Sparrowbones

 

Sparrowbones is a tile-based game popular throughout the four nations. It is typically played among four people in a standard match. It is a game of both skill and luck, and a good grasp of mathematics is usually able to considerably improve one's ability at the game. The pastime is very often associated with gambling. Sparrowbones was particularly popular in the shang cities during the early era of Yangchen. Different rule systems exist for Sparrowbones, with one known being the "Omashu-style".

Rules

Tiles are drawn from a treasure pile, which has a distinct pyramid shape. A tile is discarded after one is drawn. A standard set of bamboo-backed tiles include various suits, such as a mountain or a five-leaf on tiles. These hold number-based ranks. Melds make up part of a player's winning hand. Opponents' tiles cannot be seen, but only inferred by other players during a game. A winner can profit off any number of losers across a wide range of points.

Each player's hand is worth a certain number of points. While low value combinations can lead to rounds ending early and games being stalled considerably, a game end entirely once the table limit of points has been exceeded. A game can also be played with open stakes, without any table limit at all.

Several conditions can lead to points being doubled, such as landing single colors, or having a self-drawn move or completion. Doublers can also occur if a certain formation is during a player's first turn. Points are redoubled if a player goes out on their first turn. Penalties can also be incurred that can double one's losses, such as if the trove is upset by a player.

Any losses as a result of gambling can be fully annulled if it is determined that a player has been cheating on Sparrowbones.

There are several established nicknames for hands in Sparrowbones. These include:

• Flight of Returning Swallow Moths – Worth ten thousand base points
• Four Gales
• Guru Ascends the Mountain
• Stars in the Darkness – Worth three thousand base points
• Swords in the Armory – Worth at least eight thousand eight hundred base points
• Thirteen Ministers

History

Sparrowbones is a much younger game than the ancient game of Pai Sho, and only came into the world a generation or two before Avatar Szeto. Despite his brilliant grasp of mathematics and finance, Szeto himself never played the game, as he did not allow himself to indulge in frivolous pursuits. This meant that his immediate successor, Yangchen, was the first Avatar to play the game; having to learn the rules herself instead of relying on her strong connection to her past lives.

The game was highly popular in the shang cities in the aftermath of the Platinum Affair. Avatar Yangchen believed the game embodied the "age of money" that defined her early life. It was considered an unofficial "national sport" in Jonduri, and was the famous pastime of the carefree Zongdu Iwashi of Taku. Kavik learned how to play Sparrowbones during his time infiltrating Zongdu Chaisee's errand-runner association in Jonduri, and managed to humiliate the association's champion within a matter of days. He intentionally lost money that Tayagum and Akuudan provided while gambling on the game, using this as a chance to wheedle information out of the other errand-runners. He later pushed tiles around a Sparrowbones board with Jujinta as Kavik waited to board the Queen of Omashu to Bin-Er.

Zongdu Iwashi's love of Sparrowbones became considerably important to Avatar Yangchen and her companions as they tried to put an end to the threat of the Unanimity project at the Convocation of Taku. Yangchen assumed that Chaisee would be making her preparations to assassinate the world leaders through Iwashi, using the city's zongdu as a patsy. The Avatar therefore planned for Tayagum, Akuudan, and Jujinta to raid Iwashi's boat, the Bliss Eternal, while she and Kavik distracted the zongdu with Sparrowbones. Kavik, while posing as "Master Lio" in the Taku council hall, raised Iwashi's attention by making an offhanded reference to the game while giving advice to Zongdu Ashoona. This led to him and Yangchen being invited to play a game in Iwashi's parlor, with Chaisee acting as their fourth.

As the four prepared to begin the game, the parties involved agreed to gamble on huge amounts of money and extremely valuable items. Yangchen tried to pose as a humble Air Nomad who had no money, but Iwashi noted she could gamble with the public funds of Bin-Er, since she controlled the city's budget. Iwashi also offered Yangchen her glider-staff if she won, with the zongdu having bought it from a Bin-Er silent auction after the Avatar sold it to raise funds for projects in the northernmost shang city. Meanwhile, Chaisee offered a black pearl that was the result of her first successful catch on her home island. While Yangchen was still reluctant to siphon funds from the city in case anything went wrong, Kavik encouraged her to go ahead with the game.

The four players began to casually chat around the board. Chaisee shared news about the Saowon clan fortifying Ma'inka Island for future wars, which caused Yangchen to become infuriated. Iwashi also talked about his past, and how he gave up trying to put effort into his job as zongdu, as he believed he would only be besmirched one day like Zongdu Wonseok. These two led to Iwashi telling Yangchen that humanity was a poor investment, but the Avatar firmly told Iwashi that he was wrong, and that he always would be. When Iwashi took the first draw of the game, he immediately won by landing the highest scoring combination in the game in one deal. "Lio" quickly calculated for Iwashi that the odds of such a victory were one in three thousand seven hundred forty-four. Iwashi stated that he was leaving for his boat, unless the others wished to play again, offering open stakes without a table limit. While in the universal posture of the debtor, Yangchen agreed to keep playing the game.

As the group of four continued to play, "Lio" continued to lose considerable amounts of money. Iwashi eventually racked up a series of melds that ought to occur once in every fifty thousand games. Iwashi insisted that "Lio" was relying on numbers too much, stating that the tides of fortune were a real force, the same as the spirits. With Yangchen now risking putting Bin-Er in enormous debt if she continued to lose, she and "Lio" took a momentary break. With Yangchen spinning air around the pair in the hall to muffle their conversation, Kavik determined that Iwashi must be cheating. Yangchen was surprised she had not considered the possibility, but realized she had been distracted by her glider and Chaisee's presence. Kavik wanted to raise the stakes as high as the pair could when they returned to the game, but Yangchen wanted to catch him in the act so they could annul their losses. However, Kavik determined that Iwashi wouldn't be fazed in getting caught, as he just liked to hurt people. He also pushed them to fight for the people of Bin-Er, who desperately needed the money. The pair then started a fake argument over their losses before heading back into the parlor.

When they returned, Yangchen stated that the pair wished to surrender, as the game had proven the perfect cautionary tale against Air Nomads gambling. However, Iwashi offered another game where he would match their silver to his gold, a prospect that genuinely surprised both Yangchen and Kavik. "Lio" accepted Iwashi's "sportsmanlike" offer, and the four pushed their tiles back in for the shuffle. Kavik used an extremely subtle and precise act of waterbending to collapse a stack and have tiles spill towards Iwashi, meaning the zongdu had to incur a penalty. The waterbender was able to botch Iwashi's sleight of hand by freezing tiles together with his own sweat, as well as the ambient humidity in the room. As the Avatar and her companion chatted to Chaisee about The Lost Slipper, the same subtle technique allowed Kavik to manipulate the pile as it was rebuilt by sticking the ivory surfaces to his clammy, now frosted skin. Once Yangchen realized what Kavik was doing, she used firebending to steadily increase the temperature of the room, while she annoyed Iwashi by asking him to have the waiter fetch her some tea with lemon. Kavik made the very sweat on the back of Yangchen's neck pulsate thrice to communicate what tile he needed, causing the Avatar to palm a three of mountains, using her own sleight of hand to do so. She flicked it to him under the table, but Kavik was not ready to accept it, and the frozen condensation from the Avatar's drink caused the tile to stick to his trousers. Iwashi was hugely irritated at the delay, but Yangchen and Chaisee began to talk about what they could do with all the money. Iwashi chose to discard a five-leaf, but this led to "Lio" announcing a spectacular winning combination for himself.

A frazzled Iwashi swept all the tiles back into the pool before Kavik could even show off his victory, and he demanded to play again. Chaisee encouraged him to stop, but Iwashi stated he was not quitting in the middle of a rotation. However, at that very moment, those in the parlor realized the Bliss Eternal was on fire, forcing the game to end. Yangchen and "Lio" left the meeting hall in solemn silence, but the Avatar's companion did make a point of taking her glider-staff off the wall. He also tried to give Chaisee's pearl back to her, but she demanded that the winner keep the spoils. The pair had also won Bin-Er enough money to put its troubles at bay for a long while yet. Iwashi did not have enough liquidity to cover his considerable losses, and could only take so much from Taku's coffers. This led to Chaisee taking on Iwashi's personal debts off the books, in exchange for his art collection.

Notable players

• Ashoona
• Chaisee
• Iwashi
• Jujinta
• Kavik
• Yangchen

Trivia

• Sparrowbones is very similar to mahjong. Mahjong's name literally means "little sparrows", and is also typically played among four players. The pastime is also more modern than it is ancient, dating to the 19th century.

 See also

• Recreation in the World of Avatar