Murder is the Pits

[Kahuna Burger]

ooc: damn, I lied anyway, they've gotten rid of the doodle imvironment. Bastards!

 

[ajanders]

ooc: damn, I lied anyway, they've gotten rid of the doodle imvironment. Bastards!

Well, I do have Yahoo IM, look for my email at ajanders@earthlink.net.
Character response will be coming likely tomorrow: today's getting full.

 

[Jennileerose]

You are awoken in the morning by the sound of a gong, echoing though the barracks section. There are eleven other gladiators housed here, mostly human or half elven, but with two large half orcs and a halfling in the mix. Two of the humans apear to be twin brothers, though after the 'elf' pair yesterday its perhaps best not to jump to conclusions. Micheal's shrewd bed choice allows him a clean shot at the lavatory, and by the time everyone is up and dressed, Petra has entered the room, causing everyone else to come to some sort of attention.

"good morning, you may have noticed we have some new recruits. They come highly recomended from the Orrussuss region and will be on the Fast Track." She pauses for a moment to let the flurry of whispers die down, then continues, "We've had to move some things around to get them on the schedule, so, Click and Clack, Tiny and Mountain, your doubles matches for today have been cancelled." She speaks firmly over the mumbles this time, with a look that quiets the group down quickly. "The four of you will be participating with the new four in a beast mellee tommorrow, however, so you'll get your ring time. Help them look good, our master needs some good publicity for the new faces." With that she approaches you as a group and says "Breakfast is in the main room, you're free to take whatever you want. I'll be meeting with you an hour before your matches for gear up, in the meantime, feel free to explore the pits and get a feel for your new environment. Remember, absolutely no betting against members of your own stable."

From the reactions, you would say that Click and Clack are the twins, and Tiny and Mountain are an unusual pair consisting of the halfling and one of the half orcs.

You go into the main room, which is laid out with porrige and some meats, and Lenc swiftly waves Micheal and Vanitri (and the rest if you want) over to his table, where he introduces Micheal grandly as "the man who saved my face." In between stuffing said face, he meantions that he has no matches today (as he was expected to have a much longer recovery time from his injuries) and has time to show Vanitri around the betting office and such.


Rosalynn [sblock]You get the impression that your "fast tracking" is a little demeaning to the more expereinced members of the stable, and you noticed four gladiators in particular who seemed to take it badly, including one half elf, the twins and a very large human. Particularly the decision to preempt other gladiators 'ring time' for you may have caused some jealousy, though Petra is accorded enough respect that no one would challange the decision directly. The halfling and half orc appeared mostly molified by the news they would be part of a new fight instead, the twins less so.[/sblock]

Rosalynn takes a small amount of food and sits down between Michael and Vanitri.

Eating quietly and avoiding the stares from the others, she tries to mentally prepare herself for her first match.

 

[Bront]

You go into the main room, which is laid out with porrige and some meats, and Lenc swiftly waves Micheal and Vanitri (and the rest if you want) over to his table, where he introduces Micheal grandly as "the man who saved my face." In between stuffing said face, he meantions that he has no matches today (as he was expected to have a much longer recovery time from his injuries) and has time to show Vanitri around the betting office and such.

"Sounds like a plan to me my friend. Might be good to find out what we're up against today as well." Vanitri will keep an eye out for anyone who appears irked by this 'Fast Track' as well as keep an ear open for anyone talking about them.

 

[ajanders]

Rosalynn awakens and stretches. She reaches into her pack and pulls out her flute.

She practices a new song softly, hoping none of the others will mind. Music was needed to calm her nerves as she had no idea what could happen today.

She looked around the room, insrument silent but still at her lips as her gaze rests on Micheal's.

Michael awakes at the start of the fourth watch, faintly surprised not to be murdered in his sleep and somewhat provoked.
You'd think an assassin would have more sense...
He rolls out of bed softly and pulls on a battered pair of hose and an old tunic. His holy symbol he leaves under the tunic, next to his heart.
The door makes no sound as he opens it, which he finds a pleasant surprise, and he washes his face and hands at the lavatory. It is time for Work.
Back in the dormitory, he reaches under his pillow and pulls out the bag of stones he's collected. He sorts through them by touch until he finds the one Master Haddo gave him years ago:levin-struck sandstone, elongated, twisted, jagged, and altogether confusing, but still stone and worthy of respect.
It's entirely right for her as it never has been for him. Strange how Sela works.
He rolls the stone between his fingers, rounding it smooth against the calluses of his palms, as he focuses his mind and smoothes the jagged edges of his thoughts.
Breathing slows. His mind focuses on the stone in his hands, then on the Stone whose hands he's in.
Why was I called to a gladiator arena?
No answer comes, of course. Sela has never believed in easy answers, which can be frustrating. The stone rasps in his hands as he thinks.
A community is a group of individuals working towards a common goal. Is Petra's gladiator team a community?
The stone ceases to turn widdershins and rasps out a different rhythm as it begins to move deasil.
It is a group of individuals, but each individual strives to better themselves, and only themselves. The goal is not common: everyone wants to gain fame.
How do they gain fame?
The stone nearly drops from his fingers as the answer flashes in his head.
The goal of the gladiators is to become famous. But each team is only famous because of the gladiators within it: the group cannot become great unless each individual member is great, as one ill-shaped stone spoils a building.
A second insight physically jolts him until he drops the stone in his lap.
And each team is part of the organization of the arena: the arena has no value except as a place where teams compete. If each team is a building, the arena is a town of buildings. The arena is a community, and threatened by the chaotic acts of the murderer. As Petra's gladiators die, the team is diminished. As the team is diminished, the arena is diminished. What greater community might be affected if the arena is diminished? The concept of such a community staggers a man from a farming village of fifty people.
Michael clutches the stone is his lap for a minute, dizzied from social vertigo.
"Now I know." he croaks.
"Ohh...meditation rush..."
He closes his eyes and slows his breathing again, choosing his spells carefully.

0 Level
1. Detect Poison
2. Guidance
3. Guidance

1 Level
1. (Readied)
2. (Readied)
Domain:Strength: Enlarge Person

The sound of a flute recalls him to himself, and he looks up to see Rosalynn watching him.
Instinctively, he checks his fly. Yep, barn door's closed. Satisfied, he looks back up at her and smiles.
"Good morning, Rosalynn. Thank you for piping in the dawn."
He looks at her for a moment.
"Did you sleep well?"

 

[Jennileerose]

The sound of a flute recalls him to himself, and he looks up to see Rosalynn watching him.
Instinctively, he checks his fly. Yep, barn door's closed. Satisfied, he looks back up at her and smiles.
"Good morning, Rosalynn. Thank you for piping in the dawn."
He looks at her for a moment.
"Did you sleep well?"

Rosalynn smiles. Yes, I did, thank you. She replies quietly, letting the instrument sit lightly across her lap as she turns her head in concentration, thinking of what songs she could use in her battles.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

A walk through the betting office (for vanitri and anyone else interested) reveals that Vanitri and Micheal have been scheduled to fight a pair called "Wind and Fire" while Rosalynn and Ironwolf are going up against "The Wall", who are apparently a pair of half orcs. You are ranked slightly lower than your opponents, but with an asterisk indicating that you are a new and unknown quantity. Bets on your match are at 3:4 odds, meaning if you bet three gold peices, you can win four.

ooc: I'm going to run the first match for whichever pair has more availability this week, so sing out with your posting frequency for the moemnt.

 

[Patlin]

ooc: I'm able to post this week, no problems anticipated.

Ironwolf frowns, torn between a dislike for gambling and the knowledge that he's betting his life every time he walks into the arena anyway. He decides to avoid betting on his first match, but to reconsider in the future.

 

[ajanders]

Should be able to make short posts this week, no difficulty.

Michael gives Rosalynn a supportive handclasp as he trails in Vanitri's wake, asking a few questions about Wind and Fire.
As he's linked to Earth, this begins to sound awfully mystical to him.
Does anyone have any war stories about Wind and Fire? (or either one singly?)

 

[Bront]

"Thanks for your help Lenc. Are there any limits on bets as far as how much you can wager?"

Vanitri will try to gather any information he can about "Wind and Fire" and "The Wall" (Gather information +4) before he places his bets. He also hopes he can get in contact with Petra, since she spoke of equipment that he and his companions could use.

OOC: My availability is pretty open for at least 1 post a day, usually more is not a problem. My suggestion would be to run both fights simultaniously if that's possable and ok with you. Just make 2 posts titled for each different fight, and that should save everyone some time.