with Essek's help (who combined his dunamancy with the Transmuter's Stone to restore the head). The genasi woke up very tired, and embarrassed because he had told his friends that he loved them; Orym allowed him to lean on him, and told him that he couldn't take it back; when Laudna noted he had saved the gods, he started asking about recent events to make sure they had actually happened. Caduceus healed him a bit.
They went to Heaven's Stair Mountain where, Imogen released Predathos, and the entity left the planet, unable to find suitable prey; when Braius gave the sorcerer a portrait of her as a reward, Ashton commented that the paladin should dedicate more time to paint instead of murder. Bells Hells then encountered Deanna Leimert and FRIDA, and the latter used their own reflective face to show Ashton his new head; when Laudna mentioned that the barbarian behaved a bit differently, he pointed out that he essentially had a new brain. They also talked about his previous death and how Deanna's ring had saved him, and although the gnome cleric was angry at Chetney for giving away her gift, she was also happy for Ashton. Shortly after, when Opal joined the group, Ashton and her exchanged compliments and they instantly became protective of her, threatening some guard and telling her to treat them well while they were in the Platinum Sanctuary. There they talked about what to do with the Ruidians and helped convince people to be open about the idea of them visiting Exandria and Exandrians visiting Ruidus. Later, when Braius expressed his concern about Asmodeus finding him in the future, Ashton and the rest showed him support (with the genasi pointing out that maybe he was thinking too much about the threats of a god known for his lies), receiving a portrait as a thanks. After that Bells Hells went on a trip to Jrusar to remember their origins and show FRIDA some of the places they visited with FCG; they visited the Krook House, telling their friends there that Fresh Cut Grass had died as a hero, and Ashton took the chance to ask Milo to redesign their hammer and repair the new cracks in their own body (an extremely painful process). During their week there Ashton and Fearne flirted and made plans about the future, agreeing that even though they wanted to be together and have fun, they both needed some time alone (although Ashton was amazed and frustrated when Fearne rejected the idea of them "fucking around" until that day).[169]
Retirement[]
Ashton took some time to travel alone and know himself better. Eventually, the genasi resumed contact with Essek to better understand their mind and do him some favors, and got jobs finding artifacts and working on archaeological sites. They tried to visit their friends as much as possible, and occasionally invited them on adventures, especially Braius (because of his charisma) and Fearne (because of their mutual affection); at one point the barbarian visited Ligament Manor and asked Ira and/or Morri a favor so they could finally accept the invitations to visit Rosohna (since the Kryn Dynasty had kept expressing interest in them) having a way to escape if things went wrong. Ashton traveled to many places for a long time, including Ruidus, and one day he simply disappeared, and no one knew what happened to him.[170]
Relationships[]
Fresh Cut Grass[]
Ashton was hired to investigate the disappearance of the party of adventurers who had gone missing and discovered Fresh Cut Grass and their comrades' corpses. Ashton emotionally supported FCG and helped him bury his dead comrades, and FCG followed Ashton to their home,[171] something the genasi initially allowed because he thought the automaton would be useful as a roommate and cleaner, although that sentiment quickly developed into actual friendship. The two have remained close ever since, with the genasi being quite willing to hurt whoever made the aeormaton feel bad.
However, Ashton also believes that, while FCG means well, they are, in their own strange way, selfish in their generosity, being willing to risk and/or harm other in the process of "helping"; the barbarian finds his friend's desire for martyrdom particularly concerning, and that's why he stays with him.[172] All the time they had been together the genasi truly wanted to give the aeormaton a true reason to live, being exhausted by their destructive tendencies;[173] they have also expressed their frustration when FCG took advice from a new person, despite being the same type of advice Ashton and their friends had been offering the cleric all along.[174] In the same way, after the barbarian showed similar dangerous tendencies, FCG scolded him for it. After FCG's death Ashton was very affected, and angry, since they had been right about their friend's self-sacrificing nature.
Fearne Calloway[]
Ashton and Fearne enjoy each other's mischief. The two have a form of good-natured flirtatious pick-pocketing game going on between each other. Ashton began this game by pickpocketing her when they first met, stealing a large earring of the Allhammer's symbol,[175] which Fearne herself stole from a pachydan priest she met on her first day in Jrusar.[176] She then countered and stole the earring back, offering it to Preio Madali as payment for a bottle of Elvish alcohol.[177] In return, Ashton stole a chamber pot with a flower growing out of it (which she originally lifted from Dugger's house) when she was blinded by electric shock. At some point, she offered to let Ashton drink some of the liquor out of her hair after Bertrand Bell accidentally threw it at her.[178]
Despite it being unclear if the two feel any attraction towards one another, other than just platonic attraction, both characters do seem to be fascinated with one another; with Fearne frequently finding Ashton beautiful despite their broken appearance and Ashton finding Fearne's eccentric personality and fey lifestyle captivating. Ashton, despite their intense dislike of physical contact due to their chronic pain, frequently seeks physical connection with Fearne, usually to commit mischief. He is the only person within Bells Hells who pickpockets Fearne, and often seeks her out during moments of levity, as seen during the end of the crawler chase when he called her name and fell within the same hole she had accidentally fallen in earlier. Ashton hugged Fearne, then tried to pickpocket her, before the group disbanded to battle the activation of the Malleus Key.[179] When she caught Ashton, Fearne asked what they had wanted from her, to which Ashton responded that they had wanted "something personal and irreplaceable". Fearne then kissed them on the forehead, with a surprised Ashton responding, "Well, fuck, now that's just really hard to steal back."[180]
Fan art of Ashton's conversation with Fearne, by Melissa Hahn.[art 34]
Many days later, after a conversation during which Ashton referred to the faun as a potential "sister" she was confused, so he clarified that he didn't mean it, and that he actually considered her very attractive; they had a candid conversation which ended when Fearne called him hot and ran away.[181] That same day, Ashton kissed Fearne[182] (officially stealing her kiss back) before using the Quintessence Array to absorb the elemental power of a titan. This process almost killed them, and although the druid had helped keeping them alive with her magic, when the process was over she angrily kicked their face, shouting, "I am never listening to you again!"[183]
Ashton later felt terrible for what had happened and talked to the faun; although they reached an agreement despite the tension, Fearne told him that she didn't like him at the moment.[184] In the following days they worked together as part of a team, and after a particularly difficult mission in which an explosion almost killed them both, they were more comfortable, and even held on to each other when Fearne thought she was going to float away due to the influence of Ruidus.[185]
After the traumatic death of Fresh Cut Grass, Fearne was concerned about Ashton and hugged him. He later suggested they spend the night together. She accepted on the condition they just hold each other and Ashton replied that that was exactly what he had meant. They ended up cuddling, with Fearne being the big spoon.[186] Later that night when Fearne and Orym were in danger, Ashton showed visible concern. When they were found safe, he recognized that Fearne's nature was such that she couldn't realistically be asked not to follow cute creatures, but asked her to at least take a buddy with her, and she agreed.[187]
After a game of Truth or Spin the Bottle Ashton decided to be blunt and hold the bottle to point directly at Fearne, and she happily followed that action, which led them to share some affectionate kisses covered by a blanket.[188]
Jiana Hexum[]
Jiana became one of Ashton's first clients after the Nobodies left town to pay off their newly acquired debt.[189]
Ashton considers her a powerful person, even if he doesn't like her, and he's willing to be in debt with her again if he knows that she can help him.
Laudna[]
Unlike various other members of the party who seem to find Laudna scary or off-putting, Ashton immediately takes a liking to her and is fond of her particular aesthetics, reacting favorably to her showing off of the dead rat puppet Pâté de Rolo and even going as far as to call the performance "amazing". In turn, Laudna seemingly appreciated their enthusiasm and, following a prank in which a drink was spilled over Bertrand Bell's clothes, cast Prestidigitation to pour the alcohol into their glass (even though the prank did not involve them).
As they became closer Ashton grew aggressively protective of the warlock, to the point of confronting and threatening people if he thought that could benefit Laudna. In a private conversation with her they stated that while both shared similar experiences facing extreme loneliness and death, the barbarian was actually jealous of Laudna's second demise, since when she was revived her friends were around her, worried, while in Ashton's case most of his previous group had abandoned him. The barbarian and the shadow sorcerer would maintain this cordiality between them, and when they were separated from half of Bells Hells (including FCG and Imogen, their closest friends respectively), Ashton reassured the anxious Laudna that they would bring Bells Hells back together.
After Ashton tried to take the power of Rau'shan for himself, Laudna considered it a betrayal, and struggled dealing with those feelings. However, the following morning the barbarian, worried, spoke to her, and was surprised when she gave him a doll that represented him, stating that he was like a child and needed to find his childish joy again. Despite the previous tensions, Ashton was moved by the gift, and Laudna was very glad they liked the doll. In the following days they regained some trust, and when the group was in Zadash and Laudna had an argument with Orym, Ashton acted as one of the mediators, and tried to make Laudna feel like he was on her side, so she wouldn't feel alone.
Orym[]
Fan art of Ashton and Orym, by Cha Cha Rae.[art 36]
Orym was the reason why Ashton joined Bells Hells, since the halfling's Ashari background sounded very similar to "Hishari", the only word the genasi remembered from their past. The fighter has always been a member of Bells Hells whom Ashton has seen as morally superior, making comments about it as if it were an irritating trait, though not a bad one. The two coordinate well in combat and come up with strategies, but outside of battle, while Ashton continues to maintain their tough demeanor, he has begun to show a softness and concern for Orym, because of the pressure the halfling puts on himself.
Despite their general rejection of physical contact, Ashton has tolerated it on several occasions when it came from Orym, and never seemed to mind when the halfling initiated it first than the genasi; specially when Orym would hug Ashton to have them open up more emotionally with the rest of Bells Hells, or when the halfling would seek physical contact in distressing emotional moments. Orym always tries to be careful whenever such contact occurred, or was allowed, to which Ashton always seemed to appreciate.
When a child in Whitestone called Orym an "old man" Ashton was more than willing to throw a snowball with a rock in the center at them.[190] After Ashton almost died trying to absorb the power of Rau'shan, Orym kept his opinion about it to himself for an entire day, but when he finally spoke to the barbarian he was gentle and efficient with his words, reassuring them and even kissing their forehead.[191]
Percival de Rolo[]
Although Ashton finds Lord de Rolo's resources useful, they don't really like each other, and the barbarian has been actually dismissive and disrespectful in his presence just to annoy him.
According to Taliesin, the reason for this mutual disliking is that both Percy and Ashton are very similar, having a lot of family trauma, ego, and they usually feel like they are the only adults in the room.[192]
After Percy gave Ashton some advice about how to deal with mistakes and regret, the barbarian was genuinely thankful, declaring they now owed the lord a favor.[193]
Essek Thelyss[]
Ashton and Essek feel mutual appreciation for each other that is based around the former's natural source of dunamancy. The wizard is fascinated by an unique being connected to his subject of study, and the barbarian is pleased by the attention and being found fascinating, as well as by the chance of getting information about his powers. Since the wizard saved their life and restored their crystalline head after it was destroyed, Ashton visited him again and did some favors for him.[194]
Character information[]
Notable items[]
Fan art of Ashton's doll, by Misha Leigh.[art 37]
- Magic glass hammer,[195][196] with the words "Fuck off" engraved around the base.[197] It was made by Milo Krook from the glass left over from the repairs to Ashton's head.[198] Milo later added an Immovable rod to the handle[199] and a green spell-splitting crystal was infused into the glass[200] which allows a spell cast by another into the hammer (with an ability check using the spellcasting modifier and a DC of 6 plus the spell's level) to be split, with one rebounding on the caster).[201][202] After the end of the Era of Reclamation the hammer was damaged and Milo fixed it, giving it a more spherical design.[203]
- Chain knuckles (Ashton's weapon of choice before he obtained his glass hammer)[204]
- A knife[205][206]
- Chamber pot with flowers in it stolen from Fearne[207]
- Slightly damaged Hishari ceremonial cured leather mask with leather tendrils curling up in the back like a flame[208] stolen from the Twilight Mirror Museum[209]
- Portable hole given to him by Fearne.
- Belt of Momentum[210]
- Ring of Volcanic Flesh[211]
- Paper and quill, a gift from Prism Grimpoppy
- A doll made by Laudna[212]
- Ruidian glass jewelry from the Jagged Edge[213]
- Coin of the Changebringer, taken after FCG's sacrifice[214]
- Ring of protection, originally Imogen's and given to Ashton[215]
- Focal point for a number of dunamantic magics, a gift from Essek Thelyss. Can be used when Ashton feels out of control and wants to focus the cloud of possibility. Looks like a small black marble.[216]
- Dusk Hunger, the Blade of the Black Flame, taken from Sorrowlord Zathuda[217]
- A pamphlet about the Traveler
- A small dick made of jade, a gift from Jester Lavorre[218][219]
- Mysterious mushrooms stolen from Caduceus Clay[220]
- A portrait of them painted by Braius
- FRIDA's jacket with FCG's initials[221]
Former items[]
- A sending stone[222] given to Dorian[223]
- Immovable rod[224], taken by Ashton after Laudna's death[225]; returned by FCG[226]
- Immovable rod, taken by Ashton after Bor'Dor's death[227] and later combined with Ashton's hammer.[228]
- Green crystal taken by Ashton from the shrine of Oma-Dua[229] and later fused with Ashton's hammer.[230]
- Ring of Temporal Salvation acquired from Chetney in trade for the Boots of Speed.[231] It was destroyed when it brought Ashton back from death when he absorbed the power of the second elemental shard.[232]
- Pipe of Remembrance[233]
- The Brood Pit[234], a seed of the All-Minds-Burn. Temporarily carried by Imogen, who gave it back to Ashton. Left on Ruidus as part of a myceit colony.[235]
Abilities[]
After absorbing the power of Dusk Hunger, Ashton gained the ability to deal additional 3d6 fire damage with one of their attacks once per short rest.[236]
Unexplained[]
- Immune to poison.[237]
Feats[]
- Crusher:[238][239] The episode after leveling up Ashton asked Annaline for some training with their hammer,[240] very likely as a way to explain the recently gained feat.
- The Shard of Ka'Mort: Grants Ashton several earth-related benefits for one hour[241] at the cost of two points of exhaustion[242][243], including:
- + 2 to his AC[244]
- Increase his Strength modifier to +6.[245]
- Earthglide: Can meld into unworked stone or earth and move through it as though it were water (including vertically), surfacing to breathe[246] and even carry someone while "half-submerged"[247] While merged with stone in this way, Ashton was able to sense nearby tunnels and caverns, and how far he was from the surface.[248]
- Enlarges Ashton to almost twice normal and changes his appearance into a creature of spiked crystalline skin like a merger of human and earth elemental.[249] His chronic pain becomes muffled.[250]
- Siege: Ashton's melee attacks deal double damage to objects and structures[251]
- Diamond Form: As a bonus action, for one round[252] Ashton is entirely invulnerable[253] and takes no damage from spells unless they exceed a certain DC[254]
- Fighting Initiate: You learn one Fighting Style option of your choice from the fighter class. Ashton took Great Weapon Fighting, which allows rerolling ones and twos on damage dice.[255][256]
- By absorbing Dusk Hunger using the Quintessence Array, Ashton gained +2 to Dexterity, and once per short rest can add 3d6 fire damage to a melee attack.[257]
Proficiencies[]
- Skills: Athletics,[258] Intimidation,[259] Sleight of Hand,[260] Stealth.[261]
- Tools: thieves' tools, disguise kit[262]
Genasi abilities[]
- Subrace: Earth Genasi
Barbarian abilities[]
Fan art of Ashton using Temporal Morass, by Nikki Dawes.[art 38]
- Danger Sense[267]
- Primal Path: Path of Fundamental Chaos[268][8][269]
- Chaos Burst:[270]
- Erratic Defense: At Level 10, when a target hits Ashton, Ashton can roll a d4 for one of four possible random effects. Recharges on a short rest.[281][282]
- Space: Ashton gets resistance to the damage[283] and pulls the enemy through a portal, teleporting them 30 feet away.[284][285]
- Gravity: The attacking creature suddenly slows down and is tipped over, missing their target and falling prone.[286]
- Time: Ashton gets resistance to the attack damage, while the attacker's speed is halved and they can't make more than one melee or ranged attack until the end of their next turn.[287]
- Four Rage builds, determined randomly by rolling 1d4 whenever Ashton begins raging:[288] Ashton's rages gain additional abilities as he levels up.[289]
- 1, Gravity:[290] The glass inside Ashton's head start to dim, and everything gets dimmer around them.[291] The light seems to bend around Ashton's form, and the area around their head becomes black and white,[292] and gravity seems to have more of a pull for everyone in the room.[293]
- Orbital Decay[294][295]: Ashton generates an aura of heavy gravity. All creatures that start their turn within 15 feet are pulled up to ten feet towards him and suffer disadvantage on attacks against creatures other than Ashton until the beginning of their next turn.[296][297][298]
- Density Well[299]: Ashton cannot be be knocked prone, pushed, pulled or forced to move, and when he hits with a melee attack, he can burn a Chaos Burst to do additional damage. If the target doesn't succeed a strength saving throw, they get knocked prone.[300]
- Singularity Assault:[301] All creatures within range of an attacked target must make a strength saving throw or take damage and be pulled 30 feet towards the target.
- 2, Space:[302][303] When raging, Ashton's head becomes "less there" and their brain becomes slightly transparent underneath the glass.[304] The glass becomes transparent all the way through their head, like a bad photoshop effect.[305]
- Violent Gateway:[306][307] Whenever Ashton brings a creature to zero hit points he falls into a portal and teleports up to 60 feet away.[308][309]
- Wormhole Strike:[310] Ashton can burn a Chaos Burst to make a ranged attack of up to 60 feet[311] through a portal with additional damage.[312][313] Ashton can also put their arms through the portal and use their strength to move objects.[314]
Ashton's Time rage, by Kamille Areopagita and Kevin Areopagita from "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76).[art 39]
- Scattering Blow: Ashton's hammer carries the target through a portal to a location of Ashton's choosing. [315]
- 3, Time:[316] When raging, Ashton begins flickering with blue and red after-images, and the timing of their movements become erratic.[317] They don't provoke opportunity attacks.[318]
- Temporal Morass:[319] At the beginning of their turn, a target within fifteen feet must make a Constitution saving throw to avoid having their speed halved and losing their reactions until the beginning of their next turn.[320][321]
- Hyper Rage:[322] Ashton can burn a Chaos Burst to enter Hyper Rage,[323] becoming a red and blue blur.[324] They can move twice their normal speed,[325][326] and gain an additional attack.[327]
- Acceleration Wave:[328] Ashton can target up to ten creatures, imbuing them with accelerating energy.
- 4, Luck:[329][330] When raging, the crystal in Ashton's head flashes with rainbow sparks.[331]
- Probability Matrix:[332] Ashton[333] and each ally within 10 feet of him can add a d4 to attack rolls and saving throws.[334][335][336]
- Dreadful Misfortune: When a target misses Ashton, he can burn a Chaos Burst[337] to trigger Dreadful Misfortune, which forces an enemy to attack themself against their own AC. If the target hits themself, they take half damage.[338]
- Mark of The Messy End: Ashton can mark a creature, allowing critical hits for the entire party to occur upon rolling an 18, 19 or 20.[339]
- 1, Gravity:[290] The glass inside Ashton's head start to dim, and everything gets dimmer around them.[291] The light seems to bend around Ashton's form, and the area around their head becomes black and white,[292] and gravity seems to have more of a pull for everyone in the room.[293]
- Rage[340]
- Reckless Attack[341]
- Unarmored Defense (AC is 10 + DEX + CON)
- Extra Attack
- Fast Movement (speed increase of 10 feet)
- Feral Instinct (advantage on initiative)
- Brutal Critical (2 extra damage dice on crit)
- Relentless Rage (drop to 1 HP instead of 0 on a CON save)
- Persistent Rage (rage only ends at will or if knocked unconscious)
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign Three, every episode except:
- "Axiom Shaken" (3x43), via Sending [DM]
- Absent in "Bawdy Basement Belligerence" (3x44), "Far From The Others" (3x52), "Ripples" (3x53), "Treacherous Toys" (3x54), "Hope Within History" (3x55), "By Goat or By Boat" (3x56), "The Sorrow of Molaesmyr" (3x57), "Escape From The Past" (3x58), "Downfall: Part One" (3x99), "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100), "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101), "Assault on the Malleus Key" (3x113), "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114), "The Weave Mind" (3x116)
- Specials
Quotations[]
- Ashton: Never take copper. You never take copper. That's just kicking someone while they're down. You take silver if they're an asshole, and you take gold regardless.[342]
- Ashton: I like getting paid and living.[343]
- FCG: What is the thing that you're trying to get to, that you think that you want, maybe?
Ashton: That's a very interesting question. Self-reliance. A certain amount of freedom to move about.[344] - Ashton: "Friends" is always a complicated word. I try to avoid it. It implies a layer of trust that is not necessarily healthy.[345]
- Ashton: (introducing himself to Chetney) I'm Ashton. I hit things for money.[346]
- Ashton: (to Dorian, after finding out Dorian gave the other sending stone to Cyrus) I'm not disappointed, I'm just angry.[347]
- Ashton: When you leave the site of an explosion covered in blood, there is nothing more suspicious than saying, "I didn't hear or see anything!" Just say, "Yeah, that shit was crazy, and I don't know what the fuck happened, but we're bleeding and going home." We're going to get caught, motherfuckers.[348]
- Ratanish: (during his fistfight duel with Ashton) The offer still stands. When this is over, if you want work, I could put it to you.
Ashton: (panting) We'll talk later.
Ratanish: But first, you understand I have to finish the show.
Ashton: I'm not backing down. That'd be rude.[349] - Ashton: (to Laudna) There's always a lesson to be learned, and I feel like it's one of my favorite lessons today, which is: sometimes there's no lesson to be learned. Sometimes shit's just fucked up, and the only thing you can do, because you didn't do anything fucking wrong, is get the fuck back up and do the exact same thing all over again, knowing that there was nothing to learn.[350]
- Ashton: I haven't said "yes" to a lot of stuff in a while, and this group has made me want to say "yes" to things, and that's the only way to ever get the fuck out of this kind of place. [...] Sometimes you just don't want to find out that the problem isn't the city. That maybe the problem is you.[351]
- Fearne: (after catching Ashton's failed pickpocketing of her) You can always just ask. What do you want?
Ashton: I want to not ask.[352] - Ashton: I'm having this moment where I'm realizing that perhaps one of the reasons why I allow myself to get the shit kicked out of me is in the hope that people are actually fucking watching.[353]
- Ashton: I don't like people trying to kill me. That was not part of this fucking deal.
Imogen: Sure, but sometimes you've just got to get over the shit and make it better, right?
Ashton: No, no, sometimes you've just got to hold a fucking grudge.[354] - Ashton: (advising the group to not attempt to steal from Jiana Hexum) Yeah, "don't steal" is usually a suggestion; "don't get caught" is a rule, that's my philosophy.[355]
- Ashton: (to Jiana Hexum after her conversation with FCG about her playing the violin) Thank you for the violin. That was - beautifully unsettling.
Jiana: Good. I'm trying to achieve such an effect, hopefully. So that is high marks in my mind.
Ashton: Everyone loves to be seen.[356] - Ashton: I love smuggling! It's basically a vacation someone else pays for.[357]
- Matt: (Describing Ashton's existence) There is strength, but there is pain. There is pain, but there is strength.[358]
- Ashton: (to Percy, about Laudna) I have lost fucking everything, everybody. I have had a lifetime of bad hits, problems, lost people, promises fucking broken, people died. It is the background of my daily life. I have died. This - (points to their head) - is madness up here. This is not something that just fucking happens. This is what happens when the universe really doesn't like you and decides it wants to keep you around for a little while longer. At least that's what I used to fucking think. And then I met these fucking people and life changed in a very intense way. And I know you think I'm just going to be like, "I found love again," all of that bullshit. Fuck no. The world got weird and there is weird shit happening out there. And suddenly, I'm feeling very small in a very big world, as opposed to small in a very small world, which is where I'm usually so fucking comfortable. But it got really big out there, and for some strange fucking reason, that body down there, as fucked and as corrupted as it may be, and it is, believe me, seems to be a part of this. So hope, and joy, and love, and all of that shit, I don't give a fuck. That is not what I'm down there for. I'm there 'cause it's important, and it's necessary, and I have lost so many people. And I am not here begging for fucking any of them. Many, I've known longer than her. This is not about that. This is important. Clearly, someone you don't fucking like thought it was fucking important so maybe you should just pay the fuck attention.[359]
- Ashton: (to Imogen, about Lord Eshteross) That letter, we're the fucking legacy. We are not what fucking killed that man. We are the thing he set into motion to make sure it mattered as little as possible. We are his eventual victory. We are his fucking revenge. We are all these things. We are not the cause. We are -
Imogen: I'll be his revenge.
Ashton: I have no fucking doubt.[360] - Ashton: (to Bells Hells about the Ruby Vanguard) See, this is what happens when you start externalizing every fucking problem you have. Easy to take a look at. There's a bunch of people who are treating other people like they're fucking nothing, like they're fucking pawns. It doesn't matter what the fuck they want. They are doing it wrong. It is not hard to see. (points to Imogen) You're being fucked with. We're all being fucked with. Whatever the fuck they say that they're doing, that's where I draw the line. If they had such a great idea of what the world was supposed to be and what that thing was, they could just tell people. But instead, they're making everybody miserable. They're killing people. Fuck that. Fuck them. I'm going to be more than happy to drop a fucking ship on them.[361].
- Ashton: We don't leave people behind. That's just the rule. You do not leave people the fuck behind.[362]
- Ashton: (to Laudna after the battle in the temple) My very first divine intervention. The gods saw me. A god saw me. I was not invisible, and it was not hungry, it wasn't fearful, it wasn't--
Laudna: It wasn't a god. It was an angel.
Ashton: It was a messenger, it was sent, and it told me what I really didn't want to hear. She does not fucking care; that I might as well be fucking gone; that I'm a mistake.
Laudna: You mean the whole consecration, leave or you will be judged situation?
Ashton: I have been judged by better shit than that. Fuck them. Fuck him and my whole fucking life.[363] - Ashton: (to Prism about her leaving the Cobalt Soul) Here's the fucking deal. The thing you just felt last night, you will feel that again, and it will not feel better. More adventures end this way than the other way. You're pretty fucking good at this. And you impress. And I think, maybe, if you try not quite as fucking hard to be someone else - I think this is not a good way to run from yourself. But I don't think you have to. Just... be a criminal nerd. You are clearly good at being a criminal, and definitely a nerd. And yeah, I think it's a good idea. I'd do it. You're asking me? I'd fucking do it. I've done worse.[364]
- Ashton: (after FCG talks about F.R.I.D.A.) I'm so proud that you finally got the thing that I have been trying to fucking give you since the day we met, and I've just -
FCG: A kiss?
Ashton: No, no, a reason to fucking live. So, please keep that, because I am so tired of saving you from yourself. I can't anymore. So do not forget that there is some reward at the end of this. [365] - Ashton: (discussing the gods) I feel like there's a lot of vague conjecture about the blowing of wind and the flipping of coins and a lot of things that just happen. I've had a life. I think a lot of us here have had a life. I can count the really good days practically on two hands. I've had bad shit happen. My first fucking memory is one of the worst things that ever happened to me. One, I fucking watched my parents get ripped to bits in a fucking maelstrom of god-knows-fucking-what. I was dumped into a desert where I crawled until I nearly died, to only be picked up and saved by shitty people who then threw me in a fucking orphanage where I stayed. It was more or less what you'd expect. Fought a lot, shit happened, made some friends, got out, lived the best we fucking could. Fell out of a window and lost everyone I cared about. Woke up damaged and in pain that has never stopped since that fucking day. There were little sections of my life where I prayed and I begged for anything to all of them, to any of them. The only time they've ever spoken to me was the one who tried to fucking kill me less than a week ago. So, I'm here to save us. I'm here to save the people who live here. Hell, I had one fucking word that I spoke to a giant pile of earth that was more responsive and made me feel better and connected me to something bigger than anything in my fucking life. Just the ground itself did more. So yeah, you know what? I am all for faith, and I'm not going to pick a god. They can pick me. It'll be the first one that actually praises me and then maybe I'll fucking answer. I'll wait. They can fucking beg. And I will listen, which is more than they ever fucking did.[366]
- Ashton: (inspecting his enhanced hammer) This is good. I need chaos. I have faith in chaos.[367]
- FCG: (when the party voted on how they felt about the gods) You're abstaining from being undecided?
Ashton: Yeah.
FCG: Wow. You really are a punk.[368] - Ashton: (to the party on the topic of parents) I come from a place and a particular - I'll say where I lived, the people I've known do not have the best track record. So, you know, I feel like it's important to keep a little bit of an open mind when it comes to how people were raised. Because in my experience, most of them are kind of shit.
Orym: It's easier to be there for folks when they're there for you.
Ashton: Mm! And I like found family. Found family is fucking great. That's the way to go. The people you are randomly, you know, just assigned to. Even the people who ran the house that I was fucking raised in weren't that bad. I mean, they were exhausted, which is fair. But, that's my could've been worse.[369] - Ashton: (to Orym and Imogen about Chetney wielding Graz'tchar, the Decadent End) I'm torn between self-preservation and just enjoying a cautionary tale. I really don't know what to do right now.[370]
- Ashton: (to Shady Sally) I spent all this time indentured to that fucking bitch, paying off your debts, and now, we're gonna get even. We're gonna be dealing with the fucking big red fucking ball in the sky. The gang needs to get back together, and they need to get here. We're not getting the gang officially back together, but you're really fucking good at what you do, and we're going to need everybody who's good at what they fucking do. If you can find everybody, if you can be ready when shit goes down, I will never darken your door again.[371]
- Imogen: Ashton, you're so special.
Ashton: I know. That's why I am fighting for you. It's because you're fucking special too, and we all know it.[372] - Ashton: (to Jirana the Shore Shrew) How do you grieve if you don't know what was taken from you?
Jirana: Mm. Often, you don't focus on the loss and try to concentrate on what you've gained since. Maybe answers will come in time. Maybe they won't. And it will never go away.
Ashton: That I've figured out.
Jirana: But, it only weighs as much as you're willing to give it. Perhaps, you will fill yourself with a happier weight.
Ashton: Well... I guess we'll see how broken I am.
Jirana: I am perpetually surrounded by broken things. Everything can be mended, given time.[373] - Evontra'vir: (slow and ancient) What is it you seek?
Ashton: I am the abandoned child of the Hishari. I am the blood of titan. I seek what is owed to me. I seek my past. I seek power. I seek to know what I am.
Evontra'vir: (sighs) As it was fated. (long pause) You are the son of Efterin; a broken man of burning purpose, who endured an odyssey to walk under my boughs and ask for the golden purpose that he felt he was owed by the world. He claimed visions throughout his life that promised greatness. A fated path that would leave his mark on history. He was not wrong. I let him gaze into his future and showed him the relic he was fated to own, that he would use to usher in a renewed ancient power. I showed him the way to the necropolis of Toramunda, where this relic lay uncovered and waiting. His ambition met his destiny, and he recovered his artifact, this remaining shard of Ka'Mort; the Primordial Empress of Earth. A lingering remnant of her power. He thought his destiny was his to embrace. He was wrong. I granted him this knowledge, because he was meant to take it, to create and destroy the Hishari; meant to destroy himself; meant to create... you. You were his destiny. But in his arrogance, he could not see beyond his own aspirations, as it was fated.[374] - Ashton: (to Fearne) Sometimes I think you're crazy on a level that I might be crazy on, too.[375]
- Ashton: No matter what happens, I won't leave if I'm allowed to stay. I will, no matter what we do, no matter what mistakes we make, no matter what we have, I will stay and I will be there and I will not-- I will not walk away. I don't know what love is, but I'm going with this.[376]
- Ashton: Trust, I think, is just better when it's not easy - is what I'm starting to realize. That the only way we're going to be okay is because we are all in the same place of being deeply capable of fucking up, and maybe that's good, because who else would fucking tolerate or forgive any group of us? This is -- You are the only people I can think of who would put up with this shit. And I am forever fucking grateful.[377]
- Matt: (when Ashton touched Fearne after she absorbed the Rau'shan shard) You suddenly, in that moment - even above the tree, not fully connected to the stone of the realm itself, see a flicker of flame in her eyes. Then as your vision fades out, you can feel yourself pushing through darkness, like you're burrowing through sand, but the sand itself is shale and rock. You are burrowing through the very earth of Exandria. You are pushing through the ground, and yet you are one with it. Suddenly, you emerge like a massive whale breaching through the ocean, but through the rock itself. You look beyond to an endless mountain range that is ever growing and folding on itself. You feel a time before time. You feel where the land itself was still forming, being made and unmade, where all the elements swam between each other, and in such creation and destruction was a singular process. As you come back from your vision, you feel this strength begin to fill your chest. You feel this sense of strength and sturdiness that you never understood until now. You feel like, as a being that spent their life feeling broken and un-whole, for the first time in a long time, not just because of what power you found in yourself, but the people that surround you, you feel complete.[378]
- Liliana: (to Orym about Ludinus not being an altruist) Ludinus is following a plan that was set out for him by The One Who Sleeps, and The One Who Sleeps just sees him as a part of its plan. It's so hard to convey if you haven't seen or felt what I have, but -
Ashton: It's not hard to understand at all. I know self-delusion when I see it. I know it myself. You're in. Clearly, you're in. And you're going to think you're going to be careful, but I think your worst fear is probably my worst fear. And we've just got a fucking sample of it. I want you to think about that, and think very carefully when things start to go wrong, and they will for you. Will you hear the mental cries of your daughter when Ludinus finally decides it's time to murder her on Exandria? Do you think that'll break through, or do you think you're going to be surprised?[379] - Ashton: (about Liliana) I hope she's right. I really do. I hope her ends are fucking great because these means are just not forgivable.[380]
- Ashton: I think I need to break something, and then, in the morning, start having some thoughts about who we're going to be next. (to Evoroa) You seem very lovely. I hope that you do great work. You were very expensive.[381]
- Ashton: (to Laudna about her losing control) When it was my turn to attempt to absorb a piece of shit, ill-advised and everyone wanted to fucking kill me because I betrayed their trust and the closest thing to a real family I had ever seen spent a significant more time giving me shit. You forgave me, asked. You did something no one had ever done to me. You gave me love. You're not the first person I've ever had in my life who had problems, and... Sometimes I think of you as like a big sister. And I will never not stand in front of you to keep things away. I will always step in front.[382]
- Bright Queen: (after seeing Ashton's dunamantic powers) We will have to talk when this is done.
Ashton: I'm so excited.
Bright Queen: You shouldn't be.[383] - Ashton: (to the people in the Platinum Sanctuary) I serve the weak. I serve the forgotten. I serve the dirt beneath our feet.[384]
- Ashton: Not to be dark, but I didn't actually think I'd live this long. People who come from Greymoore, that's not a beginning that promises a very good ending. Had a good time, seen a lot more than I expected, and met better people than I thought I would.
Fearne: And now you're going to save the world.
Ashton: Barely deserves it, doesn't it? I'll save you. I'll save you all.[385] - Ashton: (to the Raven Queen) Don't think I don't know how small I am.
The Raven Queen: Very.
Ashton: Not the first to remind me.[386] - Ashton: (offering to the Matron to sacrifice himself) I am Ashton Greymoore of Bassuras and I am nobody's child. Not the gods, not anybody.[387]
Trivia[]
Fan art of Ashton, by Edu Benavente.[art 40]
- Taliesin chose the name Ashton because it sounded "punk and genderless", taken from the name of a friend, Ash. He chose the name Greymoore because it sounded Dickensian; other names he created were also intentionally Dickensian, such as Milo Krook, Justi Pross, and Pocket.[388]
- While it is not clear if it was intentional, his name could be interpreted as a rock pun ("Ashton" sounds similar to "a stone"). By itself, the name comes from the combination of the Old English terms æsc (ash tree) and tūn (enclosure/settlement), and it refers to a town with an abundance of that specific species of tree.
- Apparently Taliesin Jaffe created this character with the help of his therapist.[389]
- Taliesin describes Ashton as punk. The character was inspired in part by Henry Rollins and by the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization III.[390]
- While potentially a coincidence, Ashton being punk and an earth genasi could be interpreted as a pun on the "punk rock" music genre, as he is a literal "punk rock".
- The animation on his stat card appears to be a red-hued meteor shower.[17]
- Ashton returns to the trend, broken by Caduceus Clay, of Taliesin playing classes or subclasses created by Matt Mercer in the main campaigns.
- Ashton and FCG's "session zero" included the scene at which Ashton discovered FCG and the aftermath of whatever violence befell Dancer and the other automatons.[391]
- Ashton suffers from intense chronic pain, so they try to avoid touching people as much as possible, or be the one to initiate it first; such as when they decided to crush Chetney Pock O'Pea on the gnome's bed after Bells Hells rented rooms in the Core Spire[392], or when they picked up Orym after the halfling was shaken up from falling off the Silver Sun[393]. When fighting and hitting things they can ignore the pain and their Rage actually relieves some of it.[394] Over time, Ashton has tolerated physical contact from a few of the Bells Hells members, such as seeking contact from Fearne in order to pick pocket her, or accepting whenever Orym would initiate contact with them such as when the halfling massaged them to relieve them of some of their chronic pain, or hug them when the group had moments of closure and/or joviality.
- Taliesin confirmed that he gave his character this trait because of his own TMJ and tremor.[395]
- Ashton's amethyst-like hair grows naturally but slowly, as if it were a crystalline formation.[396]
- The night Ashton and Bells Hells played "What the fuck is up with that?" for the first time was one of the most relaxing moments in his life.[397]
- The only time Ashton experienced not having the background anxiety that the trauma of life brings them was when Bor'Dor used Calm Emotions on them for the first time. (3x61)
Screenshot of the back of Ashton's jacket.[art 41]
- There are two geometric symbols that Ashton drew on the back of their jacket that they saw in their "crazy technicolor dreams". As of their return from Issylra, Ashton started to figure out what one of them represents: "four triangles in a row, two up and two down on the back, with a little circle."[398] Keyleth confirmed it to be the symbol of the Hishari people.[399]
- Matthew Mercer explained that he started developing the idea of the titan of blood after learning about Ashton's elemental transformation in his backstory, at the beginning of Campaign Three. A critter also had an earth genasi connected to a titan in their own home campaign, and Matt joked about having watched those sessions for inspiration.[400]
- Ashton's favorite type of rage is "Time".[401]
- The Matron of Ravens is the only deity Ashton truly respects, because she keeps her promises and doesn't lie.[402]
- He considers himself a good dancer, even if the style is unusual.[403]
- As of "The Promise and the Price" (3x77), Taliesin has a backup character prepared in case something happens to Ashton.[404]
- Ashton likes a popular figure called "Captain Emon". They particularly like the third Captain Emon.[405]
- He treasured every toy he had as a child (none of which were made of wood)[406] mostly because they were uncommon among the orphans, as they usually caused fights. He, specifically, never had a doll of his own.[407]
- Ashton holds the second place of How do you want to do this? in Campaign Three with 14 total behind Orym (19).
External links[]
Bells Hells Playlist: Ashton Greymoore (April 1, 2022)
Art gallery[]
![Fan art of Ashton, by Nathaniel Himawan (ninesicks).[art 42]](/wiki/File:Ashton_-_Nathaniel_Himawan.jpg "Ashton - Nathaniel Himawan.jpg (157 KB)")
![Fan art of Ashton, by Clara.[art 43]](/wiki/File:Ashton_-_Clara.jpg "Ashton - Clara.jpg (704 KB)")
![Fan art of Ashton, by Cael Lyons.[art 44]](/wiki/File:Ashton_-_Cael_Lyons.jpg "Ashton - Cael Lyons.jpg (504 KB)")
![Fan art of Ashton, transformed, by Zei.[art 45]](/wiki/File:Ashton,_transformed_-_Zei.jpg "Ashton, transformed - Zei.jpg (490 KB)")
References[]
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Art:
- ↑ Official art of Ashton, 2024 update, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of Ashton, 2023 update, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of Ashton, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of Ashton, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of Ashton, 2023 update, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of Ashton in his "titan" form, by Tyler Walpole (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of Ashton, 2024 update, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton, by MateuszWilma (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Laudna and Ashton in the dust storm, by Cha Cha Rae (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton's potential, by Cha Cha Rae (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton and Laudna, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Fearne and Ashton's goodbye, by Pyromeekorai (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton's attack, by Cha Cha Rae (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Prism moving the body, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Prism's best friend, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Orym giving Ashton a "gift", by Cha Cha Rae (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton getting his tattoo, by Cha Cha Rae (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton overlooking Kalutha, with the three peaks in the background, by SuzySnoo (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Evontra'vir, by Niko Vanhala (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Fearne and Ashton with the shard, by Sech Bravo (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Allura, Ashton, and Percy, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton kissing Fearne, by Agata Fiszer (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton after taking Rau'shan's power, by Edu Benavente (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton and the shard, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of FCG being carried from the explosion by Ashton, by Jesstin (@WaterFaulter) (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Fearne and Ashton cuddling, by Pyromeekorai (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Essek studying Ashton's head, by Rann (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the kiss, by Taylor Weltzer (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton's attack, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton with the gem eye, by @zhellers (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton's hammer jammed in Predathos' mouth, by @zhellers (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton's sacrifice, by Sabira Langevin (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton and Fresh Cut Grass, by Bunchu (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton's conversation with Fearne, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Fearne and Ashton, by @zhellers (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton and Orym, by Cha Cha Rae (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton's doll, by Misha Leigh (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton using Temporal Morass, by Nikki Dawes (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Ashton's Time rage, by Kamille Areopagita and Kevin Areopagita from "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton, by Edu Benavente (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Screenshot of the back of Ashton's jacket (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton, by Nathaniel Himawan (ninesicks) (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton, by Clara (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton, by Cael Lyons (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton, transformed, by Zei (source). Used with permission.
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