THE KING'S TOURNEY

The day began early - as it would be a long one - for the bustling collection of wolves within Northfall's peaks. Friends, strangers, and family alike had gathered to mourn the loss of the kingdom's late King and revel in his memory, but today - today, many brave souls vowed to bleed in his honor.

As though Ragnar himself had carved a window from the halls of Valhalla to view the displays of valor below, the skies were clear with nary a cloud - the day promised a touch of warmth, though the rugged peaks of the mountain could possess only so much comfort in the heart of winter.

A flattened space was chosen for the day's spars, shelves of shallow and climbing inclines providing seating for onlookers. The frozen ground glittered beneath the sun, threatening slippery footholds for the wintertime battles. Those who stepped forward would need to be quick on their feet, but clever, too - one wrong move could leave them flat on their back or sliding directly into the mass of wolves and beasts who formed the boisterous crowd on all sides.

A quiet hush fell across the gathered bodies as two forms made their way into the circle.

The moment of tension held the world in suspense before a single cry broke it, heralding the clash's start.

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AURELIA x ALDUIN

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ALDUIN is attacking first.

RULES

• Each spar is 3 rounds. Before typing out your post, place your dice roll in a post and then edit in your written post. If you are unsure how to roll dice, please see the fields below with each roll code!
  
• The entrant with the highest roll totals at the end of 3 rounds is the winner. They will progress to the next stage of the tournament.
  
• Maiming and death are disallowed UNLESS cleared with your thread partner first.
  
• Each player has THREE DAYS to post for their turn or they will be forced to forfeit the fight. This is imposed to help keep things rolling.
  
• Predetermined winners MAY be chosen, but it must be communicated and agreed upon by both parties in the fight. If you choose to do this, please denote that a winner has been predetermined, you do not have to signal who wins if you wish to maintain the suspense.
  
  
• This battle uses modifiers. Those modifiers are as follows:
  
  ► No Warrior Skills: 1d5
  ► Basic Warrior Skill: 1d6
  ► Specialist Warrior Skill: 1d8
  ► Expert Warrior Skill: 1d10
  
  
  Only ONE modifier can be used
  
  
• If you win a no-modifier fight and your next opponent DOES use modifiers, you will need to decide if you wish to continue or "forfeit" to your opponent. The same rule applies to off-screen fights. If your chosen preference is off-screen fights, you will need to decide between continuing on-screen or forfeiting to your next on-screen opponent.
  
  
• Off-screen fights will roll three d5 in the dice channel in Discord and the one with the highest roll result is the winner. (Command to use: /r 3d5) If you wish to predetermine the winner between yourself and your opponent, that is your choice!
  
  
• Please see the bracket document for a list of fights and progress.
  

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Roll Codes

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None

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Code:

[*roll=1d5]

Basic

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Code:

[*roll=1d6]

Specialist

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Code:

[*roll=1d8]

Expert

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Code:

[*roll=1d10]

Remove the *s to use the code!

[ALDUIN, BANE OF KINGS, ANCIENT SHADOW UNBOUND... ...WITH A HUNGER TO SWALLOW THE WORLD.]

SKILL: Warrior

Rolling 1d5: 3

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Funny enough that the beast makes up with Meixing and then their next step is to visit a northern pack for a fighting tournament. Perhaps Alduin would’ve made some joke about her fighting too, he would’ve liked to see it, but it seems Meixing is content to watch him instead. And so he will fight with his usual vigor, though instead of this ending in ritual sacrifice, well…he just has to let his opponent walk off. It’s for fun apparently, something he doesn’t often care about when it comes to fighting, deciding to go for efficiency and brutality than anything.

So, as the hellhound finally hears his name, he has half a mind to wonder who he fights as he drifts towards the tournament grounds. Head level with bulky shoulders, he looks as dangerous as he usually does. Though when bloody orbs see who moves up to face him he can’t help but squint his eyes and shift tiger-spotted ears.

She is…small. Petite even.

The idea to laugh bubbles in his chest, something dusky and quiet, but it doesn’t even make it out. The only way she would beat him is from speed, for the hellhound is lumbering and slow, he’d be lucky to even catch her. Though if he manages, he’s worried about accidentally snapping one of those spindly legs of hers.

Seems it’s too late now.

He would stand before her, watching her closely to gauge her confidence — waiting for her to ready up. Though once she does, he would be the first to move in for an attack. Expression just as stoic and emotionless as it was when he stood there, the only difference is the baring of teeth as he rushes forth, dipping his height low enough to snap at her legs. Since he assumes she’s faster than him, crippling her movement would be the best move.

Skill: Warrior

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Rolling 1d5: 1

She looked up.

She continued to look up.

Alduin seemed to span the length of the mountains themselves, and Aurelia found herself tipping her head back, back, and further back to take in the full scope of his bulk, and she wondered briefly if this was a terrible mistake.

She had done this for Genghis. He had taught her to fight - or tried to, anyway - and it was with his passing that she thought, I must put his teachings to work. He would have liked that.
His legacy would live on in some form, and despite her size, he had taught her how to defend herself in a pinch; he had told the girl that her stature was not a disadvantage, but a better means to an end. What she lacked in power, she made up for in agility and swiftness.

Hopefully, anyway.

Aurelia took in a steadying breath and tried to pretend there wasn't an enormous crowd watching from outside the ring. It would only be a distraction and hinder her performance. No: it was only herself and Alduin here now.

She braced herself -

And in that instance the behemoth had taken his chance, snapping forward with fangs bared straight for her limbs.

Aurelia tried to steel herself but faltered as panic took hold, and his jaws grazed her right foreleg and just barely missed a locking hold as searing pain shot up like fire through her skin. Fuck, fuck, fuck, she thought, scrambling away to safety - she was limping now, but she tried to mask it, ears folded back as she glowered with teeth bared defiantly.

She rallied and snaked forward to pinch her fangs at the small point of his throat; she was petite and limber, even hindered by her injury, and perhaps she might at least break skin at that delicate place.

[ALDUIN, BANE OF KINGS, ANCIENT SHADOW UNBOUND... ...WITH A HUNGER TO SWALLOW THE WORLD.]

SKILL: Warrior

Rolling 1d5: 1

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Alduin snaps at her legs, perhaps narrowly avoiding snapping bones in his grasp if it wasn’t for her natural reflexes. He barely notices her panic, though he recognizes it in her movements. There's no limb between his teeth, only the brush of flesh and the snap of his jaws. But his eyes follow her as she bounces off, ears swiveling at what he hopes would be a limb, but is unsure if it would even affect her here enough to matter.

He doesn’t go after her, again, gauging her confidence and instead not moving until she came to him.

Oh, and she does.

Her lithe form cuts the air as she attempts to snap at his throat. He feels the nick of fangs through his plush coat, she even breaks skin, but he has taken hits much harder. Taking advantage of their closeness, he simply snaps down and towards her, anywhere his jaws would grab.

Skill: Warrior

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Rolling 1d5: 3

Genghis' training echoed in her mind as she gripped the behemoth's neck.

"Use your smaller size to try and get past my defenses."

Check. Clenching her jaws ever tighter, she began to pull, using what weight she had to slowly, methodically tear at the tender skin she held, and she could taste blood as thin rivulets began to trickle into her mouth.

Tenacity.

Energy.

The moment seemed to last an eternity to the girl, she who had never engaged in anything beyond the occasional tussle with the great Mastiff, but it was only a moment in reality as Alduin quickly set to work snapping at the air where she occupied seconds before as her slim form writhed in a bid to keep his fangs away.
This wasn't going to work.

Aurelia released his neck and slipped out and away, but not before Alduin managed to bite the end of her tail. She grimaces and violently rips it away without thinking, leaving a fat clump of ash-grey fur in his mouth as her own blood leaked from the wound left behind - it would be some weeks before the hair would grow back, she thought with some annoyance.

He was too large to take down through force alone.

"I want you use your speed, try to fake me out."

Her chest tightened. She could hear him so clearly, almost as if he stood right there beside her, patient and gentle as ever - but Genghis was gone.

If only she had known that was to be their final lesson together - before - before -

Aurelia focused. Taking a breath, she set to work; darting in and out, snapping at his legs, dashing just far enough out of reach to try and force him to chase her, then pushing in again to nip at another exposed limb with needle-point fangs. Round and round she would go, using the only weapon she had at her disposal - her size and her swiftness.

Perhaps he felt pride, watching from... whatever was after this. Should she fail, at least it would be in his honor.

[ALDUIN, BANE OF KINGS, ANCIENT SHADOW UNBOUND... ...WITH A HUNGER TO SWALLOW THE WORLD.]

SKILL: Warrior

Rolling 1d5: 1

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All he gets is the brush of his teeth on her tail and the plume of fur in his mouth from his attack. Yep…she is fast…

But if he could just land one bite…one good bite.

He would stand before her, as she slithers around much like a snake. He would not fall for her chasing tactics, he wouldn’t catch her and this he knows. Though, he would stand stoic and wait for her attack. When it comes it’s quick like lightning, her paws working fast to shoot her lithe form around him.

He growls low in his throat when he feels her fangs pierce his limbs, easily annoyed at both her quickness and the flare ups of pain, he snaps out at her, another attempt at catching anything he could grasp.

Skill: Warrior

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Rolling 1d5: 4

It was working.

Genghis had been right.

Alduin was far too big, far too slow; such titanic proportions only served as an advantage if their wielder could land a hit. Gods forbid if he did, though, or the match would be over in an instant - a single blow would knock her completely unconscious, and if his fangs took hold, she would never escape.

Heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, Aurelia ducked and weaved around his bulk with the finesse of a sparrow in flight. In, snap, out; in, snap,, out; her movements were almost a blur to the surrounding crowd, and she felt a rising confidence in her chest as Alduin began to flag.

For Genghis.

His jaws closed again on empty air, and she saw her chance.

Aurelia was small, but she knew Alduin's exhaustion coupled with the correct trajectory and shift in weight could possibly bring the titan down. With a final burst of energy, the Shakti-Vaes leapt into the air, aiming to grab hold of the back of Alduin's neck and slam him down against his side with the full force of her momentum to carry her.

For Genghis.