Melianthe, rattled, keeps a wary distance from Dogbreath and any other Shinglesnipes capable of knocking her over--probably all of them. She makes a zig zag run for the next pig, ready to pass it off to someone more hale and hearty, like Segang.
Segang tries to run through the other team with a pig.
Jarha follows Seren's lead from the last round and tries to inconspicuously follow the player with the pig (friend or foe) as he/she moves across the field, ready to step in and help as needed.
Seren spots the new pig as soon as it comes up, runs in to grab it from the cage, and quickly hands it off to Segang. Segang runs through the crowd, trying to be nimble but gets tripped up in the scrum. The pig squeals as it twists out of his hands. The piglet dips and dodges through the legs of the players, drawing a roar of laughter from the audience. The laughs continue as HMX bungles a grab, and Tatyanna and Durn smack heads while both reaching for it.
Absinthe/Blackjack attempts to interefere, but gets barreled over by Durn. Melianthe again tries to anticipate the pig's path, but finds the movement and noise too chaotic to concentrate. Laori continues her disturbing laughter, but it appears to have lost its efficacy -- the Shinglesnipes run right by, ignoring her. Rory takes a swipe at the elf, but she ducks out of the way.
Kreg finally snatches up the pig, stopping it cold with a terrifying roar. He tosses it to Stil, who evades traffic with a nimble wall run and jump. She looks about to score when Jarha sidles up from behind and grabs the pig just as she is dropping it into the pit. The wolverine snaps from below, missing Jarha's hands by an inch.
Amin calls out from the far pit, completely forgotten by the other team and wide open. Jarha hurls the pig with a strong (perhaps telekinetic-boosted) pass. Amin catches it cleanly and then dunks the pig into your pit.
"Newcomers 3, Shinglesnipes 1," the Emperor growls with a red-faced grimace. The crowd seems mixed between stunned awe and happy cheers from those few who bet on you. New calls for bets are made and scrips pass hands as odds are recalculated on the fly.
Blackjack fades from view, ghosting after whoever has the pig. If friend, she helps; if foe, she interferes.
"You know," Mel says casually to Stil, "A real Emperor doesn't speak the scores of a game. Far too beneath them. They have a herald to do that." She shrugs and is open for a pig-pass from Team Newcomers.
Jarha gets hold of the pig, fakes a hand off to Seren, moves a few feet, and hands it off to Segang.
Segang growls at an opponent pig carrier.
Seren notes one of the Shinglesnipes' tattoos and hollers out at them, "You're from down the way! I recognize that ink!" He points at the tatoo, "Isn't that what the lady-boys where to advertise their availability at dance parties and cabarets?"
Dogbreath grabs the new pig right away and starts running. Segang growls at him, but he hardly notices. Dogbreath tosses the pig to Durn, but the man fumbles the catch. With a squeal, the pig starts running wild. HMX and Stil try for it, missing closely.
Seren taunts the Shingelsnipes' masculinity. Tatyanna retorts in kind, but it falls flat. Melianthe calls out Stil, drawing her ire for a moment. Amin takes advantage of her distraction and smashes in the back of the head. Stil collapses, senseless.
Jarha manages to grab the pig, but it squirms free before he can hand it off.
Laori anticipates the pig's fleeing path and slides in front of it with a giggle. She grabs the animal and hurls it to stealthy Absinthe who then runs it to your pit for the score.
The Emperor does not call out the score, but the crowd hardly notices. The majority cheer loudly as you come within one point of winning the game. Another pig appears in your side's cage.
"Substitution!" the Emperor roars over the din. "Jabbyr, get in there!"
"Yes milord," the gnome headsman grunts, sets down his axe then jumps down onto the court to replace Stil.
Blackjack's eyes narrow at the substitution and she calls to her teammates: "Mind the headsman."
Having given her warning, she fades back into the shadows to help or hinder as needed.
With as much passing as has been taking place Segang plays defense and prepares to jump to intercept any thrown pigs.
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Jarha keeps a close eye on the headsman and prepares to interfere with the gnome's move, at the cost of bodily harm to himself if necessary, without hesitation.
Melianthe heads for the gnome, ready to block him. She jerks a thumb back at the porker in the poke.
"Planning to grab that pig? I saw it in our cage and I'm pretty certain it has dysentery. See the pink eye and quivering tail? Classic signs. I'd think twice about getting my mitts on it. It won't kill you, but you'll be sitting in the privy for a week." She grins, slender arms spread. "Hope you have a good immune system."
Seren imitates the other teams voices and tries to distract them into changing their tactics.
;
Melianthe moves to block Jabbyr, fast-talking the gnome executioner with a stream of words. The gnome growls and punches at her, but she ducks out of the way. Meanwhile, Amin distracts Dogbreath with fancy words.
In front of the cage, Tatyanna and Laori wrestle, neither gaining an advantage, though it appears the elf enjoys the struggle more than she should. Durn shoves through them and grabs the new piglet. He hands it off to Rory, who starts to run. Jarha anticipates his path and makes a pick block, slowing Rory for a key moment.
Absinthe/Blackjack sneaks up and steals the pig away, but gets tripped by Hazeem a second later. The piglet bites Absinthe and breaks free, making it a few feet before HMX grabs it. He turns to throw it to a teammate, but Seren's mimicked calls confuse the man. He tosses it carelessly, allowing Segang to jump and make another easy interception.
Segang turns and lobs the pig into your pit. The wolverine ensures the piglet's fate, blood spraying up through the pit in a gory fountain.
"Match point, newcomers win," the Emperor declares, eyeing his home team with clear disappointment. The crowd breaks out in a mixture of cheers (those who bet on you) and jeers (those against), but it seems the majority were happy with the game.
Segang bows to the emperor in gladiatorial tradition.
"Never cared for pork," Blackjack says as she shakes the hand the piglet bit.
Then she crosses her arms and fixes the 'emperor' with a gimlet stare.
"I believe we had an agreement."
The Emperor's face grows red with anger and embarrassment. "Best two out of three!" he shouts, nodding, pleased with himself . The crowd titters with surprise, seemingly not used to such arrangements. They start to filter back towards their seats.
One of the Emperor's guards nervously walks up and speaks something low into his ear. "Ye' majesty, um... we dun haf any more pigs." The Emperor snaps a glare at the guard and looks about ready to strap the man into the Tall Knife himself. The guard backs away quickly.
The Emperor grumbles something and pounds a fist on his armrest. He apparently hits a sharp edge, for he recoils in pain. It only increases his bitterness, but after a moment he turns back to you, forcing a smile. "Fine! Fine... Blackjack, I congratulate you and your companions for your rousing victory!" He plays it up for the crowd, eliciting some cheers, and disappointed groans from those who wanted to see a second match.
"When you are ready, I will take you to see my 'guest'"
"Now is good," Blackjack says in an even tone of voice.
Jarha smiles as the match ends, surprised he actually enjoyed what was basically his first experience with team sports. He falls in with his companions and scans the crowd and guards for signs of trouble, but remains silent and Blackjack negotiates the next steps.
Melianthe curtseys to the Emperor, hiding a smirk. She then arches an eyebrow and lets her scorpion wander out to her shoulder. "Hloire, you wouldn't have wanted to sting them anyhow," she mutters to it. "Let's not play that again," she says quietly to Jarha and Seren.
Seren glowers as the Emperor tries to renege on the terms, but lets the big folks handle it.
The Emperor grimaces but reluctantly nods. The gnome executioner, Jabbyr, leads you up a few flights of rickety stairs and into the Emperor's abode.
Jabbyr takes you through a few crossing corridors, eventually into a larger room. The air in this room smells sickly sweet—a combination of flowers and vinegar. The unpleasant smell likely comes from the fourteen poorly preserved heads mounted on the walls of this grisly trophy hall. Most of the heads are human, although two are those of elves and one is from a dwarf with a beard roughly sheered off to match the cut to the neck. To the north, a small, child-sized bed sits against the wall opposite a wooden table decorated with a magnificent set of silverware.
You meet the Emperor, flanked by two of his guards, in the adjacent room. This extravagantly decorated bedroom would seem to belong in the richest of noble villas or monarchs’ castles—at least, until one looks a little more closely at the sheets on the four-poster bed and notes how stained and frayed they are, or examines the tapestries and bed curtains and sees the patches of mold and threadbare edges. A tall, well-stocked bookcase to the south turns out to be leaning against the wall for support; the contents of its sagging shelves are poorly produced books with violent or erotic names on their mildewed spines. Everything is slightly musty, stained with age, and well beyond its prime. Only the three paintings hanging on the wall hold up to closer examination, but their grisly subject matter might make them difficult to show in most public venues. To the north, a simple wooden door is secured with a lock and a heavy wooden bar.
"Well?" Blackjack says. "The painter?"
Laori's eyes widen and a joyful smile plays across her face. She points at the three paintings, "Those are Salvator Scream originals!" she exclaims with a little awe.
"Yes, yes," the Emperor nods, impatiently. He moves to the northern door and throws open the bar and uses a key in the lock. The door opens with an unpleasant mix of body odor and paint. "Come on out. You have some visitors."
There is a heavy sigh from within, and a man emerges a few moments later. Salvator is a plain-looking man dressed in paint-stained rags. Flea bites cover his skin, and his eyes are sunken. He eyes the Emperor and you distrustfully, wary of some trick.
"Greetings, Salvator Scream," Blackjack says in a velvety voice. "And how is it with you? We come with questions."
The vigilante glances at the Emperor.
"Might we have some privacy?"
Jarha studies the paintings with interest, and tries to recall the religious symbology relevant to the first two. He takes no delight in the grisly images, but neither does he appear shocked.
When Salvator emerges, Jarha nods in greeting but lets Blackjack take the lead.
Melianthe puzzles over the third painting, but cannot tell that much about it. She tries to hide her concern at the condition of Scream.
Seren, not as disturbed as he should be by the pictures studies the third one trying to find some sort of magical theme or connection, drawn by the shadowy imagery.
Segang notes the strangeness of the paintings but has not been trained in specific knowledge skills to pick up anything more.
The Emperor gives Blackjack a sour look, but sighs and nods Jabbyr and his guards towards the door. "We'll be just outside. If anything turns up missing, it'll come out of your hides," he warns.
As soon as the door closes, Salvator immediately falls to his knees and breaks into desperate sobs, begging for rescue between each heartbreaking shudder. "Please, please... you've got to get me out of Korvosa!" he pleads in a hoarse whisper.
*
Segang first regards the man and then looks to Laori, wondering how she might feel about this.
Laori looks back at Segang, giving the big man a wink and a smile. "Well... if you folks can help me get him outta here, I'll make sure he gets safely out of the city." She glances at the door, lowering her voice slightly. "I don't think the Emperor will be happy about that, though."
"First things first," Blackjack says in a calm, even tone of voice.
The vigilante looks down on Salvator Scream and says one word: "Vencarlo."
If we are gonna fight him, best to surprise him. Segang says as quietly as he can manage, almost mouthing the words.
"We need to solve some mysteries, Laori, and maybe we should solve them outside of the Emperor's domain. We can have Seren disappear this wretch and then say he escaped, unless someone can shrink him down into a pocket."
Melianthe rubs her chin. "A pocket treated with fleabane," she concludes.
Laori grins and nods to Melianthe's suggestion. "I'd rather not have to hack and slash our way out of here, if we can come up with a more diplomatic, or stealthy, option."
The vigilante looks down on Salvator Scream and says one word: "Vencarlo."
Salvator manages to look even more nervous at the mention of Vencarlo. He nods to Blackjack, muttering, "Yes, I saw him recently. But I'd rather not talk about it where people can overhear." He looks around the room warily. "Get me to someplace safe, and I'll tell you."
"We can get him out of here, just give me a moment."
Seren runs his hands over his face and ... changes into the disheveled, dirty and beat up man, his height, hair, color, body style, clothing ... well, everything just changing.
;
Seren's voice adjusts slowly as he practices, "Just, uh, just cast invisibility on him and get him out of here, I'll take care of getting myself out once you're clear."
Segang stands ready to execute this plan.
"Salvator Scream," Blackjack says. "I do not lightly leave a comrade behind, not even one so capable of extracting himself. You will tell me everything, and you will be useful, or I vow you will become both audience and subject of my own art. Understood?"
Salavator nods, eyeing Blackjack nervously.
If someone doesn't have invis prepped (I didn't prep it today), I have 2 scrolls of vanish, but that requires some luck and not a lot of time.