Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Finder’s Archives.
In this column, we take some of the lands from Magic: The Gathering and turn them into something you can use for your fantasy games.
The stats given in each entry assumes that you’re using Pathfinder for your games, but they can easily be converted over into any fantasy system. This week we take a knee at the Aysen Abbey.
Aysen Abbey
Aysen Abbey is a recognized landmark, an island of peace in a sea of savagery and war. Within the strong walls lives an order of nuns dedicated to upholding that peace and fighting for good. While they do try to uphold the peace, they know that sometimes peace can only be bought with a cost in blood. A cost they’re willing to pay, with both their own and the blood of others.
Lay of the Land
The Aysen Abbey lies in the middle of a huge expanse of grassland, where one can see for miles around. This sea of grass is the breeding ground for many of the more problematic humanoids that threaten civilization. Here one can find orcs, goblins, gnolls, centaurs and more with relative ease. The region is infamous for having fostered “inhuman hordes,” tides of darkness that have threatened to overrun the cities on the borders of this vast steppe. The abbey itself is crafted from granite, imported from hundreds of miles away, and laid by the members of the order.
The members of the order come from the cities around the edges of the steppe as well. The second-born daughter from all families is obligated to join the sisterhood. There they are trained in the arts of war, but more than that, they are trained to live and become part of the sisterhood, joining a new family and leaving their old obligations behind. Here they become masters of themselves, pious worshippers of their god. Always ready, always vigilant, and always willing and able to step in wherever they are needed.
Dangers
The various humanoid tribes around the Aysen Abbey constitute a threat to both the abbey and any visitors that might seek it out. And visitors come often, usually for weapons training or to dedicate a few months or years of their life to strengthen the sisterhood, as it is seen as a great honor to teach at the abbey, whether it is on religious matters or weapons training.
As such, the sisters themselves have become the greatest threat on the steppes, able to defeat and overcome almost any of the local humanoids in single combat, and while they are outnumbered on the battlefield, their tactics are superb, and they are able to apply themselves with greater force than their numbers might suggest.
Finally, the Aysen Abbey has a unique presence within its walls, as it is home to the Gilded Lieutenant. The Gilded Lieutenant is a redeemed Marilith (now Lawful Good, after being redeemed by falling in love with a Solar Angel that later died). She is not the leader of the sisterhood, though she is its longest-lived member, and joined within a year of the order being founded some 3 centuries ago. She is, however, the warleader, and the one who plans out the tactics for any battles. Sometimes, she still uses her powers to infiltrate the various tribes around the temple, all of whom have stories and legends of the “Snake Woman.” In order to further distance herself from her former demonic kin, she now wears a specialized plate mail, emblazoned with symbols and sigils of good and redemption.
Kim Frandsen
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