Tournament
Tournaments are events structured around martial combat in a non-lethal setting. Since time immemorial, armed men have praticed their martial skills against one another, to better be prepared for actual mortal combat. Prior to about 300 years ago, most martial contests outside of actual warfare were unorganized and very dangerous affairs. Beginning about 300 years ago, organized public events began to be held that allowed knights, men-at-arms, nobles and commoners to exercise their skills in open contests where displays of martial arts became popular entertainment.
Over the course of the last three centuries, especially in Imesse, Aria, Fangort and Cobal, these events have become a staple of noble life and a very popular passtime for the common folk to watch.
Today, torunaments are broken into two primary events that are surrounded and supported by smaller or ancillary events. The primary events are the joust and the melee. Other events include the archery lists, horse racing, feats of strength and endurance, and wrestling.
The Joust is a combat match between two mounted and armored knights. It can consist of the knights charging at each other with lances or spears until one is knocked off his mount, or it can continue until one yields utterly after a hand-to-hand combat bout with maces, clubs, blunted swords or axes. The winning knight claimed the arms and armor of the defeated, only returning them when ransomed for an agreed upon price. Winners of the joust match then faced off against other winners, until there was only one champion of the tournament. The winner of the Joust is usually the event champion and the final tilt is usually considered the Grand Event.
The Melee is a combat match between two teams of armored men, dismounted and armed with blunted weapons, usually in a marked off area large enough to safely contain the fight. Teams are typically denoted one from the other by some sort of colored clothe or tunic worn over the armor. Teams fight, usually no-holds barred, until there is only one team (or one man) standing. Fighters that yield to their opponents are required to ransom the value of their arms and armor (vanquished typically offer a glove, gauntlet or their colors to the winner as part of the yield). The winning team takes the champion's prize and divides it between them.
Other lists offered for competition include:
Archery; Spear throwing (distance and accuracy Horse racing; Fencing; Knife throwing; Quarterstaff fighting; Wrestling (actually more like fully armored boxing matches and very popular with the common folk).
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