The banners of Anjou, France, and Flanders snap in the crisp autumn wind along the chalk bluffs above Gisors, on the contested frontier of Normandy and the French Vexin, in the year of our Lord 1188. Hundreds of pavilions spread across the meadow beneath the royal stone keep, alive with armorers hammering rivets and squires leading destriers.
Before you step into the crowd, declare who seeks renown:
- Name & Moniker: What are you called?
- Origin City:
- Winchester (England): (+1 Presence, court ties) / Disliked as an outsider across the Channel.
- Rouen (Normandy): (+1 Horsemanship, fine tack) / Trapped in bitter Angevin-Capetian border feuds.
- Paris (Capetian France): (+1 Wits, refined manners) / Angevin suspicion, strict heraldic scrutiny.
- Bruges (Flanders): (+20 silver, banker contacts) / Looked down on by proud knights as trade-tainted.
- Toledo (Castile): (Toledo steel blade, +1 Strength on foot) / Far from home; foreign customs draw wariness.
- Background: Princely Heir, Minor Noble, Landless Knight, Common-Born Squire, Disgraced Noble, Veteran's Squire, or Destitute Vagabond?
- Build & Size: Massive (+1 Str), Athletic (Balanced), or Lean (+1 Agi)?
- Appearance & Heraldry: Features, colors, and house device/motto.
- Combat Discipline: Knight (+1 Horsemanship), Man-at-Arms (+1 Strength), or Archer (+1 Agility)?
- Personality & Romance: Personality trait and Romance style (Open, Political, Discreet).
- Difficulty: Story, Standard, or Gritty?
State your character choices and decide your opening move:
- Pay five silver pennies to enter the Joust, Sword Duel, or Mêlée
- Seek your background's contact among the pavilions or baggage lines
- Inspect the tourney grounds and size up early competitors
- ...or something else?