>>6003798The country roads are smooth for countryside standards. A testament to how much traffic they field year after year. The encampment was west of the city, in the hills, so now you manage to see many vistas of the great lake, upon which sits the castle city. You pass by comers from and goers to church mass, other knights of banners you can’t recall off the top of your head, bewitched fans of their orders following them along, and the occasional unlicensed merchant set up along the roads peddling for the coin of tourney attendees.
Donnel’s work is mostly cut out for him, he calmly holds the reins and lets the horses surmise the road for themselves as the city begins to loom large overhead. “We’ll be up on the gate in ‘round ten minutes I’d say…” He surmises.
“Good a time as any to brush up on strategy. Did any of you do as I asked and scout our opponents last afternoon?” Sully asks, as you all sit straight and lean in for the huddle (all except Eugene).
“I was a bit busy helping the squires get the replacement banners just right. I didn’t have time to leave camp…” Fernand waves his hand, as if acting like he’s above such a task, though you can tell he’s genuinely apologetic in his tone.
“Izzy?”
“I’ll be real. Got caught up racing some locals instead of asking around… My bad?”
“Eugene?”
A faint snore. Nearly silent.
“Eugene!”
The one eye opens.
“Just some rabblerousers…” He murmurs. “They told me they started out as an architect’s union, The Construct Guild, but now they’re more like a gang, they’re supposedly…” A yawn. “Against the tourney entirely. Say that having the final battle happen in the city is too dangerous, petitioning the lord… That… Sorta thing…”
The one eye closes.
Sully scratches his chin. “We gotta win big if we want the lion’s share, but…”
“They’re in this for personal reasons. Since they aren’t organized into an order, this was probably the best they could land as far as tourney participation.”
It’s dicey. You want to make a strong opening statement to the spectators, but you don’t want to step on the toes of a potential benefactor to the city. But those words, “gang,” “militia,” something tells you they’re not all-beneficial…
You feel the need to chime in.
>”Our goal should be to make it a close game, but take the victory. That sounds like the most neutral course of action without looking weak.”>”Let’s make it a close fight, then let them win and show some solidarity in the post-game. An ally in the city could be beneficial against Lord Hayner?”>”We should try to make a mockery of them. Give the folk something to talk about, our order’s name coming out of their mouths could get us a following amongst attendees.”>”Let’s be jobbers.” You put it bluntly. “We’d not get much funding, but we’d certainly find some kind of audience with this gang of theirs…” 