[h2][color=lightblue]Rolan[/color][/h2]

[hr]

Rolan had not entirely been sure what to expect when he was informed they were departing for the Valours Tournament. Yes, it was an annual tradition that any knightly order worth their title would have representation at. Yes, the fact it was run by the nobility, the Crown itself, made not having attending members, the best and brightest, as much a dire insult as it was a mistake. But the question that remained in mind was, more so than any other, why [i]him[/i] in particular. The Captain had some of the finest knights at her command, capable and dangerous in equal measures, and almost all of the ones present were well suited to tournament combat. But unless they had some sort of marksmanship contest in order, Rolan did not high hopes of putting on a display that would bring the Iron Rose Knights the honor and distinction they deserved. Rolan had said none of this out loud, of course, following the Captain's orders and departing with the rest who were attending.

It was all a bit too....high up the nobility for someone like Rolan. He was a former huntsman, turned bounty hunter, turned knight. While the family name he never laid claim to did, technically, give him some claim of noble blood it was tarnished by the reputation and actions that his ancestors had undertaken. So the fact he was on the same grounds as the royal family among other such high ranking nobility stood out. He deliberately avoided drawing their attention, on general principle, while assessing the other goings on. Imposing figures and striking presences were plentiful, but it was a tournament, most would be bringing their best and brightest armor and performances. Though with that many people attempting to stand out, it sort of all blurred in a sort of odd way. 

The grounds were, unsurprisingly bustling with not just nobility and knightly orders. Anyone who had a reason to seek single combat, the glory that came with it, and had the means to attend would be here. The only standouts besides the royals and more established knightly orders was the not insignificant number of Hundi, who's honor duels and culture practically turned Valours into a lure for them, and the Ingvarr who elected to arrive. Rolan was not, ultimately, looking to draw any of their attention either, focused instead on busying himself with more practical and appropriate ways to keep himself busy.

Given no overt orders or taskings, Rolan had taken to walking the various stalls and stands peddling food, wares, and other items or knowledge of possible note. While the food was not a great concern to him, the idea of possibly finding unusual reagents, odd equipment, or other curios that could be made useful to the cause gave him a good reason to at least walk the stalls and stands, keep a sharp eye out, and see what arose from his investigation and patrol. That was what it really was, keeping himself busy and alert by moving and observing. If something was to go wrong, he ideally wanted to catch it before it became a problem. This many people of note, of importance, congregated in one place made them a target, and while that also meant security would be high, an extra set of eyes for the cause never hurt.