Tournament · Book 3 · Magelord
Minalan's open tournament for a witchstone — won by the twelve-year-old Dara ahead of the warmage frontrunner Jendaran the Trusty.
The Spellmonger's Trial was Minalan's open contest in Magelord to award a witchstone. Magi from across the Duchies came to Sevendor to attempt the trial on the mountain. The warmage Jendaran the Trusty — six inches taller than Minalan, chain-hauberked, double-braided and heavily favoured — reached the summit rock and found the prize already taken.
The winner was the twelve-year-old falconer Dara of Westwood, whose hawk had reached the summit first and lifted the prize away. Jendaran went nearly mad with grief and rage; the Coinbrothers were summoned to investigate fraud; Minalan eventually compromised by granting Dara a witchstone anyway and giving Jendaran a lesser one. The episode marks the beginning of Dara's arc as the Hawkmaiden.