#bastionstatus

The evening had already settled by the time the expedition sent to the Marshes of Kaladoun returned to the Institute of War, inciting a great deal of excitement (and a measure of concern) for the Bastion when the great Nexus Crystal was brought in the building.

It would be inevitable that the news of this mission’s success would spread throughout the realm - and indubitably, individuals that were interested in these great containers of energy would finally deign it necessary to give the fledgling organization a more thorough look.

But for now ... the party would be greeted like heroes, warranting a small feast and some merriment to be organized for that night. It wasn’t as much as the retrieval of the first Nexus Crystal that incited such joy, but more the sweet taste of success, and the hope that many more would soon follow.

Tybresa took a step back from the festivities, the strain of magically carrying a Nexus Crystal requiring intensive recovery ... but aside from the residue of mana that made her continue to glow for several hours after setting Damsel aside, one could tell that there was a light of satisfaction around her, visibly proud of her companions and what they have achieved that day.

Doran raised a toast for Jinx that night, which was met with a great deal of hesitation ... but was eventually echoed with good will and a willingness to forget her past terrorizing actions once the wine started flowing more freely. The members of the Bastion would not forget her contribution to the mission’s success, and think of her more highly for the days to come ... or at least, with less disdain and fear. @progressive-panic-by-jinx

Commander Villa had made a beeline towards Morgaine as soon as they arrived, inquiring about her origins and her men - and once she realized they had a common background, was more than happy to raise many a glass of liquor in her name once the feasting started. Though she preached pride in kinswoman and ability of northerners, those who knew better her better were quick to discern that the Commander was simply using Morgaine and her men as a reason to get roaring drunk. Nonetheless, many asked for the soldiers to tell them the story of their adventure and the fight with the Dragon, as well as look over their trophies and generally fawn over the group for a while. In the near future, perhaps the Freljordian troops would be asked to help train their recruits, having earned the Bastion’s trust and the Commander’s goodwill. @thegeneralofold

As for Rai ... he did not necessarily go unforgotten, but it felt like the people of the Bastion were giving him a wide berth, thanks to his reputation of solitude and the stoic atmosphere around him. There were some curious enough to approach him and pry some extra information from him, but eventually abandoned him for the sake of joining the Freljordian story-circle. Though the majority of the organization were content to focus on those who were more willing to lay claim to their exploits, one thing was certain - Rai’s contribution to the success of the mission would not go unappreciated by the most important person of them all ... even if she was not there in person to keep him company. Surely, Tybresa will find an opportunity to reward him for it. @ionianlightning

The night would pass by swiftly, and though the following day would come sluggishly due to hangovers and filled bellies, it felt great to revel in the atmosphere of hope that lingered in the hallways of the Institute.

// And that concludes the first mission of the Bastion! A million of thanks to those who participated, I hope that everyone enjoyed themselves despite my failings and shortcomings as a DM, though I can honestly say that I have learned a lot from this experience, and hopefully that I will do better in the next missions to come.

With this small chapter concluded, the Bastion stands stronger, thanks to the success of the party ... and ready to set their sights to the next course of action:

With confirmation - or rather, assurance from Jinx and her hextech creations that the location of a Nexus Crystal had been discovered, Tybresa lost no time in preparing for this mission, letting word spread that she was looking for able-bodied and capable men and women to assist her on this endeavor. For this mission, she only needed a handful of people willing to follow her into the Howling Marshes to help her secure the energy relic. She hopes the whole thing to be straightforward and secret - should their search turn out empty-handed, she did not wish news of this failure to spread, lest the Bastion lose whatever goodwill it has managed to acquire so far.

Anyone willing to participate should personally turn up to Tybresa and let her know, in order to receive further instruction.

// Yay! I am thrilled to finally announce the first official mission the Bastion has to offer so far. Anyone willing to have their muses participate can either reblog this post or make their own in response to this. Looking forward to finally work shoulder-to-shoulder with you guys again!~ For now, we’re at the stage of:

// I’ve been quite a busy little bee lately, haven’t I? Maybe it’s inspiration striking~

Or just me trying to procrastinate my schoolwork - ahem.

New missions are up! The first one is a free-for-all, with the last two being more like a mini-event into themselves and certainly, a lot more complicated. Consider this gradually bringing the guns out for what’s to come - and yes, you can fuck these events up if not careful. (AKA summon Baron Nashor and trigger the Void event a lot sooner. #nospoilers #not really #but maybe #I’ll think about it)

// Whew! With the Bastion finally taking a semblance of a shape and some measure of direction, it’s time organize this beast more properly!

Following the Bastion’s progress, the new information is now added to the Bastion - General Overview page.

Changes to the Bastion Roster - NPC’s have been removed, thus leaving the Allies page strictly PC’s (Player Characters). However, NPC’s will have their own page added to the Bastion sub-menu of the Headcanon directory - The Member Roster!

Added credits to Villa’s profile image - love you Lin! <3 (@asksonabuvelle)

The Rune Book page has been edited to Runa Carta. Albeit the page itself is currently still empty, it won’t stay that way for long ...

To do:

Add missions

Runa Carta

Make a sacrifice to the Satan of Photoshop to magic up some iconography for my new order-babbus.

In the past couple of months, there has been a steady trickle of interest in the Bastion’s cause, enough to help raise it up from the ground - brave men and women have rallied under Tybresa’s banner, while sympathetic witnesses occasionally offer material gifts as charity or future blackmail material.

So far the Bastion counts over seven hundred souls among its ranks, the majority being citizens of Valoran that no longer wish to sit on their hands and do nothing. In order to keep a semblance of order, the leader of the organization has created a structure to keep things going as smoothly as possible, involving three different categories:

The Swords and Shields - this rank includes anyone willing to put their life at risk for the sake of the Bastion and its cause; hardly a quarter (14%) of the Bastion members are part of this league and most of them being only trainee or militia soldiers. The symbol representing this branch of the Bastion is a sword-and-board. The figurehead overseeing the Swords and Shields is Villa Redhaart. [NPC]

Notable members: Rai, The Quiet Lightning (@ionianlightning)

Jinx, the Leashed Cannoneer (@progressive-panic-by-jinx)

Kalista, Spear of Redemption and Spearhead of the Bastion (@spears-of-redemption )

The Frost Legion - twenty ‘Freljordian’ soldiers pledged to the Bastion, a ‘gift’ from General Blackwood (@thegeneralofold)

The Hammers and Needles - craftsmen, traders and working men and women. Anyone who has a trade to their name and the willingness to join the Bastion belong to this branch. More than half (70%) of the organization’s members chose to identify with this particular league. The symbol representing this trade guild is a Hammer with a thread-and-needle coiled around the handle. The figurehead overseeing the Hammers and Needles is Effrem Doran. [NPC]

The Books and Candles - scholars and scribes, teachers and knowledge-keepers; anyone who wants to share their lore, study the world or learn from specialists are registered in this branch. More than a quarter (16%) of the Bastion members subscribed with this particular branch. The symbol representing this fellowship is a candle stamped on a closed book. The headmistress of this particular class is Tybresa. 

Allies of the Bastion - meaning, those that assist the Bastion but are not part of the organization themselves - receive a hummingbird pin as a sign of gratitude, as well as a chance to flaunt their support if they so wish it. However, it does not attest any kind of authority within the organization itself.

Resource-wise, the Bastion has managed to amass enough to keep their members fed and geared, as well as providing safer and slightly more comfortable living quarters than just bedrolls and hay pillows. The Institute’s old workshops have been rebuild and refurnished to house the Hammers and Needles’ new Workshops.

Its craftsmen are currently working their trade to help provide a trickle of income to maintain the acquired progress so far, while traveling merchants have managed to turn the outside area of the fortified walls into a flea market  - leading to an interesting dynamics that is giving the leader of the Bastion ideas to work with.

There is also the idea of a uniform starting to be reinforced among the ranks, the choice being either a scarf or a cloak with the Bastion symbol embroidered on the surface, provided by the organization.

There is also the Library, which is being guarded with great scrutiny by Tybresa and her Books and Candles. Any trespassers caught in its limits are immediately put on trial, and a ridiculous amount of convincing needs to be made with the leader herself should one wish to be granted access within one of Valoran’s most diverse arcane knowledge-base.

// With the mun’s hiatus for the last two months, I can’t possibly (and realistically) stretch the timeline to make up for all the missed time committed to the Bastion;

As such, I’ve decided that the best course of action is to ‘fast-forward’ things ... gently. Consider it a softcore time-skip.

Where we were last time:

Even though it was there, the Bastion was struggling to get itself up on its feet properly - getting a foundation was the main priority if there was a chance for the organization to make it. People were being recruited, movements organized to spread the word (and hopefully establish some control across Valoran so far), Nexus Crystals were being sought and the Institute of War rebuild and even re-purposed slightly, in order to reflect the change.

Noxus was the Bastion’s staunched supporters, while Demacia continued to glower and bare its teeth in its direction - most of the city-states were indifferent, as they have predicted.

Tybresa herself was struggling, juggling her newly-acquired duties as a full-time leader with that of controlling her new powers, if only for the sake of lessening the pain. The most important goal at hand, however, was finding and seizing control of the precious Nexus Crystals that have gone missing since the Fall of the League.

Where should we expect to be now (once Tyb-mun gets crackin’):

Fast forward a month or so -

The Bastion is certainly doing better, its efforts are beginning to pay off - there were more people rallying to the cause, which led to the possibility of a hierarchy and order of things to be established. Resources were eventually acquired and invested further, though it is hardly a quarter of the economical might the League had. Three forward camps were set up in Valoran so far, acting more as scouts and diplomats than anything else: Light, on the shores of the Serpentine River closest to the Demacian border; Sky, snugly hidden in the hills close to the Ironspike Mountains, overlooking Noxus and the sea stretching towards Ionia and Bilgewater; Sand, in the Mogron Pass, overseeing both the main entrance to Shurima and the one leading towards Mount Targon.

The Institute of War has been mostly rebuild and restructured by skilled stonemasons sent by the Noxian Grand Command - it is now better physically fortified, while its interior has been redesigned to dismiss most of its labyrinthine appearance and make things more straightforward than it was before. For the sake of avoiding any more confusion, Tybresa has decided not to rename the place, albeit some people are pressuring her to do so instead.

As for Tybresa herself ... she is doing better, and improving - she has grasped near control of the rune inscribed on her body, as well as several others she had come across the scrolls stored in the Library. What many people do not know is that she is also working on a detailed tome regarding Rune Magic, hoping to re-build all the knowledge once lost when it was banned. She does not plan to ever make this project of hers public, as it is still harmful to the environment, but she cannot deny that the power of the Runes will be needed in the coming future. She often refers to it as Runa Carta.

Political relations are as of yet, unchanged.

Several Nexi Crystals have been discovered, and there will be missions to recover them.

Overall - expect new Bastion structure and hierarchy, more NPC’s to interact with, special equipment and perhaps even a uniform, a lot more missions and events, as well as lore on Rune Magic.