The Nio Guardians, Agyo and Ungyo, stood at the gates of the seaside temple. They were massive, muscular figures of bronze and wrath. "None shall pass!" they boomed, their voices shaking the ground. Wrathful Gate Roar.
Njord, the Vanir God of the Sea, walked up the beach. He wore driftwood armor and smelled of salt. He carried no weapon, only the rhythm of the tides.
"I do not wish to pass," Njord said calmly. "I wish to flow."
The Tide always Wins
Ungyo, the closed-mouthed guardian, threw a bolt of lightning. Vajra Thunderstrike.
Njord raised a hand. Noatun's Calm. The air grew heavy and damp. The lightning fizzled out before it could strike him, grounded by the salt spray.
Agyo, the open-mouthed guardian, barred the way with a massive club.
Njord tapped his staff on the wet sand. Harbor Blessing—inverted into a curse.
The sea responded. It didn't crash; it rose. A King Tide surged past the shoreline, ignoring the Stone Sentinel Bind. The water rushed around the gate, swirling at the guardians' feet.
Sand is not a stable foundation for bronze statues. As the water eroded the beach, the massive Guardians began to tilt. They flailed, heavy and sinking. Njord walked past them, walking on the surface of the rising water, leaving the Guardians half-buried in the silt of their own collapsed entrance.