Jousts in Spero!

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!

Seekers of the Realm come gather close for the Free City of Spero has an announcement for all of you.

In honour of the 200th Gralympics victory, there will be a celebration of strength, valour and feats of arms.

We remember our founders, and the great warriors amongst them as we invite you all to a day of jousting and tourneys to be held in the common green of Spero where knights from across the realm will be invited to display their courage and skill for all to see.

Here are four ways to participate in these jousts:

• As a knight - fighting in the jousts
  
• As a supporter - providing knights a token of your support
  
• As a sponsor - donating prices for knights to fight for in the jousts
  
• As a judge-of-the-joust - who will ensure the correct conduct in the jousts
  

The details:

Knights - will need to contact the master of ceremonies (Dardoc) with a letter of intent to be delivered by pigeon which will include:

A description of the knight, mount and gear to be used in the tournament. The knights will be parading before the event for all to see. Please note that descriptions should be no longer than 200 words and must not include comparisons with other knights.

e.g. - The knight is as strong as a bear - is fine.
e.g. - The knight is riding the biggest horse in the tournament - is not.

The name under which the knight will be participating - you can use your in game name (e.g. Dardoc), a title or moniker (e.g. Dardoc of the Tavern) or an incognito persona (e.g. Knight of the Beer).

The training regime which the knight has followed (see mechanics below)
The kind of mount they will be riding (see mechanics below)
The style of armour they will be wearing (see mechanics below)

We hope that all knights will be able to enter the lists, at guarantee at least the first 16 spots, but the tourney can take place with less knights.

The lists will be open until the 28th of February (just over a week) at which point the list of knights participating in the joust will be published.



Supporters - once the list of knights has been published, supporters can offer to support to specific knights. Knights will have to accept the token of one supporter which will be taken into battle by the knight for courage and luck.

Supporters are expected to provide a short, one line description of their token of support. Here are some examples:

• The burgundy scarf of a high lady of the realm
  
• A lilac ribbon from the nobleman's son
  
• One jewelled brooch in the shape of frog, from an unknown admirer
  
• A twisted, rusty nail, from Udgar himself!
  

If you wish to support an anonymous knight - let the master of ceremonies know and he will check in with the knights.




Sponsors - if you wish to sponsor the event by providing treasure or gear to serve as prices please reach out to the master of ceremonies (Dardoc) with your donation. Prices for the tourney will be announced at the same time as the publication of the lists.



Judge-of-the-Joust - Seekers of known integrity will be invited to act as Judges-of-the-Joust. Judges may not participate as knights nor supporters but can sponsor the jousts. For the sake of integrity they will be given access to the RNG servers which will determine the outcome of the jousts (see mechanics below).


The jousts themselves will start on the 3rd of March and may depending on the number of knights may continue for several days.



Now onto the mechanics.

Knights will fight against each other one on one in jousts. The schedule of the jousts will be published based on the number of knights entered into the jousts, and may include round robin qualifying jousts leading to eliminatory jousts. The schedule will be published together with the lists.

Here is how the whole system will work:

Knights pick one type of horse, armour and training out of the following categories:

Horse

• Sure footed - Advantage stability
  
• Swift - Bonus dodge
  
• Spirited - Advantage force
  
• Elegant - Bonus intimidation
  

Armour

• Reinforced - Bonus stability
  
• Engraved - Bonus intimidation
  
• Close Fitted - Bonus accuracy
  
• Light - Advantage dodge
  

Training

• Force - Bonus Force
  
• Dodge - Bonus dodge
  
• Accuracy - Advantage accuracy
  
• Flair - Bonus intimidation
  

Advantage means two rolls are made for a given combat phase and the best result is used.
Bonus gives a +3 bonus to the roll of a given combat phase.
Advantages and bonuses are cumulative.



Knights salute, then charge towards each other in combat in the following phases. (The entire sequence is a pass)

Challenge fase - Knights challenge each other before the start of the joust.
Intimidation - Each knight rolls 3d10 - highest roll gets to re-roll any 1s during the rest of the combat. If rolls are equal no one gets the combat effect.

Clash phase - Knights charge at each other and smash their lances against each other.
For both knights to hit rolls as follows:
Opposed rolls of Accuracy (5d6) vs Dodge (2d12+1)
If accuracy is higher than dodge there is a hit.

Dismount Phase - Knights who have been hit need to check whether they stay on the saddle.
For knights who are hit roll:
Opposed roll of Force (3d10) vs Stability (5d4+5)
If force is higher than stability, the knight is dismounted.

At the end of each pass one of three things can happen.

One knight has been dismounted - the knight who remains mounted is declared the winner.
Both knights are still mounted - they turn around and have another pass, starting with again with the intimidation phase.
Both knights are dismounted - The knight with highest difference on the clash phase wins, if tied, the knight who won the initiative wins. If there is still a tie the winner is determined randomly (effectively by acclamation by the crowd).

All die rolls will be handled via a dedicated server on dicelog.com - Judges-of-the-Joust will have access to the dice server to verify all combat results.

If you have any questions - post below or just send me a message.

The lists will be open until the 28th of February
Was that the end of 28th February or the end of 27th? Hope my pigeon makes it today^  If it does not - it is because other Knights may have shoot it down with an arrow...

To all the people of the realms!

I am proud to announce that the lists of the jousts are complete.

Here is the list of knights which have come from far and near to participate in the jousts of Spero.

We will shortly announce the actual jousts - so you know which knight will joust against whom.

The jousts will be by elimination. May the best knight win!

Behold the parade of knights:

Ragh Sukh Du Lac:

The Serpent:

Robert, Friend of Udgar:

Skadi, the Snow Knight:

Ranger Fox, Knight of the Wood:

Ulrich Von Lichtenstein:

Drew of Townless:

The Phantom:

Note to all participants - the First round will be taking place on Friday 4th of March.
Second round will take place on Saturday 5th of March
Final round (including 3rd & 4th place joust) will take place on Sunday 6th of March

Prizes to be won!

Four Prizes for the first Four knights to choose from (Winner gets 1st choice etc)

• A wondrous Emerald - Donated By Drew and found deep in the bowels of the Realms!
  
• A Splendid Grail Claymore - Donated by Lady Jubilee the Fair!
  
• A pile of 200 tokens - Donated by a Citizen of Spero
  
• A cheap blacksmith's apron OR an upgrade to an existing Apron - Kindly donated by gentle Filbert.
  

In addition to these prizes the Winner of the tournament will be ennobled by Lord Aro himself for some time.

In addition the Monks of the realm have donated a Grail lantern which will be allocated randomly to those knights without a prize that they may continue to seek that which they have lost.

Jousts!

Oyez Oyez!!! The Jousts of Spero are about to start! Please settle down for our knights will appreciate being able to focus on the charge and the smashing of lances so grab your rat-on-a-stick from Udgar and place your last bets while the knights sally forth!

The first joust of the day will see the faceoff of Ranger Fox, the Knight of the Woods against the Serpent, an knight unknown!

Here they come onto the field, The Knight of theWoods exudes a quiet confidence on his stallion swift and sturdy and as he salutes the stands there is no doubt that his graceful movements like the rustling of the leaves are quiet, economical and effective. Clearly one to watch.

The Serpent looks the part, the Judges-of-the-joust pay particular attention to ensure the tips of his lances are not poisoned, for that is his customs. He appears to not be quite at his ease here in the light and amongst the crowd. Nevertheless his close-fitting armour and focus on his adversary shows that he is not to be underestimated. Surprisingly perhaps he is wearing a beautiful token of favour from the Lady Jubilee.

The knights move to their ends of the field of honour, lances at the ready, chargers ready to go. Awaiting the drop of the banner...

And they are off! Thundering towards each other their steeds rapidly pickup speed as they close in and... Clash!!!

The Knight of the woods ably avoids the lancetip of the Serpent while delivering a blow to the Serpent shattering his own lance to splinters! The Serpent is pushed back on his saddle, to the point the he is almost laying over the rump of his steed. He is forced to drop his lance but in a show of strength and riding skill recovers and stays in the saddle for another pass.

Both knights make their way to their respective ends of the field of honour and pick new lances - it seems that being struck has if anything increased the confidence of the Serpent who acts as if nothing out of the ordinary has taken place while Ranger Fox looks a bit troubled as he selects his new lance.

Both mounts are skittish as they anticipate a new clash and once again they charge against each other rapidly closing the distance as both knights seek to unhorse each other... In order to assure a better blow we can see how Ranger Fox stands up on his stirrups while the Serpent hunkers down to present as small a target as possible...

And they Clash! Both lances find their mark this case as lances smash against shields! Lances fly to shards and yet... the Serpent is still on his saddle, it seems to have been no more than a glancing blow but The knight of the woods is unable to stay in the saddle after the powerful blow from the Serpent and is calmly picking himself up fromt he dust, his honour might be intact but he will be sore tonight that is for sure...

As he leaves the field for other contestants, the Serpent tips his lance to the Lady Jubilee as a sign of recognition for her support...

------------------

The second joust of the day sees Ragh ... facing off Ulrich von Liechtenstein

(I have to apologize, I have not been able to complete the descriptions for all the jousts - work has been spiking in crazy ways this week but I will get around to it during the weekend I hope)

The second day of the jousts.

After the excitment of the first round the crowd is back today and you can feel the enthusiasm in the crowd - the beer flows freely and the troubadours are having to work hard to get heard over the cheers of the rowdy crowd.

Yet as soon as the two first contestants arrive on the field of honour the crowd is hushed. The two most exotic knights of the joust are about to face off in what promises to be a joust to remember.

The Serpent has burnished his armour - his smiths must have been busy all knight after the pummeling it got from the Knight of the Woods in yesterdays joust. Eerily calm the Serpent dips his lance to the Lady Jubilee, her ribbon tied just above the grip for all to see.

Ragh Sukh Du Lac emerges from the other end of the field. He did not have an easy time with Ulrich von Liechtenstein yesterday either but he looks ready his mount is rearing to go and the many plates of his armour are in place. Wearing the traditional metal facemask of his people he looks fearsome indeed.

The hushed crowd does not seem to know for whom to cheer and falls silent - with the fall of the banner both mounts leap swiftly forward, lances couched aiming straight at their foes. Both knights are seeking a solid hit, staying close to the midline of the joust...

And with a deafening clash both lances find their targets! As the splinters rain onto the ground we see that both knights are still in their saddles though it was a near run thing, both have been shaken by the shock of the impact, their shields and armour sporting fresh dents as they wheel around and collect new lances for a second pass.

The Serpent\s mount is jittery as they once again charge forward, hooves ripping into the field of honour. This time though the crowd erupts into a cheering roar as both knights barrel towards each other without hesitation. Both focussed on each other like two hawks fighting over a prize...

And once again they clash! Splinters fly but while the lance of the Serpent only managed a glancing blow the blunted tip of the Ragh/s lance caught the Serpent centred on his sternum! The Serpent flies from the saddle while his mount neighs in surprise and does a sliding stop on his rear quarters and tries to bite at Ragh/s mount in frustration. Ragh though is still mounted and clearly the winner, the force of his blows really outstanding amongst the knights in this tourney. He bows in the saddle as he passes the stands in recognition of his own victory. Many in the crowd cheer him on, looks like the crowd enjoys hard hitting knights.

A couple of squires run to the field of honour to help the Serpent but he gets up on his own and waves the squires away. He looks up to the sky for a moment, getting his bearings perhaps, it is truly a feat to be standing up after such a blow. He looks out to the crowd seeking the gaze of the Lady Jubilee and seems to ... almost shrug, as he then limps off the field. Even though he fell in this joust there crowd cheers him on. He fought with honour and put on a fantastic show.

The stewards brush away the remains of the splintered lances and even out the sand for the next pair of knights as the sun climbs higher into the sky and a gentle breeze sweeps through the tourney grounds, much to the relief of the crowd. Udgar proudly announces a two for one deal on rat-on-a-stick.

A young assistant herald steps into the field, blows the traditional horn, but before announcing the next contestants reminds the crowd to be wary of neer-do-well pickpockets and sellers of snake oils and miraculous remedies which as we all know, can only be bought from the most holy order of monks. Do not let the charlatans get to you folks!

The spry herald runs off the field as the new contestants make their way onto the field of honour. The crowd cheers loudly as the Skadi the Snow Knights arrives onto the field, her beautifully engraved armour catching the eye of many a spectator, even Udgar seems to forget about his delicacies as she confidently rides past. She seems poised for victory and recovered from her mighty bout with Drew the Townless.

On the other side of the field arrives the Phantom, a knight unknown. Some in the crowd cheer him on, after all he succesfully eliminated Robert yesterday but he seems to be troubled by his opponent. Snowflake his mount looks solid though and really ready for the joust.

The flag drops and the knights leap forward. It is plain for all to see that the Snow Knight is aiming to end this quickly barreling straight at her adversary like an icicle dropping onto an unsuspecting cave explorer. The Phantom however is not interested in playing into the strengths of his opponent, or maybe he is just intimidated, be it as it may he keeps as far away from the centre line as he can, this makes him much harder to hit though his blow would probably only be a glancing one ...

Whoooosh!!! The knights ride past one another with no contact. Skadi the Snow Knight wheels around immediately and her mount snorts a challenge going forward. The Phantom makes ready for another pass deliberatly, not rushing anything....

For a second time the knights charge at each other... and for a second time no contact. The Phantom seems to be deliberately avoiding the lance of Skadi, which we can all undersand but the crowd is starting to grow a little restless.

As the Snow Knight lines up her mount for a third pass the crowd visibly cheers her on. The tactics of the Phantom may be working but they are not winning him any friends with the crowd.

As the third charge begins Snowflake skids a moment before impact, pulling the Phantom again from the tip of Skadi´s lance and missing his own target. The crowd lets out an audible moan as they can see the knights just pass each other by for a third time.

A herald is called onto the field, it seems like Snowflake has lost a horseshoe, which caused her to skid. Troubadours spill onto the field with lyres and songs to entertain the crowd while the master farrier replaces the wandering horse shoe. Skadi opts to simply stay mounted, never taking her eyes off her oponent, though her squire does come to sponge some of the sweat from her mount and provide some water to the horse.

The master farrier knows his craft and in a few minutes the heralds signal that the joust can continue. The troubadours clear the field and the knights make ready to charge once more.

The Phantom seems to be nervous going into this fourth pass, who can blame him though with the unforgiving gaze of Skadi drilling into him all this time.

Hooves tear at the ground once more... the lances are couched that crowd cheers... and yet once more the Phantom seems more focussed on avoiding contact than on actually landing a blow. An audible groan comes up from the crowd as for the fourth time the knights pass each other other without contact.

The herald signals for the knights to wheel the horses around and have another pass right away. The crowd is getting restless, and by not is fully behind the Snow Knight except for a group of three knaves in the corner who obviously bet their meagre savings against her...

What happened next is hard to describe, this time the Phantom chooses to stay very close to the centre lane and everyone can see how Skadi shifts her grip on her lance for a killing blow... and yet instead the lances slide against each other, such that by the time the knights pass each other the lances are literaly crossed. Both knights hit the shaft of their opponents lance with their chestplates, but nothing comes of this. Five passes and not a solid hit yet on either side!

The herald is seen consulting the scrolls of honour to try to figure out how this kind of odd situatoin could be resolved, the crowd is restless and even the Snow Knight seems to be loosing patience. This time as the horses face each other she roars out a challenge at the Phantom - Prove your courage on this field of honour!!!

The Phantom dips his lance for a moment as if to acknoledge the challenge and the horses for the sixth time charge at each other, visibly tired both mounts are by now slower than at the start of the joust...

And as the knights close the distance Skadi lets out a primeveal roar that is echoed by the crowd, while the Phantom´s response is simply to couch his lance...

Finally! This time the lance has found its mark! The lance of the Phantom smashes right onto the faceplace of Skadi´s helm knocking her helm straight off and unhorsing her at the same time. Skadi´s own lance skids harmlessly from the armour of the Phantom.

There is absolute silence in the tourney grounds. Skadi picks herself up with the and grabs her helm sparing a glance to the Phantom that would make a snow leopard cower. The Phantom tips his lance to the crowd that murmurs and seems to already be making bets for tomorrows fight...


The Phantom or Ragh Sukh du Lac - one of the two will be the winners of this tourney!

Last day of the jousts

The crowd today is packing the jousting field, the stands are booming with the crowds and only Udgar and his ever present selection of rats-and-tidbits-falling-from-a-stick is able to make his way through the dense mass of onlookers, though to be fair most people make a valiant effort to move as far from Udgar as possible so that helps.

The noble boxes are equally full with ladies and lords of the realms as well as younger seekers all eager to see what this last day of the tourney will bring - no doubt much will hang in the balance even for those who are here just to watch the fun as we have had news of fortunes being bet on the outcomes of these jousts...

And today we start with the joust of honour, where the Serpent and Skadi the Snow Knight will challenge each other for the third and fourth place in these jousts.

And so once again the Herald gives the signal as the knights make their way, steady and battleworn by now to the ends of the tourney field, chargers piaffing under them and rearing to go. Skadi lifts her lance to the heavens as her ornate armour catches the rays of the sun as she challenges the Serpent who calmly nods and lets his gaze wander over the stands and boxes, his lance once again holding that now much battered ribbon - a token from the Lady Jubilee.

Without further ado the flag drops and the thundering of hooves once rises forth to join with the palpable excitement of the crowd. These are no ordinary knights dashing at each other, but the flower of the knighthood of the realms to have made it this far.

And it shows! The gait of both chargers picks up pace as they near one another and the lances thrust forward, knights leaning forward into the saddle at the last moment not only for stabiliy but also for maximum effect...

We have a hit! Skadi has taken the lance of the Serpent straight to her shoulder! She twists in the saddle as the splinters fly in and drops the lance as she desperataly attempts to steady herself. The blow itself has thrown off her aim and the Serpent is able to smoothly ride past, and somehow the Snow Knight remains mounted.

With a nod to her squire, Skadi is handed another lance an immediately urges her steed forward to the field again. The Serpent looks confident, and takes a lance from his own squire then somehow manages to amble to the field without a care in the world....

Once more the signal is given and once more the steeds eagerly lunge forward, the technique of both knights is impressive, both being well rounded fighters and well versed in many aspects of the joust, which appreciative onlookers can enjoy as both knights cut a gallant figure while they close in on each other with deadly intent.

This time both lances find their targets! The Serpent takes the lance of Skadi straight to the chest and at the same time the lance of the Serpent smashes onto the visor of the Snow knight! The splinters fly and as the stallions thunder past each other both riders struggle to keep their balance, yet somehow in an impressive display of horsemanship they succeed.

The Serpent seems to have been winded by the blow, while some splinters seem to have managed to enter through the slits on the visor of the Snow knight - drops of blood are clearly seen seeping from under her gorget. The Herald approaches to ask if she is ready to continue, and without a word she nods. This gives the time for the Serpent to recover somewhat from his own blows and thus the Herald determines that both knights are ready for a third pass.

The crowd is expectant, this is the spectacle! This is the show! Knights! Horses! Hooves! Lances breaking and a good swig of beer is what they are here for but they certainly want to know who is the better of these two!

And know they shall!

Once more in the field do both knights meet, and the canny Serpent is able to just barely avoid the tip of the lance as the Snow Knight thrusts forward, while once again leaning heavily into his own saddle, scoring a solid hit...

And once more Skadi is hit on the right shoulder! Her own mount dances to help her keep balance but it is clear that this second blow is not without consequence, her lance falls from her limp fingers and as she reaches her own squire she calls not for a lance but for an armourer. The beautfiul ornate armour that was so wonderfully crafted to closely fit the form of Skadi is now dented to the point where the steel itself is dug into her flesh.

With a cold hammer and a pry-bar the master armourer manages to jury-rig the armour such that Skadi can once again move the arm, but will she be able to manage a fourth pass? The Herald is seen arguing with her for a moment but it seems that the Snow Knight is adamant to keep jousting while she can still ride and so, after checking with the Serpent who really seems to be enjoying himself, the Herald gives the all clear.

To everyones surprise Skadi drops her shield and takes on her lance left handed, the Herald shakes his head but the field of honour has been engaged, the joust will not be stopped now. The Serpent takes his time selecting his next lance and ambles slowly onto the field of honour, as if he knows this fight is now almost over.

The crowd is hushed. The tension is palpable, both mounts by now are glowing with the sheen of sweat, which makes riding them and keeping balance ever more tricky but the time comes to ride, the signal is given and forth they lunge!

The Snow Knight bellows a challenge as she leans into her saddle once more and the Serpent acknoledges her simply by leaning into his own saddle and aiming once more for his target - he has not failed a single time to hit his target and looks confident he will do so again.

And so they charge! A bit slower this time, as the energy is slowly draining from the noble mounts but with no less determination!

The noise of the lances smashing against armour takes over the jousting field. Both lances have hit! The Snow knight taking a blow to her chest and the Serpent doing likewise... but while the Snow Knight seems to flow like one on her horse again swaying on her horse like a willow in a storm, the Serpent is like the mighty oak - Strong but unyielding he topples over and rolls onto the dust of the tourney grounds.

A collective roar erupts from the crowd! Everyone is cheering, Skadi the Snow knight has won! Her ornate armour no longer reflects the sun and is a collection of dents and scratches and undoubtedly she has suffered yet she stands victorious.

The Serpent looks on in surprise. To be fair he has done everything right in this tourney, four passes, four hits every lance finding its mark. Yet the stubborn refusal of Skadi to simply fall of her horse has won her the day.

So there we have it - Skadi wins her laurels for third place while the Serpent places fourth!

Collectively the crowd breathes a sigh at this great show, and yet soon the tension becomes palpable again. It is now time for the main event!

The joust officials clear out the debris from the field and ensure that all is in shape for the last bout - the one which will determine the absolute winner of the tournament!

Facing each other are probably the two more exotic entrants into the lists - on the one hand Ragh Sukh du Lac, the knight who wears an armour worthy of a steppe warlord, and the Phantom - that elusive opponent that seems to evade all lances thrust his way.

Simultaneously they stride onto the jousting field - and the excitement of the crowd reaches a fever pitch. We can see people placing bets, swooning, and one particulary brave lad is trying to chew his way through a rat-and-tidbits-hanging-onto-a-stick which Udgar seems to have given up on selling and is liberally sharing with anyone who gets within his arms reach...

These two knights by now know how things play out. They size each other up from opposite sides of the field, Nod at each other in a silent challenge and wait, while the tension builds up as the whole world seems to wait for the flag of the herald to fall.

And when it does all peace is shattered as both knights race forwards! Ragh intent on his target gives his lance a whirl before couching it into position to strike, while the Phantom on his beautiful mare Snowflake is once again seeming to keep his distance from his foe as much as is possible.

So they thunder past... and only hoofbeats can be heard. Both lances have met nothing but air in this first pass. Some in the crowd look askance to the Phantom as if his particular style is robbing them of their enjoyment of the fields... but still this is only the start.

Both Rakh and the Phantom take care in picking their lances, Rakh in particular is taking an exceptionally long weapon perhaps in the hopes of reaching the ever elusive Phantom, who selects his lance according to careful criteria judging by the time it takes, but only he knows really why he picked the lance he did.

And so they circle back again and make ready for another pass...

The crowd watches as the flag drops and a single gasp can be heard coming from the ladies gallery... Though for whom or why no one can tell.

With his long lance at the ready Rakh seems to make contact with his opponent, the strength of his blows are by now known and respected by all the knights in the joust... While the Phantom is clearly seeking to make sure he lands a blow but without risking himself to do so...

A collective groan arises both from the stands and from the gallery.... once again the knights thunder past with nothing to show for their efforts but blows to the air. Might as well be jousting at windmills for all the effect this is having. Some people grumble, the lad who just finished an Udgar delicacy is brought back to reality by the lack of excitement on the field and is looking positively green and the ladies in the gallery seem to be more interesting in gossiping with each other than in the actions of the knights on the field, brave though they might be.

The Herald grumbles and after checking his scrolls of bylaws gives a stern little talk to the Phantom about not having a repeat of the last bout and then orders both knights to their respective ends of the field of honour. Once again they will joust.

With the same lances as the last time they sally force. Ragh letting out a blood curling scream of a challenge which the Phantom meets by apparently singing some lines from a rowdy tavern song... An odd way to issue a challenge for sure but then again to each his own...

Onwards both mounts gallop and in the centre of the field of honour the knights meet - and this time the crash of weapons against amour is spectacular!!! Both knigths are hit with mighty blows! Both knights go down! Both horses go down too! The centre of the field is a mass of writhing limbs and hooves all kicking and thrasing and being generally none to happy about what just happened.

This is unexepected! When both knights fall in a pass it is up to the Herald and the judges-of-the-joust to determine which knight has scored the hit that is closest to perfect, the Herald summons both his judges-of-the-joust to him to confer - Wailer and Freya who stood on opposite ends of the field to have a clear view of how the blows were landing.

The crowd grows restless, both Ragh and the Phantom manage to struggle to their feet and calm their mounts which not only get up but are now rearing at each other as if to take up the challenge of their riders! The master of the horse and his stable-boys run onto the field to control and take the excited horses away, before someone gets hurt. Well or at least before someone who is not supposed to get hurt gets hurt, because both the Phantom and Ragh are seen limping as they make their way to the Herald for a decision.

When the decision comes - the crowd lets out an almighty cheer. Clearly the crowd favourite has take the day.

And on this day Ragh Sukh du Lac is crowed winner of the first joust of Spero!

HUZZAH!