Aurora held the bow in her hand, ready for her first tourney. She had been practicing whenever she found the free time, however, she never had the chance to actually put her skills to the test. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a minute. She positioned the bow in front of her and drew an arrow. With another deep breath, she fired it. She closed her eyes shut, nervous for the results. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw that her arrow stuck and that she wasn't far off from the bullseye. She couldn't help but smile from pure excitement.
She could hardly believe she made it passed the first three rounds without too much difficulty. She was certain her nerves or lack of proper training would have had her out of the competition. Aurora couldn't help but be happy in this moment. Even if she didn't win, she proved she could hold her own. And now there were only six archers left, in the running.
On the fourth round, she readied her bow and drew another arrow; however, a flash of white passed over her eyes, which blinded her. Why now, she thought. The only answer to her question was a searing pain in her forehead. She tried to keep her focus on the tourney. She made it this far, this was not the time to give up. Her temples throbbed and her eyes squinted as she released the arrow. Aurora didn't bother to see where her arrow went. She knew it missed but the pain in her head was too much. She gripped the bow tighter in her hand and walked passed the judges, to find a somewhat quiet place to hide until the pain ceased.
Below is the statistics for the tournament, and how each tournament was done and judged.
SWORDS
Only twelve people signed up for Swordfighting after seeing the names of the famed Lady Knight, a woman with terrible power and a woman with a terrible temper sign up.
KIT
Kit’s first fight was against a male guardsman she trains. He forfeit the tournament upon seeing her to save face.
Morgaine’s first round was against a guardsman who couldn’t have been over 18 years of age. M> 20% to advance -21, advanced.
Morgaine’s second round was against a seasoned, older gentleman who retired from the guard. M> 45% to advance. 41 base + 5% foulplay, 5% training 5% upkeep = 55% pass.
Morgaine’s third/final fight is against Kitiara. K>93% M> 13%. Kitiara wins by automatic deference.
Kitiara wins the sword fighting tournament.
HAND TO HAND
Most of the applicants of the hand-to-hand tourney are peasants, serfs and farmers. Although sixty men sign up, it is soon obvious who the two front-runners are; Marcus Stone, with his intimidation tactics and brute force and Rodric Cutler with his deadly, precise movements. Two two are eventually pitted against each other after five rounds of fighting
RODRIC
Rodric is pitted against Marcus Stone. R =62% M = 76%
Rodric bests Marcus and wins the hand-to-hand tourney.
ARCHERY
The archery competition is one of the more popular competitions, with it’s lowered fee and easier capabilities. Crossbows are prohibited. The tourney starts off with fifty applicants. Each applicant has a specific target to fire at and five arrows, and the archers with the lowest 50% accuracy are disqualified until three archers remain. The final round has all three archers use three arrows, and the closest hits on the bullseye wins.
DAIJA
First round D> 25%. 97%, passed. 25 archers remain.
Second round D> 40%. 42%, passed. 12 archers remain.
Third round D> 60%. 97%, passed. 6 archers remain
Fourth round D> 75%. 15%, auto score deference. Daija is out of the competition.
ZAHARA
First round Z> 25%. 44%, passed. 25 archers remain.
First round A> 25%. 32%, passed. 25 archers remain.
Second round A> 40%. 60%, passed. 12 archers remain.
Third round A> 60%. 89%, passed. 6 archers remain
Fourth round A> 75%. 29%, auto score deference. Aurora is out of the competition.
JOUSTING
Thirty knights sign up for the jousting tourney. It is a long, grueling process of one-on-one competitions. Each knight receives three lances. The point system works as following:
1 point for breaking your lance on the opponent’s chest
2 points for breaking your lance on the opponent’s helmet
3 points for knocking your opponent from his/her horse
An unhorsing ends the jousting match. If your lance glances off a shield but does not break, it does not count for points unless your opponent falls off his horse.
KIT
First round Kit jousts against a green knight. K> 35%. 95%, advanced.
Second round Kit jousts against Alden Everdon, K> 50%. 60%, advanced.
Third round Kit jousts against a senior knight. K> 70%. 62%.
Liam honestly had no idea how he was still competing. Firstly, he had three quarts- or was it four?- of whiskey inside him, gracious courtesy of Morgaine. Secondly, his head was pounding and the chequered board kept fluctuating the longer he looked at it. Thirdly… Well, he was just bored at this point. He’d won three games and this one was heading in the same direction.
The problem was, those that didn’t know him assumed him to be stupid. Just another dim slumrat, an easy win. This was not the case. The fact often made him unnecessarily smug. He’d gotten his education, if not a particularly fancy one, and he knew how to work a chess board. Admittedly he’d made his share of mistakes during his games… Only to be expected through the alcoholic haze. But he had a natural knack for wrangling and had managed to turn them back to his advantage.
But he was fast getting fed up, not to mention it was chilly being sat here unable to move around. And he was dying for a drink. Sighing, Liam gave a glance around the area. There were so many people! He’d expected to see a lot in the combat tourneys, but the chess one too? Was it really worth all this hassle for one hundred and fifty pieces of gold? He was starting to think not.
An impatient cough from the woman opposite him took his attention back. She motioned, with an unsettlingly smooth gesture, to the board. Apparently it was his move. Absently clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Liam dragged himself upright and confidentially leaned over the table between them.
“Oi, sweetheart. You want to win, yes?”
The woman looked him over, seemed to make some connection in her mind and scowled, recoiling from him slightly. Liam laughed. Not what he was after. Not right now, at least. Grinning with an air of sickly innocence, he leant his elbows on the table top and rested his chin in his upturned palms.
“Give me enough coin for a few goes at the bar and you can have this game. Worth it for a shot at the prize winnings, right?”
She seemed to consider this a fair moment. Eventually though, she nodded, dipped a hand beneath the table and came back up with a small change purse. With a positively wolfish smile, Liam extended a hand and the woman placed the small bag in his palm. A little lighter than he was looking for, but should get a couple in for both he and Morgaine.
“Much appreciated, sweetheart. And good luck, because I would have won in three more moves.”
He stood, giving her a sly wink before walking over the grass, slapping the nearest judge on the back and announcing his resignation. Ducking out the area, he practically skipped back to the drinks tent. A heavier pocket always meant a lighter attitude.
The white bishop is cool under Malik's fingers. He licks his lips, glancing over at his opponent. The man obviously belongs to a noble family, with an obnoxious crest pinned to his tunic and silky dress despite the nip in the air. He can't be a day over twenty-five, with no gray hairs on his head and the absence of adventurous lines on his face and forehead. He's but a babe, groomed by his house to sit pretty with a head full of air. The fact that he made it as far as he did in the tourney is laughable, at best.
Malik recognizes the crest on his shirts as one of the houses granted nobility since the rise of the Church. Mal's fingers slide up and down the bishop suggestively as the man watches him, and he gives his opponent the tiniest of winks. Sir Fancy Tunic's eyes widen and his face goes red, whether in shock, anger or arousal Mal doesn't care. He lets out a low chuckle and moves the bishop right along the diagonal black squares, dropping it three squares from his king.
"Checkmate, love."
The man sputters, the pink in his cheeks blotching red. He stands, pointing a finger at Malik, before a judge hurries over. He checks the board and nods over at Malik, which sends Sir Fancy Tunic into a little tizzy.
"You did good, mate. I'm just better with my fingers." Mal smirks as the man turns on his heels and nearly runs into Lady Kitiara.
Mal leans back into wooden chair until his weight is pushing it onto its back legs. He yawns, looking over at the small crowds milling about. It's too early for the joust, and the archery and hand-to-hand tourneys never really drawn in a crowd. Mal can see Rodric out of the corner of his eye, sitting in the shadows, checking in to make sure Mal didn't cause any fights, yet. He blows the man a kiss. He also catches a glimpse of the lady knight herself, and Mal makes sure to smile in her direction. Kitiara had already won the sword fighting and from the gossip spreading around the camp, the only real contenders were female fighters. Mal knows she'll win the joust as well.
"Who's next then?" Malik calls out and the poor judge is scrambling about with his chalkboard. He finally calls out a name, and Mal's eyes light up with recollection.
Archery: Daija Talbot, Zahara Vaughan, Aurora Hale
Jousting: Kitiara Greene
Your scores and scenarios will be sent out within 48 hours! What you choose to do with them is completely up to you, and paras/writing is not necessary. This is just a bit of fun for the event! If you do choose to reply to the task, please tag it cohavtask01 so I can keep track of everything!
