The Homecoming 18.

A Field...

The day dawns cold and clear. It's still early when the people start to gather in the fields on the south side of castle Lé Dic for the winter games and tourney.
They've traveled from throughout the fief over the last few days, with most staying in the inns and boarding houses in the town of Massic. While others have set up tents in the field adjacent to where the tourney is being held.
There's other tents on the edge of the field where the games are to be held, as well as a stand, along one side of the lists where the joust will take place. The three level stand has no one seated on it yet, for it is reserved for the nobility, and those who are deemed important here in the Lé Dic fief.
Inside the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family, Tamric Drubine stretches his neck from side to side, he bends at the waist to touch his boots. Then stands upright again, and follows Lisell Maera out the door at the base of the tower that they and the rest of the group are staying in.
Both teenagers are in their armour, and are carrying their weapons. Tam has his bow with him as well, even though he won't be using it today.
The two of them share a look, for lying on the ground just to the side of the tower door, is Dorc da Orc, who is fast asleep in the morning sunshine. The large ork who is snoring loudly, and has an empty wine barrel next to him, there's a barrel of ale he's yet to open next to him too.
Tamric Drubine steps to one side as Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy walks out of the tower door. The elf from the principality of Alínlae is wearing his grey hooded cloak, which is over his armour.
It doesn't look like he has a single weapon upon him. But looks are deceiving, for the spy Tanith has more weapons than anyone else in the group with the exception of Dorc da Orc.
After the spy Tanith nods to the nobleborn teen from the kingdom of Sarcrin and the orphan teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury, and he rolls his eyes and shakes his head at the state of the ork warleader.
He steps aside as Shur Kee the monk makes his way out of the tower. The short statured monk, whose only change in attire from the warmer months of the year, is that he wears a white woolen cloak over his simple clothes.
Has no weapon, apart from the wooden staff, which he uses more as walking stick most of time. The short, statured monk only really uses it in actual combat, and he has no plans to use it today.
Shaking his head, and wryly smiling when he spots the snoring Dorc da Orc, the acolyte in the order of Bru Li steps to one side, as behind him, Riley Hait the mercenary ranger makes his way out of the tower.
The ranger Hait who is in his usual armour and clothing, as well as his assortment of weapons. Only plans to use his bow and his daggers today.
He looks over at snoring ork weaponsmith and rolls his eyes, then Riley Hait the mercenary ranger says to the other "Percy will meet us down there".
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic has been staying in the main keep over the last few days. In his family's quarters, infact in his old chambers. Which he hasn't stayed in since his last visit home nine years ago, just before the invasion of the Sunreach Mountains.
"And someone wake him up" says the mercenary ranger who nods at the sleeping ork warleader.
It's Shur Kee who wakes up the large ork, the physical adept does it with ease. By simply taking his staff, and whacking it into the face of the snoring ork weaponsmith. The end of it slams into the right eye of Dorkindle.
Who snorts, then yawns, and he rubs his eyes while he wakes. The large ork grunts as he opens his eyes and sees the others standing nearby looking at him.
The son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks grunts again, when the ranger Hait says to him "Come on, we're going down to the fields" followed by "The games and tourney will start soon enough".
Dorc da Orc yawns again, gets up, picks up the barrel of ale he's yet to open, and follows after the rest of the group who are making their way across the courtyard that's infront of the tower they've been staying in, while here in castle Lé Dic.
People make their way out of the south gates of the massive castle to get to the fields. While others come around from the west side of castle Lé Dic, where the town of Massic is located.
The group of traveling mercenaries and adventurers, make their way across the south drawbridge of the castle. With Dorc da Orc who is at the back of the group, hissing in anger and disgust as he looks down off the side of the drawbridge at the water in the moat below.
The large ork from the southern polar region of the world, has often spent his time up on the south wall. Both pissing off it, and hanging his ass off it, to shit in the moat below.
Those on the walls, mainly soldiers on duty, know to keep their distance from him when he does this. For they've seen how disgusting, his shit and piss looks, and even worse, how utterly horrible it smells.
Once over the south drawbridge of castle Lé Dic, the group wander down to the field where the games and tourney is being held. There's a crier from the town calling out the order of events. And as expected it's the games, which predominantly the commoners will take part in, is to begin first.
After listening for a while as they stand to one side of the road next to the field. Riley Hait says to the ork warleader "You'll be up first Dorc" the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen looks up at the sky, and the position of the sun to the east, then he tells the large ork "Not for a little while yet".
"Good" says Dorc da Orc whose nostrils are twitching, he grunts and heads towards some of the tents on one side of the field. Behind them a number of firepits have been dug, where entire pigs, deer and ox are being cooked. As well as game birds, chickens, and an assortment of sausages, as well as other food are being prepared and cooked.
The mercenary ranger who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, who just happens to inhabit the body of Riley Hait. Glances at Dalinvardél Tanith, the elven spy nods in understanding, and he along with the Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman follow a bit behind the ork warleader who is on his way to the cooking pits.
Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera, as well as Shur Kee the monk, wander across the field, as are others are doing, as the games and tourney are yet to get underway.
As a few people start to take a seat in the stands, and more of the nobility make their way from the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
Tam, Lis and Shur Kee walk towards a couple of tents where a crowd is gathering. The three of them, along with Dorkindle, Riley Hait and Dalin, have already entered their events. Having done so yesterday. Stand at the edge of the crowd, and listen to an officer in the army of lady Linara Lé Dic, call out the procession of events in the tourney which will start later than the games.
All three hear when their events will take place, as well as the one's the others are in. Which includes the grande melee which will finish the tourney tomorrow afternoon, which Dorc da Orc has been entered into.
"When do they draw for it?" quietly asks Lisell Maera in the elven language to the nobleborn teenager standing beside her "Just before the first ones are due to take place" is the quiet reply of Tamric Drubine in the same language, who then adds "It's so someone can't withdraw in the first round because they know they could be up against someone better".
Lis nods in understanding, then Tam quietly tells her in elven "We're unknowns, so we'll have an advantage until they get a look at us in action". "Just hope i don't get you or Percy in the opening rounds" dryly says the attractive teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury, she looks around then quietly adds "It will come down to the two of you, unless you meet up in the earlier rounds".
The former heir to the previous knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin, doesn't know about that. As he's hardly seen any of the other competitors taking part in the duels, practicing their sword work. Slightly nods his head at what Lis just said, then turning to Shur Kee and switching to the common language, he says to the acolyte in the order of Bru Li "Seems like you'll be the first one of us to take part in the tourney".
"Yes i do believe so" says Shur Kee the monk as they listen to the officer infront of the two tents, after listening for a little bit longer, Tam quietly says to the short, statured monk from the far eastern coast of the continent "It's wrestling as well as unarmed combat" he then adds "Will you be okay with that?".
A brief smile appears upon the face of the physical adept, who then says "It will be fine friend Tamric". The nobleborn teen nods, then he quietly tells Shur Kee "You'll be up against soldiers mostly" he continues with "Nobles don't like to get down and dirty in a one on one tussle in a tourney" Tam then adds in a dry tone "They also don't like not being able to use a weapon" he pauses for a moment, then says "I should know, I'm one of them".
Both Shur Kee and Lisell Maera chuckle at that, then the orphan teenager from the coastal city of Brattonbury quietly says in elven to Tam "Those soldiers won't know what's hit them" she continues with "He'll plant every single one of them on their arse before they even know what the hell is going on".
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin nods his head in agreement with that. For if there's a sure bet in one of the events in the tourney, it will be Shur Kee winning the unarmed combat.
The other sure bet will be Dorc da Orc in the grande melee, though the chance of something completely random happening in that is very high.
While over in the games, the large ork has another sure bet, and that's in the strongman competition. Which he's been entered into, which is the first event, in both the games and tourney, that any of them will take part in.
The games are just about to get underway, with the events for children to soon begin. The town crier from Massic is now calling for the participants in the first events of the day to gather.
"Looks like things are about to start" says Tamric Drubine as they look back to the side of the field that's closest to the road that comes down from castle Lé Dic, the nobleborn teen nods in that direction. And he, along with Lisell Maera and Shur Kee the monk, as well as most of the crowd who have gathered infront of the two tents to listen to the order of events in the tourney.
Start making their way back across the field to where the first events of the games of the winter festival is about to get underway . . . . . .