"Until Bob Gets Back" Gaming

[Deleted]

We are without a Bob, for the time being! In the meantime, we can muck around in here as a side campaign for however long it takes before he returns to us. One of the very first things you'll need to do is get a character made. In this one, you'll be starting as a bottom-level gladiator--maybe you signed up, maybe you're a slave, maybe you're a prisoner that was thrown into the Nibenay arena. That's all you need to go by--any character should be fine so long as you end up in that situation so you can start with the rest of the party.

[Deleted]

It's miserable in Nibenay today. Athas was always a hot place, but today takes the cake--tossed into a tightly-packed room full of other unfortunates like herself, Nadiya finds herself drenched in sweat. The hot and humid weather of the day is made infinitely worse by the body heat of the others crammed into this tiny chamber--a handful of humans, a few elves, two Half-Giants, a Mul, and a Thri-Kreen, at least, from what Nadiya can see from here. There's not nearly enough room for so many people in such a small space, but there's not really any alternative--the scantily-clad Templar-Wives make sure to keep both doors tightly barred.
One, of course, leads to freedom--the other leads into the arena. From that door, the distant, muffled cries of the crowd can already be heard as they file into the arena, no doubt salivating at the thought of watching their favorite gladiator behead his or her rival in a shower of gore. Besides the two doors, the only glimpses of the outside world can be gleaned through a tiny, half-meter square window through which the more experienced gladiators' training grounds can be seen--of course, it's crawling with Templars. Occasionally, the women offer a glance at whichever unfortunate is peering out of the window at the time, glaring down their noses at whoever dares make eye contact with them.
Most, however, seem to be focused on the day ahead of them--one of the humans seems to be hiding his head in his hands. He's no fighter, by the look of him--the arena will surely be a death sentence for him. The Half-Giants look like hardened gladiators, and the Thri-Kreen's emotions are unreadable from his or her (Nadiya can't tell which) alien features.
The elves speak quietly of home in hushed tones. No one here has been allowed any items besides the most basic of clothing--some don't even have that. The room is a great tapestry of flesh, some healthy, some scarred, some pale, some tanned, some bright, some dark, and no one makes any attempt to hide his or her dignity here, and even the lucky ones who have been allowed a tunic can still hardly be considered clothed. It's nigh impossible to move anywhere in here without bumping into someone.

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- Nadiya looks to all and everyone of the forced 'roommates' she is sharing cell with, looking about her movements and postures.
Her green eyes stop by the sobbing human and moves her head side to side, slightly. Doing some effort, the half-elven woman dodges others, like a snake zigzagging as it moves, Nadiya reaches nearby him - Do you realise that in this mood, the crowd will be asking for you to be the first to not return back here?.. - She speaks in low tone and makes a stop to see his reaction and get his attention

[Deleted]

He looks up, briefly squinting up at her. "The crowd? The crowd cries for my blood just the same as yours, girl. I haven't a hope of standing up against even the matinee opponents. What about you? You think you can win a fight to the death with one of those foul Gulgites? Much as I hate to admit it, I don't stand a chance...I'm nothing but a merchant. Templars wanted a discount I wouldn't give them, so here I am. Maybe I'll be all right if our friends here win and I keep my distance..."

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- She looks at him - Pair with someone, don't let them flank you and use these tricks of the trade I'm sure you know, I'll come back to you soon. We'll make it, don't be afraid. - She smiles to him - I'm Nadiya, nice meeting you - offering him a smile, looking around the others, and facing the human back again

[Deleted]

He seems confused at her kindness, squinting and cocking his head as if wondering what her angle is. "Err...thanks?" By now, the others seem to have taken notice of Nadiya, eyeing her over suspiciously as she's clearly not much like the others here. The elves, up to now having been muttering quietly about a place named Cromlin, quiet down to peer at her suspiciously. A Half-Giant with a strange light in its eyes mumbles something to her. "How'd you get in here?"

[Niachi]

As the half giant speaks, a crouching figure cloaked in deep red croaks out a scratchy complaint and shakes off the cloak -which unfolds to be large avian wings struggling to unfurl, sandwiched between other prisoners. The downturned head rises- a bird-man with deep red skin and feathers, bright dark eyes and hooked beak.
He folds the wings back in obvious discomfort and darts an inquisitive eye towards them, then a long wistful glance at the tiny slice of sky through the window, waiting for the female to reply...

[Deleted]

This emerging figure seems to draw the attention of a great deal of people, including most of the room. A wave of muttering washes over the others. The Half-Giant, though, seems unperturbed, his tanned face offering only a slight indication of his surprise. "Well, well, well. That's...unconventional. Usually they don't bother bringing in Aarakocra--too hard to keep 'em to be worth anything as slaves. I'd recommend not trying to fly off during a match--the Templars don't need to touch you to kill you. That is, so long as the King's still alive. If you feel like taking a chance, go ahead and try it--haven't heard hide or hair of him for twenty years, now. If he's dead, the Templars can't use their powers to stop you." He smirks quietly, clearly a great deal more intelligent than the average Half-Giant.

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

A lanky pretty half-elf (or is it an elf?) woman with warm ivory skin wiggles free from the corner she was pressed in and makes way through the throng to look at the stir that's being caused by some of her fellow prisoners in the Nibenay arena.
She is wearing a dark brown halter top leaving her shoulders open, over a loose fitting breezy pair of pants. Her costume somehow seems made both for showmanship and for comfort and is finished off with a bloodred wide sash belt and fitting gloves in the same color. Her gaze show an astute intellect as she scans around the cell for any overt threat, especially keeping the elves, the half-giant and the clearly agitated bird-man in her sights.

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- The hooded woman turns to the human - It's survival, the cycle of nature, where the stronger predates on the weaker if left alone but might think it twice if grouped.. - and she turns to the half-giant, looking at their eyes, her tone calm but without signs of nervousness by the huge difference in height and muscular density - Like some here I suppose, by mistake, a confusion - She replies back, as her green eyes, like olivine gemstones, glimpse briefly around, noticing the exoticism of the avian humanoid -'Is an illusion or a mirage? Or is none of them?' - before returning back to the conversation the half-giant - And you?

[Deleted]

Luckily for her, by the time people end up here, it seems most of the resistance has been beaten out of people by the time they reach this point. The Thri-Kreen (is it a he or a she?) sways back and forth, idly clicking its mandibles. Drops of some oddly-colored venom drip from between them occasionally, silently painting the uncomfortable dirt floor a sickly green tint. The Half-Giant seems to be the only one of the group that's particularly talkative at the moment--he's male, over ten feet tall, and brimming with muscle, just like most others of his race. Unlike others of his race, however, he seems to have exchanged some of his physical prowess for mental. When he moves his arms, the sun reveals a grayish tint to the hair along them--perhaps age has wrought these changes. "They let you keep your clothes. The Templar-Wives must have been feeling kind this morning."

[Deleted]

He rolls his shoulders back and forth, seemingly contemplating the hooded girl's question. "Why am I in here? Didn't expect you to ask, honestly. I was trying to get a look at the Sorcerer-King's palace--to see if he was really dead, like they say, or not. That whole inner city is off-limits, so they threw me in here to fight for my right to live."

[ascieszl]

As you talk amongst yourselves, you notice a Half-Giant standing outside the window looking in. "Phew! Today's meat ain't very fresh!" he exclaims.

He looks amazingly muscled in his leather armor and - surely that must be a table strapped to his back?

[Deleted]

The much older Half-Giant on the other side of the window chortles a little, his shifting movements causing him to brush up against the people on either side of him. "Careful what you say, freeman. There's women present. Must have wrangled them from the Veiled Alliance."

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

"Well, whatever. As if the only reason a woman can be in here is because of some dalliances," Ylonis speaks up and steps forward to the older half-giant and the woman who seemed to be gently reassuring the rabble. "Whatever anyone's reason to be in here, if the first match is a matinee against Gulgites we either stand together or die alone in the sands here. I don't plan on perishing here." Moving so she stands near the other woman, she looks the giant straight in the eye and acerbically quips "Oh and maybe the templar-wives felt that if they didn't let me keep my clothing you wouldn't be doing much fighting at all. They must really like us beating the Gulgites then, no?"