A Lesson in Fire
The remainder of that day Grobbik spends putting his things together, walking over to the city of Azer and applying for work at the mage's guild. Unfortunately, it seems the organization needs little help, so Grobbik scours the city for the rest of the afternoon looking for some way to make a quick seventy farthings or so in order to purchase a powerstone to see if he can get this potion working...
Unfortunately, in the vast majority of the city it seems the story is the same. Work is available, but getting the money in time is the biggest problem. It seems that there are very few ways to get seventy farthings in less than a day.
Very few. In fact, Grobbik only found one. For the very next morning started the Emperor's feast day, which meant a great celebration in the city, the traditional pardoning of at least one criminal in the stockade and nearly a whole day of free bread and fights in the arena... Seeing few other options in front of him, Grobbik registered to be one of the fighters.
And so, on the morning of the third of October Grobbik stands in a line of other fighters waiting their turn to do battle... The rules have been explained to everyone in the crowds and are quite simple: to win you must incapacitate or force your foe to yield, last man standing receives all the earnings. Striking a downed foe or one that has already yielded will forfeit all earnings. In this particular series it seems, all fighters are volunteers and the Arena is more interested in spreading benevolence than death.
Eventually, It is Grobbik's turn. Though the Goblin is expecting to walk up a ramp into the arena itself, he finds himself instead ushered to a small wooden platform.
Looking upward, Grobbik sees a narrow swath of sky through the empty shaft that raises up to the sands above. Grobbik can already feel the chill air of fall settling on the island though he has several yards to be raised before he is in the open air. From up above, Grobbik can hear the muffled voice of the announcer introducing the match. Slowly, Grobbik begins to feel gears turning beneath him as his pedestal is slowly cranked upwards into the daylight.
"For our next match, the city of Azer presents to the Emperor Diophrates the twelth, our industry and competitiveness! The best of our city, pitted in battle, committed to victory! I present to you Bourgain Dugard, stable master of the Governor's stables! Grobbik Feezle, master sailor and student wizard!
Grobbik's head pokes out from the underground, his pedestal nearly raised now to the point of the sands. He shivers slightly with the cold of the air around, though his minimal armor is supplemented by a thick coat of wool it seems the warmth is still leeching out of him by the second. Still, besides the weather, the crowd is packed in and seems little perturbed by the inconvenience. About 10 yards away from him, Grobbik sizes up his opponent, a rather average looking man with a leather jacket, thick wool pants and carrying a spear.
"Brand Corair, Artisan Steelsmith!" Grobbik is shocked as his neck darts to the left to see yet another man lifted from the sands, this one strong and lithe looking, wearing a leather helm and carrying a mace in his right hand.
"And Prova Cuttisgard, Master Merchant and guildsman!" A fouth man is raised, again off to the left, this one wearing furs on his chest and waist, with a cloth cap atop his head and carrying a knife much like the ones that Grobbik holds.
"May the best and most industrious Azerian win!" The announcer thunders through a magnified voice. "The last one standing wins the purse, two gold marks! And fight!"
OOC: Sorry for the haste with the post, lot of background stuff that I've been working through and I wanted to get something up tonight. I'll get a map up soon, but I don't want to suck up another hour or more making it tonight. Consider each of you standing on the corner of a 10 yard square (where each of the edges is 10 yards). The spear man is on your right side, the mace man directly across, and the one with the knife directly to your left. I'm assuming you are carrying all of your possessions into the fight, so please post what you are carrying and in which hand at the start of the match.