KC's Age of Worms

Game Master Kobold Catgirl

Carina folds her arms and sighs in resignation. "I'd normally want to gripe, but that's not what we're here for. We might as well get ourselves settled in..."

She gives Tanith a meaningful look.

"Doesn't that mean everyone thinks we're weak? What exactly did you tell them?"

Carina's look makes the big man frown. "Okay, fine."

"Oh, yeah, they probably think we barely know how to put armor on. I can't even imagine what they'll think of you and your kilt! I said a lot of stuff, but basically, we're afraid of kobolds." Eben says, happily and obliviously. "Oh, and I didn't come up with this part, so maybe people just started making up their own stories, but rumor has it you're a woman, Tanith."

Carina bites her lip and covers her mouth with her hand.

don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh

"Um... *snerk*...did they say anything about me?"

"Don't worry, Tanith. Think about the story of the Weeping Lass. People love when the underdog wins, even if they were booing them only a few days before. I think. Last sporting event I've been to was the old pickaxe toss back home." Astraden waits in line with the group, scratching the back of her neck. "Hope we get our own room or something. The gnolls are nice and all, but I can't imagine what they'll smell like when there's not rain all around us."

Unhappy, obviously, Tanith glares at Eben. "So assuming we don't get disqualified for reasons, I have to go through this thing weak. As a woman."

"No, the odds have been set now. You don't need to go keeping up any act. People will just see us kick ass on the field and learn not to listen to rumors. I mean, if you want to do it in drag, I'm sure Astraden and I can get you set up to look really convincing..." Eben gazes into the distance, contemplating the image. "And if it makes you feel any better, all the money that's coming off these skewed odds? Most of the bookies work for Raknian. SO all the deception makes his wallet bleed."

"I mean, if you want to do it in drag, I'm sure Astraden and I can get you set up to look really convincing..."

"No." Carina shakes her head. "The cross-dressing won't be necessary." She pats Tanith's abs in an effort to make him feel better. She licks her lips.

Tanith squeezes Carina in appreciation. "Besides, I don't think Astraden has a wig that'll look right on me."

"True. God, how long are they going to make us wait out here?" Astraden grumbles, holding her now soggy hood over her head. "Least now I won't have to wash stuff."

"I may have heard a rumor that you were a female gnome illusionist with gender identity issues," Rodrigo comments. What a silly assertion, no idea who could have claimed such a thing."

After about an hour, the group is loaded into the lift and taken into the Arena's Understructure. This hall shows signs of intense recent traffic.
The ceiling is supported by a rectangular pillar and by the shell of a circular stairwell.

A wooden, life-sized statue of a muscular, half-naked man holding a spear and a horn lies in the southwest corner (directly south of the lift). A heap of metal bars, hinges, and locks sits along the north wall, near a ten-foot-wide, three-foot tall segment of a wooden frieze. The frieze is decorated with the realistic carvings of fruits and a bull’s skull. Tanith, of course, immediately recognizes the statue.

Continuing downwards, the small army of bickering, shoving, sweaty gladiators makes its way down the staircase. They arrive amid the crowd in a tall circular hallway that makes its gradual way into The Coenoby.

This enormous cave resembles some sort of underground village. The cave walls are finely hewn and the floor paved with smooth slabs of stone. Many artificial and natural pillars support the relatively low ceiling fifteen feet above. Wooden doors on the cave’s walls lead to a circle of underground dwellings, the lodgings of gladiators during the Champion’s Games.

A pair of similar doors on the north wall leads to a kitchen and an infirmary. An underground stream runs in the middle, crossed by a wooden bridge that leads to a dining area with two long tables. The relatively fresh air, murals of famous gladiators on the walls, and the soft illumination provided by amber-colored light globes hanging from the ceiling makes this cave a true marvel of underground architecture.

The party notices etchings on the walls near exits to the Coenoby. They appear to warn of the consequences of leaving the Coenoby, some inventing fantastical dangers—fairy kobolds, grues, ghasts, the usual bogeyman nonsense.

Maps added. Reminder—Ekaym warned you that the Coenoby would be very difficult to sneak out of the first night.

The gladiators have been accompanied by a large group of wardens, and another group of equal size greets them here. In addition, a smaller group of unarmed men and women stands nearby. These folk are all wearing either cooking clothes or medical outfits. At their head is a white-haired man in the uniform of a doctor. Several fine scalpels hang at his belt, and there are prominent scars on his arms. He raises an eyebrow.

"Right," the man says, speaking in a dull, nasal drone. "I will keep this short and to the point. I am Palemon Nodor, the head surgeon. I manage the Coenoby during the Games. During your stay, the rules are simple: Do not, ever, leave the Coenoby. If there is a reason you must leave the Coenoby, inform me at once. If a gladiator is caught outside the Coenoby, he or she will be disqualified. His or her team may be disqualified as well if he or she is caught outside the Coenoby. You may travel within the Coenoby as you like, as long as you do not go outside the Coenoby. You will be served three meals every day, andOgre, if you take one more step, you will be disqualified." The ogre he's addressing jumps several paces back, away from the Coenoby exit. He looks startled. "Thank you. Do not leave the Coenoby. As I was saying..."

He goes on like this for a while.

"...and I wish you all the best of luck. Living conditions for tonight will be cramped, but they will be much less so in the morning. Remember: Leaving the Coenoby is forbidden. I hope I have been clear on that point. Every year I think I am, and then some idiot tries to leave the Coenoby and gets eaten by lions...or disqualified. Every year. It has happened every single year, no matter how clear I try to be. For the next few nights, the Coenoby is your home. Have I been clear on this?"

As the gladiators give the affirmative, he nods curtly and heads north towards the kitchen. "There will be no dessert. You may sleep when you wish, as long as you wake or sleep within the Coenoby."

Do you guys head straight to bed, or do you leave the Coenoby?

Tanith enjoys the short tour of the bizarre underground community but shrugs when it comes to an end.

"Doesn't seem like there's any sense in trying to sneak out now - too many eyes. Let's lay low for now. We'll see how the numbers are thinned after tomorrow's events."

How big and/or secure are these dwellings?

"I think he was serious about the lions or whatever. I can hear some nasty sounding growls echoing around to the north. Or east. Or northeast. Echoes are hard to judge."

"Yeah, we'll be good boys and girls for the night, at least. Well, I've got a deck of cards, we can pass the time."

The Coenoby is specifically the living cavern? The circular hallway is off limits as well?

"Eben, have you ever heard of Five Dragon Ante?" Astraden asks as the group walks towards the room of dwelling places. "Or is it just card tricks, for you?"

"Please. Five (or Three) Dragon Ante, Medusas and Mirrors, Knight's Joust, Spellfire, Find the Leprechaun... if there's a card game you can make a couple orbs at a street table, I know it." He flashes a grin. "I'll even promise not to use a marked deck!"

Cards. Passing the time. Right. Carina quietly sits down and unpacks her alchemy kit, digging out a cup and her waterskin from her bag. She starts mixing ingredients together almost without looking.

I think I have a better idea of what I want to do to pass the time.

Taking 10 for Craft (Alchemy): 10 + 21 = 31 to craft a dose of night tea.

She drinks the resulting concoction down without even so much as a wince before packing her kit up again. I'm actually getting used to this. Of course I would--it's not like it tastes any worse than my extracts.

"Tanith?" She sidles up to him and folds her arms behind her back. She has a twinkle in her eye.

You realize that, on this first night, the place is packed wall to wall people and there's no privacy whatsoever, right?

I was planning to wait until everyone else is asleep...

At this point, Carina looks around and her twinkle fades. ...wait. There's so many people here. Gods above, I'm an idiot.

I was planning to wait until everyone else is asleep...

Oh, you're one of those roommates...

You realize that, on this first night, the place is packed wall to wall people and there's no privacy whatsoever, right?

That's not a deal breaker for Tanith. =P

Recognizing that twinkle, however brief, Tanith grins. He pulls Carina in close, whispers something in her ear, and then grins even wider.

Tanith enjoys the short tour of the bizarre underground community but shrugs when it comes to an end.

"Doesn't seem like there's any sense in trying to sneak out now - too many eyes. Let's lay low for now. We'll see how the numbers are thinned after tomorrow's events."

How big and/or secure are these dwellings?

They're shown on the map. As for security, the whole place is crawling with guards. Plus, it's about ten gladiators to a room, so it's not easy to sneak around.

The Coenoby is specifically the living cavern? The circular hallway is off limits as well?

Correct. The circular hallway is full of staircases leading up, so it's very much off-limits. Heading south is forbidden as well.

Korush comes up behind Tanith, grinning, and ruffles the warpriest's hair. "Can you believe it? What are the odds? We're assigned to the same room for tonight! Thank goodness—I was worried I'd end up with the ogres, or someone really annoying."

"Right. That would have been terrible", Tanith grumbles after the geniekin shows up again.

Tanith's whispering in her ear makes Carina's face turn a dark blue. Her eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

...what are you doing. What are you doing. What. Are. You. Doing. You aren't serious, young lady, are you?

"Can you believe it? What are the odds? We're assigned to the same room for tonight! Thank goodness—I was worried I'd end up with the ogres, or someone really annoying."

...actually, now I am.

Korush's interruption makes the undine stop blushing and take a breath. Either the geniekin just demonstrated a stunning lack of self-awareness, or he's doing it on purpose. "Well, if you're bunking with our team, why not say hello to the others?" She points over at Eben, busily preparing for a card game. "They might let you in on their game if you ask nicely."

"Oh, alright." Korush walks over and sits down beside Eben and Astraden. "How charming! Lerio, West, come over here. You've got to try this!" The two mercenaries with him walk over and sit down, seeming politely interested.

Carina resists the urge to breathe a sigh of relief as Korush walks over to the card game.

She promptly starts tugging on Tanith's hand. "C'mon, c'mon, let's go."

With Korush distracted Tanith chuckles quietly and follows the undine's lead.

I'm sure you'll find privacy if you just leave the Coenoby.

Astraden smiles over at Eben. "Of course, we'll be playing by bandits' rules, right? Probably easiest if I just explain them as we go along. Who wants to deal?"

Oh, and 250 gp wager on us winning.

Rodrigo follows Tanith and Carina. "Hey guys, where you going? I don't really want to play cards," he says.

"I'll play! Let me make one thing clear as long as it involves you two: We're not betting anything." he eyes Astraden and Eben.

Tanith glances at Rodrigo and then leans in to whisper. "I don't think you want to tag along this time. Red and I were going to find someplace to fool around for a bit."

Carina pauses in dragging Tanith out of the room as Rodrigo catches up to them. She bites her lip and snorts in annoyance.

OH COME ON. All I want is for us to have some time alone! ...that being said, maybe--NO. No no no no no. There's no way in all the Hells Tanith would go for it.

"Why wouldn't I want to tag along for that?" Rodrigo asks. "In front off all these people...kinky. Didn't know you had it in you Creed."

Surprised but not entirely by Rodrigo's response, Tanith shrugs. "It wouldn't be the first time and why not. Sex is just another part of life - one of the better parts. I never saw any sense in treating it like something to be ashamed of." The big man squeezes Carina's hand firmly. "Besides, Red's eager and I'm not a man to let her down."

"Well I'll probably just watch if that's okay. I wouldn't dream of messing with your groove."

Where are Tanith and Carina going? You can't swing a displacer beast in here without having a 50% chance of hitting a warden or gladiator. Keep in mind the size of the Coenoby and the numbers of its denizens.

Well we're not violating any rules as far as we've been told so wherever there's relative privacy considering the crowded circumstances.

You may encounter a couple having sex above you, below you or next to you in the dorm. Don’t be that couple.

There is little privacy in the Coenoby, but that doesn't stop Tanith and Carina. They receive a few looks of disgust or, more commonly, annoyance, but most gladiators just move away. A couple stay and watch, some more subtly than others.

Meanwhile, Korush proves fairly average at the card games. He clearly enjoys winning a lot, though he's not a sore loser—he seems to mostly ignore the games he does poorly in, in fact, as if they matter less.

Moving to the next morning shortly.

By the time Carina & Tanith are finished, her face is flushed and her legs feel really wobbly.

...I...can't...believe that I just did that.

She looks Tanith in the eyes, gasping for breath.

...that was actually more fun than I thought it would be. Still, I'm not planning on doing this again.

She giggles nervously and looks down, around and everywhere but at her Kordite partner as she fixes her clothes.

25th of Flocktime (May), Year 595 — Day 61

When the members of Spiny's Six awake on the first day—most likely awoken by the early-rising and very earnest Tanith—they find a crowd has gathered near the meal tables at the north end of the Coenoby. The day’s battles have been posted to the wall near the door to the kitchens and the gladiators are eager to see who they’ll be fighting for Bloodbath.

Spiny's Six is scheduled to fight in the second set (of six), starting at 10:00 am.

The first set is already making its way out. A legless halfling turns and waves at Astraden as he scampers on his hands up the stairs.

Breakfast is presently being served. It's better than one might expect, but still rather unpleasant.

Switched out Lesser Restoration for Invisibility for my extracts.

Admittedly, Carina slept quite well last night. When Tanith wakes the team up in the morning, she languidly rolls out of bed and starts preparing her extracts for the day.

She's not feeling especially talkative over breakfast, but when the battles are posted, she's curious as to when they're scheduled to fight.

"10:00 AM... and, we're up against... huh. Well, would ya look at that?" She points out who else they're set to fight.

Tanith chuckles softly as the flush undine dresses in a hurry. He picks up her things to help. "Don't be in too much of a rush Red", the big man suggests as he hands over Carina's belt. "You're supposed to stretch after a workout or you'll cramp."

He interrupts her dressing to sneak in a kiss. "You know, after we figure out Raknian, even if the rest of this thing is a bust, at least we'll have this memory."

***

Tanith looks over the pairings. "Do we know anything about any of these guys."

Astraden smiles over at Eben. "Of course, we'll be playing by bandits' rules, right? Probably easiest if I just explain them as we go along. Who wants to deal?"

Eben gives Astraden a Look. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Look a meticulous gardener might give a newly-discovered rabbit nibbling at his cabbage. He smiles back.

"Oh, bandit's rules go without saying!" He replies cheerfully. "But, of course, we are playing in the Free City, and it is the last Moonday of the month, so obviously we're applying the Mad Mage Moon variants." He shrugs, like this is a no-brainer. "I mean, of course we are, it wouldn't be Five Dragon Ante otherwise, right? They're simple enough to remember. Every third hand, card sequence is rearranged so the middle cards are high, with odds and evens out from that card going down in descending order. And that order inverts every other time it comes into play. Easy. All the other rule changes we can address as they come up. Though we should figure out now which direction each player is facing so we can apply them on a case by case basis. That way's north, right?"

And under the careful control of Astraden and Eben, Calvinball: The Card Game begins.

Spiny's Six: A bunch of koboldphobic, housecat-battling weirdos with big libidos and complicated gender dysphoria issues.

Arcane Auriga: Led by Rennida Auriga, the elf woman.

Draconic Brood: One of the more popular teams Tanith noticed, though he never did seek them out.

Badlands Revenge: Gnoll guys. Not fans of Raknian.

Sapphire Squad: Containing Tanith's best friend, Korush.

See? I helped us!

Earlier

"You know, after we figure out Raknian, even if the rest of this thing is a bust, at least we'll have this memory."

Carina takes her belt back and puts it on. "And so will the rest of the Coenoby..."

Stop sounding so damn proud of yourself, young lady.
-------------------
Present Day

"Well, there's Arcane Auriga--we've met them yesterday." Carina points out the name. "Badlands Revenge... not familiar with that one. Draconic Brood I don't know about, and finally..."

Her eyebrow raises. "...the Sapphire Squad."

That comment was meant to get the party talking but I appreciate the thorough summary.

"Korush's cavalry is going to be dangerous. Anyone have a spell to keep them from getting momentum?"

An entangle or the like would be good. Mounted charges are generally a one-shot at this level.

"Rodrigo has his pits. And he and I can both grease up the ground. If a horse goes sprawling, it's probably going to hurt." Eben says as he eats a not-particularly fresh piece of fruit.

Edited because I just remembered dropping grease due to Rodrigo having it with a much better save DC. D'oh!

"I've got a new extract I'm interested in trying out." Carina whispers as she shovels a helping of oatmeal into her mouth. "I just hope Korush doesn't have a way to deal with flight..."