The Melee is an event for Knights that have registered with the Earl Marshal.

The Melee has several component parts. They are as follows:
1) The Charge
When you make your first post, you should include your wing (either left or right) and which force you are in. The armies begin 10m from each other, advance toward each other, and engage in combat. Please observe the combat rules closely.

2) The Scrum
After the initial charge, the warriors dismount and fight on foot. Squires rush forward to swap out weapons if requested. Anyone Knocked Down in the initial charge triggers the "Help! I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!" portion of the event. Characters may take any actions permitted in a standard combat. Fallen characters are considered to be in the center of the field. Rounds in the Scrum phase will continue until either all members of a team are incapacitated, or one of the Kings yields the field.

3) Notice Me!! Notice ME!!!!
A Melee is not all about beating up on your opponents and taking their stuff; it's also about looking good while doing it. After making a blow that Knocked Down an opponent, a character may call the Lionheart's (or another major NPC's) attention to his feat of arms. Characters must check their Modesty trait before they attempt this stage. If a character is able to take a Prideful action, either not being swept away by Modesty or actively being swept away by their Pride, then the character may make an Orate roll to call out his mightiness and catch their chosen observer's eye.

Successful characters receive an additional +50 glory for each such successful recognition.

4) A Squire's Lot(Situational)
If the worst should happen and you should get disarmed for whatever reason, your trusty squire is here to help! He will do his utmost to get you a new weapon from your equipment. Unfortunately, he must get to you through the rigors of combat. The squire moves from your staging area at his movement rate while making a Dodging dexterity test. If he fails, a damage roll will be applied to him as he is accidentally injured and unable to make it to you this round.

You can assist him in his endeavors by declaring an Evasion action to get out of the scrum. If you are successful, you will be able to meet up with him behind the scrum, safely out of danger. If you are hit, however, you are stuck in combat and the squire must still make his attempt.

It is Bad Form to attack or injure a squire…but "accidents" happen. If a squire is in the scrum as a result of a failed Dodge roll, a character may incapacitate a squire "on accident." An incapacitated squire cannot ferry weapons, and may be severely injured for the duration of the game; a painful loss of a great help to his master.

Characters who are truly Just would never strike a squire, but an Arbitrary character certainly might. Characters must check against their Arbitrary trait to strike a squire. A squire who is struck is automatically incapacitated. You lose 50 Glory from the total you gain for the tournament and lose 1 point of your Honor passion. You may make a Deceit check against the Awareness of those observing to avoid this Glory loss by masking your indecorous blow as something quite accidental. Oops.

5) Help! I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!
When in the course of combat one or more characters knock down another character, they will have the opportunity to capture that character for ransom. To accomplish this, the characters must successfully get their knocked-down opponent out of the scrum and into their team's staging area. Of course, the enemy team won't make it easy for them.

As long as there is a combatant who is Knocked Down, a combatant on foot may declare his intention to Secure that combatant using a contested Strength check to pull that combatant a distance equal to their movement toward their team's staging area.

The staging area is 10 movement points away from the center of the field.

Up to two Characters friendly to the Securing character may also assist in the securing, in which case they also make Strength checks, which will be compared to that of the fallen man.

Up to two characters friendly to the fallen combatant may also attempt to secure the fallen combatant, in which case they also make a contested Strength check. All checks will be compared, and the most successful person will move the fallen combatant toward their staging area a distance equal to their movement.

Characters who declare a Secure action who take damage during the round are taken out of the accounting for the round's Secure action---they are too busy trying to defend themselves to worry about the spoils for the moment! Only characters who have Exceptional valor may ignore their injuries and continue to be accounted for.

Characters who are Secured are out of the Melee. Their fates will be adjudicated by the knight who defeated them in stage six.

6) The Spoils of (Mock) War
Characters who have Secured another character determine their fate. The nature of the ransom is yours to determine, but generally is limited to the horse, armor, and weaponry of the defeated knight and its equivalent value.

Characters that have been Secured (or their friends and family) must pay the ransom or the Secured character must remain in his opponent's custody.

Understand that ransoms that are very high or very low will have repercussions in the court of public opinion. Players may wish to check their Generous trait for guidance as to how to operate, here. Characters with extraordinary (16 or higher) Generosity or Selfishness must make checks.

The Melee Rewards: 1 Falcon and 300 Glory to the last man standing. If multiple members of the same team are standing at the end of the combat, this Glory is divided amongst them. Each enemy a knight defeats during the melee earns him 1/2 the normal glory for combat.

Wine and Wit in the Reserves
The Reserves are the place to be. One can rub elbows with many knights, enjoying fine wine and subtly promoting or disparaging the efforts one's allies in the field. Just be ready to step in when the King calls!

This event is solely for knights who have registered for the Melee but are not in the initial charge. You are on the field, but remain back in the staging areas until called to take part in the scrum. This is essentially an RP thread with 2 optional event components.

Option 1) Once during your time in the Reserves you may make an Awareness roll to notice an event or action worth commenting upon in the scrum. If you are successful, you must roll to Recognize the person performing the action. If you are successful, you may then make an Intrigue or a Compose roll to comment upon the action. A success will permit you to add or subtract 25 from the glory achieved by that combatant during the Melee, and earn 10 glory yourself for your wit.

Option 2) You must always be ready to rush to the aid of your team when the signal is called. When a combatant is Knocked Down in the course of the engagement, the Earl Marshal will signal the knights in that team's reserve with a flag from the royal box. One knight may join for each knight that falls, but you must be able to keep one eye open to recognize the signal when it comes.

When a knight falls, you must make a successful Tourney roll to enter the main Melee thread. In addition, characters must test Valorous and achieve either a success or a neutral result. If a character ends up being compelled to be Cowardly, they forfeit the opportunity to enter the scrum this time, but may try again later.

If all characters in the Reserves fail their rolls, they fall in the esteem of the court and their houses lose 25 glory from the total accumulated during the Melee.

If a character is the last man in the Reserves and fails his roll, he is shamed before the court. His house loses 100 glory from the total accumulated during the Melee, and the Lionheart, William the Lion, and the Earl Marshal will no longer have anything to do with them.