Summer 1222 Tribunal: The Tournament

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Shores of Albion
61

Focus merely smiles coldly and says nothing as he settles into the hastily-scrawled Certamen ring. He conjures a phantasm which looks like a tiny Pict, who guards the Flambeau warily.

Tektonius wins initiative, as Focus goes on 9.

The little blue-faced man gets batted by the giant hand, but he puts his little hands on his belly and laughs, "Ho ho!" as it fails to hurt him.
Focus' defense total is 20, which gives Tek 2 points of advantage, but 7 Weakening is insufficient to overcome his opponent's Resistance.

The Pict leaps into the air and bites the giant hand's thumb; the wound bleeds profusely.
The counterattack total is 34, which gives Focus 8 points of advantage for a total of 15 points Weakening vs a -1 Resistance, which drops Tektonius 4 Fatigue levels.

62

"I submit to your superior skill, and again you have my apologies."

63

Focus nods distantly and motions for the next match to proceed.

64

((Since my last post apparently disappeared (had browser trouble while posting, so I should have anticipated it) That or I looked at the preview and forgot to hit submit. Dunno which...))

There's a pause. Not quite enough for Iapetus to lose much of his initiative, but the result is definitely noticeable as the Tytalus stares at Zan hard. And he declares, "Muto Auram," with a sweep of his hand. A hiss like hot steel is heard on the wind, the tang-scent of metal. The grass around Iapetus begins to fray and shred, the very wind itself tearing apart cloth and leaves as Iapetus casts Talons of the Winds. It's outdoors in England, there's almost certainly a breeze heading towards Zan. This'll also probably splash on any other nearby magi, if any of the other fights aren't done yet, but it's got no penetration.

Casting roll: 1d10+21=25 - fatigue... spell level 20.

65

Zan makes his fastcasting roll, and cast the same Mirror of Opposition: Auram toblow the wind in the opposite direction.

By my reckoning, Zan is down three Fatigue levels.

He casts another Crystal Dart (Mu/Re/Te 10).

66

Reaction: 1d10+3=12
Iapetus will do the same response as before, a fast-cast MuTe to desolidify the Crystal Dart into mud. This time he's much more prepared for it, and the mud doesn't actually splatter across him. He'll re-cast Crystal dart and fling it right back at Zan.
Defense: 1d10+7=14 Eh, forgot my fatigue in this one, but 13 is still enough to pull it off, defending against a level 10 spell.
Offense: 1d10+16=25 Successfully casts Crystal Dart back at Zan.

67

Zan fails to make his fastcast roll due to his lost fatigue, and the spell smacks right into his Parma, and the dart bounces off his face.

Scintilla motions a touch to Iapetus, but Zan protests, "I yield; I am nearly spent. Congratulations, Iapetus." He leans over, breathing heavily.

68

Iapetus lets out a deep sigh, and gives a polite, formal bow to Zan. "I admit I was certainly worried for a bit," he says. "It was a good contest."

69

Scintilla hobbles up to the stage and shouts. "Hey! We're ready ta move on ta the semifinals. I had a sign but Red burned it on accident. Anyhow my filius has decided ta withdraw from the match, and his opponent Gavril doesn't want ta proceed. So we've got ourselves room for someone else ta enter in Focus' place, otherwise all the matches will be messed up. Anyone who wants ta enter as a last minute replacement, come see me after."

Focus approaches. "Mater, I have made a replacement sign for the current standings." He pins a sheet of vellum up on a post.

[tableborder][tr][td][strike]Focus[/strike][/td][td][strike]Gavril[/strike][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ariel[/td][td][strike]Theodolis[/strike][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Martinus[/td][td][strike]Cerys[/strike][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][strike]Valentinus[/strike][/td][td]Mercurio[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][strike]Zan[/strike][/td][td]Iapetus[/td]?[/tr]
[tr][td][strike]Culhwch[/strike][/td][td]Iorwerth[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][strike]Hughes[/strike][/td][td]Caltis[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Deiectus[/td][td][strike]Sinmore[/strike][/td][/tr][/tableborder]

QUARTERFINALS:
[tableborder][tr][td]Iapetus[/td] [td]BYE[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ariel [/td][td][strike]Iorwerth[/strike][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][strike]Martinus[/strike][/td][td]Caltis [/td][/tr]
[tr][td][strike]Mercurio[/strike][/td] [td]Deiectus[/td][/tr][/tableborder]

Ariel defeats Iorwerth, who is poor at defending against Auram.
Martinus is eliminated when Caltis uses his mastery of concentration to cast multiple non-targetted Imaginem spells that distract his opponent. There is much booing and hissing, as most know Martinus to be the far more formidable magus than Caltis, but the result is allowed to stand.
The match between Mercurio and Deiectus is long and suspenseful-- the counterspelling Muto specialist vs. the Perdo specialist, but eventually Deiectus wins because his barely-castable offensive spells are higher level.

SEMIFINALS:
[tableborder][tr][td]Iapetus[/td] [td]Caltis[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ariel[/td][td]Deiectus[/td][/tr][/tableborder]

70

Deiectus defeats Ariel, who cheerfully punches him in the stomach before he goes on to the Finals match. "Consider the Finals more of a challenge this way!" she quips.

Iapetus' initiative is 8; Caltis is on 2. Iapetus has the first attack.

71

((Amusing sidenote, I remember Ariel being the Flambeaux most dangerous to Deiectus, too. Stupid lightning bolts.))

The Tytalus will gesture rapidly, calling out his "Creo Auram!" Iapetus starts with his ever-popular Jupiter's Resounding Blow (1d10+25=30 success, L20 spell) and the air around Caltis just tries to implode.

72

Caltis botches his fastcasting roll (he really did-- it's not just SG caveat!), so not only does the spell touch him, he fails to counterattack, and will be spending the next diameter going "hummina bebbeleh zibbeleh hummina bebbeleh zibbeleh."

Iapetus will win because his opponent is helpless, no need to roll the rest.

(Also I'm never using Kate's d10 again. She was like "it's a 10, that's good!" and I says, no, no it's not, I gotta roll it again... and she says "but that's two 10's!" and I says... no, no it's not.)

73

Iapetus proceeds to the Finals, to face Deiectus!

The reigning champion from the last time the Flambeaux got together, he's beginning the match with a handicap, due to Ariel's good-natured suckerpunch (down two fatigue levels).

Deiectus is on 5 and Iapetus is on 6; Iapetus attacks first.

74

Iapetus will cast Jupiter's Repetitive Blow, and make another sonic thunderclap against the Flambeau. (1d10+25=26 That's a one, that's bad, right?) The sudden compression/explosion of air is dramatic, to say the least, and seems to leave a few sizzling trails of light in afterimage.

75

Deiectus' fastcast roll is a 0. (It almost botched-- the confirmation rolled off of the 0 and onto the 2. I rolled it in the dice bowl.) Scintilla gestures a touch for Iapetus.

Deiectus responds with a Ball of Abysmal Flame, and does his best to look bored as he casts it. (His family in the stands are cheering wildly, again/still.)

76

Iapetus is certainly not surprised. 1d10+3=12 He is, however, a bit worried: Ball of Abysmal Flame is a lot of fire at once. His Perdo is not expert, so the Tytalus will attempt to intercept Deiectus's spell with a spontaneous Creo Terram, jutting blades of stone shivving up from the ground between Iapetus and the incoming spell. (Including fast-cast penalty: 1d10+5=6, 1d10=2 confirm for a total of 15, which should stop a level 25 spell. Somehow.)
A bit winded by the defense, Iapetus will retaliate (success or not on the defense,) with a fast Crystal Dart. Likely not the best choice, due to the spell's low level, but the Tytalus won with that fast, easy spell just earlier. (Possible botch: =http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3519985/]1d10+16=26 How many botch dice?)

77

To spont, you divide your total by 2, so the spell is not countered. Scintilla motions a touch for Deiectus.

The older Flambeau fatigues himself to spontaneously destroy the dart, and is now down four fatigue. One more and he will be unconscious.

Deiectus casts another Ball of Abysmal Flame, but due to his fatigue penalty (and the fact that he only has a 5 in Creo) he misses the target spell level. The BoAF still shoots at Iapetus, but Deiectus falls over unconscious.

Scintilla and her phoenix familiar both nod to each other. "The champion of this year's junior brawl is Iapetus Flambonis," Scintilla announces. The crowd (with the exception of four crestfallen Jews) goes wild.

78

Scintilla motions for Iapetus to come up onto the judge's platform. She reaches up to take one of his hands, and leads him in the victor's bow.

"I thought my filius was gonna win," she admonishes, "but I didn't bring no other backup prizes in case he didn't... So here ya go." She presents Iapetus with a suit of gleaming golden chainmail and a longsword that shimmers iridescently.

(The chainmail is made of bronze, has a burden of 1, and is of superb quality, providing 5 extra soak above and beyond standard chainmail; it is an Item of Quality, and has been opened for enchantment. The sword, you'll discover over time, will never dull, and adds a bonus to your weapon totals equal to 1/5 of your combined elemental scores.)

79

The Grand Melee begins shortly after the junior brawl. Just before Sinmore enters the ring, Sophia whispers in her ear, "Ariel is an Auram maga, and Deiectus is good with ice; they're the ones you'll need to look out for. Valten is excellent with Perdo but his only notable form is Vim; his big schtick is knocking down his opponents' Parmae; that'll help you more than it hurts you. Good luck."

Entrants are Scintilla, Deiectus, Valten, Ariel, Iorwerth, and Sinmore. Scintilla speaks: "Now, the rules o' this are, since we're all legally at Wizard's War with everyone else, we're all free to use as much force as we want, but we ain't shootin' ta kill. If anyone abuses the good faith we all entered inta the pool, I kill ya. So leave yer personal differences at the doors. If ye've had enough, just leave the ring, or if yer hurt too bad to move, jes' lay down in the mud an' no one will hurt ya. A man falls down, ya leave 'im alone 'til he gets up, an' if he don't get up ya leave him alone fer good. I got a healer here," she points at Niamh Ex Miscellanea, "an' the grogs in blue will be carryin' any incapacitated wounded off the field so's she can tend 'em. Anyone harms our healer or her assistants, I kill ya. Harm any bystanders, I hurt ya real bad so's you wish I killed ya, and Niamh doesn't heal ya, neither. Any questions?"

Scintilla appears unarmed and unarmoured, she's just wearing her little blue flannel nightgown. Deiectus is dressed in gleaming bronze chainmail and wields an enormous bronze poleaxe. Valten is in a Roman-style breastplate of black enamel, and he wields a sword that glows red. Ariel is in silvery chainmail and has an electrum wand in her right hand and a short gladius in her left. Iorwerth is in leather breeches and jerkin, and wields an oak staff.

Focus is adjudicating, and after the six entrants have taken their places within the ring, he calls out, "Begin!"

Initiatives:
Ariel 7 (positive qik; goes first)
Sinmore 7 (neg qik; goes after Ariel)
Iorwerth 6
Scintilla 5
Valten 4
Deiectus 2

Ariel opens up with multicast Incantations of Lightning. The first one sails at Valten, but he fastcasts a PeVi and destroys it before it strikes him. The next shoots at Deiectus, who manages to fastcast a PeVi himself, but winds himself to do so. The third goes for Iorwerth, who doesn't bother attempting to counter it, and it fizzles harmlessly against his parma.

It is Sinmore's initiative.

80

((Before I make any actions, I just want a quick refresher. Are we casting spells forcelessly? It seems from the instructions he said, we're not, but also not trying to kill. Same with weapons, are they wrapped to blunt them, or are we supposed to pull the hit if we get by their defense with a weapon? Sinmore is a hothead and she might swing for the fences if she gets too pissed, but I just want to check before I do anything))