A Matter of Faith

Miyana

Two of Miyana’s arrows sank into the red circle, but one of them landed cleanly inside the pea-sized bullseye, awarding her with four points. With eight in total, she is the highest scoring archer, and not only qualifies for the next round, but has a slight advantage over the other two contenders still remaining. The targets are swiftly moved fifty feet down the field, and soon the herald signals you to fire again.

Miyana

Miyana is precise once again, and her marksmanship draws gasps from the crowd. But her Thyatian rival, wearing all greens, manages to outdo her, landing two shots at the dead center of the targets. He now edges her slightly in the total points, taking the lead. The third archer, however, has to admit defeat; he falls too much behind, and eliminated from the contest for having the lowest score.

The cheer from the mostly Traladaran crowd is unmistakable when Miyana is declared one of the finalists. She can feel their energy behind her now, all their hopes of getting one over the Thyatians now rest in her hands. They all fall into a hush, however, when she steps up for the third and last round, after the targets have been pushed even farther down the field.

Will

Ser Henry Ashworth proved himself a match for Will. He was much more experienced, a noble born who had trained with the sword since the moment he could walk. Will was younger, and less refined, but he made up for it with raw strength. The duel could have easily gone either way; the older knight scored a good couple of hits against Will’s armor that took the wind out of the younger warrior, but eventually he was forced back, and the final clash had him dropping to one knee, winded and bruised.

"Victory to William Winter!"

The crowd applauded, and Ashworth stood up, and gave Will a light, courteous bow before leaving the ring without complaint.

Will was given a few minutes to rest as a squire offered him some water and inspected the dents in the armor (not to fix them, but to make sure he was still able to compete in the next round). He had a few moments to catch his breath and observe the next duel in the ring.


Facing Alric Varnholt, a well regarded knight known for his strength and gallantry, was a mystery opponent that the Herald announced as ‘the knight who shall not be named’. He was shorter and slighter than most, in a simple armor without any sigils or colors. He never once removed his helm, and commoners were already running wagers as to his true identity.

The duel the two fought was extremely fast paced, with Alric chasing the smaller knight around the ring, who kept evading him like smoke in the wind. For all of Alric’s strength, he ended up losing after the nimbler foe exhausted him enough to land a few blows that penetrated his defenses.

The victor was announced again, and a few short minutes later Will and the nameless knight were both summoned to the ring again, this time for the final bout that would decide the melee champion.

Miyana

Miyana’s opponent, the man in green, never missed his mark. He shot with almost flawless precision, and when he lost, it was by a margin of precisely one single point.

The crowd didn’t even wait for the herald to speak and announce her victory. A roar erupted from the Traladaran spectators, and in moments, the rope diving them from the range was swept aside, as men, women, and children rushed toward their champion. Miyana found herself hoisted into the air, high above their shoulders, over their heads, as they continued to cheer around her.

Miyana

A few of the Thyatian spectators rolled their eyes at the display. They were far too reserved to indulge in such spontaneous celebration, plus, the Traladarans’ delight at one of their own besting all the Thyatian competitors didn’t exactly help matters. Still, none of them interfered, not the guards, not even the tournament officials, who merely watched as the crowd let off its steam.

Once the cheering finally faded and Miyana was gently lowered back to the ground, one of the officials stepped forward and politely asked her to follow him. She was to return to the melee grounds for the award ceremony, where the Duke and his family were already watching the final duel.