Drifting Pollen

Fight Knights [Pollen & Liotrent]

To Aslain's credit, he adapted quickly. The knight's armored foot clanged against Favian's breastplate, and he let himself stumble backwards with the force of the blow, releasing his grip on the longsword. Losing the weapon was a tough sacrifice to make, but there were advantages to playing along. Taking a kick like that full-on could hurt a man even through armor, whereas moving with the force of it let Favian regain his balance faster and avoid the risk of being knocked over. And besides, he was not yet fully unarmed.

The dagger came out from its sheath with a sharp swish, glinting in the light as Favian effortlessly flipped it into an upward grip. With the blade in his right hand, he darted to one side, rushing in from Aslain's right before the man had a chance to fully acquaint himself with the sword. Doubtless the lion knight could use Favian's weapon with some skill, but first he had to pull it out from where it had jabbed into his armor, not to mention get a proper grip on it and shift into something resembling a proper guard. Speed was off the essence here: this critical opportunity would not last long.

So he would not hesitate. The rondel dagger thrust upward like a striking snake, stabbing up into the gap between Aslain's right arm and his torso. Favian didn't know for sure if his last blow had had any effect, but he would capitalize upon any weakness he could find.

Fight Knights [Pollen & Liotrent]

No luck. Sir Aslain was like an iron wall, ceding no ground to Favian's relentless pressure. The blue-eyed knight grunted with effort as he pushed against the axe's shaft, the cold machinery of his mind racing to line up a new strategy.

He could not win in a contest of strength, that much was clear. How, then did he break through the lion's defense. Should I back off now, and seek an opportunity in the next exchange? Trading blows with that poleaxe was a risk every time, and Favian had no way of being sure he would come out on top if they went toe-to-toe again. No, he had to make a move now, while he still had some inkling of an advantage.

His grip on his sword grew tighter in readiness. The crowd roared, cheering on their favored knights or simply enjoying the spectacle of the two warriors straining with all their might.

When Sir Aslain suddenly gave way, it caught Favian by surprise. He fell forward slightly, losing his balance for just an instant before shifting his weight onto his leading foot to steady himself. Already, though, the lion knight was crashing against him again, giving Favian no time to adjust his posture. He would be pushed back, forced away—

—but not before his own trick came into play.

Even if he hadn't anticipated a feint, he had been waiting for the moment he could move his blade. And that brief interval, that false respite when Sir Aslain gave way, that was enough. Enough for him to angle his blade, eyes fixed on his target, and thrust it forward with brutal intent.

Yes, he would be pushed back, but in the process he was going to get in one good stab, jabbing his sword up like a crowbar to shove it into the gap between the breastplate and the gorget. Plate armor could protect very well against sword cuts and thrusts, but the joints were more vulnerable, and with the strength of Favian's well-muscled arms added momentarily to the forward momentum of Aslain surging back from his faked moment of weakness, he just might be able to force the blade through to the other man's neck.

A ruthless move, no matter its outcome. But that kind of steely resolve had carried Sir Procell through the wars of the past, and engraved itself into his soul. How does no quarter taste, Sir Aslain? Like metal? Like blood on steel?

Fight Knights [Pollen & Liotrent]

The griffon was fast, the griffon was skilled, but with every movement Favian could better judge the limits of that speed and technique. He'd been playing it cautious so far, letting his opponent take the initiative, but all the while his cold eyes had been watching with the intensity of a hunting lynx, taking the measure of all they saw. So when Sir Aslain moved again to knock away his blade, Favian responded for more audaciously than before.

I know the timing of your swing, lion knight. It did not fool me the first time, and shame on you for trying it again. As the axehead came back around to slam against his sword, Favian lunged forward of his own accord, pushing off his left foot and stepping swiftly ahead with his right. At the same time, he let the grip of his right hand go momentarily slack, only to seize the sword again at a different point, partway along the blade this time.

The axe crashed home, and a loud crack rang out—hard wood against solid steel. The longsword was not pushed aside as intended, for Favian had switched to a half-sword grip and intercepted the beating strike along the length of blade between his hands. Now holding his sword like a metal staff, he capitalized upon his momentum and pushed further, throwing all his weight forwards against Sir Aslain and his axe. If he was quick enough, he could push the other knight backwards or even knock him down onto the grass, though that would depend more upon the element of surprise than any natural difference in strength.

Fight Knights [Pollen & Liotrent]

Did Favian parry the axe towards his left or his right? During the thrust he stepped forward leading with his right foot shifting from his left.

@Liotrent

If that’s the case, then Favian is parrying to the left (to the right from Aslain’s perspective). Favian’s right foot is still forward (and you can assume that he’s maintaining that general stance unless I specify a change in a future post).

Fight Knights [Pollen & Liotrent]

Bright blue eyes watched Sir Aslain through a slitted visor, judging distance, anticipating movement. Favian had offered his opponent an opportunity, and the knight had taken it, closing even further now. His aggression was clear; it could only be a matter of time until he struck.

Favian positioned his feet carefully, keeping his sword pointed at his opponent and his profile narrow so as to present a smaller target. When the moment came, he was ready: a swift backstep answered Sir Aslain's lunge, and the axehead glanced the longsword closer to the tip than intended. The point swung to one side, but not so far or so hard that Favian lost control of it, and a quick adjusting of his grip on the hilt brought it back into position in time to parry an oncoming thrust. If Aslain did follow through with his attack, he'd see the flat of Favian's blade smack against the shaft of his axe, pushing the spike to one side as it thrust forward.

Fight Knights [Pollen & Liotrent]

Now that we're getting into the fight proper, is there anything I should know? For example, if I were to try and swing at Favian, what is allowed and not allowed? Just for reference?

@Liotrent

It's mainly just a matter of clearly writing out what your character is doing, and then backing it up with whatever logical points or rhetorical flourishes you'd like to add.

As far as what's allowed, you're limited by what we've already established: the setting and the capabilities/equipment of our respective characters. Everything is assumed to fall within standard laws of biology/physics/etc unless otherwise stated. To break it down:

- Firstly, stick to what your character could reasonably do based on the information submitted before the fight. In this case, Griffon is limited by what a human knight would be capable of: he can run and fight in full plate, and perform any reasonable motion you can think of, but he can't fly through the air or shoot lasers from his eyeballs. Any kind of power or magical ability like that has to be listed in a character sheet or specified prior to the fight, to ensure that players don't just make up new abilities on the spot. In this case, both of our characters are (I assume) unpowered humans, and thus won't be using any magic/cybernetics/whatever outside of the armor and equipment we listed for them.

- Things like techniques and skills are looser: if a character performs an action in a fight, then it's generally assumed that they know what they're doing. For instance, Griffon is a knight, so we can assume he knows how to move around quickly in plate armor and use common medieval weapons. Unless your character pulls out some really wacky out-of-context martial arts move (like if Griffon suddenly started using Chinese Kung-Fu) you don't have to justify them being able to pull it off.

- Actions should be written out clearly, and can't be retroactively altered unless in reaction to something else. For instance, if I had Favian cut at Griffon's body, and you had Griffon counter with a thrust, I can't then say "well actually Favian never cut at all and did something else entirely." The wording of actions is very important, because you can't contradict your own words later on. The only exception to this is if your opponent interrupts your character mid-action, in which case you can respond to that interruption and change what your character is doing from that point forward.

- Contradicting the other player in a fight is completely normal, and a prerequisite for victory in many cases. You just want to explain your reasoning when you do. If I write "Favian stepped forwards and punched Griffon dead in the face," you're entirely within your rights to reply with "well actually Griffon saw the punch, ducked under it, and avoided the blow." It's generally considered polite to give the other player room to respond to actions in this way (e.g. writing "Favian swung his fist at Griffon's face" rather than just "Favian punched him in the face"). Same goes the other way around: if you had a character fire a gun at Favian, and I had him dodge the bullet mid-flight, then you could reasonably point out in your next post how that's humanly impossible and go on to describe the effects of the bullet hitting its target. There's no exact science here, and you kind of have to play it by ear: sometimes it's best to gently contradict someone in-character to keep the fight flowing, whereas other times you need to discuss a key point OOC to find a firm compromise.

There's more stuff I could dig into, but that about covers the basics and I'm getting sleepy now. If there's anything you want me to go into more detail on then let me know, otherwise I'll cover stuff as it comes up. If you end up making any obvious missteps then I'll just point them out here and give you a chance to fix.

Fight Knights [Pollen & Liotrent]

Favian sighed. This wasn't a man he knew well, though he was sure that he'd heard the name of Sir Aslain before. Some knight who'd gone off to war and come through it not just alive but stronger, forged into a beast who could strike men down like a reaper culling wheat. The stories might exaggerate, perhaps, but his choice of that poleaxe as a weapon belied a ruthless and practical mind, and Favian took him at his word when he said there would be no quarter.

Men like us are beneath God's sight, Sir Aslain. But he kept that part quiet, and spoke only out of obligation. "I could ask for nothing more. I only hope my sword can offer ample challenge."

This kind of fight suited him well enough, he supposed. It was simpler this way. An icy calm was settling over him, the sounds of the crowd fading away into a dull murmur in the distance, and as the marshal called for the match to start he was already shifting from man to warrior, leaving all pretense of mercy and empathy behind.

He advanced, and brought his sword-point up as he moved, settling into a fighting stance. As he stepped within fifteen feet of his opponent, he was in a steady middle guard with his right leg leading, sword held to the left of his body at a shallow upward angle. The pommel rested just below hip level, and the point was aimed roughly at the middle of Sir Aslain's chest, following the other knight's movements with a careful accuracy.

Keeping his eyes on his opponent, and adjusting his own steps as needed to control the distance between them, Favian continued his advance, slowing down slightly at twelve feet and finally pausing about eight feet away from Aslain, watching and waiting for one or two seconds without closing further. Would that fearsome griffon take the initiative, and strike him first? Or would it fall to Favian to make the opening move...?

Anyone want to show me the ropes?

Sure! Though again as I've said, I've never done this before so I may not understand the etiquette. But I'll try my best, I look forward to learning with you.

@Liotrent

That's all good with me. I can take it easy on you to start with, if that helps. And if you ever have questions or feel that something needs clarifying, then please don't hesitate to ask.

Anyways, I've made us a thread! roleplayerguild.com/topics/187713-fig…

Fight Knights [Pollen & Liotrent]

The peasantry stamped their feet, roaring from the stands as another knight was pummeled to the ground. The victor raised his mace and spread his arms to welcome their cheers, before backing away as a fretting marshal and two assistants rushed forth to tend to his defeated opponent.

The tournament was just warming up, opening with a few sparring matches on foot before the jousting and the main event. Few warriors bothered competing in these rounds, preferring instead to seek glory on horseback with blunted lances. Even in plate armor, fighting with real weapons often led to death or injury, and the risk seemed hardly worth the renown.

So both nobles and peasants alike could hardly contain their surprise when the fair-haired Sir Favian Procell stepped out onto the grassy field, decked out in full plate armor with a steel longsword in hand and a rondel dagger sheathed beside his right hip. The handsome knight was a renowned warrior, and one of the favorites to win the upcoming joust—so what was he doing here? Surely there was nothing to be gained from participating in such a minor scuffle, especially not for a man of such great repute as he?

The knight's cold blue eyes offered no answer as he pulled his visor down and lowered the tip of his blade to the earth, calmly awaiting his opponent's arrival. A growing murmur swept through the crowds in the stands, a thrum of anticipation for what promised to be the most interesting match yet.

Anyone want to show me the ropes?

I'll fight you!

Seems you're looking for a no-powers medieval melee match, so I'll bring Sir Favian Procell, knight of House Dawnwood, outfitted in his own set of plate armor plus one rondel dagger and one steel longsword. If that sounds about right, then we can start whenever!