The Tourney at Ashford

A figure retrieved one of the training blades with their right hand. Their eyes checked their shield and then looked for their opponent. The stranger was wearing full splint armor with a helmet to cover their identity. They bore no heraldry to identify allegiance to any house.

In essence, this person was a mystery knight.

The mystery knight didn't have to wait long, derrick arrived in his soft leather armor and carrying his shield. It might of been wise to go with something heavier as far as armor was concerned, but this way he'd remember the pain of his mistakes. Selectign a practice blade of his own, he entered the sparring circle and offered a small nod towards his opponent as he took his stance.

"Whenever you are ready."

Alessia was there, she would be here for a very good portion of the afternoon if no one chased her off. Finding a post by which to sit she settled down, bag off her shoulder and sword resting at her side. An armored knight and the poor fool who intended to spar off against him. Could prove to be the most entertaining thing she saw all day, one way or another.

From the side of the sparring grounds, one of the young noble ladies watches the sparring match, considering who would succeed and what sort of challenge her brother might face. The unmarked knight made her curious, so she stood by quietly, skirts held to protect them from the dirt.

She gave a nod and a smile to the other spectator.

The mystery knight gave Derrick only a nod as a response. They then shifted their feet, ready to strike...

---

Combat Defense: 10 (6 without Large Shield)
Armour Rating: 7 (From Splint)

D1 A Initiative Roll (Agility 3 - Armour Penalty 3): 3d6-3 10

Perhaps the knight in the heavy armor was more eager, or perhaps the young man at arm's was bidding his time or it could just be the presence of the two attractive women watching. Whatever it was, the mystery knight was the the one who got the first move.

Combat defense: 14 (10 without shield)
Armor Rating: (4)

initiative = 6

One didn't get attention from a noble woman and carelessly toss it away, noting the northerner's greeting Alessia returned it with a light smile and a friendly little wave. However it was the bout that gained her attention above all else, following the movements of the mysterious knight with a near undivided attention.

Whoever he was, he was the one she was interested in.

The stranger took their advantage! Their practice blade narrowly passed the shield, though the connecting blow was not strong enough for be more than an annoyance.

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Lesser Action: Move to Engage
Lesser Action: D1 A Round 1 Attack Roll (Fighting 4 + 1 Bonus): 4d6k3 11
D1 A Round 1 Missed a Die: 1d6 3
Corrected Total: 11+3 = 14.
Damage Dealt: 3 (Athletics)

Combat Defense: 10 (6 without Large Shield)
Armour Rating: 7 (From Splint)

It was a blow he expected to avoid, and when it connected he was a bit disappointed. Still, while it stung a little it didn't do much damage. so gritting his teeth he pressed his own attack as he circled around his opponent. His practice blade lashing out, to score a ringing hit against his opponent. Though a practiced eye might note he was holding back a little

Lesser action: Attack the mystery knight = 16 (dropping a 1 and a 6)
Damage dealt = 8

Arwyn's attention was also focused on the match, and like Alessia, it was on themystery knight. No markings but surprisingly skilled. Certainly well trained, but by whom?

As a child, she'd loved stories about knights and toirneys as much as her older brother, so it captured her imagination.

The stranger muffled a grunt when the hit came in. They went in for a ramming barrage though clearly the force behind the charge was not enough. The mystery knight changed tactics and managed another glancing blow against Derrick.

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Lesser Action: D1 A Round 2 Knockdown (Athletics 3 vs. Passive Agility 11): 3d6 8
Lesser Action: D1 A Round 2 Attack!: 5d6k4 17
Damage: 3 (Athletics)

Combat Defense: 10 (6 without Large Shield)
Armour Rating: 7 (From Splint)
Damage Taken: 1

The knight was aggressive, and while Derrick managed to keep his feet, when he tried to shove back he lost his balance and went tumbling to the ground. He manged to not look completely like a fool though as he turned the fall into a roll and was back on his feet in moments.

Lesser action: Knockdown Attempt!: = 4 (choosing to fall prone because of failure)
Challenging agility to stand up from prone as a free action = 15
Lesser action: Attack! = 16 (dropping 2 1's)
Damage = 8

The stranger was surprised by the impromptu roll. Still, the knight was able to regain their footing and attack.

---

Lesser Action: Take Aim for +1B
Lesser Action: D1 A Round 3 Attack w/ Take Aim Bonus: 6d6k4 18
Damage: 3 (Athletics)

Combat Defense: 10 (6 without Large Shield)
Armour Rating: 7 (From Splint)
Damage Taken: 2

there was a soft grunt as the knight hit him, he was certainly going to have a few bruises. Trying to change tactics a bit, Derrick ignored the fighter in a attempt to knock the shield from the knight's grasp. Though it might of been wiser to target his opponents sword. His solid blow did manage to send the shield flying though.

Grater action: Disarm Difficulty 16. Need two success to disarm, 1 success from Long blades 1, 1 from my roll of 16. = disarmed Cassana's shield.

shield lands 3 yards away

The mysterious stranger watched the shield go briefly but turned back to Derrick. For now, they took their practice blade and went in for one more grazing hit!

---

Lesser Action: Take Aim for +1B
Lesser Action: D1 A Round 4 Attack w/ Take Aim Bonus: 6d6k4 18
Damage: 3 (Athletics)

Combat Defense: 10 (6 without Large Shield)
Armour Rating: 7 (From Splint)
Damage Taken: 2

Derrick at least figured the knight would go after their shield instead of pressing the attack, he was wrong about that though, after a few moments thought he decided to continue his own attack as well. Pressing hard as he took careful aim, perhaps he would be able to put a end to this?

Lesser Action: Take aim
Lesser Action: Attack dropping 2 1's and a 5 = 17 3 degrees of success
Damage = 12

The blow came in heavy and hard. The stranger grasped the impact point and then turned over to grab the shield from the ground.

---

Lesser Action: Move to Shield
Lesser Action: Interact with Shield

Combat Defense: 10 (6 without Large Shield)
Armour Rating: 7 (From Splint)
Damage Taken: 7

He had half expected the knight to yield after that blow, but they seemed to wish to continue. Stepping up to his opponent, he took another swing at the injured knight, trying to put the watchers from his mind as he attacked. He'd really have to get used to attractive ladies watching him fight.

Even if they were really only paying attention to the knight.

Lesser: Move to mystery knight
Lesser: attacking the mystery knight! dropping a 2 and a 1 for 17
8 dmg

The mystery knight raised their shield to block the blow but ultimately failed the parry. They took a breath and then turned their sword grip over. They took a knee on the ground and stabbed the practice blade into the ground.

---

Greater Action: Yield!

Derrick took a step back, lowering his weapons and accepting the knight's surrender. "You fight well." He offered with a slight smile. I take it you plan to participate in the tournament?"

Again, the only response was a nod. The mystery knight placed their practice blade on the rack and then placed a hand on the hardest impact spot. They looked back to Derrick though the helmet kept their expression unknown.

They then noticed the onlookers and paused, seemingly surprised. The stranger straightened up and glanced at Derrick before taking a purposeful stride away from the spectators.

Hmm... silent? More intriguing. Something to dig into then. But for now, it was more polite to let him be silent. She dipped a bit, smiling. "Good luck in the tourney, then, Ser." She looks to Derrick. "Will you be competing, as well?"

He probably should of checked that hit a bit better, it waa almost certain to leave a nasty bruise. Any further conversation was ended by the knight striding away though.

He might have pursued but stopped as the lovely young woman addressed him. "No Milady." He offered with a shake of his head. "Not in the jousting ar least. I'm no knight after all."

"Not a knight, but your swordsmanship was impressive," she spoke in mid-stride. Having gotten to her feet sometime while the others were all focused on the retreating knight and approached Derrick directly. Most of her attention on the man rather than the woman.

Having two attractive young women watch him fight was one thing, having them actually speaking to him was another thing entirely. A tint of red touched his cheeks as Alessia complimented him and he had to fight down the wave of embarrassment before answering. "Thank you Milady." He offered after a moment dipping his head towards the woman walking towards him. "I still think I have a ways to go though, at least until I am satisfied with my skill."