OOC Thread
Like any small and insular community, the arena had its hierarchies, its rituals, its peculiarities. Its small kindnesses and petty cruelties. And, of course, its gossip.
Word had been out for days that a new arena would be unveiled this afternoon – construction had been going on non-stop – and with it a special death match. A political prisoner of some sort was to be slaughtered by the monsters that he had spoken out for, as a kind of poetic justice from a state that was not usually concerned with either justice or poetry. The identity of the prisoner was guessed at, and several names had been floated, but no one seemed to know for sure.
Certainly, it’s unusual to have a prisoner face more than one monster. Cowdenbeath had at times faced up to a dozen men, although always in non-lethal matches. Iktnekt had become adept at fighting multiple opponents. But monster gladiators were now rare and precious enough that they rarely fought together, except as high holiday treats.
The air in the stone tunnels behind the arena was chill, a precursor to the winter ahead. Patrons had been gathering in the stands for hours, and there had been a variety of minor entertainments – speeches, jugglers, a close harmony trio. Now, from the noise outside, it seemed likely that there were close to two thousand patrons jammed into the arena for this.
You have been hauled from your cell by a quadruple guard – twice the norm, and heavily armed and armoured to boot. No meals, no trainers, no chat – none of the usual rituals and trappings of a usual match. You are brought down a new set of hallways, still smelling of fresh masonry and paint. You reach a pair of steel doors, fifteen feet square in the opening. As one of the guards fumbles to open the gate, there’s a bit of a traffic jam, as other guards arrive with three others.
The four of you are hustled into the room beyond the gates. There are an equally large pair of stout doors on the far side of the room, and from beyond there are the sounds of pounding drums and cheering crowds. On your right, there are racks of weapons – a bizarre array of blades, spikes and metal slabs, in a weird and disorganized array of sizes and shapes. On your left, an even weirder mix of armours and shields, including a few with strange colours or materials,or designed for quadrupeds, animals, winged creatures.
Four of the guards take up a post by the great wooden doors, and four in front of the gates that you have just passed through.
SpoilerAll right – here we go!
I’ve decided that having you start without gear is only going to lead to a logic-defying scene later, so you’ve all got all your starting gear. It would be useful for you to start with a bit of description of how you’ll appear to the others – especially Zilchour (whose telepathy returns as he step through the gates).
Please post about a round of actions. As with the solo combats, you can find a simple weapon in one round, a martial weapon in two rounds, and an exotic weapon in three. Add one round per size up or down from medium. A medium sized regular shield can be found in one round – add one for an exotic shield, for spikes, or for every size deviation from medium.