|
Tomas rouses and ensures that Nivi is well before making their way to the Opera. Standing upon the stage he listens to their next challenge with a frown, he was used to battles in an arena footing and had even been in mock combat for the enjoyment of the crowd, but never had he had to take up a role for one.
"Sounds agreeable, this Monkey King seems to fit my preferred style though the lack of armour will be a strange thing indeed." he says after the explanations are complete. "We are all prepared yes?"
After a good night's rest, the party divides up the costumes and roles...
Tomas assumes the role of Monkey King.
Brother Theo takes the role of the Jing - Noble Warrior
Popol takes the role of the Wizened Crone.
having the choices thin...
Eladrian takes the General.
Nivi the Warrior Woman
and the Gnome nobleman looks around and realizes.... he is stuck with the Clown....
The performance should be run as a standard combat, though PCs are forbidden from using lethal damage.
All the costume weapons are designed to deal nonlethal damage and thus do not impart the normal penalties for using a lethal weapon to deal nonlethal damage. If an attack deals lethal damage, the combat automatically ends and the offending group forfeit the match.
A team wins by dealing more nonlethal damage to each member of the opposing team than those characters possess, until all opponents are staggered or unconscious.
The sparsely set stage contains only a four chairs, a stick, a broom, and a small table. PCs and opponents playing roles allowed to cast spells may augment these props with illusions or conjuration magic, so long as none of the spells deal lethal damage to the opposing team.
Also: for identifying the assassins as Aspis paid, you gain +1 morale to hit any Aspis the rest of the scenario... which happens to be who you will mock-fight
|
Party Roles
Tomas- Monkey King.
Brother Theo- Jing - Noble Warrior
Popol- Wizened Crone.
Eladrian- Cruel Bandit
Nivi- Warrior Woman
Almost immediately after you arrive at the Opera House, you are greeted by a trio of actors dressed in the garb and makeup of a traditional opera from Lung Wa. They seat you in the first few rows. Looking around you see a few others also in attendance. Strangely, there are no sets and the unlit stage is empty except for three plain wooden chairs. Then Kiang Zhen strides onto the stage and addresses the audience.
Today I am treating myself to a display of opera, which all of you shall perform for me! Backstage, you shall find traditional costumes that will determine the roles you will portray. You may choose these roles yourself, but be forewarned—you must act within the limits of your role. Your objective is to perform an epic combat against a rival group. However, there must be no bloodshed. Any shows of lethal force will result in your immediate disqualification from the event. The troupe able to force its opponents to yield is the victor. Now go and prepare yourselves for the evening’s performance. It starts in 10 minutes!
You are then escorted to your changing room and assisted into costumes of your choice. They are pretty elaborate and a trio of assimars are on hand to help you. The dressers explain that once on stage it us up to you how you go about doing it, but reiterate you must not do lethal damage, and you must conform to the expectations of your role.
As you are led to the stage, one of the dressers speaks to you all in hushed tone
Hey, just a tip. Unless your role is a spellcasting one, you cannot be seen or heard using magic on stage. I would suggest using any spells to increase your power now, so that you are prepared when the play starts. Your opponents are powerful. I don't want to see any of you hurt by accident.
Round One
Popol- Up!
The General
The Warrior Woman
White Eyed Clown
The Monkey King
The Cruel Bandit
Tomas
Eladrian
Theo
Nivi
Galmar
|
|
Tomas nods to the Angelkin helping them dress, it had been many years since he had worn anything close to the traditional garb of his own people and now he remembered why. "These are bulky, I shall be amazed if we can move as freely as they wish." he mutters as they gather.
Giving the 'audience' a Traditional Tien bow, Tomas calls upon the luck of his patron to strike his enemies. Also, getting into character, instead of his usual solid Draconian fighting style, Tomas becomes much looser and flowing, his footing more erratic.
|
Galmar pales as he realizes the clown costume is the only one small enough to fit him. He begins to mumble under his breath as he takes off his glorious Taldan parade armor. "The things I do for the Society... if the rest of the Sovereign Court ever saw me dressed in this I'd be the laughing stock for an entire court season!"
Steeling himself for the good of the team, Galmar drinks extracts of Cat's Grace, Heroism, Fox's Cunning and Disguise Self (to improve his disguise and prevent others from noticing his... less than noble attire). Right before heading onstage he drinks his extract of Haste, then looks out at the audience.
"Oh my. At least we're not as ugly as those Aspis Agents!"
R Will
Y Will
G Will
W Will
The opposing group are sprayed with golden dust which gets in the eyes of all but one, a ferocious half orc who comes tearing across the stage in a fit of rage and tries to smash Eladrian!
Attack
The attack is clumsy and fuelled with anger, missing the mark entirely.
R1 Continued
Tomas
Eladrian
Theo
Nivi
Galmar
R2
Popol
|
|
Feeling a tad foolish, but determined to stay in the spirit of things to avoid failing the task ahead of them, Tomas throws back his head an lets out a laugh as combat is joined. Eyeing up the Half-Orc as the first threat, he uses his newly acquired fighting style to emulate the Monkey King of his Homeland Legend and rolls around the Orc, landing behind him to strike!
for
"You should always watch your back!" he calls out rather woodenly.
The skilled street fighter manages to slip around the half-orc, and then simply punches the half-orc in the kidney with a shocking amount of brute force.
B 27
R1 Continued
Tomas - attacked
Eladrian
Theo
Nivi
Galmar
R2
Popol
R1 Continued
Tomas - attacked
Eladrian
Theo
Nivi - Aid/Elad
Galmar
R2
Popol (Grease - Pending)
Tomas lays a devastating blow to the enemy General...
Theo hits three smaller blows but not a critical...
as a layer of grease appears on his wooden sword..
but manages to hold on.
nevermind!
Haste
Blessings of Fervor
Bold may act
Popol
The General
The Warrior Woman
White Eyed Clown
The Monkey King
The Cruel Bandit
Tomas
Eladrian
Theo
Nivi
Galmar
Galmar entertains the crowd as his allies beat on the enemy General.
Eladrian swings his extra attacks as well...
hits two mroe times..
The enemy General swings at Tomas and connects once.
The Warrior Woman, listening carefully for enemies, stabs at Tomas's Square blindly
but she can't find him while blind...
The white-eyed clown attempts to dispel the glitterdust.
and succeeds. She moves forward 20 feet.
The Monkey King flies up 10 feet and casts Grease under Eladrian and Brother Theo.
and Brother Theo falls prone.
The crual bandit slides up next to Tomas and stabds his long wooden knife at him..
and crits!
Haste
Blessings of Fervor
Bold may act
The General
The Warrior Woman
White Eyed Clown
The Monkey King
The Cruel Bandit
Tomas
Eladrian
Theo
Nivi
Galmar
Popol
|
|
Popol looks at white eye clown. "You think you have a bad eye. Look at mine!"
Popol shakes his hands and cast dispel magic at the white eye clown.
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
Frowning as the wooden weapons strike him, Tomas keeps in character as he laughs aloud and taunts the creatures. Calling upon his holy master for divine strength he feels his muscles tense as he is blessed. With a whirl he leaps into combat, beginning with the General before moving on to the Rogue, he then steps out of the way.
for
In an awe-inspiring display, Tomas's first two blows knock out the enemy General, and his second two blows puts the Cruel Bandit on notice as he is badly hurt.
Popol fails to dispel the first spell.
but successfully dispels Magic Vestment
|
Eladrian feels his feet slip from underneath him, and just barely manages to keep from falling. He glowers at the two agents before him, his eyes promising very painful death.
Eladrian stands up quick as a whistle and moves forward to knock out the cruel bandit.
Galmar continues to act out for the crowd in his role.
The warrior woman's polearm lashes out at Eladrian.
his splint mail only protects him from one of the blows.
The White Eyed Clown swings her broom at Tomas.
The Monkey King floats down and forward 5 feet to punch Brother Theo.
provoking an AoO.
Haste
Blessings of Fervor
Bold may act
The Warrior Woman
White Eyed Clown
The Monkey King
Tomas
Eladrian
Theo
Nivi
Galmar
Popol
|
|
Easily deflecting the swung Broom, Tomas lets out a booming laugh as he dances around the White eyed crow's poor attack. "You come to me with a broom?! I am sorry for your poor luck."
Deciding to tap into his deities blessings this time, the Monkey King of the Pathfinders rains down blows upon the unsuspecting Witch. If they fall, Tomas steps foreard and continues with the foe's Monkey King with another laugh.
for
for
for
for
|
|
Brother Theo shook his head, looking towards the crowd. "I think they learned to act at the Galt School of Mimicry rather than a real one like Kintargo Opera House! he said as the Monkey King tried to swat at him.
"But at least the Monkey King is near by. If I was nice I would put on a blindfold and swat at him like a pinata but I am not sure what kind of goodies he has inside of him! he said swatting at the floating foe.
Acting like he was trying to hit a pinata, two of the blows missed wildly but one did find its mark.
Eladrian pounds on the warrior woman.
Tomas clobbers the clown with three blows, and lays a 4th into the monkey king.
Brother Theo also hits the Monkey King once.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The Audience applauds like crazy as the final two opponents, seeing themselves completely outmatched, lay down and prostrate in a formal surrender.
Kiang Zhen also claps and declares you the winner as the curtain falls and you are led away from the stage to the back room. There you are met by your Tengu liaison.
“Time for your costume change,” she caws as she hands over a stack of black funerary robes.
“Once you get suited up, throw these over your clothes; you’ll need them to enter the next event. Then head to the Petal District. You’ll know the way once you get there.”
A crowd of black-robed mourners gathers in a small, grassy square near the edge of the cemetery. The assembly forms a procession, which winds through the cemetery to one of the oldest and most opulent plots. There, the entrances to an entire row of aging marble mausoleums stand open. Before each rests a coffin.
The procession stops, and a woman in the robes of a Pharasmin cleric steps forward. She approaches the various groups of mourners and, speaking in a solemn tone, requests each of them to hoist a casket and carry it into one of the mausoleums. Then she adds the following instructions: “This next competition is the final one of the qualifier. The Emissary lies somewhere in the catacombs below. All you must do now is seek him out and touch his robes. Good luck.” Then the woman nods and leaves, without further explanation.
|
|
Tomas gives the audience a formal Tien bow and then follows it up with a shallower bow to their defeated foe. "Crawl back to you masters, know that your Assassins failed and so do you now."
Spinning on his heel, Tomas reverently returns the Monkey mask to the Theatre and buckles on his breastplate, feeling much safer with it on, now that practice weapons were out. Frowning at the odd request, the Warpriest there on the black robe over his usual white gear and followed the Tengu, using his charged wand to heal the wounds suffered in the fight.
Filing in with the crowd as they reach the Mausoleum, he looks around for signs of other competitors in the crowd from earlier in the tournament. Looking down at the coffin he patiently awaits the explanation from the priestess. Standing to one side of the Casket, he nods to Eladrian.
"Whenever you are ready."
The stairs empty into a long hall of cool gray stone. On both sides of the smooth, polished walls open deep, narrow arches that recede into straight, dark hallways. A gold-skinned humanoid sits in a trancelike state in the middle of the room like a great silent statue. Across his lap is a massive spiked club.
Behind the creature, on the far side of the hall, a small brass gong hangs still upon a lacquered wooden frame. Beside the gong rests a large mallet, its beater wrapped in cloth.
“Greetings, esteemed competitors. Allow me to introduce myself. I am called Heng—the Sifu’s Judge. Within this room you see eight arches; however, only one leads to the final competition. While I can show you the correct path, you must first prove yourselves worthy before I reveal the answer.”
The oni nods and without warning, all eight entrances erupt into impassible whirlwinds of lashing sword shards and colored smoke. Calmly, he continues.
“Beyond me hangs a small gong. In order to pass freely, you must properly sound the gong using the nearby mallet. While this task sounds easy, I assure you it is not, for it must be struck perfectly in order to get it to sound. Hit it too softly and it will fail to echo, too hard and it will crack. Furthermore, I shall do my best to prevent anyone from sounding it.”
The judge bows, his heavy gaze relentless. Then slowly his body coils into a combat stance as he signals the start of the fight with a simple nod.
Judge Heng moves immediately forward, swinging his great club at Eladrian
none
Judge Heng
Tomas
Popol
Eladrian
Nivi
Galmar
Brother Theo
|
|
Eladrian quickly gets out of the costume and dons his own armor before approaching Brother Theo with his wand of healing. "Brother Theo, would you mind helping me with this, please?"
___
Eladrian ducks the mighty swing of the Oni. He takes a moment to size up his opponent, and sidesteps before he swings for all his worth.