Roleplay Kingdoms

This event was held in a large open field away from the rest of the tourney grounds. The audience was kept away from the targets by a fence and those who got lucky were allow to take their seats in the tribune to see the action from a higher ground. Because the area was so large, multiple judges were placed around the sides of the field to judge the contest. The announcer was cheerfully addressing the public.

"We have a fine show ready for you folks! The best archers the kingdoms have to offer, right here! All of them are ready and prepared to show you their hunter's eye and expertise!" The audience clapped politely. A more sophisticated audience was here to see the archers in action.

Unlike in the other events, these contestants were already out on the field, standing next to each other and facing a straw dummy about 60 feet away. Vos Valkear's representative was a Poison Dusk Lizardwoman by the name of Drossfen Bloodsight. She was a dark green chameleon-looking Lizard with a thick boiled leather armor and a gigantic bow and arrow with tribal trinkets hanging from the wooden frame. She was surprisingly tranquil for standing so close to a Crater Dweller.

Captain Ilaina Kalishar was stood exactly 60 feet away from the targets, a row of arrows impaled in the earth before her. She was brown-furred and silver-eyed, wearing a light green tunic with a simple belt at the waist adorned with a silver crest of hawk with its wings outstretched and two High Terelain glyphs beneath it. In her left hand was a composite recurve bow she had crafted herself as part of her Trial of Blades. For she was no ordinary Terelain soldier, but a member of the Jeria Eagles.

The Jeria Eagles were an elite regiment within the Terelain Royal Army that had very, very strict requirements for entry. Entrance into the Eagles was by invitation only, and even then one generally required several centuries' worth of combat experience, an exceptional record and a recommendation from a member of the Eagles. Once asked to join, prospective members then had to undertake a mysterious ritual known as the Trial of Blades. The exact nature of these tests is unknown, and a closely-guarded secret of the group, though crafting your own weapon is a known component. The failure rate for prospective recruits is around the region of 95%, and those who fail generally come out wounded, and fatalities are not unheard of.

Captain Kalishar didn't acknowledge any of the other contestants, beyond a polite nod of acknowledgement to each. She strung her bow in silence and ran her fingers over the fletching of her arrows as she waited for the signal to begin. Her breathing was calm and steady, her expression almost serene. She seemed quite content to wait as long as necessary for the contest to begin.

Cyrille and Broak stroll into the arena, taking up a position besides the lizard and the one they called Archer. Cyrille turns about, "You think you can do it?" Broak's face forms a solid frown, "..Why did we sign up for this one?" His right hand held an enormous handle to a large-sized shot-put. Cyrille's shoulders lift up in a shrugging fashion, "I thought I could use a bow, but, I only just shot a few arrows...everywhere." Her lips curl into a smile, as she pats the large male's hand, "But you've got this!"

Cyrille's gaze drifts to the lizard, then to Archer, as she walks over and pushes the lizard away from Broak, "This is for your own good.." She walks over to Archer and pushes him away, "Just think of it as me, saving your life, okay?" Cyrille then moves to stand 15ft back, behind Broak's readied stance.

{It would be really easy to free-form this into something easy, but I would suggest using a dice-roll of 1d100. 1-25 can be a miss, 26-50 a hit in the middle, 51-75 a good hit, and 76-100 an exceptional hit.}

Drossfen hissed at Cyrille's pushing, especially since she seemed to imply that she was a terrible shot."Why does the Crater Dweller even join in if she will only make a fool of herself." The announcer however intruded."Please do not push aside the contestants. They need to be on the right spot in order to hit the targets." He spoke as he gently beckoned for both Archer and Drossfen to stand back in place."Sir, you will have to leave the premises. We are about to begin."

Soon the contest would start."Ladies and gentlemen! We are now ready to begin! Before you you see the best hunters the respective countries have to offer. Ahead are target dummies. This first test shall be one of precision. How well shall these archers hit their target? The grading is as follows; 10 points for an arm or leg shot, 15 points for a gut shot, 5 points for a chest shot, 20 points for a headshot and 50 points for an arrow through the heart. You have three arrows to fire. Once everyone has fired their arrows, you will be graded and the one who scored the highest wins this round! You have five minutes to complete this task. Good luck!"

Drossfen took a deep breath, but she was not the most patient archer. She was used to shooting a flurry of arrows in rapid speed. She gritted her teeth as she did her best to aim well before firing her arrows in a rapid succession. She needed to aim only once to mark her killing shot.

((I'd actually like to use dice rolls for this event since it's much more capable to handle in something like this. I'd like to change the values a bit though.))

1 - 10 = miss (0 points)
11 - 30 = chest shot (5 points)
31 - 50 = arm/leg shot (10 points)
51 - 75 = gut shot (15 points)
76 - 85 = head shot (20 points)
86 - 100 = heart shot (50 points)

Ilaina Kalishar had ignored the ruckus with the Vos Valkearian and the woman of Coronet. Such distractions were tuned out, as was everything else but her bow, her arrows and the targets ahead. An ear twitched as the announcer explained the scores and she smiled slowly, "Very well," she said softly, taking note of the other participants as they drew their bows and shot their targets. There were some respectable hits there.

She plucked one arrow from the ground, nocked it to the string and sighted along the shaft, taking a deep breath as she drew the string back to her cheek... held... held... driving out all thought and outward distractions falling into the alaer, the Eye of the Storm, as easily as another might raise their arm... and then she breathed out, releasing the arrow in the same instant. Two more arrows followed swiftly after the first, the shafts barely in her bow before they too leapt eagerly into the air.

Ilaina's face flickered in irritation as she saw what had become of her arrows... one had grazed passed the head of the dummy, another had struck high in its left arm and another was stuck right in the centre of its forehead. How could she have fared so poorly? Had she misjudged the wind? Had she not meditated enough? Was her training so sorely lacking?

She had better perform better in the next part of the event, or she would not be able to face her comrades-in-arms who were sat in the stands watching her... ugh, her poor performance shamed the Eagles! Thank the Younger Gods that at least High Commander Orion Iyelos was not present, or she would have handed in her resignation right there and then in shame! She couldn't let this get to her, she could not lose her cool over it, or she'd end up making an even greater fool of herself!

(Poor Ilaina is something of a perfectionist... she also has this itty bitty bit of a crush on her CO, too, so lucky for her he's not there...)

Broak shakes his head, "I'm here to participate. I'm Coronet's archer." He holds up his right hand and his left hand rests on the large shotput, patting it twice, "I'm going to need two more of these, though." Cyrille sticks her tongue out, towards the lizard lady, "Cause I'm not afraid to lose. Lizzzzzard." Cyrille's tongue wiggle-waggles towards the archer, before her form turns around and she leaves the arena.

After two more shot-puts were carried out and placed besides Broak's form, his gaze drifts towards the target. Arrows were already in it, by now, and his face scrunches up in concentration. Lifting his left leg upwards, his right arm pulls the shot-put back. His form twists, partially, as he plants his right foot, pitching the shot-put towards the target.

The first metal ball collides into the target's leg, likely leaving a sizable hole there. The second smashes through the target's face, splinters flying and landing upon the ground behind it. The last ball takes what was left of the target's head, arrow pieces and splinters flying everywhere.

Broak releases a held breath, his right hand wiping sweat from his thick eyebrows and mustache.

By the looks of it Drossfen had made a couple of good shots. But she couldn't be sure at this point if she actually managed to hit the dummy's heart or not. She was going to be either just ahead of the competition or lacking way behind. Oh well, at least she'd not be behind Terel'Liren.

Her gaze remained neutral, even at the Crater Dweller's childish remark. Coronet surely had the audience's attention, though. Their way of shooting arrows was... special. But no matter how well the hits were or how bad, the audience clapped politely at each shot. Even at poor Ilaina's.

As soon as everyone made their shots, the score was counted and the dummies removed. The announcer soon began speaking again."The results are in! Currently in third place is Coronet's duo with fifty points! On second is Archer, champion of the ruins with seventy five points. And with only five points ahead of him and currently in the lead; Drossfen Bloodsight of Vos Valkear with eighty points!" The audience cheered more loudly this time and the Poison Dusk Lizardwoman allowed herself a wicked grin. Terel'Liren currently had 30 points.

"But we all know anything can happen! The archers are on each other's tails and the second trial is what makes or breaks the person in the lead. It is time for moving targets!"

As soon as the announcer announced his thing, a couple of traditional disk targets sprung up. Each contestant had their own row of targets and every few seconds one would pop back down and another would appear somewhere either further or a bit closer, but the closest they could ever get was at 60 feet. However, everything about these targets was inconsistent. The time they stayed up as well as which one would pop up next.

"The scores here are simple. 10 points for hitting the white circle of the target, 20 points for the yellow, 30 points for the green, 40 points for the blue, 50 for the narrow pink circle and 60 points for a bullseye. You have once again five minutes to complete this task and 4 arrows this time to see this one through. Good luck!"

Drossfen took a couple of deep breaths before firing her arrows. She had to aim and shoot quickly before the target could disappear and another would show up god knows where.

1 - 39 = miss (0 points)
40 - 49 = white circle (10 points)
50- 59= yellow circle (20 points)
60- 69 = green circle (30 points)
70 - 79 = blue circle (40 points)
80 - 89 = pink circle (50 points)
90 - 100 = bullseye (60 points)

Broak's form bends forward, his arms scooping the next set of shot-puts upward. Cradling the shot-puts into his left arm, his right hand grabs one, pulls it back, and releases it towards the targets.

One shot-put sinks through the bullseye, pieces of wood shattering, and the heavy thud of the shot-put colliding into the ground. It rolls a little, before slowing. Two more travel, mostly, through green rings, and the last one couldn't reach the target in time, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop.

Ilaina could feel the eyes of the crowd on her, especially those of the other Terelains scattered in the stands. Her tail twitched nervously, but she stilled it by sheer force of will. She could not allow her poor performance and the pressure to get to her. She turned to the targets, eyes flickering from one to the next as they appeared and disappeared. This would be difficult, but if she kept her focus, if she kept to her alaer she knew she would be able to pull this back.

Ilaina nocked her first arrow and took a steady breath, "Aelana, Goddess of the Bow and hunt, guide my hand..." Ilaina certainly needed divine intervention to have any hope of winning at this point.

All three of her shots missed, the targets falling down just before any of the arrows could reach them. The closest she managed to get was an arrow clipping the top of a target as it descended, ricocheting off to impale the stand of the next one to appear.

Ilaina stared in silence for a long moment at the pitiful results of her attempt, "What...the...but... that can't...not.. gaaaah!" She snarled, throwing her bow down, "Not! Even! One?! Aelana's Bow! This is just... just humiliating..."

(Really?! All three missed?! The dice hate Ilaina, they really do.)

(Oops, just realised I forgot the fourth one xD)

Ilaina growled when she saw she still had an arrow left, "To hell with it, to hell with calm, with centuries of training and hunting, to hell with all of it," she snapped, grabbing the last shaft, nocking it to her bow and firing as soon as she saw a target, her focus and calm completely ruined by her repeated failures. Her comrades in the stands seemed to be rather amused by her rage and the complete loss of her alaer. She would never be able to live down this incident. It would follow her for centuries.

The arrow managed to strike the green circle of the target she'd been aiming for. Ilaina gasped, not expecting to hit anything with the loss of her cool... and then her eye twitched, "Thirty points... another thirty points...uugh... thank the Younger Gods the commander wasn't here to see this."

In the stands High Commander Orion Iyelos of the Jeria Eagles shook his head, having turned up not long after the archery competition had started to watch one of his subordinates win glory for the Kingdom... or utterly humiliate herself as the case may be, "Note to self... review the training regimen for the archer division."

(The dice truly do hate you it seems. Did you insult them at one point?)

Another round had passed and boy was it getting interesting. Drossfen grinned. She knew her shots were good hits, except for that third one. She knew she was keeping her lead even before the announcer ordered all the arrows to be retrieved.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very exciting bout! But it is not over yet! In the third and final round anything can happen!" The crows clapped once more, much more excitedly."The stands haven't changed much. Some were luckier with their shots than others, but the top three remains the same! On third place is Coronet's duo of Cyrille and Broak with 160 points! Archer, the champion of the ruins is on second with 185 points and still in the lead with a whopping 230 points is Drossfen Bloodsight of Vos Valkear!" Terel'Liren was

The audience cheered and Drossfen allowed herself to gloat in the glory. She was convinced she had this competition in the bank and word of her lead spread fast. More monsters were showing up, disrupting the polite nobility with their loud cheers and claps. Most of them were drunk and didn't care much for such frivolous things as 'politeness' and 'respecting other people's viewing pleasures.'

Fear not, dear archers, for nothing is decided yet. Perhaps some of you have noticed a little speck on the horizon. This is another target. A very far away target and is your final trial. The trial of distance. This target is more than 1000 feet away and very difficult to hit. You have one shot at this, so make it count! Reaching zone 1 will award you 30 points, zone two awards you 50 points and reaching zone 3, where the target is, rewards you 70 points! Should you miraculously hit the target, you will be awarded a grand total of 100 points! Not to mention, if you manage to hit the bullseye, that total will be increased to a whopping 300 points, which can secure victory to the archers even in last place! You will all be allowed to switch to a longbow in order to try and reach the target. Good luck! This will be the decisive round!

Drossfen threw her shortbow in the grass and switched for a very tribal looking longbow made of a soft wood and adorned with trinkets and bones. It was clear she had not won yet. In order to secure her victory she had to score high! For once the Lizard was patient as she tried to read the winds and look for a good opportunity to fire. Afterwards she held her breath and let loose her final arrow.

1 - 19 = hit nothing (0 points)
20 - 39 = arrow reaches zone 1 (30 points)
40- 69 = arrow reaches zone 2 (50 points)
70 - 89 = arrow reaches zone 3 (70 points)
90 - 99 = arrow hits the target (100 points)
100 = bullseye! (300 points)

Ilaina stared at the target so very, very far away, "Huh..." she started swearing rather vehemently in her native language, slipping into both High and Low Terelain. She had a chance to still win this... but really, what were the chances after all of her terrible, awful shots and truly shameful performance that she'd hit the bullseye? I mean, it would have to be an act direct from Aelana the Huntress herself. The Huntress' own Bow would have trouble making a shot like that!

Still, she couldn't back out now. she had her comrades-in-arms watching her, the eyes of hundreds from every kingdom. she'd humiliated Terel'Liren enough for one day. She had to do good this time... she had to at least come close to hitting the damned thing, to show that she was at least competent in archery.

Ilaina retrieved a finely-made longbow, the yew flexible, the string without flaw or damage, her own personal sniping bow with the crest of the Jeria Eagles emblazoned upon it. If she performed badly on this thing, she would shame her entire regiment. She'd resign from the Eagles for sure. She could do no less for dishonouring a weapon such as this.

She really, really hoped this would work...

She drew the arrow back slowly, pushing away her humiliation, her anger, her trepidation. she took a deep, slow breath. She would need to concentrate for this. Now more than ever she needed the peace and serenity of alaer. She and the bow were one, the arrow was an extension of her will, and she willed it to strike the target so far away, the arrow and the target were one and the same... she let fly...

And missed the target. Sure she at least got it into the second target zone, so she ended up with... 110 points. That wasn't...too bad...

...

Ilaina crumbled. Okay it was still awful. She'd expected to at least make a good showing, to at least be in the top three, to acquit herself with honour in the name of her kingdom. Not come dead last! Defeated, the archer snapped her bow over her knee and tossed the ruin to the ground. There was no way she could face the High Commander after this. Her pride could only take so much, and seeing Orion look at her so disappointed with her performance was not something she could face.

Maybe she could go be a city guard like her parents had wanted, it might not be as glorious as the Jeria Eagles or the Royal Army but it was still an honourable profession well-suited to her Moralinri blood...

(I wonder what I did to offend the All-Powerful Random Number God...)

Broak's left arm pats his right arm, as he rotates it, "I'm not so sure about distance. But I'll try." Broak's right hand reaches down and palms a shot-put. Pulling his arm backward, he launches the shot-put upward. It sails for some time, before colliding into the ground and rolling. Broak lifts a hand to scratch his thumb against his curled mustache. His thick shoulders lift in a shrugging fashion, "Guess I'll accept the place that I already won."

Broak's form turns towards the Terelian, his right hand offering a solid pat upon her back, "Hey, you almost beat me. Guess you'll have to get better, before next year's event."

(I have found an accurate depiction of your relationship with the dice, Terel.)

It was done. Her arrow only reached zone 2, but it was better than she had expected. Drossfen was used to short flurries and bursts, but she had a fantastic sight, which was the entire reason she was chosen to represent Vos Valkear in the archery competition. Because of all the simple minded barbaric rangers, she actually stood a chance among the more trained and drilled soldiers who'd had attended today!

"Ladies and gentlemen, the results are in!" It was not the announcer who spoke this time, but Lord Angus Heidman himself!"It was a fierce battle, was it not, my friends?" The bearded man spoke towards the archers with a friendly smile as his arms rested behind his back."You have all fought very hard to make it to this point, but in the end only one person can be called the winner."

His voice became loud again."In third place are the duo Broak and Cyrille of Coronet with a commendable 160 points!" The audience cheered for Coronet. Looked like they were not strange brutes after all if they managed to get third."On second place is Archer, champion of the abandoned city with a magnificent score of 235 points!" As the audience cheered for him as well, Angus spoke softer towards Archer with a gentle voice."Oh, I assure you, good sir, the gravity has nothing to do with it. The winds weren't all that favourable today for an archery contest. But I suppose one can't control mother nature, can they?"

Afterwards his voice raised again."And your winner with a whopping 280 points is miss Drossfen Bloodsight of Vos Valkear, our winner today!" Now it was mostly the monsters cheering! In fact, they climbed off of the tribune to run up to the flustered Drossfen and receive their praise. Monsters in all shapes and sizes ganged up on Drossfen, raising her into the air and cheering happily. None could have truly thought her to win with this fierce of a competition! Archery required a certain degree of calmness which the Poison Dusk archer apparently had."Ah yes, quite the joyful occasion. You have earned it, milady. Seldom have I seen such a precise shooter. Please, all of you, follow me."

As everyone followed the archers were lead to a small stage to which only Drossfen and Angus were allowed up. On the stage was a pedestal with a closed case."I like to go back on ancient legends whenever I hand out prizes such as these. It is said men and women alike are born chosen with eagle eyes, and some of our forefathers would agree that a certain divine tree planted by the mother of nature herself would grant such a vision to children if they bathed in her sap. What is true of it, I'm not sure, but I managed to get my hands on a piece of wood coming from the ancient tree. Of it I have created your trophy." Angus Heidman spoke as he opened the case and produced a light, almost orange coloured trophy carved of a hooded ranger aiming a longbow in the distance while crouched on a tree stump.

"Please accept this reward for your country. But for you too I have a gift." From the same case Heidman took a medium sized bow made of the same wood and with a iridescent string. The bow was filled with all sorts of runes."This bow was once called Spirit's Eye. What you wish to call it is up to you, my lady. But it is yours. This bow will allow you to fire an unlimited amount of phantasmic arrows. You will never run out of ammunition."

Drossfen, still flustered accepted both the trophy and the bow. From the audience came a harpy in a regal dress. Leem the Wise came up to the stage and Drossfen knelled down."My Lady, I-" "Please, stand, child. You have done well today. I only came to congratulate you. You have given us a tremendous victory." The Harpy Matriarch smiled as she spread her wings."Your brethren would love for you to celebrate with them. Will you join them?"

Drossfen nodded."Aye, My Lady. But I want these participants to join. They fought well, and I believe it is time for me to open up a bit more." This was surprising. Even the ones from Coronet seemed to be invited to go drink with her. Truly this festival was not void of miracles, or perhaps their accuracy and showing in this event changed the Poison Dusk's mind about different races.

What a festival this was!