The Parade of Arms and Honour:
The Lychester Tourney Grounds were a temporary affair set up just outside the castle’s walls, under the watchful eyes of a dozen crossbowmen on the outer wall, and a score of sentries armed with halberds along the perimeter. After the affair in the Lorrentine ranges, Lord Lyman was taking no chances with his guests’ safety, and large patrols of horsemen were scouring the area for any hint of infiltration.
The grounds were packed with yellow sand, carted in from the banks of the Red Trident, and tended carefully by the hands and rakes of Lychester Smallfolk. The main stands were set high, backing onto the castle walls, with room and cushions for a hundred highborn, though perhaps twenty of these seats remained empty. At the centre of the stand sat
Lord Lyman, and to his immediate right, his son
Ser Adham, still with a wounded arm, but also a wide grin as his new wife Lady Sylvia remarked proudly on his war wound and regarded the many passing knights and squires with rapt interest. With the new influx of highborn guests from Seaguard, Ironhold, and the Mistwood,
Lady Gwendolyn found herself relegated to a less auspicious position than the previous night's feast, and her entourage was given pride of place in the centre of an adjoining stand.
The shorter sides of the tourney field were given over to competitors and their retainers – with many knights erecting temporary tents, and a handful of armourers or stablehands making themselves available. Some among the hedge knights had camped here the last night or two to ensure a decent position for the tourney itself.
The final long side of the tourney field was given over to the smallfolk. They seemed a particularly pitiful and winterworn lot, with long and harried faces, and many dressed in torn and dirty clothes. Still, they cheered for their Lord and his heir, and cheered all the louder when Lord Lyman gave the order for several carts of breads and vegetables to be wheeled out from the keep, and several kegs of ale to be tapped at his expense, so that all could equally celebrate his son’s nuptials.
The Parade itself was a somewhat unstructured affair. Knights and squires in their formal regalia, tabards and caparisons would circle the perimeter of the tourney field, showing their heraldry and arms. Formally, it was considered a chance for anyone to challenge a cheat or pretender, but it served just as well for the Ladies in the stands to consider a champion, or the Lords to consider a new retainer to take into their service.
Mechanics
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To Win a Lady’s Favour as a knight or squire:
Either:
1) Test Status (Tournament) and add the total of your fighting score.
Or
2) Test Status (Reputation and add the total of your persuasion score.
To Win a Knight or Squire’s attention as a Lady test Status (breeding) and add your persuasion/deception score. Add +1D if you possess the Heir or Attractive Qualities.
The base DC for this test is 3* the target’s status, but this can be modified by other factors, and can become a competitive test if another character targets the same character as you.
Betting can be undertaken for the archery, squire’s tournament, or main tournament.
For the squire’s tourney, the odds are fairly even across the board, with the odds of making it into the final 4 [of 16] set at 3 to 1, and the odds of winning overall set at 5 to 1.
For the knightly tourney odds vary slightly more, as some competitors are known at many tournaments, such as Ser Haigh, Ser Ryger, and Ser Beesbury, while some are less renowned. The standard odds are 3 to 1 to make it to the final 8 [of 32] and 10 to 1 to emerge victorious overall.
All of these bets are informal, between two parties, and so someone will need to match your bet if you expect to collect on it. The merchants Ruben Weaver and Finn Coppertooth seem willing to take bets on the standard odds listed above.
Bets can also involve items of unfixed value, like favours, ships, obligations etc, which are common among the highborn.
Characters risk their reputation if betting on their own competition, in person or by proxy.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:33, Sun 23 Jan 2022.