Mythic Bastionland EP2 (the Temple)

===Chapter 2===
Date: 29-11-2025

[L: Forest | damp | dark | mist]

Before Ashagar stood the imposing figure, completely still. She felt as though the words with which she had accepted the duel had come from someone else entirely. It was done now; all that remained was to move forward and try to intimidate him a little.
“Very well. Do you want a mounted duel… or one on foot?”, said Ashagar.
The wight showed its first sign of surprise when it noticed, far behind her, the small pony casually eating moss from a tree.

? Does the knight have any preference for the type of combat?
→ No, but…

“I have no preference, but the ancient rules say it should be decided by chance.”

“All right. I think I have a coin somewhere…”

? What kind of combat will it be?
→ On foot

[N:Wight | VIG 15 | CLA 12 | SPI 8 | GD 11 | A3 (black mail, plate, shield) | Wightsword 2d10 (Hefty; living wielders lose d6 SPI per attack) | Shield d4]

Ashagar attacks the knight
d: 1d8=6 + 1d6=4 ⇒ –6 | 4 = Gambit: Impair

Wight attempts a save (VIG 15)
d: d20=20 ≤15 ⇒ Fail

[#N:Wight | GD-3 | A3 | Impaired]

Ashagar advanced with determination. She slipped through a gap in the wight’s defense, driving her axe into its flank while her dagger grazed its right wrist, loosening its grip with a precise, calculated strike.

Wight attacks
d: 3d4 = 2,2,1 ⇒ –2 GD
d: 1d6 = 3 ⇒ –3 SPI

[PC:Ashagar | GD-2 | SPI-3]

The sinister knight lifted its sword with effort, but not quickly enough to strike her cleanly. Even so, the tip brushed Ashagar’s arm, burning her skin with an unnatural cold.

>Her Guard falls to 0, so she gains a scar.

tbl: 1d20=4 ⇒ Stun – “Pain drowns the senses.” Lose d6 CLA. If max GD is 4 or less, increase it by d6.
d: 1d6 = 4 ⇒ –4 CLA
d: 1d6 = 4 ⇒ Max GD +4

[PC:Ashagar | CLA-4 | Max GD +6 | Scar: Pain-drowned Senses]

A sudden shudder ran through Ashagar. The impact did not tear her from the outside, but from within: her senses dimmed, and a deep, emotional cold smothered her fighting spirit.

Ashagar attacks the knight
d: 1d8=6 + 1d6=5 ⇒ –6 | 5 = Gambit: Impair

Wight attempts a save (VIG 15)
d: d20 = 15 ≤15 ⇒ Success

[#N:Wight | GD-3 | A3]

Despite her confusion, Ashagar forced her way forward again and struck the wight with her axe. However, her attempt to weaken its grip once more failed: the knight’s hand bled, but remained steady.

Wight attacks
d: 2d10 + 1d4 = 7,7,2 ⇒ –7 VIG + Gambit Bolster (+1 dmg)
d: 1d6 = 5 ⇒ –5 SPI

[PC:Ashagar | VIG 2 | CLA 4 | SPI 3 | GD 0]

Suddenly, with an unnatural and terrifying movement, the wight lunged at her. The blade pierced her side with brutal force, knocking the breath from her lungs and nearly dropping her to the ground. Just when she thought the fight was over, a sudden strike from the wight from behind surprised both fighters.

>Talsor attacks

d: 2d10 = 5,8 ⇒ –8 + Gambit (Bolster +1 dmg)

[#N:Wight | GD-5 | A3]
=>Talsor managed to strike the protector on the wight’s sword arm.

>Yann attacks

d: 1d4 = 4 ⇒ –4 HP

[#N:Wight | GD-1 | A3]

⇒ The attack does not do much.

? How does the wight react to the intrusion of others in the duel?
→ No, but (d6 = 5)

The wight accepted their intervention, though its voice trembled with wounded pride. It laid down a single condition, they were to spare the girl and end the battle here, without seeking death.

Yet, before withdrawing, the wight pronounced a final vow, the next time their paths crossed, 
their duel would end in death.

The group agreed in heavy silence.

“What were you thinking?!” Talsor shouted as they ran as fast as they could toward their horses.

Ashagar could not speak. That sword had wounded far more than flesh, and although the gash in her side looked bad, Yann was far more concerned about her mental state.

“She won’t answer you,” Yann said, forcing himself to stay calm. “Right now she’s extremely weak mentally. I don’t know if the sword was poisoned or imbued with some kind of magic, but that was certainly not a fair duel.”

“What do we do? Wait for sunrise and keep going?” Talsor asked anxiously, his eyes fixed on the open wound.

“No. We may not have much time. We’ll follow the river upstream until we find some form of civilization.”

What Yann didn’t mention was the dubious origin of the map, nor that it showed far more than a single city. There should have been other towns nearby… shouldn’t there?

For a moment he looked at Ashagar’s face and realized a harsh truth, she no longer had time to rely on any “should.”

>Traveling at night costs –d6 Spirit for each character.

d: 1d6 = 1,6,6

[Ashagar: –6 SPI]
[Talsor: –6 SPI]
[Yann: –1 SPI]

[PC:Ashagar | VIG 2 | CLA 4 | SPI 0 | GD 6 | Impaired]

>Traveling at night also means traveling blind.

tbl: d6 = 1 ⇒ Circle back to where you started

After walking the entire night while their horse carried Ashagar, Talsor and Yann were exhausted. Only when Talsor sat down to catch his breath and saw the remains of last night’s campfire did his strength nearly leave him:
they had walked in circles.

“The scholar can’t read a map? Strange, you never made mistakes at court,” Talsor muttered, trying to sound annoyed rather than defeated.

Yann’s patience finally snapped. He had endured the entire night, but this crossed the line.

“The scholar has spent years teaching your niece techniques to evaluate an opponent. Meanwhile you filled her head with heroes and stories, and now she faces something that looked like death itself on a quiet night, just because she was bored.”

“Thanks to those stories she survived,” Talsor replied calmly.

“And that’s exactly why you can’t see the disasters you cause. The same thing happens in your kingdom, you...”

“Shhh. Quiet,” Talsor interrupted, lifting Ashagar. “She’s saying something.”

They both leaned in. A faint, almost otherworldly voice escaped her lips. Weak, but understandable.

“It… it’s my fault… I… I’m sorry…”
Ashagar collapsed again.

The two men exchanged a look heavy with guilt and continued walking without another word.

⇒ In the morning, if they haven’t slept well, all lose d6 CLA.
d: 3d6 = 5,4,5
[Ashagar: –5 CLA]
[Talsor: –4 CLA]
[Yann: –5 CLA]

⇒ Ashagar reaches 0 CLA.

[PC:Ashagar | VIG 2 | CLA 0 | SPI 0 | GD 6 | Impaired | Exposed]

>They try to travel during the day.

? Wilderness Roll
tbl: d6 = 6 ⇒ Landmark

? What landmark do they find?
->Sanctum
->Sun-Temple

Night was falling when Ashagar remained asleep. The bleeding had stopped, but her skin was still pale, almost greyish. She looked poisoned. Talsor and Yann had not spoken all day. Exhaustion was overtaking them.

Ahead stretched vast fields of green and yellow grass, signs of summer at its height.

From the top of a hill, the setting sun revealed the silhouette of a massive circular mausoleum, crowned with a dome and a large metallic structure at its peak.

As they approached, they saw the metal structure casting a precise shadow on one of the monoliths surrounding the building.

“It’s a clock,” Yann said, amazed, as they neared the main gate.

“Clock, house, or herb market… I just hope they have a healer,” Talsor replied, panting.

“Oh, we have much better things,” rasped a harsh voice from within the mausoleum, just as the door began to open.