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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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
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.

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This message was last edited by the GM at 00:33, Sun 23 Jan 2022.

Bryn watches the parade from the stand with some enthusiasm and chats with those interested and close enough to hear, clearly looking to make bets on a number of the contenders.

When the knights and squires of House Darry pass by and display their heraldry he exclaims louder than his previous conversation such that they would be able to hear, "The squire Daveth of Darry is one to watch for certain, I have five gold dragons here that say he makes it to the final four."

He gives the squire an encouraging grin.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:48, Sun 23 Jan 2022.

Berion and his squires were rather busy in the hours immediately following the ceremony.  After all, there was little time to get ready ahead of the parade, and there was much to be done.  Thankfully they were old hands at this, as this was anything but Berion's first showing.  The same, however, could not be said for Valen, and so he did his level best to calm the young man's nerves.

When it came time for the parade, Berion found himself posted somewhere towards the front of the group.  That was good, as it would ensure that more eyes were on him, as opposed to those hedge knights who were at the end,  and thus, had to compete with the entire peerage for attention.  Approaching where Lady Iris and her family and friends, the knight couldn't help but smile. grateful that his sister had already laid the groundwork for this particular endeavor.

Like the many men who were vying for the woman's attention and favour, Berion met her gaze, though unlike them his expression was one of almost detached boredom as if she were nothing special.  Instead, as his gaze fell upon Lady Yve, his smile widened and he bowed his head deeply.  It wouldn't do for a knight to go groveling for a lady's favour, but still, his point should have been clear enough.  Especially given the prior conversation.  Thank the Seven for his sister...

Berion Knollwood rolled 16 using 3d6+7 with rolls of 6,1,2.  Favour

Ser Ramsbold showed the fatigue of his long ride from Lambswold in his frame and riding. His tabard showed the upturned horseshoe of House Dun, but its white boundary was spotted and travel-stained. He wore fine splint mail, polished to a sheen, a rode a war-trained white courser.

As he passed by the Blackfin entourage he dipped his head in deference to Lady Gwendolyn, before attempting a more courteous bow from waist, accompanied by his own courser's dipping of its forelegs. Alas, steed was as exhausted as its rider, and the courser balked, embarrassing Ser Ramsbold. Embarrassed and tongue tied, the knight blushed, coughed, and rode on to complete his circuit.

Ser Ramsbold Dun rolled 6 using 3d6+3 with rolls of 1,1,1.  Gain Favour of Lady Gwendolyn (Fatigued).
This message was last edited by the player at 02:13, Mon 24 Jan 2022.

Young Jerom Pierce rode proudly alongside knights and squires of far higher birth on his short grey rounsey. He wore the colours of his knightly father, the six-feathered red arrow on a yellow field. His shirt of mail was ill-fitting, in the expectation that he would grow into it, and so fattened with extra padding that it gave him a somewhat precarious appearance, though he rode ably enough.

He rode past Lady Gwendolyn and had the temerity to ask for the favour of her hand in the tourney. Though the lady of House Blackfin smiled, she left it to her handmaid, the Lady Alyssa to dismiss the boy kindly, "Your lady cannot play favourites with other leal retainers of her house entering the lists."

Mollified, the squire rode on.

Jerom Pierce rolled 14 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 5,6.  Gain Favour of Lady Gwendolyn.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:23, Mon 24 Jan 2022.

The handsome young Ser Roland Blackwood made a show of riding past the assembled nobles twice before stopping in front of the Blackfin entourage so that all could see his fine equipment and able handling of his steed. Though only a landed knight, and distant cousin to the main Blackwood line, his name gave him greater prestige than the rule of the small hamlet of Blackbuckle alone could signify.

His suit of half-plate was well polished and dusted with charcoal colouring, which seemed to complement the Red-Weirwood on Black Field he wore on his tabard and fine black courser he rode.

"Lady Gwendolyn," he called up into the stands, "Your beauty is as radiant as the spring morning; let the thawing of winter's grip lead to warmer relations between our two families. Too long has there been ire between them."

Ser Roland Blackwood rolled 17 using 5d6+4, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 1,1,4,5,3.  Gain Favour of Lady Gwendolyn.

Ser Derrin wore the gold heron on pink field of House Erenford proudly, though the colours were uncommon in Riverland heraldry. His courser was a fine steed, though with an unflattering  spotting around its grey muzzle. The knight wore fine splint mail, with a helm styled with a heron's beak, which also decorated the hilt of the castle-forged longsword he wore at his side.

He pushed up the heron-visor as his courser passed Lady Gwendolyn's stand.

"Fair Lady," he called, "permit we the honour of facing the hazard in your honour and you will see that trust returned tenfold with the glory I win in your name."

Ser Derrin Erensford rolled 21 using 4d6+5, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 5,6,5,1.  Gain Favour of Lady Gwendolyn.

Well prepared for the flurry of attention, Lady Gwendolyn gave a warm smile to each of her would-be champions. A quick glance to her handmaiden Alyssa hinted that she had relied on the young Knollwood's counsel.

"Ser Roland, be assured, no ire exists in my heart for House Blackwood, or any of its sons, so there is no ice to thaw between us. I wish you good fortune in the joust to come."


She turned, before Roland could reply, and spoke to the Heron Knight, "A knight who seeks to prove himself with deeds is well worth a Lady's favour, Ser Derrin, and you shall bear mine," she withdrew a simple lace kerchief from her sleeve, and, leaning forward, tied it to the vambrace of his left arm.

In reply to Bryn Blackfin (msg # 2):

A young knight wearing the Ploughman of House Darry laughed at Bryn's words as he rode past, mounted on his own fine steed "I am certain that, when watched, my cuz will hit the ground hard and early in even a squire's joust. I have the honour to be Ser Ronald Darry, and I will take your wager Blackfin. Your five gold against a fitted suit of full plate from my Lord Father's own armoury, and a castle-forged poignard to match, that young Daveth the so-called Darry does not make the finals of his Squire's tourney" he offered confidently.

Glancing past Bryn, he spied the Lady Catelyn Mooton, and raised his voice, calling over to her, "It saddens me to see a Lady of such a proud house in such company, Lady Catelyn, no matter what rumours might abound. Come, grant me the favour of your token, and in my victory I shall see you crowned the Queen of Love and Beauty, and granted a seat more befitting your bloodline at the wedding feast." Waiting for her reply, Ser Ronald wheeled his horse about, presenting the fine leather of its saddle and reins, and the polished silver of his own fitted half-plate.

Ser Ronald Darry rolled 16 using 4d6+4 with rolls of 4,2,1,5.  Gain Favour of Lady Catelyn.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:16, Mon 24 Jan 2022.

Bryn laughs and nods his acceptance of the bet, "I gladly accept your stakes Ser Ronald, I hope your loss will give you cause to put more faith in your own blood."

When the knight asks after his cousin's favour he turns in his seat to see her reaction.