Gonan sees the wizard charging up some electricity in his arms, and prepares to counter it with his fire.
Gonan spots the build-up of energy, and manipulates his magical power to counter the other man's spell.
Gonan fires a quick spear of ice towards his opponent's chest, hoping that he will go down with it.
Gonan's attack misses as the man pivots away. Still on fire and visibly flagging, he begins casting yet again intoning the vocal components of a spell as he gestures...
The spell is a scorching ray.
From point-blank range, a beam of fire flies from the well-dressed man's hand, striking Gonan head-on.
Failing to drop his opponent, Gonan's foe collapses as the fires continue to burn. Pages run on to the field and put him out, then carry him off for healing.
After the mage collapses, Gonan walks off the field towards Iluna and Andaris, his skin stinging from the fire, but uninjured. He can be heard muttering as he approaches the group. "I have got to get that spell."
He chats with them as well as Mihail and Kaid'an once they arrive, waiting for the duels to continue.
Andaris replies, "I am certain you will learn how to cast that evocation soon enough Gonan, your skills are remarkable to say the least. You vanquished your opponent with style and efficiency. I feel I have not the same flare for this kind of magic as you have, but it is quite exhilarating nonetheless! It is with great trepidation that I await my upcoming battle."
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Altogether too soon, Andaris is called up to the field. He faces a wizard whose performance in the display contest Andaris could not even recall, 'he must not have had a very memorable display, I suppose'.
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Andaris bows humbly to the audience, taking their applause gracefully and without embarrassment. He is proud of what he has accomplished, but is worried that good fortune accompanied his victories more than did his skill in magic. Departing the arena, he returns to his companions saying, "I am very fortunate my opponent had no training in the art of physical combat, allowing my magic to have a great advantage over him."
"... Great. Now my own allies are ignoring me."
Mihail grimaces sourly, and takes another bite of his sandwich.
Scowling darkly as he watched Andaris' displays, Mihail turns to Iluna.
"So how's your day going?"
I hate talking to merchants. At least the sandwich is good.
"Greetings. What did I miss?"
"Oh, greetings Mihail," Iluna says cheerfully. "You have just missed the first round of the spell duels, and the magic displays before that. You should have seen them - ah - they were absolutely magnificent!" Iluna obviously seems quite excited about this morning's results.
"So how's your day going?"
"Quite well," Iluna says, seeming genuinely happy. She can't help but notice that Mihail does not share her positive demeanour. "Both Gonan and Andaris seem to have done quite well for themselves in the competitions today. Though the tourney is not yet over, I feel they both shall place well."
Changing the subject a bit she asks, "I have not seen your squire, Kai'dan, yet. Was he entered in the archery contest?"
"I think he was planning to, but I haven't heard anything today. I've been so busy chasing people and weapon vendors that this is my first break all morning."
Mihail takes a deep breath to calm himself, and another gulp of mead.
"Did anything happen last night while we were gone?"
Kaid'an reaches the wizards duel and sees the group talking to each other. He joins the conversation starting between Mihail and Iluna. He speaks with a chipper attitude. Today is a good day. "Good day Knight and Lady Iluna? No, lady sounds to formal. Maybe just Iluna. Anyways, I fear I have missed the magic duels tell me who won? They would have been fun to watch."
"We don't know who's winning yet." Gonan speaks briskly, looking between the four others and occasionally back to the duelling field. A soft glow set upon whomever he happens to be looking on at the time. Speaking to Kaid'an he continues. "Andaris had a good fight just now, and I got hit with a fire spell beyond my ability. I'm going to find out what it was and master it." Turning to Mihail, Gonan recalls the previous evening. "Yesterday? Iluna and I entered some competitions, and she took first in both winning splendidly, then we met that mage over there and we traded some spells." he said pointing at Anna who was on the outskirts of the duelling field.
Iluna recalls that Mihail did not stay at the inn, nor did he come by at all in the evening. "Andaris told us you encountered many hobgoblins last night in the canals," she says, "I trust you fared well? Is Lanfarnesse alright?"
Nodding perfunctorily to Gonan, Mihail turns to Iluna.
"Your concern is much appreciated, Iluna. Lanfarnesse is doing quite well. I suspect we shall see just how well in this afternoon's jousts. I hope to enter the lists once again."
Mihail grins in excitement, relishing the idea of the coming challenge.
Andaris is called back to the arena next, to fight another mage that nobody really remembers.
Andaris's foe begins by launching a glowing projectile that thuds into Andaris's chest. He seems disappointed at the lack of effect it has on Andaris.
Gonan's second foe is a man who lacks both familiar and spell component pouch. His faintly pointed ears indicates an elven heritage.
With a shout and a gesture, the half-elf begins casting.
He's casting entangle.
Make a dispel check if you'd like. If you fail or do not attempt, below spoiler occurs.
The trampled grass of the arena suddenly animates around Gonan, twitching and crawling to engulf him.
The sorcerer then begins closing the gap between the two of you.
Frowining, the half-elf backpedals.
Andaris advanced on his opponent, channeling positive energy while he moves forward.
Your foe grimaces, then slowly walks forward.
Andaris closes the gap between them, , then casts Fear on his opponent.
"Beware the power that I command, magician!" Andaris announces boldly as he finishes the spell.
The grass begins to take on a life of it's own, and Gonan is taken un-prepared. By the time he starts moving, it already has a good grip on his ankles. I should really be ready for this kind of thing.
Gonan casts some protective magic, the only visible effect being a slight shimmering around his cloak.
The half-elf moves forward again, standing at the edge of the entangled area.
As Andaris steps closer, the mage begins casting a spell.
Casting ray of frost. Roll to counterspell if you'd like. If you fail or decide not to, below spoiler occurs.
A beam of cold strikes Andaris's face, but his garuda blood shields him from any damage.
---------------------
Andaris's opponent quakes, but does not flee. He tries another spell.
Casting ray of frost again. Roll to counterspell if you'd like. If you fail or decide not to, below spoiler occurs.
The opponent's beam misses Andaris, leaving a trail of condensation as it vanishes.
Andaris is hit full-blast by the icy spell directed at him as he runs forward. However, the cold simply crystalizes against his skin and falls away, leaving not a trace of damage. Andaris dodges to the side of the second spell, and counter-attacks with a mighty fist of the earth. His knowledge of the ancient monk traditions in his homeland allow him to shape the spell and strike towards a stunning point.
Andaris's opponent takes the blow firmly in the chest, the wind knocked out of him. Dropping to his knees, he barely manages to wheeze out, "I give up. You win."
Andaris bows respectfully to his opponent, acknowledging his submission. He then walks up to his opponent and extends his hand, helping the unfortunate wizard up and onto his feet.
"You fought bravely sir, I am honoured to have been your opponent," Andaris says sincerely as the wizard catches his breath.
With that, Andaris turns to the judges and bows deeply before them before making his way out of the arena.
"Thanks," the wizard replies as he takes your hand. he shouts, for the benefit of the crowd and judges.
"I'm pretty new at the magical arts," he admits as you walk off the field. "Looks like I've still got some practice to do." He staggers over to the sidelines to recover.
This is not going to end well if I can't get closer to him... I wonder if this grass will burn?
Gonan uses Fire Jet towards the elf and moves to the end of the burnt greenery.
Gonan casts shield and attempts to break free of the grass.
You figure that anything you burn will probably grow back after a time, and that your jet of flame wouldn't be enough to free you from the plants holding you.
Gonan lets loose a line of fire leading towards his opponent, taking a step forward to where the fire burned a path.
Gonan's flame seems to have incinerated most of the grass in the path, the heat searing the nearby tendrils. The path remains clear for now.
The half-elf circles slowly to your right.
Gonan moves along the now burnt path, stepping back onto the writhing grass to get closer to his opponent.
With none of the flair that was present in the earlier competition, Gonan lets off another burst of fire towards the elf.
As he moves forward, Gonan sees the other caster begin invoking a spell.
He's casting Ray of Frost. Roll to counterspell, if you'd like.
Gonan is struck by a beam of cold.
Gonan lightly dodges the tendrils of animated grass that grab at his feet as he steps back into the entangled area. Aiming his jet of flame, he scorches another path of grass and the enemy mage. The half-elf takes it full-on, his clothing lit aflame, though thanks to the magic of the arena no permanent damage is done to the cloth.
The half-elf fires another icy beam, but it misses. He retreats farther around the entangled area.
The writhing grass begins to re-enter the areas Gonan cleared, regrowing and expanding. Both areas seem to be at the same stage of regrowth - the second flame jet wasn't quite as effective as the first.
Moving over the burnt grass Gonan follows the half-elf, covering him in another burst of flame.
The mage deftly avoids the worst of the fire.
Grimly ignoring the flames still licking at him, the half-elf raises his hands and casts again.
Casting burning hands. Roll to counterspell if you'd like.
A gout of flame sprays over you, but the heat is weak and your time working with fire has dulled you to its effects.
"Ahh, a fire spell, no problem." Gonan takes the burst of flame head on, continuing to walk toward his opponent. he wraps the fire around himself adding to his fiery appearance. Gonan returns a similar burst of flame at the elf.
The half-elf tries to dodge the jet. He really does. However, he is unable to bring forth the energy to move fast enough, and the fiery jet knocks him unconscious.
Once again, pages clear the downed contestant off the field, patting out the flames that sapped his strength.
Gonan stands still while the fire burns itself out, then begins walking towards his companions, slowly at first but getting into a half jog as he exits the duelling ring. "That went well." he says to everyone gathered.
Andaris gives Gonan a wink and says, "you looked awfully tired up there Gonan, your opponents gave you excellent fights. I marvel at my own fortune, encountering two mages who hardly resisted a single spell of mine. Perhaps it is my own power which grows among this conflict."
Anna's first duel ends quickly - with a single scorching ray, her foe is defeated. Her second duel is against the imperious sorcerer, and takes slightly longer. She closes the distance while shrugging off his flames, then delivers an excellently-placed jolt of electricity that knocks him out in one shot.
-------------------
A hush falls over the crowd as the judges pass a sheet of paper to the herald.
"In third place..." the herald calls out, "Anna Bissel!"
Anna waves to the crowd as she walks into the ring to claim her prize: a campfire bead.
"Second: Andaris Menindor!" The herald awards you a 1st-level pearl of power.
"And the master of wizardry in today's competition... Gonan Freidem!"
The crowd roars as he is presented with the grand prize, a necklace of fireballs (type II).
To those with some knowledge of magic, one thing stuck out from the contest - it seemed that no wizards of great power were in attendance. Indeed, it seems Anna was the most powerful one there. No spells above second level were cast by any involved, despite the fact that the visiting lords certainly have more powerful wizards in their retinues.
-----------------------
After all is done, Anna comes over to see Gonan. "Well done. Your fiery bursts seem pretty useful." Anna mimes shooting fire from her hands, grinning. "A bunch of wizards are getting together to trade spells this afternoon. Want to come?"
The time is around noon, and the smell of food from the refreshments tent awakens your hunger.
Entertainers walk among the tents and crowds, putting on impromptu performances and ensuring all have a merry time.
Heralds announce the afternoon events: a tournament of staves in the field where the magic contest was, and more jousts in the lists to the south. This time the nobles are participating, as well as the top performers from the previous day.
Gonan mimes Anna's action for shooting lightning back towards her. "You had some pretty good fire work out there yourself. You really didn't take long to force your opponents to submit." Gonan removes his hood so that the fire ink's glow would soften. "Sure I'll come and trade some spells. Where will you all be? Iluna, Andaris would you join us as well?"
"Sure I'll come and trade some spells. Where will you all be? Iluna, Andaris would you join us as well?"
"We'll be out by the northern end of the field, near the drinks tent, in around an hour. It should be easy to find us - look for a bunch of folks in robes with books. See you then!" With a wave, she heads away, walking in the direction of her tent.
Mihail is once again put out by being ignored so handily.
"Well Kaid'an, shall we kit ourselves for the coming challenges? The coming joust should be quite bracing, wouldn't you say?"
Mihail happily purchases a kebab, a banana, and a meat pie from the refreshment tent.
Andaris spots Mihail departing, and calls to him, "Best of luck in the jousts, master Dan Razvan! Go with my blessings!"
Andaris turns to Gonan and Anna, praising their performances in the magic competitions. He replies to Gonan, "I will admit to more than mild curiosity about the way you arcanists perform magic, but I feel the art will be so foreign to me that I will only embarrass myself by attending. I intend to do battle in the tourney of staves."
"I expect my training as a sweeper of the thousand floors will come in handy," Andaris says with a wink. "In the meantime, let us seek out some nourishment. I wonder if they have any curries at the fair; much of the food in these lands is quite bland to my palette. A fiery lad such as yourself will appreciate the heat, I'm sure!"
Mihail is once again put out by being ignored so handily.
"Well Kaid'an, shall we kit ourselves for the coming challenges? The coming joust should be quite bracing, wouldn't you say?"
Mihail happily purchases a kebab, a banana, and a meat pie from the refreshment tent.
"I agree, they shall be very bracing indeed. We should see if we an join the staves tournament in-between the jousts. While I am much more comfortable with a bow might as well try they melee. To bad cats aren't allowed, I have a feeling that Bagheera would have done very well. Maybe it is for the better, she wouldn't have shared first place the prize with me anyways. At least if you win some gold I still get some."
Mihail nods his agreement as he munches on his food.
"Let's see about getting registered, hmmm? I have a feeling that this afternoon is going to be a lot of fun!"
Mihail smiles widely at his "Squire."
"Sure I'll come and trade some spells. Where will you all be? Iluna, Andaris would you join us as well?"
"I would love to!" Iluna says happily, "Perhaps we can try out a few more fireworks spells? They were so pretty..." Iluna happily joins the wizards, despite not being a wizard herself.
"Will there be time to watch the jousts yet? I wish to cheer from the sidelines."
Gonan is perplexed by Andaris' comment about his training as a sweeper of a thousand floors and how it could possibly be relevant to a staff tournament, but this strange man has many surprises. Hearing the mention of interesting and foreign food, Gonan hears his stomach rumble. "Some food would be good, it's been awhile since breakfast. Let's go see what they have available at the tents" With that he heads towards the food tents with Andaris and Iluna.
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Making your way to the lists again, you are informed that with the nobles now jousting, the rules have been adjusted. Rather than tilting until one horseman is unseated, there will only be three runs, with scores based on the number of lances broken upon the foe’s shield. Should you manage to unseat your foe, you are immediately the victor.
You make three runs. Lances break if you hit the target’s AC. You will make an attack roll to hit the enemy’s shield. AC is as before: 13 + dex, shield focus feat applies.
Should you hit, you may roll a bull-rush attempt to try and knock the opponent out of their saddle, opposed by a Ride check to stay in the saddle.
Each run, you may focus on one facet of your performance:
Aim - Roll twice on attack rolls, but holding steady makes you easier to knock off. Enemy rolls twice on unseat.
Power - Roll twice on unseat, but at a penalty to your accuracy. -4 on attack roll.
Riding - Roll twice to avoid unseating, but reduces your power. Enemy rolls twice to avoid unseat.
Balanced: Roll as normal.
Mihail’s first match of the day is against a tall nobleman in fine plate, whose heraldry displays a black eagle on a red field. His massive black charger paws at the dirt, eager to begin.
From his stance and preparation, you think the other noble is going to focus on his aim this round. Feel free to inform Mihail.
Returning to where the magic duels were, you find the previous arena replaced with a smaller ring, delineated with merely a circle in the dirt. A group of combatants stand around, experimentally twirling staves and stretching. This seems to be a popular event with the townsfolk, as many locals are entering. Spectators group around their favourites, filling the air with chatter.
North, towards the refreshments tent, you can make out the forms of Gonan and Iluna, sitting with a group of robed figures.
A herald calls for the attention of all competitors, then gives the rules of the contest.
The contest is an elimination tournament. Win your match and advance, or lose and be knocked out of the competition.
Contestants enter the ring unarmoured, and unarmed save a quarterstaff. If you lack your own, you can get a cudgel from those supplied. Non-lethal damage only - aiming to kill would be attempted murder, and the spectators will be able to notice the difference.
The ring is 20 feet in diameter. You achieve victory by either forcing your opponent out of the ring or knocking them unconscious.
Use of magic would draw the ire of the crowd, as this contest is sort of a peasant’s sport, but is not technically illegal. A performance combat check must be made when using magical abilities - failure results in the crowd becoming displeased.
Gonan and Iluna easily find a group of wizards sitting on the grass outside the refreshments tent. While most are recognizable from the contest, a few additional mages have joined the group - they number approximately 15. For now, they are conversing in small groups, telling stories and swapping advice.