The Rules of the Game Eskua as Played in the Shrublands and Cordillera

17 Sep, 2026

Eskua, the handball court.

A place of daring and sportsmanship for the soldiers.

A high wall of stone and a clay court cut out of the ground.

Here, opposing teams compete in games where a small ball is hit with the hand and made to bounce against the wall.

Games are athletic endurance matches or violent and quick.

Both have their place, and soldiers have their own styles.

The soldiers of Fort Ilhambal look down upon the flashier “Shrublander variant”, preferring the core “teamwork fundamentals” of the Cordilleran version¹.

Rules

Serving Procedure

4 in 6 chance. Another d6 indicates direction of ball movement². 1-2: Left, 3-4: Center, 5-6: Right.

If failed to serve, roll 2d6 (the first die representing the low line, the second die the high line) to determine whether the pelota hits either below the low line or above the high line.

If the low line is the higher result, 1 point is awarded to the opposing team.

Returning a Ball

4 in 6 chance. Another d6 indicates the direction of ball movement: 1-2: Left, 3-4: Center, 5-6: Right.

If the first player fails, another player or a backline player has a chance to return. If failed, 1 point to the opposing team

Win Condition

The first team to 7 points wins³, though longer point games exist and matches can run as sets.

Powerful Serves and Returns

On a 1 on a d6 roll during the serve or return, players make a Save vs Breath to hit the ball to keep the ball in play

If failed, a point is scored by the opposing team, and 1d4 damage is taken attempting to dive for the eskua pelota.

Those who drop to zero HP are simply injured and retire off the court.

Shrubland and Cordillera Eskua Lore

Eskua courts can be found in any major Shrubland or Cordillera city.

Being known as a soldier’s game, there is a 5-in-6 chance that a crude Eskua court can be found within a fort.

Image: Partie de pelote sous les remparts de Fontarabie (Hondarribia) by Gustave-Henri Colin, 1863.

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