Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:36 pm Post subject: Crossroads of Chaos - RP
Throughout the fairgrounds the morning air buzzed with activity. Tents slowly began to leave their earthly limits and reach towards the clouds above as attendants drove stakes into the ground and propped up frames covered with brightly colored fabric. In the following days these tents would house all manner of forms of entertainment; food fit for royalty, marvels of mysterious wonder from lands far away, and even a location for the dispensing of first aid.
The banquet organizers knew this medical attention would almost certainly prove necessary. Every good celebration at a royal court brought along with it the prospect of proving one’s valor, skill, and honor through the time-honored tradition of the tournament. This festival would certainly be no different, and already stands for those not worthy to spill their blood were being erected around the arena-like area. The open field was large enough to easily house the rushing horses and brandished lances of jousting competitions, the fast-paced whirling blades of swordfighter duels, the heavy clashing of warriors trading blows with sharp axes on thick armor. Separate from the other sections, attendants set up magical wards to protect the crowds and non-participants from any stray bolts that might escape the area designated for the sometimes more intense and, at times, personal contests between wielders of the mystic arts.
The path to the tournament from the town of Busse is a rough dirt one, not covered in stone like some of the newer, nicer roads are. The repetitive clopping of a lone horse galloping toward the capital stretched out across the empty plains on either side of the pathway. From atop his ride, a young rouncey he had named Conrad, Alaric von Busse sped down the road, intent on catching his prey. His grip on his lance was so strong his knuckles had begun to turn white. With mental effort he relaxed his grip on the weapon; he needed to be swift and accurate for what he was about to do.
Ahead of him Alaric spotted his target. He lowered his head and urged Conrad on faster with his heels. With his lance held out to the side Alaric closed the distance between himself and the party up ahead. In the rear of the formation several carriages served to block sight his approach. This would work well to his advantage and Alaric couldn’t keep a cocky grin off his face.
When there wasn’t a second longer he could keep up his pace before running into the carriage in front of him, Alaric guided his horse off of the path at the last minute. He knew it was risky to ride at this speed on the unstable ground on the side of the path, but should he succeed in his endeavor the reward would definitely pay off in the end.
Conrad’s hooves beat out a staccato pattern against the loose rocks, and on at least two different occasions on his way from the rear of the group to its front Alaric thought he was going to end up scraped against the ground under his own horse. Nevertheless he managed to pull up behind the leader of the formation, a big man on an even bigger horse, both clad in expensive armor. That was when he made his move.
With a heave Alaric lifted the lance up over his head, swung it around once and then on the next pass he aimed for the back of the knight, intent on de-horsing him with the flat of the lance’s blade. The spear closed with the mounted man and Alaric laughed out loud; now he would finally have the victory he had sought for so long!
But inches before contact the knight’s arm shot out and grabbed the spear a foot from its tip. Alaric was shocked; the man couldn’t even see the weapon... it was behind him! Before he could figure out how his plan had been foiled the knight turned his body and his horse and got a grip on the spear with both hands before jerking it straight up. Alaric, still holding the spear, was lifted out of his saddle and then thrown to ground. Fortunately the knight had been going slow enough that the tumble to come to a stop wasn’t too jarring.
The knight held up a fist and the rest of the group slowed before halting too. Alaric lifted his head and chest off of the ground and shrugged off the dizziness left over from his fall. He looked up and saw the feet of a very muscular horse standing just inches from his head. With a shove Alaric jumped back to his feet stood facing the knight with a scowl on his face. They stared at each other and the seconds stretched into what felt like hours. Finally Alaric broke the silence.
“How did you do that?!?” he demanded, a look of fury twisting his visage. The older knight studied him stonily a bit more and then he laughed. Not just a weak chuckle either, but a full-blown belly laugh. He got off his horse deftly, his armor clinking together as he did, and yet his grace hid the true weight of his attire. He stepped up to Alaric and stopped in front of him. The knight was a full head taller than the young lad, but nevertheless he didn’t back down. The man took another step and Alaric didn’t flinch. Then the man smiled and reached out to put a hand on Alaric’s shoulder.
“I’m still your senior, Alaric… and don’t you forget it,” the man said in a deep voice that seemed weathered by many years of experience. Alaric snorted with annoyance, but then the two embraced and Alaric found he was smiling broadly despite himself. “It’s been a long time, Alaric, my son. How has fortune been treating you?”
“Not as well as you, it would seem. You still have it, old man,” Alaric leaned back and looked at Duessel, the father he hadn’t seen in months. “But you know, one of these times you won’t be so lucky.”
This time it was the older man’s turn to snort. “I hardly think I need to worry about that. I’m your father, and I will always be able to put you in your place. Ah... but it’s good to have you back. I take it you got my note?”
“Yes,” the young squire nodded. “Imagine my surprise to find that after my long journey I had another one to make to actually meet up with you. And what was that about an adop-“
“Ah yes! I nearly forgot. Hang on; I need to introduce you to someone.” Duessel leaned around his horse and called towards the caravan. “Abel! Come over here. My son wants to meet you.” _________________
A 16 year old man, I guess you could call him, stepped out. He had blond hair and silver eyes, which is almost unheard of, and his face looked, if nothing else, stern. He wore decorated leather armor that was colored red in various spots. To his side he carried a sword that was unique in design. The pommel was that of a dragons head, with rubies set in the eyes, the grip had a red leather strip wrapped around it, and the guard was shaped like dragon wings. Hello. _________________
"He finds you when you're sleeping, and when the daylight fades..."
Last edited by Spirit Wolf on Sun Jul 22, 2007 3:37 am; edited 1 time in total
"Alaric, this is your brother, Abel," Duessel said to the squire. Alaric stood still as he examined the other man. "And Abel, this is the son I've been telling you about."
Alaric slowly walked up to him, still not saying anything. After a few seconds he nodded as though satisfied. "Brother, huh? I can live with that. I won't shake your hand as I can see you're armed. How are you with that thing?" he asked as he pointed at the exquisite sword strapped to his side. _________________
I still have a lot to learn, but that is true for many people. His mouth twitches almost into a smile, but then returns to its original position. Would you like to spar? I'll face you against any weapon you choose.I may as well try to get to know my new brother, and fighting is the best way to learn about someone. _________________
"He finds you when you're sleeping, and when the daylight fades..."
"Ha-ha! Splendid suggestion!" Alaric beamed, with enthusiasm. He gave Abel a light thump on the back. "I was just about to suggest that! First though, if you'll give me your leave, I need to retrieve my spear from my father..." He turned to eye Duessel who had, of course, been not so secretly listening to them. The older knight laughed and then tossed the lance easily over his shoulder.
"Just keep it safe you two, we wouldn't want either of you getting disfigured before the tournament tomorrow. I've managed to convince the right people into setting up an age range just for 'young adults.' You'll be competing against others your age." He didn't even ask either of them if they wanted to participate. It was expected of them to join up; the duty of young warriors in training.
Alaric caught the lance and twirled it. “No worries, old man. We’ll play nice, won’t we?” He turned and gave Abel a smile that said ‘I’m ready.” Alaric made sure to back up far enough that they would have enough room between them.
“Yeah, I’m sure you will,” Duessel interjected to make sure they each realized how serious he was. “You’ll only have time for a few rounds though, I’m going to check on the rest of the group and then we need to get going. Once we get to the tournament there will be more free time to practice if you want.”
“Alright, father. I’ll let you go first, Abel.” Alaric eyed the other, completely serious now. “Show me what you got.” _________________
Abel unsheathes his sword, then heads for the caravan. After a few seconds he comes out with a standard longsword. Then he changes to a battle stance. Lance, long range, easy to read. He slowly circles Alaric, then charges. _________________
"He finds you when you're sleeping, and when the daylight fades..."
"That's why it's my job to keep you guessing," Alaric assured him. He jumped back to try and get out of the way of Abel's charge, but his move failed. Instead Abel just came through and slashed him across the chest anyway.
52.5% chance, rolled a 9. Hit for 7 damage. Alaric has 7 HP left.
Alaric grunted and gritted his teeth in a psuedo-smile. "Nice one!" He brought the spear into an easily usable position dropped low. "Now let me show you why lance trumps sword!"
With a leap Alaric side-stepped just enough to get around Abel's area of defense and then thrust forward with his lance with all his strength.
60% chance, rolled an 85. Miss. ((You can type that part.)) _________________
Hmph. As the lance barely passes him to the left, he grabs it and pulls. His sword point is resting on Alaric's collarbone, but hasn't pierced him.
((I decided to end this early. Gets kinda boring just to trade blows over and over. Time for talking and getting to know each other. And this action isn't hard to do, just relies on luck more than anything. If you have a problem, tell me and I'll change it.)) _________________
"He finds you when you're sleeping, and when the daylight fades..."
((Well, your character does have high luck. But I hope it isn't too boring for you, as this game will contain a lot of it. The trick is to be creative with it. Ah well, fair enough.))
"Hey!" Alaric protested loudly before wrenching the lance from Abel's grip. "That was pretty... underhanded."
Before Alaric could whine further, Duessel stepped out from the carriages and commented on the result. "He managed to use not only his muscles, but his wits as well. You could learn something from him. Not right now though, it's time to get going again."
"Fine..." Alaric said, still somewhat upset. "Which carriage are you riding in?" he asked Abel. "I'll ride next to it on Conrad, my horse, so we can talk on the way." _________________
He walks to the caravan he came in on and replaced his sword with the decorated one. Then walks over to one of the carriages. I'll ride in this one. He hops on and sits down. Hmm, he's good with a lance. About as good as me with a sword. I wonder what we'll talk about though. I'm not one for conversations.
_________________
"He finds you when you're sleeping, and when the daylight fades..."
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