Arveth leads Titano from the high gallery to the arena rim. Below, a crowd circles two exhausted contestants beside old stones carved like tusks.
A senior valley champion steps onto the ring’s edge, an elderly Argentinosaurus woman with rust-red scales, a white throat, and a braided black crest beneath bronze shoulder plates.
The Senior Valley Champion
This contest tests honor as our ancestors taught it. Strength may speak, but restraint proves whether the heart remains worthy.
One contestant, a young adult woman with copper scales, a narrow reptilian face, and a faded green sash, kneels, chest heaving, while the other leans against a tusk-stone with a split wooden shield. The crowd’s cheers fade into expectant silence.
The Guard Captain
The delegation remains beyond the boundary. Any challenge crossing that line will be treated as a breach, regardless of custom.
Arveth
You see the contest clearly, my brother. Judge whether celebration still guides it, or whether pride has turned the ring into an insult.
Arveth watches Titano instead of the contestants. The senior champion lowers her ceremonial staff, awaiting the commander’s judgment while the crowd holds its breath.
✓ Quest Accepted
Preserve the delegation’s dignity during the contest
“i'd feel better judging it from the inside, if you'll allow me that honor brother”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
volcanon
I would feel better judging it from the inside, if you will allow me that honor, brother.
Arveth
You have my leave, Titano. Enter as my brother and Ithaca’s envoy, but let your presence restore honor rather than claim the contest.
Arveth lifts one hand toward the ring. The boundary guards step aside, and the expectant crowd parts its attention as Titano descends toward the marked stones.
The Senior Valley Champion
Then enter under witness, commander. The contestants will hear your judgment, and I will uphold the ring’s law while you stand within it.
Titano crosses the boundary and takes his place between the exhausted contestants. The copper-scaled woman raises her head, while the shield-bearer straightens against the tusk-stone.
The Copper-Scaled Contestant
I accept the judgment of the chief’s brother. Let the ring show whether I have earned victory, or only survived it.
The Shield-Bearer
So do I. I will answer plainly, and I will not call honest judgment an insult.
“oh you are mistaken, all three of you will be going against me, without weapons, just like ancient times”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +0)
volcanon
You are mistaken. All three of you will go against me, without weapons, just as in ancient times.
Titano plants Flamewrath beyond the ring and steps fully into the open stones. His immense shadow covers the contestants and the senior champion alike.
The Senior Valley Champion
Then the ancient form is restored. Three against one, beneath witness, with no weapon and no excuse for cruelty.
The Copper-Scaled Contestant
I accept. If I stand after facing Ithaca’s bulwark, my victory will carry truth.
The Shield-Bearer
I accept as well. Let the shield remain outside, and let strength answer strength.
The champion removes her bronze shoulder plates and lays them beside the boundary stone. The contestants leave their shield and sash beyond the ring, while the crowd surges with approval.
For one breath, Titano’s resolve falters beneath the weight of every watching eye. He steadies his stance, but the hesitation is seen, and the senior champion raises her staff.
“I ask the champion to set rules”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
volcanon
Champion, set the rules. I will follow them, and the contestants will know exactly what this contest demands.
The senior champion studies Titano’s lowered stance, then turns so her voice reaches the contestants, the boundary guards, a line of adult stegosaur guards in matching dark-blue armor, their silver-gray faces and square shields visible, and every silent tier of the arena.
The Senior Valley Champion
Hear the ring’s law. No weapons, no strikes beyond surrender, and no blow against one who cannot answer. Victory comes when both opponents yield or the champion declares the contest ended.
She plants her staff against the carved stone and marks three boundaries with its bronze tip. The contestants move into position, leaving clear space between themselves and the watching crowd.
The Senior Valley Champion
The contestants may cooperate, separate, or change their approach, but neither may leave the ring without yielding. Titano may defend himself, restrain them, and demand their surrender.
Arveth
The rules are plain and witnessed. Let the contest test strength, judgment, and restraint, not confusion.
The Senior Valley Champion
Do all three accept these terms? Speak now, and the first movement afterward begins the contest.
“I accept the rules and begin the contest”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
volcanon
I accept the rules. Begin the contest.
Titano lowers his center of gravity and advances into the marked stones. His immense stride closes the space before either contestant can retreat beyond the ring.
The copper-scaled contestant and the shield-bearer move together, circling him from opposite sides as the crowd erupts around the ancient challenge.
The Copper-Scaled Contestant
Together, then. Do not give him the opening.
The Shield-Bearer
Agreed. We yield only when the champion calls it.
Titano pivots with disciplined force, planting one foot between their approaches. His broad tail sweeps behind him, denying the flank without striking either contestant.
The Senior Valley Champion
The contest has begun. Watch his restraint, and answer it with courage.
“i swing my long tail knocking one of them down and charge into the other”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
Titano’s crimson tail snaps across the stones with controlled force, sweeping the copper-scaled contestant from her feet. She tumbles clear of the strike and lands hard on her side.
The Copper-Scaled Contestant
I yield! The sweep was clean, and I cannot answer it.
Before the crowd can settle, Titano drives forward toward the shield-bearer, his immense charge making the carved stones tremble beneath each measured step.
The Shield-Bearer
Then I face you alone!
The shield-bearer braces, but Titano reaches him and forces him backward with overwhelming momentum, stopping short of a crushing blow as the contestant loses his footing.
The Shield-Bearer
I yield. I cannot stand against that charge.
The Senior Valley Champion
The contestants have yielded. Titano wins by strength governed through restraint, and the ancient form is honored before every witness.
✓ Quest Accepted
Give the contestants a fair judgment
Quest Complete
Preserve the delegation’s dignity during the contest
Skill Upgrade: Athletics Superb→Legendary
“I help both contestants rise and acknowledge their courage.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Titano extends one hand to the copper-scaled contestant and another toward the shield-bearer, lifting both from the stones with careful, measured strength.
The Copper-Scaled Contestant
You offered victory without humiliation. I will remember that, Commander.
The Shield-Bearer
And you stopped when I could no longer answer. That restraint honors the contest more than any blow.
Titano gives each contestant his full attention, acknowledging their courage before the arena and refusing to let victory eclipse the courage that brought them into the ring.
The Senior Valley Champion
Witness this well. The victor raises those who faced him, and the defeated stand with their honor intact.
Arveth
That is the strength I expected from my brother. The Valley has seen Ithaca’s champion, and it has seen his judgment.
The crowd answers with a rising roar. The two contestants remain upright beside Titano, no longer opponents in the ring but honored witnesses to one another’s courage.
Quest Complete
Give the contestants a fair judgment
“brother, I propose that you bring back the old way of fighting, the sumo style, and that you send your best against me, what do you say?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
volcanon
Brother, bring back the old way of fighting, the sumo style. Send your best against me, and let the Valley witness it restored.
The roar fades into a charged silence. Arveth studies Titano, then turns toward the highest terraces, where the senior champion raises her staff in acknowledgment.
Arveth
I say yes. The old contest returns today, beneath both banners, and you will face the Valley’s finest without weapons.
A towering adult Argentinosaurus man descends from the upper gallery. His deep-blue scales carry white bands across the throat, and a bronze belt circles his immense waist. One tusk bears an old notch.
The Senior Valley Champion
This is Orun, the Valley’s undefeated ring-master. He has defended the ancient style through three chiefs, and now he accepts your challenge.
Orun
Titano of Ithaca, I will meet you as a fellow giant, not as a spectacle. We begin when the champion marks the stones.
Arveth
Let the guards clear the ring. Let the contestants witness. Let every elder see whether the old way still has a future beneath our banners.
✓ Quest Accepted
Restore the ancient sumo contest with honor
“finally, a real challenge. i say as prepare to fight”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +0)
volcanon
Finally, a real challenge.
Titano sets his feet within the marked stones and lowers his immense frame into the ancient stance. His neck coils forward, arms open, and his tail steadies behind him.
The adjustment costs him a sharp pull through his already strained tail. He absorbs it without leaving the ring, claws digging furrows into the packed earth.
Orun
Then stand ready, Titano of Ithaca. I see no hesitation in you now.
Orun mirrors the stance opposite him, bronze belt tight across his waist. The arena’s boundary guards withdraw, leaving the two giants facing one another beneath the valley banners.
The Senior Valley Champion
Feet planted. Hands open. No strike until the body speaks through the push. Hold to the old way.
Arveth
Let the Valley witness this beginning. Brother, meet Orun as an equal, and let your restraint give the restored contest its honor.
“we charge into each other and attempt to push one other out of the wring”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +2)
Titano surges forward, immense feet hammering the packed earth. Orun charges to meet him, and the arena shudders as their open hands and shoulders collide.
The impact drives through Titano’s frame. His strained tail stays rigid behind him while he commits his strength to the forward push, claws carving deep lines in the ring.
Orun
You have weight, Ithacan, but weight alone will not move me!
Orun’s heels grind backward. Titano lowers his neck, braces through his legs, and drives harder, forcing the ring-master across the marked earth beneath the watching banners.
The Senior Valley Champion
The boundary approaches! Hold your form, Orun. Titano, finish the push without striking!
With one final surge, Titano carries Orun beyond the outer line. The ring-master’s heel crosses the boundary, followed by his other foot, while the crowd erupts around the ancient stones.
Orun
I yield the first clash. Your strength is not empty force, Titano. You drove me out cleanly, and I honor the victory.
“I pound my chest one I prepare for the next round”
Titano plants himself beyond the boundary, then pounds his immense chest once. The impact rolls through the arena as he turns back toward the marked stones.
Dust settles around Orun’s feet. Orun straightens beyond the line, studying Titano with renewed respect rather than defeat.
Orun
You prepare for the next round before the first challenge has even faded. Good. I will not mistake your confidence for carelessness.
Orun steps back toward the ring, stopping at its edge without crossing. He rolls his shoulders and lowers his broad stance, ready to answer the call.
The Senior Valley Champion
The first clash belongs to Titano. Orun may return, and the next round begins only when both giants stand prepared.
The crowd quiets again, gathering its attention around the carved boundary. Arveth watches from the gallery, his expression proud beneath the valley banners.
Arveth
Let the second round be witnessed. Brother, hold to the old way, and let the Valley learn what remains after the first collision.
“as the next round starts we charge into each other again but this time neither of us move and inch”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
“as the next round starts we charge into each other again but this time neither of us move and inch”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +3)
The senior champion drops her staff, and Titano and Orun charge from opposite edges. Their open shoulders collide at the ring’s center with a force that shakes dust from the carved stones.
Neither giant yields an inch. Titano’s feet hold firm beneath the impact, while Orun’s stance locks against him, their immense frames pressed together in a contest of absolute strength.
Orun
You have rooted yourself like the old mountain pillars. I cannot move you, and I will not pretend otherwise.
Titano answers with steady pressure rather than a strike. The boundary remains untouched, and the crowd’s roar fades into astonished silence as the ancient contest becomes a living measure of endurance.
The Senior Valley Champion
Hold! The second clash is even. Neither foot has crossed the line, and both forms remain true.
From the high gallery, elders rise to witness the result. The unexpected stalemate wins Titano a tangible honor: the Valley’s council begins calling for his name among the ring’s preserved champions.
Arveth
Brother, you have done more than win. You have shown the Valley that its restored tradition can stand beside Ithaca without bowing.
“the flame in my eyes glows red, and I push orun out of the ring”
FAILURE (Legendary Strength, rolled -2)
“the flame in my eyes glows red, and I push orun out of the ring”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
Red fire kindles in Titano’s eyes. He drives forward through the locked contest, shoulders and legs straining as the packed earth fractures beneath his immense feet.
Orun gives ground under the relentless push. Titano’s heel slips across a broken furrow, wrenching his hip, but he recovers and bears down without striking.
Orun
You have found the mountain’s buried strength. I cannot hold against it.
Titano forces Orun beyond the marked boundary. The ring-master’s second foot crosses the line, and the arena erupts as dust coils around both giants.
The Senior Valley Champion
The second clash belongs to Titano! He wins by pressure, not blows, though the ring has taken its price from him.
Arveth
Brother, the council has witnessed two victories and one honest wound of effort. Will you stand for their judgment, or answer Orun first?
Orun
I will answer plainly. Your strength honors the old way, but I see pain in the step you hide.
✓ Quest Accepted
Accept the Valley's judgment of the restored contest
− Scene Quest Removed
Restore the ancient sumo contest with honor
“i fall down to one knee in pain”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +2)
Titano’s injured hip gives beneath the effort. He lowers heavily to one knee inside the ring, one hand braced against the packed earth as pain cuts through his immense frame.
The Senior Valley Champion
Hold the ring! The second clash is ended. No victor’s honor requires him to stand through injury.
The arena’s uproar breaks into concerned murmurs. Dust settles around Titano’s planted knee while Orun remains beyond the boundary, breathing hard and watching him closely.
Orun
Do not rise for my pride, Titano. You won the round cleanly, and the pain is proof enough of what it cost.
Arveth
Brother, the council has seen your strength. Now let them see whether you possess the judgment to accept aid when strength has spoken.
The senior champion approaches the boundary but does not cross without leave. Two attendants, young adult human men in plain tan tunics and dark trousers, one broad-shouldered and one lean, carry bring a low stone seat, while the elders, elderly men and women in layered earth-toned robes with lined faces and gray hair, lean forward to hear Titano’s answer.
The Senior Valley Champion
Commander, the contest may pause under ancient law. You may accept treatment, continue only after examination, or declare the restored challenge complete.
“verry well, i will accept treatment, I declare the restored challenge complete”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
volcanon
Very well. I accept treatment, and I declare the restored challenge complete.
Titano lowers his weight fully onto the stone seat as the attendants help him settle. The senior champion raises her staff, and the arena falls silent for the declaration.
The Senior Valley Champion
Witness this judgment. The restored challenge is complete, and Titano’s victories stand honored beneath the ancient law.
Orun
You chose wisdom when pride could have demanded more. I accept the challenge’s end, and I name you a worthy master of the old way.
The attendants examine Titano’s wrenched hip with careful hands, testing its movement before applying cooling herbs and a firm layered wrap. The treatment eases the sharpest pain.
Arveth
Let the council record his victory, his restraint, and his judgment. Brother, you entered as Ithaca’s envoy and leave this ring honored by the Valley.
The Senior Valley Champion
When the treatment is finished, the elders will hear what this restored contest means for the Valley’s future. Orun, stand with me before the council.
✓ Quest Accepted
Receive the council’s formal recognition of the restored contest
Quest Complete
Accept the Valley's judgment of the restored contest
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Fair→Good
“if i was still in my youth, i wouldn't have accepted treatment, but age has taught me my bodies limitations”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
volcanon
In my youth, I would have refused treatment. Age has taught me where my body’s limits lie.
The thought settles with the cooling herbs beneath the wrap. Titano remains seated, accepting the attendants’ careful work while the arena listens without mockery.
Arveth
That wisdom is not surrender, brother. A chief must know when strength serves the future better than pride serves the moment.
Orun
Then the old way has gained more than a champion today. It has gained a guardian who understands when to stand and when to rest.
The attendants finish securing the layered wrap and withdraw their hands. The senior champion turns toward the elders, staff raised, while Orun steps beside her before the council.
The Senior Valley Champion
Let the council hear this clearly: Titano restored the ancient contest, won without cruelty, and ended it by judgment when his body required care.
Arveth
And let them hear what follows. The Valley will honor Ithaca’s envoy, welcome his counsel, and decide how the old way shall live again.
“brother, when i am finished being treated, i would like to have a private word with you”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
volcanon
Brother, when I am finished being treated, I would like to have a private word with you.
Arveth
You shall have it. Once the attendants finish, we will speak privately, beyond the council’s hearing.
Arveth signals two guards, two adult male stegosaurs in dark-blue armor, with silver-gray faces and square shields toward the eastern colonnade, ordering a quiet chamber prepared. The council remains gathered, but the path to private counsel is secured.
Orun
Then I will give you both room. Matters between brothers deserve a place where victory cannot speak over them.
The attendants check the layered wrap once more and withdraw. Cooling herbs ease the ache as Titano remains seated, while Arveth waits beside the ring.
The Senior Valley Champion
The treatment is complete, Commander. The eastern colonnade stands ready, and no council voice will follow you there.
Arveth
Come when you are ready, brother. I will hear you without crown, council, or witnesses between us.
“I ask Arveth to endorse the contest publicly”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
volcanon
Brother, before we withdraw, I ask you to endorse this contest publicly. Let the Valley know the old way has your authority.
Arveth
I will. Your request carries the weight of family, but I answer it as chief before the council.
Arveth turns from the eastern colonnade toward the gathered elders, champion, guards, and contestants. His raised hand stills the arena’s murmurs.
Arveth
Hear me. I endorse the restored contest beneath ancient law. Titano’s challenge, Orun’s answer, and the champion’s judgment shall guide its return.
The Senior Valley Champion
The council has heard the chief. The old way now stands under public authority, not merely beneath one commander’s example.
Orun
Then I will stand as its first witness and teacher. Titano, your victory has won the Valley’s respect, but your request now binds you to its future.
Arveth’s endorsement settles across the terraces like a new law. It grants Titano the Valley’s support, while making his name publicly answerable for the contest’s conduct and survival.
Quest Complete
Receive the council’s formal recognition of the restored contest
New Gift: Ceremonial Authority