Aelianus clears his throat. [color=red]I have a few ideas that could work to constructing such a lance. First of all it must be unbreakable, otherwise we could loose a fortune in vis in a moment. Then we could make it be able to twist and bend and still strike with full strength and last make enchantment that affects it’s appearance like making it invisible or appear to be somewhere else. But of course the opposition will make attempts to make similar weapons and discover what enchantments it contains. Perhaps I could make so effect that either cover our traces or make them appear to be something else. Now how many pawns of vis do I have for such a project. I’ll assume that the lance is made of wood and that there should be some metal tip. Is there something else that should be apart of it?
[color=red] War is not unpleasant, loosing the battle is. Being on the victorious side is a most pleasant experience.
As far as El Cid goes, I don’t know if we are talking about the same guy. First of all, he is way cooler than Lancelot or Arthur. He was real, they are fictional. And El Cid’s sword Tizona is in the museum. And Count Roland was not all that great a guy either. Odd fact of history, everyone in Spain knows that it was the Basques that whacked him, but the Song of Roland claims it was the Moors. It is an early example of how historical fact actually recorded can widely conflict with popular perception. I am being pedantic. Bear with me. I have never read an account of El Cid participating in any style of tournament. I think it is mostly a French tradition. He did engage in Trial by Combat though. He sold his sword as a mercenary to both Christians and Moslems, swindled a whole bunch of money from some honest Jewish folks, and created his own fiefdom in Valencia. His relationship with his wife is a glaring contrast to the concept of courtly love (which, though most popular in France, has it’s origins in Spain from Moslem poets). Cid and his wife share a fiery passion, and don’t hold back their affections from each other.
Just trying to point out that Roberto’s concept of what is honorable is rooted in a much different cultural tradition that the rest of you are accustomed to. I fought at Nova de Tolosa. I come from a land where common freemen arm themselves as cavalry, owning their own horse and armaments, and sell their services so that they may one day be able to afford a plot of land. Noble Knights were not granted fiefdoms, they were paid wages. Chivalry and Feudalism are new concepts to Spain, spreading mainly from France through Catalan and Aragon in the East. Roberto is from New Castile. His father is descended from Visigoths, his mother a Mozarab Christian from Andalusia.
I am still being pedantic. I just want to show off my historical knowledge. Being not a teacher, Ars Magica is my only outlet 
Aelianus now annoyed that his suggestions goes unnoticed. [color=red]Now perhaps a too magical lance would be “dishonourable†There are ways to simply bring out the mundane qualities so that they works better. Perhaps anyone of you with martial backgrounds have swung a Verditi sword? A similar should be able to do with a lance.
OOC: I assume that the Item of quality mystery should be able to similar thing to every weapon that it does to a sword. I.e. (?) +4 to harm another human.
OOC2: Try teach, a crowd that never runs away from you rants.... 
I know I like it.
[color=green]Wirth
[color=orange]Here he goes again
[color=red]Roberto. No one doubts your honor or courage. And you'll prove them soon enough anyway.
[color=red]Problem is, I can't see someone going to such a tournament without a Ward against metal.
Maybe you could enchant your lance so that it dissipates such wards on contact?
[color=red]The enchantments should only affect the weapon or armour in question as mentioned earlier. So ward dissipating is out of the question. But we could make it out of some strange material... though I prefer to work with wood. A high magnitude penetration effect should do the trick. Now let's see here it is summer now and the tournament and tribunal is next summer. There are only three seasons in between. I can't devote much time to the matter so it have to bee a lesser enchanted device, I have to make a contribution to the magical item tournament.
Aelianus thinks to himself. During those three seasons he could have made a splendid contribution to the contest. This lance creation will take up some time and rob me of my chances of winning. And for what.... the glory of my creation as a supreme lance creator... no. At best the one who rides the foul beast will be celebrated as a mighty warrior. Wonder if the members of the order are forgetting that they are magi not some knuckle dragging mundane who rides around on a horse all days and does Jupiter know what to their steed at night. Pfha! Oh, I have to make the reins for that stupid beast, if I could have crafted a automata then we would have a steed worthy of a magus but no that is not possible.
Aelianus broods on his thoughts and take yet another sip off wine.
[color=red]Honsetly, all I need is the magical rein. I can handle it from there. And it can also be entered in the item competition. Call it a fine example of utilitarian and elegant simplicity. Make it all artsy looking. Equestrian magi will be knocking down your door trying to buy these things off of you.
What are the exact rules of the wizard's joust again? Can I fight with my longsword? (Spanish cavalry traditionally fought with a sword on horseback rather than using a lance).
[color=red]I believe any weapon may be used from what I remember the loser is the first to be unhorsed and each Joust has three rounds so you have to unhorse your opponent twice to win
[color=red]Tie me into the saddle then 
! Heck, we can do that with just a spell, can't we?
I need to read the tournament rules again but I think there are two jousts. One for companions which is a "classical" joust. The other is more of a team sport. Since a horse will not normally carry a wizard your team will provide a "horse". Your team will try to propel you to a goal or knock the other wizard off.
Halvard knows nothing about this so, of course, will not mention it.
[color=green]Halvard:
Halvard will wait until the talk of the tournament dies down a bit.
[color=red]Soldaes, I have a puzzle that I hope you can aid me with. Because of my...heritage...I am prone to having visions of the future. Unlike an Oracle, I do not have the ability to find their meaning yet. I had a vision on the Solstice.
Halvard looks to the table and seems to slip into a memory
[color=red]In the vision I'm in some dark tunnels under the earth. It is like the tunnels to Niurin. Under a fairy hill. Then I come out into the world and see a port town with a church and a manor. Everything is quite in the town. There are no people or dogs or horses. The streets are quite.
I hear fighting in the tunnels below. Flashes of fire occasionally lights the walls. I am about to enter the tunnels again when a great golden dragon descends on the town. It is wreathed in flames as it lands in the town. This startles me and I begin to awake but I also see a circlet of gold and pearl resting in hands which seem to change. Sometimes they are talons, sometimes slender and feminine and sometime large old and wrinkled.
There is a pause and Halvard looks up and around the table.
[color=red]hmmmm....
Interesting. You think maybe a dragon threatens us?
[color=red]No. Not us directly but we will be involved. I did not see the Covenant.
There is a conflict between humans and fairies. Does this cause a dragon to attack the town?
Perhaps they are all fighting over this circlet that I saw.
(grumbles that old addage by Vanacastium, about how the only good faerie is a charcoaled faerie, but I mutter in Spanish so no one understands me)
[color=green]Iolar
Iolar is deep in thought for a couple of minutes then speaks up
[color=red]There is a legend of a dragon in this region , it date back to Ceasar's conquest of the area. As the Romans advanced many of the magical creatures which had lived in these lands in harmony with the Celts fled before the Romans their legions and their priests, perhaps also before their gods. The last of these to depart was a mighty Dragon called by the Romans Pan Cauderax before he departed he predicted his return to these lands I beleive it is a story that one day men would bring down his wrath although the legends are not clear on how and he would return and destroy this land.
The legend has more flourishes and music but that is the essence of it
[color=red]Pan Caudrax! Awesome!
OOC, My very first fifth edition game was a conversion of my old Ultima Thule Saga. It took three Archmagi and a Queen of vis to take down Pan-Caudrax. And me, being as evil and insidious as I am, ruled that he is an elemental spirit with multiple forms, they only killed one of them.
But in other words, I happen to know a secret strategy to kill this dragon 
. Of course, we are puny and weak baby magi, and we are all doomed. There is no way in hell we could pull this off.
[color=red]If it comes to war against creatures of the realms I could with a seasons work make a charged item that would bring down a 7th magnitude magical, fae, daemon or even divine creature in one fell swoop. With a bit of experimentation I could amplify the effect and make it an even more devastating weapon. And with a second season I could easily craft one for every magi here. Through the power of Verditius we have powerful weapons if we need them. I just have to make time in my schedule. Aelianus gives a smug smile and pushes himself back into his throne like chair.
Havlard:
[color=red]Perhaps we should look at the towns in the area to see if they are like the one in my vision.
[color=green]Iolar
[color=red]If you can create an illusion of the town I may well be able to tell. I have flown over many of the local towns and should be able to identify it[
[color=red]From the few legends I have heard, that will be nowhere near enough power. We are talking about a 15th Magnitude Dragon, at least! He makes all other dragons look puny. No, I have a definite stratagey that is sure to succeed. We just need three archmagi, a Queen of Vis, and an Arcane Connection. Simple as that. Make it a queen and three rooks just to be safe. Animal, Perdo, and Rego. Oh! And we need the Pope to bless us first, and a sliver of the True Cross. If we could get our hands on a herd of griffons and form a flying cavalry, that would be an advantage.
[color=red]Perhaps we can talk to this dragon if it turns up , we could reason with it and end up with a valuable ally rather than a nasty fight
Iolar Suggests tentatively
[color=red]BORE-ing (said just the way Homer Simpson would)