Pitstone#

The mystic's art breathes life into stone, A servant bestowed, but caution be shown. A nature fierce, beware its provocation, For crossing its path brings fatal devastation.

Once upon a time, there lived a pretentious scholar who took great pride in a paperweight he collected. Whenever his guests commented that it was merely an ordinary stone with no notable features, the scholar would respond by sharing a peculiar tale.

During his adventurous youth, the scholar embarked on a treacherous journey. Exhausted and seeking respite, he leaned against a massive stone for a snooze. Suddenly, he felt the stone come alive. Skeletons emerged from its crevices, and the stone sprouted limbs, resembling a grotesque creature. Terrified, the scholar ran for his life until he stumbled upon a desolate valley, where he noticed a gaunt monk meditating atop a boulder. Struck by the peculiar sight, he contemplated fleeing once more. Yet, to his astonishment, he sensed the relentless pursuit of the stone creature from behind. Just as he stood on the verge of being crushed, the very boulder beneath the monk unexpectedly rose, revealing two mighty arms that pummelled and shattered the pursuing creature. Amidst this terrifying clash, the scholar barely managed to escape. And the paperweight, as he claimed, was a remnant of that cataclysmic fight.

The guests erupted into laughter upon hearing the tale, mocking the scholar for spicing up his wild dream to impress them. The scorned scholar, though indignant, began to doubt the truth of his tale himself and lost interest in the paperweight. Eventually, he banished it to a forgotten corner, never to be shown again.