Morning: The Phantasmagoria

Veli-Matti: The mist clings to the lists of Castle Brackenwold as the Midsummer Solstice begins—a day defined by high sorcery, shadowed omens, and the heavy weight of local legend. At the Willow Stage, The Phantasmagoria, the exhibition and competition of sorcery has begun, drawing a large crowd, including Sir Roslyn and Sir Gareth. As neither one of you are mages, we will run through this narratively.

Rounds One and Two: A Familial Connection

Veli-Matti: The gathered mages start casting their spells to warp reality in the morning air: illusions and summonings to amuse the non-magical folk and to impress the judges with their artistic and technical merits. This midsummer’s morning isn’t just cold; it’s wrong. Here the veil between worlds is thin, and the assembled casting of magics puts an ever-increasing strain on it, adding a frisson of danger and excitement, as if anything could happen.

The first round passes without anything major, as the magics are rather minor, the less skilled mages dropping from the contest. By the second round, you notice Lady Bronwyn Malbleat—the matriarch of Lady Cordelia’s house—is watching the contest with focused attention; whether she is on the lookout for new talent or scoping out potential rivals, who knows?

Jani: She is not looking at me, is she?

Veli-Matti: Her cool gaze skims the crowds on occasion, but no, it does not seem that you have merited any of her attention yet, for good or for ill.

Jani: Thank goodness for that.

Round Three: The Yoinkening

Veli-Matti: On the third round, a beautiful lady mage is casting an illusion of a garden, so lifelike that one can almost smell the flowers. And then suddenly, one can, the image achieving solidity! She gasps in surprise. Right there in the middle of the stage, an Elf Knight steps out of the illusory garden, his armor a brilliant, almost too vivid green of the bushes in the garden. Ignoring the other contestants, his emerald gaze meets that of the lady mage, and then he takes her hand, kissing it.

Without saying a word, he straightens and puts his other arm against the small of her back, guiding the stunned sorceress through the portal to the conjured—or is it real—garden. Then, pop, both the vision of the garden and the pair are gone.

Michele: (Deadpan) “I think we just witnessed a kidnapping.”

Jani: Should we do something about that?

Veli-Matti: Not much that you can do, at this stage. The judges and other higher power mages around seem just to shrug and hope for the best. But who knows, maybe you’ll encounter a mystical garden during your adventures in the Wood…

Rounds Four and Five: The Chilling Climax

Veli-Matti: The next round is somewhat lackluster, the remaining mages opting for safe rather than flashy. In the last round, a white owl descends from the rafters of the stage and lands on the shoulder of one of the finalists. It hoots three times in his ear, before taking flight again.

The mage turns as pale as the owl was; needless to say, his concentration is shot to pieces, and he loses the final. Out he goes in a hurry, with a look of a man who has heard the Grim Reaper knocking on his door. The people part quickly out of his way, not wanting any of his doom on them—the whisper is already spreading: “He’s been marked for death.”

Jani: And they have these competitions for fun around here?

Veli-Matti: Spoken like a man who would not take a stout stick and charge a warhorse weighing almost a ton into another man similarly equipped. Or spend an afternoon hitting one another with bars of steel.

Michele: That’s different! We’re knights! We’re not supposed to have high Intelligence and Wisdom!

Jani: Um…

Veli-Matti: Speaking of… the noon sun is dispelling the mists and warming up the day. It is time for the Main Joust and lots of crashing and smashing!

Noon: The Main Joust

Veli-Matti: The Main Joust actually started already in the morning, but as it happens, your turns come around noon, which allowed you to spend the morning watching the Phantasmagoria. The crowd is packed, and the Duke’s own heralds are calling the names.

Sir Gareth vs. the Stormfist

Veli-Matti: We’ll start with Sir Gareth, who has a mountain to climb… The heralds call the contestants for the next joust: Sir Gareth, of course, and Sir Grendilore Cornicus. There is instantly a cheer from the audience, a dozen or so people with their faces painted black and crimson to resemble the knight’s quartered shield. A chant begins: “She’s big, she’s fast, she’s gonna beat your ass! Grendilore, Grendilore!” They even do a wave.

Jani: Sheesh. Sounds like I am against the main character. This is because of the 20 I rolled for the opponent, right?

Veli-Matti: Yep. At the other end of the lists, Sir Grendilore takes her place. You have heard the name: she is a hedge knight, but she has a well-deserved reputation even outside of Dolmenwood, not only as a tourney knight but also as a mercenary, rumored to be strong enough to crush men’s skulls between her hands. Seeing her in the flesh… You can believe it.

Her prodigious strength explains the nickname the crowd starts chanting: “Stormfist!” clapclapclap “Stormfist!” clapclapclap. It is also reflected in her heraldry, a gauntlet holding three lightning bolts on that quartered field, red and black. Alas, because of her fame and prowess, she did not participate in the Qualifications Round, and you get no extra bonus against her.

Jani: I have a bad feeling about this, but let’s go! Going for a normal hit, I don’t think I want to risk missing… <Rolls 4 + 6 TJB> A 10? Glancing hit, maybe?

Veli-Matti: <Rolls 2 + 10 TJB + 1 for the cheer squad> Alas, she was playing it safe, trusting in her greater skill to deliver a hit even while she is dodging: both of you get +4 AC, which means you miss… but she miscalculated and misses you by a hair: a 13 vs your AC of 11+4 = 15.

The crowd actually starts booing! They didn’t come here to see two knights miss each other! Even her cheer section is momentarily silent, but then they begin again, thumping their feet rhythmically: “Stormfist!” thump-thump “Bring the thunder!” thump-thump “Bring the lightning!” thump-thump “Stormfist!” thump-thump. And she responds to her fans, rearing her bay-with-a-black-mane great horse up and saluting the crowds with her lance. A loud cheer erupts as she wins the crowd back!

And as soon as the stallion’s hooves hit the ground, she is thundering towards you, this time intending to deliver what the crowd wants.

Jani: I doubt I can unhorse her on a normal hit, so I have to go for the head! <Rolls 12 + 6 TJB – 4 Headshot> 14!

Veli-Matti: That is a Solid Strike against her, as she doesn’t even try to avoid it! You rattled her cage! 2 points for Gareth. Grendilore checks her Save… <Rolls 13> She’s like a rock; she doesn’t even sway. Now, her counter-strike… <Rolls 14 + 10 TJB + 1 for the cheering crowd> That’s a 25, a Mighty Strike against you, her lance exploding into splinters around you. Your horse staggers but barely manages to stay upright. Roll to stay on the horse, with a –5 penalty.

Jani: <Rolls 5 – 5 penalty> A 0! I’m going down! I’m using my Lady’s Favor for a re-roll! <Rolls 8 – 5> Still only a 3. I’m in the dirt. Darn it.

Veli-Matti: The “Stormfist” lived up to her name. Sir Gareth is unhorsed. Sir Grendilore wins, saluting the crowd with the remnants of her lance, and then tosses it to her cheer squad. A small brawl ensues over it, while she rides back to her squire. Yours comes to help you up, and off the lists: your joust is over. Now, we can turn to Sir Roslyn.

Sir Roslyn vs Sir Afton

Veli-Matti: Michele, you face Sir Afton Flechette, a handsome knight sworn to the House of Harrowmoor. His arms depict a black scarab over a silver spearhead on a red field. His movements are economical; he’s a precise, calculating man.

Michele: Sir Roslyn isn’t intimidated by math. I’m going for the head—let’s end this quickly. <Rolls 12 + 7 TJB – 4 Headshot> That’s a 15.

Veli-Matti: <Rolls 6 + 5 TJB> He misses you entirely, while your lance catches him right on the helmet. That’s a Solid Strike, 2 points to the Trueheart. Afton reels under the impact. Let’s see if he can stay in the saddle… he rolls a 16 – 5 = 11 on his Save. He’s wobbling, but he’s still mounted as you wheel around for the second pass.

Michele: I’m not letting up. Same target. <Rolls 12 + 7 TJB – 4 Headshot> Another 15!

Veli-Matti: It’s a repeat performance, as Sir Afton tries to go for your helmet in return and misses again! His calculations failed him. He rolls a 2 for his Save—he’s swept out of the saddle like a leaf in a storm. Sir Roslyn advances as the crowd roars its approval! This is what they are here for, some violent unhorsings!

Michele: Can I get a cheer going?

Veli-Matti: Sure, you can try. Make a Charisma Roll.

Michele: <Rolls 3.> Only a 3, is that enough?

Veli-Matti: Alas, no. You are not well-known enough to have your cheer squad, and by the time the second round rolls around, the fickle crowd has already forgotten about your earlier success. Speaking of the second round…

Sir Roslyn vs. Sir Braembel

Veli-Matti: Your opponent is Sir Braembel Ramius, nicknamed “The Justiciar.” He’s got those unsettling goat-eyes and black armor. He looks like he’s already decided you’re guilty of something.

Michele: Let him judge me. Headshot again! <Rolls 16 + 7 TJB – 4 Headshot> 19!

Veli-Matti: What a marksman! A Solid Strike, 2 points. Braembel’s head snaps back at the force of the impact, but he passes his Saving Throw with an 8. He stays cold as ice, then returns fire… <Rolls 3 + 8 TJB> A bare miss! One more pass.

Michele: <Rolls 9 + 7 TJB – 4 Headshot> 12. A Glancing Strike to the head. That’s another 2 points. I’m winning!

Veli-Matti: Points-wise, yes—but the Justiciar is going for the finish, aiming for the head as well. <Rolls 17 + 8 TJB – 4 Head> That’s a 21. A Solid Strike to Roslyn’s head. Michele, roll your Saving Throw, at –5.

Michele: <Rolls 4 – 5 penalty> A –1. Oh no…

Veli-Matti: The lance feels like a sledgehammer, lifting Sir Roslyn clean out of her stirrups and sending her crashing to the ground. Oof. Sir Braembel wins by unhorsing; the Trueheart’s run ends here.

Michele: Oh, well—at least I defeated someone first!

Late Afternoon: The Tournament of the Ashen Bough

Veli-Matti: In the late afternoon, the special passage of arms, the Tournament of the Ashen Bough, is called. It happens once in thirteen years, centering on rescuing the “Lady of Forgotten Songs,” claimed by the Grey King during the solstice when his power extends beyond his barrow. This pageant, sanctified by the Church, plays upon local legends of the once-mortal king who now guards a fairy road within his barrow. Do you wish to participate in it?

Michele: Heck yeah! Is it just theater?

Veli-Matti: No, it is a special kind of joust and foot combat, but with some rituals and a story around it. Thirteen challengers are selected by drawing lots—well, a dozen draw: six from the Knight Tier, four from the Veteran Tier, and two Champions. The thirteenth is the last year’s Champion of the Joust, Sir Hoarsent Waverly. If you wish to participate, we can just say that you got selected by the lot.

Michele: Of course!

Jani: I’d like to participate as well.

Veli-Matti: Alright. Both of you get chosen, then the Bishop blesses you to act as the champions of the Pluritine Church to try to rescue the Lady. Each challenger carries a token of the One True God, a silver brooch in the shape of a chapes, and is crowned with mistletoe, as you ride in to tie your challenge ribbon on the Ashen Tree, a withered yew tree. By ancient custom, the challengers go in the ascending order of prowess to let the lesser knights show their stuff, too. The Grey King makes short work of the challengers before you.

Sir Gareth vs. The Grey King

Veli-Matti: As you are both of the same level and unknown here, the heralds confer and decide that since Sir Roslyn got to the second round of the Joust, Sir Gareth will go first. The combat starts with a joust using three passes of the lance, and then continues on foot, with rebated weapons. Go ahead and roll three Joust attacks, AC 10, while I do likewise…

Jani: I’ll go just for normal hits. <Rolls 14+6, 4+6, 13+6> Mighty, Glancing and Solid Strikes.

Veli-Matti: The Grey King is not putting his best effort, only one Solid Strike and two Glancing ones. Roll a Save Versus Hold, while I do two for him…

Jani: <Rolls 20> 20! No sweat.

Veli-Matti: <Rolls 14–5 and 6> The Grey King keeps his seat, although he wobbles with that last Solid Strike. You clearly had the better of him with the lances, but now comes the swordplay on foot…

(The warriors square off, and soon enough, it is obvious that the Grey King dominates, landing hit after hit, while Sir Gareth struggles to land a hit in return. After a couple of hard hits…)

Veli-Matti: You’re down to what, 3 hp? Do you want to call it at this point? I mean, it’s non-lethal damage, but it still hurts; the next hit will likely mean you have to be carried out.

Jani: I think Sir Gareth will try to salvage what’s left of his pride and courteously yield to his better. I don’t think I managed to chip even 10 points off him!

Veli-Matti: Indeed, and in this case, discretion proves the better part of valor.

Sir Roslyn vs. The Grey King

Veli-Matti: Sir Roslyn, you’re up: three Joust rolls, please.

Michele: Normal attacks for me, too. <Rolls 4+7, 3+7, 1+7!> Two Glancing hits and a Calamity! <Rolls 5> Unsure seat.

Veli-Matti: <Rolls 20+10, 17+10, 2+10> Holy smokes. Two Glorious hits, one with a special… <Rolls 5> Extra –5 to Save, but you and your horse are going down regardless. Take 1d4 damage for each time, as the crowd groans in sympathy. That last one’s a Glancing Strike; maybe your wiggling around messed with his aim, or he didn’t want to subject your horse to another potential injury? Your horse takes those 1d4 as well, by the way, but he can take it, just unhappy about it.

Michele: <Rolls 2 and 4)> Ouch, six points. Can I get healing?

Veli-Matti: Not while the challenge is active. You can once you either win or lose. The Herald of the Grey King blows his silver horn, signalling a shift to foot combat.

(The foot combat begins, with the Grey King hitting more often but with less force, while Sir Roslyn lands fewer hits, but they are all heavy ones.)

Veli-Matti: You are down to 3 hp. Do you want to yield as Sir Gareth did?

Michele: No way! I have him almost worn down!

Veli-Matti: OK then… (Both roll, hitting, and then damage rolls) Your hit connects solidly, and finally, you hear a pained grunt from behind the visor. Unfortunately, then you blink, and rather than being still in combat, you realize that you are on your back to the side of the lists, your squire looking down at you with worry. The Grey King’s counterstrike knocked you out.

Michele: Drats! But he knows he’s been in a fight.

Veli-Matti: Neither of you need feel ashamed by your performance, as the Grey King continues to take down the remaining challengers. Obviously, clerics are healing him between bouts. Eventually, he manages to defeat the last challenger, Sir Hoarsent Waverly, in foot combat, resulting in another groan from the crowds. Later, you learn that the Grey King is none other than Sir Osric Hazelmire, the Duke’s Champion.

Michele: If you’re gonna get beaten, it’s a consolation to know you were beaten by the best.

The Bishop vs. The Grey King

Veli-Matti: As the last challenger is defeated, the Grey King waits for the sun to set so that he can claim the Lady as his. But the Bishop of Brackenwold intercedes, compelling the Grey King with the Power of the One True God to relinquish his hold on the Lady and deliver her to the Church’s protection. The Grey King yields before the higher power, and the Lady is rescued.

On the steps of the Cathedral, she sings a song of Thanksgiving, and the Bishop gives a short sermon on how the One True God banishes all shadows. The clergy light bonfires, signifying the light of the One True God banishing the night, and then the feasting and merry-making begin!

You, of course, have a feast to attend in the castle, although before that, the Lady rewards each of you with a Keepsake Ring worth 100 gp, as a token for her gratitude for your attempt to rescue her, unsuccessful as it was. Also, you get to keep the silver chapes brooches, worth 25 gp, which you wore as church-sanctioned challengers.

Jani: Very nice, definitely not a wasted effort, even though we might both be a bit sore during the Feast! One question, what are “chapes”?

Veli-Matti: It is the symbol of the Pluritine Church: a circle or ring with five descending rays, representing the One True God and the five prophets.

Jani: Got it, thanks.

Evening: A Midsummer Night’s Feast

Veli-Matti: The hall is rowdy tonight. Bonfire smoke is drifting in through the high windows. Go ahead and roll for events.

Michele: <Rolls 1–1> Drats, no event again! I’ll just try to be social. I am probably black and blue with bruises, and I don’t want to risk having a hangover tomorrow. <Rolls 5>

Veli-Matti: OK, you manage to stay social and courteous, but no special luck finds you tonight.

Jani: <Rolls 2–1> One event. <Rolls 1d10> A 6!

Veli-Matti: A bard is trotting out a song about Sir Grendilore and her exploits during the Joust. Sir Gareth features rather prominently: “Storm beat down the Iron, turning it into rust in the mud.” And something about “Ironwilt.” You can hear Sir Grendilore’s belly-laugh from across the Hall, while others closer to you try to see what your reaction is to such teasing.

Jani: I try to laugh it off, be a good sport about it. “Nothing that a good buffing didn’t fix.” (Rolls 4 + 1) Success!

Veli-Matti: Your witticism is well-received, people smile and nod approvingly. Gracious in defeat, as they say. You gain +1 Reaction Modifier for the rest of the Feast.

Marvelous Night for a Moondance

Veli-Matti: And now, time for the Moondance, which is a stately couples’ dance. Are there specific partners you are looking for?

Jani: Lady Cordelia, of course.

Michele: Hmm. Maybe Sir Afton? You mentioned he was handsome.

Veli-Matti: You see Sir Afton across the floor, and ask him for a dance. He seems surprised, but then nods, agreeing to dance with you. Both of you, go ahead and roll a Dexterity or Charisma Check. Remember that you get an extra +1 to Charisma Checks thanks to the successes at the Maiden’s Pavane yesterday.

Michele: I am still better with Dexterity. <Rolls 3+2 from DEX> 5, a success.

Veli-Matti: He’s a nice enough dancer and pleasant to look at, but he’s definitely not giving a vibe that he‘d be interested in Roslyn romantically.

Michele: Huh. Well, that was a waste of her time.

Veli-Matti: What about you, Gareth?

Jani: <Rolls 1 + 1 CHA + 1 Reaction bonus + 1 Charisma Check bonus> Uh, oh. A 4, but a nat 1. So that is automatically a failure?

Veli-Matti: Yes. You’re back with Lady Cordelia, but the music is thrumming in your veins, and her eyes are hypnotic. You find yourself dancing… a bit too close, feeling her body against yours. The court is starting to whisper, and it’s a bit of a scandal in the making. You notice Lady Bronwyn Malbleat fixing you with that kind of cold, dead, basilisk stare as if she is willing for your flesh to turn to stone.

Jani: I might have overstepped the bounds of chivalry there… I should probably try to smooth this over before her family decides to make it a matter of honor. And of course, I apologize to Lady Cordelia for any embarrassment I may have caused.

Veli-Matti: She doesn’t seem too upset, although naturally she is a bit embarrassed by the attention, and a little head-nudge from Lady Bronwyn causes her to apologize in turn and take her leave rather abruptly at the end of the dance. And that brings the night to a close.

XP Awards

Veli-Matti: Jani, for the Joust, Sir Gareth managed to land a Solid Strike, worth 10 XP. Against the Grey King, you managed to do Mighty, Glancing, and Solid Strikes, for a total of 35 XP. Alas, you did not defeat either of your top-tier opponents, so the final tally is at 45 XP.

Michele, Sir Roslyn gets two Solid Strikes on Sir Afton and defeats him for an additional 80 XP, and then a Solid Strike on Sir Braembel and two Glancing Strikes on the Grey King. Adding in 5 XP for a successful dance results in a total of 125 XP.

Running the Tourney

1. Alterations to the Program. Keen-eyed readers may have noticed that the events of the day do not exactly follow the published Program (see p. 8 of Knights of the Wood: The Duke’s Tourney). Indeed, I decided to move both the Phantasmagoria and the Tournament of the Ashen Bough to happen on the mythically more significant Midsummer Solstice rather than the day after it. This meant that the Main Joust was getting pushed for space, so I expanded it to cover the morning as well, as the overlap between the Joust and the Phantasmagoria is mainly in the audience.

2. Main Joust. As I did in the Qualifying Rounds on Day Two, I decided knights would advance to the next round of the Main Joust by unhorsing their opponent, or if that didn’t happen, by comparing points. As it happened, the unhorsing decided the issue. Jani got somewhat unlucky when rolling for the opponents, managing to roll a 20 and then a 3, getting “Stormfist.”

But that gave me an excellent chance to show how the famous and successful Tourney Knights are almost like modern rockstars, as well as give the crowd a bonus. Normally, getting that crowd bonus would require work from a hype man, but I allowed Michele to try it anyway, since there were just two players. Granted, she would have needed a 6 in order to make enough of an impression on the crowd to get a bonus against Sir Braembel.

3. The Thirteen Challengers. While not explicitly spelled out in the Tournament of the Ashen Bough, one can do a quick calculation with the Prize Pool. Sure enough, it ends up being correct for 13 challengers, which is also mythically pleasing: every thirteen years, thirteen challengers face the Grey King.

Deciding to have knights draw lots—a selection method right at home in historical tourneys—gave me an excuse to get the player-characters in as challengers. It also seemed right to give the lower-level knights at least a chance to try, even though no one would expect them to actually win. But some might get lucky… And hence the number of challengers came to 6 + 4 + 2 + the last year’s champion of the joust = 13.

4. Glorious Strikes at Ashen Bough. I was very tempted to call that a Glorious Strike would be enough to drop Sir Roslyn from the contest, or at least cut the Joust short. However, the custom is three passes, not one nor even two.

So back on the horse she went, and what a tale that is, to be unhorsed twice out of three lances like that! Neither the Special nor the Calamity ended up mattering in the end, but sometimes that happens. And no need to worry, the warhorse is all fine and well, Sir Roslyn made sure to even get him healed in time for the Mêlée…

5. Non-Player Characters’ Love-life, Favors, and Devotion. While I’m generally happy for the NPCs to act as supporting characters in whatever story arises from the player-characters’ actions, they do have a will of their own. In particular, Sir Afton is already (hopelessly) in love (see his stat block on p. 86 of Knights of the Wood: The Duke‘s Tourney); he would not abandon that goal over a single dance with Sir Roslyn. Thus, Michele did not get a chance to roll for a Devotion with Sir Afton, despite the Moondance success.

This incidentally saved me from trying to decide if knights even can give favors to one another: I’m inclined to say “No,” since they are part of the same martial class. However, had it been someone more emotionally available, I would’ve let Roslyn start building a relationship with the Devotion rules (presented in Knights of the Wood: The Duke’s Tourney, p. 22-24), except, of course, the details of the relationship goals would’ve been different with a male knight than they are with a non-combatant lady.

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See You in the Lists!

Knights of the Wood: The Duke’s Tourney contains complete rules for jousting, sorcery competitions, feasting, dancing, and everything else you could possibly need to run tournaments in Dolmenwood. Need just one of these elements? Excerpta 1: The Joust features all of your x-treme sporting needs. Excerpta 6: The Phantasmagoria shows you how to run a magical exhibition as an exciting competition; Excerpta 5: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry handles feasting, dancing, and courtly mechanics. Need to generate knightly competitors? Our free Dolmenwood Knight Generator’s got you covered. Feast details? Try our Medieval Feast Generator that more than passes the verisimilitude test!