"Josurr's" First Fight
Day 20 of Uktar dawned bright, if rather chill. Soon after Janatha brought the morning breakfast tray, Aerikoth departed the Gatereach guest house without speaking to anyone. In the early evening, both Aerikoth and the others returned to the guest house, where Rahnee asked him where he had gone off to in such a grumpy mood. Aerikoth denied being grumpy, stating in a neutral tone that he had not been aware that greeting everyone in the morning was of great importance.
Jokull observed that he was expected at the Quivering Thumb arena within the hour, receiving advice and good wishes from the group. Aerikoth stated that he failed to understand Jokull's desire to fight in the arena, inquiring if there was more to it than the combat; Jokull in reply indicated he would speak of this to Aerikoth at a later time. Jokull prepared to depart the guest house shortly, while the others agreed to leave shortly before the gladiator matches were to start, Aerikoth retiring to his room for the duration.
That night, the Quivering Thumb was packed, the entry fee having been waived and the normal betting limit raised to 100 gold. The group noted that Palla the Light and Sehlmari Ssemm from the Mercenaries Guild were at the arena again. Rahnee, Brok-Tul, and Marik all placed bets with Drugo the oddsmaker, who was giving 2-1 odds on Josurr in his fight with the snow cat. (This strikes me as rather low odds, so most likely the proprietor is deliberately promoting the popularity of betting on Josurr, with an eye toward future fights. An observation drawn from a previous life. --R) The other fights were the veteran fighter Boran versus the barbarian Ru'allah, to first blood, with the winner of that contest facing Gagh in a battle to the death.
Stanslav, the Thumb's proprietor, opened the bouts by introducing the fight lineup, starting with “Josurr Mountbatten,” described as a fallen Purple Dragon mysteriously driven to exile, versus a vicious snow cat from the mountains of Impiltur. As Stanslav's introduction ended, "Josurr" came up from the gladiator pit and strode forward into the arena, a magical barrier falling over the entrance once he was inside. His purple armor bright under the lights of the arena, Jokull – his face hidden by a helm - was greeted warmly by the audience, who applauded his dramatic gestures. The snow cat then entered the ring, coming up from a separate trap door inside the pit. As it began to stalk Jokull, the warrior threw his shield away and flourished his sword, drawing gasps and calls of appreciation from the crowd. The cat leaped at him and in a fierce, brief engagement was defeated by Jokull, who in the process received a nasty claw scratch to his side. Stanslav declared "Josurr" the victor, who as he exited the ring was heard by the crowd to say "...too easy." (Jokull seems to have a natural flair for the arena. --C)
The other fights were also entertaining. Boran triumphed by waiting for Ru'allah to overextend himself before scoring first blood. In the final match featuring Gagh, the half-orc fighter taunted Boran, who maintained his composure and traded blow for blow once Gagh closed in for the attack. Alas for Boran, Gagh was too strong, and in the end stood bloody and victorious over the veteran's corpse. As Brok-Tul, Rahnee, and Marik collected their gold from the oddsmaker, Aerikoth departed the arena, as did Jokull, who quietly slipped out after the final fight.
Day 20 of Uktar dawned bright, if rather chill. Soon after Janatha brought the morning breakfast tray, Aerikoth departed the Gatereach guest house without speaking to anyone. In the early evening, both Aerikoth and the others returned to the guest house, where Rahnee asked him where he had gone off to in such a grumpy mood. Aerikoth denied being grumpy, stating in a neutral tone that he had not been aware that greeting everyone in the morning was of great importance.
Jokull observed that he was expected at the Quivering Thumb arena within the hour, receiving advice and good wishes from the group. Aerikoth stated that he failed to understand Jokull's desire to fight in the arena, inquiring if there was more to it than the combat; Jokull in reply indicated he would speak of this to Aerikoth at a later time. Jokull prepared to depart the guest house shortly, while the others agreed to leave shortly before the gladiator matches were to start, Aerikoth retiring to his room for the duration.
That night, the Quivering Thumb was packed, the entry fee having been waived and the normal betting limit raised to 100 gold. The group noted that Palla the Light and Sehlmari Ssemm from the Mercenaries Guild were at the arena again. Rahnee, Brok-Tul, and Marik all placed bets with Drugo the oddsmaker, who was giving 2-1 odds on Josurr in his fight with the snow cat. (This strikes me as rather low odds, so most likely the proprietor is deliberately promoting the popularity of betting on Josurr, with an eye toward future fights. An observation drawn from a previous life. --R) The other fights were the veteran fighter Boran versus the barbarian Ru'allah, to first blood, with the winner of that contest facing Gagh in a battle to the death.
Stanslav, the Thumb's proprietor, opened the bouts by introducing the fight lineup, starting with “Josurr Mountbatten,” described as a fallen Purple Dragon mysteriously driven to exile, versus a vicious snow cat from the mountains of Impiltur. As Stanslav's introduction ended, "Josurr" came up from the gladiator pit and strode forward into the arena, a magical barrier falling over the entrance once he was inside. His purple armor bright under the lights of the arena, Jokull – his face hidden by a helm - was greeted warmly by the audience, who applauded his dramatic gestures. The snow cat then entered the ring, coming up from a separate trap door inside the pit. As it began to stalk Jokull, the warrior threw his shield away and flourished his sword, drawing gasps and calls of appreciation from the crowd. The cat leaped at him and in a fierce, brief engagement was defeated by Jokull, who in the process received a nasty claw scratch to his side. Stanslav declared "Josurr" the victor, who as he exited the ring was heard by the crowd to say "...too easy." (Jokull seems to have a natural flair for the arena. --C)
The other fights were also entertaining. Boran triumphed by waiting for Ru'allah to overextend himself before scoring first blood. In the final match featuring Gagh, the half-orc fighter taunted Boran, who maintained his composure and traded blow for blow once Gagh closed in for the attack. Alas for Boran, Gagh was too strong, and in the end stood bloody and victorious over the veteran's corpse. As Brok-Tul, Rahnee, and Marik collected their gold from the oddsmaker, Aerikoth departed the arena, as did Jokull, who quietly slipped out after the final fight.