(514-09-14) Dhani Round 1
Summary: Dhani round 1, jousting
Date: 514-09-14
Related: -
dhani lainn 


Success
Dhani checked her Tourney of 10, she rolled 4.

The summer tournament boasts few female knights like Dhani de Woodborough, though 'boast' is a bit of a dubious claim at best. Tall and bronzed, she walks in her leathers along the fringes of the tilting field. Playing to the audience seems to be different than blowing kisses or stopping every few feet to give flourishes and bows. She stalks in front of the men and women like some kind of tawny lioness, claws drawn, and gives them slanting looks through her stormy eyes. Without her helmet on, her fully painted face is a thing of oddness in a civilised place: the bars and dots make her undoubtedly wild, almost terrifying. She brings Cinder, her horse, up to the lists and waits for the other man to do the same. The lance points skyward until the marshal lifts his flag. Then she spurs the horse and rocks forward in the saddle. The lance bounces a little with the horse's jarring step but she can compensate for it.

Although he is quite young, Bryde de Chilhampton has a bit of swagger; his freshly-polished armor glints in the afternoon sun, and the horse beside him prances and jingles more like a show pony than any well-trained jousting charger. Nevertheless, the horse listens as the knight draws it to a stop and mounts imperiously, shifting in the saddle before gesturing to his whey-faced squire for a lance. The even younger boy fetches up a fancy-looking spear with a blunted end fashioned in the rough shape of a lion’s head. It has absolutely no bearing on their family sigil, but it certainly looks fancy.

The charger trots to its starting position under the guidance of the Chilhampton, and the knight settles his helmet into place before hefting his shield onto his non-dominant arm. When the Marshal drops the flag, Bryde kicks his mount into a fierce gallop.

Success
Dhani checked her Lance of 15, she rolled 6.

Failed.
Lainn makes a check for Young Knight Lance at 13, he rolled 14.

Dhani rolls 6d6 and gets (1 4 4 6 2 4) for a total of: (22)

Success
Lainn makes a check for Young Knight Horsemanship at 10, he rolled 5.

Bryde is a skilled jouster, but Luck is not on his side for this joust. Despite the beeline that the charger makes down the list, the young knight is rocked back wildly as his opponent’s lance crushes against his side. He slips loose in the saddle, and only by the grace of a tight lock with his thighs and tossing his lance to free his hands to grip the reins does he manage to remain seated. Unfortunately, his lance misses entirely if only because Dhani scores a ridiculously violent hit on him; there is a noticeable dent in his reinforced chain, but luckily the blunted tips have prevented it from being pierced. Panting loudly, the knight swings his horse around and calls for another lance. His squire hurries out with a second one just in time for Bryde to grasp it as he kicks his horse into a gallop once more. “For Chilhampton!” he calls loudly.

The soil flies out from under Cinder's hooves. Dhani leans forward to put her weight and her horse's momentum behind the blunted lance. Impact sends a shock up her arm and throws her off slightly in her seat. Only the tightened grip on the horse keeps her in place, and she tosses aside the wooden weapon when reaching the end of the path; someone else will fetch it. When Bryde fails to fall from his horse, she gives a curt nod. A squire passes her up the next lance, their transaction a little slower than the Chilhampton. "Damnation." A quick gesture demands the squire hurry or risk being thrown at Bryde instead at this rate. The team of woman and horse turn sharp on a curve to get into position and charge. But a bit rushed, this might not turn out well.

Success
Lainn makes a check for Young Knight Lance at 13, he rolled 7.

Success
Dhani checked her Lance of 15, she rolled 7.

This round is much more successful for Bryde, and he lets out a loud whoop as his lance connects with Dhani’s shield. The blow is glancing, and the top half of the lance crumbles under the pressure, leaving a splintered handle in the young knight’s fierce grip. During the pass he has managed to lift his shield enough to deflect the lady knight’s blow, and it leaves him rocking in the saddle with the force of the clash. The two have tied for this round, at least.

The charger wheels about and pauses, prancing in place as the Chilhampton knight settles himself firmly in the saddle before calling out a third time, “Boy, lance!” The squire fetches up the third lance - this one decidedly more plain and utilitarian than the others - and the knight tests it in his grip before the charger leaps into another gallop for their third and final pass.

On the second pass comes a healthy crash of arms to please the crowd. Not that the Woodborough knight wants to delight them. She rolls with the galloping stride of her gelding. The shield emblazoned in black and white, house colours, takes on a rather ugly gouge from the lion-head tip skidding over the paint. She gets her arm positioned to absorb the blow and deflect it upwards, while stabbing her lance forward. Not as much strength gets behind it as she might like, but a hit is still a hit. Her stormy eyes narrow while watching the pace of their departure and the way the young knight sits.

She rounds on the tilt again, and takes up the third lance from the squire. The last time having turned out badly gives some incentive to hurry up. This time she picks up the long, blunted weapon and clenches her hand around the hilt. Dhani kicks Cinder into an all out gallop, keeping close to the rail and straight ahead. This time it is close, Bryde's lance sliding perilously close to her chainmail. Timing makes a difference. She gets under his guard and punches him right out of the saddle with the long lance.

Success
Lainn makes a check for Young Knight Lance at 13, he rolled 12.

Critical Success
Dhani checked her Lance at 15, she rolled 15.
Dhani rolls 12d6 and gets (2 3 3 5 4 4 4 6 4 3 3 2) for a total of: (43)

If only Bryde had gone with the lion-headed lance, perhaps he would have managed to knock Dhani out of the saddle to even the playing field or earn himself a victory. While he is sure in his tilt and his aim is true, the lance does nothing more than slide over the woman’s rippling chainmail. The knight is distracted by his opponent’s graceful maneuver, such that he is bowled back in the saddle by the crushing blow from a lance he never saw coming. The breath whooshes out of his lungs as he is flung backward over the charger’s rump, and his head bumps along as the horse finishes the run and slows to a stop.

It takes another few seconds for the stunned boy to struggle upright, and another few for him to untangle himself from the reins and slip down from the saddle. His squire takes over the care of the horse while unsteady steps carry the Chilhampton knight down the field to congratulate Dhani with a sharp bow. “You rode very well, Sir de Woodborough, and I congratulate you on your victory. May it carry you through the next round and the next after that.” With a lift of his helmet, Bryde turns about and heads back to his charger to be assisted off of the field and to his tents by his squire.

The painted knight brings her horse around and stops, ready to seize for Bryde's horse. The reins are easy enough to snatch up provided the squire cannot reach them. When he staggers to his feet she bows in the saddle, saluting him back. "A happy tournament to you, Sir Chilhampton." Then it's back to wait for her next bout.

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