"Ah, the magical arts. I appreciate what they can do, but I'm very much a man of the blade, myself."
Corlis reaches for one piece of his luggage, a broad cloth sheath which clinks as he rests it on his knees.
"Inside this is the Talon, the fiercest blade I've ever seen with my own eyes. With this, I've been known to topple over and disarm a man in under six seconds. The crowds love it! When we step into the arena, you can count on me to keep our foes at bay, and our fans roaring."
"Are you gonna reveal yourself yet Grim?" Jake sent mentally.
"... not yet. We don't know if we can completely trust them, after all." came a mental response.
"Well then, since we're on the talk of blades, I call this one here Grim." says Jake, gesturing to the handle poking from behind him. "Although I'm a magus, my magic is mainly focused on enchantments for melee combat. It takes me a few seconds to properly channel arcane energy onto Grim, but rest assured that the impact is amazing." Then taking out his spellbook, he flips it to a specific page and shows its contents to the others.
"I usually have one Haste spell prepared everyday, and it's most effective we're clumped together. It would be useful to have someone set a distraction when I cast it though..." says Jake, snapping his spellbook close.
As her teammates tell her about their skills, Jeevika intently takes mental notes. Without the only Kailani daughter, it seems to her that the men would handle the melee aspect of battle, while with occasional help from Jake, Karlia would hang back and provide support with her channels.
"I will give you specific details later, but my combat specialization is support and nonlethal disabling. For support, I am a good healer. While I can't cover multiple people at once like Karlia, I am quite effective one-on-one. Additionally, I know a few augmenting spells like Jake's Haste. I don't get them for a book, though."
Jeevika taps her head, a sign that her magic is her bones.
"As a stage duelist, I typically go for nonlethal take downs. As an elf, I use an old Kyoninian style that renders blades much less dangerous than usual. However, I prefer another form to this one. I can morph myself into a living entity of water. I can vary my size, and it's a much stronger, hardier state overall. When using that ability, I typically just punch and grapple things."
"I have some water and ice based powers. I usually just coat myself with ice for protection, but if push comes to shove, I can toss it. I can also see through most forms of water with little problem."
Jeevika looks around to make sure no one is listening and then adds softly (whispering to everyone individually if necessary), "Most importantly, unless you speak Aquan or Celestial, you won't understand me when I'm in combat. It's strange. Whenever I'm stressed even slightly, I can only speak those two tongues."
As the ferry pulls in to dock, a cheer erupts from the throng of waiting people. The crowd is largely dressed in traditional Gokan garb, although several wear bright ruby-colored clothes, armor, or regalia. The townsfolk shower the new arrivals with cherry blossoms and hand out ceramic cups filled with warm, pungent liquor. The crowd forms a reception that leads to the center of town, where a crowded noodle house with a small wooden sign that simply reads Yon Loi's serves a number of arrivals.
The noodle house is a large, open-air structure centered around a courtyard filled with long, shaded tables. Smaller round tables fill a roofed balcony surrounding the courtyard, from which wealthier patrons and the tournament elite look over the establishment. The kitchen sits on the ground floor, behind a short partition. Townsfolk busily rush from table to kitchen and back, taking orders and bringing plates of food and bowls of noodles to hungry patrons.
The party is lead to a table, and each receives a complimentary bowl of salty noodle soup containing fish and vegetables, along with a plate of fried rice mixed with a variety of local vegetables.
A relatively young-looking man pulls a chair up beside the table, and takes a seat. Atop his forehead, a headband bearing the insignia of the Sword of Iomedae sits below a shock of brown hair. The light point of his ears hints at an elven heritage, although he is clearly not full-blooded. His features are Avistani.
Around his neck drapes a medallion with bearing the Ruby Phoenix symbol. He wears a loose, light-blue tunic that covers a powerful, muscled torso.
"Hoy there," he says casually. "How was the trip over?"
"It was quite good," Jeevika answers as she pushes aside her dish. "Teleporting is still a bit disorienting. Always is. Oh, where are my manners today? My name is Jeevika Kailani. Is there anything I can help you with, Mister...?"
Better let the charming one handle this dude...
-Posted with Wayfinder
"I'd have to agree with Jeevika here," Corlis adds between two enthusiastic bites of his meal. "Teleporting's a bit rough, but the ferry was a charm. So, are you here to compete too?"
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"Ah, seems I am the mannerless one today," the half-elf says to Jeevika. "My name is Marthysan. Because you are not only new arrivals, but also the 'assembly team' made from qualifier victors, I figured I should check in with you. Make sure you have your bearings and the like."
Marthysan turns his friendly gaze towards Corlis. "I am one of the judges this year, and even if I was not, I would be," Marthysan hesitates, "ineligible to participate, shall we say. All the better, seems there's to be some fierce competition this year," he says, scanning the noodle shop.
Having watched the previous tournament, you recognize the name Marthysan as the previous tournament's champion. Marthysan is a paladin of Iomedae who wielded the divine fury of his goddess in battle to conquer the tournament. He faced off in the final round against Wu Dizhen; the final battle was in his favor until the sorceress obscured the area in a dense fog. In the middle of the match, several officials were seen entering the fog, and leaving with two unconscious bodies identical to Wu Dizhen. When the fog cleared, Marthysan stood alone in the arena, and was declared the victor. Although talk of foul play on the part of Dizhen was rumored, little was ever confirmed officially by the tournament.
You recognize the name Marthysan as the previous tournament's champion. Marthysan is a paladin of Iomedae who wielded the divine fury of his goddess in battle to conquer the tournament. He has spent most of his time since the tournament fighting in the Worldwound, and it is rumored that the item he chose from Hao Jin's vault was one that strengthened the power of the wardstones keeping the demons at bay.
"Oh? Champion Marthysan?" Jeevika says as she brings her dainty hands to cover he mouth. However, the elf quickly composes herself. "It's an honor to meet you, sir. In person I mean. I was at the last tournament, and I remember seeing your matches. They were... quite interesting to watch. Anyway, I'm glad to meet a tournament official; I have a question, you see. Namely, what is the official process for our matches tomorrow? I just want to know what we need to do."
"Last year's champion? I would have liked for us to cross blades in the arena; too bad it's not possible, eh?" says Jake with a nod of his head.
Jake moves a bit closer and says in a whisper "Care to hint us on the contents of the vault? I have something... specific in mind."
Karlia stands, smiling broadly, and bows deeply to Marthysan. "It is an honor to meet you, good sir knight. Your prowess in battle is well-known even outside of the tournament setting. I hope that you enjoy our performances in the coming days. " She hesitates just a bit, then her smile widens even more as a thought comes to her. "Perhaps, if there is time before or after the tournament, you would be willing to spar with me? I would be extremely grateful to learn anything you have to teach me..."
"Well, well, well, the champion, is it?" Corlis offers Marthysan a friendly handshake. "Well ain't I the foolish one for not recognizing you. I'd love to get a round of sparring with you myself, though I assume you're a busy man."
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"Hm, Shu was supposed to explain-" Marthysan cuts himself off and rubs his temples in a tired expression. "Who am I kidding, of course Shu didn't explain the tournament. He'd forget his head if it wasn't for his neck, and even now it's a small miracle."
Marthysan lets out a heavy sigh. "The tournament will be held over the course of five days. There are sixty-four teams that are entered, and the tournament takes place in single-elimination matches. Every day, you will face one other team. The winners advance, and the losers are out of the tournament. On the fifth and final day, we will hold both the semi-finals and the final match itself.
"Of course, the arenas need to be set up and the participants need something to do throughout the day, so there will also be one exhibition match, and one "test" per day. The Emissary's monks need time to set up the elaborate fight stage between matches, so he aims to amuse the crowd during these intermissions with tests of skill, strength, fortitude, and will. Likewise, the exhibition matches are offered between randomly chose combatants and either noncombatants or captured monsters. Both the exhibitions and the tests offer rewards to those who complete them."
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Marthysan grins at Jake's question. "Something specific? There are many specific items in the vault. Of course, my entry was ten years back, but I might be able to recall something. What are you seeking?
Marthysan turns towards Karlia and Corlis, and grasps Corlis' outstretched hand in a grip that hints at a fierce strength. "I suppose a quick spar wouldn't be out of the question. It would give me a chance to show you all where the arena is, if nothing else."
"I'm looking for a particular blade, something that is made of a metal similar to this one." Jake says to Marthysan, one hand reaching back to draw slightly and expose a part of his Black Blade. "They say that it's form changes when approached... weird huh?"
Karlia's sly grin turns into an excited one when Marthysan agrees to spar with her. "We'd be honored to accompany you to the arena, then! It will feel good to stretch my muscles, both physical and mental, before the tournament begins in full force."
Karlia winks at Marthysan, hoping to catch him off guard with her flirting and distract him during their sparring. Besmaran priestesses are taught to use ALL of the tools at their disposal to win a battle, even a practice one...
*roll eyes*
-Posted with Wayfinder
Marthysan lets out a sharp bark of laughter. "There's a blade like that in there, all right. I tried to pick it up out of curiosity and it zapped me almost immediately. I believe it said it refused to be wielded by a 'stuffed shirt paladin.' It called me several other names as I recall, though I suppose I ought not repeat them in so public a place."
The half-elf stands up from the table and stretches. "Well, no time like the present, yeah?" Marthysan frowns slightly. "Although, this year the tournament is a team tournament. One-on-one combat seems a bit-"
A man with a long braid and swirling tattoos running down his arms calls over from an adjacent table, "If you need another body, I'd be honored to fight with you, Marthysan!" The man walks over to the party's table and bows deeply. "Name's Chung Po. As it happens, I was about to suggest a friendly match to get into the spirit of competition, but this idea trumps that one easily."
Several others in the noodle house perk up at the idea of fighting alongside the past year's victor, and also offer to take part in the sparring. Marthysan selects a green-skinned half-orc who wears a suit of studded leather with each stud seeming to shine like a star in the sky. She wears a small symbol of Desna as a clasp for her deep purple cloak.
"I think I know where I can find a fourth," Marthysan says mysteriously. "Is everyone finished with their meals?"
"All done and ready for action," Corlis declares, gathering his belongings. On the party's way out, he picks up a leftover piece of fish when he thinks no one is looking, and slips it between the bars of Zephyr's cage for the falcon to enjoy.
"I am also ready to go, let us spar and see how we do against a champion!"
Jeevika's long, pointy ears perk up when she hears that the entire team will be sparing the last tournament's champion (and anyone he gathers). She quickly reaches into her haversack, produces a Kyoninian warrior's mask, and switches it out with the small gold circlet circle on her head. The battle dancer tucks the latter trinket away and ties her hair as she says "Lead the way, Marthysan."
"That is interesting... looks like I got the glum version." says Jake to Marthysan.
No offense Grim, but you are the serious type.
Then he adds, "Great! A challenging spar is just what we need to spend the night." as Jake swings his right arm around.
"So, what is the favored ruleset around here?" Corlis asks Chung Po as the group makes their way to the arena. "Staged combat? Fight to the first blood?"
"Dunno. How're we playing this one, Champ?" Chung Po asks Marthysan.
"Why, to the death of course," replies Marthysan seriously, before letting out a short bark of laughter. "No, I imagine a combat of performance will do."
"It would be terribly boring without a wager, I think," Marthysan muses after his explanation. "How about...whoever wins, either my team or yours, will be allowed the use of my suite at the Golden Lion? The rooms reserved for me as the last year's champion are...overly generous. I have no need for so much room.
Marthysan runs ahead before anyone can answer, and halts before a familiar short man some thirty feet away. The two talk in hushed voices.
"Are you mad? This has to be against some rule!" Shu whispers harshly.
"Iomedae hasn't struck my powers off me for a sparring match yet," Marthysan whispers back blithely. "It's just a friendly match. I'm not using the Sword of Gathering on them."
"Tch!" Shu tchs, "Fine, I'll go, but only to make sure nothing bad happens. Someone needs to watch your reckless back."
"Much appreciated."
Marthysan returns to the group with Shu in tow. "Well, it seems we've all our members."
Marthysan leads the two groups to the Grand Pavilion arena. Within the walls, towering bamboo scaffolds display great banners and flags of bright red and gold silk. Several members of the tournament are still setting up and bar entry to the arena, but a few words from Marthysan and Shu gain the fighters entry.
The two teams enter the arena; the arena's sandy flooring has been freshly swept. A large crowd has gathered out of curiosity, although they scarcely fill the large stadium's seats. Marthysan wields a wooden training sword, although the half-orc holds a sword which is used for true combat. Chung Po, unarmed, adopts a Snapping Turtle crouch, a common fighting style of grapplers. Shu stands in the back sighing.
"Ahh, I've been looking forward to a good warmup fight," Corlis declares. Before stepping into the arena, he produces a very oddly shaped weapon sheath out of his bag, and unsheathes the Talon.
His weapon is unlike anything most warriors have ever seen, a unique concotion. A guillotine-like curved blade, serrated at both ends yet smooth in the middle. A long loop of chain extends from one side to the other, and what appears to be a flag in the silhouette of a bright white bird of prey flutters from the base of the blade. A strange pattern of holes specks the broad center of the blade; someone with some knowledge of engineering or the gladiatorial circles will quickly realize that they are intended to allow the blade to whistle remarkably as it is whirled through the air.
"Any time," he grins, as Zephyr perches on one of the arena's walls. "and don't mind the bird, he just likes to watch."
Karlia looks concerned for a moment. She calls over to Marthysan "My friend, is magical combat allowed as part of our sparring rules? With only my physical muscles, I am afraid I would be at a severe disadvantage..."
Jeevika's normally keen elven ears do not hear anything from Marthysan and Shu's conversation; she's a bit too nervous to focus at the moment.
"I'm inclined to agree with Karlia," Jeevika says as she starts shift-dancing from foot to foot. "I can certainly hold my own without it, but my style of battle has always used magic to augment my performance."
"Of course magic is allowed" Marthysan says amiably. "If it wasn't, Shu would be absolutely useless. Well...more usel-"
Shu cuts the half-elf off mid-sentence. "If you finish that thought, my first spell is aimed at the back of your head."
Corlis grasps the chains of his weapon, his gauntlet locking with a hearty click as he adjusts it. He begins whirling it through the air, anticipating the first moves of combat. As it does, it whistles threateningly, not unlike the screech of a bird of prey. The flag unfolds, inspiring the idea of much the same.
"Against a paladin's team, I'm expecting to see a clean fight... and that goes for you guys too," Corlis addresses his teammates. "I've never cheated my way into a victory before, and I have no desire to start any time soon."
Jeevika bows.
Standing slightly behind the rest of her team at the start of combat, the Ocean Oracle decides that she has a little leeway to be fancy with her blade. With her left hand, she draws her sickle and tosses it into the air. Jeevika then breaks into a gentle dance, twirling and shifting effortlessly on her bare feet, moving with fluidness of a river. She easily catches her sickle as it comes down and then halts her movement once right next to Karlia.
"May fate be with us!" she chants.
A giant burst of light erupts from her free hand and soars into the air above her and her allies. It explodes into a shower of sparks, and Jeevika and her allies suddenly feel empowered. In their minds, they see options and possibilities for the upcoming combat not normally available to them.
____________________________________________________
Despite the clarity of elf's words in her own mind, anyone who does not understand the Celestial tongue just hears beautiful gibberish come from Jeevika's mouth. However, due to her forewarning, her teammates at least have an inkling of why.
Karlia bows as well, then feels Jeevika's blessing wash over her. She will choose the +2 attack, AC and Ref saves for this round from Divine Favor.
She then uses a Swift action to channel negative energy into her +1 greyflame rapier, making it a +2 greyflame rapier for 6 rounds, it will deal an extra 1d6 damage to anyone who is not evil-aligned.
She then uses a move action to use her copycat spell-like ability to create an illusory double of herself that will last for 5 rounds.
Finally, she begins casting a summoning spell, which will use up her Standard action for both this round and next round. She is summoning a Rast using summon monster V. Its stats will include a +4 to Str and Con from Augment Summoning, and a +2 to Will saves from Summon Neutral Monster.
Jake casually walks into the area, thinking
I didn't expect the combat arena to be so... plain.
To hide his disappointment, Jake pulls on his hood as he steps up in-front of the two ladies, beside the famed Corlis.
The air around Shu begins to shimmer slightly as an aura ripples out from his body. His allies seem to be instilled with a heightened awareness. Shu's small fingers flit through the air as he casts a spell, and a roiling mass of blackened tentacles burst forth from the ground. The eunuch moves closer to his allies. Shu abstains from making any form of appeal to the crowds.
Chung Po rushes forward, charging directly at Jake. The monk aims at a vital spot in the hopes of stunning his foe.
nonlethal
Free Action: Performance for First Blood
Chung Po attempts to make a show of his attack, but the audience is unimpressed.
Marthysan moves towards Corlis, raising his training falchion to attempt to deal a fierce strike.
The crowd starts indifferent towards the party, as they do not possess a former champion on their team.
"Aha!" Corlis shouts, as he sees Chung Po charge forward. At his deft pull of a chain, the Talon dives to the monk's legs.
Cursing under his breath as the strike fails to bear fruit, Corlis twirls the weapon at ground level with a resounding whistle, looking to tangle Marthysan's feet in the chain.
With the paladin on the ground, Corlis whirls the weapon upwards and gives the chain a twist, causing the figurative bird to twirl as it flies above Corlis's head before diving threateningly towards Marthysan. [b]"Sloppy footwork there, champ! I expected better![/ooc]
The Talon dives for the paladin's sword hand. Corlis smirks.
"To be fair," Marthysan replies, standing up slowly in his heavy armor, "My championship match was against a rather vile contender. I tend to do better against them."
"Fair enough," Corlis chuckles, giving his weapon a whirl through the air. "Now how about I show you how I got my nickname?"
Corlis's sandals seems to glimmer for a moment, before he agilely leaps out of the reach of the tentacles. He whirls his weapon at a remarkable speed, using the whirling blade as a slashing weapon and a means to protect himself from attacks all at once.
Corlis takes four rapid swings at Marthysan, aiming the first one at the paladin's legs.
As Corlis's attack strikes a hit, it leaves a shallow cut in the paladin's skin, but nothing life-threatening. Clearly, he has trained in the art of leaving shallow cuts while still drawing a striking display of blood. As the serrated end of the blade cuts into his opponent, the bright white flag trailing the blade is spattered with bright crimson spots, offering a truly spectacular sight as it speeds through the air.
"Think you can handle him?" Corlis calls out to Jake.
"I would think that he has a handle on me... but yeah, I can manage." responds Jake between his teeth as he struggles under the grapple.
Every one of Corlis' blows seems to land on the paladin. Although the hits have clearly taken a lot out of him, he is still attempting to struggle to his feet.
The half-orc surges forward, attempting to leap through the area protected by Corlis' whirling blade. She hefts a bastard sword with a blue glow in one hand, and a small, hooked club on a cord in the other. She lowers her sword to flicker out towards Corlis as she approaches.
+ = 17 lethal damage.
Karlia will choose the +2 attack, AC and Ref saves for this round from Divine Favor.
She then uses a Swift action to channel negative energy (taking up two daily uses to do it as a Swift), excluding her teammates. Liliara, Marthysan, and Chung Po can all make Will saves, DC 20.
negative energy
She then uses a move action to use her copycat spell-like ability to create an illusory double of herself that will last for 5 rounds.
Finally, she begins casting a summoning spell, which will use up her Standard action for both this round and next round. She is summoning a Rast using summon monster V. Its stats will include a +4 to Str and Con from Augment Summoning, and a +2 to Will saves from Summon Neutral Monster.
Jake manages to shake off the blow to the head, although Chung Po did manage to grab him. "Thanks for the Blessing, Jeevika. Perhaps some of the extra speed will help me out." ()
Being in a black tentacle zone and still under grapple, he attempts to focus in order to cast Grease on himself.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Combat Tracking
Nonlethal Damage: 20
22 lethal, 0 nl (22)
11 lethal, 88 nl (99)
22 lethal, 0 nl (22)
31 does not overcome Chung Po's grapple CMB+11.
2nd round begins, everyone can make a perception check (no action) once it is their turn.
"Freedom!" Jeevika chants in the Celestial Tongue.
As her magic takes root, the battle dancer is quickly enveloped in a golden aura. Using the provided speed of her blessing, Jeevika bursts out of Black Tentacles' reach and quickly dance-runs her way over to Shu. Her guard is clearly down, but every time someone tries to make good of that fact, the elf easily bends out of the way like water.
"Hello~!" she greets in Aquan as she runs up to Chu's side. Before the mage can react, Jeevika quickly covers their side of the field in a thick, Obscuring Mist.
___________________________________________
Jeevika is able to notice that Risha has joined the crowd, and is watching the fight with great interest. High above, a golden-skinned creature with gleaming black fangs and dressed in fine silk robes watches from the judge's box. Jeevika is able to recognize the figure as Kiang Zhen, a female kuwa oni bound to the tournament Emissary's service - and by extension the Church of Abadar's service - for one hundred years. She too watches with more interest than might be normal.
The black tentacles reach out with greater force and tenacity than before.
Shu's face registers a hint of worry as Jeevika calls in a sight-obscuring cloud of mist, although he quickly regains his composure. He flees away from Jeevika, and out of the fog.
Shu casts a spell, directed at Corlis. "You've been recruited!" calls the short man. "Care to fight beside the champ?"
Corlis' mind is very receptive to Shu's mental commands to change teams.
Shu is so persuasive, that Karlia also considers changing sides.
Move: 20 feet diagonal
Standard: Cast dominate person
Swift: Activate Infectious Charms
Chung Po attempts to pin Jake, further hampering the magus' mobility.
Pinned. Chung Po's grapple is so fierce that it threatens to stun Jake (Stunning Fist attempt)
x2 = 30 nonlethal
Move: Maintain/pin
Standard: Maintain/damage
Swift: Stunning Fist as part of pin due to Stunning Pin
"I am afraid you will not be moving any time soon," Chung Po says.
Marthysan stands up, and shakes off the sand. He quickly heals himself, and mutters a short prayer to Iomedae.
"Welcome to the team," Marthysan says to Corlis and Karlia hoarsely as he steps out of the mist.
Move: Stand up
Swift: Lay on Hands (obscured from view, does not require performance check) nonlethal and lethal cured, 66 nonlethal remains
Standard: Cast litany of defense
Free: 5-foot step