The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Banish or Spare

"This is a totally hypothetical question, but how common is it for hobos to mug you in bars just to slip one of those in your saddlebags?"

Everyone on Starlight's side of the table stared at Valey, and she shrugged. "What? It's in my bag in the castle room. How was I supposed to remember about it when so much else happened after?"

Gerardo blinked first, glancing between Wallace and Valey and still getting his bearings. "Pardon? Is that a Golden Regent?"

"Indeed it is!" Wallace boomed, showing off the card before slipping it back away. "And you would be surprised, young sarosian! That is actually one of the most common ways to get one!"

Valey spat out her drink, narrowly missing Slipstream. "Wait, what!?"

Wallace nodded. "Who here has any idea what this is? You, perhaps, master Guillaume?"

"You're asking me?" Gerardo gaped for a second. "Why, I'd imagine you'd have come across dozens of these in your adventures! However, yes, I do believe I have..." He cleared his throat, looking extremely flustered and self-conscious and plainly trying to pretend he hadn't just passed out from excitement in front of the party he was now addressing. "As far as I am aware, they are a form of currency used only among sphinxes, are they not? One is made by Garsheeva in commemoration of every sphinx that is foaled, making them exceedingly rare. The remnants of my house possessed three when I left to heed the call of adventure, and they were treasured as family heirlooms."

"Yes and no, my little griffon," Wallace answered with a reassuring grin. "The Golden Regents are made by Garsheeva, but are steeped in enchantments limiting their use in ways that make many deeply uncomfortable. Should you try to use one for an ordinary transaction, it will disappear and find itself right back in your clutches, and similar if one tries to lose or abandon it! The only purchase they will accept as valid are in exchange for a creature's life."

Everyone went deathly silent, until Starlight frowned. "Are you making things up again?"

"If only I was, young unicorn, the Empire would be a different place," Wallace intoned, shaking his head. "But it is not so. The cards are, in essence, judgement incarnate. Why Garsheeva would design such a thing is beyond anyone's right to understand, though most assume they are either toys by which she amuses herself watching mortals playing in the realm of a goddess, or of some higher mystical significance making them just as valuable as the price they demand!"

Valey glanced at where Wallace had stowed his. "Okay, that sounds really uncool. They aren't... actually dangerous, are they?"

Wallace winked. "Nothing so sinister! The cards themselves hold no power beyond enforcing their use. Typically, slavery and pirate ransoms are the type of things you'd see them used for, and both are outlawed in the Empire! Any time you would be assigning a worth to someone's life, they can be used." He coughed. "Not to say the latter never happens, but that's neither here nor there, and part of the reason heroes like us are so valuable. However, the end result of all this is they are effectively useless as a currency, yet good at making pious individuals very unnerved. About the only thing they can be ethically traded for is as bridal dowries. Noble families are always interested in marrying their lord off to a female sphinx in order to perpetuate their bloodline, making such felines worth a very high amount in compensation. Incidentally, regent has taken on the more common meaning of slang for the amount of money typically offered as such!"

"So what does that have to do with this tournament?" Maple asked, frowning. "And why would someone just give one to Valey?"

"Anything and everything!" Wallace nodded, moving a meaty talon to illustrate. "There are precisely two other ways for the Regents to change owners, barring a transaction they decide is suitable: being stolen, and willingly given for free. The rules and structure of the War of Heroes are too complex to explain here, but in essence, challengers come from two places. First, there are those who seek sanction from each of the twelve houses, whom are given a quota of fighters they can permit to enter in their name. Second, anyone in possession of a Regent is free to enter during the second round. It's more of an entrance pass, so doesn't count as a transaction... but remember, this tournament is for the dramatic enjoyment of those in higher places than ours. In order for anyone who enters by a Regent to progress into the fourth and final round, they must have used it in round two or three to pass judgement upon a defeated opponent. In short, nobles like watching mortals pretend to be goddesses."

Valey swallowed. "So basically some dude slipped this onto me because it was the only way for him to get rid of it without getting beaten up, and since I didn't know what it was, I couldn't just refuse, and now I'm stuck with it? And I either have to enter the tournament and use it, find someone who will willingly take it off my hooves for free, or become a walking magnet for anyone who is looking to steal one to get into this fight?"

"Hah!" Wallace gave a confidence-inspiring laugh. "Don't look so glum, young sarosian! If you see it as a curse, I would gladly spare you the burden and take yours for myself. I already have several, so one more would do nothing to hurt me!"

"That's only if you don't want it," Morena cut in. "If you're thinking about the tournament, guard yours with your life. Of course..." She yawned and leaned back, mouth opening straight up. "Not going to do you much good if you can barely walk. But have your conversation. We can talk about fixing that later."

Maple glanced at Wallace in concern. "What do you mean about passing judgement on a defeated opponent? If Valey loses... it isn't like someone could buy her, is it?"

"Not so!" Wallace grinned. "Remember, this event is for entertainment! When a card-bearer defeats a foe, they have two choices! In the second round, they may use their Regent to condemn their foe and judge them unworthy to fight! If so, the condemned will be removed from the tournament rather than merely suffer a setback. And if a defeated foe is cast down with a card in round three, not only will they have their run ended, but become barred from house sponsorship for the following five years! If they want another shot, finding a Regent of their own will be the only option... and you can bet many will do so with vengeance on their minds."

Diego nodded sourly. "That's what I meant when I said your Mistvale Monk friend carded me on my first run. He got me with his nerve attacks, and instead of leaving me to lick my wounds and accept trying again next year, the dirtbag went and banned me from sponsorship altogether."

Valey snorted. "So basically to enter that way, you have to be a jerk to someone you beat. I guess it's a game of seeing who you dislike most?" She tipped her head in thought. "So would you fight dirty and try to win, or play nice and hope if it costs you a fight, you don't get wrecked? You don't drop out for losing in round two, you said? Hmmm..."

"That is one way," Wallace answered, head bowed. "And remember! It is strictly advantageous. If you win a close fight you may not feel confident against next time, banning your opponent ensures you will not face them in a rematch in the third or fourth rounds. Such a thing is uncommon, but far within the realm of possibility! And if done later, it reduces your odds of a rematch against them should you return in the following years! However, there is a second path: defeat in the third round and beyond always ends your chance of winning. However, by using your Regent against a defeated opponent there, you show mercy and spare them, sending them to the opposite side of the ladder where they face off against a new opponent and continue their game! An opponent spared in this way can survive, and even go on to stand victorious. But beware: there can only be one winner, and if both you and your spared opponent survive until the finals, you will meet again there. Sparing your foe is senseless and strictly disadvantageous, but it must be done if you cannot bring yourself to pass condemnation in the earlier rounds."

Maple wiped a hoof across her forehead. "Okay, this is getting too complicated for me to follow..."

"Hah!" Morena cackled. "He told you the rules were complicated. Be glad this is only the use of Regents and not the rules for the entire war. Sphinxes love making it hairy."

"I think I get it," Slipstream said, putting her forehooves on the table and standing up. "But can we slow down and make sure we're right about what we know?" She cleared her throat. "Let's see... The important parts are that you need a Regent to get in to fight, but if you don't want to fight, you don't want one, so someone got rid of theirs by tricking Valey into taking it. And then once you're in, if you have one, you can either use it to hurt someone and get ahead, or help someone even though you'd have to lose for it to matter. Right?"

Maple and Shinespark nodded along. "You have the gist of it!" Wallace praised, beaming. "Mind you, those like myself who earned house sponsorship yet also possess Regents can still use theirs in the tournament, and can banish or spare as many as they have! It is common for fighters to keep theirs hidden, so it is always a gamble as to whether your opponent has one or not! Due to the structure of the second round, this makes it in particular heart-poundingly intense!"

Valey blew on her bangs. "Well, you sure seem excited telling me about it. Still on with the whole 'entering is a bad idea' thing?"

"That depends," Wallace warned, eyes growing serious. "Did you heed me earlier when I extolled the likelihood you would fail in your quest for victory? Do you believe you have what it takes to go hoof to talon against those who would trade their very being for a cause?"

Morena nodded casually behind him. "Of course, if you just want to have good fights and don't care about winning, get in there as fast as you can. Or spar with us, but we might be out of your weight class."

Valey shrugged. "Hey. Like I said, all I want out of winning would be a faster ticket to something I already have. And seriously, since it's not even myself I'd be getting it for, you could convince me to be altruistic and wish for something for someone else. I guess I just want to see if I can."

"Excellent!" Wallace pounded his talons together. "In that case, I greatly look forward to testing your mettle myself before the second round begins! Morena, what are our options?"

"About getting her in fighting shape?" Morena shrugged. "I'm good with musculoskeletal stuff, but I don't know monk arts. Might be able to get her to feel a little better, but aside from waiting who-knows-how-long for it to wear off, your best bet is probably us taking you to Izvaldi and bullying Chauncey into using his connections."

Valey narrowed her eyes. "Rule one: I am absolutely done with letting random strangers poke me. Hooves off the bat, 'kay? Second, who's Chauncey?"

Diego slowly sighed. "He's not exactly my favorite pony in the world, but Chauncey is the top advisor to Izvaldi's ruling lord. He's kind of your go-to sarosian if you need anything dredged up from the nocturnal underbelly of society, and is friends with a doctor we've used before when any of us get messed up by a bad encounter with monks and want to get back on our hooves in a hurry."

Valey curled her lip.

"Sell us on Izvaldi," Maple offered. "Stormhoof is nice, but I bet we're going to be swarmed with attention once tomorrow's newspaper comes out, and it really doesn't seem all that friendly for Valey."

"With pleasure!" Wallace boomed. "Izvaldi is one of the best places to go if you are a sarosian in the Empire! The three of us didn't choose it as our home base for nothing, after all! Its ruling lord, Percival Izvaldi, is a great proponent of treating creatures openly and fairly, and invests heavily in public projects for those in need such as hospitals and schools! There are a few downsides, including the low overall level of development and impending change of rulership to Prince Gazelle when Percival's grandfather passes away, but Gazelle is already an ally and everyone expects that to go off without a hitch."

"Can we think about it?" Shinespark asked, glancing at the setting sun. "It's getting late, and we should return to the tower and ensure our ship's docking is paid for."

"Of course you may. Our invitation is always open-ended!" Wallace bowed, stepping away. "One of us will track you down soon enough, so don't worry about staying in touch! Until tomorrow, bold heroes."

Comments

[alamais]

[Cold Bolt]

This tournament is even more confusing than the politics of Ironridge.

[Quinch]

9108593
Four rounds. You can use a special item to auto-defeat your opponent or give them a second chance, and you have to use that item if you enter late.