It seemed the people on the stage, three women and four men now that you were close enough to make them out, were actively waiting for the crowd to quiet down. Though it was plain from the smile on more than one face that they were enjoying the attention. It was obvious that they could stay there most of the day soaking in the crowds talk and looks.

The largest of the men, standing nearly a head taller than everyone on the stage and presumably everyone in the crowd, is heavily muscled and wearing heavy platemail. He seems to wear it like a second skin though and as he steps forward, you can't help but feel that it's no hindrance in the field. He carries a greataxe, stylized to appear as a dragon breathing flames. "Quiet, quiet now everyone. We know you're all excited, but we have some things to say first." He steps back and one of the women steps forward.

She's dressed sparsely, almost in no armor at all. Her hair is cut very short and a thick, jagged scar extends from her cheek down her neck and under her armor. Her weapon appears to be a flail with twin heads and very long chains. She seems much more serious than the man before her. "First off, anyone here not seriously looking to learn, LEAVE NOW! We have not the time nor the patience to deal with crowds." From several looks given to her by the rest of those assembled on the stage, that feeling wasn't exactly mutual.

The crowd doesn't exactly eager to disperse, but after a number of minutes of inactivity from the stage, about half the crowd leaves, grumbling and murmuring to itself.

Another of the men steps forward, this one quite a bit smaller than the first. He's dressed in baggy clothing, with both his pants and his sleeves ending wide and long enough to conceal his hands. He carries no weapon and seems quite a bit more amiable than several people on the stage. "Now that the looky-loos are gone, it's time to weed out the stragglers. Anyone here not prepared to die, please leave now as well." He says with a smile. About half of who is left also take their leave at this point. "I said anyone. I meant everyone. Please leave if you aren't ready to lose your life." When no one makes a move, his smile falters ever so slightly before regaining itself. "Have it your way." He says and his sleeves move slightly before several people cry out in pain, including someone directly behind you. Looking back, you see a thin, sharp looking razor sticking out of his shoulder.

Most of the remaining crowd runs off at this, leaving about twelve people, including yourself. The second woman steps up and scowls at the remaining people. "I thought you would have scared off more than this." The man with the sleeves just smiles and shrugs at her. She has a pair of swords at her hip and she's dressed, rather quite like Cassandra. "What are we to do with this many people? I'm not taking on more than one of them. If that." She scowls again at the group and jerks her head towards the next person.

The third man doesn't bother getting up from his sitting position on the stage. He's wearing leather armor, reinforced in several places with plates of some metal that reflects green light, despite being silvery in color. "A test perhaps? But what would suit them for something such as this?" Laid across his lap is a simple staff, reinforced with metal at the tips. He lays back and stares up at the sky, apparently not very interested in whatever the group decides.

The last of the women, wears scalemail that looks peculiar, though you can't seem to put your finger on why. Her hair seems long, but most of it is tied up into a thick braid. What is most eye-catching however, is the massive shield and bizarrely shaped lance she carried, it was far too short to be effective. "Why not a trial by combat? It's usually the most simple way to go about things, and it'll help us figure out who here is actually ready and who's just suicidal!" Her voice is chirpy and sweet and she looks to be the nicest of the women on the stage.

The last man carries a scythe that seems much to large for him. It seems a little odd, but after the last woman finishes speaking, everyone turns to face him. It seems as though he is their leader, unofficial or otherwise. He wears a blindfold and little more than peasants clothing. "I don't see why not." And the somber expression he was trying to put on breaks into a grin. "HA! I don't see! Bwehehehehe." You can almost feel the rest of the group on the stage roll their eyes. "But I think we should ask them what they think on the matter. There's no need to be blind to the needs of those assembled after all." And after a moment he starts laughing to himself again. "I guess I have to be blind to that, don't I?" The woman with the twin swords audibly groans.

He points at the crowd, directly at Cassandra, actually. "You, you're the only girl that stayed. You decide how we're to pick 7 of you out of the 12 that are here."