Vexil.
It's evening. And they're back at The Merchant's Rest inn celebrating sir Percavelle Lé Dic's victory in The Joust for the Spring Tourney of Vexil.
They got the large heavily armoured knight away from the tourney field fairly quickly before he got mobbed by the crowd who wanted to celebrate his victory with him.
For though sir Percavelle Lé Dic or Percy as the rest of the group tend to call him. Was booed by a large portion of the crowd earlier in the rounds for some of his questionable tactics when it came to jousting.
Turns out in the final pairing of The Lists, or Joust as it's more commonly known as. He was the favourite up against sir Dormic, a paladin in the order of the Knights of Saint Mar'che. The same knightly order that Percy himself belongs to.
For the simple reason that during the final grouping, sir Dormic the paladin killed one of his opponents, sir Junicar of Marson Grove, a landed knight from the kingdom of Druvic.
Who throughout the day grew in popularity amongst the massive crowd who had gathered to watch The Joust outside the north wall of the city of Vexil.
So much so, the young landed knight was the favourite amongst the crowd when it came to the last group of the day.
It helped that sir Junicar was a ranked outsider when it came to the odds given by the various betmen at the very start of the day.
And even by the final group of The Lists, he was still getting the longest odds of the last competitors of the day.
So Percy, by default was the crowd favourite in the final pairing of the final group of The Joust for the Spring Tourney of Vexil.
The massive crowd was also ecstatic in the way in which the former earl of Lé Dic won the final joust of the day.
Defeating the paladin sir Dormic in a rather violent fashion. More so than normally seen during a joust.
The only reason the paladin in the order of the Knights of Saint Mar'che wasn't horribly disfigured. Was because of the clerics and spellcasting healers who attended to him after his defeat at the hands of sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
If not, he would of had a permanent, not to mention deep scar up his entire face, and across the top of his head from the blow delivered by the former paladin in the order of the Knights of Saint Mar'che.
In the common room of the small inn they've been staying in whilst here in the city of Vexil. They've put together a few of the tables so that can sit together as a group.
With the exception of Lord Farque who is sitting at his usual table in a corner of the common room.
Where Helbe the elven thief sat with him earlier discussing something. Which the rest of them couldn't hear thanks to a spell cast by the highly talented elven practitioner of magic.
Now the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel is seated with the others at the cluster of tables in the middle of the common room.
The only other one not sitting around the tables, is Dorc da Orc. Who is sitting on the floor, as no chair or bench is big enough, or solid enough, to hold his weight.
The large ork who hails from the southern polar region of the world, who is drinking from a barrel of ale. And eating from a large wooden trencher on the floor next to him.
Is sitting closer to Lord Farque's table than he is to where the rest of the group are in the middle of the common room of the inn.
After yawning, Zam the ex mercenary says "What a day" with a shake of his head, he adds "I'm knackered after all of that".
"Well, you've got tomorrow to look forward to" says Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy who is sitting to the right of the ex mercenary who is the youngest member of the group.
"Which is going to be a hell of lot harder than today" continues the elven spy who is originally from the principality of Alinlae.
"Not to mention a hell of a lot more dangerous" adds Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
Zam grunts at the prospect of that. For tomorrow is the second day of the Spring Tourney of Vexil. And the day Le Grande Meleé takes place on the tourney field just outside the north wall of the city of Vexil.
The teenager who is originally from The City Of Ruins looks over at sir Percavelle Lé Dic, and sees that though the former paladin is celebrating his win today.
He isn't drinking much, only having had a couple of mugs of ale. As he knows that tomorrow promises to be a long, as well as dangerous day.
"Talk is that there's going to be more than four hundred participants tomorrow, closer to five hundred if the rumours I heard are true" says the elven spy who is a commander in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque.
"More than twice the amount who started today in The Joust" continues the spy Tanith who previously served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland, the elven principality of Alinlae.
"Hell" mutters Zam the ex mercenary, who then adds "That's a lot for sure" then with a nod over to where sir Percavelle Lé Dic is sitting, the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins quietly asks the elven spy "Think he's got a chance of winning it?".
"Sure" is the reply from Dalin, who follows on from that with "But everyone's got a chance of winning".
The elven spy continues on with "But I doubt it" he then adds "Too many people will be out to defeat him now".
The scout commander slightly nods to where Helbe the elven thief is sitting between Mira Reinholt the mage and the rotund woman named Malisse, and quietly tells Zam "Not unless his highness cheats for him, then I figure Percy won't win".
Zam slightly winces, then nods as he figured the same thing. Without the help of some hidden spell craft from the elven masterthief. Then Percy doesn't have much chance to be victorious in Le Grande Meleé tomorrow.
The teenager who is originally from The City Of Ruins, along with the spy Tanith then listen to what the others are talking about as they celebrate sir Percavelle Lé Dic's victory in The Lists today.
"Me?" says Tamric Drubine the field commander, who continues with "I doubt it" followed by "Too many people taking part for me to be successful".
The noble born field commander, who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, says to Tovis the war engineer "You've got a better chance".
The war engineer who hails from southern Druvic like sir Percavelle Lé Dic, wryly smiles, then says "Now I can agree to that".
In response to field commander Drubine saying to him "Even better, Beldane would have a fairly decent chance".
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him personally, continues with "After today, he'd have a better chance than Percy".
The war engineer from the kingdom of Druvic nods in agreement, as they've all pretty much come to the conclusion that sir Percavelle Lé Dic won't be victorious in Le Grande Meleé.
As it's likely a large number of the participants will team up against him. For the simple fact that they want to eliminate the winner of The Joust.
Not that Percy himself thinks this. As he believes, rightly or wrongly, that he will be victorious on day two of the tourney, like he was on day one.
"What are you two discussing?" asks Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman as she looks over at Tamric Drubine the field commander and Tovis the war engineer.
"Who'll do well in Le Grande Meleé" replies Tovis the war engineer "A chance of winning it" adds Tamric Drubine the field commander, who then says "Amongst us".
The rotund woman who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson nods her head, then glances to her left, and says "You Mira?".
"I doubt it" says Mira Reinholt the mage with a snort "I'm good against multiple opponents, but lack heavy armour to survive for long during a tourney melee".
The once powerful mage who was born and raised here in the city of Vexil nods over to where Beldane the cleric is sitting, and says "Apart from Percy, Beldane's got the best chance out of any of us".
Clearing his throat, Helbe the elven thief says "Speak for yourself" followed by "I think I'd do pretty well" after a slight pause as he grins, the elven master assassin adds "In fact I'm pretty sure I'd win".
After rolling his eyes, the mage Reinholt dryly says "No doubt" he continues on in that same tone with "Though the mages running the tourney would get highly suspicious when an elf wearing light armour, and with only a short sword as a visible weapon wins the melee against hundreds of others".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, in fact he's a member of the royal family that rules that particular nation, grins then chuckles before saying "True that".
With a shake of his hooded head, the highly talented elven magic user says "Can't do anything nowadays without being accused of cheating".
"That's because you do infact cheat" says Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman in an extremely dry tone of voice, which causes others sitting at the table to chuckle.
"Alright, alright, you don't have to go on about it" says the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, who pauses as he looks at all the members of the group sitting here in the middle of the common room.
"Well Percy of course" says Helbe the elven thief, who then quickly adds in elvish "He won't though, unless I cheat for him".
Switching back to the common language, the elven master archer says "Definitely Beldane, then maybe Tovis and Tam".
Many of the others nod in agreement, then Lisell Maera the scout says "Not myself?" followed by "Or Saanea?".
The elven princeling from Laerel doesn't say anything, and just sourly smiles in response to that from the attractive young woman who hails from the city-state of Brattonbury.
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group just stares at the elven masterthief, then she slightly snorts, and grins before saying "I know, we've got no chance".
The junior officer in the Scouts and Rangers division follows that with "Yeah apart from Percy, I'd say Beldane too".
They go around the tables in the middle of the common room, and one by one, they all say Beldane the cleric would have the best chance in Le Grande Meleé along with sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
Even Percy himself suggests that the fighting cleric in the church of Glaine would have a fairly good chance of success during day two of the Spring Tourney of Vexil.
"Dorc" loudly says Dorc da Orc from where he's sitting nearby on the floor. It might of looked like the large ork wasn't paying attention to the others.
He actually wasn't, until they started discussing who would do well during Le Grande Meleé on day two of the tourney.
There's a lot of rolling of the eyes from those in the middle of the common room, which is closed off for the evening with the exception of the group. Who are the only people staying at the Merchant's Rest inn.
"Well, yeah" says Mira Reinholt the mage, who continues on with "But you can't enter this melee, so no".
"Fucken load of shit me can't enter" loudly mutters the big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
Who knows he'd win Le Grande Meleé. In fact all the others, with the exception of Percy. Knows the ork warleader would win it if people larger than human size were allowed to enter.
"Would fucken win easy" continues the ork weaponsmith in a loud mutter, who then grunts as he realizes something.
"Farque" says Dorc da Orc with a wave of one of his large, meaty, frying pan sized hands over to where the undead warlord is sitting at the corner table.
"He win the fucken melee" continues the large ork, who then mutters in his native language "He fucken win easier than Dorc".
Silence falls at the tables clustered together in the middle of the common room of the Merchant's Rest inn.
Then eventually it's Helbe the elven thief who breaks the silence, who after clearing his throat, and glancing over at the large heavily armoured deathlord, says "Well, yes he would".
After a pause, the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel says "But I doubt he'd want to enter".
Over at the corner table, the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque slightly nods his full helmed head in agreement with what the elven masterthief just said.
For though the lord of the death realm, who has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands also know him by.
Would easily win Le Grande Meleé tomorrow, he has no intention of entering it, because he has no interest in doing so himself.
Though that doesn't mean the large heavily armoured deathlord isn't interested in Le Grande Meleé itself.
So it's not a surprise when the undead warlord makes a suggestion who he thinks amongst the group could win Le Grande Meleé. What is a surprise though, is who it is that he actually suggests.
"Shur Kee" quietly says Lord Farque from the corner table here in the common room of the Merchant's Rest inn.
While a surprised Shur Kee the monk says "Me?". And Dorc da Orc looks at the deathlord of Farque and says to him in a surprised tone of voice "With his fucken stick?" followed by "And no fucken armour?".
Helbe the elven thief winces, then murmurs "Hell". And next to him, Mira Reinholt the mage grimaces, and Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman murmurs "Damn".
While sir Percavelle Lé Dic with a frown upon his face just says "Hmmmm". At the suggestion from Lord Farque that the short statured monk would be successful in Le Grande Meleé.
After the others all glance at one another, the undead warlord tells them "A more than better chance that he'd win".
Lord Farque briefly pauses before looking at the physical adept who is an honorary member of his personal council, then says "So much so, that he'll be entering tomorrow's Le Grande Meleé".
"I am?" says a startled sounding Shur Kee the monk "You are" replies the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque in a tone of voice that is not to be argued with.
There's a moment of silence before Shur Kee who is an acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li, as he realizes what's in store for him tomorrow when he enters Le Grande Meleé, quietly says in a tone of disbelief "Damn" . . . . . .