Fox Talks/Falasan Tournament

A Grand Tournament in Tucha!

A total of 323 troop leaders from 14 different realms paid the 15 gold entrance fee to visit the Tucha tournament grounds in southern Falasan. Adding another all-sword tourney notch on the record, this is the way! Amazin Footeman of Falasan took home the 1000 gold first place prize and the winner's honours, and our own Keiichi Hyral of the Ash Sea Islands took home the 400 gold second place prize. Congrats to the champion!

Wedding in Tucha!

Fox Talks is pleased to announce that Sir Willem Tinsley and Lady Ilya Bluelake were officially married in a ceremony conducted by Priestess Angel of the Way of the Warrior Saints and Duke Fatih of Magna Serpaensism in Tucha during the festivities. Celebrations took place in the gardens and the main hall of the Duke's residence and included fine music, dancing, and above all else the delicious cakes of Count Trevor Vance! What's left of our Falasan budget is going to having a box of those delivered to our printing office. The bride of course looked positively stunning. Her dress of green velvet was fronted with white and embroidered with gold flowers, and a simple rose and tiara only served to accentuate the natural beauty of the Lady Ilya. But don't let that pretty face fool you, we watched the sparring match between her and her then husband-to-be... she's no porcelain doll! Gift List: Sir Sycheus - A set of uniquely crafted daggers bearing the name of Ilya and Willem, to symbolize their commitment to each and to life. Sir Amazin - Has dedicated half of his winnings to the couple. Fox Talks - An assortment of fine aged liquors from all across the south, including Aja, Wor'ight, Hidale, Riverholm, and Stoneville (sure we're low budget, but you'd be surprised how much gold you save if you stop buying lamp oil and stable service for a week).

The Especially Generous

A list of those kind enough to give us an excuse for losing horribly! Kartet, Ender, Benjamin, Sh'ki, Kelper, Aethelmaer, lord, Kurohyou----Moses, Samantha, Keiichi, AJ, Dario, Rau, Jyotis, Agiopempse, Severn, Christofer, Kronos, bob, Rhys, Cuchulain Leo, Yavuz, Martok, Tsubasa, Trenan, Haughty. You know how it goes - bold names are the multi-rounders while the dashes down are single-hitters. Quite the list, and I was four days late! If we had a decent budget, I'd hire someone to take care of these things, but alas, we're just that poor! So if you paid good money for a round and you're not up there, well, you still feel good inside, right? Maybe you feel so good inside that you want to donate gold to Fox Talks so we can pay people to record drink lists from day one? Maybe?

Falasani Ale Questioned?

Say it ain't so! It's sad but true, former sword champion Gabriel Bachelor of Tara made the offhand comment doubting the integrity of Falasani brewers mid-tourney. Luckily no blood was shed - in fact, no response was recorded at all! Shocking, no? Especially considering how we southerners take our brewing so seriously... But really, how can anyone doubt the greatness of Falasan's Capashin Ale? In Tucha nonetheless! The horror!

RedSpan Lives On

It just goes to show you that you can destroy a country but you can't destroy its people. Though they bear different colors, former RedSpaniards attended in force, showing us all a little RedSpan cheer. Shamus and Finegus even gave us some traditional music: You know Lei'o and Leonard and Dielo and ry2n, Tony and Taelon and Eilt and Omenn, but do you recall the most famous Goatling of all? AJ, the red-faced General was extremely reddish faced. And if you ever saw it, you might even say he's crazed. All of the other Goatlings used to run away in fear. They never let mad AJ join in any Holidays cheer. Then one foggy Holidays Eve Manaydur came to say: "AJ with your face so red, won't you make our enemies dead?" Then how the Goatlings loved him as they shouted out with glee: "AJ the red-faced General, you'll go down in history!" --Shamus Tony the Goatling Is a fairy tale, they say, He was quiet and slow but the goatlings know How he came to lead one day. There must have been some magic in Dat Old Hat AJ found. For when he placed it on Tony's head He began to march around. O, Tony the Goatling Was as brave as he could be, And the goatlings say he could fight and drink Like nobody else they'd seen. --Finegus

The Art of Horseless Jousting

Ever wonder about those stories of crazy northerners running around in snow and smashing into each other with big sticks? Wonder no more! Fox Talks listened in on the strangely informative explanation of the sport by Sirs Ender and DrSeptre of the Barony. Basically, you get yourself a lance, a good strong grip, and charge your opponent, trying to knock him off his horse... or his feet, if your opponent is also a true Viking. Why horseless, you ask? Because our Viking friends like to eat horses rather than ride them. Ask the stable boys in Ser'quea if you don't believe me! They suffered from a Viking raid at the great Ser'quean tourney a few years back. 'Twas a horrible thing... but I digress. Reportedly, there are other variations of northern jousting that include the use of the north's giant badger and a fun little sub-division called "lanceless jousting". Lanceless jousting is exactly what it sounds like, running at an enemy jouster and tackling him off his horse. Yup. Maybe if we get an all-lance tourney going, we'll get to see it firsthand?

Badgers Sighted

After a short respite from badger hordes tormenting tourneygoers, the vicious critters made an appearance at the Tucha tournament grounds mere hours after the wedding celebration concluded. A few participants tried fighting off the furry beasts, most notably Kartet the Great from Talerium, but in the end the badgers just wandered off on their own. Why is it that badgers are so attracted to tournaments? Are we just getting in the way of their natural migratory path? Do badgers even migrate with seasons? Does anyone know anything useful about badgers that could prevent the badger violence?

Tourney Romance

What is it about the prospect of beating each other senseless in an organized multi-round fashion that makes us pair off? A mystery. Nevertheless, Sh'ki and Aethelmaer were seen sneaking off for some alone time, Kara and Christofer attended the wedding together, dancing and drinking the night away, while rumor has it Tsubasa and Morrigan shared a wall and some drinks amidst the chaos of the strange badger brawl. It's all rather heartwarming, isn't it? Yes, it brings me back to the days when Omerus and I...Moving on...

The Winners Circle

From Amazin Footeman, champion of the sword! Any words of inspiration for the young aspiring to great swordsmanship? What you learn on the practice field must be used for real. I trained hard in the academies, but never did well in tournaments. When I arrived in Falasan and used my skills on the field of battle, my tournaments have gone much better. This is the second tournament in two entries that I have won. Any plans for the prize money? Half the prize money will go towards whatever purposes the Falasan leadership decides. I decided to donate half of the prize (if I won) as a wedding gift to Baroness Ilya and ex-Marquis Willem. Anything you'd like to say the your fans and admirers or the crowd in general? I am amazed that I was able to take my 2nd tournament. I look forward to future success but with the talented swordsmen in Atamara, I would be happy to get to the semi-finals in the future. -Amazin Footeman (Knight of Beleriel) Nice guy, isn't he? Donating half the prize money to the happy couple...

Poetry of Jens Namtrah

Vera A mission Sir Loronzo Grey A dark, cloudless night she creeps His quarters, Unnoticed she glides To where Sir Loronzo sleeps Silent, now, Her target surprised though his wound, it be not deep The guards cry In darkness she flees Another wabbit is reaped Our Makarian friend has a way with words, no? We just wanted to give credit where it was due, even if it was...creepy.