(http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m618/nanakieve/6206.jpg)<br/><br/><strong>-The Republic of Aerlund, the 2nd year of the eighth cycle-</strong><br/><br/>The last Grand Tournament has ended and a warrior ascended to the title 'God of War', his deeds immortalized in legend. For the champion, it is the end of his journey, for the rest of the world, it is the start of another. While the next grand tournament is far away, many young warriors will begin their own road to Faralis during this period of inactivity. Smaller tournaments will be held all around the continent of Ilmaril and while these tournaments will not give the victor the right to enter the Arena of Eternity, they do provide rewards, both in the form of wealth as well as fame. In short, they're stepping stones to the big leagues. They also, however, attract many warriors who are not interested in becoming champions in the first place. These local sellswords and thugs knows that they will never reach the level of champions, but perhaps they feel like they can prey on the rookies, the novice and the journeymen starting their career in the arenas. They do it not for glory, but for Cash as well as temporary fame which often leads to getting laid.<br/><br/>Three of these tourneys stand out due to their considerable reward. The Journeyman Cup is held in Aerlund's capital of Kingshelm. It is held by the many duelist academies of Aerlund and it's winners will be considered for a scholarship in one of the four major academy.  The second one, the Tournament of Lyss is held in the port of Lyss in the southern borders of Aerlund. It is sponsored by the merchant's guild and boasts the highest monetary reward for an off-season tourney. The last of the three is The Gala of Blades, is created by the Government of Aerlund to attract it's youth into becoming an Arena fighter. It is a prestigious event and it is here that the best newcomers appear. The winner will receive a sword of the republic, a blade made by the finest smiths of Aerlund and presented to the winner as both a trophy and a mighty weapon with which they will carve a career with.<br/><br/>The big three is a source of endless conversation in the Tavern called 'the ring', which is a famous hangout place for Arena fans. It's owner, Marcus Two-Hammer was once a contestant in the Arena of Eternity, but his crushing defeat left him with a crippled right leg and even though he can still walk now with the help of a cane, his fighting days are over. People still flock to him however, be they arena fans wanting to get a good story, betting men and women trying to get a tip on which fighter to bet for or young fighters wanting to benefit from his experience.<br/><br/>As the bar opened, people began to show up, regulars who are there daily and who Marcus knew by name. The dark haired ex-warrior limped over to each one of them as they entered, greeting them with a warm smile, for even though he was once a champion (one of Aerlund's many, anyways) adored by the crowd, he is now but a tavern owner, and unlike the fickle crowd who forgot about him the moment he lost his leg, these men and women are his friends still.