Tolland Airdancer loved the court of political intrigue. A master of his craft, he turned rivals to partners, and partners to enemies as easily as fish swims through a still pond. His passion for the game made him the joy and envy of every party. It also made him the target of many rogue nations that desired power over his allied nations.
And so it was that his bodyguard, Triumphant Strife, came to be equally renowned for keeping the boisterous politician alive in the wake of numerous assassination attempts. For decades, the two were inseparable, eventually falling in love. Though his true love was always the game, Tolland’s affection for Strife was immense and he always held a smile just for her. Cold and hardened from years of war, Triumphant Strife opened her heart only for Airdancer, and her devotion to him was paramount.
Until the day she wasn’t quick enough, and a poisoned arrow nearly pierced his heart. As he lay helpless fighting the effects of the attack, Triumphant Strife blamed herself for her failure. Claiming herself unworthy to be Airdancer’s bodyguard, she left her love in search of a way to become the best defender in all Creation.
After almost a decade of searching, she found a wise Lunar who took pity on her quest and agreed to help. Together, the two ventured into the depths of the Wyld and disappeared for 2 years more. When Triumphant Strife strode out of the Wyld, she was alone and bore a shimmering shield of moonsilver and dreamsteel.
Strife never spoke again of what occurred in the Wyld, and upon returning to her lover, Tolland rejoiced at the sight of his long lost love, only to find her changed. Her heart was hollow and her passion gone, and it broke him in turn. She spent the rest of her days, a cold removed bodyguard to Tolland, using her mystical shield to defend her charge. His own passion for the game was gone, as he lost his will to play upon the loss of the woman who was once his. They both faded into obscurity.
Reflecting Bastion is an Moonsilver artifact shield alloyed with the rare and Wyld-born Dreamsteel, which reacts and interacts with the emotions of the wielder. Reflecting Bastion has 1 hearthstone socket on the front of the shield, the face of which shimmers and fluctuates always showing distorted images of onlookers, often hypothesized to be alternate versions of what might have been. The backside of the shield is a brightly polished mirror surface which seems to enhance and improve the visage of anyone reflected in it.
A Solar, Lunar or Dragon-Blood who spends 2 additional motes attuning to Reflecting Bastion ignores the Defense penalty to perform a Defend Other action toward a subject the wielder holds a positive intimacy towards or that the shield holds a tie of Wardship.
Cost: 2m Mins: Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: None
Reflecting Bastion holds a close bond to its wielder, and they share the ties that matter. Activating this evocation during a Defend Other action, the wielder raises the shield with her ally behind her and views them in the reflected, mirrored surface. Reflecting Bastion captures a taste of the target’s essence and incorporates it into its purpose.
As long as the cost is committed, the shield creates and maintains a Minor tie of Wardship to the focus of the Defend Other action. Reflecting Bastion can only hold one tie at a time, and if the evocation lapses, the tie is lost from the shield. For every battle where Reflecting Bastion held a tie of Wardship and was used to defend that subject, the strength of the tie increases by one level.
While Bond of Wardship is committed, the wielder automatically knows exactly what direction the subject of the Intimacy is in, and gains (Intimacy’s strength) in automatic successes to tracking the subject across any distance.
Cost: 7m Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Bond of Wardship
Drawing upon the emotional bond forged for their Ward, the wielder of Reflecting Bastion gains knowledge of the subjects well-being and more. With this evocation, the wielder focuses on a subject towards which they hold a positive Intimacy and have used Defend Other on in the past, or which the shield holds a tie of Wardship. Across any distance, the wielder gains immediate knowledge of the subject’s emotional and physical state. They know how many wound levels the subject has, the greatest emotion they are feeling at that moment, and whether they are conscious or not. The wielder may roll a Read Intentions against the subject with a -1 Penalty to determine if they are interacting with any Intimacies at the moment and what those are.
If the subject is a Ward, defined by Bond of Wardship, the Reflecting Bastion will actually reveal an image of the subject’s face in the mirrored back of the shield. While no other surroundings will appear, this grants the wielder the ability to speak to the subject while the cost of the evocation is committed. The subject will hear the wielder’s voice inside their head, and they may even respond, but it must be outloud. No other information beyond the image of the subject’s face and anything the subject says can be conveyed through the Ally Afterimage. Any new wounds suffered during the conversation will end the evocation prematurely.
Cost: 4m Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Ally Afterimage
The constant guardian is never far from their charge’s side. This evocation allows the exalt to cross incredible distance instantly to return to an ally’s side. Any subject that is a Ward or that the wielder holds a positive Intimacy for is an applicable target for this evocation, allowing the exalt to commit the cost while within Close range of their subject. At any point in the future, the wielder of Reflective Bastion may release the cost of this evocation to cross (Intimacy’s strength - 1) range bands instantly to perform a Defend Other action for their charge. The exalt does not physically cross the distance between, they simply appear next to their charge, and this does not count against their movement action for the round.
If the subject is a Ward, the exalt grants their charge bonus initiative equal to the number of range bands crossed to defend them, giving them respite by defending them from the attack.
Cost: 5m, 1wp Mins: Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Until Next Turn
Prerequisites: Swift Protector
The bodyguard does not abandon their charge and will not be moved from their side. Raising the glimmering surface defensively, the exalt plants themselves within Close range of an ally that is a Ward or that they hold a positive Intimacy towards. Enacting a Defend Other action, until their next turn they become immune to knockback or knockdown. For each attack successfully parried, the exalt gains 1 initiative.
If the subject is a Ward, Reflecting Bastion also grants a pool of bonus points equal to the strength of the tie of Wardship. These points last until the end of the evocation and may be used to raise the wielder’s Parry against any incoming attacks. These points cannot be used more than once per activation, but may be divided among different parry activations. Any unused points are lost at the beginning of the exalt’s next turn.