The Marshall's Tournament

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HISTORY

The nation of Iott [pronounced I Ot] has existed for seven centuries as a nation of wizards. It has been known through those centuries as the island of thinkers, Thynkyzland, and several other names.

  Although it possessed many of the most skilled wizards on Habololy, there were far too few people for any other nation to consider it a threat. They had never made any aggressive moves, nor taken an active role in any conflict. After two centuries of existence, the nation remained a bastion of learning and peace. This changed during the Return of Amat when Magus Joseph Firebringer was killed. Before the wizards could appoint another Magus, a Wild Caster named Bartholomew Crasix forcibly took the role. Fearing the worst, nations sent their greatest heroes and agents to stop him. Even Stasis, a mortal at the time, went to kill Bartholomew, and failed. The cult of Chaos and the wild casters were in control for over a decade, which turned out to be enough time to corrupt the island.

Although Bartholomew and the cult of Chaos were purged in 224 AC, their influence continued. Every Magus that followed recognized the nation could be a force on Habololy. Although they rarely went to war, the wizards loomed the threat of their action over the heads of those that they wanted to influence. They came to rival the String Mountain Dwarves in mastery of arcane magic. The Arcane Academy, which had once been free to all wizards, began to charge an exorbitant amount for lessons. Sorcerers, a phenomenon that was recognized shortly after the Return of Amat, were persecuted and sometimes executed. Iott became a nation of the elite and the powerful.

  The War of Technology was the first major threat to the nation. When it began, the wizards recognized the danger, and for the first time actively aided the other nations in a war. The Tinkocracy made several attempts to destroy the island, but were never successful. The wizards of Iott, to eliminate all tinkers that posed a threat, founded the group known as Extinktion. When the war ended, this group made every attempt to convince the other nations to outlaw tinkers. In most cases, they were successful.

Today, Iott continues to influence all of Habololy. They hunt down active tinkers where they can. They put pressure on every nation to eliminate Nomagrok. They persecute the cults of Drunnbar and Chaos wherever they are found. Their distrust and persecution of sorcerers as softened, although they are still considered second class casters. They control a quarter of Habololy’s arcane market. The Arcane Academy is one of the finest in the world, and those who attend must pledge their loyalty to Iott.

 

GOVERNING

  The current arrangement of power in the nation has exists since the end of the 3rd century AC. The government is a magocracy, meaning that it is consists of all arcane spellcasters. The best and most powerful spellcasters either take or are appointed to the positions of power, which have strict rules on the sharing of power. The system is designed to prevent any one spellcaster from rising too far above the rest and becoming a dictator, as Bartholomew became.

  The structure starts with the heads of each of the schools of magic. Their official title is head master. Each of these is voted upon by all of the tenured members of the school. Only spellcasters that meet certain criteria may be voted for. The criteria involve a certain amount of time spent in the school, a particular level of spellcasting ability, and a test of knowledge. In the case of a tie, a revote is held with the least vote getting eliminated each time. A continuing tie is broken by the Dean of the Arcane Academy.

  The Dean is another prominent position in Iott. It is given to the spellcaster that has formerly been a headmaster and that can show he is a Sage of unmatched knowledge. Once appointed, the Dean cannot be replaced unless he commits a serious crime. Final decision on the appointment of the Dean goes to the Magister.

  The Magister is widely considered the most powerful spellcaster in Iott. When one dies, an election is held to determine a new Magister. Three months are spent by any who wish to contend for the title wooing and impressing all of the spellcasters that receive a vote. At the end of that time, the votes are cast and the leading vote getting is appointed Magister. The Magister can be challenged at any time, and should he lose in the spell duel, a new election is held. The Magister that lost the duel is free to run again. The Magister is the adjudicator of all laws regarding magic on the island. He controls who gets the arcane rings that allow spellcasting on the island. He is also tasked with appointing the Magus.

  The Magus is the head of state for the nation. He is the equivalent to the king, president, or emperor in other nations. For anyone in Iott who is not an arcane spellcaster or a student at the academy, he is the highest officer of the land. He cannot be removed from office accept by a vote of no-confidence taken by a counsel of 17 leading wizards of Iott. These include: the eight headmasters, the Dean, the Magister, the Theurge, the five lesser headmasters, and the Marshall. If the Magus voted out, the Magister must replace him. A vote of no confidence can only be called by the Theurge or the Marshall.

  The Theurge is the wizards’ liaison with all things divine. He is an arcane spellcaster that is also a divine spellcaster. He is selected by the religions of the nation from within their ranks. The methods for his selection are left to the religions. The deities whose religions are allowed a say in the Theurge are: Smofarf, Arsur’Anyodel, Falan, Tfop, Everentual, Frostine, and The Oldest Orc. This position arose after the fall of Bartholomew. The wizards begrudgingly acknowledged that they needed a way to counter the influence and plans of Chaos, who they had to admit confounded them.

  The Marshall arose after the initial battles of the War of Technology. The leaders of Iott had many different ideas on how to battle the tinkers. They were used to having a great deal of time to solve problems, sometimes spending a decade to come to a solution. The war came as a great challenge. Their individual missions succeeded, but they could not agree upon an overarching strategy. Finally, the Magister called for the creation of a new position, one that would take responsibility for international affairs of war and for a unified defense of Iott. This position was called the Marshall. It proved a success. The Marshall, all after the first, who was appointed, is selected through a tournament of arcane combat skill. Once appointed, the Marshall can only be removed if he loses a battle. Even then, he must lose a vote of confidence by the counsel of 17 other prominent spellcasters.

  The last of the list of notables are the lesser headmaster. These five positions have been created over the years to recognize the relevance of some non-traditional schools of magic. Other than beings part of the counsel of 18, they only have control of wizards of their school.

 

RECENT EVENTS

In the year 784AC, Iott was embroiled in a great internal political debate. Around the world, on the continent of Icefia and on the Dedestroytian Peninsula, wars were beginning. The Kingdom of Icefia began to reclaim the lands of the Scaled Kingdom. The Destroytian Republic has for nearly two years been at war with Kathow-tio-Horari at sea, and now the nearby nation of Thalmeret has declared war, claiming a treaty with Kathow-tio-Horari requires they must. The Orcish Empire, irritated at a loss in a major battle several years ago near the Great Forest to a coalition of forest dwellers, grows more irritated at their defeat and has begun to build forces for another march west. Borkondof’s Warlord has begun to flex his power and harass western Yellowia. The debate in Iott is: whose side, if any, should the nation take in these struggles?

  The final decision in this matter lies with the Marshall, whose name was Keller Manolin. A skilled abjurer and Counterspeller, he had been Marshall for twelve years. He was known for his masterful movement-based tactics and his patience. His decision in these events was simple; wait and see what happens. So it was until Napay of 784, when an assassin struck. Attacked while inspecting a lighthouse on the coast, Keller was killed. The assassin suffered great pains to not only kill the Marshall, but take his body with him. Keller’s two guards were not killed and gave a full description of the attack. The assassin focused all of his attention of the Marshall, taking spell after spell from him and the guards. They badly wounded the assassin, but did not stop him from nearly beheading the Marshall, removing most of his items, and diving into the water with the body. Once in the water, the guards were attacked by summoned scrags and delayed long enough for the assassin to escape.

  The nation now clamors for a new Marshall, who will decide the matters of war and defense. The Magus, Murrur Goldstone, set the date of the 10th of Smofena as the date for the beginning of the Marshall’s Tournament. The contenders begin to assemble, and have two months to prepare for the contest.

 

RULES OF THE TOURNAMENT

The Marshall’s Tournament consists of arcane duels. The duels pit two spellcasters against one another in a best of three duel match. A contender is eliminated from the tournament should he lose two matches, a two loss elimination. The tournament continues until there is only one contender left without two loses; he is declared the winner and the new Marshall. A ceremony is held one week after the end of the tournament to make the appointment official.

  Each duel is fought in a random arena, selected by or magically created by the headmasters. These arenas range from a mountain summit, to underwater, to the inside of a laboratory. The idea is to make sure the Marshall can function in all settings and can adapt to whatever challenges are throw at him. The combatants have one round to prepare before they may begin to attack each other. The duel continues until one surrenders or is unable to continue. There is no time limit. There is one full day in between duels. The spellcaster is allowed to be magically healed by others. The spellcaster must remove any extraordinary conditions using his spells. After the final match of a round, there are three days of rest.

The combatants must present their spellbooks to the headmasters before the tournament begins. Each combatant is allowed two spellbooks, of one hundred pages each. Any magical items the combatant intends to use must be presented to the headmasters for examination. The items must have been made by the combatant to be allowed. Spellcasters that do not use a spellbook must demonstrate all of their spells to the headmasters before the tournament begins. Using a spell not in a shown spellbook or demonstrated by the caster results in a disqualification. Should a spellcaster gain a new spell over the course of the tournament, it must be demonstrated to the headmasters. Spells may not be added to spellbooks during the tournament. Spellbooks may contain spells that the spellcaster in yet able to cast.

  Spells or items that cause instant death, such as Disintegration, are discouraged. Should a combatant choose to use a spell or item of that type, the judges make the other combatants aware that the user of the spells or item is fighting to the death. If that is the case, the other combatant is free to use those spells and items as well. If a combatant dies during a duel, the headmasters bring the combatant back to life using spells at their disposal. The dead combatant is not eliminated from the tournament or even the current match, although death is considered a defeat in the duel in which it took place.

  Should a combatant be rendered helpless or near helpless do to a spell or effect, it is up to the judgment of the headmasters whether the duel should be ended. Reasons such as a combatant being held or paralyzed are considered by the headmasters. Attacking a combatant after the headmasters have ruled that the duel is over; results in disqualification from the tournament.

  The combatants may not leave the arena. Doing so results in a disqualification for that particular duel. Combatants may not use magic to travel in time to a point before a duel began. Traveling into the future by more than one minute, results in a disqualification. If a combatant is forced out of the arena by his opponent, he loses the duel. Summoned creatures may not physically enter the arena from outside of it; they must be magically summoned into the arena.

Familiars are allowed to compete in the tournament with their masters. Should a familiar die, it is not brought back to life by the headmasters. The combatant may use his own magic to bring the familiar back to life. A combatant can choose to not have his familiar participate. Other bonded animals are not allowed to compete in the tournament.

  There are several ways in which a duel could end in a draw. The first is if both combatants are rendered incapacitated and unable to recover within ten minutes. Another is if the duel lasts for 24 hours, at which point the duel is stopped and a draw declared. If a match ends in a draw, by each combatant having one win, one loss, and one draw; or three draws, the headmasters order another duel to replace a draw.

Between matches, the combatants must stay in the city of Sailoswa, where they are accommodated by the government, if they do not already live there. Any combatant that does leave the city is disqualified from the tournament. In the city, the combatants are free to do whatever they want as long as it does not break the standard laws of the city.

 

The Entrants into the tournament are:

• Lyla - Representing the Planar Tower, she is a sinfully desirable sorcerer with a following.
• Marcus - A native of Yellowia, he is a human sorcerer that has come to Iott to study as a sorcerer.
• Anotoli - The son of the headmaster of Abjuration, this Gree represents the Tower of Time.
• Iscariot - A secular atheist desert elf that mocks the deities, he has studied the ways of divine magic and become a Usurper.
• Alubrin - A desert elf of extreme old age who is a sage and a traditionalist.
• Drexlin - A shadowy student at the college who comes from Katho-tio-Horari.
• <a href="../Player%20Characters/Tchau.htm">Tchau</a> - A fiery jungle elf that represents the Keep of the Four.
• Sayf - A fourth generation immigrant Intorian who has mastered casting with his sword and fights for immigrant rights.

 

THE TOURNAMENT

ROUND 1

Iscariot defeated Sayf 2-1 Lyla defeated Drexlin 2-0 Marcus defeated Alubrin 2-1 Anotoli defeated Tchau 2-0

 

ROUND 2

Marcus defeated Iscariot 2-1 Lyla defeated Anotoli 2-0 Drexlin defeated Alubrin 2-0 Tchau defeated Sayf 2-0

 

Alubrin and Sayf were eliminated in this round.

 

ROUND 3

Lyla defeated Marcus 2-0 Anotoli defeated Iscariot 2-0 Tchau defeated Drexlin 2-0

 

Drexlin and Iscariot were eliminated in this round.

 

ROUND 4

 

Lyla Defeated Tchau 2-0

Anotoli Defeated Marcus

 

Tchau and Marcus were eliminated in this round.

 

ROUND 5

 

Lyla defeated Anotoli

 

Anotoli was eliminated

 

 

FINAL STANDINGS

8th - Sayf (1-4)

7th - Alubrin (1-4)

6th - Drexlin (2-4)

5th - Iscariot (3-5)

4th - Tchau (4-4)

3rd - Marcus (4-3)

2nd - Anotoli (4-2)

1st - Lyla (8-0)