Kaid'an steps forwards. "WE can offer them pity because they are not the ones that attacked us. I hope it is a sense of duty or justice that has you murder children and women and not bloodlust, Andaris. Women, the reason why we came here is because our festival was attacked by hobgoblins. So we came to investigate where these attacks came from. We wouldn't have cared if you stayed here and not attacked us. It is your groups violence that caused us to come here. If you wanted to live here then you shouldn't have attacked. I agree that letting you stay here is not a good idea but we will not murder you. Andaris, back off on this one. We will tell our knights what we found and that will give some time to leave. If you haven't left by the time they get here then it is their problem and they won't be as kind as I am. If you think you can fight a group of trained knights then throw away your lives on their swords."
"Perhaps genocide is not the answer in this situation, but your current situation is untenable. Perhaps we could assist you to move elsewhere?"
The hobgoblin matron narrows her eyes. "You help us move? Not kill us? Where to?"
Mihail considers her question carefully.
"Hmmm. Where would be a good question. Does anybody know any good locations within say... fifty kilometers?"
Mihail looks curiously at his comrades.
"That should be far enough that they can life safely without being endangered by or endangering the people of this fair city. What do you think?"
Mihail addresses this question to the room at large.
The hobgoblin holds her stance for a silent minute, before giving a nod. "There is place day's march away. You help move, we go."
She shouts to the other hobgoblins, and the armed adolescents lower their weapons. Still facing the party, the matron tilts her head. "When go?"
Andaris thinks about the implications of such a goblin settlement so near the festival grounds. He raises his concerns, "This will not work without the approval of the local aristocracy. I will require two representatives to speak on behalf of the hobgoblins; you will voluntarily come with us to speak with Sir Eren and negotiate your future in these lands. This cannot be negotiated."
The matron selects another hobgoblin, and the two of them accompany you back to Borok. As they lack horses, it takes around an hour.
You head to the castle and find Sir Eren, who you explain the situation to. He congratulates you on wiping out most of the hobgoblin nest, but obviously would have preferred it had you finished the job entirely.
"Hobs breed like rabbits. Best to get them all at once, or they'll keep coming back."
You feel that despite appearances, you seem to have gained respect in his eyes.
Sir Eren sends a servant to fetch the baron's advisor, who arrives shortly and proceeds to negotiate with the hobgoblins in their own language. A short discussion follows, after which the hobgoblins turn to leave.
The advisor is a short man with a round face. He informs you that they have agreed to move the hobgoblins to the location they suggested. "It wouldn't do to break your word, even if it is to monsters. They will be moved into another lord's territory, so when they grow big enough to provoke trouble again, it will be someone else's problem. Thank you for your assistance. I've authorized Sir Eren to reward you for your help."
As the advisor trots away, Sir Eren rolls his eyes and passes Mihail a pouch that clinks with coin. "Thirty pieces of platinum for eliminating the goblin nest. You've done well, and I'll be sure to inform the Baron of your assistance. Now, it's late, so if there is nothing else..." Sir Eren excuses himself.
The next day dawns bright and clear once again. The morning's events are archery and wizardry, with staves and more jousts in the afternooon.
Andaris makes a modest bow to Sir Eren . He replies, "We are glad to have been of some service. The controlling of such unpleasant neighbours is an important task, and we hope we have earned the trust you placed in us."
"Furthermore, I fully suspect that there is more to these hobgoblins than meets the eye, they were well trained and coordinated - far beyond what I expected from seeing goblins in my homeland. We will be prepared to give further assistance should there prove to be more trouble."
Andaris then heads back toward where Iluna and Gonan were staying for the evening. Seeing the two sitting together in the inn Andaris says, "Looks like the two of you are getting cozy, mind if I join you?"
With their approval, Andaris sits down and shares the tale of what happened with the hobgoblins. He then inquires about what Iluna and Gonan have kept themselves busy with, specifically asking about the days events and details about tomorrow's events.
When the conversation seems to have died down, Andaris excuses himself and heads off to get some sleep.
Iluna and Gonan return to the inn in town, making their way through the streets under a starlit sky.
"This is where I am staying. Hopefully there is a room for you."
They talk to the innkeeper and Iluna is able to rent a small room on the 2nd floor.
...Tired, but not quite fully ready for sleep, Iluna and Gonan take a seat by the hearth in the common room. Neither of them say anything, too tired for words, and too excited to give up the moment. The thought creeps back into Iluna's mind: Andaris and the knights have yet to return from their venture. It is late, and I do hope nothing has befallen them. 'tis often dangerous to venture abroad at night...
Just then the door to the inn opens. The noise startles Iluna, and she realizes she has dozed off somewhat, her head leaning on Gonan's shoulder. Then she hears a familiar voice:
"Looks like the two of you are getting cozy, mind if I join you?"
Iluna is delighted to hear Andaris' voice again. She gets up off the couch and goes to give the brave adventurer a childish hug. "You've returned," she says, letting her voice convey the simple joy that fills her upon saying those words to one whom she hopes she can call 'friend.' "We were so very worried about you, when you did not return for the evening festivities. We thought mayhaps you had gotten lost. I trust all things are well with you? Where are the others?"
...
When all have said their piece, and the tales of each been told of the day, Iluna says goodnight to all and heads upstairs to her room. Laying her head upon the pillow she instantly falls into slumber. The excitement of the day has worn her out thoroughly, and now that all has been set right she can rest easy. With that, her sleeping mind begins to wander, and through the festival grounds do her dreams take her, recounting the days festivities in contented merriment.
"Looks like the two of you are getting cozy, mind if I join you?"
Hearing Andaris speaking, Gonan looks up, seeing his standing towards the entryway of the inn. His clothing seems singed and his face is weary from the days activities. After Iluna's excited welcome back and hearing that the others are safe as well, Gonan speaks. "You look quite tired, come, sit, rest for a bit." They sit and talk beside the hearth, hearing about each other's successes and close calls. Iluna leaves first, then Andaris. Seeing no reason to stay up later than he already had, Gonan heads up to his room. I never though that this would be how my first day at a festival would be. What other surprises might this place and these people hold? Gonan writes down his thoughts in his journal. Once he is satisfied, he locks the door, lies down in bed with his fox curling up at his feet and falls asleep.
Cantrips: Resistance, Flare, Daze, Ghost Sound
1st level: Snapdragon fireworks, mage armour, shield, vanish
After that long day of fighting Kaid'an goes back to the festival and back the the baker. He has a agreement with him that he is not going to break. He says his goodbyes to the Andaris and Mihail and give the details of meeting them again tomorrow. They have much to sell and 30 pieces of platinum to divide. That is an easy spilt though. He travels back with the baker and gets a good night sleep. He needs to be ready for the archery contest tomorrow.
Mihail brushes down Lanfarnesse, and heads to bed. Maybe he could persuade Andaris or Kaid'an to offload all the loot they hauled back. But... That quest is for tomorrow.
"Big day, huh Lanny my boy?" Mihail grins tiredly at his favourite mount, and pats him softly on the neck.
"Let's see what tomorrow brings, eh?"
Townsfolk and visitors alike flock back to the tournament grounds, ready for more entertainment. Kaid'an helps Garren the baker bring his goods back to the refreshments tent, as promised.
You arrive back at the field, ready for the day’s events. The wizardry and archery competitions are both scheduled for the morning. First is the wizard’s display contest, as it draws a large crowd. Once the spell duels begin, the archery contest will start up.
At the western field, a round area approximately 200 feet in diameter has been roped off for the spell duels. A herald greets the crowd, telling them to prepare for a death-defying display of wizardry. The winner of the contest, it is announced, will receive a Necklace of Fireballs (Type II). All entrants are asked to speak with a clerk to register, so they may prepare the duel pairings during the display contest. Gonan spots Anna in line, who waves back. There seem to be about a dozen mages in line.
A hush falls over the crowd as a figure dressed in faintly-glowing robes walks briskly to the center of the field. By the whispers of the crowd, you pick up that this is the Baron’s court mage. He reaches into the pouch at his waist and begins chanting. Twenty seconds later, a burst of light appears in his palm, fading away as it expands to encompass the duelling ring. The court mage nods at the herald, then rushes off back towards the castle.
Once registration is complete, the herald lists the rules of the contest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
South of the lists, the archery range has been set up, with three brightly-painted targets spread to the west, so the morning sun will not be in the shooters’ eyes.
Two pages haul a large barrel of arrows and place it near a line scratched into the dirt. At least two dozen people show up, ready to try their hand at winning the efficient quiver and 10 magical +1 seeking arrows promised to the winner.
The first contestant is wearing a holy symbol of Erastil. Walking up to the line, the herald gives him a nod to begin. He doesn’t fire an arrow immediately, but instead grasps his holy symbol and casts a spell. He then cooly nocks an arrow and fires it at the most distant target in one fluid motion. The arrow flies perfectly straight, embedding itself in the target. With a smile, he repeats the pattern, casting a spell before firing an arrow. Unfortunately, while the second arrow is on target, it bounces off the wood. The archer’s smile freezes, and he fires his last two arrows at the blue target, one after the other. Both hit, and the second one strikes the bullseye. A relieved smile crosses his face, as his finishes with a passable 5 points.
The next few contestants perform poorly, missing distant targets and failing to get bullseyes on the nearest one. The best score is from one farmer who pragmatically shoots exclusively at the blue target, scoring six hits.
Eight contestants in, a woman dressed in flamboyantly colourful traveller’s clothes, complete with cape and feathered hat, steps up to the line. Barely pausing to aim, she launches all six arrows in less than twenty seconds, firing pairs in rapid succession. Her first four firmly embed themselves in the blue target, but she fires the last two at the red. The first shot is true, but lacks the power to stick in the wood, while the second flies wide. With a bow and a flourish, she steps back into the line of archers.
The next dozen archers all attempt to outdo the woman, but none of them are able to score the hits required. The crowd sighs in commiseration as one archer gets within two points, but has his last shot bounce off the green target.
Kaid’an is up next. 10 points is the current record, and there are five archers after you.
Andaris wakes up refreshed, he slept deeply after being exhausted the previous night. Remembering that this morning holds both the wizardry display contest and magical duels, Andaris resolves to try his hand at both. While he feels unsuited to either task as a practitioner of the divine arts, his success with the hobgoblins has given him the confidence to try at anything coming his way. 'After all of that hand-to-hand combat, it will be refreshing to give my spirit some exercise!'
Meditating, Andaris allows his mind to brush against the void, carefully holding his consciousness separate from the madness around him. Within he grasps the knowledge of spells which should be useful for the coming day, 'fire to burn, stone to shatter, chaos to dazzle. This will be a fine day for spellcasting.'
Returning his full awareness to the material plane, Andaris sets off to register himself for the display contest and wizardry.
Approaching the herald, he states, "I am Andaris of Tian Xia, I wish to be registered as a divine practitioner for the spell contests." The conversation with the herald is short but satisfactory, and so Andaris gathers with the other participants to await his turn.
While he is waiting, he sees the Baron's court mage cast a peculiar spell over the field.
Seeing Gonan in the crowd, Andaris walks over to greet him, "Good day to you Gonan! I trust you had a fine sleep, it is a clear and wonderful morning for the magical arts. Have you any idea what the baron's mage cast over the field? Surely it was not a divine sanctification or I would have recognized it."
Indeed, Andaris fails to identify the effects of the spell.
The spell seems to convert deadly force into non-lethal damage within its area of effect. It's probably designed for spell duels, and was likely researched independently for this express purpose.
Mihail wakes up refreshed and relaxed.
Hmmm, I'll need to sell these extra weapons, as well as talk to Baron Wylder. I suppose that should be first.
Mihail gets ready for this new day, and then proceeds to search for Baron Wylder's pavilion.
Stopping a passing page, Mihail asks him if he knows where Sir Eren's tent is.
"Excuse me, could you direct me to Sir Eren's tent?"
"Excuse me, could you direct me to Sir Eren's tent?"
The young page gives you a strange look. "Sorry sir, but Sir Eren has no tent. He stays at the castle. I think he's there now, in some sort of meeting."
------------------------
The wizardry display contest starts off with a young witch, her raven familiar perched on her shoulder. She strides into the center of the roped-off arena and bows to the crowd. With a sudden WHOOSH, a curtain of purple flame erupts from her hands, the fire turning blue before dispersing in a cloud of green sparks. The display seems nothing special, but the crowd is impressed nonetheless at the magic.
The next competitor is a nicely-dressed gentleman. He pulls out a pinch of coloured sand and tosses it into the air. Pulsing rainbow light erupts from his upraised hand, filling the air where the sand was. The spell is bright and beautiful, but the trained mages can tell that the man didn't quite manage to pull off what he tried.
Anna is next, and with a wink at Gonan she points a finger upwards. A trail of sparks and smoke erupt from her finger, climbing high into the sky. With a loud roar, the spark erupts into a large dragon, which dives towards the crowd before looping back up and exploding. The crowd gasps at the display before bursting into cheers.
Anna passes Gonan on her way back to the waiting area. "Not the best I could have done, but not too bad, do you think?"
The next two competitors seem like amateurs, failing to provide much of a display and barely tweaking their base spells. Nobody is very impressed.
Andaris is up next.
Andaris tumbles into the arena, doing a set of simple backflips and somersaults to reach the centre. There, he throws open wide his arms and turns around, assessing the onlookers.
Failing to get a clear sense of the audience's desires, Andaris decides to display something with both beauty and terror. "Behold, the ancient dragons of Tian Xia!"
Summoning an orb of chaotic energy around him , Andaris causes brilliant colours to whirl and spin around him. As he shapes the spell, each colour separates from the chaos and forms a small dragon. Hundreds, if not thousands, of rainbow coloured dragons swirl around the Aasimar cleric until the dragons suddenly soar away from Andaris and fade away, ending the spell.
With a flourish, Andaris bows low to the ground before the audience and awaits their judgement.
The crowd gapes at the demonstration, clearly thrilled.
A tall sorcerer strides into the arena next, an imperious scowl on his face. With a gesture, a rivulet of liquid flame starts pouring upward from the ground, curling lazily into the air. The sorcerer snaps his fingers, and the flame begins flowing faster and wider. The river of fire flows upward, dives back down, and flows around the sorcerer in a whirl of orange light. The flow of flame weaves a net around him, blocking the man from sight entirely. The fire stops flowing, and the mesh encircling the sorcerer changes colour from orange to yellow to blinding white. With a crack, the shell of fire discharges, flooding outwards before cutting off at a safe distance from the crowd. The sorcerer walks off without a word.
The next contestant fails to effectively pull off his attempt to shape his spell, and the crowd is not impressed.
After that, a wizard performs an excellent adjustment of an obscuring mist spell, but he does not appeal well to the crowd.
Gonan is up next.
Iluna wakes the following day to sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the shutters of her window. She gets dressed and heads downstairs to the common room, to find that it is quite empty. It seems everyone has returned to the fair grounds. She realizes she has slept quite late, and after paying the innkeeper for the night she hurries off to the wizard tournament.
The competition is already underway by the time she takes her seat, and she watches the displays of magic with wonder. After a few performances she sees Andaris head onto the field. I did not realize he was a spellcaster, she thinks to herself and watches with rapt attention, curious as to what he has hidden up his sleeve. What sorts of magic might a healer know that the students of the arcance might overlook? She is impressed with his speech, and then dazzled by the colourful display. She applauds gaily with the audience as his performance comes to its culmination.
Once Andaris finishes his bow he walks off the stage, glad for the applause. He makes his way over to where he saw Iluna sitting in the audience, to make conversation. Andaris makes sure to stop briefly and give gratitude to those who saw his performance and gave him praise for it.
Coming up to where she is seated, he says, "A joyful morning to you Iluna. I hope your dreams were sweet this night, we certainly faced an unusual... series of events yesterday. How are you feeling?"
Iluna is genuinely happy to see Andaris again. "I am well," she says, warmly, "I slept peacefully, perhaps more-so than I have in a while, as the sun was already high when I woke. Your display was most magnificent." she adds.
The next contestant makes (his/her) way onto the field. "I do not mean to pry, but you are a cleric, are you not?" she asks cautiously.
Andaris smiles warmly at the compliment, and Iluna can notice a faint wrinkling around his eyes. It is as if Andaris is older than his vigour would suggest. He replies, "Thank you, Iluna. It may surprise you, but I was not sure the display was something I could pull off. My strength has not always been in the magical arts, it is something I have come into later in my life. Cleric? Not as you would imagine it, no." Leaning in close to Iluna, such that any casual observer would be unable to hear, Andaris explains, "I draw my power from a forgotten god, a well of power without purpose or intent. It is with this power that I seek to the work of divine good in the world; to bring goodness into this land and that of my home is my highest ambition."
Speaking gently, Andaris empathizes, "Perhaps I sense something similar with you. You seem... uncomfortable with your art, if you don't mind me saying so. Did you not desire to prove your skill in this competition? I believe that the best way to grow is through trial and triumph. Having power in this world gives you a responsibility to do the most good you can, no matter the personal sacrifice. I suppose what I am trying to say is that I was frightened yesterday evening, we nearly lost ourselves in the battle. I need your strength at my side in this fight against the darkness we both envisioned."
Gonan wakes up in the morning and looks around his surroundings. Reading the last page in his journal he is reminded of everything that happened the day before and wonders how he managed to get himself tangled with these new companions. As he prepares himself mentally for the coming mage duels, he draws a Phoenix winding around his face, going over it multiple times with fire ink. Donning his cloak and keeping the hood high around his face he heads out of the inn towards the wizard contest grounds.
As Gonan sees Anna in the line, he gives a little wave before returning his focus to the upcoming competition. After signing up for the competition, he joins Andaris on the edges of the field.
"The spell seems to be a large area ward, making any injuries less severe than they would be otherwise. Swords give minor cuts, arrows only bruise, and magic doesn't cause any lasting harm."
As Andaris takes his turn, Gonan takes a spot on the edge of the crowd, and watches his brilliant display, approving of the use of the dragons. Just as Andaris is finishing his spell, Anna walks by and Gonan whispers to her "You did quite good, Good use of the firework spell."
Hearing that it is his turn, he begins walking slowly onto the field. His hood is drawn to cover his face, so that nothing can be seen but a faint glow. Taking his place in the centre of the field, he keeps his face in the shadow of the hood, but reveals the glowing designs underneath.
"We have come to know the safety of our towns and our festivals, but nowhere is safe from the mighty Phoenix!"
With that he releases a firework straight towards the thickest crowd viewing the competition. It screeches as the form of the phoenix opens it's wings and flies just over the heads of those watching, only to return towards Gonan. as it approaches, it circles him three times, rises up and dives towards him. It explodes where Gonan was standing and he is nowhere to be seen.
He reappears beside Iluna and Andaris a minute after his display is finished. "Good morning Iluna." He says while trying to catch his breath.
Castle. Right. Damn it.
Mihail sighed as he began the long walk to the castle.
After being let inside, Mihail shakes the hand of the doorman.
"Excuse me, could you direct me to Sir Eren's rooms please?" Mihail asked the door man politely.
One must always treat the servants with respect, as they are the ones who do the actual work. A staff that despises you will go out of their way to harm and hinder you.
"I draw my power from a forgotten god, a well of power without purpose or intent. It is with this power that I seek to the work of divine good in the world; to bring goodness into this land and that of my home is my highest ambition."
"Perhaps I sense something similar with you. You seem... uncomfortable with your art, if you don't mind me saying so. Did you not desire to prove your skill in this competition? I believe that the best way to grow is through trial and triumph. Having power in this world gives you a responsibility to do the most good you can, no matter the personal sacrifice. I suppose what I am trying to say is that I was frightened yesterday evening, we nearly lost ourselves in the battle. I need your strength at my side in this fight against the darkness we both envisioned."
Iluna is silent for a while after Andaris finishes. His words give her much to consider, and she is not wholly comfortable with his sudden display of faith in her confidence. It is... unsettling. She has not experienced anything like this before. Even if they have shared some brief time together, she does not yet feel fully certain in his trust.
At length she finally responds in kind with lowered voice and hushed words, hoping that maybe for once it will be best to follow her desire to lean on someone who shares her burden. "Andaris, you are more wise than I, and for certain you know more of this world than I do. And you understand that there are powers beyond our mortal existence - for good or ill - that make their presence known to us through acts of wonder. I believe I have something to share with you."
Taking a deep breath she continues. "I don't really know how to say this. It always sounds wrong when I try to describe it. I was... born, with my... abilities. More than that, I do not even know who I was before I came into the care of the Dark Brothers. They found me in the woods when I was but a child, or so I am told. I have no knowledge of where I came from or whom I belong to. The only thing I know is that I have these powers-" and here she holds out a glowing hand, tiny motes of light dancing in her palm, "-powers that I know not whether they were given to me by chance or destiny. Certainly I know that with them I have already caused tremendous harm to certain individuals, but that I was used to do so against my own knowledge - and I would make that wrong right. But I know also of this Darkness of which you speak, and know that it must be stopped, whatever it is."
She allows her tone to become solemn as well, honoring the gravity of the words she and Andaris have shared. "I will help you, in whatever way I can, to end this coming nightmare. Just promise me one thing, Andaris. Promise me you will not let our powers be used for evil."
<<<>>>
Iluna watches as Gonan steps onto the field. Her heart leaps up in her throat in excitement. She hopes earnestly that he will do well, proud to know that in some small way she helped him prepare for this event. She does not go disappointed. The bright ruby-red phoenix bursts forth from his hands. She cries out in surprise, then applauds gaily as it wheels over head and flies back to its master. Then the majestic conjuration of living flame encircles the wizard and both he and the bird vanish in a column of smoke and flame. Iluna laughs and laughs, delighted in Gonan's performance. "Wasn't that spectacular?" she says to Andaris, positively beaming. Then remembering Adaris was also competing, she quickly adds "of course yours was just as good. Just as good..."
"Excuse me, could you direct me to Sir Eren's rooms please?" Mihail asked the door man politely.
"I'm terribly sorry, sir, but Sir Eren is attending a meeting of the Baron's council, and they are not to be disturbed," the doorman responds in kind.
"Ah. I am here because Baron Wylder and Sir Eren asked me to take care of a sensitive matter. Would it be too much trouble to ask them if they have time to see me?"
"They're not to be disturbed," the doorman repeats in a firmer tone. "They are in what I'm told is a fairly important meeting, and I'm not about to interrupt that because a stranger asks me to."
Kaid'an steps up the begin the contest. He is nervous but take a breath to try and calm himself down. He takes aim at the first target. "No need to get fancy. Start off easy and work your way up."
Hit. The arrow sticks and Kaid'an has earned himself one point. "Okay, you can do this. Time for the next target."
"Miss, dam it. Doesn't matter. Remain clam and fire again."
Hit, and the arrow stuck. Good job man. Ration of three go back to the easy target."
"Another point." Kaid'an looks to the farthest target. It is worth so many points. Maybe he can? Hit that one and win the contest. What does he have to lose?
His pride apparently, a complete miss. That poor shot gets a chuckle out of our hero. "Don't be stupid. Back to the second target."
"Hit! Not bad for a kid. I am no ranger but I am happy with that showing."
Sod this for a game of conkers. Well, if they want a debriefing they can come to me.
Mihail sighs and returns to his tent to gather up the looted weapons.
After spending a few minutes looking around for a blacksmith or other weapon vendor, Mihail approaches a sturdy-looking man in a leather apron.
"Excuse me good sir, but are you a purveyor of weaponry? I seem to have come into a surplus.."
He reappears beside Iluna and Andaris a minute after his display is finished. "Good morning Iluna." He says while trying to catch his breath.
"Oh!" Iluna exclaims as Gonan suddenly materializes beside them. "Good morning Gonan. That was a very impressive display. The judges must surely be watching you. How are you feeling about the wizard duels? Are you quite prepared?"
Kaidan shoots well, but not well enough to win. After the final few competitors shoot, he is tied for second place.
The herald declares that to break the tie, both competitors will shoot again, with the second-place prize of five screaming arrows and 500 gp in the balance. The third-place prize is five +1 arrows and 250 gp.
The other man is chosen to shoot first.
Feeling the pressure to score well, he fires his first arrow at the most distant target. The aim is true, but fails to dig into the wood. He tries again, but this time misses.
Sweat beading on his forehead, Kaid’an’s opponent switches aim to the middle target. The crowd gasps as he manages to hit the bullseye, and a relieved smile crosses the archer’s face. Encouraged, he shoots once more at the red target, but fails to hit.
With two shots remaining, he tries for the green target again, but narrowly misses. Taking his last arrow, he shoots the closest target, scoring a hit.
Kaid’an is called back to the mark.
Kaid'an steps up to the mark. "He hit a bull eye's. Hmmmm... I know part of hitting it is luck but still. Okay time to beat ten. Couldn't do it last time but many this time." Kaid'an take aim and the first target but decided against against it. "Time to be bold. Animal focus he we go."
"Hit! Time to go for it again."
"6 points. Only need 5 more points."
"Well, nope. Same target, I still need 5 more points."
"Two more points." The third target catches Kaid'an's eye. "Time to prove myself."
Kaid'an starts laughing. "Yes!" Kaid'an does a little fist pump. He quickly regains his centre and finishes by targeting the first target. He has won already so go easy for the last one.
Kaid'an is announced as the winner of the second-place prize, and is awarded the five screaming arrows and a pouch containing 50 platinum coins.
Gonan’s display dazzles everyone, and he clearly scores the highest in the display contest. The crowd’s whoops and cheers sound long after he vanishes from sight.
Some of the crowd drifts away to go watch the archers, but still more arrive, drawn by Gonan’s fiery artistry.
A group of robed mages push through the crowd, looking a little out of breath. The herald nods to them, and indicates they are the judges for the duels. The four judges take a seat in a small pavilion set up for them on the side of the roped-off arena.
The first mages called to duel are the frowning sorcerer and the witch who started off the competition. The two competitors face off from opposite sides of the arena, around 100 feet separating them. Before they begin, the herald reads out the rules.
The wizard duels are held in a round-robin fashion. Each competitor will participate in two duels, with possible tiebreakers after that. Each participant will be graded by the judges on their performance. Victory is highly weighted, but points will also be awarded based on how close it is and how long it takes. Eliminating your opponent with weaker spells or clever wizardry will result in a higher score. A first-round total victory will result in maximum points - winning a 20-round slugfest with 1 hp remaining will be worth considerably less.
The arena is covered with a spell that converts all damage dealt to non-lethal damage. The duels are fought until one party has been prevented from continuing, either via excess non-lethal damage or some other effect that will permanently remove an opponent from combat. Temporary helplessness (eg. colour spray, hold person) will not be grounds for victory. A combatant who leaves the arena will forfeit the match. This is a contest of wizardry - the use of weapons is not allowed, and will result in disqualification.
Aside from that, the combat functions as any other save for the inclusion of duelling counters. Take a look at the link, it explains how that functions.
The two in the arena begin their fight. The witch makes a strange sign and walks forward. The sorcerer also moves closer, watching and waiting. The witch advances again, cackling as she does so. The sorcerer closes the distance between them and unleashes an arc of flame, which the witch stumbles around by merest chance. In return, the witch points a finger at the sorcerer, who turns white as a sheet. He runs as fast as he can away from the witch, who watches, laughing. The sorcerer keeps running, vaulting the rope at the edge of the arena when he reaches it. He comes to his senses seconds after, but it is too late - he has lost the duel.
Gonan is called next, pitted against the well-dressed mage from early in the display contest.
A couple rounds later, Andaris is placed against one of the forgettable entrants in the display contest, a young man in a travel-stained purple tunic.
"Excuse me good sir, but are you a purveyor of weaponry? I seem to have come into a surplus.."
The blacksmith looks over the samples you show him and grunts. "Looks like fairly crude make, all spiky and such too. Might take a bit of work to make them saleable, but I'll take them off your hands." However, when you tell him how many you have, he does a double-take. "I mostly shoe horses and sell farming tools - I'm not gonna be able to move a dozen sets of armour in a couple years!"
Luckily, he is not the only smith in town. Between a half-dozen assorted vendors and metalworkers, you manage to sell all of the equipment you salvaged from your adventure.
"I will help you, in whatever way I can, to end this coming nightmare. Just promise me one thing, Andaris. Promise me you will not let our powers be used for evil."
Andaris looks pained when replying, "I know my power comes at great risk. I promise to be ever vigilant against corruption and madness. I vow that my life will end before I use what I have gained for evil."
Andaris' attention is caught by the screeching form of a phoenix soaring over his head. He let's out a whooping cheer for Gonan and smiles excitedly at Iluna, proud of their mutual friend.
"Wasn't that spectacular? ...Of course yours was just as good!"
Andaris simple laughs and shakes his head, flattered by Iluna but aware of his shortcomings compared to Gonan's spectacular display.
-----Andaris congratulated Gonan wholeheartedly, and awaits his response to Iluna.
-----
Spell Duel:
Andaris bows to his opponent before making the first move.
First turn:
Andaris dashes 30 feet towards his opponent, weaving protective magic around himself as he does so.
Second turn:
Andaris continues charging at his opponent, but ends his movement with a flourish as he draws a great fist of earth from the arena floor and sends it flying precisely at his opponent.
The blow sends his opponent reeling, threatening to stun him.
The fist carries a whiff of the void as well, spreading madness into his opponent's mind.
---
Spell Duel:
Gonan walk onto the field with his cloak drawn high allowing only the glow off of his face to be seen.
First round:
Gonan walks towards his opponent without looking away. He begins to shimmer with protective magic.
Andaris’s opponent matches pace, calling forth a bolt of pure force that hits Andaris in the chest.
Andaris shrugs it off, running closer. His fist of earth clobbers the robed man, stunning him.
----------------
Gonan's foe steps backwards and rolls his sleeves, then casts a spell.
He is casting resistance. You may perform a duelling counter if you'd like.
Gonan now runs towards his opponent, using flame jet once he is close enough.
The well-dressed man deftly whirls as the gout of flame flows over him, avoiding the worst of the blast. Raising a hand, he projects a beam of dazzling light that Gonan easily avoids.
Why are all the smiths so far apart? Selling all this crap is taking too long.
After finally offloading the last of the spoils, Mihail heads to the mead tent.
"I'll have a mug of mead and a sandwich, please."
Mihail then heads off to watch the spell duels.
Now where on earth are the others?
Mihail can spot Andaris on the sidelines, standing with Gonan and Iluna.
"Greetings. What did I miss?" Mihail takes a bite out of his sandwich, chasing it down with a gulp of mead.
Andaris reforms the fist which had shattered against his opponent. He hurls it in a terrible arc back towards the opposing caster, who has barely recovered from the impact of the first blow.
Gonan closes the gap between himself and his opponent, then once again releases a line of fire placing his opponent in the middle of the blast this time.
Kaid'an collects his prize and congratulates the winner. As the people begin moving away his heads over to the magic duels. He is sure that the wizard that he meet yesterday would be there and maybe Andaris too.
Gonan's second blast catches the mage full-on, igniting him. Interestingly, the fire does not seem to burn his clothes or skin, but is obviously causing discomfort.
Wreathed in flames, the man stubbornly presses onwards, casting a spell.
He's casting shocking grasp. You can make a duelling counter if you want. If you don't succeed or choose not to, the spoiler below happens.
The wizard steps closer and, his hand crackling with electricity, delivers a powerful jolt to Gonan.
-----------------------------------
Andaris's second blow thuds into the stunned target, knocking the now-unconscious figure over. A pair of pages dash onto the field and carry the mage out of the ring, where a priest revives the man.
Applause rings from the crowd as Andaris wins his flawless victory. The judges seem impressed.
