The warehouse is hard to miss. Not only is it the largest by a wide margin, it is packed with the shady elements of the Sandpoint's underbelly and the less savory sailors looking for a bloodmatch. Crates and boards create a stepped platform that allows most of the spectators a good view of the area in the center. Close to fifty men and women fill the makeshift arena as bookies call for bets.
"Now, this is supposed to be a good fight. It can't looked rigged or anything like that. I brought something for you to drink to help steel your nerves."
He hands you the vial and waits expectantly. The smile, the gleam in his eyes, and the tone of his voice make it clear this is not a request. As soon as you drink the vile tasting stuff, he enters to the ring to announce the fight.
The doors close shortly after you are seated. In the center of the pit formed by the stacks of crates is a Varisian man with a smile that would make most everybody uneasy.
"We are pleased to have you here in our humble little town! Tomorrow may be the Swallowtail Festival, but we see no reason to start celebrating now." Cheers fill the warehouse with a deafening roar. "Tonight, for our first fight, we have the lovely girl that will bash your face in as soon as look at you. Sandpoint's most notorious pit fighter, Noro!"
Cheers once again fill the warehouse, and more than a few lewd comments as well, as a young girl that some of you recognize drops into the pit with the man.
"Her opponent, a giant among men, is said to have made even the ogres at Hook Mountain quell with fear. I give you Gluck!"
More cheers and catcalls to Noro announce the arrival of a brutish man without a shred of compassion in his eyes. He easily stands eight feet tall, with a multitude of scars on his overly large belly. His eyes look up and down Noro as the cheers carry on. A lecherous grin reveals rotting and crooked teeth filling his big mouth.
"Ya sure do look prudy. Do ya squeal as purdy as ya looks?" A harsh, mocking laugh erupts from his horrid maw.
The man moves out of the way and stands at the edge of the pit. "On three. One! Two! THREE!"
HP 41
Horatio takes a seat, hoping he's doing a good job of hiding his nervousness. He wears a simple woollen cloak with a hood to hide his face and armour, and carries his violin tucked under one arm, the bow hanging at his left hip, just behind a rapier. The weight of the weapon is what worries him the most - it serves as a reminder that not every problem can be solved with a pretty face, some well-spoken words, or some well-placed coin. Some problems can only be solved with blood, and he knows he isn't cut out for that.
He decides on a seat in the second row. Close enough to jump down if need be; not so close as to be conspicuous. He carefully sets his violin and bow at his feet, making sure he can easily draw his rapier if need be. Satisfied, he waits for his companion to arrive, periodically wiping nervous sweat from his brow.
When he sees the giant of a man enter the pit, he groans. Well, blast. No wonder Ameiko asked me to keep an eye on her...
Pavanna slips into the seat next to her friend, trying to hide her own nerves behind a bright smile in the same way her own cloak (hopefully) hides her sword-belt and the emblem of Iomedae on her armour. It wouldn’t do to tip off the thugs too early, after all.
Concerned as she is about Horatio, who is clearly more of a lover than a fighter, she hasn’t picked any of the Sczarni enforcers out of the crowd... but she knows they have to be there somewhere. “Don’t worry, Horatio — I’ll look after you,” she breathes into his ear, half-teasing. “Besides, you’ll have another — how the hell did they smuggle an ogrekin into town for this!?” O, Inheritor, please grant us the fortitude to survive and prevail....
Horatio jumps as Pavanna sits next to him, clearly high-strung. He visibly relaxes once he sees who it is, though, a grateful smile crossing his face.
"Well, as much as I hate to say it, I'm probably more of a hindrance to Noro than a help if things start heading south. I'm glad I have you here to protect me, though," he teases back. "As for the ogrekin, I have no idea. Someone must have pulled some strings to make this happen. I'm not sure of the specifics, but the situation doesn't look good so far." No shame in admitting to myself that I'm scared... He attempts to reach out and grasp Pavanna's hand, more to comfort himself than anything else. "I'm glad you're here," he murmurs again, eyes fixed on the pit instead of on her.
Thirzin stumbles in, smiling widely. He does not seem overly drunk, but there are a number of slippery unknown substances on the floor that make things a bit of a struggle to get a good seat. Eventually, he has to turn on the dwarven "charm" and just start yelling "scuse me! Move it! Outta my way! Dwarf comin through!"
Eventually, after much shoving and struggling, he gets through the throngs and sits down a couple of seats down from Horatio.
Horatio blatantly wears his armor and shield, but the weapon is hidden beneath his heavy cloak. He keeps his eyes on the match, even though he knows the particular tingle of raised hairs on the back of his neck. How many, though...
As Noro headed to the ring she takes a few chomp of her barbarian Chew and is carrying her bottle of rice wine. Jubrayl would know from previous fights that Noro has been known to drink during the fight it seemed to make for a better show.
she places the bottle in her corner and pops the top off ready to take a swig.
her opponent enters the ring and Noro shoots a glare at Jubrayl knowing that she not only had to throw the fight he wanted her to take a serious stomping. unfortunately there wasn't much she could do now, and not wanting to disappoint Noro cracks her knuckles and takes the traditional fighting stance of a Muay Thai fighter. she can only hope the newcomers at the dragon don't see her now, and hopefully Lou will never find out about this.
Noro does not even respond to the ogre's taunting she merely just enters a mental state of survival. glaring at the huge creature. she smiles her teeth blood red like she has just eaten raw flesh.
Now this was something Olivius could get into. The Academy had brawls like this all the time, except they were an official part of the curriculum. No students died. A student's death created too much paperwork and was deemed a "waste of resources". The atmosphere was about the same, however, and Olivius was relishing it from the front row in the east-north-east corner.
Until someone he knew was in the ring. He knew he was different from the average Grub when he did not relish people he knew getting hurt. That was what set him apart; that drove him here, away from Cheliax and his family and House. Therefore, as Noro stepped into the ring with what was probably a monster of giant blood, Olivius lost his excitement.
He tried to catch Noro's eye and communicate without words, in that way warriors do, that he had her back. Thankfully, he was opposite her. Hopefully, her back wouldn't need covering. Sandpoint wasn't a big town. Deaths are big deals here.
He loosens his spear at his hip and Guisarme at his back, and discreetly brings his battered oaken shield down onto his forearm. If there was trouble, he wanted to be ready.
|
The place was not exactly nice, and a fight like this wasn't exactly something Victoria liked, but there was no reason to believe it grossly violated her tenets. Unless, of course, Noro got in serious trouble. Then she would step in. Still, she was uncomfortable.
Victoria's eyes glowed as she looked at the big guy. "Akisame, let's sit in the front. I want to make sure nothing goes wrong." She whispers in his ear right before finding her seat.
She takes note of the thugs as well glancing over at them and using her detect evil on them as well.
"Be wary, there are a couple of people watching us." She nods toward the thugs to warn Akisame in a subtle fashion.
-----------------
Victoria detects evil on the big guy before the fight, as well as the thugs.
In case I decide to step in at any point:
Gluck, despite his girth, is faster than Noro off the count and rushes in to deliver a brutal hit. The ogrekin strikes with an uppercut that lifts her a few inches into the air and drives her back into the corner.
The crowd cheers and jeers as the fight gets underway.
Noro slams into her corner. wincing in pain the red of her teethe and gums masking the blood now dripping slightly from her mouth. But still she stands.
Noro lets out a yell as she uses the corner pole as a brace and swings her legs up to kick the beast of an opponent in the Jaw hoping to return the favor.
the kick sends teeth flying and blood splattering Noro then tries to maneuver around to get away from the corner
AC 12 (raging AC)
HP 11 /18
rage rounds used 1 / 7 +1 bonus round for Barbarian Chew
Olivius winces at the giant's first hit. He's seen attacks like that leave men unconscious. But this girl had some grit. The counter was stunning in its brutality. Such a savage act would have constituted a lack in forsight and counted against Noro in the Academy, but this isn't The Academy, nor Cheliax. So he waits, ready to jump the baracade.
The giant's blow has Horatio reaching for his instrument, wondering if he could get away with playing some inspiring music. He pulls it into his lap, rearranging his cloak to hide it. It's the one thing most likely to give away his identity.
However, he's unable to control a hissed "yes!" of approval at Noro's counterattack. The savagery reminds him how much his own cheek still aches from the blow she gave him earlier, and he realizes he got off easy. He turns to Pavanna, temporarily thrilled with confidence. "At what point should we get involved? I'm thinking of jumping in if she looks like she's in trouble, but for now at least, she seems to be holding her own."
HP 24
Gluck's head snaps to the side and seems stunned for a moment. Unfortunately, not stunned enough to miss the opportunity Noro gives him as she darts around to the side. Still the blow is wide and misses the nimble fighter by a good margin.
The left hook that follows catches Noro in the side of her head and manages to cut open the inside of her cheek.
Thugs-18
Gluck-15
Noro-7
“If it weren’t for her opponent, I’d say ‘She’s a prize-fighter, Horatio: this is what she does’,” Pavanna says, putting her left hand on his forearm to slow him. “As it is... not yet, but be ready. If she goes down and he keeps swinging, we stop him — any way we have to. And keep your eyes open: I haven’t picked any of the organiser’s goons out of all these people, but they have to be around.”
She glances to her other side, hoping Saroune’s ready to take action of her own.
"As always, your head is clearer than mine... I'm just worried I won't be much help if this turns sour." He sighs, thinking for a few moments. "He doesn't seem like he'd have a particularly strong mind; I could probably take advantage of that if need be. If we need to enter melee, though, you'll probably have two people to look out for." He scans the crowd, looking for any thugs that might be nearby, but sees nothing suspicious. That in itself isn't a good sign...
Perception:
I am more interested in the fighters in and around the ring to know anything else. I listen to Victoria and respond. "I want to see just how all this works. I do not believe Noro is in real danger but if things do get worse then we can step in." I join her in the front row.
"As always, your head is clearer than mine... I'm just worried I won't be much help if this turns sour." He sighs, thinking for a few moments. "He doesn't seem like he'd have a particularly strong mind; I could probably take advantage of that if need be. If we need to enter melee, though, you'll probably have two people to look out for." He scans the crowd, looking for any thugs that might be nearby, but sees nothing suspicious. That in itself isn't a good sign...
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Pavanna murmurs, a little relieved and a touch impressed. My own magical talents are more oriented towards healing and learning.... which is vexing, at this juncture. “An enchantment would be far more subtle than swords, and might sidestep a brawl completely. I think you under-rate yourself.” And heaven knows those might be words I didn’t think I’d ever say to him!
Noro is sent spinning with the blow across the face blood splatters across the ring. Noro tries to use the momentum to fall into a Turning Elbow Strike maneuver.
her elbow slamming into her opponent's base of the throat
AC 12
max HP 18 (can take up to 3x in non-lethal damage for 28 or 34 raging)
damage 14
rage used 2 / 7 +1 bonus barbarian chew.
Saroune, seated next to Pavanna, watched the fight with a mixture of shock and excitement. There had always been fights between the Varisians of her caravan; but those were mostly sport, something to ease the tensions of a long journey.
This was something else entirely and it made her uncomfortable. She leaned over to Pavanna, not taking her eyes off the fight. "What are you intending?"
Bloody wonder I didn't think of that sooner. Damn these nerves. "Well, a pretty face like this isn't just for show," he mutters, cringing at the blows being exchanged in the ring. "Speaking of pretty faces, this could turn sour soon. So we agree - jump in if she goes down?" He tries to speak softly and move his lips as little as possible.
“If he doesn’t stop when she goes down, yes,” she nods, mimicking his close-mouthed murmur. “Acting before that could well cost her the match, and she might not thank us for it. But if this fight goes as I suspect, Gluck will try to kill her once she’s down — and whatever the rules, to me that will make him fair game.”
Looking to Saroune, Pavanna adds, “If Noro’s life is at risk, Horatio will try to enchant that brute she’s fighting, to stop him from killing her. If someone realises what’s happened and who did it, you and I will keep the goons off him until Noro’s safe, then we’ll clear a path to get all four of us out here.”
Thirzin begins to realize things are looking quite...well, just not good at all. He taps his chin for a moment, hoping to keep his eyes peeled for continued dangers and decide exactly when to join in what likely will become a grand ol' melee.
before Gluck lays into Noro with some more pain is there any way to see if Jubrayl is satisfied with the performance. she put a hurtin on this oaf to satisfy the crowd, and she knows she has to loose. basically if Jubrayl is satisfied with the progress then Noro will feint defending herself (basically allowing herself to be flatfooted) but she hopes to let Gluck know she is throwing the fight and that his victory is because Noro let him win.
Saroune didn't know the woman fighting in the ring, but if what Pavanna and Horatio were discussing was true, she would try and help as best she could. Nobody deserved to be set up like that.
Saroune leaned back into her seat, placing her shoulder sling of scrolls in her lap. She gripped a pair and waited for any sign of trouble.
Maybe it was the years on the run, an exile, maybe it was his training at the Academy, but Olivius could feel that something was about to go awry. He spots the bard Horatio and Pavanna across the arena briefly along with the drinking dwarf from the Rusty Dragon before the fight obscures them again.
Well, At least the limp-wrist won't die. Pavanna is capable enough.
His mind was working overtime, and he didn't like the situation. Pavanna, Limp-Wrist, and a Dwarf vs whatever came up against intruders. Pavanna could hold her own for a bit, but she lacked the training to properly hold a line. And here he was, on the opposite side of the arena. He hoped the dwarf was worth his weight in stout if this went south.
Wait, why was he assuming that the Dwarf would even join? Why was he assuming any of this? Maybe he deserved his rank, "adequate". He was making wild assumptions again.
Olivius growls to himself and braces his nerves. He very well may be alone.
HP 16
AC 14
1: 8
2: 8
3: 8
4: 8
5: 8
No one made that check so all seven of you are flatfooted.
Pavanna-19 FF
Saroune-18 FF
Thugs-18
Victoria-17 FF
Gluck-15
Horatio-12 FF
Olivius-11 FF
Thirzin-8 FF
Noro-7
Akisame-6 FF
Noro steals a glance to the side of the ring to see Jubrayl seething in rage, not at her specifically, but at Gluck. He catches her glance, which is just enough for him to direct his murderous anger upon her. Now would most definitely be a good time to throw the fight.
Gluck, though, roars in fury as he gets Noro's secret message.
The blow misses, but it leaves a crater in the dirt floor and rattles the bleachers next to the arena.
About that time, five thugs materialize out of the crowd that suddenly moves away from the rest of you. Daggers are already drawn as they move in to attack.
In a singularly stunning display of ineptitude, all but one of the thugs manages to miss their targets entirely. Olivius' armor sent the blade of his foe screeching into the wood planks beside him. Victoria, Horatio, and Pavanna barely even have to move to avoid their attackers clumsy attacks.
Saroune is not so lucky. Her attacker's blade rips through her shirt and leaves a long searing gash across her shoulder and neck. It could have been worse though, he nearly sent the blade through her windpipe.
Noro, despite trying to get hit is almost about ready to grab Glugs fist and force him to punch her. the punch he does throw slamming into the ground with incredible force Noro dives to the ground as though the force threw her there. she lays there one eye open to see what Gluck will do.
Noro ends her rage but because of the Barbarian Chew the rage will continue a bonus round before fatigue sets in.
come on Jubrayl take the bait and call off the goon squad
"YA THINK ME DUMB! ME SEE YA! ME SEE YA SQUISHED FLAT!"