While Nitika was still feeling some lingering soreness in her ribcage area where she'd been injured all those moons ago, the excitement of a potential spar (or fight in her opinion, she didn't know the difference) far outweighed any reservations she had. The thrill of battle sent a rush of adrenaline through her veins, her blood pumping with excitement as she faced off on the battlefield.

Though, the soreness did still trouble her. Maybe it was time she spoke to Lyanna again? Or perhaps it was just some minor issue, like how a friend - she vaguely remember - had at one point really messed up her hoof and some pain continued even after she'd healed? Whatever the case, Nitika chose to ignore it. It didn't hurt when she walked, trotted, cantered, or galloped, or anything in between really. In fact, the only time it seemed to pain her was when she would stand still for too long.

Which is why Nitika was anxious to get this show on the road. She wanted to prove herself worthy of the rank she'd earned, or been given rather, upon joining the World's Edge Kingdom. She wanted to make sure that she lived up to the expectations each and every one of the Protectors had on them, and she would do so without hesitation. All she wanted to do was prove her worth so she would not be chased off again.

Arriving at the battleground, the painted mare stopped a moment. Her nostrils were flared as she looked around, anxiously trying to spot if there was another horse nearby. Not seeing one in the immediate vicinity, the mare stomped a hoof. Flinging back her head, she reared up and struck out with her front hooves violently, her loud cry echoing a challenge to any nearby who might've been able to hear it.


Hey everyone. So this is my first time posting here at the battleground. I issued an open challenge because there's no one in particular Nitika wants to spar with at the moment. I'd also really appreciate any help I can get about understanding the fundamentals of the battlefield and posting there.

Any character who wishes to accept the challenge, the name of the post speaks for itself. You can choose to make the first attack or simply respond to the challenge and Nitika will make the first move.

Post Rules:

Word Count: No more than 500

Number of Posts: 3 total, not including the introductory one for each character unless an attack is made.

I will allow serious damage, but nothing fatal. Please no power playing either; I'll eventually allow it when I've got at least one other character to fall back on.

Good luck to both sides of the spar!

isopia It is her dragon's - her newest dragon, anyways - idea to spar. Although he is far too young to join her in the metaphorical battlefield, he wants to watch. Already his appetite for violence and his thirst for knowledge has far exceeded any inklings that Hubris had ever shown. It doesn't make Isopia uneasy so much as curious, and so when a challenger presents herself, the demigoddess willingly submits to the golden dragon's wishes. Isopia eyes the mare standing on her hind legs and issuing a cry that was all too easy to identify. The Mountain did not know this mare, but given her relative ease within the confines of the World's Edge, Iso could only assume this was her home as well. It seemed the perfect opportunity; Babel wanted to watch a spar, and Isopia was keen to try and be more social (despite how foreign that concept still seemed to her). "I am called The Mountain That Knows." Isopia's voice rang clearly through the misty air. "And I accept your offer." She wasn't one for introductions, but as Hubris had pointed out to her on more than one occasion, it went hand in hand with more socially acceptable behaviour.  The mare before her had neither wings nor horns, which in Isopia's mind, put her at a decided disadvantage against the tribrid. Isopia also towered over her, but that was not surprising; the demigoddess was taller than almost everyone. But do you have magic? she wondered silently to herself. Only one way to find out. Isopia called upon the magic singing through her veins. She created an arrow made of stone and thrust it towards the mare's left shoulder. Unlike her last two fights wherein her intent had been to kill, this was more of a friendly spar, and so her arrow aimed only to graze the mare's shoulder, rather than puncture or tear anything of importance. Iso kept her wings pinned against her flanks, determined not to take to the skies during this fight; it wouldn't really be fair to the equine. If Nitika did not have magic, she would likely charge after Isopia's first attack, and so the maroon and cream tribrid readied herself, widening her stance slightly, so that she could adapt to whatever the equine did next. On the sidelines, Hubris sat with his new brother, Babel. Hubris had seen his bonded fight more than once, and so was not particularly interested in this display. Babel however took in the scene with wide, black eyes.  WC: 419 Attack: 1/3 Summary: Isopia uses this magic: :: [ Magic: EarthxWater (U) | Can create shapes out of the earth or water ] :: [ Restrictions | Can only create 2 large shapes (large horse size or smaller) or 5 smaller shapes (dog size or smaller); lasts one post in battle. ] to create an arrow which she tries to throw towards Nitika's left shoulder. Ooohhh, no more than 500 words - that'll be quite the challenge! Would you like this to be a 'teaching spar' ? What that means is that I offer OOC commentary on your posts and give you tips and pointers about how you can improve. There's no obligation on your part to do anything, but if you're just starting out, it can be helpful! A few things 1. Powerplay is NEVER allowed. Sometimes you can do some minor PP, as long as you have permission, in normal threads. However in spars or challenges, you'll get marks taken off. So no worries about that there! 2. For damage, the dice determine the damage. However even if Isopia were to roll a 'critical hit' against you (which is the strongest attack she could do), you wouldn't need to have it permanently injure Nitika or anything like that. 3. There is no actual place known as 'the battleground'. We use this board as a way of keeping all of our spars/challenges in the same place so we can keep track of them. However whenever you spar, you get to set the location! Since both Nitika and Iso are from the Edge, how about we say the spar is set there?

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She heard it clear as day. A voice calling out to her, accepting her challenge. The painted mare stomped her hoof as she turned to face her challenger. The mare was a pretty creature, with a fine build whose height exceeded Nitika's own. Her well muscled structure was accompanied by a light coat with dark points, wings, skull markings on her face, and four horns atop her head. Her golden eyes met those of Nitika, an action which spurred the mare to fight.

Nitika was ready to make the first move, but her challenger started the fight. Out of thin air, it appeared, an arrow made of stone was flung toward the paint, successfully grazing her shoulder and, while not tearing any majorly important muscles, sliced her pure white coat and stained it with blood.

The attack did indeed hurt, but Nitika had suffered worse. Adrenaline flooded her veins, the urge to fight quickly growing inside her. Since she had no magic, like this mare in front of her, Nitika would have to resort to physical attacks. A dangerous move, given she now had a shoulder injury and guessed her speed had been diminished a good amount.

But she wanted to pursue the rest of this fight; she wanted to improve. It would be dangerous, and hurt like hell, but she'd do her best. Not wasting time with a battle cry, Nitika charged the mare, baring her teeth as if she was ready to sink them into the mare's skin.

However, as she sprinted forward, she could fee her leg starting to give in a bit. Feigning her first attack, withdrawing her teeth before she could strike, the mare reared up a bit and lashed out with her front hooves, the deadly and hardened weapons aiming to impact the mare's shoulder or stomach to see what damage she could do as thanks for her shoulder injury.


WC: 316
Attack: 1/3
Summary: Nitika was successfully hit by the stone arrow, and now has a shoulder injury. She charged Isopia and aimed to attack with her teeth, but feigned and instead attacked with her front hooves.


Thanks for your help so far Isopia; it's greatly appreciated.

isopia Even as her arrow flies forward, the mare before her doesn't seem phased. Instead her eyes seem to be drinking in Isopia as an opponent, but then fail to realize that the battle has already begun. Briefly a flickering of mental-guilt floods Isopia's mind. It is mental, because Isopia doesn't actually feel the guilt, but she knows that she should. She had declared her title and her willingness to spar - was that not enough? Even so, why hadn't the mare tried to evade her arrow? Was she another Shida, here to die?  Thankfully what came next was not a request to be murdered, but a charge. Isopia's mind eased somewhat, glad that she need not be an executioner yet again. The mare's teeth glinted in the diffused light cast by the mists that swirled in the Edge, and Isopia prepared herself to defend against a bite. However at the last moment, the mare suddenly dodged. The wing that Iso had been holding slightly upwards, tensed and ready to snap outwards to strike the mare in the nose, was suddenly useless against hooves that flailed towards her chest. One of Nitika's hooves struck the curve of her semi-outstretched wing, causing pain to radiate up through the delicate bones and into her shoulder joint. Simultaneously, Nitika's other hoof had grazed down her chest. Although the skin hadn't been broken, there would surely be a bruise beneath her mottled skin tomorrow. For now, Isopia was merely left with a breast that ached with each fresh wave of blood that circulated through her veins. Knowing that her size was her next greatest strength, Isopia decided to push forward despite the dangerous proximity of the mare. If the mare was taller and her hooves more easily able to reach Isopia's skull, she likely would not have been so bold. But her narrow but muscular chest could take another thrashing if need be; the opportunity to attack the mare when she was unbalanced was one that Isopia wanted to take.  Keeping her horned skull slightly raised, Isopia thrust forward with her left shoulder, keeping her injured right wing pinned against her side. Her intention was to knock Nitika off balance while two of her hooves were still in the air. Perhaps she would fall, or simply stumble on the hard stone ground. Either way, Isopia wanted to prove that her strength did not simply rely in the magic that flowed through her veins.  On the sidelines, Babel watched the fight hungrily. As blood wafted through the air his blackish eyes glinted like onyx in the light. Confused, Hubris looked from the dragonling to the spar, wondering what it was he found so interesting. Wanting to help occupy his brother, the older of the two dragons plucked a flower and offered it up as a toy for the younger to play with. Without looking, Babel opened his jaws and chomped down on the flower, reducing it to so many petals in a mere instant.  WC: 497 Attack: 2/3 Summary: Isopia lungs forward trying to knock into Nitika while she's rearing!  TEACHING NOTES Great post! I think there's some room for improvement, but for someone just starting out, you're doing a really great job! The first thing I noticed, is that there's no mention of Nitika trying to avoid Iso's arrow. While it's true that the dice say you do take damage, presumably if she saw a stone arrow flying towards her, she'd try to avoid it. In terms of realism on the rubric, you might lose points for that. Another thing the judges look for is more descriptive language. You mention that the injury hurts and that it will impact her speed (AWESOME!), but you don't actually describe it. What kind of pain is it? Sharp, dull? Is she surprised that Iso hit her, shocked by her magic? etc. Anything that you can do to paint a picture for your opponent and the judges, will help! I like that she used a feint - that's super creative! As I just mentioned, the more detail you can give, the better! I know we're trying to keep the word count low, but I still think there's a bit more room for descriptive language. For instance, Nitika wants to improve, but she thinks that the battle with Iso will be dangerous. Why does she want to improve? Why does she think Iso's dangerous? I think I only saw one typo in your post. That isn't a big deal, but if you repeatedly make little mistakes like that, they tend to add up!  Also try to mention the scenery a bit more. That's part of realism too - you're running forward on hard stone ground, does that hurt her feet? Is she sweating or cold? The Edge is pretty misty, so does that play into anything at all? Again, anything you can do to paint a vivid picture of what's happening with your character!

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Nitika felt her hooves make contact with the mare, her wild brown eyes looking down in that split second to see what she had struck. She glimpsed one of her hooves coming down on her opponent's right wing, the point of impact on the curve which no doubt caused a twinge of pain in the other. Another ran down the mare's chest, the impact jarring Nitika's leg since it was that leg's shoulder which had been injured.

Nitika did not have an easy time recovering from that; as soon as her hoof had impacted the opponent's chest, what felt like lightning surged through her leg, a stinging pain like hundreds of bees attacking all at once caused her to squeal. Okay, that attack hadn't been one of her brightest ideas, but she'd gotten a hit in all the same. The mare might not have suffered as much damage, but no doubt there was a lingering ache that would hopefully give her room for an advantage later in the fight.

Still high in the air, Nitika's front legs continued flailing out, now moreso to drive her opponent away rather than attack again. Until she had a second to recover, Nitika doubted her leg could manage another attack without more pain in her shoulder. Pain that, right now, she could not afford. Her brown eyes watched the mare carefully, the tension in her body like a coiled snake ready to strike as her opponent turned her body, exposing her shoulder and moving in closer to the painted mare.

In that split second, Nitika realized her, what could be, fatal mistake. She failed to take into account what would happen if the mare recovered fast enough to attack her while she was still up in the air, and now she was going to pay for it. The mare impacted Nitika with the brute force of a tree slamming to the ground, effectively knocking the wind from the mare's lungs. Nitika's nostrils fought to regain some air and drive away the dizzying feeling quickly overcoming her as she moved her front legs, one of them trying to grab around the mare's neck to prevent her from falling over backwards.

Niitka was trying everything she could to stay on her hooves. Her attempt at hooking the mare's neck was not working, her breast was aching terribly from the impact just now, and she could feel the ground beneath her back hooves giving way. Adding all that with the momentum of the mare's attack, and she knew her efforts were wasted.

The moment she felt the ground give way, Nitika threw her body to the side to avoid falling on her back. As it was, she thought that would've hurt less. The second she hit the ground on her left side, pain shot through her body, the jagged rocks piercing her skin like that arrow had done to her shoulder, only multiplied by hundreds now. One in particular cut the side of Nitika's face, above her eye, leaving a cut that, while not fatal, was now dripping blood on her white fur.

Getting her legs back under her before the mare could strike again, Nitika fought to get up, her aching body protesting with each movement. The rocks tilted and moved under her shifting weight as she stood, the mist fogging the air as if sensing the fight's growing tension. Nitika felt a chill run through her, the mist not helping as a cold sweat ran down her brow. Nitika hadn't exerted enough energy yet to really begin sweating, but she could feel the efforts of her exertion not only along the lines of her abdomen and breast bones, but all through her aching muscles and limbs. Still, this fight was far from over.

Holding her head down for a brief moment and taking a breath, Nitika lunged again, this time deciding to use her teeth. She aimed for the mare's chest, lifting herself off of her front end again and using her knees to block the mare from trying to tackle her again and knocking her off balance. Lips pulled back, Nitika's teeth went for the mare's crest near her withers, the painted mare now fueled by nothing more than adrenaline and the desire to win.


Attack: 2/3

Summary: Nitika was hit by Isopia's attack; she is currently dazed from having the wind knocked out of her, being hit by rocks, and has a cut above her eye from a sharp rock she fell on. Nitika attacked Isopia with her teeth, aiming for her crest/wither area, using her knees to block Isopia from trying to tackle her again while she attacks.

I have decided to change some things up. A word count will no longer be recorded, and the number of posts is no longer limited to three, unless both fighters would like it to stop. I'd like to see this fight go until the end, when a mare's health runs out and she can't fight anymore. I'm enjoying this way too much for it to end this quickly.

isopia As the mare crashed to the ground, Isopia backed away, eyes round with surprise. Nitika was smaller than Isopia was, but even so, she hadn't actually expected her to fall to the ground. Given that this mare was her herdmate, Isopia felt a phantom pang of guilt bloom in her mind. It was phantom, and occurred in her thoughts rather than her heart or soul, because it was only academically that she 'felt' it. It wasn't the way that you might feel guilt, as some sort of icy pang in your chest. For Isopia, it was like the outcome of a math problem. Mare on the ground = should I have done that? in precisely the same way that 2 + 2 = 4. Then, selfishly, as altruism was not an emotion Isopia was likely even capable of experiencing, she wondered if Roskuld would scold her after this fight, for unnecessarily maiming one of her warriors. Even now, as Nitika scrambled back to her feet, Isopia could see a tear of blood matting her pristine fur, and there were sure to be more scrapes hidden from sight, on the side that had hit the ground. Before Isopia could continue to consider whether or not an apology was necessary, the mare was lunging forward again. This shouldn't have surprised Isopia - the mare was a warrior and had asked for this fight - and yet she was. Perhaps it was something about the poetic imagery of the red blood on the white fur, or the way that the mare hardly cried out in pain, but Isopia hadn't expected such swift retaliation. Perhaps that was what made this mare such an asset to Roskuld's team of warriors.  Isopia's chest, high and narrow, was once again assault by Nitika. Her teeth found the supple folds of cream and maroon flesh, but Isopia was no stranger to pain. Though she wasn't a highly trained warrior by any stretch of the imagination, she had carefully trained herself to endure physical pain with relative accuracy and restraint. Wanting to keep this spar as evenly balanced as she could (which meant not immediately resorting to magic), Isopia judged that the easiest way to achieve this would be to let her opponent come to her, and when their proximity had dwindled enough, to attack. The only tactical downside was that such a plan almost certainly entailed opening herself up to being attacked as well.  Nitika's bites were not particularly painful, despite the flesh that she managed to grip in her teeth. Likely this was due to the height discrepancy between the two, for the folds of skin that Nitika's teeth managed to find were not particularly sensitive, and covered thick folds of muscles that her teeth did not penetrate. Isopia, trying to take advantage of how close the mare was to her, lowered her skull-lined jaw, to try and graze the side of the mare's face or neck, with two out of her four horns. She dared not jerk her head upwards again for fear of doing actual damage; slicing downwards would likely not lead to the type of damage that her horns would do if pulled in the opposite direction. To avoid this, after her head had sliced downwards, she abruptly pulled it to the side, aiming her body away from Nitika, and bucking outwards towards the mare's shoulder or chest - or whatever part of her happened to be within reach of Iso's long legs. Although Isopia was not a creature of pride, part of her still felt as though she had something to prove. Ros had said she could assist the warriors if she was able to, and although she didn't necessarily know if she wanted that nomination, she at least wanted to prove that she was deserving of it. On the sidelines, Babel's onyx eyes took in the blood that Isopia had spilled with a hungry, happy stare. His hands worked feverishly together, his fingers knotting themselves together as a small bubble of drool appeared at the end of his nose. WC: 671 Attack: 3/? Summary: Isopia tries to scrape Nitika's face/neck with her horns as the mare bites her. Then she turns away and tries to buck towards her. TEACHING NOTES Just to note! The wordcount, even if it can be longer that 500, has to be under 800. If you got over 800, you'll get a fairly high penalty! So make sure you stay under 800! And make sure you include the word count under your attack! As for this part, I'd like to see this fight go until the end, when a mare's health runs out and she can't fight anymore; if this happens, it means your character is dead. And I'm pretty sure you don't want that :D So we can definitely keep fighting, but just remember, if you let her health get to 0, she will permanently be dead! It is also helpful, if you don't know how many attacks there will be, to put like 3/? So that the judges know not to close/end the spar. Also, we have a rule about how fights end. If during this fight, Nitika were to say, "Okay! no more! You win!" then Isopia would automatically win. If you want this fight judged but an actual judge, make sure that Nitika doesn't end the fight submissively (i.e., asking for it to stop, running away, laying on the ground, etc). You can just put an OOC note in your comments saying that you'd like that to be your last post! If that isn't clear, let me know! Really good post - I can see where you took some of my previous comments and applied them here, and it made a real difference! I still think you could elaborate a bit more when it comes to pain: you quite often say that Nitika is in pain, but it would be great if there were just a few more sentences actually describing it. For instance, blood dripping down her eye: does that cut hurt? It isn't fatal, but is it deep? Does the blood feel weird? Has she ever been injured like that before? Is it dripping into her eyes? Does it feel hot, or cold?  Anything to given a more full picture of what's happening to her. Also, now that we're into more attacks/blocks, be careful about some of your wording. When I judge, I'm more strict on powerplay/declarative language than some of the other judges are, but it's definitely something to look out for. For example, sentences like these: She aimed for the mare's chest, lifting herself off of her front end again and using her knees to block the mare from trying to tackle her again and knocking her off balance and Getting her legs back under her before the mare could strike again both strike me as instance of powerplay. You can't just declare that her knees will prevent/block Isopia from trying to tackle her again, and neither can you say that she got up before Isopia attacked again. Always pepper those type of sentences with words like, "tried to get up before Isopia could attack again", or "she aimed to use her knees to block any potential attacks", something like that, which indicates that you aren't forcing Isopia to act, or not act, in a certain way. I'm not sure how familiar you are with horses when they fight, but it's helpful to watch some youtube videos of them going at it. Rarely do they actually fall down; they're pretty stable. I would have expected Nitika to stumble backwards, but not necessarily hit the ground. It's up to you, and I know these are magical horses who attack in ways that normal ones don't, but sometimes it's nice to see what it's like in real life, to get a good sense of how they move and what they would realistically do when shoved. Also, Isopia is quite a bit taller than Nitika, and has wings in the way - so trying to bite at her wither would be a bit tricky! That would be a good place to throw in an acknowledgement of breed differences, and to mention whether or not it's easy for Nitika to try and reach such a high spot on her opponent.

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Time limit exceeded, Nitika defaults to Iopsia. Isopia earns 0.5 VP + 0.5 VP for teaching

Partial judging requested. 20+ HP gap, Isopia defeats Nitika, Isopia earns 1 VP total.