Editing Titan's Game (Daquin)

The '''Games at Daquin''' refers to the event that [[Niers Astoragon]] put on for his current and recently graduated students in which they try to win in a game of strategy. This game specifically was televised world-wide by scrying orb and had Niers' students face off against [[Tulm the Mithril]].

== Goal ==
The goal of the game for the gathered students was to enter a 10x10 foot area around Niers. If they could do this, they would earn the right to ask Niers any question they could think of as well as gain an item from his vaults. On the other hand, Tulm also had a goal which was to stop any student from entering the area and capture them before they could do so. If every student was captured and firmly subdued, he would get the right to ask Niers a question.<ref name=":0">[https://wanderinginn.com/2019/06/04/6-22-d/ Chapter 6.22 D]</ref>

== Participants ==

=== Seekers: ===

* [[Tulm the Mithril]]
* ~1,000 members of the [[Forgotten Wing Company]]
* ~2,000 members of the [[Iron Vanguard]]
* 6 warships that the Iron Vanguard came in on
* [[Xol]] of Ingrilt
* [[Samile]] the Watcher

=== Hunters: ===

* [[Venaz]]
** [[Luan Khumalo]]
* [[Wil Kallinad]]
** [[Talia Kallinad]]
** Lance Commander [[Wylint]]
**Sir [[Kelm]]
* [[Feshi Weatherfur]]
* [[Umina Caxical]]
* [[Marian Felthof]]
* [[Yerranola]]
* [[Jekilt]]
**50 dullahans from his company
* [[Cameral]]
* [[Tefret]]
** 17 other students
* [[Peki]]
* [[Merrik Hostone|Merrik]]
*Kelsa
**Three other officer-class students
*Sillk
*Kaelma

== Chronology ==
Both sides were given time to prepare for the games, but the students were not allowed to know who their opponent would be. Once the games started, their preparation was put to the test. Most made alliances such as [[Tefret]], a former student, that decided to charge along with 17 other students on horseback to gain a quick victory. They were stopped by [[Xol]] before they could reach their goal though. Others prepared by hiring forces to assault the city by sea. [[Venaz]] hired [[Luan Khumalo|a city runner]] to sneak past the ships blocking the harbor. Others made alliances between students and fought head on. [[Merrik Hostone|Merrik]], [[Peki]], and four other combat-ready students from the officer-classes fought directly against a Dullahan Sergeant and the 23 Dullahans she led. They were winning the battle and even when Xol came to settle things, Peki was able to hold him off. Both sides brought in reinforcements and the officer class students were able to make a fighting retreat. [[Jekilt]] and 50 members of his company also fought through the streets and joined up with them.

As the chaos in the streets grew to a crescendo, Tulm decided to use some of his plans. He activated Screamer Dust that he'd thrown out previously and used two of his powerful skills: [Battlefield – The Cold Iron Mists] and [Legions of Steel]. These along with some rerouting of forces were enough to quash some of the threats brought by the students, but not all of them. [[Wil Kallinad|Wil]] and [[Feshi Weatherfur|Feshi]] made it to the docks and through the mist, brought an army that Wil had charge through the blockade of the harbor. He sent four warships crewed by [Storm Sailors] that were able to catch the Iron Vanguard's ships off guard. In those four warships he brought his sister, [[Talia Kallinad]], as well as many members of her [[Order of Seasons]], members of the personal army of House Kallinad, and members from other houses' personal armies.<ref name=":0" />

Meanwhile, [[Umina Caxical|Umina]], [[Marian Felthof|Marian]], and Venaz found themselves with the runner that Venaz had hired in a toilet hiding from patrolling seekers. Venaz received his delivery, and Marian hired Luan to stay with them seeing his potential. Venaz's delivery ended up being a set of armor and a weapon that he used to fight off any enemies he encountered. Meanwhile, Wil used his own army to fight towards the plaza picking up any groups of students he could in order to out-Skill Tulm.

They weren't the only ones with plans though. [[Yerranola]] and [[Cameral]] teamed up with Yeranola creating a distraction by riding a cart at high speeds down into the plaza seemingly injuring a member of the Iron Vanguard in the process. That dullahan though was actually Cameral who got very close to entering the circle, but ended up coming up just short.

The other two forces got closer and closer to the plaza as well. Wil and Merrik's group had met up and charged at the Iron Vanguard only to be met once again by Xol. He personally took out both Peki and Merrik. The others managed to make it through though and eventually, Venaz, Marian, and Luan met up with Wil and his army. Realizing that the odds were still stacked against them, Feshi struck a deal with House Kallinad where in exchange for six trading caravans that would go through the gnoll plains, she would rile up the population of [[Daquin]] and lead them against the Iron Vanguard. Luan also played his part by paying children to hold off Xol for the final push. 

Marian, Venaz, and Wil were the final contenders for the victory. All three of them charged forward with their army racing to the inner circle in the plaza, and on the verge of victory, Umina popped out of the ground. She had secretly gone off earlier and made a deal with a group of [Nightmen] to help dig a tunnel right underneath the circle. When everyone else was distracted, she came up and won the game.<ref>[[Chapter 6.23 D]]</ref>

== Aftermath ==
With Umina's victory, the game was over and she received the right to ask a question of Niers and receive an artifact. She was not the only person rewarded though. [[Sillk]], the rogue, was rewarded for his ability to take out enemy commanders by being offered an apprenticeship with [[Foliana]]. Venaz was given the opportunity to get personal instruction in urban warfare under General [[Felk]]. Marian was to get personal instruction by the Forgotten Wing Company's weapons master on bow usage, and [[Kaelma]] was to lead [Scouts] on patrol for two weeks to account for their lack of leadership. Peki, Merick, and Feshi were all given chances to shadow [[Perorn Sadiluc|Perorn]] or her officers under various circumstances. On account of Wil's forethought and preparation, he did not receive extra training, though he did earn a question from Niers just like Umina.<ref>[https://wanderinginn.com/2019/06/11/6-24-d/ Chapter 6.24 D]</ref>

Wil used his question to ask for help for his house, but he wanted to ask for the location of a long lost treasure. Niers gave an honest answer about a sham marriage that was soon to happen between House Kallinad and the du Havrington family. Umina used hers to have a discussion on if she was special and to ask for the answer to what Tulm's question would have been which gave her enough clues to piece together the secret that there are [[dragons]] on [[Izril]] and potentially one on [[Baleros]]. At the end of the night, Niers had Foliana erase Wil's memory of his original question and gave him the answer to what he really wanted.<ref>[https://wanderinginn.com/2019/11/09/interlude-the-titans-question/ Interlude - The Titan's Question]</ref> This led him and his fellow students on a treasure hunt to retrieve the [[Diamond Swords of Serept]].<ref>[https://wanderinginn.com/2020/04/22/interlude-strategists-at-sea-pt-2/ Interlude - Strategists at Sea (Pt. 2)]</ref>

Besides the immediate rewards, the successful students and participants received continuous benefits in the form of world-wide recognition from all of the people that watched them on the [[Scrying orbs|scrying orbs]].

== Trivia ==

* Both the [[Aria Fellstrider|Bannermare]] and Archmage [[Nailihuaile]] were offered the chance to be seekers before Tulm, but they declined.

== References ==
[[Category:Events]]
[[Category:Baleros]]