Crush's baleful look keeps a wicked-nosed Cyran away, but it distracts him long enough to almost loose his sled. He manages to catch himself, but others have begun to catch up.
[1 Failure]
Ryk's taunting of a hulking Cyran that just barreled through two of the hobs is enough to startle the foe, giving the plainsman an opening to barrel through him at the same time.
[I'll remind everyone that you get 1 skill roll (besides mandatory ones I ask); Spring and Ryk don't get two. As it is, you succeed]
Bellegon uses his knowledge of what he has seen of this district to seem to come out of nowhere above the Cyran that was pestering Crush. It gives the warforged some time to recover his sled and sends the human back apace.
[No were really to hide right now, so I'll use Streetwise. 1 Success.]
Vok snickers at a lithe Cyran that was pestering the hogoblin female (a fetching human if not for her flat eyes), and she smiles in agreement to work together for the moment. With Vok's distraction, she is able to make a quick leg sweep that sends the antagonist flying...
[Success]
Rikka, who was watching all of this as she glided through, sees her opening at takes it. As the Cyran who was bothering Vok spins out of control, she rams his sled with her own, sending it spiraling into his compatriots. She then speeds into the clear.
[Success. You pass the stage! But...]
Rikka races ahead, the rest of her team close behind and the hobs not too far distant. Coming around a thin spire mounted at angles to a larger tower, she sees the final banner. A sprint across the skyway will do it, and no other team seems to have passed the banner...
BAMPF!
With a sudden noise, an aristocratic looking human just appears out in front of the shifter without warning. A few more BAMPFs later and a whole team sudden appears in the air, soarsleds screaming. One of them, a rakishly thin one, turns to the Five Winds and gives them a jaunty wave before they pull ahead. The interlopers are pass the final gate before Rikka can catch up. The gathered crowd goes wild![sblock=Rikka, Ryk, Vok]You clearly see what appears to an iridescent blue-white tatoo on his check. A dragonmark![sblock=Arcana/History 10]House Orien to be sure.[/sblock][/sblock]The crowd continues to cheer as The Five Winds pass the gate, followed closely by Blood of the Six Kings, Team First Against the Wall (who managed to pass the disoriented Cyrans), the Cyrans of Dannel's Sorrow. Other teams slowly make their way through, for four have been disqualified: Team Six Bridges for failing to make the fourth gate after one ran into a shadowed wall, Team Bloody Hands for failing to make the first gate after one fell from their sled (the search is ongoing), and Team Bear's Honors and Tallain's rangers for opening baring arms after the leader of the latter called the leader of the former a "guttersnipe." The former First Corporal of the King's Lancers did not take that to well.
On a new podium, Lord ir'Haran declares Team Horn's Apex the winners of the first stage. Their leader, the aristocratic one, bows and waves to the gathered crowd who cheer once again. The cheer is still loud when the Five Winds are called for their winning.
There will be a short intermission while the second test is prepared. Teams, please await being called in turn! With that, there is little to do but wait.
[A short break for any RP. I'll move on early next week]
Final Results
Stage 1
Successes: 4/4 Failures: 0/3
Stage 2
Successes: 4/4 Failures: 0/3; Bellegon lost 1 HS
Stage 3
Successes: 4/4 Failures: 0/3
Stage 4
Successes: 4/4 Failures: 1/3; Ryk lost 1 HS
Stage 5
Successes: 4/4 Failures: 1/3
Overall
10/1 Success to Failure Ratio. Great!