You know me as The Stranger.
Conflict is a Discipline dear to my heart.
It takes a special kind of strength to embrace a Discipline where - on average - half of one's efforts end in cold defeat.
Generations ago, General Tefnakht's small band of warriors was approached by a much larger Assyrian army.
Instead of retreating, he called on his blacksmiths to create the Sevenblades. Ridiculous weapons that - when held high - made his army seem many times their actual size.
Seemingly outnumbered, the Assyrians fled.
Count yourselves lucky that no army threatens these lands today - for I doubt that this generation could produce a single mind of the old General's caliber.
Let us see if I am correct. I give you, The Test of the Sevenblade!
The game of sevenblade is played with ritual weapons known as "sevenblades". You will receive three sevenblades from the University of Conflict when you begin the test, and you may request more (from Schools or Universities of Conflict), but you must wait one hour and then a day between requests.
A sevenblade consists of seven weapons of varying types (dagger, axe, sword, etc.) branching from a central pole.
The game is played at a sevenblade arena.
A game begins with each player choosing a sevenblade from their inventory. Each player's blade is hidden from the opposing player until the end of the game. Once both players have selected blades, a random side is chosen to place a bid and begin the game.
A bid consists of a quantity and type of weapon--for example "two daggers" or "three swords". Weapons have different values; a bid of four swords is higher than one of four daggers.
Players alternate turns. On each turn, a player may either increase or challenge the current bid. The game ends when a player challenges. The challenger wins if the *combined* number of weapons in both players' sevenblades is insufficient to match the bid; otherwise the challenged player wins.
For example, if player A has chosen a sevenblade with two axes while player B has chosen a sevenblade with one axe, and player B bids three axes, player A will lose if he challenges. If player B had bid four axes, player A would win a challenge.
The winner of a game takes the loser's sevenblade. (Players often agree to return lost sevenblades once a match is done; it is best to agree beforehand whether a game is "for keeps".)
(The Sevenblades game is similar to the real-world game known variously as Liar's Dice, Perudo, Bluff, or Bullshit.)
The Rules of Sevenblade
The challenge of the Sevenblade is as follows: every Conflict initiate can request a Sevenblade from the University of Conflict. Every Sevenblade is unique - some are bristling with axe-heads, others are heavy with spiked maces. Two duelists meet at an arena, and both plant their Sevenblades into the ground. A wall separates the players, so that neither can see the other's Sevenblade.
One player is chosen to go first. This person must make a claim, much like one of the following: 'our Sevenblades have 3 axe heads.' or 'our Sevenblades have 4 trident heads.' The second player must either raise the bet, or deny. Eventually, somebody will deny. If the denial is correct, he who denied wins. But if the Sevenblades, taken together, have the requisite number, he who denied loses. It is traditional, when playing Sevenblade, that the winner takes the loser's blade. If necessary, you may obtain a replacement from the University of Conflict.
The History of Sevenblade
The entire Assyrian army was approaching, and General Tefnakht had only a despondent band of a hundred men to repel them. So Tefnakht called upon his blacksmiths. On his orders, they created a hundred hideous devices, the Sevenblades. These bristling monstrosities, each held high by a courageous soldier, made his little band appear to be a churning, heavily-beweaponed force. Fearlessly, they chared the Assyrians, who broke and fled. In honor of that masterful bluff, and the bizarre tool that made it possible, the game of Sevenblade was created.