Prologue - New Year's Festival | Thread

Sep 20, 2026 6:40 am

Sahrethe / Sahe

Sahe exhales in relief. It is at this point that it becomes clear that she was more tense in the minutes before. "Good."

Blooming Storm / Emreruo

"That I am here not as a representative of my dynasty should be hint enough that I willingly opt to forego the easier path."

Danikle Ilisvalne

Intel Inactive for 1 months

Sep 21, 2026 3:09 pm

Prologue - New Year's Festival

"Congratulations on your performance by the way! I have missed hearing you play."
Knowing more ceremonies are doubtless to follow he begins making his way back towards the festivities content to watch and wait for now.

Shadow Under Steel's Edge

Lcythas Inactive for 1 months

Sep 22, 2026 9:19 pm

Prologue - New Year's Festival

"An admirable notion. If I may ask, how high do you aim to proceed in this existence? Imperial merit tends to be accumulated in one of two ways. Merit in external affairs...Or internal intrigue. And Empires tend to accumulate the former through wars, and the latter through poisons."

Last edited September 22, 2026 9:23 pm

Art of Stone, Crownforger

TheForsakenEvil Inactive for 1 months

Sep 23, 2026 12:16 pm

Prologue - New Year's Festival

"It sounds like you are still deciding what is worth raging against and what you will have to concede." Art's dancing stiffens slightly as he feels like he is being watched. It is only a moment later that he returns to the routine normally, realizing that his observers are merely other students. "We have an audience."

Narrator

vicky_molokh Inactive for 1 months

Sep 24, 2026 1:42 pm

Prologue - New Year's Festival

Sahrethe / Sahe

"Thank you," Sahe makes a very shallow bow, "I'm glad that despite my training being informal, my performance seems to have lived up to the expectations of this crowd."

Blooming Storm / Emreruo

"As high as the bestowed rank would happen to be. Which would probably mean not too high, for beyond a certain height it is rare for the rulers to bestow ranks on someone rising from below. And me being here does means the path through external merit is the most likely."

Nightgleam's Reflection / Lioru

"Indeed, I am not knowledgeable enough to predict what the Thespian life has in store for me. Hopefully this fine institution will offer me the theological lessons required to not become lost among the whims of Higher Powers."

Nightgleam turns his head to glance behind himself briefly, then gives up on the idea and continues focusing on the dance. "And indeed I'm sure we do have one, given that we used the festivities as an excuse to forget our stations. That's just a part of new life that I will have to deal with, even if not quite in the same way as today."

Master of Ceremonies

The melody reaches its end, and the master of ceremonies walks once again onto the central podium. "Esteemed celebrants, I know that many of you are admirers and practitioners of martial disciplines. Thus, as promised, we are now offering a chance to demonstrate those proficiencies, and watch such a demonstration, in a contest of light-contact stickfighting.

Those who wish to participate will be assigned opponents and given a choice of stick lengths; if the two opponents' choices differ significantly, an average of the two will be given instead. Three coups mark a victory in a match.

Winners and participants will receive charm-papers made by the local shrine-keepers and feretorists, carrying wishes and blessings from the previous year into the future one."

Sahrethe / Sahe

Sahe glances over Danikle's shoulder at the master of ceremonies. "Oh, the advertised tournament. I wonder: I had a rather sheltered upbringing and am not proficient with weapons, while Nightgleam seems to have had more contact with the rougher side of life; I'm wondering if that makes him more prepared and more inclined to test his mettle against the other students."

Nightgleam's Reflection / Lioru

As announcement is finished, Nightgleam looks at Art. "Forgive me the naïve question, but did you fight beasts a lot during your feral years? Including with spears or the like? And what do you think of people engaging in competitions like these?"

Blooming Storm / Emreruo

Blooming Storm seeks out Ngofu among the crowd with her eyes, but then looks back at Shadow. "Seems like circumstances might be presenting you with an opportunity to face your rival, at least if you both draw the right lots and stay in the tournament long enough. The question is, do you want to try snatching it?"

OOC:

Everyone, decide for yourselves if you want to participate, spectate, or perhaps use the opportunity to focus on something else while others spectate.

If you do participate, mechanically each duel is just a simple check of Attack+Defence against the opponent, optionally adding 1-5 dice, where you can activate fortes/suffer from flaws. Normally there are no wounds from participation in these duels (though if you want to ensure a victory by acting very recklessly, or strike harder than warranted, real damage might happen, but the arbiters will likely disqualify the perpetrator for being unsporting.) Ties get resolved by adding a tiebreaker die roll.

vicky_molokh sent a note to vicky_molokh

Danikle Ilisvalne

Intel Inactive for 1 months

Sep 24, 2026 2:51 pm

Prologue - New Year's Festival

Danikle stiffens somewhat as the conversation shifts attenpting to mask it with a cought. "How did you become so acquainted with nightgleam?"

OOC:

Danikle won't be stepping up to embaras himself with a fight xD.

Last edited September 24, 2026 2:51 pm

Sahrethe

vicky_molokh Inactive for 1 months

Sep 25, 2026 9:38 am

Prologue - New Year's Festival

"We bumped into each other when coming into the seminary to confirm our registrations after arriving in Tern City, started some small talk, realised that we're peers both blessed by a rare opportunity in a millieu of more illustrious students, one thing led to another, and now finally here we are as you can see."

Art of Stone, Crownforger

TheForsakenEvil Inactive for 1 months

Sep 25, 2026 7:51 pm

Prologue - New Year's Festival

Art opens his mouth to ask what was wrong with their interaction, but finds himself cut off by the master of ceremonies. After the announcement ends, he continues looking on at the podium for several moments, not responding to Nightgleam's following inquiry. Surprise and excitement gripped him. "Fight? No. I hunted. They are very different. I did use spears, stones, and traps often." A heavy breath shudders out of him as he tempers himself. "Violence seems very... divisive. I often forget that competitions like these exist. I believe it natural, though. Some animals fight amongst themselves as a form of play. We are no different. I am no different." There is a playful smirk on Art of Stone's face when he looks back to his now former dance partner.

OOC:

Art will participate.

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