<html> <body> And we had many conversations trying to figure out how our friend Goldmark would even get that far in the contests! I am very grateful for all of Ryx's many contributions to this tale. I could not have written it without him. As for the King and Goldmark, well... Having that much Rat'taur on top of you is a perfectly acceptable way to lose a fight. ;-) May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love, Charles Matthias At 02:35 AM 6/20/2015, Ryx wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">*cheeky grin* Actually, I wrote the scene... ;D Charles did not know who would face the king and I suggested Goldmark. The response was dubious to say the least - a common levy irregular taking on a skilled war leader? But he let me have free rein with the scene, and I had a ball writing it. On Friday, June 19, 2015 10:07 PM, Hallan Mirayas <hallanmirayas@hotmail.com> wrote: <dl> <dd>Hey, folks, how about some applause for MattRat for writing up victory by flumph, huh? <dd>Hallan <hr> <dd>Pelaeth barked a victorious word and waded in, but Goldmark swept the stave up in his forepaws, which did have some manner of grasping ability, and reared up to his full height. Towering almost twice the height of the human, with the staff grasped before him, he strode awkwardly forward bringing the King up short. The rat dropped down and leaned his upper body forward, scoring a quick swat at the snarling visage of the steel wolf's helm before Pelaeth could retreat. Taking a couple of quick strides, dragging the stave with his forepaws, Goldmark reared up again. <dd>And charged forward upon his rear paws with the awkward gait of a charger en'pesade, forcing Pelaeth back at a swift trot, his sword out to parry the awkward swings of the staff. The crowd roared its approval and stood, the Matthias clan joining in. Goldmark continued to press his charge forward with short steps and hops, quickly outpacing the King's retreat. <dd>And then he simply fell forward, his forelegs and save bearing the sword down while his hands came down upon the human's shoulders. With the massive 'taur's greater weight suddenly falling upon him, Pelaeth lost his footing and fell backward to the explosive cheer of the spectators. The tumult was so unbridled Charlie backed his ears and gaped in astonishment as Goldmark sprawled his entire body down onto the King, pinning him ignominiously to the ground. He cast the stave aside before it became a bar across the man's breast and used one hand to swat at the awkward, ineffective swings of the sword that did nothing more than slap at the barding of his barrel and flanks. <dd>Underneath him Pelaeth squirmed and kicked but could not marshal enough leverage to make any of his assaults effective against the bulk of beast sprawled upon him like a hunting hound upon a toddler. The crowd roared and, in the High Box across from them, Charlie could see the entire retinue of Metamor's nobility and Pelaeth's sister standing at the rail looking down in awed shock. Sig's jaws were open so wide a flock of birds could have nested on his tongue and rented out his fangs to their friends. <dd>_______________________________________________ <dd>MKGuild mailing list <dd><a href="mailto:MKGuild@lists.integral.org"> MKGuild@lists.integral.org</a> <dd><a href="http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild" eudora="autourl"> http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild</a> </dl>_______________________________________________ MKGuild mailing list MKGuild@lists.integral.org <a href="http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild" eudora="autourl"> http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild</a></blockquote></body> </html>