Player Progression Story The Springtime Scrimmage Tourney

It was a glorious day in spring, with a light breeze as the dozens of spectators filtered into the arena of the Raging Storm Battle Company. Few clouds were in the sky to provide shade for all those filing in, except the private boxed seating that sat on the far side of the arena. Several boxes, three large, and four smaller, sat that with their own private entrance from the back, guarded by paid mercenaries. The bright blue colored was unevenly lined with yellow, and it bent in the brisk breeze. Eventually, after half an hour or so, every area of seating was filled.

Then, from either side of the arena, trooped out all the fighters. Of so many different Cultures and Races that it was certain everyone in the crowd had someone to cheer on (except for the forbidden and vile Kathar). All of these men and women had prepared in the stone corridors and rooms beneath the arena for their time to shine and a number of them did, small flourishes or major pieces of their uniforms and outfits reflecting the early afternoon light.

Once all had trooped up onto the earthen, sand field and stood at attention facing forward to the box, the Tourney Master (a young Ailor male) stood up from the central private box.

“Praise the Spirit for such a lovely day to entertain ourselves everyone! Now I should not desire to waste our time here today, so fighters! Clear the field for the first matchup of Division A, Zzalangua Mu-Yaotl and Orodor Mu-Yaotl!” The man then sat back down and for the rest of the day, would periodically announce the winner with the aid of an on-ground observer (seated at the edge of the formal pit area) while also then announcing the next matchup. Each Division was played through until the Semifinals, at which point combat stopped for the next group.

Division A
First Round

• Match 1: Zzalangua Mu-Yaotl and Orodor Mu-Yaotl were put against each other, much to the annoyance of a portion of the Allar crowd. What was just an attempt to evenly match people was perceived as political commentary on the current Hadar situation, with a few cries in Zasta and Common that the Tourney Master “shouldn’t use the old Regalian strategies” (referring to how for a time on Turmenia, the Regalian Empire used puppet Allar to fight each other and weaken the Race as a whole). As for the two Mu though, to them this was almost more of a training session, if not with a bit more raised stakes. Their fight was an elegant dance...for around six seconds, as Zzalangua suddenly pulled ahead in a series of rapid attacks that knocked his fellow Allar right out of the circle. The observer promptly called the match as Orodor stood up somewhat in a daze, though helped by Zzal after his victory was declared. They both retreated underground down the same tunnel.
• Match 2: Unric Dak-Hammovich and Seraphina von der Ebene were the attempt by the organizers to present some “classical matchups”, the Orc versus the Avanthar, albeit an Imperialized one and a Bloodcast at that. Ultimately though, the Orc crushed her. While her skill in a shield and sword were good, the Orc across from her used his hands in a brutal display, grabbing and ripping away the shield soon into the fight. She fought back, cutting into his arm but moving into her next strike, she was knocked flat onto the ground before he got her into a very painful pin. The observer declared the victor and Unric went off of the field grinning.
• Match 3: Zvaccor Krenna-kos and Zelgius Pavise were perhaps not the best matchup. Zvaccor was a Warran Varran, bulked and large with skills in Unarmed Combat while Zelgius was a Bloodcast, but this one took a bit longer than the other that had just come before. Zvaccor attacked first and knocked the other’s sword out of his hand before getting a shield push in the gut, forcing him back as the man recovered his blade. From here on though, the table remained turned as Zelgius pushed his assault, cutting the Varran in a few spots. At the edge of the circle, a swipe from the other almost batted him out of the zone instead but he turned the move back against the Varran and he was defeated. The Varran went off to get the cuts healed while many Varran in the crowd growled and hissed their disapproval, tails flicking in annoyance.
• Match 4: Mateo Silva and Kaze Takenaka as the final set were perhaps the most equally matched of the Division. The Daendroque Mariposan faced a Half Elven Silven, skilled in the use of Stave Combat. Their battle was a flurry of acrobatic moves, parries and thrusts. Ultimately though, after almost ten minutes by which time the two men were panting and sweating, the observer stepped in to stop them. He applauded their efforts but ultimately gave the win to Mateo. The crowd cheered while a brief bit of flirtation passed from the Silven to his combat companion during the din, largely a joking line about all their sweat and skills with poles and swords. They ultimately went their separate ways (though the guards might be very interested in “speaking” with a Silven above ground considering the ban).

Quarterfinals

• Quarterfinal 1: Zzalangua Mu-Yaotl and Unric Dak-Hammovich’s match showed how muscles could defeat acrobatics. While the Mu-Allar tried to cut the other’s fists and arms, he earned a hard kick in the thigh, forcing him to a knee. In this position, he slashed with his blade and managed to cut the other but he ultimately earned no more than that when a full, skullrattling punch nailed the side of his head, collapsing him back as he saw stars. Unric was again exhaulted and Zzalangua was taken away to recover even as he hissed out “Ooooooo such pretty lights…” in Zasta.
• Quarterfinal 2: Zelgius Pavise and Mateo Silva, both Ailor, fought each other ferociously. Mateo, with his speed got the first strike in but it was ultimately parried away, with Zelgius then pushing in. At the very end though, despite Mateo sending the other stumbling back, the observer called it in favor of Zelgius, for his opening deflection and ultimately larger number of attacks.

Division B
First Round

• Match 1: Gregor Vigier and Acar Skunkellar, the two Half-Orc males in the Tourney were put across from each other. Acar was watched from near the tunnel downward by his father, the imposing Vrek and the young Half-Orc was clearly worried. He nedenned have been because what followed was a good ol’ slugging match, each man hitting the other back and generally performing equally for several minutes. It was only at the end that Gregor got a real wallop in, the blow to the other’s face knocking him down on the ground. The observer promptly declared the older Half-Orc Gregor the victor though Acar was walked off by his proud father.
• Match 2: Veronika Eliopolous and Matthew Patterson came into the arena to many crowd mutters. Another Half-Race competitor, and a Noble at that, most socially concerning. Ultimately they looked to be a mismatch, Veronika weilding a Quarterstaff while an Arming Sword was strapped to her side. Matthew on the other hand, had bandage wrapped hands, ready to lay down some punches with his Unarmed Combat Skill. Matthew got the upper half for the first half of the fight, moving first and succeeding in throwing the other to the ground but only for a moment as she leapt up, removing her sword as her Quarterstaff now lay in the dirt. She got a good hit in, cutting his shorts-clad legs but his next action essentially ended the match. He managed to get a grip on her and wrestled her into the dirt. The observer promptly declared him the winner.
• Match 3: Joasaie Lloablen and Alathiniel Saelanan were up next and oh what a matchup. One, a Yanar with excellent skills in use of the Stave while the other was heavily focused on the use of that most exotic and exclusive combat system, Altalar weaponry. But in the beginning, to the horror of most Altalar watching and the great personal annoyance of Alathiniel, the Yanar experted moved and beat back their opponent, scoring a good whack to the side of his head with their Stave pole. There was a brief lull and then they were back at it, furiously fighting and roughly equal in their combat until Joasaie again got the upper hand, managing to disarm their opponent. The observer declared a victory to the Yanar and the entire crowd surged in sounds, largely positive but others stating the Yanar had clearly just taken the Essence of some Orc before the match to get the needed strength.
• Match 4: Vrek Skrunkellar and David Markison stepped up next, to a laughably short fight. David, relatively unskilled compared to the bruiser he faced, used his Spiked Flail in vain against the other only to have it ripped from his hands and the next blow to put him out cold. A stirring and rapid display of Orc prowess, Vrek was declared the winner.

Quarterfinals

• Quarterfinal 1: Matthew Patterson and Gregor Vigier’s fight wasn’t a wash by any means, but the Half Orc was still feeling the pain from the previous pummeling he’d gotten and been dishing out to his fellow Half Orc. Matthew on the other hand, came off of his fight without much of a pounding. As a result, when the two got down to the fight, Matthew led for much of it. For a moment though, the two found themselves locked together, sweat forming, teeth gritted, equals...but then, Matthew broke this tie and down Gregor went, onto his back, prompting the observer to call it in the favor of Matthew.
• Quarterfinal 2: Vrek Skrunkellar and Joasaie Lloablen was thought by many to be another example of muscle defeating delicacy. Unfortunately, they couldn’t have been more wrong. With his son Acar watching, Vrek proceeded to get embarrassed by the smaller Yanar, who dodged and weaved a powerful dance. Once, the male knocked them off balance with his War Club and maybe he could have gained the upper hand, but he was still defeated when the observer called it in favor of the Yanar. His son jokingly said as they walked off “You let a plant beat you dad?” He looked back and simply replied “That ain’t just any plant…” and then they continued on away out of earshot.

Division C
First Round

• Match 1: Jazzousz Mu-Yaotl and Azzidi Sa-Yaotl was yet another matchup to earn the ire of Allar in the crowd, some of the hired mercenaries for the event who served as guards having to get into the stands and seperate a brief fistfight between a female Mu-Allar and a male Ailor. Jazz and Azzidi meanwhile, watched on awkwardly. Eventually, after this matter was settled, the two got down to their fight, the Mu-Allar using a blade while the Sa-Allar used his brute strength. Unfortunately for Azzidi, his opponent was also well schooled in Unarmed Combat and so what had first seemed like a quick match between a bruiser and a lightweight turned into a desperate dancing wrestling match. To the shock of many, it was ultimately Jazzousz who was declared the winner, the observer mentioning that it might literally have been a toss up if not for a final move or two when he’d been judging them. The two Allar parted amicably, once again, down the same tunnel like the other Allar matchup before them.
• Match 2: Brucellar Brem’vellenor and Sibÿllad Lykke were quite an interested pair. One, wielding a massive weapon and standing tall in her Half-Orcishness while the other was shorter, with two unique Khoptar blades in hand. When their match began, Sibÿllad moved first, and continued in a brutal push forward. Her Sihndar opponent was sadly not used to this kind of weapon and while near the end, he did get a good cut in on the other’s arm, he found himself hit hard and knocked to the ground. The Half Orc was declared the winner while the Sihndar was helped up by an attendant who left with him in tow to be treated down below.
• Match 3: Thalion Amlugonnen and Rennalon Vagret as combatants were interesting. The Altalar Silven wielded and was highly proficient with a Stave while his Avanthar opponent wielded two hand axes, the two ultimately another “classic” matchup of brawn and muscle versus delicacy and grace. Ultimately without a horse, the Avanthar was largely out of his element. Thalion was persistent and dangerous, ultimately stabbing the other Nelfin in the leg causing him to fall back onto the ground, promptly resulting in the match being called. Thalion was victorious and his opponent went off to join the Sihndar below.
• Match 4: H’renar Golthos and Maximilian Tyrannian’s matchup was almost a verbatim repeat of what had just come before. Despite clearly being more “civilized” and likely not fresh from Daen, H’renar’s skills with Avant Axes failed to defeat the Bloodcast’s moderate skills with an Arming Sword. The Avanthar ultimately found himself soundly defeat and dearmed, resulting in him yielding and the Ailor declared a victor.

Quarterfinals

• Quarterfinal 1: Jazzousz Mu-Yaotl and Sibÿllad Lykke’s matchup was once again very similar to how the other Allar on giant muscle opponent had gone. Despite Jazz ultimately dropping his blade by the end of the fight in favor of a purely hands-on approach, it was already too late. He’d been losing the whole match and though he got a good punch in, the next throw put him half out of the ring and the match was called in favor of Sibÿllad.
• Quarterfinal 2: Thalion Amlugonnen and Maximilian Tyrannian were not equally matched. Within but a minute, Thalion was standing over a disarmed and dazed Maximilian, who had been tripped backward and hard, wacking his head into the sandy earth. He’d be alright, and was helped to his feet, but likely needed some rest...and some ice. Thalion was declared the winner.

Division D
First Round

• Match 1: Camilla Moreno and Alexander Donsly were yet another Avanthar-Bloodcast match up, a shout from the crowd stating “How original!” and earning jeers of agreement. But unlike the others, this Avanthar chose to fight with a Blade against her foe and so the fight was a fierce sword duel that soon killed all the calls for “better matches”. It was a good back and forth, Camilla in the lead for a time before Alexander took the initiative and pressed in closer but ultimately, she countered with several hard swings that forced him into a stumble. The observer declared Camilla the victor and there was applause.
• Match 2: Leopold Rote and Damian Black were an...interesting matchup, given one was Heartlander and the other a Colonial, very much unlikely to get along well. Of course, both were Nobles, and if they actually got along well was ignored by the crowd, who cheered both for a Black being on the sands and for an exciting bit of drama! What they got instead was a largely one-sided duel of swords. Rote just seemed unable to counter Black efficiently and within a few minutes, he found himself pushed out of the circle, and Damien declared the winner.
• Match 3: Oberon Emrynn Aedirn and Isellenos’ya Parvessorti were both Altalar but focused on very different weapons. Oberon used Heavy Weapons while Isellenos’ya was an expert in the classic Altalar weapons. Despite Oberon having 20+ years on his competition, the agility and finesse of the other won out. He did score one blow, and perhaps could have turned the tide but she was up on her feet within mere seconds of the knockdown. Ultimately, Isellenos’ya was declared the winner.
• Match 4: Hijna’cieli Lev’illja and Liam as a matchup once again showed you shouldn’t judge a plant by it’s pretty colors. The “man” looked like a walking flower garden, with flowers galore in his hair and even on his body. Liam was also deceptively old, thanks to his Yanar abilities, and so while he appeared to be in his 20s, he was actually 90. The Maritime Altalar could not catch a break, perhaps having underestimated him or being thrown off by such bright colors flashing by. Within a minute, she had been disarmed and forced to concede to the other, much to the anger of the Altalar in the audience. Another Altalar beaten by a Yanar, were they all Estel Worshippers, helping to exult these living vegetables?? That area of the crowd got a bit ugly though it calmed as both contestants went back beneath the earth.

Quarterfinals

• Quarterfinal 1: Camilla Moreno and Damian Black fought well overall, but Camilla ultimately failed to defeat her opponent. Both using blades, Damian’s rapid strikes ground her down but at the end, she gave one final push with her shoulder that made the middle-aged man stumble back. However, time was declared, and with it, Damian as the winner.
• Quarterfinal 2: Isellenos’ya Parvessorti and Liam’s match went wildly. Both competitors moved like people possessed in a fierce and aggressive fashion, their weapons of wood on blade and poleblade against shield a sight that might have brought some of the oldest Altalar to a bit of tears, remembering good ol’ days of youthful fighting. But ultimately, the Yanar’s flowers proved his downfall as in an unorthodox move, the female Altalar suddenly reached out and yanked on the plant hair, tearing away several flowers in the process. Liam gave a loud yell and a wince, promptly being defeated by a body check. The observer looked at Isellenos’ya witheringly but declared her the winner, citing the fact that the Yanar could just grow it back with a magic seed or something as justification for not addressing the questionably legal hair pulling.

The crowd was ecstatic some of the time, others times not so much, but might have observed a variety of things on their periphery of view. For one, the private seating was clearly being pestered as despite the main box and a few others with Regalian nobles or upper class citizens within, the rest constantly seemed to have to be dealing with a guard presence. In one box, a man with a light hood found it removed, revealing himself as a Shindar which sent a stir through the closest area of the audience until the guards told them it wasn’t a Kathar. They escorted him outside for a time and he eventually returned, clearly cross and redonning the hood for a bit before the insults he was getting finally drove him to angrily leave. Next one of the larger boxes was seemingly breached by guards, with shrill and irritated noises coming out of it, but in this case the guards backed off, the woman within clearly Ithanian with her eccentricity of dress and her aggressively waved fan.

By the time of the semifinals though, the boxes had largely quieted down though the audience had gotten louder. Most of the Ailor had been knocked out in the first Matches of each Division, leaving only two (Matthew Patterson and Damian Black) against a bevy of exotic non-Humans.

Semifinals
The first matchup was Unric Dak-Hammovich against Zelgius Pavise and it proceeded to be fairly even. The bruiser Orc threw some good punches that struck Zelgius the Bloodcast off balance but he returned in equal ferocity slashes and twists out of moves. By the end of the match, the two had been wrestled onto the ground by Unric though he was suddenly knocked by the other’s sword pommel. The hard hit from the metal dazed him and so Zelgius scrambled to his feet to stand panting and victorious over the other. The Bloodcast was victorious, and Unric was taken off to go clear his head.

Then came Matthew Patterson against Joasaie Lloablen. Here though, Unarmed Combat proved useless weak against the other’s Stave stabs and hits. Despite being stabbed in the shoulder a few moments before, the Ailor man gave a brave fightback, grabbing the shaft and violently yanking it closer which put Joasaie’s position in jeopardy. However, with a tug back, the Yanar had it again and Matthew stumbled, being forced to submit on his knees with the metal end of the Atraves Stave pointed at him. Joasaie was the winner.

Next, Sibÿllad Lykke and Thalion Amlugonnen stepped into the sand. It was a heavy weapon versus the rapid and versatile Stave. To the shock of most, likely Sibÿllad herself, within but a minute once again, she found herself disarmed. However, she then lunged forward for some Unarmed Combat onto to be wacked in the face, then slashed on the leg and sent stumbling backwards, far enough that the observer declared Thalion the victor.

Finally, Damian Black was faced by Isellenos’ya Parvessorti. He fought valiantly against such an opponent but the crowd grew a bit uneasy, remembering the recent war against the Altalar Princedoms. Would this be a clear demonstration of Altalar skill as granted by their long life? Oh boy it was. Damian worked hard, but he simply was unable to beat the other’s aggressive pushes and clashes with him. Finally, he was knocked to the ground and admitted defeat, blade to his neck, resulting in Isellenos’ya being the victor.

Finals
After the last match, the audience was largely cringing. Only a single Ailor versus a variety of Races from Daen...the Varran, Allar and Orcs had all been knocked out. Now all that was left were the elite...and then the Ailor Zelgius Pavise, the junior to literally everyone else. Zelgius Pavise now faced Joasaie Lloablen while Thalion Amlugonnen faced Isellenos’ya Parvessorti.

The Bloodcast’s battle with the well educated and exotic Yanar got underway with a shield push. Zelgius got the drop on the other, moving forward, forcing his opponent back for but a moment. They quickly countered the action, a blistering series of strikes back catching his sword and shield...and turned the counter in a solid and relentless push all the way to the edge of the ring wherepon Zelgius just barely avoided being knocked out. But the observer had seen enough and he called it in Joasaie Lloablen’s favor much to the grumbling of the crowd.

Then came Thalion Amlugonnen and Isellenos’ya Parvessorti, both Altalar and both extremely skilled in their weaponry of choice. But from the beginning, it seemed Isellenos’ya was tired. Perhaps she had been putting on too much of a display of her skills earlier, or maybe all this fighting really wasn’t meant for Altalar. But regardless of why, Thalion started off very strong. Isellenos’ya certainly didn’t crumble away, and indeed at the end of the fight, she turned one of his strikes back on him by making a move, ultimately unbalancing him. She then pressed into this weakness and cut just under his arm but the observer called time. He ultimately gave it to Thalion for his earlier moves. Isellenos’ya promptly turned to the audience, lightly panting, thanked the Tourney Master for the test of her skills and then...left. Zelgius definitely had third place now, and so it came down to the final round.

The Altalar expert versus the Yanar expert. Both stood across from each other and by this point, a majority of the fighters had streamed out onto the area around the arena to watch the final battle. They would all observe this great and final battle. The observer had them take their stances, wait and then he declared the round to start. Thalion leaped forward in the first movement and went to weave a series of jabs at his opponent. It succeeded and Joasaie was pushed back, their arm stuck and cut open slightly from one of the jabs. This was sadly, their death knell. The wound was painful, and so their ability to wield their weapon only decreased in time. But they did not give up, not for a minute or two more. Finally though, they took a knee and sadly yielded, finally beaten with Thalion to be titled as the victor.

Oh the mixed emotions that followed. An relatively young Altalar had defeat a swath of opponents and while most of the fighters and crowd were gracious, clapping and cheering, some either did nothing and glowered, left or shouted profanities. By this time, early evening, the Tourney Master stood and announced a wonderful and full celebration after the Tourney with great drink and food to come flowing out.

The remainder of the night saw a large part of the crowd and the fighters all gather in the firmly packed riverside tavern just down the street through festivities spilled out into the street. Gradually though, most left for their homes but with the night, out came the nightlife, and the celebrations were reinvigorated with newcomers.

But suddenly, there was a great cacophony of noise, someone screaming in the distance and a clanging. The music being played in the tavern stopped and then, the guards rushed forward, and then some of the mercenary guards and the fighters and then the others, soon there was almost a mob rushing down the street. By the time they got to the source of the noise, the Tourney Champion was unconscious and the man on the roof was panting holding a crossbow, with an alien scream in the distance. Suddenly, a Ka-Maraya (who had had his own box) stepped closer and replied to the distance sound, saying two separate and different things only to be met with a distant wail.

What in the name of the Spirit and what in the Void just happened? Barely anyone knew…and unless Thalion wanted to speak his story around beyond the guard, it was going to stay that way. But in total, the Tourney was a success...prizes were all won, and this was certainly an unforgettable experience that few were to forget in the coming months if not years. ((Click here to find out for yourself what happened!))

OOC:
Everyone earned minor injuries, scrapes, bruises, cuts, and everything unless explicitly stated otherwise will heal within three days.​

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