It was an impossible call to ignore- not when she'd been unofficially staying at the summit- trying to figure out.. what she was going to do. She moved towards the sound, to take interest in whatever results would come of this challenge. Would Morrigan, the legendary fighter- retain her throne? She approached the group, noting that it had already become a Rike versus Sigrun issue, and that alone made her hang back.

She abhorred what the Sigrun stood for, even if they didn't drown newborn cubs... they did have a ceremony for yearlings, and weren't they little more than cubs? She often found herself on the Rike side of things but she was friends with Talisa and Cassandra. Though she hadn't gotten to know Morrigan well enough to call her a friend, she wanted too. It was hard, having friends on both sides. And the side the Rike often stood on... was Alaric's side and she of course... had his friendship to consider.

She was silent, watching and wondering what war would come of this. Praying her hus...husband and cubs remained out of it. She remained there, silent and watchful at the edge of things- waiting to see what would happen.

Ghyslaine is observing, however, is open for fighting- just ping me please. Pride status is complicated rn, but she's sort of hanging around the Summit because of Nero x family.

ART COPYRIGHT RABBIT / CODE COPYRIGHT ANALESE

Morrigan had no fantasies her enemies would allow her respite longer than they desired, rather the wolves came knocking at the door with the scars of her last battles still fresh beneath thick cloak. This time at least there would be no pretender, calling for the mountain from the Pit instead of braving the throne he had hoped to claim.

And so the Summit had rejected him. Her blessings were counted in the swollen belly of her wife, carrying more Greyflood and Skagos children into this war. All the more reason she prayed now, as she would make a last plea for @Talisa ♔ to stay safe and hidden. She could not have asked the same of @Eyvindr, though she hoped he might choose to guard their wife instead of enacting any familial vengeance. Then she turned away from their shared den, unwilling to linger to see if either followed lest she lose her will to leave them behind.

As the clearing came into view with the familiar Rike heathen waiting presumptuously on her turf, she confirmed her recognition. He’d been there, alongside @Adalwolf, at the last challenge for her crown. The Ecrosian Rike was spewing the same old venom Morrigan had heard a thousand times, and she would not give her enemies the satisfaction or respect of answering for her accused sins. Morrigan preferred to defend her Sigrún comrades with teeth and claws, not poisonous words, but she could have laughed at the idea that the Sigrún deaths outweighed those of the Rike. “Last I saw, it took three dead Rike to kill one Sigrún woman,” she sneered back at @Astarte, recognizing her as one of her last opponent’s supporters.

Apparently the hounds were lying to their women. She supposed manipulation would have to be the only way they could have found wives at all. Senseless cub killings were far worse than any ceremony yearlings did by choice, no matter how violent. She looked to her sons before making her final approach, seeing one of her youngest and eldest together giving her a strong reminder of why she had taken Illyria in the first place. Sometimes you can choose between being the hero or the monster. Sometimes you have to be both. And then Morrigan lifted her jaws to release her own defiant roar, calling to anyone else who might have managed to somehow not hear the ruckus occurring, calling to any stray Sigrún in their coastal homes, and anyone else who had ever been willing to fight for the Greyflood or her Talisa.

“No prisoners, only trophies. Throw them off the fucking mountain if you have to,” she commanded her own fighters, @Roarke in particular with his lead fighter position. He’d offered to spill blood for her, here was his chance. This was the enemy. @Ronin had already called his own soldiers, for which Morrigan was grateful. It was the second time he’d be willing to fight for her. No matter how today ended, she wouldn’t forget that. @Aquila was loyal as ever and she was glad Khal had chosen to position himself and by consequence @Virgil nearest to the older Valour. Her focused turned once more to the man of the hour, “At least you were brave enough to actually climb up here and fight me,” she snarled and her defensive posture took a more refined shape.

---

Morrigan would begin a trot down into the midst of the growing crowd where he awaited, expecting the pristine silver and white of the Summit to soon be stained in ruby. Her jaws would swing open below narrowed eyes full of rage, ears pinning flat as she lowered her skull and center of gravity. She quickened her pace as she would attempt to approach him head on, putting her weight behind her front half as her jaws would seek the flesh of his right shoulder attempting to sink into the area nearest his ribs as she attempted to ram her own left shoulder blade into the center of his chest, expecting subsequent bruising of her own as a result.

@Morrigan ♔ vs. @Rainer
For Illyria Summit
Round I / V
Hits:

Rolling 9d20: 20 + 18 + 2 + 10 + 7 + 4 + 16 + 13 + 19

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 15 + 18 + 20 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 3 + 2 + 8 + 9 + 17 + 15

+1 hit dice Tier 4: Bonus to members participating in fights in their pridelands (doubles the level 1 bonus of their master trade).

coding & image by flea

ooc: if you want to fight tiamat, please keep in mind I will be headed out of town so fight replies will be slow. Please DM me before starting a fight with her.

---

Halfway through her pregnancy, many might assume that the queen of the Lagoon would not risk herself by coming to what promised to be so violent a challenge. But Anatu women did not shy away from battle, even while pregnant, and though it took her time to reach this place from the souther Lagoon, she arrived in time to see the queen of the Summit throwing herself into battle with the challenger. A few of the Mire were present, watching. They were her allies, but without seeing Alaric present she was not going to be quite so quick to throw herself into the fray. This seemed to be more of a Sigrun versus Rike situation, anyways.

Instead her gaze was drawn to a familiar wheaten form hanging around the edge of those gathered. @Ghyslaine ♔ had gone mysteriously missing from the Lagoon, though Tiamat assumed it had been Ronin's doing. When she said he could come collect her she had rather hoped he would come and actually be polite. But it was hard to expect as much from someone who was barely worthy of the title king.

"You know," she said, coming up alongside Ghyslaine. "Leaving without telling your host isn't a very good way to make friends." Her voice was filled with mirth, however, as she turned Ghyslaine's lectures back onto her. The pregnant woman settled in, taking a seat beside the other woman. "I don't like the Sigrun but my guess is the Rike have their own sins, just like the rest of us," she commented on the chaos going on around them. Her tail thumped idly behind her. She'd be content to sit with her new "friend" unless someone wanted to start a fight with her. For now.

image by rabbit, code by anyu

The call wasn't something she didn't expect; there were many power-hungry lions within Amaryllis that all wanted a shot to sit on a throne with the crown placed upon their heads. But when the challenge rang out for her mother's pride in particular was one that Isla did not enjoy - not one bit. The close proximity of the summons was also something that caused for the wildcat's muscles to stiffen, automatically making her way swiftly deeper into her home. Already, the potent and revolting stench of Ecrosia in the chilly air causes for her nose to wrinkle, lips peeling back in a silent snarl as she prowled forward. Dual colored eyes shifted as they observed her surroundings, and as she got closer to the group more and more scents would fill the air. Some were from Andal and Vermeda, allies and therefore allowed to cross Summit borders in times of need.

But the rest?

"Eindringlinge," Trespassers the Heiress would bark out in a loud snarl. Her tail lashes back and forth behind her like an agitated cobra, the adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins. An ear would flick as she heard her muter’s words, watching her briefly as she began to make her way over to the challenger and begin the fight. As toes flexed her claws would unsheathe themselves, clicking at the stone ground underneath them. "Illyria! If they are not allied with us, punish them!" Like a handler releasing the leash, she gives her fellow pride members full permission to deal with their enemies and those who do not belong in the snowy mountain territory as they saw fit. Once she had given the command alongside her mother’s, Isla would barrel her way toward her own target. Ears would pin backward upon her skull as long limbs carried her in long, quick strides.

As she neared the female's right side Isla would leap forward, attempting to wrap both front limbs around her midsection in a sort of bear hug. Her claws would attempt to sink into heated flesh, jaws snapping toward the right shoulder area in an attempt to sink teeth in deep and cause as much damage and bloodshed as they did. With quite a difference in weight between the two (Isla weighing more than the enemy) she was also hoping that the force behind her leap would cause for her opponent to stumble and fall - she'd sacrifice her body momentarily if it meant she could get the Rike filth (both related by blood and marriage) on the ground where they belonged.

And she would make sure she would bring @Morrigan ♔ a trophy, one that would show that the Greyflood lineage was superior.


Isla vs @Astarte
for
Major Maim - tail removal
round i/iv
hits:

Rolling 7d20: 20 + 11 + 10 + 9 + 17 + 3 + 7

dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 11 + 6 + 16 + 15

luck:

Rolling 5d20: 3 + 8 + 20 + 12 + 19

+1 dodge dice Pride Tier 4: Bonus to members participating in fights in their pridelands (doubles the level 1 bonus of their master trade).

was given permission by anyu to edit to add round info

ART BY NAVARRE, CODE BY DEE

Despite her wife's plea to stay behind, Talisa's whole body lifted upwards with a deep inhale as she tried to reason with herself. With her body swollen with child of both she and @Eyvindr, it was hard to see any reason she should go. Desperate was she to protect their unborn children but at the same time, she was not about to not be present to watch @Morrigan ♔ fight to protect what was theirs. What they had earned time and time again, through every truth and trial.

So with a sidelong glance to her half-maned Skagos mate, she firmly shook her head. I can't.. she stood, albeit slowly, I can't sit idly by and not know. Talisa could only hope that he would understand that she couldn't. No matter how safe she should be during this time, she refused to be separated from Morrigan like this. So with Eyvindr presumably marching by her side, she moved towards the challenge. Thankfully it was a bit further into the territory this time so she didn't have to go far but she did manage to find @Eskel on the way. Explaining to him swiftly, should she need to, that she can't sit idly by and wait like a wife waiting for their partner to come back from war.

That ain't it, bestie.

So she moved with purpose and grace until she found a suitable place that she, Eyvindr and Eskel could sit. Knowing that there was good probability that she would be safe here with both of them beside her. Trying everything that she could to hide within their large, colossal forms to deny anyone the privilege of seeing her pregnant stomach.

^{ART BY CUSH, CODE BY CALA}

He was a beast of shadows, remaining hidden and at a distance was his burden. Yet, when he hears the call for a challenge at the summit- he is quick to ignore the border, quick to search out @Talisa ♔'s scent- quick to ensure her safety. When he finds her, he joins her- his massive frame trailing her, eyes watchful as he follows to the scene. His gaze passes over another, nodding- at a male ( @Eyvindr ) who Talisa trusts, is an ally as far as he is concerned.

Arriving at the challenge, he would move to stand near her, eyes studying the brewing storm around them, aiming stay to one side of her, so that the other male could perhaps take her free side.

Eskel's expression was severe, the desire to remain hidden forgone as he decides that it is imperative that he protects his peace. There is a silent promise there, that if anyone wished to harm her- they'd have to move through him first- as his gaze shifts to the brewing battle, it deviates, watching the world around the- waiting, and hopefully ensuring he sees any attack coming- should there be one.

ART COPYRIGHT IRISH

Wolfgang knew, knowledge could easily be strength. When the call had come, and he had seen several members of the brook heading tundra-way, he had given up his aspirations of a lazy day with his husband and headed after them.

Til now, he had not known the summit existed, but the cold winding mountains bring on a homesickness something strong. It invigorates his climb as he tails Aquila. There were many here, and a tension he did not understand brought cruel words from a quarrel long-frayed. Who was the threat here?

Wolfgang sidled up not far from @Aquila, @Khal ♞ and @Virgil with a frown, surveying the present. There were two locked in battle, already. The defender and challenger, he assumed. The dark lioness he knew. Years ago, many years, they had been pride mates in Obsidian. Wolfgang had never learnt her name.

@Adalwolf's snarl brought words Wolfgang recognised. Sigrun. Magnus’s lot, aye. What had happened to the dark behemoth since his last time in these lands? Wolfgang remembered them. He had not agreed with how readily they’d drawn his children into war, but he had allied with them. The Rike, however, were a new name to him.

In any regard, It seemed battle was on this horizon and Wolfgang now knew who he had to be wary of, taking in the Ecrosian scent with a stormy look on his dark features. “Odin, lend me your fury.” he murmurs below his breath; unlikely audible unless one was beside him. A prayer and blessing.

— wolf is open for fights

She shouldn't have been there. She knew she shouldn't have been there, but there she was hiking her heavily pregnant self up the goddamn mountain against Ronin's wishes. If he wanted to traipse off into the lion's den, he was going to have to deal with the consequences of having a wife who wanted to (at the very minimum) be there to pick up the pieces in the aftermath. Besides, what kind of woman would let their husband simply waltz off on the off chance they never saw each other again? What if today was the day that death was the only outcome for someone on the mountain? It wouldn't be Ronin. She would make sure of that.

The Tollaire really had no allegiance to the Summit outside of Morrigan, and even that was tenuous at best. She simply came to sit alongside Ronin and deliberately avoided eye contact, hoping he wouldn't even notice her lingering nearby. Nephthys kept her eyes open, however, and swept the scene to see if Bhaskar was going to make another appearance. She hoped not.

he's open to a fight but won't attack unless provoked. I am pretty burnt out on fights OOCly but he would be here ICly and will defend himself/Ghys/the cubs

Nero didn't have it in him to fight anymore. Not because he didn't support Morrigan and not because he was a coward, but Nero just simply couldn't deal with the fucking frequency of all the bullshit happening. There were no gaps. It was one thing after another and his face was still rather swollen from the removal of his eye (which, unbeknownst to him, was actually still there). That didn't mean he was going to simply laze around; he had cubs to protect and Ghyslaine was around somewhere, he was sure. Nero didn't know who his wife was anymore, but that didn't mean he was going to just let her be ambushed. His instinct was to hiss at Tiamat, but he didn't. Nero had never had an issue with the lioness personally and was quite done with letting the influence of others control who he did and did not associate with anymore. "Tiamat," he greeted with a subtle nod before coming to linger by Ghyslaine. There was a distance between them no matter how close they stood, and Nero felt it now more than ever. He was tired. He was very, very tired.

He wished the Sigrún and the Rike had never brought their feud to Amaryllis.

code by dee

[ Feel free to attack Rio! He'll get caught up on who's who eventually. No major maims at this time unless otherwise discussed pls. ]

---

Ah, he knew that sound. It was the beginning of something exciting; a clusterfuck of violence and drama. And it was coming from the ever mysterious summit. Intrigued, the outlaw would quickly find himself scaling the mountains to figure out just what the fuss was all about. Clearly someone was issuing a challenge. But who all was there? What would transpire? He'd seen some pride challenges in his adventures, and they always seemed to inspire quite the display of bloodshed.

Maybe this one would live up to it.

Treading carefully, he'd pause at the border before deciding to say fuck it and cross over. The concoction of scents present told him that he wasn't the only one breaking the rules. Might as well join in on the fun and law breaking while he could. After all, there was potential that they'd no longer stand after today.

Padding into the scene casually, the merle beast would scan those present. Already there were a few fights breaking out. Blood flew and the scent clung to the air like a sweet perfume. Rio's heart began to thunder, adrenaline circulating its way through his system as he took another step - this one a bit jittery with the sudden onset of excitement and thrill.

Pawsteps would quicken once he saw some unexpected yet blissfully familiar faces. @Angelo and @Anthonius were standing beside a man he did not know. Was this perhaps the @Ronin Svend that Camellia had spoken of at the Home Cave? The Savante would come to stand near Angelo, forming a line of sorts as he casually bumped his shoulder toward the other merle beast.

"Rég nem láttalake!" Riordan rumbled with a wink. Usually he'd keep his distance, but it seemed his kin were tense. Perhaps they had some skin in this game. "Ki az ellenség?" voice would lower conspiratorially. There was no telling what languages these creatures knew. Although he doubted they'd be versed in his mother tongue - as old and rare as it seemed to be - he'd rather not risk it in the company of potential adversaries.

Rio would keep a watchful eye on his surroundings as he greeted his family. A polite nod would be sent Ronin's way as a greeting. They'd probably have to get to the pleasantries later.

---

Translations:
1. Long time no see!
2. Who's the enemy?

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