Spending more of the performance watching the crowd than Ansha, Qhude is pleased to see that none raised a stone against her. Once she finished, he made his way back out of the mob - not waiting for the others to perform. The elf lady seems to have done well, though I am glad to be out of that press of bodies.
When bidden by the guards he will return to the tent with the others.
"I expect this is against the rules but I am rather disgusted by our hosts. Those devils... What say we work together in the final if they try something like that again. Unite the teams against what they throw at us. Hell we can flip a coin to see who wins. I just hate unnecessary death. Talk it over with your team. Wear something red if you agree."Louder again "...and thanks again from my ribs. You are a knight and a gentleman."
Your welcome.
Hmm... muses the Taldan. You have yourself a deal- assuming your still far enough ahead to not really compromise our own position within the trials. Suffice to say, if we wear red we're honoring the deal.
"Thank you, and good luck."
Now I just have to survive the next joust and convince the others that I planned this. Gods this is shaping up to be a really bad day.
Jakob returns to his tent
"Our last meeting my friend. Which windmill am I up against now?
oops missed this. Sense motive
oops missed this. Sense motive 1d20
Picklebeard senses some sort of calling from his familiar. A sensation of pride and confidence.
"haha oh boy no... I don't think they'd let ye joust! yes I know you'd win fer sure. No questshuns aboot that."
Tebati seems unsurprised when the Avistani unseats Jakob. He must have simply gotten lucky the previous joust; even the most unseaworthy coracle can survive a hurricane at Shimye-Magalla's whim. She is more interested in the outcome of the Mwangi-pirate match-up; while the man with the cutlass was an honoroble opponent in the race, she cannot but hope the Mwangi is the one still horsed at the end of the meeting.
Jakob returns to his tent"Our last meeting my friend. Which windmill am I up against now?
You weren't sure whether you could trust the Taldan or not. You do however, get the impression that your warrior-official is a bit disappointed in you.
,
From your viewing slit, you see the Mwangi and the Swashbuckler joust. Neither of them seem to be particularily skilled horsemen, but eventually the swashbuckler lucks out and unhorses the Mwangi. A few minutes later, a fresh lance is given to you and you are mounted once more, competing for fourth place with the Mwangi...
I am deeply hurt by the warriors disdain /snark
Ride .
Bull Rush
The two heavy warhorses plod towards one another, and Jakob seems to be riding better than the Mwangi, who is struggling to stay on the horse. Jakob strikes first, his lance missing the Mwangi by inches. Bracing himself for impact, Jakob is surprised to see that the Mwangi's lance missed him entirely.
** spoiler omitted **
The two heavy warhorses plod towards one another, and Jakob seems to be riding better than the Mwangi, who is struggling to stay on the horse. Jakob strikes first, his lance missing the Mwangi by inches. Bracing himself for impact, Jakob is surprised to see that the Mwangi's lance missed him entirely.
Ride
Bull Rush
And just in case I am still on horseback.
Ride
Bull Rush
Another pass ensues with both jousters unable to hit their mark. By the time the third pass comes around the crowd is beginning to jeer and seemingly angered by their taunts, the Mwangi's lance slams home, finally unhorsing Jakob. The final joust is between the Taldan and the Swashbuckler- the moustached cavalier winning with ease.
With both the events over, the final scores taking into account the first four trials are once more shown on large scoreboards and announced all over the grounds. Once you have seen the scores, you are taken back to the tent to re-join the others.
Team 1 (you)- 32 points
Team 2 (Mwangi)- 22 points
Team 3 (Swashbucklers)- 18 points
Team 4 (Avistan Adventuring Party)- 28 points
Team 5 (Mercenary)- 20 points
Team 6 (Bounty Hunter)- 18 points
When brought back to the tent, Qhude checks upon his armor and cestus and seeing that they are mostly dry, stacks them neatly next to his gear.
Tebati shakes her head in dismay as the team reunites in the tent. "The two teams which employed underhanded methods in the race are trailing badly," she observes. "I fear their desperation may make them dangerous in the remaining trials."
Jakob returns to the tent nursing some bruises and a troubled expression.
"Hello everyone, Ansha you did very well. Congratulations."
"Thanks. I was a bit nervous at first," Ansha says, smiling happily. Her smile goes a bit crooked as she continues, "but I have to admit that a girl could get used to that sort of undivided attention. I trust that your pride is more injured than your body?"
" I trust that your pride is more injured than your body?"
Jakob looks positively embarrassed. He appears to be blushing.
"Well....Actually both pride and body are fine. I was amazed I did so well, and the bruises will fade. But I am afraid I have been...clever."
The elflady arches one eyebrow. "That's a very odd way of phrasing things. Just what exactly did you do that you are 'afraid' that you've been clever?"
"Ferst place! Ferst place! I hope me clan could see me now! Me great aunt Karla would be so proud! We just gotta keep it up and we'll be champyuns in no time!"
"The Avistani have been reliant on magical tricks so far, so they may fare worse in the next few events."
The elflady arches one eyebrow. "That's a very odd way of phrasing things. Just what exactly did you do that you are 'afraid' that you've been clever?"
"Best to just put this out and see I suppose. The winner of the trial was a cavalier, member of the adventuring party. It was really no contest. When it came to my tilt against him he brushed me off the saddle with the body of the lance. He could have used the point but he chose not to. This said something about him, do you see what I mean? So when he came to shake my hand after the joust I proposed a deal."
Jakob takes a deep breath before continuing.
We have seen the 'surprises' that our hosts are tossing in the contests. The devils, the stones whatever is next. They are not fighting fair, so why should we? I proposed that our two bands combine forces in the last trial. The organizers will be pulling out all stops for this naval battle so I strongly suspect something like the devils. Together our two teams will be able to overcome what they throw at us. We will also, working together, be able to either overcome the other teams or convince them to ally with us. I suspect the Mwangi team would be open to this idea as well but I have had no chance to speak with them."
I don't even see how the organizers could disqualify us for doing this as this is basically how we gained independence. A unified band consisting of our team representing Sargava, the Avastani representing the old world supporting us and the Mwangi representing the new land we have come to will be unstoppable."
"Or at least that is how we can spin it if we need to. Mainly I just don't want any more needless death."
"The adventurers will wear red if they agree to the plan. We should do the same."
"So....was that clever?"
"Boy- I'm gonna be honest with ya."
He takes a long pause.
"That has ta be the dumbest s&~% I've ever 'eard in me life."
He follows up.
"Secret deals are fer tha Consortium, fairies, and evil wizerds. Dwarfs fight fair."
"Boy- I'm gonna be honest with ya."
He takes a long pause.
"That has ta be the dumbest s&@! I've ever 'eard in me life."
He follows up.
"Secret deals are fer tha Consortium, fairies, and evil wizards. Dwarfs fight fair."
"I thank you for your honesty Picklebeard. I do however consider this fighting fair. In a conflict a nation or a person is called upon to use all their resources. Diplomacy is a resource. Same as your staff. Same as the devils that killed the two runners. Remember that all this is not a simple entertainment. Our hosts are choosing a band for a mission of some import. Surprising them, creating resources, and gathering strength from places they overlooked seems an excellent way to enhance our resume."
"But you may be right it could very well be a foolish plan."
Picklebeard just stands there listening...well sort of listening.
I thank you for your honesty Picklebeard.
ha! I spit in his face and he appreciates it! Is this kid ever gonna grow a pair?!
I do however consider this fighting fair. In a conflict a nation or a person is called upon to use all their resources. Diplomacy is a resource. Same as your staff. Same as the devils that killed the two runners.
You know what else is a resource boy? A s$@+! And I don't give one!
Remember that all this is not a simple entertainment. Our hosts are choosing a band for a mission of some import. Surprising them, creating resources, and gathering strength from places they overlooked seems an excellent way to enhance our resume
He's like some street merchant sellin' potions! Promisin' this and that! about innovatin' and enhancin' resumes bullcrap! Spinnin' tales ta get me to buy into his trickery like some tree-huggin elf.
"Ye can rationalize it wit yer smarts all ye want but an ass is an ass and ye can't make it a horse. What yer asking us ta do is cheat and I ain't no cheater. I know you mean nothin' about it... but dontcha think you should leave the stratergizin' to those who actually won their events?"
Tebati listens to Jakob's explanation with a neutral expression. "You believe that publicly flouting your rulers' intentions will impress them?" She shrugs. "They are your people, after all. My impression of their society would indicate that what you are proposing might be viewed as insubordination, but you know best. I remind you, though, that if we were to discover that two of the teams had forged a secret alliance to help each other, we would most likely view it as an unfair advantage against us, rather than an insult to our hosts."
"Ah well, it was a bad idea. I simply hoped that by showing unity we might avoid pointless death. However I defer to your better judgement."
Simply do not wear red for the final event and they will know the idea was rejected."
Tebati shrugs again at the crestfallen young man. "Your intentions are praiseworthy," she tells him not unkindly, reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "There should be no more deaths for the entertainment of the crowds. That half-orc injured himself when he deafened us all; if I had heard what was happening behind me," she falters, "...I would not have won the race. To show compassion, to refuse to battle to the death if it is required of us by the authorities: these are promises I can make. I will see no one else die in the course of these trials, for the sake of entertainment." She selects a few of her glass charms from the tent poles -- only red ones -- and drapes them around her neck. "We ought to do all we can to profess the same intentions to the other teams, if we can seize the opportunity. If nothing else, their reactions will let us know which teams we will have to be wary of."
Tebati shrugs again at the crestfallen young man. "Your intentions are praiseworthy," she tells him not unkindly, reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "There should be no more deaths for the entertainment of the crowds. That half-orc injured himself when he deafened us all; if I had heard what was happening behind me," she falters, "...I would not have won the race. To show compassion, to refuse to battle to the death if it is required of us by the authorities: these are promises I can make. I will see no one else die in the course of these trials, for the sake of entertainment." She selects a few of her glass charms from the tent poles -- only red ones -- and drapes them around her neck. "We ought to do all we can to profess the same intentions to the other teams, if we can seize the opportunity. If nothing else, their reactions will let us know which teams we will have to be wary of."
"Thank you Tabati."
To Kierian, Qhude, N'bellocq, and Ansha. "What say you? You who still have events before you. Will you try to contact the Mwangi, swashbucklers, the mercenaries, and the hunters? Or do you feel as the victorious Picklebeard that this is a waste of time and a stain on our honor?"
"If a lion attacks in the night, you do not seek to bargain such that it will kill your neighbour instead. You gut it and leave the flayed skin hanging so the next beast knows what will come. They are not our kin Induna, why should we risk ourselves to protect their honour?"
"I have no intention of seeking an indaba with any of the other teams. If you tell me that one team must be felled last of all, beaten only after the others have fallen I may listen, but" voice empassioned and eyes blazing with intent "Know this, I will not bend knee. I will leave the field of the final battle head raised in victory, or bloodied and broken."
"Who is the lion, Qhude?" Tebati questions him. "The other teams are men and women, the same as we are. We may not be kin, but the moment we all entered these Trials, we became equals, pawns in a game to amuse the colonials. Your neighbor may move your boundary markers or pick the fruit from your trees, but if he is attacked by lions, would you not help him, if only because you are both men and the lions are not?" She shakes her head. "Would you watch a man torn to pieces by devils to win the approval of those who set the devils free? Is that what you term victory?"
Ansha blinks as Jakob explains his proposal. After he finishes, she remains silent, chewing gently on her lower lip as she thinks and listens to the other arguments that ignite in the tent.
"I think we are assuming that the other team will go along with Jakob's idea," she says at last. "I have no real desire to fight unnecessarily, but I think the most pressing concern if we follow through on Jakob's proposed deal is that we could potentially be offending our hosts by upsetting their event so much. And given that they are the reason that we are all here--they, and the mission they intend to hand out to the winners--it seems that we should remain on the good side of our hosts...or we should not have entered this contest at all.
So, are you certain that this will meet with the Sargavan authorities' approval, Jakob, or is there a strong chance that it would end poorly for us? I mean, they do outnumber us."
"I view all of the other teams as though lions circling us. We may be part of the family of man outside of the pit, but when we are cast into it there are only hunter and prey. There is no room for ubuntu there." setting a steady and stern gaze upon the priestess.
"Did you not enter these trials willingly Sangoma? I do not remember a knife at your back when you approached the Induna upon the waves. Why cry foul at the terms of the trials placed before you when it was you who invited the snake into your tent?"
"Yeah! No ubuntu! ...whatever that is!"
Picklebeard is just agreeing with his comrade and glad to see they share the same view on the secret agreement (even if for different reasons).
"I entered a Trial of Endurance, expecting to compete to be the swiftest over the farthest distance, not to see those less gifted than I crying for mercy as they are torn to pieces," Tebati responds, her voice not the less intense for being quiet. "Is it any different where you come from? Or do you accept an invitation to dinner expecting to dodge arrows? My cousin and I entered willingly, yes, hoping to win approval and a wider audience for our talents. I came first in my Trial, as my cousin expects to come first in his, but we do so by competing on our terms, not those imposed by the colonial authorities who view us as mere entertainment. If the targets for the Trial of Marksmanship are women and children, would you deride him for not burying his arrows in their hearts?"
Chuckling derisively "I did not think you so naive sangoma. If the Bandu or Yemba were coming would you also greet them with a smile? Stay your hand as toyi-toyi if you wish, but don't be surprised if the man you think is honorable comes with a knife aimed for your throat."
His ire mellowing and eyes returning to sadness, he adds in a quiter voice for Tebati's ears "Perhaps you have not spent enough time around the colonials yet, but if you had you could not be so surprised by their actions. The lot of the Mwangi in Sargava is as chattel and cattle, nothing more."
Tebati shakes her head as she murmurs back to Qhude, "The day I let the colonials' lack of humanity affect my own judgments is the day I become their chattel."
"Enough talk of chattel. You know not of the will a small child needs to survive such predation. Don't insult those who struggle to live." N'bellocq moves to the tent entrance to get some air, as the tent feels too enclosed.
Tebati looks after N'bellocq, chagrined that the conversation has upset him. "I know now that I was sheltered in Nantambu; I have learned that ever since leaving there," she tells Qhude. "Even Shimya-Magalla's capricious side is tamed within its canals. But simply because there people live with safety and respect while here they do not, does not mean that Sargava is reality and Nantambu is a child's dream. Perhaps it is this place which is the aberration. Nantambu existed in peace and harmony long before the colonials came to these shores. By accepting their ways, you enslave yourself, Qhude, by not envisioning a better way."
She follows N'bellocq to the tent entrance. "Cousin, you are a free man now. We do not have to stay in this place with these people; we can find our own way back to Nantambu, given time."
"Ok folks this is getting far too heated. It was a simple idea that we change the conditions of the trial in response to some questionable tactics on the part of our hosts. A simple way of letting them know that we can think and plan and create while under duress. These are all good qualities in a team that you are going to send into something that proved more than a match for your usual resources. But frankly I would rather loose and walk now than see folks this upset.
Several of us seem invested in the idea of being victorious in the trials. If that is what you want I wish you well. I expect you will each do very well in your remaining events. All I was suggesting was looking beyond the immediate trial and perhaps finding a way through that is easier than the one our hosts want us to take.
To abuse the lion metaphor I ask which is more impressive a lion that kills a few people with teeth and claw or one that finds a way to burn down the village and drive the people from its former hunting ground? Which lion would you want on your side?
But like I said if folks want to do things the expected, predictable way then I will do my level best, however s%#~that may be, to keep each of you alive. Who knows maybe a predictable, controllable team is what our lords and masters are looking for."
As a parting statement to Tebati before she moves away "I do not accept their ways, I uphold my own. I have heard of Nantambu, but I have also lived among the Bas'o and heard of Mzali. Do not be so foolish to believe that every Mwangi is as you are."
Quizzically looking at Jakob "Why else is there to enter a contest Induna, if not to win?"
"Why, fun of course, dear Qhude!" The words are accompanied by a chuckle.
Silent for the duration of the debate, Kieran lets out a soft sigh before going on. "Well, from what we know of this series of trials, this is a competition whose organizers seek a team, the winning team, for some mission or other. I have my doubts that they will not mind if instead of only one group, there emerge two or three as 'victorious', so to speak."
"In short, there are rules laid out by the ones behind this competition. However," he continues, pausing for a moment to look at the others with a wry smile, "rules are meant to be... bent, or is that not more or less what they say? Perhaps it might be a little more fun to do the unexpected, perhaps the powers-that-be will appreciate our ingenuity... or perhaps they will do unpleasant things to us for our insolence and insubordination. Still, what is life without a few surprises here and there?"
"I do not mind contacting, say, the mercenaries, although such people are probably not going to be going along with such a proposition, since their lot are all about honoring their word and contract and getting paid for it, at least most of them. The bounty hunters and the ones looking like pirates, though, I do not believe I will be bothering with," he states simply. "I am not even sure that they are not something worse, like slavers or smugglers, and such people are not to be trusted, word given or not."
"Regardless, I will of course be following whatever we decide to do, but I would suggest we keep an eye out during the final trial, even if some of the teams actually agree with your plan, Jakob. Experience has taught me that, no matter how trustworthy people may seem, they very often prove that they are not."
"And now my throat is dry...," he mutters as he goes to pour himself a cup of chilled wine. "Ah, being celebrities does come with its perks, yes?"
"I ain't puttin' my honor on tha line and risk comin' this far to cheat and not get me family's business up and runnin'. Us dwarfs follow tha rules. Ye don't get wine like yer drinkin' by not followin' tha rules."
"I might point out, Master Dwarf, that I have done my share of not following the rules," the half-elf quips with a wink. "In fact, I myself am a product of a certain pair of people ignoring certain rules and look how far I have gone: socializing with such interesting and varied people like yourselves, taking part in a grand show and, yes, enjoying my share of fine wine."
"Which reminds me... Where are my manners? Care for a cup, hmm? Any of you? I believe there is plenty of it to go around," he offers as he takes a sip, savoring it with a look of appreciation and contentment.
"I thought you'd never ask! One cup, please."
"Which reminds me... Where are my manners? Care for a cup, hmm? Any of you? I believe there is plenty of it to go around," he offers as he takes a sip, savoring it with a look of appreciation and contentment.
She nods at Kieran, her gaze following N'bellocq and Tebati as they exit the tent. "Please."