Relics of the Moon
A science-fantasy roleplaying game of outlandish action-adventure
(pre-release playtest v0.4.5)

The Shinshar Duel

In the wake of the Moonfall, few survived the Generations of Chaos. Those that did were focused solely on survival. Food and basic resources were scarce during the Age of Darkness, leading to much armed conflict to secure that which was needed to live. Whenever masses of resources were stockpiled, the conflict scaled to warfare. Many times over the struggling world population nearly wiped itself out.

The most heated and destructive war in the Age of Darkness was the years-long All War, where all the armies of the world were eventually drawn into the conflict. During the Battle of the Shinshar Plain, untold numbers fell as carnage reigned on all fronts. It is said that half the population of Erebos lay dead or dying on the plain. There came an unanimous decision to end the All War yet ensure a decisive outcome: Single combat to the death by champions from each party would stand in as a proxy for war.

The Kingdom of Banners emerged as the pyrrhic victor that day, and they along with all the peoples of the world vowed to never allow such an atrocity to happen again. The peoples harnessed their most powerful Ethertech to create a monument to Shinshar to uphold that vow and memory far beyond the time when the names of those who had died would be forgotten. They created the Obelisk, perhaps the most powerful artifact to have been created since the time of the Archons. The Obelisk watches over the entire world of Anasta to keep the Vow of Shinshar.

In the millennia since, the Shinshar Duel has become an ancient and respected tradition that may be invoked by anyone in an armed conflict involving multiple casualties. The sign is made with the arms crossed over the chest—right over left—continuing to hold any weapons and call out “Shinshar!” This will summon the Obelisk to their location. All others who see and hear this are obligated to do the same, crossing their arms and making the call. If anyone continues to fight after the Obelisk has appeared, they are drawn through the Obelisk into an extra-dimensional space from which there is no escape.

When all involved have halted and the Obelisk has appeared, each side chooses a champion. Each champion may use any hand-held weapon at their disposal, but may not harm anyone but the other champion(s). The remainder of the peoples form a circle around the Obelisk and the champions. The duel is to the death.

Terms are set and agreed upon; at minimum, the current conflict is considered resolved and all parties must stand down for a fortnight following the duel. Anyone other than the champions who harms another during a Shinshar Duel is drawn through the Obelisk. To refuse or interfere with a Shinshar—including reneging on the agreed terms—will mar the reputation of any who does so. They will be universally turned away, given the ultimate lack of trust and respect by everyone in Anasta.

Though it rests at the site of the first Shinshar Duel when it has not been summoned, tales of the Obelisk have placed it in multiple places at once when called. Many have tried to deceive it by summoning it to one location far from their target; all have failed and are often drawn through the Obelisk as a consequence.

The Peacekeepers revere the Obelisk as a testiment to their way of life. If a Peacekeeper is anywhere near an escalating conflict, you can be assured that the call “Shinshar!” is close to their lips.

Shinshar Duel

A Shinshar may only be called for after multiple NPC casualties or multiple PCs have been Stressed Out during a single scene involving combat. It should be used with *extreme caution* as it assures that only one character will survive the duel.

  • Each challenge in a Shinshar Duel represents an individual NPC acting as a champion for a group.
  • The Cohort chooses their champion.
  • After the duel begins, no other PC may act without being drawn into the Obelisk.
  • A Shinshar Duel will persist from round-to-round and ends when only one champion remains.
  • Stress is handled slightly differently during a Shinshar. Rather than capping at the normal max, it revolves. For example, if a PC has 8 Stress with a 10 Stress max limit and takes 4 more, instead of stopping at 10 (the default rule), a new track of 10 begins and the 2 remaining 2 carry over.
  • The Cohort champion must Push the Limit though doing so does not create the escalating -1d6 per round. It does still create one (1) Agony every time their Stress maximum is reached.
  • Only when reaching five (5) Agony does a character fall. If this is a PC, it should be a climactic moment.
  • The Shinshar Duelist background has a unique trait for excelling in the tradition.