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08:22, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Chapter 4: Bloody Repercussions.

Posted by RaddekFor group 0
Judoc the Obscure
player, 49 posts
Thu 30 Jun 2016
at 15:30
  • msg #15

Bloody Repercussions

"Ha!  Help?  You'll be begging me for mercy!"  Under the girlish mask, Judoc sneers with contempt.  This won't even be close.  He'll simply take to the air and rain fireballs down on this sad buffoon.  But first, he will toy with his prey before he eats.

OOC:  Attack, random target location.
Gladiator
NPC, 3 posts
Sun 3 Jul 2016
at 01:51
  • msg #16

Bloody Repercussions

The two foes stand but a few hands from each other on the sands of the arena.  Though the red masked death swings first, it is Judoc that catches the first hit of the day.  He swings his staff in a low arc, expecting to catch the man unawares, though instead of flinching away into the strength of his blow the man twirls forward bending his body away from the blow.  However, it was destiny for the shot to meet, and a dull thwack reverberates as the staff meets his left knee though it is not the brutalizing blow that Judoc had hoped for.  In fact, the effigy of death seems little the worse for the hit, instead stepping forward again as he slashes out neatly with the knife, though it is caught expertly by Judoc on his staff as he takes a step backwards towards the portcullis he entered through...

OOC:  you won the defense battle on that round, parrying his single attack successfully, though he failed his dodge by a smidgeon.  However it wasn't much of hit and doesn't seem to put much of a dent on your assailant.  Since you only walked forward at the start of the fight, you only put about 3 yards between yourself and the edge of the arena, 1 of which you just ate up in your retreat.  You are still at range 1 to your attacker with your left rear hex facing the edge of the arena at 2 yards.  You can attempt to start circling to the right if you wish, to keep your back from being against the wall.  Please specify if that is your intent in the next post.
Judoc the Obscure
player, 50 posts
Thu 7 Jul 2016
at 02:37
  • msg #17

Bloody Repercussions

Beneath the woman's mask, Judoc sneers.  Apparently, the mage is a superior fighter to this fool, as well.  But enough games.  It is time for Judoc to display his true power.

One hand on his staff, he gestures and murmurs a few words of power.

OOC:  Concentrate.
Gladiator
NPC, 4 posts
Wed 13 Jul 2016
at 00:30
  • msg #18

Bloody Repercussions

With a wild set of slashes, the form of death whips out at Judoc, first bringing down his sickle in downward arc followed nearly instantly with an upwards slash from the knife.  Handling his staff admirably, Judoc neatly diverts both swings, sidestepping consecutively to get his back away from the wall while concentrating on a spell to make the gladiator seem foolish in his inevitable defeat.  He focuses his mind and diverts the mana through his staff, knowing all the while his success is inevitable... and the spell succeeds... at least it should have.  Still, the red masked foe has his feet firmly planted on the sands and he readies himself for another attack - somehow, the spell had no effect, and Judoc somehow knows without question that it would be frivolous to try again.

OOC:  I did two rounds that time since your spell required 2 seconds of concentration and you succeeded all of your will and defense rolls.  You managed to shift your back so that your left side is now facing the arena wall and you are free to retreat.
Judoc the Obscure
player, 53 posts
Tue 19 Jul 2016
at 11:25
  • msg #19

Bloody Repercussions

Waggling his fingers and murmuring a few words of power, Judoc concentrates on his Levitation spell before letting the energy flow out of him, through his staff, and to his helpless opponent, whom Judoc expects to go flying straight up into the air.  When this fails to materialize, Judoc's eyes narrow in anger.  Impossible!  The man should have simply flown away!

Biting back his growing annoyance, the mage tries again, this time with another spell in his repertoire.

OOC:  Concentrate.
Gladiator
NPC, 5 posts
Wed 27 Jul 2016
at 03:54
  • msg #20

Bloody Repercussions

Undaunted by his first failed spell, Judoc winds his fingers together, willing a second attempt through the mana around him.  His attacker continues his attempts, though Judoc ducks this way and that to avoid the blows.  First the knife, a sidestep to avoid the sickle, but then the gladiator comes with a flurry of attacks, first the knife, easily twisted away from, but then the sickle as well, which Judoc was not expecting.  The steel slams into Judoc's flesh, just above the hip, ripping into and out of his body with equal fervor.  Blood gushes from the wound, spurting the sands on that side before the red fluid settles into a thick turgid flow.  The pain is staggering, though somehow Judoc manages to keep his feet and his senses.

OOC:  Judoc has taken a major wound to the left hip (torso) but has avoided stun so you can move freely (at 1/2 move and -4 to skills) for the next turn.  Your staff is currently unready and in your left hand
This message was last edited by the player at 03:57, Wed 27 July 2016.
Judoc the Obscure
player, 54 posts
Wed 2 Nov 2016
at 08:26
  • msg #21

Bloody Repercussions

The pain is staggering!  Judoc gasps out in surprise as the sickle rips into his flesh.  Until this very moment, Judoc had not even considered the possibility that the Death masquerader would even cause the young mage to get out of breath, and now, here he is, with blood weeping out of the wound to his thigh.  A deep rage bursts out of him, and he grips his staff in two hands.  "Pig-sucker!  You will die for that!" he yells, his face splotched red.

OOC:  Ready staff.  All-Out Defense.
Gladiator
NPC, 6 posts
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 02:02
  • msg #22

Bloody Repercussions

Pain was erupting from his waist.  Though his wound's initial gush of spurting blood had stemmed it was still a weeping a torpid ooze, spilling down over his thigh and back.  Even still, Judoc stands, perhaps by will alone.  He grips his staff now with both hands, expecting the attack to come again from the steel in each of the gladiator's hands.  Instead, the attack comes from his whole body.  Thinking Judoc nearly finished, the gladiator lowers his shoulder and charges forward to knock him onto his back and out of the fight.  Though his reactions are not what he would want them, Judoc manages to get his staff in front of him and swing his feet in the other direction as the gladiator charges past.  Thinking himself out of trouble for the moment Judoc puts his mind to another spell - thought the gladiator swings again in a wild arc with his cycle short of Judoc's staff by a few inches...
Judoc the Obscure
player, 55 posts
Sun 6 Nov 2016
at 09:51
  • msg #23

Bloody Repercussions

Watching the other gladiator warily, Judoc concentrates on his opponent.  Doubt begins to seep in to his normally iron-clad confidence.  Could he lose here?  Is it possible?  Judoc had underestimated this man, thinking that in his magical prowess he was more than a match for his adversary.  His lips pull back in a sneer.  He still is the better man.  This knave can only attack with his mundane weapons.  Judoc wields far more potent abilities.

Once more, he attempts to cast his spell.

OOC:  Concentrate.
Raddek
GM, 106 posts
Wed 9 Nov 2016
at 01:19
  • msg #24

Bloody Repercussions

Though the blood thumped in his ears and churned through his clothes at the gash at his side, Judoc is far from out of the fight.  Indeed, as the attacker comes forward again with a brutal slash of his knife Judoc swats the weapon aside with a concerted effort, his staff connecting at the hilt and sending the steel harmlessly to the side.  Removing his hands from the staff, Judoc makes a few quick gestures, this time the spell radiating into his body and the surrounding air.  Judoc launches into the air, not some leap or human feat, but as a rocketing force that does not stop until he is out of reach.  Perhaps seeing the effects written on Judoc's face, the man attempts another swipe with his sickle, though Judoc is already soaring from the ground and the blade does not make contact.

The stadium makes a collective gasp at the stunt.  Now seemingly invulnerable, Judoc revolves to stay facing the gladiator.  His blood is still dripping down the length of his side and pattering the sands below though Judoc smiles as he had not since the beginning of the fight since he knows there is nothing the gladiator can do to harm him now.

OOC:  Two turns of action.  First move was a concentrate and cast flight, the second was an upward movement to get you out of range of his weapons.  You have moved up in the air about 12 feet, or about what I thought you would feel comfortable with.  If you want to move higher let me know.  Without throwing something at you, it isn't likely he'll be able to connect without a running leap.
Judoc the Obscure
player, 56 posts
Thu 10 Nov 2016
at 03:51
  • msg #25

Bloody Repercussions

Concentrating, his eyes still on the masked Death before him, Judoc draws in mana from around him.   He is panting now, and still bleeding from the deep laceration that ripped a chunk out of his hip, his ridiculous dress now stained deep red.  He has practiced this spell numerous times before, though never with a gaping wound oozing blood, but as the energy flows through him and propels him upward, it is all he can do not to yell triumphantly.  Such power!  Glorious!  For a moment, he forgets the crude mask, the demeaning wig.  Why didn't he do this at the beginning?  The mana rushes through him, intoxicating in its sweetness.  He laughs out loud in victory, and looks down on his opponent, trapped on the ground.

Fool!  Death should have surrendered when he had the chance!  Now he will BURN!

OOC:  Begin concentrating.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:17, Thu 10 Nov 2016.
Gladiator
NPC, 7 posts
Mon 14 Nov 2016
at 04:18
  • msg #26

Bloody Repercussions

Judoc throws his head back and erupts in laughter at the doomed foe below him.  What was Death against Judoc?  He was nothing, he was less than insignificant, he was a mere step that Judoc would climb on his way to being the greatest battle wizard the college had ever seen.  Knowing his own disadvantage, the gladiator begins moving in slow outward circles, careful to keep his face to Judoc though he is mostly just looking up.  Judoc murmurs a few words of power while making gestures with his open hand.  A mere moment later, a crackling ball of flame erupts in his hand popping and sparking madly, though Judoc seems unhurt.  Judoc bides his time, judging his enemy as the spell flickers and belches flame in his hand.  Below, the gladiator also seems to size up the situation, moving at a slow and determined pace.

And then Judoc launches his missile - seemingly at the foe's foot, though the gladiator jumps back and easily avoids the blow... however when the spell hits the sands, it does not fizzle into nothingness, but erupts into a brilliant crimson dome just knee height as it emits a dull and muffled boom!  Caught completely by surprise, the gladiators legs are caught at the edge of the explosion though luckily for him, apart from singed hair and cherry toned skin he seems little the worse for wear though the sand at his feet is hardened and black.  The crowd shrieks and cheers with the blow, the surprise ending to what had seemed like a miss.

Death does not slow, instead he continues his deliberate pace sideways his eyes deadlocked with those of Judoc as he moves.  Judoc does not waste time, but gathers the mana around himself again and again he succeeds with the spell as the same merry imp of flames spouts from his fingers.  Judoc continues to eye his prey savagely as he aims with his missile of flames...

But then the man below launches his knife from his left hand and the missile screams upward!  Judoc propels his body out of the way with his mind, the dagger just barely clipping the long hairs of the wig over his left shoulder as it sails by and lands some seconds later hilt deep in the sands behind him.  Judoc retaliates with a scream and launches his fire again.  The crowd roars with expectation at the throw and then screams again as this time death is ready and dives sideways out of the path, again just escaping the worst of the blast.  As he falls towards the sand, the gladiator tucks his shoulder underneath and tumbles gracefully, launching himself back to his feet and starting a full-on sprint towards where the knife is now buried.

Judoc's expression is crazed as he draws in the mana yet a third time, and again the sprightly flame flickers and crackles in his hand.  Following the masked gladiator easily, he sees the man turn after a moment though he still walks backwards to his weapon.  Judoc flings his fire forward.  The stadium erupts in stomping and cheers as the gladiator attempts to throw himself backwards with a handspring, though his foot catches on a rut before he gets going and this time he takes the effects of the spell in full...  The muffled boom is completely overshadowed by the screams of the man below, caught full in the flames and fire he falls backwards, his mouth split open like a chasm.  Judoc can see the flesh of the man's left calf burned back to the tissue, higher on his thigh he can see angry red welts spattering his skin.

OOC:  I did about 20 turns assuming you wanted to keep going until something drastic changed.  You did three iterations of the spell, hitting (the ground) each time though doing minimal damage on the first, the gladiator managing to get a hex away from the hit on the second, though on the third you managed to hit with max damage due to the fact that he didn't get out of the hex.  The gladiator seems stunned and is suppine, you are approximately 5 yards away, though it is mostly in your height above him.
Judoc the Obscure
player, 57 posts
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 02:29
  • msg #27

Bloody Repercussions

Judoc's body screams at him to stop.  The young mage has been badly injured, and even now, he is siphoning off what little remains of his energy in explosions of fire, hoping to force his opponent to surrender.  But still the masked gladiator fights on, even as he is hit by one explosive fireball, and then another!

He had never thought he would be in a position like this, fighting one in one in an arena, doing his damndest to kill another person.  Does he even want this man dead?  To Judoc, the question lingers a moment as he looks down on the results of his magic, the burns and welts, the flames.  Judoc is not a sociopath.  Yes, given the chance, he has no doubt that the man on the sands below him would not hesitate to gut him.  The gladiator is no doubt a killer himself.  How had Death killed his victim?  Had the act brought the man pleasure?  Had it been with a knife, a jab, a twist?  Or had he simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, a victim of fate more than anything else?  Who could tell?   God, maybe.  Is it Judoc's fate to be this man's executioner?

With all his might, he steels himself.  If he summons one more fireball, pulling just a sliver more mana could very well kill him.  Judoc has suffered indignities today, forced to wear this ridiculous garb, gored by his opponent.   He will come out on top here.  He must!

"You're beaten," he calls out, hoping he can put some conviction into his words.  "Surrender, Death, or you . . . will . . . die."

OOC:  Give Death a chance to surrender.  If he won't, Ready staff and fly down to beat him with it.
Gladiator
NPC, 8 posts
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 03:10
  • msg #28

Bloody Repercussions

Judoc hovers in the air, high above his foe, his whole body feeling the exhaustion and pain of the arena.  Still, though it seems he has the match won by all rights he was still raining teardrops of blood onto the sands below.  Deciding not to test his luck if he does not need to, Judoc offers the man a last chance at surrender.  Below, the masked gladiator drops his sickle though he does not communicate verbally much more than screams and shouts of agony.  Judoc looks out to the stands for guidance though the first voice he hears is a taunt from one of the corners.  "BOOO! Kill him!"  The rising chant is slow to build, though it's message is unmistakable.  Each arm seems to pump with fists raised, thumbs down in the gesture of death.  In the top boxes, one in the middle of each side of the arena, Judoc can see the Baron Graves, mimicking the crowd with his thumb turned down.  In the other box, sits the governor, though at the moment he seems to be turned and talking to another man who sits at his flank.  "Kill, Kill, Kill!" The crowd chants even as the man below finally manages to regain his voice.  "I yield."

OOC:  Another 10 seconds have passed - I think in the long run the difference of time will affect you much even if you do fly down for the kill, but I thought I would allow you to role play your reaction here.
Judoc the Obscure
player, 58 posts
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 07:10
  • msg #29

Bloody Repercussions

Barely hanging on, supporting himself in the air by almost sheer will alone, Judoc floats, waiting for Death's response.  What was the other gladiator's crime, he muses.  Murder, perhaps.  Theft, maybe, or rape.  Judoc imagines himself on the battlefield, serving the armies of the Megalan Empire, perhaps in situation quite similar to this, his enemy broken and defeated before him, his fate in Judoc's hands.  Such power - the power of life and death itself.  A shiver of pleasure races through him.

When Judoc offers mercy, the crowd roars out its displeasure.  They want blood!  Death!  How little they value human life.  Animals.  They are as far beneath Judoc as the sad gladiator, crushed on the sands.  "Are you not entertained?" Judoc calls out, heat in his words.  Fine Christians, these.  Bloodthirsty animals.  Let them come down to the arena's floor, put their blood and bone to the test!

His staff remains in a two-handed grip.  Judoc will not be judge and executioner here.  An instrument of God's wrath?  A hangman?  Judoc aspires to far greater things.  "I accept your surrender," he haughtily tells Death.  Looking up, he sees Baron Graves.  Will the Templars see this as weakness?  Is Judoc in for even more punishment at their hands? He doesn't care.  He is not here to please the Templars.  He is here for himself.  The Templars are only a means to an end.

Turning in midair, he flies lower to the ground in the direction of the exit.
Gladiator
NPC, 9 posts
Sun 20 Nov 2016
at 20:36
  • msg #30

Bloody Repercussions

Unfettered by the prodding of either the crowd or his provost, Judoc accepts the surrender of his foe, propelling himself in a swift arcing hover towards the gates of the arena.  Though his response elicits some smatterings of boos, the vast majority of the crowd cheers, and quite a few even lob coins in great glittering arcs until they litter the sands.  Judoc does not fawn over them but instead makes his way to the medics.

OOC:  Sorry for the lag here, wasn't sure exactly how I was going to set up the next post (this thread is not over) and I've also had family in town for the past few days so I haven't had much opportunity to think on it.  Between the purse for the fight and your tips you made $525 though you were charged $200 for your medical attention (a complete ripoff when you can heal yourself I know but when you work mostly through potions these things can get expensive and like any scam artists they didn't let you know the price before the healing was administered) so you end up with a net $325.  I assumed that you would heal yourself for the remainder of the damage, so you have cast minor healing on yourself before leaving the arena to get to full health.  I've edited your character sheet to show full HP/FP and your winnings.  Standby for more.
Raddek
GM, 109 posts
Sun 20 Nov 2016
at 20:37
  • msg #31

Bloody Repercussions

Judoc leaves the Arena an hour or so later completely healed and his strength restored.  He makes his way towards the markets, his coin purse tinkling happily despite having been savagely depleted from the charlatan healers in the medical tent.  Still, he had been more than happy with the amount of coin he had received from the crowds in tips, more than making up for the fact that his winnings had been decimated.  As he walks, his thoughts stray to that afternoon: the medical tent and the rest of the class.  It was only a few minutes after he arrived that death himself was brought in, his burns rubbed liberally with potion not far away.  The two did not talk, nor did any of the hostility that the man had shown in the arena carry over.

After the matches the class had dispersed naturally.  There were no other classes to attend that day and as such, they had been given liberty in the city to spend their winnings or make their own way back to the school grounds.  Many of the class had not been more than fatigued due to a fight with some scruffy thief.  Indeed, few others had seemed to fight anyone of actual skill in battle, even fewer that had a weapon they knew what to do with.  The only other one who had been badly injured had been Balkus Wright who had missed with his first spell and been bawled over by a gladiator who had resembled more bear than man.  Luckily, he had been granted a reprieve by the governor and was not in serious jeopardy of lasting injury.

The sun had already passed it's zenith in the sky and many of the vendors in the market seemed not yet to have returned from their midday closure or perhaps they were still making their way back from the crowds of the arena themselves.  Judoc takes a narrow alleyway near the end of the market separating the ironsmith from an abandoned merchant's guild building.  He is nearly at the end when a wiry youth steps out in front of him with purpose...

OOC:  Right now you are in the market, and though it is bustling at most times, the heat in the summer to early fall generally drive away both the customers and the vendors.  Additionally, the games at the arena are probably keeping the crowds away.  Still, there are a few dozens of people wandering about and it would be nearly impossible to start a fight here unnoticed.  Right now you are at the end of an alleyway, and your way forward is blocked.
Judoc the Obscure
player, 61 posts
Mon 21 Nov 2016
at 06:14
  • msg #32

Bloody Repercussions

As Judoc soars out of the arena, coins sail through the air, accompanied by more cheers than boos.  Momentarily surprised, Judoc stops, turns back to the crowds, and raises his staff in victory and thanks before resuming his flight out of the arena.  His heart beats a little faster now in pride at his accomplishment.  Doubt had never entered his mind that he would emerge victorious.  Even without his spells, he was simply the better man, and no common criminal could hope to best Judoc the Merciful, Judoc the Just, Judoc the Greathearted.  Still, the coin and the cheers was a validation of sorts, not that he had succeeded despite long odds, but that he had approached a forgone conclusion and still made his inevitable triumph entertaining.

Later in the healing tent, his good mood is soured by the healers' insistence that he suffer their ministrations.  What a scam.  Send men to the arena, and make them pay for the injuries they receive.  Judoc suspects some cunning contract in place, probably an agreement that ensures the Healers Guild earns a handsome living off the suffering of others.  The indignity of it all!  Do no harm, indeed.  Judoc is more than capable of tending to his own wounds, but he sits in silence as they apply their creams and potions.  At least he can afford it now.  He thinks over what he will do with his winnings.  Perhaps a new outfit, or another Powerstone to supplement his own impressive mana reservoir.

When the man who had been Death comes in and his wounds are treated, Judoc nods slightly at his former adversary.  Good, the man knows when he was beaten.  Judoc didn't think he would have to repeat Death's lesson.  One good curbstomp had been enough.  It doesn't even occur to Judoc to offer to pay for the man's wounds, especially with the recent stab wound so fresh.  He idly wonders what will happen to the man now.  Back to prison, he muses.  A better fate then being burned alive, the man's flesh melting on the hot sands.  How the crowds had been hungry for blood, for death!  The fame of winning appeals to Judoc, but he takes no pleasure in others' suffering.  Unless it was that rat bastard Loke.  Judoc tries to imagine a duel between himself and his torturer.  One day, perhaps sooner than Loke suspects, Judoc will be ready.  Then, he wants Loke to feel what Judoc had felt, that feeling that he was about to die.  At that moment, Judoc will spare his teacher, but not before Loke comes face to face with his own mortality and comes to regret his wanton cruelty to his betters.

His wounds fully healed, Judoc saunters off toward the markets, his gold burning a hole in his coin purse.  He wishes briefly that he had some company with him, but he hasn't forged any connections with the other students in the battle magic class.  He thinks of Grobbik, of Indrid, of poor, doomed Mariana.  Through entirely no fault of his own, Judoc has found himself alone with no one to cheer his spectacular success today.  The thought deflates his mood.  The cheers of the crowd had been validation.  Now he finds himself wishing for a friendly slap on the back, a "You really kicked that guy's ass, Judoc!"  Even the sight of Brother Loke choking on his surprise would have cheered Judoc at this point.

Idlely, he wanders along.  Perhaps he should visit an enchanter's, or a clothier's.  He isn't even paying attention to where he is going when he finds his way blocked by a young guy who has interposed himself in Judoc's path.  Was this a robbery?  The marketplace isn't particularly busy, but still, there are potentially dozens of witnesses around.

The young mage grips his staff in both hands and sneers.  "Believe me, you don't want any of this.  I take it you didn't see the last fellow who got in my way today."

OOC: Judoc expects some kind of trap.  He will ready his staff and begin to evaluate the other man, but he won't take any aggressive action unless attacked.  Defenses are Retreating Block, followed by Retreating Dodge.
Raddek
GM, 110 posts
Wed 23 Nov 2016
at 20:02
  • msg #33

Bloody Repercussions

Judoc grips his staff more firmly, his eyes darting this way and that looking for some sort of trap.  However, nothing seems to come at the moment and the stranger looks slightly taken aback and seems tempted to laugh as a corner of his lip curls up in a smile at Judoc's words.  "Actually, I did see your last fight...  It was a damn decent thing you did at the end.  Not many of your friends did the same thing.  I just wanted to let you know that there are plenty of us that appreciate it, might even see it as a favor that a friend of ours is still alive and is back on the streets.  Just wanted to say thanks, you saved a good man whether you knew it or not."
Judoc the Obscure
player, 62 posts
Sat 26 Nov 2016
at 09:22
  • msg #34

Bloody Repercussions

The stranger's words take Judoc by surprise, and he raises an eyebrow as he takes a hand off his staff, holding onto it now as walking stick rather than a weapon to defend himself with.  So this wasn't a robbery attempt, then?  Good.  He doesn't want to spill any more blood today, not after the show he put on back at the arena.

"I see I misunderstood you," he says, smiling now.  If his act of sparing Death's life had earned him some measure of respect among the criminal element, then that was just fine with Judoc.  He questions whether the other gladiator had really been a "good man," though.  Perhaps good as far as his fellow criminals was concerned.  So are they all, all honorable men.

He nods his head.  "I simply had no wish to play judge, jury, and executioner toward a man I didn't even know," he says.  "I don't know what the man had done, but we were told all the other gladiators were murderers and thieves."  He shrugs.  What chance had the other man had against one so well versed in the arcane arts?  Now perhaps if Judoc had been blindfolded, gagged, and restrained, the story might have been different.  As it was, the other gladiator had been lucky to have gotten in his blow.

"So, you mentioned 'plenty of us.'  Who are the 'us,' if you don't mind my asking?"
Raddek
GM, 111 posts
Sun 27 Nov 2016
at 20:50
  • msg #35

Bloody Repercussions

"Told you they were murderers eh?" the man smiles bitterly.  "Perhaps there were a few from the dungeons who did such crimes, I would not know, but most of those who fought today were simply there because they were caught in a raid of a safe house.  I will not say those men were saints but a few even if you tallied all their crimes in life were guilty of no more than trading with undesirable people. It matters little as all of them were only charged with 'collusion' before they were put in the arena.  Today's events were little more than a legitimized slaughter of political foes - I'm sure that you worked out that the cards were stacked quite in your favor?"

The man hesitates slightly before answering the last question though he does not seem to guard his words.  "We belong to a guild of sorts, one that has fallen out of favor with some of the city.  However, we are making inroads to bringing justice back.  I think perhaps after some of today's events we will make directions into evening the score."
Judoc the Obscure
player, 64 posts
Mon 28 Nov 2016
at 08:41
  • msg #36

Bloody Repercussions

As the young man speaks, Judoc's curiosity grows.  It seems that he has been part of a retaliation to stamp out some kind of political cell.  He wonders what the basis of the conflict is.  Judoc is no lapdog, eager to learn news of misdeeds so that he can hurry off to report the news to his Templar masters, but neither is he eager to become embroiled in any kind of political dispute.  Still, he lingers, curious as to what else he can learn.

"A guild, you say?  What kind?" he finds himself asking.  Megalos does not condone dissent against the established order.  Perhaps these men are supporters of some alternate political ideology.  Or perhaps they are - what is the term - Protestants?  That would make sense, given the ridiculous roleplay this afternoon, with Judoc dressed as the female Catherine of the Wheel.  A guild that has fallen out of favor.  He wracks his brain, trying to remember what guild might have been shut down.  A Thieves Guild, perhaps?

And what did the man mean by "some of today's events"?  Judoc knew that this combat today was important as a test of sorts, and apparently it had darker implications than he had been aware of.  Were these fellows going to throw off the yoke of oppression and rise up?  Maybe throw a few paving stones, have a little riot?  Likely as not, they'll get even more of them locked up.  If so, then Judoc has little desire to be seen in public with one of the agitators, though his curiosity is screaming now as to what is going to happen next.

"The events of today, eh?  The arena, you mean?  Yes, it is galling that we students were misled on this front.  Fighting fairly in the arena is one thing, but setting trained battle mages on poorly armed men isn't very sporting."

OOC:  Current Events check to see if Judoc remembers any kind of guild being disgraced or disbanded.
Raddek
GM, 114 posts
Tue 29 Nov 2016
at 05:15
  • msg #37

Bloody Repercussions

"The illegal kind."  The man laughs, though he does not expound further on the comment and does not offer many further comments on the guild structure or purpose.  "It probably would help everyone to keep things light on the details.  Let's just say there was more going on than just the fights today.  But I stopped here just to let you know we appreciated it.  Look.  If you have interest than you can put a message here."  He motions over his shoulder to the dilapidated building behind him.  "I wouldn't get yourself too involved too quickly, it might not go over too well with your chosen vocation.  But like I said, if you need a favor, you might find yourself a friend if you need one.  Just shoot me a line."

OOC:  There aren't any particular guilds that Judoc knows of that would fit the bill for what the man is talking about.  You have heard rumors of an organization called "murderer's row" although for the most part it seems to be stories of epic thieves and fighters rather than any stories of a true guild.  The motion from the men is towards the abandoned merchant's guild.  Unless you plan on trying to do more aggressive networking in this post, there isn't too much need to stretch this out.  Feel free to make the next one a wrap up unless you have a specific goal in mind - and in that case let me know with an OOC tag at the bottom and I'll make the appropriate rolls if you didn't already.
Judoc the Obscure
player, 65 posts
Tue 29 Nov 2016
at 15:31
  • msg #38

Bloody Repercussions

Judoc nods his head in a noncommittal sort of way.  Friends are always good to have, although these particular people aren't going to help him get any closer to his goal of becoming a battle wizard in the Megalan army.  Still, it could be useful to be able to call in a favor or get some help if he ended up in a tight spot someday.  The life you save may be your own, he muses.

Guilds, guilds.  The only disgraced organization he can summon up is something called a murderer's row.  More an adventurer's guild, really, or a thieves' guild.  Had the man he had fought earlier today been part of an organization like that?  Intriguing, but not really something Judoc is interested in getting mixed up in.

"Be careful out there," he says.  "It can be - murder - out there."  He makes a mental note of the ruined merchants' guild.  Hopefully, he won't need to make use of the favor.

Turning from the youth, Judoc saunters off, looking for a place to get a drink and possibly a new powerstone.
Raddek
GM, 115 posts
Wed 30 Nov 2016
at 04:38
  • msg #39

Bloody Repercussions

Judoc quips as he departs his company, the other nods with a half smile.  "That it can... that it can."

As the day passes, more of the crowds from the arena make their way back into the town and Judoc is happy to find that many of the people of Azer recognize him, though he is horrified that most of them remember him by the only name he was ever given: Catherine.  He is quick to correct the error - though he is still surprised to find that he is known most for his mercy rather than his overwhelming power... still, the wave of good feeling was a nice change from Brother Loke's cold hatred and the ambivalence of most of most of the other teachers.

OOC:  Well done not only on succeeding in the match but also roleplaying your character phenomenally!  Character points will be denoted in private and annotated on your character sheet.  I'll get the next thread up as soon as I think through to what the next step of this spider's web will get us to.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:50, Fri 31 Mar 2017.
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