What You Missed - Invictus Tournaments II

Written by: Tom "Avendar" Gallagher 

Upon arriving in Invictus we were met by a a member of an order known as "The Fallen Star". He seemed very urgent to send us to help stop a demon summoning ritual.  The gathered heroes also got to meet a demon named Nixa who was eager to help in exchange for favors. We set out quickly realized that stealth as well as brute force were needed to work our way through a maze of demons and obstacles. We were met by powerful clockwork demons, locks to decipher and a few imprisoned souls that tested our moral fortitude.  Ultimately,  we finally found ourselves facing a demon of Despair.  It was wielding a great hammer and was quite powerful but somehow we were able to defeat it. We were happy to be traveling back to Invictus and the rest we would need for the tournaments the following day.

The tournament rings were waiting for us and as expected were quite challenging. We fought in all the traditional weapon combinations and a few that tested our tactics and stamina as well. The marshaling was top notch as always and the pace was constant. At the end of the day Lukejohn of Ashenmark took first place. 

My personal thanks to the marshals and all of Invictus for this great tournament and to the competitors who fought with honor and skill.

Why I Want To Go - Invictus Tournaments II

By: Kathy "Makhta" Fey

Invictus is inviting the adventurers of the Realms to partake in several different initiatives, which will hopefully result in an un-summoned demon, some tired-out combatants, and a duly entertained crowd of revelers.

The opening night will have us heading off some demon(s) at the pass. We know they’re tricky, and might be defeatbale by stealth.  

As for the tricky part, who knows what pranks they’ll play – maybe mess with our minds, perhaps delude us with illusions, maybe ply us with dubious drinks (here’s hoping), maybe sway us with wild demon-spoken promises. The demon we think is coming rules over despair, so prepare to steel yourself against doubt and fear. Bring your confidence and your wits!

As for the stealth part, these foes may be susceptible to being snuck up on, so anyone who can keep their armor from rattling, refrain from yelling battle commands and making snarky comments, and cast super quiet spells may well meet with success. As for me, I’ll probably be the bait, so go get ‘em, quiet people!

The following day will be full of combat tourneys both straight-up and strategic. This will be a great place to test your mettle in your favorite weapon combos and hopefully to try out some new things too. Invictus is renowned for their support of the martial arts, and they are skilled combat marshals as well, so you should be in for a solid day of good fighting.

After the tourneys as the sky mellows to evening, a bardic competition will light the night with music and tales and comedy and all the wonderful artisticness that our bards have to offer. The Realms is full of talent, and what better way to rest off your tournaments than sit back and revel in fine entertainment!

What You Missed - Invictus Tournaments

Written by: Quinn “Fansy” Mattes

Greetings to the realms!

For those of us that were unable to attend Invictus tournaments, I will now regale you with the events of that weekend.

On Friday evening our merry band of adventurers were invited by a demon to participate in a series of challenges to obtain a magic item, an offer that was in no way suspicious. We were told that another group of adventurers would be racing us for the item and that our new “friend” would be aiding both parties, though the demon did say he preferred our group over the other. Our first challenge was an encroaching hoard of poisonous goatfolk (or I guess venomous as to my knowledge no one ate any goat people). After a bit of fighting we encountered a puzzle lock that the more intelligent of our number solved while the rest faced down the bleating masses. We then faced a gaping chasm with a narrow and winding bridge and falling rocks that I definitely crossed with ease and didn’t take four steps then woke up on the other side. Our party then encountered a puzzle with that most insidious of mind games that has plagued the realms for decades: counting. We found numbered lights that needed to be illuminated in the correct order lest the fury of the goatfolk be brought down upon us. Through a hint left by our demonic companion the correct order was determined to be backwards from 10 and with our night vision in shambles we proceded. As we continued further into this demonic fun house the party found three dazed and confused people: an old man searching for his grandson, a mother holding a newborn baby, and a young child. It was

 determined by another hint left by the morally upstanding demon that one must be chosen to die. When faced by this moral quandary, Avendar heroically chose himself and fell on his sword. While a truly moving act I shall remember for years to come it was nonetheless ineffective as this caprine hell would not be circumvented. After a lengthy discussion of who had the most to live for, who would care for either a new grandson or new baby, a concerning amount of calls for murder from the child, whether or not any of this was real, and a morbid tangent on if the baby counted as an option a decision was made. I brought my sword down on the child that was strangely gung ho for murder and all parties involved dissipated in a magical puff and the group continued. After the test of our moral fiber was passed, or at least entertained the strangely chipper demon enough to let us continue, we found ourselves face to face with the opposing group. The item was in reach and all that stood in our way was a loud and vaguely southern foe. It was a pitched battle with our healing magics dwindling when a new face to the realms named Azurite was able to sneak to the item and recover it without notice resulting in our immediate release from this challenge. All through this challenge the demon was offering to help us with clues, healing, and chasm body retrieval in exchange for future favors. The item itself was a lamp able to call our demonic patron to intervene when needed, something that will cause no future problems I’m sure.

With that concerning episode and a nights rest behind us we set off the next day for a whirlwind of tournaments. Events of every weapon combination imaginable (except double daggers to most people’s relief) in both armored and unarmored styles. There were also more complex challenges such as V’s vendetta, Duncan’s challenge, 1s and 2s, three lives and 5 points to victory. The weather held and everyone fought hard which made for a real nail biter in the standings as the first day ended with Jericho and Avendar with 8 points and Celtrex right behind them with 7. After the dinner break and a celebration of Runaris’s unicorn themed birthday (King Shandar dressed as a unicorn was a sight to behold) we moved onto the highlight of the event (at least for me): the non com game shows put on by Madame Zarine. The games started with “Besties” , a take on the newlyweds game. If you don’t know what the newlyweds game is don't worry! It was quite clear that the 6 participants didn’t grasp the concept of the game despite multiple explanations. Between the rampant bending of rules by team Jack and Runaris and the realization of team V-power and Elora that V-power’s lack of literacy would make writing down answers incredibly difficult it was a hilarious watch. Moving on to the next game show was the worst survey, which was a take on the family feud. The survey questions were answered by community members in a poll a few weeks before and it was fun trying to figure out what everyone thought the worst of the worst was. As for anyone wondering if any of us understood how family feud worked the answer is no so it was equally fun and chaotic. Finally we went to an eight person game of a legally distinct Jeopardy like game with realms based categories. This was my favorite game (not just because I got third) but because the questions covered a wide range of realms trivia that could stump newbies and oldbies alike and hearing the explanations of the questions I didn't know was everything I enjoy about hearing about the realms past.

On the final day of the tournament with the scores so close, King Shandar decreed that the top four competitors would fight an event from the Order of the List known as a grand slam. The event is split into a best of 3 rounds each with 7 sets that are best of 3 fought back to back. Each combatant alternates choosing weapon combos each set and whether the fights are armored or unarmored is decided at the start of each round. For those keeping track at home, assuming you lose every fight in every set in every round that's at least 28 fights back to back. It was some of the most intense fighting I’ve ever done and a real trial of endurance but it’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a tournament. The day ended with Jericho as the overall winner of the tournament with Avendar as runner up and Celtrex in third place.

With glory won and new stories to tell we depart the lands of Invictus in high spirits, if not slightly concerned about a new demonic boon in the realms. I hope to see you all on the field of competition or at my shoulder on the adventuring path in the coming days.

-Cordially Fansy

Why I Want To Go - Invictus Tournaments

 Written by: Sawyer "Jericho" Judkins

Tournaments are one of my favorite things to go to, and Invictus is always a group known for their excellent tournaments. This year sounds like it is going to be no exception. To start off with, it sounds like there is some potential trouble brewing near the border with Ariland. Something about a demon wanting to talk with some of us about something. Definitely seems like a thing that would be important to check in about.

The rest of the weekend is promised to be a light-hearted and relaxing weekend of tournaments. King Shandar has decided to do things a little differently this year knowing how many big things are coming up for everyone this year. I am excited to see what kind of changes they have in mind. I had an amazing time at the last tournaments held by Invictus, and was impressed by the selection of varying fights beyond just the basic ones. 

While I might not participate in it, Saturday night is going to be a blast. Zarine’s Nighttime Extravaganza sounds like it is going to be a blast, and a great bunch of non-coms are planned for it! I look forward to hanging around with everyone to watch this fun unfold.

Overall, I am incredibly excited to see everyone there this upcoming weekend in Invictus for their next iteration of tournaments.

See you on the field,

Lord Jericho Axelthorne

What You Missed: The Coronation of King Shandar

by Hannah "Ryu" Boucher

So I guess I better start with the goose…. 

The night before the coronation we received a plea for help retrieving Todd, a giant fire breathing goose, who had escaped from his caretaker and was terrorizing the denizens of the great Cinnabog. Like most fire breathing creatures, this did not surprise me (or anyone else for that matter) so we set off into the swamp to find Todd. We immediately happened upon a friendly group of ogres who loudly yelled at us to “get out me swamp!”. We continued anyway. We next came across a village that had been turned into swamp skeletons which are like normal skeletons except… swampier. The last surviving member of the village warned us not to drink the crystal clear and purified water in the well, as it had turned the rest of the village to skeletons. We assumed this was due to the natural diet of the swamp people and opted to un purify the well back into swamp water. We made it most of the way there with swamp guts from the skeletons, but after running out, Lt. Bogen used his 6th regional, Swamptervention, to pour the essence of the swamp into the well. It worked a little too well…

After, we ran into a massive, wild swamp boar… or rather it ran into me… 4 times. I guess growling and taunting it was not the correct way to calm it down. That’s on me. It’s hide was too thick for our normal swords to cut through and even magic had no effect on it. It trampled quite a few of us before we managed to find the broken pieces of a massive hunting spear. It had no trouble getting through the tough hide and we were finally able to pass through the village. We found ourself in a circle of statues all with different runes on them, clearly connected to a floating incorporeal leash. After some trial and error, we figured out the rune names; two Deltas, Tao (like t - ow not Sir Tao), and Omicron but not the order we had to fight the statues in. I’m ashamed to admit it, but it feels like it took us nearly an hour to solve the statues until Griffin realized the answer. T-O-DD. That was the order. We promptly beat the statues up and took possession of the now corporeal leash.

Last was a group of bandits with a very strange accent, something reminiscent of Insectafae. The boasted about having captured Todd and that their “El Capìtan” would make us sorry we ever met him. We began a rather lively discussion about who the better Captain was, El Capìtan or Captain Sir Orion. I may be slightly biased here but I think we all know the answer. Then Todd escaped the bandits (obviously) and what followed was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Todd was on the loose, breathing fire on bandits, adventurers, and the landscape itself. He was out of control. Sir Orion looks at the leash in his hands and knows what he has to do. Unarmed, he charges into the fray and leaps onto Todd’s back, grappling with goose and leash bare handed hoping to tame the creature. He very nearly succeeds! Unfortunately, Todd gets the upper wing and managed to blast the Captain with fire. A few of us adventurers leaped to distract Todd while Lt. Bogen snuck up from behind and leashed him, stopping his fiery rampage.

The next day brought tournaments. Everyone brought their A game, including the marshals. Personally, it was some of the best fighting I had done and I’m sure others feel the same way. Winners of the various tournaments include Sir Temorse, Sir Tao, Vesper, Sir Tolorof, and a few others who I unfortunately cant remember (there were many tournaments). Additionally, sir Aelias ran a tournament for those who preferred the Magic arts. I am not sure what it entailed as those that participated were compelled by magic not to share. I do know that King Hygar won that tournament by a large margin. The winners of each tournament were presented with a sword, handcrafted by King Shandar himself during the coronation.

Speaking of which, the Coronation itself was an impressive ceremony. I had never been to a Coronation before but I was blown away by the presentation, the food, the speeches, everything was just at the next level! It started with the soon to be King of Invictus being escorted into the Great Hall with his family, after which, he swore an oath to protect the people and nation of Invictus. The current members of Invictus then swore their fealty to the king. After an impressive ritual over the crown, His Majesty King Shandar was crowned the first king of the Kingdom of Invictus. What followed was a whos who of the Realms as other kingdoms, knighthoods, and individuals presented gifts, words of encouragement, personal stories, and advice. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many nation leaders in one place before. The most touching presenter was King Shandar’s own mother who spoke of how proud she was of the new king. There was not a dry eye in the great hall after that.

The last item of business was the first court of the Nation of Invictus. Most of the business of court was handing out Tournament awards, including the overall winners of the tournament. Traditionally, this has been decided based on who had won the most tournaments, but in this case, King Shandar watched every tournament and kept his eyes peeled for the person that most impressed him. In this case, he chose the second place winners of the Spirit and Steel tournament, Captain Sir Orion and Lt. Bogen for their amazing display of teamwork and coordination while fighting. The night ended with a wonderful brownie Sundae dessert and a lot of good alcohol. It really was an event to remember, and I look forward to the next time Invictus throws an event!  

Invictus Gladitorium Update from Black & White 2022

   This summary was provided by Sir Kiira, acting as a scribe to the Nation of Invictus.

Unto the denizens of the Realms,

We are writing to inform you of the most recent court held by the Nation of Invictus. Our nation holds our court in what is called a Gladitorium. In this Gladitorium, we hold trials of combat, magic, and craftsmanship to allow individuals to gain entrance into the Army of Invictus. 

Saturday, October 22nd, of year 1022, we held our Gladitorium in the beautiful Lands of Chimeron, which had equally beautiful weather. The grounds, which were damp from recent rainfalls, made for soft ground in which to fight. We began by presenting our members with new tabards, customized for each person in accordance to their sizes and preferences. 

Once the new garments were adorned, we continued onto the combat portion of our trials. Thayet, a mage who specializes in heavy support magic and can wield lightning, petitioned to join the Invictus Army. She chose a champion to support, Sir Daekara. When a mage is supporting their champion, they must face every fighter in the Gladitorium while they are being supported by another mage. After a series of up to fifteen fights (one fight for each of the founding members), or one victory for the petitioner, they move onto the next series of fights with the next fighter and mage. 

As is customary for every Gladitorium where there is a combat-focused caster, the first series of fights was against Imperator Shandar Silverstorm, and his most venerated mage, Sir Kiira. After this series of fights, Thayet chose her challengers by going widdershins around the circle. Thayet proved her worth as a mage and entered the group as a petitioning member. She was given a tabard with a Black Wolf symbol, signifying her status as a petitioner. 

 

After the combat had concluded, Sir Aelias Softshadow presented a ritual to gain entrance into the Army of Invictus as a full member. While performing a ritual similar to one he had performed in the past, he stopped suddenly. Aelias turned and address the group, explaining how when you cast a spell, you create a circle providing protection. Instead of needing the protection provided by the magical circle, he empowered his magic and was protected by the circle standing around him; his nation; The Nation of Invictus. Pulling out the blade he was given as an accolade to winning the mage tournament at Queen of Hearts, Aelias offered up his sword to Imperator Shandar in defense of the nation. Shandar welcomed him into the Army and presented him with a tabard featuring a golden wolf, signifying full member status. 

The last trial of the day was that of Lady Liselle Silvermaple, and it was quite a marvelous one at that. For her final trial, she was challenged with proving her craftsmanship through an item to be presented to Shandar. What an item it was. Liselle stated that she had never seen the leader of Invictus in what she considered formal attire. She presented him with an exquisite burgundy doublet, with detachable arms, and a side cape bearing the Invictus Wolf. Under the doublet was a golden silk shirt of the same material used to accent the doublet. If that was not enough, on the reverse side of the doublet sits studded leather armor—to never be left undefended. With successfully delighting the Imperator, Liselle gained entrance into Invictus and was given her own gold wolf in the form of a tabard. 

Next up during the Gladitorium, Daekara took on a Squire, Jack of Redwall, for the Knights of Invictus. 

Now we come to the point in the Gladitorium where we discussed change moving forward. Shandar addressed the nation stating that, when Invictus was founded, we were in a constant war with our enemies. As we move on to a more prosperous time, we are looking to restructure ourselves. While the world slowed down due to our times spent within our borders, we have had the opportunity to self-reflect and see where we are and where we want to be. 

Though his authority is not changed, Sir Randalf is now in charge of the Army of Invictus, specifically the fighters. He will still answer directly to Shandar. Randalf’s position is now known as Warmaster. Parallel to Randalf will be Kiira, who will have the same duties, specifically with the Mages of the Invictus Army, who also answers directly to Shandar. She will have the title of Warmage. 

The next level of authority will be called Captains. They are the field and squad leaders who will be responsible for mustering and organizing the troops while on campaign. This role is still Sir Eldritch Cleaver’s, though the title has changed from what it previously was. In addition to Eldritch, Daekara was promoted to the rank of Captain. 

Another shift in positions was in the title of Justicar, which is filled by Sir Vuel Shiba. His responsibilities are to enforce the justice and will of Shandar. Sir Jayne Wrath is taking over the title of Praetorian Guard, which was formerly held by Vuel. The Praetorian Guard’s job is to ensure the safety of Shandar. 

Finally, at the end of the Gladitorium, Shandar declared his intentions, with full support from all those present in the nation of Invictus, to take the title of King. The plans for the coronation are to be announced shortly, for some time during mid-spring of the year 1023. 

What You Missed at Invictus Questing 2

by Adam "Elric" Blaisdell

A year ago, a group of criminals invaded Rathkeale and overtook some of the islands. Many answered the call to arms sent out by Invictus, and helped reclaim our lands, however, many of the criminals were able to escape. Recently, Shandar sent word that we would be pressing the offensive on them, in their posts throughout the Lost Kingdoms. I was eager to assist and even kill a few of them myself, so I rallied what Rathkeale members I could. Lord Hayden, a few of his underlings, and Sven Svenson III answered the call. I also convinced Evie and Fenrys’ sister, Alessia, to join us. 

When we arrived at base camp on Friday night, we were met by a few familiar faces, and a lot of newer ones. Shandar informed us that the enemy had taken many castles over the course of the year, including one which was close to Invictus and one near Voraniss. During the night we were to stop supply carts from reaching the castles, as to ensure they didn't have extra supplies. Throughout the night, we managed to stop all three without much trouble, but much like last year, we found wanted posters of some of our friend’s faces, and more of their strange writing. It seemed that they wanted to capture the females of our group, for which reason we were unsure. We had also learned that the enemy could learn how to conduct our magics just by watching us. Now I have no problems with them learning Necromancy, but I'm sure that many adventurers with me did not want that to happen. 

The next morning the real attack began. We learned that at dusk, the enemy would be conducting rituals at each of the castles they had captured, however we were unsure what their goal was. While Invictus attacked the castle closest to their border, our questing party would strike at the castle closest the Voraniss and hopefully disrupt their ritual. The day consisted of constant castle siege, through the many outer walls of the keep. We found strange pieces of a tablet, different knick knacks and trinkets, and a large chest filled with food (which a bear seemed to want to help out with later in the night). We fought our way over lava, around barricades, and on floating platforms in water.

Finally we reached the main door to the keep which, when all of the pieces of the tablet were put together correctly on it, spelt out a message about stars dying and beginning the cycle again. The door took a long time to open, and when it finally did, it seemed to be night time. We fought our way through the darkened castle, solving a strange star puzzle and killing a lot of enemies, and finally made it to the ritual. 

The ritual consisted of 4 pillars which created a barrier we could not pass. In the center of the pillars was a woman, who manipulated trinkets on her ritual table and called out to any that would listen. A being much like the one I and many others spoke with last year (which I later found out was one soul inhabiting multiple physical forms) was also present, trying to draw information out of the adventurers in our party. Four other masked beings guarded the pillars like statues. Each of the beings "came alive" one at a time, and we dispersed each one with different strategies. Once each of the beings fell, the pillars could be deactivated by willing heroes grabbing ahold of them. First came brave Elizah, who screamed in pain and fell to the ground, with Mathies using his scolding dad voice telling her she shouldn't have done that. Second Fancy grabbed one, and while he did not scream, a look of pain surely washed over his face. I grabbed the third, but quickly let go as I felt the full intensity of a star trying to force its way into me, to remove my magic. Before I even had time to recover, a man by the name Scalar quickly took my place. Lastly, from the fourth pillar I heard a yell of pain I did not expect to hear. It was Mathies who grabbed the last pillar, and allowed us to finally disrupt the ritual. 

After this, I retired to my place of rest, but through the trees I overheard something about a bunch of souls, a gem, some shanking, a second chance, and someone trapped inside the gem. I won’t lie, I really didn’t want to involve myself in that chaos.

The next morning, we set out to rescue Red, the lumberjack that Tao had employed last year, but sadly I had other matters to attend to, so I did not see it the rescue mission through. 

OOC: The event was great, the immersion was good, the effects were awesome, and the fighting was tiring but satisfying. Another great Invictus Questing, and I very much look forward to the next installment.