It was mid morning in Feravan, the capital of of the kingdom of Illion. A large crowd had gathered under the shadow of castle Whiterock to watch the tourney taking place for the seventh nameday of crown prince Gerold Mabelode, son of king Maric Mabelode, first of his name. This day, all work was forgotten as the peasantry and the nobility gathered together to watch some of the finest knights of Illion display their skills of riding, jousting and melee. Everything was in place, and the tourney would begin any minute now. The crowd, commoner and nobility alike, tensed with anticipation.

King Maric sat on a raised platform, and by his right side sat his son, Gerold. Queen Margeritta Mabelode sat on king Maric's left, fanning herself with an exquisistly crafted fan imported from Chai. Seated behind them was Steward Mayen Poole with his family, and all around them were gathered the nobility of all Illion.

Standing by king Maric's side however, was a stranger from a far away land. Clad in simple, yet durable clothing and covered by a green cloak, this stranger was Sun Snake, a young Kai initiate from Sommerlund. He had arrived in Illion only last night, bearing a message for king Maric on behalf of his superiors at the Kai Monastery. While he had wanted to leave for his home right away, king Maric had commanded him to stay for the tourney.

"So Sun Snake, this is how we have fun in Illion. Are you not happy to have stayed for the tourney then? Surely your superiors will not begrudge you a bit of revelery. All that abstinence you monks do is not good for a man." King Maric bellowed to Sun Snake in a booming voice.

"Papa, you should have commanded him to take part so we could see how a warrior of Sommerlund would face up to a knight of fair Illion." Little prince Gerold piped up with an arrogant sniff, indicating the Sommlending would not fare very well in such a match up at all.

"Now now dear, Sommlendings are nice valorous folk. A little simple perhaps, and a little boorish but human all the same," Queen Margeritta chided Gerold while fanning herself vigorously.

Sun Snake is happy to hear the sounds of civilisation all around, the countryside of Sommerlund is beautiful and yet always brings a disquiet to the Kai Lord. Being allowed to journey from the confines of the order is a great honour, made all the more sweet by visiting parts local and now exotic.

However, the young Kai was uncomfortable being around royalty, sheltered as he had been for many years. The Kai had not even seen stood near to local royalty, let alone one from half a world away. Certainly, the Kai Lord was uncomfortable at being ordered to remain when his duty surely lay back home now.

Sun Snake bristles at the initial question from the king, and there is a pause as he has to find a suitable answer, then phrase it in a manner he hopes acceptable. In the meantime, of course, the rest of the king's family have spoken, and perhaps Sun Snake is forced to pause longer than courtesy allows to finish composing his answer in his head.

"I again thank you all for your hospitality on behalf of my order," he says with as much of a bow as courtesy demands, but feeling the strongest urge to give no more than that.

"Our devotions are always on the mind of all of our order. Through them we seek to be closer to our god and the lessons he imparts."

Sun Snake tries to keep his tone neutral.

"My training in sword and shield has, so far, not been blessed by Kai. I would dishonour the abilities of my fellows by claiming otherwise and making a poor showing."

Sun Snake feels his face flush at the admission,, as if his own inability to learn the tactics of battle has betrayed his order infront of those who demean his country.

Then an idea slowly forms in his mind.

"However, if his majesty would permit, I would be honoured to return his kindness by displaying the skills Kai has gifted me."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Sun 22 Jan 2012.

King Maric chuckled and replied to Sun Snake.

"Nay young one, there is no need. Relax and enjoy the tourney. That is an order."

As if on cue trumbets blew loudly, announcing the start of the tourney, and soon a parade of knights entered the lists. They were garbed in gleaming plate and the colors of their house, and were armed with long lances of ashen wood. Five waist high barricades had been erected in the center of the field and the knights entered each one from both ends until all five barricades had two knights apiece at either end.

With a simultaneous salute to the crowd, all knights charged at each other as one and the crowd roared with approval. The ground seemed to shake under the hooves of their mounts and then suddenly ten lances struck ten shields...and every one of them broke with a loud snapping sound. The peasants roared again, as did king Maric and all of the nobility around him, many standing up and shouting their approval. For all lances to break at the start of a tourney without a single rider unhorsed was an excellent omen for the tourney, and heralded of a great day of entertainment and glory to come.

The knights charged to the ends of the field where their squires each handed them a new lance, then whipped their mounts around and charged again...

Sun Snake bowed again to the king, internally sighing in relief. The lofty thoughts of defending the honour of his order evaporated upon seeing the striking array of knights taking to the field.

Sun Snake kept an eye to the field, but made a quick look around, interested in whom was in the crowd close and looking at him. Sun Snake felt a little exposed after the comments of the royal family. A little like a dog on display, and it was not a position he felt comfortable with. He controlled himself from stretching forth his senses to feel any less than kind thoughts. It was not a worthy use of his abilities.

Sun Snake also took a look behind to the family of the steward, partially out of interest but mostly to ensure he was not blocking the view of any of them.

As the charge started the Sommlending found himself even more impressed with the display. He looked around at the sudden display of enthusiasm, and made sure to fake a smile and nod a few times to any who caught his gaze while clapping loudly.

Still, he would not be a Kai Lord if he was not interested in martial prowess, and Sun Snake decided it might not be such a bad thing to be commanded to enjoy the day.

Sun Snake quickly scanned the crowds out of habit but found nothing out of the ordinary, just a bunch of nobles watching the tourney. He was about to turn away when movement at the corner of the crowd caught his eye; a bunch of pages dressed in long flowing tabards were emerging from behind the stands, carrying food and drinks for the nobility. One by one they began vending their items to those that called to them, while one page came forward to serve the royal family and the steward and his family.

They day passed swiftly and it was soon early afternoon. The knights of the House of Mabelode had performed better than all of their counterparts, and the royal family was in high spirits. However, as the last of the knights took their leave from the field, disaster struck!

Sun Snakes discipline of sixth sense tingled but before he could do anything there was the sound of a crossbow firing, and crown prince Gerold Mabelode suddenly jerked forward in his chair, falling out and hitting the floor with a thud. Blood pooled all around him and his legs jerked in spasms of agony, his hands clutching at the crossbow bolt sticking out from his chest.

Private to Sun Snake: You see movement out of the corner of your eye. Its one of the pages, he is tossing away a crossbow and then turning around and vanishing into the crowd, heading towards the rear.

For a moment everyone fell silent, then someone screamed and was joined by the yelling and shouting of a chorus of voices. Queen Margeritta jumped down from her chair and ran to where her son lay, while king Maric stood yelling for the guards.

"The page! It was one of the pages! Stop him!" yelled Sun Snake, already moving and pointing to where the boy had disappeared. Somewhere his slower mental functions were screaming at him to stop for many reasons, but the talents Kai had gifted him were all geared to moments such as these.

Like the snake of his name, the Kai Lord snapped out quickly from his coiled readiness. His brain tried to take account of the confusion and list all the actions he needed to do - look to the price, look to the king for orders - but his body was already being pulled by his senses.

As Sun Snake tried to barge through the crowd, still yelling and pointing, his keener sight and hunting instincts were scanning for where his prey had gone next. His mind was being hijacked to assimilate all the information he could see so his his tracking knowledge could be used to spot the signs of passage. And ahead of the crowd, his more supernatural senses were trying to feel for the wrongness in thought of a murderer fleeing the scenes.

Suddenly pandemonium erupted among the stands as the nobles all surged forward to take a closer look at what was transpiring up front. Meanwhile guardsmen rushed in from every side, cussing and jostling at each other as they answered king Maric's plea's for assistance. Sun Snake's cries were drowned out amidst all the chaos and the shouting, but nonethless the young Kai initiate sprang into action.

He darted through the crowd, pushing at the nobility as they pressed around him and leaping over the rows of stands, finding the going to be very tough. By the time he reached the place he had last seen the page, the boy had disappered and Sun Snake stood all alone, the tossed crossbow on the wooden floor near him.

Undeterred, Sun Snake called upon his mastery of the Kai discipline of tracking, and scanned the ground with a keen eye hoping for some kind of trail. He was not disappointed as nearby he saw a crossbow bolt lying on the ground. Further to the northwest he saw another. It appeared the page had run in a northwestern direction, leaving the stands behind him and proceeding up a small rise in the field.

OOC: You may take the crossbow and the 2 bolts if you wish.

Sun Snake ignored the weapon for now, fearing wielding a crossbow might see him apprehended in all the confusion. Plus Sun Snake did not wish the delay.

He tried to jump into something approaching a vantage point to see the guards, and wave for their attention.

"The page! The page this way!" he yelled.

However, the Kai Lord did not pause too long to see if any had spotted his urgings. The hunt was on, and with his prey's path marked clearer, the Kai Lord relied on his greater speed to aid him in perhaps a swift apprehension.

Knowing the direction the page was going, the Kai Lord moved with certainty that way, looking for signs of why that was the page's destination. Some part of his brain was nagging at Sun Snake - did the page really think he could just flee with a crowd, guards and knights around?

"Assailant! Assailant of the King! Stop him!" yelled the Kai Lord as he ran, pointign in the direction he travelled. Perhaps someone would understand him, or at the very least understand the Kai Lord was runnign towards something, not running away from the scene of the crime.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Sun 22 Jan 2012.

Suddenly Sun Snake spotted the page as he was making his way towards a horse tethered to a nearby tree.Sun Snake's cries alerted the page who glanced back frantically then redoubled his speed. However, he was no match for a Kai Lord trained in the discipline of hunting, and soon Sun Snake had closed the gap between them. Far behind him he could hear the cries of the guardsmen as they too had picked up the scent, and commanded all the runners to halt.

Due to the massive lead the page had over Sun Snake, he was able to reach his horse first. He quickly sawed through the rope with a knife then jumped on, digging his heels into the mount.

OOC: You have now reached him just as he is urging his horse forward. If you wish you jump aboard you will need to make a 1d10 roll with a +2 bonus thanks to your momentum. Otherwise you can attempt to drag him from the saddle, which will be resvoled as a round of combat, but with no damage dealt. If you have the higher combat ratio you drag him down, if he wins he gets away. Or you could attack him normally, in which case you only get one shot before he manages to ride away.

Sun Snake pushed himself as hard as possible, determined that the page would not get away. Sun Snake's hand already dropped to his trusty hand axe, and odd reaction but the Kai Lord was not thinking too much - besides he later realised it was easier to free and a better close quarters weapon.

"Stop! Stop in the name of the King!" yelled the Kai Lord, bracing himself for his next action. Sun Sname realised there was no reason for further words, and his own had given away the pursuit. Still, hopefully the guards were closing in on his position. If he could just delay the assailant for a few moments...

Sun Snake's leg's and arms already tensed, and as he got within range he instinctively made the leap forward.

OOC: Rolled 6 + 2 = 8, which is roughly the standard so far and makes up for the 10 CS! Sun Snake will look to get on the horse this round to be in a better position to strike or pull the page off next round - hopefully being able to get hold of him better and push him off will make a difference next round!

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:44, Sun 22 Jan 2012.

Sun Snake's years of training came to the fore and he tensed and leapt at exactly the right moment, landing atop the horse behind the page. The page turned wide eyed, and unconciously dug his heels into the flanks of the horse while simultaneously pulling back on the reins, causing it to suddenly rear back on two legs.

Both Sun Snake and the page tumbled off and landed in a heap. The page quickly got to his feet and drew a long dirk from underneath his robes, hissing.

"You'll never take me alive Sommlending!"

OOC: Roll for combat.

Page: CS 10 Endurance 20

Sun Snake struggled to recover is axe, but managed to and faced the page. He had, perhaps, expected to need to pursue him once again - being attacked was unexpected.

Sun Snake took a step back, unsure of his footing. While the axe felt good in his hand it was not the weapon he trained at the monastery with. And he had no wish to kill the page - even if he was sure too -

Sadly, it resulted in him mounting a poor defence to the page's first attack.

OOC: Rolled a 3 for the first attack round. With axe in hand, that's CS 12 so I guess CR +2.

If Sun Sname wants to try and subdue the page, is there a way for him to do non-lethal damage?

For this round there'll probably be an instinctive lethal reaction with his axe. If he can't do non-lethal, he might try for a decent blow to a non-vital area (ie I roll a decent random number) and then try some intimidating threats. Not being takemn alive might look different when he's bleeding profusely :)

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:45, Sun 22 Jan 2012.