75 HP

MAX HP

45 EN

MAX EN

Hidden: Perks

Determination (Novice): Gain a +10 passive modifier, ignore the effects of one mental status effect once per round
Requirements: ????

Lightning Quick: Once per match you can choose to have damage resolve for an enemy before taking damage yourself
Requirements: Defeat an enemy in one post

Alpha couldn't help but giggle as the man launched himself at her in a frenzy, panicked and wild. As he closed in Alpha felt a rush of excitement fill her in spite of her wounds, eyes brimming with joy. "This game is the best!" she loudly declared and, as the distance between Lothair and her began to close, she gave him a sly wink. "You're, like, the best enemy since Arachna and the statue guys! Can't wait to fight you again!" she involuntarily shivered at the mention of the Spider Queen but shook it off, pulling her old training spear out of her inventory with a nostalgic grin. It was a weapon of questionable quality that she had purchased during her first days in Terrasphere; it had also been the weapon she had used to launch herself at Arachna and arm herself during the Raid in which she had gotten the Mist Wolf Fragment. Dangerous, traumatizing, yet fond memories filled her as she readied to thrust it at the unsuspecting man, so carried away in his hysteria.

And, as the man came within distance, she didn't even give him a chance to bring his weapon down before she stabbed him in the gut (where his other wound, made from her dagger, throbbed). He was startled, eyes wide and choked a bit of blood which seeped down his chin. Alpha paid no notice. "Let's totally fight again, okay butthead?"

And she kicked the man's weakened and defeated body out of the ring with a flourish. Her party of rats began to dance as well before they had vanished into thin air. "Haha! Oh, that reminded me! Remember that time where the spider thingy ate your head or something, Aaron? Good times!" she grinned as she hopped back to her team, looking slightly worse for wear and exhausted but with her energy and enthusiasm undaunted. "You were like a pro back then, Aaron! If there's an eSports team then she should definitely try it! Oooh, and I can't wait for the next battle guys; do your best!" she cheered her teammates on and plopped on the ground, crisscrossed, with her pointer and middle fingers posed in a victory sign she broadcasted to the world. "Team Alphabet Unicorn Metal Robot Dragon Dinosaur Potato Attack is in the lead!" she shouted, completely forgetting about Griswald. She dimly wondered if they'll be able to fight that 'Aidin Gower' with a small, chiming laugh.

Attack =
61 (base roll) + 10 (perk) + 5 (weapon) = 76

Damage = 0
Lightning Quick Perk

Energy Cost = 0
No Mastery Used

ALPHA:
Tournament of Skulls Dice Rolling Thread

ENEMY:
Tournament of Skulls Dice Rolling Thread

421/400
​

 

Lothair's fear had gotten the better of him, leaving him to be easily dispatched by @Alphabet Chocolate with a unceremonious kick out of the ring. Nearby Griswald grumbled, "I guess that's all I could expect out of a kid..." but didn't press whatever topic had bothered him at the moment. On the other side of the ring, the remainder of team hell's fork didn't seem to be all that surprised by Lothair's defeat, if anything they were annoyed he was still alive, and quickly begun to argue with who would fight next. In the meantime Toto moved to the center of the stage holding her mic, "And the winner is! Team Griswald's Pawns! Who could believe such a small girl is that feisty! Now then who is ready for the second match!!" The crowed cheered loudly at the Felis' enthusiam clearly prepared for the second match. Before they could get it, however, another face filled the spell floating high above the tournament arena.

Displayed before them was a decrepit old man, in a fine silk suit, outfitted with multiple golden chains that each tugged at his body with their sheer weight. Next to him stood a buxom blonde female, whom if rumors were to believed, fit the description of the missing noble perfectly. She looked distressed but lacked any obvious forms of abuse, or bondage. The old man spoke up with a drawling accent, "Welcome all to the tournament of skulls. I am humbled by your patronage tonight. As a present I will offer you what you have come for..." he paused for a moment, before waving his hand before him in a overtly dramatic fashion sending the feed back to the arena floor with Lothair centered. As this happened the old man's voice could be heard once more uttering a single word, "Blood." Within moments several, guards rushed from the nearby entrances surrounding Lothair in a tight circle, who in turn laid still, petrified of what was to come. Without so much as a warning, each guard thrust their spears into the man turning him into a glorified pin cushion as he screamed in agony. The screams were cut off shortly, however, as a small river of blood began to flow down towards the opposite side of the stadium.

The gut twisting scene garnered a heavy dose of appulse by those in the stands, some whistling and yelling for more carnage, even Toto seemed to get in on it, riling the crowd up with a cheer. It was only until the blind spear wielder with the turtle shell took the stage that the crowd began to settle down, it seemed it was time for the next match to begin, and round 1 to begin in earnest.

Your Next Opponent Awaits a Challenger!

​

Difficulty Class Threshold - 500​

Name: Handa Koetsu
Race: Human
Types of Attacks: Spear based slashes, and thrusts
Damage Dice: 2d20+15
Mastery Modifiers: All Blade And Pierce weapons have their mastery bonuses halved due to their attacks being parried by the turtle shell.
Extra Modifiers: None
Special Events: Special Event Occurs after two posts (At this point wait for more information)

Perception Hints

Hidden: The Admiral's Observation

The man carries his shield with surprising confidence, it seems this is the corner stone to his fighting style.

Hidden: Aaron/Roland's Observation

A brief glint coming off the man's spear seems unusual.

There was no energy recovery last round

((OOC: You may each post once for the intermission. Someone may step into the ring voluntarily and interrupt this launching into battle. Likewise, someone can volunteer and post again after everyone else has posted. If no one volunteers, someone will be selected at random. If combat takes more than one round, you can/should post multiple times in a row until either you or the creature is dead.))

Hidden: Post Coding

Code:

[hp]100[/hp] [en]100[/en]
[spoiler=Conditions]
[b2]Status Effect name:[/b2] If any otherwise this can be deleted
[spoiler=Perks]
Place perks here
[/spoiler]

Hidden: Battle Calculation Cheat Sheet

• +5 for every mastery above beginner, +10 for expert and higher
• Each mastery can only be used once per post
• -5 EN for every mastery used per post
• Skills or special attacks cost an extra 5 EN and can be used one per post
• Special attacks multiply the used modifier by two. (can only affect one mastery)
• Every armor piece subtracts the amount of damage you take each round
• Poor quality: -2, Common -3, Uncommon -4
• Armor mastery cannot be used to attack. However, it can be used to reduce damage further (Only one type of armor mastery can be used in any round)
• Trained: -1, Proficient: -2, Adept: -3, Master: -4
• Using weapons allows you to add the quality tier of the weapons to your attack.
• Poor quality: +5, Common +10, Uncommon +15
• Damage to the player is resolved before the damage to the monster. (Unless this would result in the death of both, in which case, the player survives with 1% Health, and the monster dies)
• You can use an appropriate skill to heal yourself during intermissions and after rounds
• Healing Roll: 1d20 + 1 for every level of mastery beyond beginner

 

72 HP

MAX HP

80 EN

MAX EN

Hidden: Perks

Lightning Quick: Once per match you can choose to have damage resolve for an enemy before taking damage yourself
Requirements: Defeat an enemy in one post

Observant (Novice): Increases the effectiveness of "Investigation Mode" in-between matches
Requirements: Gain the benefits of an extra modifier during a match

Entering the stone boundaries of the arena floor, the Admiral looked her competitor over, which was more than he himself could try and do. Perhaps the blindness was a cheap gimmick, or perhaps he was the real deal; either way all she cared about was the fact that he hid behind a shield, and fought with a phalanx style employing a spear to keep his enemies at range. That was all well and good, but it only actually helped you if a shield could defend against their blows. Many thought that running at an enemy with weapons slashing and thrusting was the surest way to cut down foes; the Gorious Nippon Steel, Folded Ten Birrion Times which could cut through anything, even itself. God damned weebs and their Asian fever left them all deluded and flocking to the sword. As far as she could tell, she was the only person in the entire game that actually made use of BLUDGEONING weapons. As many blades as a shield could turn aside, a solid heavy club only took a few good swings to make your best defense worthless. If the shield didn't break, it was just as likely the arm beneath it would as the shock of the impact flew into the body wielding it.

So she wished the spearman the best of luck inside her own head and tightened her grip on her two hammers. The clink of her heavy armor as she crossed to her place in the ring would be impossible for him to miss. If he was truly blind and relied on impeccable hearing in order to hit her, then the prize went to him: she was essentially a walking bell of clattering plates. But that was fine. She didn't plan to hide. Listening patiently, she waited for Toto to make the introductions and declare their fight officially started.

"...all I'm saying is it isn't in my contract to get cut off like that in the middle of a- AND WE'RE BACK!" Toto announced, jumping away from her agent and back into the ring to resume business as usual. She took one suspicious look up into the sky to make sure it was HER face shown there, then nodded with satisfaction.
"How about that, folks! It seems Lothair has gotten the axe," she said as she drew a finger across her throat, then pointed in the general vicinity of his corpse, before waving at the spearman that had stepped up to stage. "...but Handa Koetsu is eager to bring home the victory for Team Hell's Fork, with his famous Infinite Shell technique! On the side of Griswald's Pawns it looks like... yes, our next contestant! The distinctively silver haired helmsman of the Pawns, the The Admiral! What a name! Who will come out our victor in Round Two? The Tortoise, or The Hair?

Once the announcer had done so she dashed forward, closing the distance between the two. His spear shot towards her with cruel precision, but if her duel with Aaron Marone had shown her anything it was two simple facts: a thrusting weapon like the spear had to commit to the path it took, and he would lose precious time and distance trying to correct anything less than a lethal strike. Secondly, shields didn't do shit but give her a larger and more direct target.

She took a single step to her left as his spear thrust forwards, trying to intentionally bump the blade with her shoulder and send it careening off her armored pauldron. It knicked her flesh and sent a rivulet of blood down her left arm, but it also kept her from being directly impaled as she slipped past the thrusting weapon and came within striking distance of her foe. Raising both hammers high, she swung them down on opposite sides of the shield, using her knowledge of engineering to try and find structural weaknesses in its shape. The direct face would be the strongest point, with integrity diminishing the further out one went towards the sides. That should mean, if the shield were based on actual physics, striking its sides and directing pressure inwards would cause it to warp and shatter. Perhaps not on the first strike, or even the second... but if she hit it enough.

Armor Eater

​

Satisfied with the amount of damage she had dealt to it thus far, she switched up her attacks to begin beating directly upon the shield's face and keep the man, well, on the defensive. So long as she remained in close to where he couldn't make full use of his spear, she had the clear advantage. With two hammers, he had to try and move fast enough to block both of her hard and unwieldy strikes. Pity that, so far, he could.

Breakdown:

Roll: 10
Engineering: 200 proficient (+15)
1H Bludgeon: 1700 mastered (see specials)
Dual Wielding: 210 proficient (+15)
Special Attack: 1H Bludgeon mod 40x2 (+80)
Weapon Quality: 1H Bludgeon (+15)
Weapon Quality: 1H Bludgeon (+10)

TOTAL: 145 (10+15+15+80+15+10)
HP LOSS: 28 (15+20+6 = 41 | 41-1-2-2-2-3-3 = 28)
ENG SPENT: 20 =/= 5(engineering)+5(1H bludgeon)+5(dual wielding)+5(special attack)

[145 / 500]

 

41 HP

MAX HP

60 EN

MAX EN

Hidden: Perks

Lightning Quick: Once per match you can choose to have damage resolve for an enemy before taking damage yourself
Requirements: Defeat an enemy in one post

Observant (Novice): Increases the effectiveness of "Investigation Mode" in-between matches
Requirements: Gain the benefits of an extra modifier during a match

The fight did not seem to be going overly well for the Admiral who, despite her best efforts at shattering the man's defenses, received several severe stabs in the abdomen as he adjusted his grip, holding it closer to the tip. That shortened its relative length between the two fighters, allowing him faster and more precise jabs at her, without so much unwieldy spear to get in the way of his counter attacks. She ignored each of the jabs and let her armor take the brunt of it, focusing her own attention on battering through his defenses. Was it the most logical solution to their mutual dilemma? No, of course it wasn't. It was only the most direct, and therefore the most easily employed by the woman who, were it not for the damned shield, would likely have beaten him into a fine paste by now.

The shield remained intact however, resisting her best efforts at crushing her way through it.

Armor Eater

"This seems to be the first real fight of the event, folks!" Toto cheered as she gave the play by play to the roaring crowd. "Handa's defense seems impenetrable as he intercepts each blow from The Admiral and brushes them aside! But the heavy hitter of Griswald's Pawns just keeps laying into him, ignoring every stab and blow that he deals back as her focus remains fixed on getting past that shield! Blood is spilling and it is thrilling, people!"
Toto gave a twirl to emphasize the edge of your seats excitement the fight was proving to be, aiming a finger at the dueling pair once her spin came to an abrupt halt. With the strange cylindrical object that projected her voice raised to her lips, she she continued to try to hype hype hype the crowd up up up!
"Both contestants seem to be nearing their limits now! Handa, who has had exhaustion physically beaten into him by the powerful punishment of the Pawn's premier pile driver! And The Admiral, who's so caught up in cratering her cautious contender that she's ignoring her own wounds and showing no defensive measures what! so! ever! This is a total defense versus a total offense! An immovable force and an unstoppable object, or whatever the saying goes! Wooh!"

Breakdown:

Roll: 27
Engineering: 200 proficient (+15)
1H Bludgeon: 1700 mastered (see specials)
Dual Wielding: 210 proficient (+15)
Special Attack: 1H Bludgeon mod 40x2 (+80)
Weapon Quality: 1H Bludgeon (+15)
Weapon Quality: 1H Bludgeon (+10)

TOTAL: 162 (27+15+15+80+15+10)
HP LOSS: 31 (15+15+14 = 44 | 41-1-2-2-2-3-3 = 31)
ENG SPENT: 20 =/= 5(engineering)+5(1H bludgeon)+5(dual wielding)+5(special attack)

[307 / 500]

 

The Admirals twin clubs landed a direct blow against Handa's shield eliciting a loud crack as a fissure quickly appeared down the middle of his shell. Thrusting his spear in defense Handa jumped backward throwing the broken tool away with a snarl. As the two circled each other tensing for their next showdown, Toto recapped the situation, "In a fantastic bit of sheer brute force the white-haired vixen Admiral has managed to completely break through Handa's shield. It looks like this fight is all but over for the blind Spearman, the only question becoming how long till we get to see his brain!" The announcer seemed aware at The Admirals sweaty, pale skin, as a poison began to course through her system slowing her movements significantly. The crowd, on the other hand, continued to roar as the excitement began to reach a crescendo.

"My shield doesn't matter." Handa said face full of rage, "You've been tagged enough by the tip of my spear, you're as good as dead!" Not wasting too much time monologuing the Spearman drew a hidden dagger from his thigh brandishing it in the hand he had once held his spear. "You see the right side of my spear is coated in snake's venom designed to keep your wounds from closing, while the left is coated in a paralytic spider's venom. It's expensive, but the combination of the two is fatal with those wounds! You're only hoping for survival is to simply walk out of bounds so your friends can save your life." Sweat began to trickle down the man's forehead, he was clearly feeling the heat.

Special Event!

​

Handa has lost his shield!
The Admiral has gained the following status effects:
Poisoned (Paralytic): Loses 10 EN per Post
Bleeding (Severe): Loses 5 Health per Post​

Name: Handa Koetsu
Race: Human
Types of Attacks: Spear based slashes and thrusts
Damage Dice: 2d20+15 (-10 for loss of shield)
Mastery Modifiers: None
Extra Modifiers: (+35 to final roll due to loss of shield)
Special Events: Special Event Occurs after two posts (At this point wait for more information)

​

Hidden: Post Coding

Code:

[hp]100[/hp] [en]100[/en]
[spoiler=Conditions]
[b2]Status Effect name:[/b2] If any otherwise this can be deleted
[spoiler=Perks]
Place perks here
[/spoiler]

Hidden: Battle Calculation Cheat Sheet

• +5 for every mastery above beginner, +10 for expert and higher
• Each mastery can only be used once per post
• -5 EN for every mastery used per post
• Skills or special attacks cost an extra 5 EN and can be used one per post
• Special attacks multiply the used modifier by two. (can only affect one mastery)
• Every armor piece subtracts the amount of damage you take each round
• Poor quality: -2, Common -3, Uncommon -4
• Armor mastery cannot be used to attack. However, it can be used to reduce damage further (Only one type of armor mastery can be used in any round)
• Trained: -1, Proficient: -2, Adept: -3, Master: -4
• Using weapons allows you to add the quality tier of the weapons to your attack.
• Poor quality: +5, Common +10, Uncommon +15
• Damage to the player is resolved before the damage to the monster. (Unless this would result in the death of both, in which case, the player survives with 1% Health, and the monster dies)
• You can use an appropriate skill to heal yourself during intermissions and after rounds
• Healing Roll: 1d20 + 1 for every level of mastery beyond beginner

((OOC Note: After two posts the effects of the poison will change))

 

16 HP

MAX HP

30 EN

MAX EN

Hidden: Conditions

Bleeding, Severe: Your health is rapidly draining!
Poison, Paralytic: Your energy is rapidly draining!

Hidden: Perks

Lightning Quick: Once per match you can choose to have damage resolve for an enemy before taking damage yourself
Requirements: Defeat an enemy in one post

Observant (Novice): Increases the effectiveness of "Investigation Mode" in-between matches
Requirements: Gain the benefits of an extra modifier during a match

The fight raged onwards and upwards in intensity as the Admiral continued to wail against Handa and his shield, her wounds seeping blood and her health draining steadily away until at last his defenses were shattered. As the shell exploded into a myriad of shards all about them, she gave a satisfied grin, as though a wolf that had finally dug into the burrow of a rabbit and now had its prey. Tortoise had become hare in that instant, but there was nowhere for the frightened creature to go. So he did what the afraid did best, and he boasted of how surely she was going to be defeated in order to try and get inside of her head and force her to concede victory. There were of course two very large issues with that tactic. First and foremost, she had seen what happened to people who were nudged out of the arena and didn't die a warrior's death within. The guards would not allow her to live; not unless she had somehow earned a reprieve from their smite, which she seriously doubted. So why would she surrender to the man in order to save her own life, when she would lose it even in conceding? Secondly, and of course known to Handa: if the poison DID kill her, it was only a nuisance at worst. As long as she defeated him before dying, then if she kicked the bucket she could just... come back, once she respawned. Nothing in the rules she had been read said that you had to never die during the tournament; only that if you died to your opponent, or left the ring before the match was over, you lost. So if she bled out after killing him then it would be annoying, yes... but not necessarily grounds to remove her from the competition. And Griswald would likely back that up for all it was worth, to get his money's worth.

So she let the man threaten and boast, and she watched as he pulled a small blade out to replace the shield. It was hardly threatening, compared to the lethal bite of the spear, which she kept her attention fixed on carefully. Taking a step forwards, she felt the spear stab into her stomach and she gasped, then growled, at the pain. Swinging down with one of her hammers she shattered the wooden shaft of the spear's body and left a two and a half foot spike jutting from her body while Handa gripped a broken stick in one hand and a small blade in the other.
"Stop that screaming," she snarled, annoyed to the point of contempt at some noise only she could hear.
"Ha ha, the poison has driven you mad! I'm not screami- OAAAAGHHHHHHH!"

Dropping to a knee, she swung both of her hammers together, striking their heads together as though the clapping of hands. Or she would have done, if his left knee had not gotten in the way, and been smashed to splinters between the two heads of her war hammers. He immediately crumpled backwards onto the ground of the arena, slashing wildly with the small blade until a hammer strike to his shoulder snapped the rotatory cuff into a bloody mash which drew further screams from the man. His left limbs crippled, the blind spearman thrust wildly with the broken stick that had once been his spear, kicking himself around in a small circle using his right leg. With a grunt the Admiral pulled the top half of his spear out of her stomach and stabbed it down into his right ankle, grabbed the shaft with her left hand, and hammered the spear INTO the stadium ground like a giant railroad spike, pinning him in place. All the while Handa was flailing madly with one remaining limb to his name, blood spitting up out of his mouth from where he had bitten his own tongue almost in half from the shock and suffering. Whether he was begging or cursing or threatening nobody could tell, for his noises had become pained and intelligible.

Kicking the remains of his spear out of his hand, she dropped to her knees on top of him, straddling the man's chest, allowing his blind head to jerk around in a panic and his one remaining hand to grope at her in desperation, she reached to the side, past her second hammer, and picked something up.
"Hey, Handa... Bet you didn't see this one coming..."
"Ahb bplthind jtthoke?! Pbltheriously, youb cunpth?!" He protested, the indignity of her mockery on top of the fear and frustration of defeat bringing the man to tears. Were his eyes capable of such things, perhaps he already would be sobbing... Instead, he gurgled out whatever mangled words he could on a heavily chewed tongue, listening as something scraped along the arena's stones. Then he felt a familiar sort of presence, drowning out the noise of the arena and shielding him from the sun's light on his face. The Admiral had taken one of the largest parts, the central sturdy center of his shield, and placed it over his face to see what sort of protection it still offered.
"Noh, noh waithb! Waithb waithb noh sthopth heyb waithb youb don'thb hab hto hdo thi-!!!"

Power Maul

Swinging down with her best hammer wielded in both hands, the weapon struck the plate of the shield and pressed it towards the arena floor. The arena floor refused to yield, and remained exactly where it was. The head that was caught in the vice press between floor and shield was far less sturdy than the former or the latter, and it did yield. In an explosion of pink and grey and crimson, Handa's head scattered across the arena floor in all directions, painting a wide circular arc of carnage. Like an egg, stomped on by a boot, it was simply incapable of surviving the direct onslaught of her hammer... and had been crushed, if not by the hammer itself, then by the irony of using his own shield as part of a vice to finish him with.

Standing from her kneeling position, the Admiral dismounted the slain man and picked up her other weapon, then walked calmly back to where her team was positioned. Blood decorated her; most of it her own. But beneath the pain and exhaustion was the obvious elation of victory, and the cold calm of a vicious killer that regretted nothing they had just done.
"Marone. Runt." she said to @Aaron Marone and @Alphabet Chocolate as she returned to where Griswald's Pawns were assembled. "How about a little healing love?"

Breakdown:

Roll: 31
Riding: 100 trained (+10)
1H Bludgeon: 1700 mastered (see specials)
Dual Wielding: 210 proficient (+15)
Special Attack: 1H Bludgeon mod 40x2 (+80)
Weapon Quality: 1H Bludgeon (+15)
Weapon Quality: 1H Bludgeon (+10)

TOTAL: 196 (31+10+15+80+15+10)+35
HP LOSS: 25 (5+20+8+5 = 38 | 38-1-2-2-2-3-3 = 25)
ENG SPENT: 30 =/= 5(riding)+5(1H bludgeon)+5(dual wielding)+5(special attack)+10poison

[503 / 500]

 

(OOC: We are now in the intermission between fights, feel free to post recap, healing, or general character reactions while I set up the next fight)

 

Gwyn rose from her seat and stepped over Nathair's coils to meet The Admiral as she rejoined them. She was tempted to offer an arm or to take her weapons off her hands until she was healed, but it might not be taken well so she stayed her hand. Instead she snorted in amusement as she requested attention from their two healers. Well, capable of healing. None of their little company was pure support after all. Hopefully no one was full enough of a support to join in on a one-on-one tournament. Even if they were competing as a team, their fights were so far separate and she couldn't imagine that would ever go over well. It also wouldn't be fun to watch for anyone involved. Maybe a bit of entertainment in watching someone desperately try to heal themselves, hoping their health and energy held out longer than their opponent's energy. Exhausting someone into defeat sounded like... well, something to witness.

"Alright, we're down to Aaron, Roland, and I versus the beast tamer, the giant, and the mage. How are we doing this? I know Addy suggested I take on the mage with ranged while you take the tamer and his dogs, but I don't know what your alchemy is capable of. If you can either make some kind of gas or liquid that will drive them off or attract them elsewhere that's all well and good. You also have more and better armor than me, but I can likely try taming them to my side. If it works, he'll be torn apart. If not, I'll get mauled to hell and back. I'll at least have Nathair as backup." She spoke lowly, angling her body toward her group to hide her voice and lips from spies the other teams might have. After all, if Griswald could do it then it stood to reason so could they.

Speaking of the man, if he was around, she could also ask if he or his men could sneak in some meat during the intermission. It could be tossed in the inventory of whoever was to face the tamer and used to ply the dogs perhaps? The huntress raised a hand to scratch idly at the scar along the bridge of her nose. Too many options, too many variables. Less a hunt, all a brawl. Gwyn could still feel the pulse of adrenaline under her skin though, from watching the fights and imagining her own to come. After all, the tournament's arena was a different kind of terrain, but a type of wilds all its own. She certainly wouldn't call it tamed, despite how the populace was cowed by the mercenary force of the man leading it. You could collar wolves like dogs, but they didn't stop being wolves. At least not for a few more generations and a lot of selective breeding.

Nathair resettled to coil around her feet and drifted its head closer to the blood-covered Admiral, tongue flickering to taste at it. Black eyes turned toward the squashed corpse in the arena that would no doubt be fetched soon and she had to lift the toe of a boot to set gently on the snake's back. "No. You don't know where it's been."

 

Aaron laughed when Alphabet returned from her fight, smiling and joking. He smiled wide at her, and ruffled her hair with his hand. "It did more than just eat my head. The damn thing swallowed me whole. See, it was all part of my plan. I was gonna let it eat me, and then stab it's stomach, cut my way out. Unfortunately, it did too much damage in the eating me part, and that plan kinda botched."

He gasped in shock as he saw the man who was defeated by Alphabet, but whom she had chosen to spare, was still killed nonetheless. "Bastards," he spat. "There was no reason for that at all." He shook his head, and resolved himself to watching The Admiral's fight.

The opponent seemed like a twisted motherfucker, using poisons to get an edge. He supposed Roland did something similar, but the way the man gloated about it annoyed Aaron. As the battle pressed on and The Admiral prepared to execute her opponent, Aaron tried to block Alphabet's eyesight. "Don't watch this part, ABC," he said. It was an unnecessarily brutal way of killing the man. He'd already been defeated. Aaron wouldn't argue against the decision to kill the man, he definitely deserved it. But it could have been done cleanly, honorably. He sighed. He had nothing against killing, but when a good person chooses to kill, how they kill matters. It's what separates them from an evil person who kills. Yet a good man who chooses not to kill is responsible for all the damage done by the one he doesn't kill. "Fuck Batman," he muttered under his breath.

When The Admiral returned and asked for healing, Aaron smiled at her. "I think this one's up to ABC. I don't know what my fight is going to be like, and since you're not getting any more dead at this point, I think it'd be best if I save my energy. I promise that with any energy I have left, I'll heal you after my fight. Does that work?" he asked.

When Gwyn started asking about who should fight who, Aaron shrugged. "You two decide. I might find myself with an advantage against that mage if he really is a malefimancy user, but I can go against whoever."

 

75 HP

MAX HP

40 EN

MAX EN

Hidden: Perks

Determination (Novice): Gain a +10 passive modifier, ignore the effects of one mental status effect once per round
Requirements: ????

Lightning Quick: Once per match you can choose to have damage resolve for an enemy before taking damage yourself
Requirements: Defeat an enemy in one post

Alpha nodded at her injured teammate, still shaken from Lothair's brutal execution and the battle which recently took place. While she was still weak from her own battle, the armored woman seemed to be in even worse condition and she was somewhat certain that she'd still have enough energy to revive someone if a match went awry. Not to mention that Aaron still needed to conserve energy (she'd rather her kind friend be in fit condition for his battle; especially since he'd done so much for Alpha). She took a breath, trying to muster enough magic and strength for a simple healing spell, and reached out for the woman's plated arm for the green light to seep through and stitch up a few wounds. "I'm not a runt!" she gasped with a smirk and a wink, hoping it'll convince Aaron and the others that she was in tip-top condition. "Just stay still! It'll only sting for a bit and then you'll be fine and dandy and a tad bit better and everything! Good job on the fight though, armordillo!"

And, with a laugh from her own pun-inspired nickname for The Admiral, she refocused her entire concentration back on fixing the bleeding and poison that circled through the older woman's body.

-5 EN: Healing @The Admiral

Thrown die:

19

+4

 

100 HP

MAX HP

95 EN

MAX EN

Hidden: Perks

Lightning Quick: Once per match you can choose to have damage resolve for an enemy before taking damage yourself
Requirements: Defeat an enemy in one post

Observant (Novice): Increases the effectiveness of "Investigation Mode" in-between matches
Requirements: Gain the benefits of an extra modifier during a match

Roland grimaced as the man was slaughtered on the side of the tournament arena, but he was sickened more by the man's previous teammates who barley lifted a finger to stop the attack. Whatever tenuous string that held that team together didn't seem to include teammates who lost their first match. Roland's hand twitched on his sword as he moved to enter the ring to exact some revenge but luckily Admiral had been a step before him. This seemed to be fortunate given the fact that Handa's fighting style would likely have been something that would have given Roland pause.

"Disarm him!" Roland shouted from the sidelines, hoping the club wielding lunatic would listen. It seemed her plan was a bit more simple as she tried to beat down the shield breaking it thoroughly halfway through the match. Her fighting style, however, had left her quite wounded, and as Handa explained, each of those wounds contained a dose of animal venom. Despite this Admiral finished her fight, crushing the man's skull in a way that made Roland wince. As she came back he hissed at her, "Don't you think that was a little much?" he said pointing to the man's dead body. He knew some deaths were unavoidable, but she could have just as easily maimed the man.

Despite this, Roland knew they'd have to work together for later rounds to come. More so, he knew something of her wounds, and though he had no magic to speak of, he did have the next thing better. Fiddling with his in game menu's briefly he quickly produced a small vial handing it off to @The Admiral , "Take that, it will cure that poison he used on you." With a sigh Roland returned his sights on the arena before him, which fighter would be their next opponent?

 

39 HP

MAX HP

30 EN

MAX EN

The Admiral paused long enough for Alphabet to channel some healing magic into her before she slumped into a seat beside Gwyn, listening to her team discuss who ought to fight next. She chugged the potion that Roland gave her and watched as the poison ailments went away, sighing with satisfaction. The criticism on faces was rather plain to see, and Roland's words made it clear that most if not everybody on the team thought she had gone too far with the ending. And of course they were right. But they were also not thinking about this clearly.

"Our presence here is focused on one simple task: win the tournament, get the noble girl. We've already seen that blackmail and bribery go a long way, and that if people don't put on a good show, they get speared once they're kicked out. So no; I don't think I went too far. I think I did exactly enough to rile up their blood lust and make them want to see me fight more in the future. You have to look at this strategically; Griswald is paying and paving the way for us, but we have more than just winning our fights to deal with. We need to formulate plans for beating every obstacle that comes our way, not just the other teams. If we don't endear ourselves to the crowd, they'll put us up against harder and harder enemies until we're killed off and fall out of the tournament. People came here to see a show, and if they don't get it from us... we won't be around long enough to see the end. Then consider also that we may find a challenge that is too much for us at some point. Now it's been implied that those we don't kill will see future fights, perhaps... we need to make the people in charge FORCED to bring us back in, if we ever need to fall out of the arena. The more of a crowd favorite we are, the less likely we are to be speared horribly in the event we lose."

She gestured at the violent scene of her execution of Handa, which was being cleaned up by custodial staff... once they figured out how to pry the spear out of the arena stones.

"Remember that the people we fight are cut throats and curs. We can't afford to show them an ounce of leniency or mercy if they can't be of use to us. If he had a shred of honor perhaps I'd have spared him with a few broken limbs to make people think he's dead and had enough... then he could owe us a favor to help out in the future. But sparing him would only hinder our progress, and I'd lose the favor I've gained with the crowd at this point."

 

Alpha frowned, wincing at The Admiral's words. Despite her own views on this gladiatorial event, she knew that it wasn't all fun and games and that the logical woman's words were right. It was that admission that had struck her so deep; no matter what she did, she couldn't spare her opponents. No matter how fun the fights were, she couldn't forget that there was an underlying goal here. To survive and win the tournament and save that poor girl. She didn't want to devolve into such brutality but she knew that, if she didn't, she'd end up like Lothair. Even worse, her own actions could bring public disapproval on her team. That last thought was what hurt the most. "I-I agree..." Alpha started warily, slow and thoughtful. "I mean, they're not really people, right? They're not really gonna get hurt, right? But maybe we could be a bit nicer when we...you know?" she offered gently, the flames of her enthusiasm muffled and doused by the cold hard words of reality.

Then, a cold yet strong layer of determination steeled itself before her eyes as she addressed her entire group. "Even though we won't really die...I don't want any of you guys to get hurt! I think it's better if they're hurt instead. They're meanie-heads and the cuts and stuff hurt a lot! Not as much as it would've in real life but it still hurts. And it's unfair," her fists began to clench tight, knuckles white and her nails digging into the flesh of her palms, drawing thin lines of blood. Whether it was because of her own emotions or because the simulated pain barely compared to reality, she didn't notice. "Aaron died once or twice. I've died once. I think most of us did, maybe. And Terry's dead...he's better now, but he still died once. Like, they were the ones made for us to play with. They're the ones that're just fake, you know? They don't get hurt like we do; what's wrong if they get hurt instead?!" the hypocrisy in the statement didn't even register for her. A look of serendipity and realization fell on her face as her previous vigor seemed to be revived yet again. "What's wrong with cutting them or kicking them? We do it all the time in this game and that's how we have fun, right? Who does all the collection quests and stuff without doing some grinding or monster-killing? No one. Just cause everything's a bit more realistic doesn't mean this isn't just a game!" a wide grin found itself at home on her lips as she reached out to give everyone a hug and a pat on the back. "Haha, we got this, guys!"

 

Sighing, the Admiral leaned forward and began to rub her temples.
"No, Alphabet, that's the wrong lesson to take away from this. You should never be excited to hurt another person or take a life; fake or no. The fact that a child is even involved in this frankly disgusts me. But it's too late to have you back out now. We're here. You've fought. You're in this. Just because you have to be involved doesn't mean you have to enjoy devolving into an animal during it though. I'm not telling you to LIKE hurting people; that's disgusting and wrong."

She casually ignored the smile she'd worn when she returned from her own last fight.

"It will be necessary to put on a show, yes. I'm able to stomach doing the worst of it; I'll bear that sin to try and keep our team in the limelight and favored by the crowd. But the rest of you need to step up your game and stop looking at this like it's anything involving justice, honor or virtue. There's no righteousness here. No balming your wounded heart to justify the things necessary to move forward. And frankly why the fuck should there be? You joined this with ample warning of what was at stake and the kinds of people it would involve- and sure they're fake. But your actions aren't. How you deal with them will reflect a facet of who you are as a person. I said to put on a good show... to not hold back or show mercy. But that doesn't automatically translate to 'make them suffer horribly.' Alpha, you could use naturamancy to grapple somebody enough that you could slice their throat open. Quick and painless, but bloody and pleasing for the crowd. Aaron, you're able to dull pain with your magic so that your final blow doesn't have to be one that hurts them. Roland has tricks up his sleeves. Gwyn is a terrific shot. All of you have some way of dealing with things in a clean but entertaining fashion. Except for me... So I'm the one that will get to be cruel, because there is nothing subtle or sweet about beating a person to death. There's no romance to it or clever way to make it any less brutal. And because of that I'll have to capitalize on BEING brutal."

She reached out and flicked @Alphabet Chocolate on the nose, then pointed to the small rats the girl paraded around.
"Think of it like a lion protecting her cubs, kid. You can't afford to let your prey go; not if you want to keep them safe. But at the same time, you can't play with your food too much. Not if you want to keep your cubs safe from YOU and what you'll become."

 

The Admiral's clubs bashed Handa's face into the tiled floor sending pieces of the man flying in either direction. With a yelp, Toto barely dodged a stray eyeball that had flown towards her. The grisly brutality of the murder didn't seem to dampen her spirit one bit as she let out a cheer and said, "Annnnnd that's it we have a Winner! By sheer brute force, The Admiral has claimed a victory!" The announcement came with a series of cheers from the fans excited about the previous round's action. It seems the bloody bout had quite a few on the edge of their seats. Even Griswald laughed giving Admiral as congratulatory clap as she walked back to their side, "Good job, with those kinds of theatrics people, will be more willing to bet on your matches." He smiled at her before Gwyn interrupted his day dreaming with a comment about meat. His face quickly returned to his neutral frowning expression as he pointed at Handa's corpse, "Just go grab a leg if you need it, should do just as well." Said corpse was being moved off the arena stage by a couple of guards who unceremoniously lopped him off the edge, landing his body near Team Hell's Fork.

A small amount of time passed and as Team Griswald argued about morality, one of the Hell's Forks began to walk forward. Carrying a short spear, and followed in stride by two hungry looking dogs was Hadrian who flashed Gwyn a quick smile before turning to the audience holding his spears up high, "Are you ready?!" he asked, practically in a shout, "Dogs versus snakes! Snakes versus dogs! Spears versus arrows! Man versus Woman." he could help but chuckle as he threw another glance at Gwyn, pointing a spear in her direction, "Come on now lady, don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you much." His smiled widened, "My dogs will though."

Your Next Opponents Awaits a Challenger!

(x2)​

Difficulty Class Threshold - 400​

Name: Hadrian Spooner
Race: Human
Types of Attacks: Spear/Knife based slashes, and thrusts. Dogs will attempt to bite at heels and thighs to hold Gwyn down.
Damage Dice: 2d20+15+5(for Dogs) -15(for focusing on disrupting attacks, as opposed to doing lasting damage)
Mastery Modifiers: Due to harassment by dogs and Hadrian all final results are divided by two.
Extra Modifiers: Beast Taming/Alchemy/Illumancy x 2 (Not affected by harassment)
Special Events: Special Event Occurs after two posts (At this point wait for more information)

Perception Hints

The dogs carry scars from whips and beatings, and whimper in fear around Hadrian. However, they also seem ravenous, it's possible they would lose control at the sight of blood. (Everyone is aware, besides Alpha)

Hidden: The Admiral's Observation

He seems cautious of the tip of his spear, it might be covered in something. You see no glint though.

Hidden: Alpha's Observation

There is a butterfly floating in the corner of the stadium near one of the guards. It's rainbow colored.

@Alphabet Chocolate Recovers 13 Energy from last round

((OOC: You may each post once for the intermission. Someone may step into the ring voluntarily and interrupt this launching into battle. Likewise, someone can volunteer and post again after everyone else has posted. If no one volunteers, someone will be selected at random. If combat takes more than one round, you can/should post multiple times in a row until either you or the creature is dead. A new addition to battle cheat sheet has been added.))

Hidden: Post Coding

Code:

[hp]100[/hp] [en]100[/en]
[spoiler=Conditions]
[b2]Status Effect name:[/b2] If any otherwise this can be deleted
[spoiler=Perks]
Place perks here
[/spoiler]

Hidden: Battle Calculation Cheat Sheet

• +5 for every mastery above beginner, +10 for expert and higher
• Each mastery can only be used once per post
• -5 EN for every mastery used per post
• Skills or special attacks cost an extra 5 EN and can be used one per post
• Special attacks multiply the used modifier by two. (can only affect one mastery)
• Every armor piece subtracts the amount of damage you take each round
• Poor quality: -2, Common -3, Uncommon -4
• Armor mastery cannot be used to attack. However, it can be used to reduce damage further (Only one type of armor mastery can be used in any round)
• Trained: -1, Proficient: -2, Adept: -3, Master: -4
• Using weapons allows you to add the quality tier of the weapons to your attack.
• Poor quality: +5, Common +10, Uncommon +15
• Damage to the player is resolved before the damage to the monster. (Unless this would result in the death of both, in which case, the player survives with 1% Health, and the monster dies)
• You can use an appropriate skill to heal yourself during intermissions and after rounds
• Healing Roll: 1d20 + 1 for every level of mastery beyond beginner
• Likewise, you can use a healing mastery to cure status effects (During battle, 1 status effect can be cured at a time. Outside of battle all status effects can be cured with the same attempt)
• Note: If something is causing the status effect (IE being a ship is causing sea sickness) the status effect cannot be cured. These will be denoted with [Ongoing] to prevent confusion.