Round Six

Curtis Pythonheart VS Ryant de Cooke II Rupert VS Bobby Thundar Jean de Montbergac VS Aodhan

Jedjo Armag VS Ryanus Caeruleus Coquus Chaliot deFray VS Ulric Von Licktenstein Seretuon VS Thomas

The storms of the previous round had past, but they had left their mark upon the city of Parravon. Many buildings had lost their roofs or had suffered other damage to the strong winds, powerful rains and thunderous lightning. The storms lasted two full days and had laid waste to many farmsteads, and ripped huge trees from whence they had stood.

It was the day in which Round Six of the Trial of Steel Tournament would begin. Many of those who were fortunate enough to come away from the storms unscathed were gathered to take part in the festivities. The skies of this day were clear once more, as the fury of the weather had been spent and gave way to the clear blue of a near cloudless sky.

The pavilions were quickly filled with peasants and nobles alike as the assembled crowd took seats and standing positions that gave them the best view of the arena floor. When the King's Herald arrived in the King's personal alcove (followed once again by the Scribe) the crowd was silenced by the blare of trumpets, allowing the Herald to give the signal to begin to the King's Adjudicator.

The shouts and cheers of the assembled spectators filled the air as the Adjudicator unrolled a new scroll of parchment. Reading it over for a moment before beginning, he then announced the names of the competitors who would take place in the first battle of Round Six...



"Curtis Pythonheart shall now do battle against Ryant de Cooke II in this, the first melee of Round Six!" The crowd roared cheers as the chosen Squires entered the sandy arena. Curtis and Ryant took up position in the centre of the arena before turning to face each other, and then draw their swords...

	VS
Curtis Pythonheart (Reckless) - (Ranked 2nd) Hits: 4 Wounds Taken: 3		Ryant de Cooke II (Focused) - (Ranked 6th) Hits: 4 Wounds Taken: 2

With stunning ferocity, the melee began. Curtis Pythonheart quickly closed the distance between himself and his opponent and struck out with a Chop. The accurate blow smashed aside the defenses of the Focused Ryant and caused a palpable wound. Striking back, Ryant hacked back with a might Power Strike which easily bypassed the guard of Curtis and hammered into his arm, causing the limb to weaken and also inflicted an injury. Despite the sheer power of the blow he had just suffered, Curtis counter attacked with a well-aimed Spin-Slash and scored a hit. The attack again was not stopped by Ryant's defenses and caused another wound to the already hurt Squire. Attempting to bring his foe down with another palpable strike, Curtis attacked twice with two quick Chops. Only the latter attack found its target, but it failed to cause any harm.

Parrying a further clumsy Chop from his foe, Ryant stabbed back with a Jab but Curtis dodged aside, avoiding the blow. Evading a reply Jab from Curtis, Ryant Lunged at his opponent and this time hit with jarring force, causing an obvious injury and also knocking Curtis Pythonheart backwards. Unable to strike back with much accuracy after the disabling blow he had just be dealt, Curtis attacked with a Spin-Slash and a Chop. The Spin-Slash missed completely whilst the Chop was deflected off the shield of the skilled Ryant de Cooke II.

With a roar, Curtis struck out at his opponent with a whirling Spin-Slash, but he was again unable to find his target and the blow missed. Ryant de Cooke II Lunged once again at his foe and hit again, but this time the blow did not carry enough force to take down his foe. Both Squires were badly wounded now and it showed, a Spin-Slash from Ryant and a Spin-Slash followed by two Jabs from Curtis all missed, as they were attacking too slowly for the attacks to find their mark.

Backing away from each other, both Squires halted for a moment to summon up the last of their strength. The onlooker's cheers arose to a feverish pitch as both Squires Shoulder Charged at each other in a final conflict that would resolve the battle. Curtis Pythonheart's blow struck first and hit! Unfortunately, his blade was at an awkward angle and failed to cause a wound. Ryant de Cooke II's attack also found its mark. His blow, however, was better aimed and hit with crushing force. Unable to withstand the punishment, Curtis Pythonheart was knocked to the sandy arena floor, where he lay unconsious.

The crowd's cheers filled the arena to congratulate Ryant de Cooke II as the Adjudicator declared him the victor. Ryant de Cooke II had won by Knocking Out his opponent and therefore gains 10 points. Unfortunately for him, Curtis Pythonheart gains no points.



With the unconsious Curtis Pythonheart carried from the arena, the next battle could begin. Reading aloud once more, the King's Adjudicator spoke with a strong and commanding voice, "Next, in the second battle of this round, the current Roster leader, Rupert, Squire to Baron Borsam must do battle against Bobby Thundar. May the best man win!"

Once more the cheering spectators greeted the Squires as they entered the arena, and all knew that this battle would be a well-fought melee that would prove entertaining for the assembled crowd.

	VS
Rupert, Squire to Baron Borsam (Aggressive) - (Ranked 1st) Hits: 2 Wounds Taken: 3		Bobby Thundar (Aggressive) - (Ranked 5th) Hits: 2 Wounds Taken: 2

The melee began quickly with Rupert stepping forward to deliver a cunning Diversion attack. Bobby was ready for such a blow however and turned it aside with his shield, before striking back with a mighty Lunge. Unfortunately for Bobby, the Lunge missed, but it did manage to cause Rupert to flinch, and miss with his own Slashing attack. Striking once more, Bobby hacked out with two quick Slashes. The first Slash caused a hit, but was only a glancing blow, and failed to cause any harm. The second Slash was easily avoided by the skilled Rupert, who Chopped back and hit with great force. Such force, in fact, that Bobby was obviously wounded by it.

Dodging a counter attacking Chop from Bobby Thundar, Rupert delivered a harsh Double Strike attack and hit. Again, the blow was strong enough to cause Bobby harm, and he now looked seriously wounded. Seeing that he would quickly lose to the powerful blows of his enemy if he did not act now, Bobby Thundar struck back with a last-ditch Shoulder Charge. Amazingly, this attempt was successful and hit with massive force (causing 3 Wounds!!!) and sent Rupert, who was in perfect health seconds before, crashing into the sand unconsious!!!

The crowd cheered on in amazement as they saw the current Roster champion knocked out by his opponent with such a mighty blow. Bobby Thundar had won by Knocking Out his opponent. Bobby Thundar gains 10 points. Rupert, Squire to Baron Borsam gains 0 points (but still is the Roster leader, if only by a small margin now).



"The third battle of Round Six shall be fought between Jean de Montbergac and his opponent for this round, Aodhan of Greensleeves. May the Lady's Blessing fall upon them both!" announced the Adjudicator. Once more the double doors of the preparation building opened and two Squires marched out to the centre of the arena, to await the signal to begin the combat...

	VS
Jean de Montbergac (Aggressive) - (Ranked 4th) Hits: 4 Wounds Taken: 0		Aodhan of Greensleeves (Adroit) - (Ranked 9th) Hits: 1 Wounds Taken: 2

Once the signal was given, Jean de Montbergac took up a defensive Deflection stance, letting his Adroit opponent act first. Due to this surprisingly defensive tactic from his Aggressive foe, Aodhan of Greensleeves's quick-witted Subterfuge attack was unsuccessful, as Jean parried the blow. Jean kept attempting to Deflect his foe's attacks for a moment, before finally deciding to strike back with a Slash. Unfortunately for him, the Slash missed.

Unable to avoid a further Slash from his opponent, Aodhan was hit by the lightning-quick strike from his adversary. Although fast, the blow lacked strength, however, and failed to cause any injuries to the Adroit Aodhan. Taking a Deflection stance, Aodhan stepped backwards, readying himself for any forthcoming blows. After striking out with an inaccurate Jab, Jean de Montbergac stepped backwards before charging ahead at his foe in an all-out Shoulder Charge. As a great testament to his skill-at-arms, Aodhan took the blow in his stride, turning it aside on his raised shield!!! Striking back, Aodhan of Greensleeves stabbed out with a Jab, but failed to hit.

The King's Herald looked on with much interest, the two opponents were well-matched and at that point in time the battle could go either way. The cheering crowd's shouts of encouragement were rising and falling in an incessant wave of joyous voices.

Neither Squire had much time to pay attention to such things, however. Both Squires lashed out at the same moment with the same Power Strike type attack. Grasping his weapon in both hands, Jean's Power Strike reached his foe first. The blow was accurate, but only barely. The blow that could have knocked Aodhan off his feet merely grazed the Adroit Squire's leg. Aodhan of Greensleeves was still effected by the strike however, and the blow ruined his aim, causing his own Power Strike to miss.

Recovering from his Power Strike, Jean lifted his blade once more. This time he raised it into a defensive position however, and attempted to Deflect his foe's strikes. The attempt was unfortunately unsuccessful, as Aodhan's skilled Jab bypassed his guard and caused a jarring hit. Luckily for Jean, despite the force behind the blow, he was unscathed. Ignoring the stab that had just struck him, Jean de Montbergac Shoulder Charged into his opponent and hit with all the might he could muster. Aodhan was injured (losing 1 Wound) but withstood the attack and was not brought down by the ferocious blow.

In the dying seconds of the battle, Jean struck out with a final Power Strike, putting all of the strength he had left behind the mighty blow. The strike hit with devastating force, and caused a serious injury and nearly knocked Aodhan to his knees. Stabbing back with another Jab, Aodhan attempted to hit his foe but found his attack stopped by a skilled parry.

The Adjudicator called a stop to the battle, the time limit had expired and it was now time to declare a winner. Jean de Montbergac had won the battle by having 3 More Hits than his opponent. Due to this, Jean de Montbergac received 7 points, whilst Aodhan of Greensleeves received 3 points.



The midday hour had arrived and thus it was time for the lunchtime festivities to commence. As before, the crowd left the pavilions to enjoy the spectacle of talented entertainers performing, and to take part in the food and drink that was handed out generously to those present. After a long-hour of festivities, it was time to return to the pavilions to view the final three battles left of this round.

When the crowd had finally settled into the pavilions once more, a nod from the Herald told the Adjudicator to announce the next melee. "The fourth battle of Round Six brings us a combat between Jedjo Armag and Ryanus Caeruleus Coquus!"

The chosen Squires entered the arena, and the battle began...

	VS
Jedjo Armag (Adroit) - (Ranked 3rd) Hits: 2 Wounds Taken: 1		Ryanus Caeruleus Coquus (Reckless) - (Ranked 8th) Hits: 3 Wounds Taken: 1

With a skillful sweep of his weapon, Jedjo Armag parried a Chop from his opponent and pushed it aside, before continuing the momentum of his own swing and rushing forward. Crashing into his opponent with a Shoulder Charge, Jedjo hammered into the chest of his adversary and caused an obvious injury to the Reckless Squire, who struck back with three furious blows. The first came in the form of a Double Strike but Jedjo dodged aside. Changing his attack in one fluid motion, Ryanus Lunged at his foe and this time hit. The blow's aim was true and hit with great force, causing a wound to the Adroit Jedjo. Hacking out with another attack, this time a Chopping blow, Ryanus's next attack was not as accurate and missed.

With a clash Ryanus's blade found its mark, glancing off the form of Jedjo and causing no harm, but was still a hit. Jedjo swung back with a Spin-Slash, but Ryanus dodged aside and was not hit by the sweeping strike. Raining attack after attack upon his foe, Ryanus struck out with a Spin-Slash, followed by two Lunges but was unable to repeat his previous hits, and all of his attempts missed.

Blocking a clumsy Chop swung by his Reckless foe, Jedjo struck back twice. A well-placed Chop from the Adroit Jedjo found its target and hit, but failed to do any real harm to Ryanus. His follow-up attack, a less successful Spin-Slash, was not as accurate and missed. Keeping the attacks coming, Ryanus replied to Jedjo's blows with two Double Strikes and a Chop. The first Double Strike hit, but failed to harm Jedjo, the second Double Strike was blocked whilst the Chop attack was badly aimed and missed.

The heated melee continued as both Squires battled on. Dodging under a Double Strike from Ryanus, Jedjo Jabbed at his foe but found his attack ill-aimed and missed. Striking out wildly with another Double Strike, Ryanus's swing was not true and missed also. Taking a Deflection pose for a moment, before thinking better of it and lashing out with a Spin-Slash, Ryanus was once more unable to find his target, and failed to hit.

A Slash from Ryanus was once more inaccurate and missed in the last moments of the battle. Lashing out with a final Jab, Jedjo was dismayed to find his stab parried by his Reckless foe. With three final, but fruitless attacks, Ryanus struck back with a Spin-Slash and two Lunges, but missed.

The battle was over. Ryanus Caeruleus Coquus had been victorious by having 1 More Hit than his Adroit foe. Ryanus Caeruleus Coquus gains 6 points, whilst Jedjo Armag gains 4 points.



Reading aloud from the scroll he was carrying, the Adjudicator's voice filled the arena, "The fifth battle of Round Six shall be fought between Chaliot deFray and Ulric Von Licktenstein. May the Lady bless the victor!!!"

The great doors to the preparation building swung open and Chaliot and Ulric marched onto the arena floor. The shouts and cheers of the spectators greeted them. When they had reached the centre point of the arena and drawn their weapons, a signal from the Adjudicator was given, and the battle commenced...

	VS
Chaliot deFray (Defensive) - (Ranked 12th) Hits: 3 Wounds Taken: 2		Ulric Von Licktenstein (Reckless) - (Ranked 7th) Hits: 4 Wounds Taken: 2

The clashing of steel-on-steel rang out as Chaliot leapt forward and began the melee with a quick Jab. Unfortunately for the Defensive Squire, Ulric saw the attack coming and raised his sword, parrying the blow. A quick return Chopping attack from Ulric was also turned aside, this time by Chaliot's expert defensive skills. Striking again, Ulric put all of his might behind a massive Shoulder Charge at close range, but, much to Chaliot's merit, Ulric's blow was blocked by the raised shield of his foe, and all of the strength of the charge was absorbed. Attacking back with a Diversion strike, Chaliot failed to fool his foe and Ulric was able to avoid the swing.

Both opponents looked well matched as they duelled. Ulric jumped forward again and Chopped at his foe, but a parry stopped the attack from finding its mark. Pushing his foe's weapon aside, Chaliot Chopped back and hit, but the blow was not very powerful, and failed to cause any harm. Angered at the strike, Ulric Chopped at his adversary once again, but as before, Chaliot was able to defend himself from the blow, this time by raising his shield. Attempting to repeat his previous hit, Chaliot deFray lashed out with a well-aimed Double Strike, but Ulric was too swift and parried the incoming blow. Dodging aside, Chaliot evaded further attacks from his Reckless foe, this time in the form of a Lunge and a Jab.

Ulric Von Licktenstein was too quick for Chaliot as he evaded a Jab from the Defensive Squire. Charging back at his opponent, Ulric swung a hammering Shoulder Charge attack but missed by a whisker. To the delight of the crowd Chaliot was not as unlucky, slamming into Ulric with a Shoulder Charge of his own, Chaliot hit into his foe with a loud crunch. The blow knocked Ulric backwards forcefully (and caused 1 Wound) but failed to knock the Reckless Squire out.

The crowd were on their feet as the melee progressed. The Squires continued to trade blows as if they were expert warriors, with Ulric Lunging at his foe but being parried only to raise his shield in mid-attack and block a counter-attacking Chop from Chaliot. Jabbing at his foe defensively as he retreated, Chaliot backed away. Dodging the Jab from his opponent, Ulric struck back with a Chop, but found his attack avoided by the quick-witted Chaliot. Attacking once more, Ulric Shoulder Charged at his opponent. Unfortunately for Ulric, Chaliot was too swift and evaded the attack.

The crowd roared with excitement as Ulric Jabbed with devastating force, causing a direct hit to his foe and also doing serious wounds to him. Despite his injuries, Chaliot deFray Shoulder Charged at his opponent and hit his foe squarely in the chest. The resounding crack that sounded as Chaliot's blade impacted with his Reckless foe heralded the obvious wounds he had caused on Ulric. In an amazing hail of attacks that meant the difference between victory and defeat, Ulric attacked back with two Chops and a Jab. Surprisingly, all three attacks slipped past Chaliot's guard and hit, and one Chop even caused harm to the Defensive Squire. Both Squires halted as the Adjudicator called the end of the battle.

Because of his last three attacks (which ALL hit!), Ulric Von Licktenstein was victorious by having 1 More Hit than his foe. Ulric Von Licktenstein gains 6 points. Chaliot deFray gains 4 points.



"In the final battle of Round Six, Seretuon shall do battle with Thomas, Squire to Baron Borsam. May the Lady's Blessing shine upon them both!" Announced the Adjudicator to the excited crowd. Both Squires marched out of the preparation building and were immediately greeted by the cheers and shouts from the onlookers.

Each Squire knew that failure in this battle could mean elimination in the Fifth Eliminations. Neither would allow that to come to pass if they could help it.

	VS
Seretuon (Defensive) - (Ranked 11th) Hits: 5 Wounds Taken: 0		Thomas, Squire to Baron Borsam (Average) - (Ranked 10th) Hits: 1 Wounds Taken: 2

As soon as the signal to begin was given, the melee was joined in a flurry of steel and sand. Leaping forward, Seretuon Slashed at Thomas, hitting with jarring force and causing a palpable injury upon the Squire to Baron Borsam. Pretending to take a deflection stance for a moment, Thomas attempted to strike out with a cunning act of Subterfuge. Unfortunately for Thomas, Seretuon saw through the trick and dodged the attack. Thomas, annoyed by his failure, then attempted to lock blades with his foe in a Clash of Steel, but Seretuon was too quick and evaded the attempt. With a Feinted strike, Seretuon tried to fool Thomas, but failed.

Parrying a Chop swung by his opponent, Seretuon pushed his foe's weapon aside before hacking out with a Chop of his own. The Chop went low and hit Thomas across the legs, almost tripping him over. Thomas almost fell over but remained on his feet. He now limped noticably, however. Slicing at his opponent in an attempt to repay his Defensive opponent for the hit he had just received, Thomas cut at his opponent with a double-handed Power Strike. Seretuon side-stepped the blow and replied with a Power Strike of his own, and hit with punishing force! The blow caused a deep bruise to Thomas, a wound which would hinder him greatly for the rest of the battle.

With a Lunging attack Seretuon swept his blade in a powerful left-to-right motion. Thomas dodged aside despite his limp, however, and struck back with another Power Strike. This time, his aim was better and the blow hit. Luckily for Seretuon, he was able to lean backwards and avoid most of the force of the blow, and managed to escape injury. He was stunned from the blow, nonetheless.

Ignoring a badly performed Feint from Thomas, Seretuon Chopped at his foe's leg and hit again. Thomas shrugged off the grazing blow and dodged aside as a poorly aimed Lunge attack from his opponent wizzed past his ear. Chopping at his Defensive enemy, Thomas was unable to hit Seretuon, who dodged and weaved to avoid the strike.

The final moments of the final battle of Round Six were upon the two battling Squires, but still they fought on. Stepping back a pace, Thomas avoided a Jab from his opponent before striking back with his own attacks. A Feinted slash from the right followed by a real Chop from the left was a skillful and quick-witted move from Thomas, but it was to no avail, as Seretuon ignored the Feint and blocked the Chop. With a final, overhead Power Strike, Seretuon brought his blade down upon his foe with great strength. Thomas was unable to avoid the blow, but did manage to turn aside so that the blade hit at an awkward angle and failed to wound him.

The battle was over, the time limit had passed. The Adjudicator proclaimed Seretuon the victor, who had won by having an impressive 4 More Hits than his foe. Because of this, Seretuon gains 7 points, whilst Thomas, Squire to Baron Borsam, gains 3 points.



"Squires of Bretonnia, approach!" called out the King's Herald. The remaining 12 Squires did so, marching out in a block-shaped unit, three men abreast and four men deep. The cheers and shouts that poured from the assembled crowd washed over the Squires, who, as always before an Elimination, felt a strange mix of anticipation and nervousness.

Raising from his chair to address the warriors before him, the King's Herald's commanding voice filled the arena, "Round Six has once again shown the skill and courage that all of you present possess. No man can reach Round Six by sheer luck and therefore I am certain that you are all warriors of great skill. However, only eight may enter the Trial of Strength. Twelve of you stand before me now, but at the end of the next round, Round Seven, only eight shall remain. Firstly, however, we must announce who is not yet ready to take their part in the next round. Therefore, it is time to press on, and begin the Fifth Eliminations..."



NOTE: You may notice that the dice rolls are not included in the battle descriptions, if you want a copy of how the dice rolls came up. Email Me and tell me which Round's dice rolls you want emailed to you, and I shall get them to you ASAP.



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