Gravvabow - a wildspace sport pt 2

pt 2 ;)



Courses & Prizes


 Courses have popped up all over the place - many mobile in fact, due to the
game's wildspace nature.  There are several Whaleships, and other
pleasure-craft, conducting "Gravvabow Tours" through known spheres.  If, in
the campaign, Bral is not stationary (as in the Star of the Enerithan
campaign, this author's home-brew), this is particularly interesting, as
once or twice during Bral's stay in a sphere, tours may be available, of the
sphere, with Gravvabow tournaments aboard.  Other ships simply take a
multi-spheric course, constantly dropping off at ports to drop off, and pick
up more passengers.  The most famous such is a whaleship, the Herd, and has
been travelling the spheres in such a course for 50 years, recently
bolstering its profits by holding tournaments at certain locations.  It
takes more than 5 years to do a complete tour of its course, and is
anticipated at every port it stops at.

 Courses themselves are described by a number of figures and letters.  The
number of ranges, the courses offered on said ranges, the membership price
(not including the bow or balls), the prize money offered at standard
tournaments, the frequency, in standard weeks, of tournaments, a tri-monthly
average of members, and a standard cost for on-site accomodation.  The
resident Bralian course, and several others, are presented below.
Difficulty is given in values of practice (Pr), basic (Ba), moderate (Mo),
expert (Ex), and dedicated tournament (DT).  All courses, of course, can be
re-arranged, at cost, in other configurations, excepting dedicated
tournament courses, such as the famous cloud course of Rath (the owner).
Also note that membership cost is per 3 month period, and charge's are
placed on a tab during times of non-communication with members, unless they
notify the appropriate course of discontinuing their membership.  This,
while seemingly a bit rude, provides the courses with the income needed to
keep incoming cash in what can be sometimes very isolated regions - in fact,
the Krynnspace "Moons of Zivvylyn" actually only opens for two weeks every
three months.

Course Name   Stats
Royal Bralian   12/PrMoEx/5gp/1,000gp/6/2000
Rath's Cloud*   8/DT/25gp/5,000gp/24/500
Moons of Zivvylyn*  15/PrBaMoEx/15gp/2,750gp/12/1000
Elven Academy course 8/PrBaMoEx/none/none/52/non-specific membership
The Ogre Brutabow  4/BaMo/5cp/100gp/1/20000
Generic small course  8/Ba/Mo/10sp/750gp/12/200
Generic large course  12/Pr/MoEx/15gp/1,500gp/8/750

Profit Calculation
Membership fee X avg members = 3 months intake
12 weeks / tournament prize = 3 months loss
3 months intake - 3 months loss = avg 3 monthly turnover

Also note that, while a course may be closed at certain times, there is
generally someone there always.  For instance, the Moons of Zivvylyn, while
open for only only said two weeks of twelve, does have a live-in
course-keeper, who can open the course for a 10gp per day, per person fee,
but without the typical support offered (described below).  Courses that are
only open during the two week tournaments are listed with an asterisk.
Other courses, obviously, do not charge for "non-tournament" time use, apart
from membership fees.  A guest pass of one fifth membership fee grants a
traveller a two day temporary membership.

Specific courses are now discussed.  Names are in bold, while avg
tri-monthly turnover is in brackets after the name.  Note that pay to
employees of the course, and other course expenses, are not included in the
turnover, but not are extra incomes such as those from taverns, lodging, and
equipment sales, as these vary greatly from site to site.

Royal Bralian (8,000gp)
The Royal Bralian course is maintained by Prince Andru himself.  Membership
is not restricted, and tournaments are held every 6 weeks, with an exception
to the standard tournament rule, that 30 random commoners of a list where
they may place their names down, gaining free entry (although, based upon
Bral's typical corrupt heirachy, anywhere from half to all of these entries
may be bribed into).  The prize comes out of Prince Andru's pocket itself,
as he wins most of the time anyway (although the validity of the tournament
is, at times, questioned, by those stupid enough to want to be jettisoned
with Bral's garbage).

Rath's Cloud (11,875gp)
This course lies within a (non-specified) distant, and unknown crystal
sphere.  Every two years, a ship lands upon Bral, with a  teleporting device
to this sphere, and the course within.  Entry is available only to members,
who must have been in the Bralian, or Zivylyn tournament's top 20, for at
least four weeks before the arrival of said ship.  The mysterious ship
itself is a tradesman, flown by light-skinned humanoids, who do not speak,
and have no ears.  It is rumoured that Rath has enslaved these beings, and
that they naturally live within the cloud his tournament takes place in.

Course membership is paid every time the ship arrives, 24 months in advance,
gaining access to the teleportation chamber.  Obviously, a great amount of
on-site accommodation is available, at varying values.  Rath himself is a lv
8 thief, standing 6 and a half feet tall.  His mother was an Aperusa, and he
retains some of her accent, and certainly much of his charms.  A great deal
of betting goes on at Rath's Cloud, in fact, during the "night shift" (when
the competitors are sleeping), Rath himself teleports through his device,
back to Bral, tallying up the stakes so far, and taking more bets.  Once a
bet is placed, it cannot be retracted, but it can be raised, or another
could be made.

Moons of Zivvylyn (12,250gp)
 With one of the most panoramic views as far as courses go, the Moons of
Zivvylyn is run by a Krynnish hill dwarf, called Dougan Redhammer.  Any
similarity to historical named figures, however, is purely coincidental
(cough).

 Dougan runs a very beautiful course, with nearly every target having a
bonus shot.  The prize, while small, also comes with a magnificently carved
trophy, made of marble, by Dougan himself.  He makes these trophies during
the time between tournaments, when many rich nobles from many spheres seek
accommodation at his course, in addition to training by the dwarf himself,
who has never struck a star field, supposedly, in his life!

 There is almost 3 times as much income at the moons' from betting than from
memberships, accommodation fees, and course fees.  Dougan keeps a small
cadre of Krynnish kagonesti elves on his books, to keep the flora and fauna,
and several ex-solamnic knights as guards, and more importantly, tourist
attractions.  The accents of these, and others serving him, are a great
amusement to all visiting, but, betting and competition aside, the ale is
the biggest drawer (in fact, at times it rivals everything else put
together).  Dougan makes a rich wonderful selection of dozens of ale's, from
"Krynnish Dirtkicker" (as he calls it), to the hair-raising "Mind Flayer".
None of his ale, however, is available for export, and everyone who has ever
tried has been seized by Dougan's vessel, a hammership known as Ansalon's
Pride.

 Dougan's is perhaps the most reliable of all courses in regards of cheats -
as there is a fine of 1,000gp for cheats, and supposedly none have managed
to slip through his fingers.

The tournament at Zivilynn also has a carnival once per year, where many
traders come to sell their goods, and "gravity plane entertainment rides"
run by gnomes are popular (Dougan lets only mad tinker gnomes upon his
course).  These involve ropes, wound between two large wheels, and tied
together.  Seats with bolting bars are attatched, and dozens of giant space
hampsters in gigantic wheels provide the pull for the ropes, rocketing those
in the seats through the gravity planes of a dozen differently angled air
envelopes.  The effect is such that, within the thirty seconds the "ride"
takes, one goes through a dozen switches in gravity, aswell as the
weightlessness of wildspace itself, and then back again.  Only once has the
ride broken, and the gnomes were certain (relatively) that all (or most) of
the people upon the ride were recovered from their "wildspace journey".
Since, a large net is positioned on either end, and a committee takes the
names, home address', and attatches ropes to everyone purchasing entry.


Elven Academy Course
 The great elven naval academy (found in a separate document) also holds a
course, for use by any elf (apart from Drow, of course), of any nationality,
that is not specifically at war with the IEN.  Their tournament takes place
on a grand, beautiful course, sometimes with a great deal of bonuses, and
with elven craft of all types present, both as background, as guard, and
obstacles.  Unfortunately, due to the prestige given to tournament
champions, it is one of the most cheated upon courses of all.  Accomodation
is available for non IEN elves, at a small cost, as is a practice grounds.
IEN guards maintain posts on each and every range, but the cheating
described above, still continues.

The Ogre Brutabow (-200gp)
The competition of the Ogre Brutabow is a slight modification upon Gravvabow
itself.  It actually involves larger bows, and the severed heads of various
races.  A tradesman carrying Gravvabow supplies was captured by a group of
Scro, with a force of Ogres aboard.  One of the ogres, stealing the small
spectacles of the now-dead helmsman, managed to read the rules of the game
(as the glasses had the power of making their wearer understand any
language, even if he couldn't read), and the fun began.

After the first five minutes, all the bows were snapped, most of the balls
were either lost, eaten, inserted into strange places, or generally
destroyed, and the game was over.  Taking up a bow taken from a giant
comrade, the glasses wearing ogre used a dinner bowl, and the severed head
of the helmsman, to run the course.  Since, it is a weekly occurance within
a colony of some twenty thousand ogres, causing many of them to constantly
test their strengths (as they typically have the target's facing towards
them, and find it easier to splat the heads against the targets, instead of
gently land them).  Of course, this keeps them out of the hair of their Scro
masters, pleasing them no end.

Entry into the course is available to, generally, anyone, but only the Ogres
of the colony seem to be sadistic enough, and more-so easily amused enough,
to take part.  The course actually runs at a loss, which the Scro
war-leaders cover, and frequently, more money has to be spent to clean,
discipline, and replace ogres slain from infighting during the tournaments,
than is actually made from the shanty-like tavern the glasses wearing ogre
runs.  Accomodation is available, usually in the form of the ground around
the tavern, which is quite large, obviously.

 No bonuses are available on the ogre's course, as while the target's size
compared to the head's used as balls isn't too drastically unproportionate,
the special rings, platforms, and other obstacles captured along with the
course fields themselves are, and in any case, no ogres hands have the
dexterity to screw them together regardless.  Also note that, as a general
rule, the target's of the ogre range's are typically tied together (so that
the impact of the severed head does not send the target flying), and the
ogres climb up/down the ropes to travel between the fields.  Finally, it is
not unknown for most ogres to forego the bow, which actually disqualifies
them from the tournament, as most are to drunk to care.

Generic Courses (variable)
The two generic courses listed are applicable for any location.


Tournaments


 Tournaments take place over two weeks, with a large board holding the
positions of all competitors for spectators to watch.  Furthermore, seats on
platforms are hauled from storage, and spectators are charged a silver piece
for a day pass to watch, and walk-ways to separate-run bars, usually on
tradesmen, are available.  As stated previously, there are several cruise
ships running longer tournaments, that can take up to 3 months, spanning
across an entire sphere, or even several.


The Phlogiston


 Several races (particularly gnomes and giff) have adapted this game to be
used in the phlogiston.  Using smoke-powder, projectile "canons", they fire
their balls, at a speed more like bullets, at targets over 500 feet away.
The main feat, apart from surviving the explosion, is to get the ball to the
target, as the currents of the phlogiston can warp the ball's course.
Furthermore, large basket-like catchers are used instead of the standard
targets, a ten feet wide basket, inside a 20 feet wide basket, inside a 30
feet wide basket.

The giff see this variant not as a game, or a test of skill, but as training
for combat, and a right that should be afforded to everyone.  Giff
mercenaries everywhere are pooling their money, and purchasing gnomish
modified Gravvabow sets (which, in truth, retain only the ball from the
original set, which the gnomes fully purchase), along with bargaining for
less pay in their contracts, for the right to stop once a week, while in the
flow, and practice.  Many captains dissuade this behaviour, however, as not
only does it waste time, but it usually fouls their air, damages their ship,
crew, and the mercenaries they have hired, and tends to throw them off
course slightly from the constant explosions pushing them in a direction.




Tilaurin
tilaurin@?????????????????.com
or
tilaurin@???????.com
http://www.planetbaldursgate.com/atreus/index.html
"Out of the silent planet/Dreams of desolation.
Out of the silent planet/Come the demons of creation"
Iron Maiden - Out of the Silent Planet (Brave New World album) 2000