Magrat Sage writes on Bastion

When a man falls we look to one another and we ask: what was his story? When a woman reaches the end of her struggle, again, we try to speak of what she was. Yet the story may encompass many facets, and a story is a tamed beast, tempered at the behest of its teller. So we might ask: Who was Larten? Was he the void walker who returned when all thought him lost? Or was he the elementalist so strong in his art that symbols manifested upon his face in the vicinity of a ritual circle? He was, of course, both. So too, was he the ritualist who saw many Harts return unharmed after a perilous trip to Marchwood and some might call him a hero.

You might think that I seek answers, or you might think that I write in the manner of an obituary. Both are true, but neither claim reaches the crux of the matter. Larten was a brave and forthright man, but I am not here simply to praise him. Instead, I set him forth as my example when I ask you to consider the situation of Bastion.

In Bastion there dwell a growing number of Albiones who have walked away from the Ancestors and shut them out. Or so my story says. They have sought to further their own aims in the retelling of stories with no small level of propaganda, and yet the stories do not necessarily contain falsehood. Just as they paint a picture of Ancestral game playing, weakness and manipulation, we might be tempted to claim that all within Bastion are deluded or malevolent. Perhaps they are, but perhaps another might term them “misunderstood”. I offer no judgement here, only a suggestion: A story is beginning, and whilst it may appear distasteful, perhaps if we allow the plot reveal itself we might be surprised. I am sure Larten had enemies, but we are the richer for their letting his story unfold. I await with interest, further news from Bastion, and hope that a common ground and a peace can be found between those people and the faithful of Albion.


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