Th e Last Trial

Scenari o for AGO N RP G

matteo sciutteri
KO I LOS
Koilos is an uninhabited island: no one has lived here since the Gods decided to abandon it
to go and live on Olympus. Koilos is the place where the gods were born. And where, o�en,
the gods go to die.
Koilos should be played as the last island of the campaign - when the Heroes
have completed the Vault of Heaven and are ready to return home, a primeval
force (the Strife) leads them to Koilos, where they will face the ul�mate trial.
Signs of the Gods
In the skies, a cacophony of voices echoes: the Gods shout furiously, some angry, others
fearful, warning the Heroes not to set foot in Koilos.
Arrival
When the mists clear, the sea current pulls your ship towards the shore. The rudder
appears to proceed by itself as if guided by an external force.
From a distance, you can see a giant stone statue, depic�ng a cyclops armed with a club
as big as a tower.
When you reach dry land, the sky turns pitch black, lit only by fiery flashes that slice
through the dark.
Suddenly, a figure appears before you, introducing themselves as the Strife's Avatar, the
primordial force which has placed before you the challenges you have overcome thus
far, earning the glory that belongs to true heroes.
With a sudden gesture, the Avatar marks the air with their le� arm. From the sky, a fiery
lightning bolt falls on you. The primordial fire pulverizes your ship, destroying it. The
flames pierce your body, stealing your soul and transferring it into one of the two
spheres the Avatar holds.
- Koilos, the Abyssal island, is your final trial: you must overcome the challenges to get your
souls back and return home. But Heroes, remember that for every test you fail, part of your
soul is transferred from the sphere of life to the sphere of death. These spheres will determine
your Fate at the end of the last test.
You do not have �me to reply: the first trial is revealed before you.
The Colossus of Fear
The statue of the cyclops comes alive and, as the Avatar steps aside becoming a mere
observer, one step at a �me approaches you, emana�ng an aura of terror. Deimos, the
Colossus of Fear, raises its big club in the air, ready to strike. The aura of fear that
surrounds it, however, is annihila�ng your minds, filling them with images of terror and
nightmares.
♦ Will you face the Colossus of Fear openly, showing your courage in ba�le? Blood & Valor
vs. Colossus of Fear.
♦ Or will you try to resist the aura of terror, counterac�ng it with your willpower? Resolve &
Spirit vs. Colossus of Fear.
A�er the first trial, the Heroes will be able to start exploring the island, following the
links between the various glyphs indicated on the map (see: Special Rule - Point Crawling).
The Colossus of Tales
In the center of a clearing, si�ng on a large boulder, you can see a second large
animated statue depic�ng a giantess wri�ng on parchment so long that it looks like a
river bed.
As you approach, Mnestis, the Colossus of Tales, begins to read about your past deeds.
Suddenly the world around you starts spinning, and the images become blurry. You feel
drawn into the past.
♦ Will you try to counter the witchcra� of Mnes�s by resor�ng to your ra�onality, anchoring
yourself to reality? Cra� & Reason vs. Colossus of Tales.
Th e Last TRIAL is a scenario by Ma�eo Sciu�eri (ma�eosciu�eri.itch.io) - @MasterRPG - This scenario is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - For use with the PARAGON system, ©2020 John Harper and Sean Ni�ner. AGONRPG.COM - Cover Icon Flames by Zach Bogart from Noun Project
♦ Or will you face your past? In this case, choose a trial faced on one of the previous islands.
Mnes�s will try to tell your deeds in a distorted way, and you will have to reply to her story.
Art & Ora�on vs. Colossus of Tales. Heroes who suffer in this trial must reduce their
Epithet or Name die by one size (chosen by the Hero Player).
The Colossuses of Fire
You can see a massive arena in the mountains west of the island. In the middle are two
stone gargoyles who are dueling with each other. They are the Aetham, the Gods'
Slayers. One of them holds a mace on whose stone the names of forgo�en gods are
engraved, while the other is armed with a sha� with a double blade made of transparent
amber through which you can see the remains of fallen heroes imprisoned in that eternal
prison.
When they see you coming, they stop and ask you to accept a challenge: they want one
Hero duels with them. In return, they will reveal how to pass the last trial.
♦ Will a Hero accept the challenge, descending into the arena to fight against the Aetham?
Blood & Valor vs. Colossuses of Fire.
♦ Or will you try to trick them into ge�ng the informa�on about the latest trial? Cra� &
Reason vs. Colossuses of Fire. If the Heroes fail to deceive, the Aetham will a�ack
them (Blood & Valor vs Colossuses of Fire).
If the Heroes obtain the informa�on, they can mark "the Truth" and take a d10 as an
Advantage Die usable only during the Ba�le.
The Colossus of Wood
Crossing the forest, you encounter a colossus whose body is covered with the bark of
the Tree of Eternity. This is Xulam, the Colossus of Wood. It's building a temple while
the forest animals in the bushes observe it curiously. As you approach, hundreds of giant
roots emerge from the ground, surrounding you, forming a barrier all around you. Then
the colossus asks you in a calm but firm voice which is the truth that should affect the
altar. Xulam doesn't seem willing to let you go without ge�ng an answer.
♦ If you got "the Truth" by facing the Aethams, are you willing to give it to it? In this case,
the Heroes must delete it, thus losing the Advantage Die, but Xulam will let them
con�nue.
♦ If you haven't go�en the Truth or don't want to give it to Xulam, will you try to get him to
let you go by trying to reason with him? Art & Ora�on vs. Colossus of Wood.
The Colossus of Sacrifice
In the middle of the mountains is a cave: crossing it seems the only way to con�nue.
A�er a few minutes of walking inside the cave, a distant voice seems to laugh at you, and
you realize that you are in the stomach of a Thusiar, the Colossus of the Sacrifice. It is
the living manifesta�on of the Abyss, and in its womb hundreds of Dark Souls, once
belonging to fallen Heroes and now reduced to hollow beings, wander eager to devour
every living thing.
♦ Will you fearlessly face the hundreds of souls of the fallen Heroes? Blood & Valor vs. Dark
Souls.
♦ Or will you try to placate them by showing how to gain their lost reason? Resolve & Spirit
vs. Dark Souls.
The Colossus of Cinders
You have almost crossed the whole moor when a meteorite falls from the sky, just a few
meters away from you. In the small crater caused by the impact, a statue resembling a
nymph lies on its knees. The statue seems lifeless, but the Avatar explains that she is
Iknus, the Colossus of Cinders. She will soon awaken, leaving the island and bringing
destruc�on and pain throughout the mortal realms.
♦ Will you try to destroy Iknus? A�acking will cause her to wake up. Blood & Valor vs.
Colossus of Cinders.
♦ Or will you con�nue without caring about it? In this case, each Hero must write "Dark
Brand," and the Strife Level rises to 5.
Battle
Once in the last place marked on the map, the Heroes will have to face the Efhiant, the
Colossus of the Void. For each challenge previously won, the Heroes will get a d10 as an
Advantage Die at the start of the Ba�le. For each failed challenge, the Strife Player will
get a d12 as an Advantage Die.
Threats: Heroes are erased from history, and no one will remember their deeds. The
Vault of Heaven is destroyed, and the Gods will no longer be able to access or
communicate with the mortal plane, remaining forever confined to Olympus.
Characters
♦ Deimos, Colossus of Fear (2d10, Epic, Sacred). Aura of Terror (the Heroes may not
invoke Divine Favors).
♦ Mnestis, Colossus of Tales (d12, Perilious). The First Born (d10), the All-Knowing
(2d8, Mythic).
♦ Aetham, Colossuses of Fire (2d10, Perilious, Mythic). Gods' Slayers (2d12, Epic).
♦ Xulam, Colossus of Wood (2d10, Epic). Force of Nature (2d8, Perilious).
♦ Dark Souls (10d6). Hollow (Arts & Ora�on has no effect).
♦ Iknus, Colossus of Cinders (d12, Epic, Sacred). Shadows Dancer (2d10, Perilious),
Fana�c (d10), Blood-thirsty (2d8).
♦ Efhiant, Colossus of the Void (2d10, Perilious, Mythic). Accuser (if the Heroes have
the "Dark Brand", 4d12, Epic, Sacred).
Places
Koilos, the Abyssal Island. An island immersed in darkness, the surface of which is
covered with ash. Fiery lightning bolts illuminate the sky, the only sources of light. Each
place seems suspended in �me, stagnant. Sca�ered here and there are ruins of ancient,
now forgo�en places. The atmosphere is surreal: there are no sounds except the roar of
the wind that whips the island's surface.
Special Rule: The Strife Player's Avatar
In Koilos, the Strife Player comes to life: it is staged with an Avatar and is a full-fledged
non-player character.
Koilos is where the Strife was spawned centuries earlier, as a primordial force from the
task of tes�ng Heroes to determine their Fate. The Gods themselves fear the presence
of the Strife and accept their sentence, whatever it may be.
For genera�ons, Heroes have been weighed and judged through the trials that the Strife
places along their path of ascent. By showing their worth in facing such trials, the
Heroes have the opportunity to write their name in legends.
To create the Avatar, the Strife Player follows the standard procedures for crea�ng a
Character (p. 138), assigning to the name a d12, and to the epithet a d10.
The Avatar has two special abili�es:
♦ Immortal: the Avatar cannot be killed or imprisoned. If they suffer one of these fates,
their body dissolves and regenerates a few moments later.
♦ Watcher: the Avatar can see everywhere on the island and sense every thought of
the Heroes.
The Avatar possesses two spheres: the Alpha globe, which represents life, and the
Omega globe, which means death.
Special Rule: Point Crawling
On the next page, there is the complete map of Koilos. On the map are marked glyphs
indica�ng the contests. These glyphs are connected by some lines. When the contest is
resolved, they can con�nue to the next one of their choice, but only by following the
links drawn on the map. The Strife Player's Avatar moves with the Heroes, observing
their deeds.
Note: Heroes are not required to visit all loca�ons marked with glyphs on the map. Their
goal is to reach the final glyph.
Ko i los