The Islands of Myth - An Agon RPG Solo Actual Play, The Second Stanza - Oasis
Welcome to the Second Stanza of our Agon solo playthrough.
My grandchild, I trust this story isn’t too difficult for you to listen to. Not all that the gods do is noble and good. Many of the gods test us or use us as pawns, to get back at the other gods they are rivals with. When this happens, my dear child, you must not be afraid or stand back. Trust in the gods who have protected you in the past and surge ahead with strength and bravery. That is the only way.
And so we continued. Captain Torabi led Strong-Backed Eros and me through the canyons, in the direction of her ship. With Demeter’s grace, we ran into no more of her crew, but we knew there could be more waiting in ambush. We walked carefully and always kept an eye on the next bend in the canyons. After what seemed like a long while, we finally saw the end of the canyons, but we did not find a beach, as we expected.
OK, what type of geography do we find Kassander walking into? I’ll roll on The One Page Solo Engine Region tables. A D6, 2 - A dangerous hazard. What kind of hazard? I’ll roll on the Action table, 4 of Diamonds - Communicate (technical). And then roll on the Detail table, Queen of Hearts, Exotic (Social). So a dangerous hazard that communicates something exotic. Oh, I have an idea.
We will meet a minor god and I now have a minor-god random table you can find here. OK, a D8, a 5 which is a Naiades, a nymph of rivers, streams and lakes. Perfect.
Instead, we found a beautiful clearing with a crystal clear stream running through the middle. I never thought this island of red canyons and searing sands could ever produce a place so beautiful and so peaceful. Before I could take in the scene, Eros rushed forward to the steam, intent on quenching his thirst in the cool water.
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| The mountain stream was an unexpected but fortunate discovery. Image by Jörg Vieli from Pixabay |
Captain Torabi yells “No! Do not drink the water! I believe it is what damned my crew. We came upon this stream not long after landing and they drank their fill. Not long after that they started to change and started to become hostile to me. You know the rest. We must resist our temptation to drink the water or we will be damned also!” Eros stops, thinking with his head for the first time in a long while. He starts to back up when the most beautiful voice comes echos from the stream.
“Do not struggle my friends. My water is cool and delicious. All can come and partake in it and enjoy. There need be no fear and no anxiety by my stream. Drink my friends, and drink your fill.”
After hearing the voice Eros stopped walking backwards and instead took a step forward, then another. Next to me Captain Torabi also starts approaching the stream with a stuttering step and a blank expression.
But I, Swift-Footed Kassander, know what this is. A trick, a trap and a ploy of some nymph. I yell, “Show yourself nymph and stop your games. I don’t believe you and your words. You have no power over us, Demeter and Poseidon protect us!”
Materialising out of the stream, the nymph is a beauty of mist and rainbow. With her silky voice, she says to me, “Ah, you are strong-willed, I will give you that. Not to worry. You may have defeated my words, but your friends are still marching to my stream. Soon they will drink and they will be afflicted. You can do nothing, leave them to me and forget this place.”
Strife Roll
This nymph is a Smooth-voiced Naiade. That is a D8 for the epitaph ‘Smooth-Voiced’ and a D6 for its name. A 1 and a 4 (a fortunate roll). I take the highest dice and add +4 for the Strife level. The number to beat is 8.
I stand fast and say to the spirit, “No, you can not have my companions. I am Swift-Footed Kassander and I am a daughter of a god. You will stand down and stop your evils or the gods that favour me will know of this. Go back to your stream or you will be cursed.”
Roll
I will roll a D6 for Kassander’s name, but cannot roll for her Epitaph, because being swift-footed will not help her. I will roll on the Domain of Resolve and Spirit, which is a D6 and I’ll use One divine favour from Demeter, a D4.
A 6 and a 5, and divine favour is added on top of that, which is a 4. So 6+5+4 = 15. I needed to beat an 8 and smashed it. + 8 Glory to Kassander, which now equals 19.
I touch my helmet, which carries the symbol of Demeter on it and the nymph looks unsure and then scared. As if on cue, clouds roll over the clearing and the once beautiful, pleasant day turns dark and stormy.
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| The sky shows the gods favour Kassander. Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash |
“You see nymph, the gods are with me. Where are your gods? Release my companions and you can slink back into your stream to trouble the next. But before you run, tell me, why do you do this to unexpecting travellers? Why do you stomp on the time-honoured traditions of hospitality?”
The nymph steps back into the stream, afraid. “I don’t mean to cross you or your gods. I did not mean any insult. I am forced to do these awful things, don’t you know? I have been forced against my will to trick and control the sailors who come to these islands. You must believe me. If I said no, they would destroy me just the same.”
Now let's see what spirits are inhabiting this island, I created a random Greek spirit table. It’s a D8, and I get a 6 which is Poena the spirit of retaliation.
The nymph whispers, “The Poena, yes Poena has unleashed her retribution on all who have entered this island. There is much rage in her and she brings out it on those who come to this island. She forces me to take over the mind of sailors and then she turns them into the diseased that you saw. Now leave me be, please…”
I judge the nymph wanting “You will be judged by the gods for your treachery, do not worry about that. Now tell me where Poena is and we will confront her directly. Then you can slink away until you are to be judged.’’
The nymph points to the highest point on the mountain, a dark red spire in the distance. Then she fades away into the stream, a picture of sorrow and defeat.
I say to the other ‘’The gods will judge that nymph, we must stop this spirit Poena from continuing the damage and destruction she is doing to whoever lands on this island. Follow me and we will defeat her!”
Captain Torabi and Eros still had a dazed look in their eye but they nodded anyway understanding the stakes of this contest. We immediately set off, thirsty still but not willing to drink from the stream of the nymph.
The hike through the island was as treacherous as it had been in the past. The heat was searing and the ground rough. We approached the spire of red rock and looked up into the sun. It was tall, taller than the temples in Athens if you could believe it!
Eros said to me “There looks to be no easy way to the top. To get there we must climb and it will be a perilous journey for sure. Do we risk it Kassander? Or should we go back to our ship and cast off?’’
“No Strong-Backed Eros. We have come too far to back down now, we climb the mountain even if the risk is high. We may fall to our doom, but this is something the gods would expect of us.” And with that, I took the first-hand hold and started to climb, the two others followed.
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| The red cliffs will be a challenge for the heroes. Image by esudroff from Pixabay |
Strife Roll
Searing Cliffs, that will be two D8s for the challenge and they will be a Perilous challenge, so if Kassander fails she will mark a pathos. I got a 1 and a 4, plus the strife level of 4, which equals 8 to beat.
Roll
I’ll roll a D8 for her Epitaph, and a D6 for her name. And I’ll call on the bond of Captain Torabi to help with another D6. A 6, 2,3. Combine the two highest for a 9. A pass! +8 Glory for Kassander, -1 Bond with Captain Torabi.
“I, Swift-Footed Kassander, will jump from rock to rock, light on my feet and as smooth as a summer breeze. No rock face or cliff can stop me!” I shouted as I raced up the red rock, but as much as I wanted to believe it, I quickly became stuck in a spot with no clear direction. Captain Torabi, who had somehow gotten ahead of me, offered a hand and pulled me up with a smirk on her lips. I thanked her for the help and continued moving up the cliff and to the top of the rocks.
After some time, sweating and panting, we achieved the summit. It was a desolate place, devoid of any vegetation or life. The sun was unbearable, and there was no shade to speak of. But the views, my grandchild, the views were worth it. We could see the whole damned island spread out before us. The sea was sparkling blue and the island was a bright red. I’ll never forget that sight.
And then Poena appeared, but not by herself. Oh no, that would be too easy. She had a thing with her. A magnificent beast, a terror to all men!
Rolling on my random Greek mythological monster table. I roll a D20 and got a 7, which is an Empusa, a shape-shifting creature with one leg. Why is she working with Poena, the spirit of retaliation? This will be a very difficult battle ahead.
Poena and her Empusa stood together on the rock pillar with us. The silky smooth words of the nymph rolled out of her mouth “You come here Swift-Footed Kassander, but you come to your doom. You and your crew will not make it off of this island alive. Prepare to meet the gods.”
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Well, we are nearly done with our journey with Agon. Next week is the final stanza of the journey. Thank you for reading and joining me on this adventure. And let me know if you are enjoying the Agon adventure.
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