CH. 01 - Fight for Freedom

[GravityEmblem]

Grognak growls in guarded acceptance. "Lots of howling and spearing. Also, can make spear heavier? Spear too light."

[Snacs]

Runt eyes the greek fire in his hands curiously, then calmly passes the buck by dint of leaning over and setting it in Dorias's hands instead. The Draconian watched Bulbos with the same apathetic-but-attentive look he had always given his most recent Owner. In front of the ogre, the only change in his demeanor is when Grognak calls him lizard, which earns the half-breed a low warning growl and the snap-rustle of his wings. Runt didn't see the appeal of fights with no deaths. Frankly he didn't see the appeal of watching a fight for entertainment either, but he wasn't going to be the one to tell Bulbos that.

[Daos]

Bulbos doesn't seem to notice the flask being passed around, as he's too distracted by other thoughts.  Once the party is armed and geared up, he impatiently ushers them out to the hall.  "Come on, come on, let's go."  He ignores Grognak's question entirely.

The party is brought to 'the pit' which is a small enclosure where they wait to be announced.  It's quite cold out today, somewhere around 50 degrees.  As bracing as it is, the party should warm up pretty quickly once the fighting has started.

After a short wait, the party can hear the announcer's booming voice.  Although most of them cannot speak the ogre tongue, they recognize the term 'Bruuta ni Bulbos' easily enough, the name of their group which, when translated into Common means, "Bulbos' Barbarians."  Even then, when the gate to the arena slides open, that's evidence enough that it is time for them to go out.  Bulbos, of course, remains behind to watch.

Stepping out into the arena, thankful that the walls keep the worst of the cold wind out, they see that Bulbos wasn't kidding about a lack of attendance.  There are maybe somewhere between two and three dozen people scattered haphazardly in the stands.  Most are ogres, although there are a few trolls, gnolls, and even a hag among them.  There isn't much enthusiasm among them, though.  Even the ones who boo the party sound bored, as if they are only doing so out of obligation.  The party's opponents have not arrived yet.

===============

(OOC:  Can I get a WIS check from everyone?)

[Ezeze]

UQsyh_z01d20 vs WIS 9

The audience's boos may have been half hearted, but Teakettle's response was not.

"Blow it up your smoke stack! You wouldn't know quality entertainment if it introduced its self! And you! You look like your mother was overly fond of oysters! Go climb a tree!"1d20

[Snacs]

t0O8VSow1d20 vs. Wis 7

Runt ignores the jeers from the crowd, the same way he usually ignored the cheers after a fight. He checks his bow carefully, and loosens the club hanging at his belt. His wings flap in slow motions that stir the chilly air to get his blood pumping properly. Teakettle's antics make the Baaz chuckle, a low grating sound like a piece of metal dropped between grindstones. 



1d20

[Rax]

XjuCTUPV1d20 vs. Wis 9

Dorias draws his sword and salutes the audience. Not that he cares whether or not the beasts are entertained, but their lack of interest seems to be driving Bulbos to consider desperate measures. Darios, for one, has no interest in being in the arena once the slave masters have decided how to spice up the entertainment.  

1d20

[GravityEmblem]

Grognak walks into the arena with his comrades, wielding a spear in his right hand and a club in his left. He grumbles at the weight of the former: still not quite heavy enough. Putting that out of his mind for now, he instead focuses on the upcoming battle.


Ho1If1qD1d20 vs. Wis 141d20

[HorizonsDream]

HF6ZWrCd1d20 vs. WIS 16

Ravarie seems slightly surprised to see the turn out of the crowd. She knows that attendance is down, but she didn't realize it was that down. "Why do they always boo us?" she asks quietly as she waits for their opponents. 1d20

[Rax]

"I imagine it's because they see our peoples as usurpers of their ancient dominion, squatters on what used to be their lands alone. Pouring scorn and bile on us lets them pretend that they are avenging ancient wrongs. But creatures that enslave others for their own amusement or glorification should not be surprised if the slaves one day rise up and cast off their shackles. And if the slave masters lose all that they once had in the process, that is not a crime, but justice," Dorias replies.

[GravityEmblem]

Grognak stares in confusion at Dorias’ poetic waxing. “I thought it because us not know how to die,” he explains.

[Rax]

Dorias laughs. "That too, I suspect."

[Daos]

Teakettle's taunts only bring louder boos, which start to interrupt the announcer, which begins to annoy him.  At one point he even loses his place and has to find it again among his notes before continuing.  Nobody seems to be paying him any attention anyway, so it goes unnoticed.

Before stepping outside, Dorias recited a poem to Runt about a noble dragon in battle.  The magical epic caused Baaz to increase in size--nowhere near as large as a real dragon, but still about as large as a typical ogre.  His weapons and armor also increased in size to compensate.  He now towers over the rest of the party even more than normal.

Likewise, before entering, Dorias recited a poem to himself about a handsome and valiant cavalier with the strength of ten men, and afterward he felt nearly that strong himself.  Although he physically looked the same--his muscles were the same size, even--he felt like his armor and equipment, even the tower shield, were considerably lighter than they were before.

Looking up at the sparse crowd, Dorias' eyes are drawn to a woman waving to him.  He immediately recognizes her as his admiring fan, Dhall'a of the Stormdancers.  She makes a 'blowing a kiss' gesture to him once she realizes she's caught his eye.

Looking up at the sparse crowd, Ravaerie's eyes are drawn to a pair of slender, man-sized humanoids wearing heavy cloaks with hoods pulled up over their heads.  They are far too small to be ogres or trolls or gnolls; and too petite to be hobgoblins or even humans.  Although it is cold outside, it does seem like they are making efforts to keep their faces hidden.

[HorizonsDream]

Ravarie squints her eyes towards the sparse but booing crowd to make sure she is seeing things correctly before she looks back towards her teammates. "Despite how few people there are in the audience, the ones that are here are interesting to say the least. I think the elves that I mentioned earlier might be in the crowd today."

[GravityEmblem]

"Mean 'house elves?'" Grognak asks in confusion. "Like Beastfriend, or different?"

[HorizonsDream]

Ravarie looks to Grognak and ultimately decides to keep things as simple as possible for him. "They are like me, just with lighter skin," she says. It was best to just keep it simple instead of trying to explain how different she was from her elven cousins.