[Game Thread] Chapter One: The Tests of Legend

[Gamer9]

OOC Heh; why metagame like that? She'd have no clue that her Arcana skill bonus is better than Ahmose's. No worries though.

Seeing the woman actually took offense to Ahmose attempting to befriend, and compliment her. He shakes his head to her reply and takes a seat. Deciding silence would be the best way to end the conversation.

Never did understand Greeks, much less Greek women. While she is a bit mouthy that formula seemed a bit complicated, and is probably a very good way of manipulating the Arcane, This one could very well be a decent addition to the team, along with myself.
Ahmose thinks to himself quietly as he takes notes on the woman and the continuing presentations.

[GleefulNihilism]

OOC Not Metagaming, not using that info in game - just giggling about that.

Well, one more creeper backing off. Good. She hoped he wasn't picked - unless he had something else for a trick or something.

[Mcderth]

Ripaa/Bashaa and Cernunnos/Davin As Cernunnos enters into the pit many spectators and would be contestants moved back. Surprise springs to the large mans face, followed almost instantly by a look of fury. Monster! I don't know how you managed to sneak in here, but I'll have your head! Reaching behind him he grabs a hold of what looks to at one point have been a small tree, swinging it menacingly. OODM I need an initiative check and attack roll for Cabin

Ragna and Mihyar Orpheus gives Mihyar a reassuring smile as he chuckled. You didn't taint anything young man, far from it in fact. I find the sound of your drums fascinating. He moves to the aide and motions for Mihyar to take the spot he had been in. Come, show us what you can do.

Titus and Scuda The man who's arrows had been so handle gave the Latin newcomer a deadly look, then begins to yell at him. How dare you! Do you have any clue who I am?! Be quiet Philoctetes. the women calls out even as she studies the arrow that has been presented to her. After looking at it a moment she speaks to Scuda. This is fine craftsmanship sir. And indeed, I am Atalanta. If time permits later you will have to tell me how it is you came to hear of me. However, right now the three of you present an interesting challenge. She points to Titus and Scuda, as well as the man she called Philoctetes. You three line up, and someone grab me some apples. We're going to see what each of you can really do.

Hypatia and Ahmose Whoa, calm down you two. Jason says to Hypatia and Ahmose. There's no need to... just then he is interupted by a cry from across the field, Monster! I don't know how you managed to sneak in here, but I'll have your head! By the gods, what is going on now. he mutters to himself as he tries to see what is going on with the combatants. As he begins to walk in that direction he calls out to one of the young men standing at the table. Aethalides, take these two somewhere and set up a special challenge for them. They young man looks surprised, but gathers himself up and quickly goes to the Greek and Egyptian that have been causing such a fuss, pulling them away from the table and off to the side. Umm, so.... nice to see you again Hypatia. And nice to meet you... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name? And since Jason didn't exactly give us detailed instructions do either of you have a preference on what we figure out to do?

[Dirk]

Archery Scuda nods a thank you to the heroine; his eyes move briefly to the figure of a boar that hangs around his neck, which is mirrored by the crest of his helmet, but he does not comment. Instead, he strings the imposing recurved bow of wood, horn, and sinew that has drawn the distain of some onlookers. Unless, perhaps, Scuda’s own appearance has done so. The fur that covers his face and arms, and his feline eyes, mark him as one of the steppe folk generally regarded as barbarians by those holding the games.

[unglued128]

Combat Challenge Cernunnos charges in trying to rake the giant with his powerful antlers. However, expecting the man to dodge to one side he sweeps his head in that direction missing entirely. Now up close he gives the giant a toothy grin Davin’s mouth completely visible smiling underneath. “You think me a monster? You should be wary on who you pin such a title”

[GleefulNihilism]

Well, this is a bit of a twist. Aethalides was here! She was visibly a bit flustered at the sight of the man, just a bit.

"Hello, Aethalides. How have you been?" she asks, regaining some level of composure.

"A test challenge of intelligence then. A comparison of the body of research work?"

[MundayKnight]

pit "You better not lose to prey giant. I must ask again to all in attendance, may I cast magics upon myself before my combat starts or must I wait?" Bashaa is growing impatient quickly, finding all the others in the crowd too cowardly to challenge his moving to the front of the line he continues to seek someone to explain the rules of this contest.

[Javk]

Archery Competition Titus continued to stand where he was, as still as a stone. His eyes followed the gaze of the angry man named Philoctetes to a young boy who darted through some of the onlookers with a small bag containing several apples. The boy handed the apples to Atlanta and melted back into the crowd who had not left to join the excitement that sounded to be happening in the pit. My actions, it seems, have entered me into such a witless game as I just so rejected. Jason your favor had well be worth this effort. Titus was confident of his skill although the well-mannered Catman who had also been singled out by the heroine looked far stronger than himself. Titus knew little of his kind but respected them for what he had heard. Like himself the Catfolk nomads knew the power of community. These boastful Greeks think the solitary hero is the mountain top of a people. For all their wisdom they are foolish to not see the power many drops of rain have over the lone peak. Titus knew both men understood what it meant to be a member of a tribe, and briefly he wondered if the nomad had lost his tribe as he had. The Latin ranger eyed the greataxe the one called Scuda kept nearby. Strange to see one of such strength wield the bow. I may have him outdone in stealth and speed, but his bow would not bend to my arm nearly as well as his own. Even this muscled Philoctetes could likely not draw it to its full. As the hobgoblin took all of this in listened to the heroine's next instructions...

[dalarangreen]

Orpheus' Camp Mihyar blushed slightly, though only the observant would have noticed. Finding himself suddenly in the spotlight, he drew his body into a more erect position. 'For the honor of my Master, I shall do my best...' Mihyar settled himself, breathing deeply, and connecting with the muses--he knew not if they would be Greek or otherwise. Then he began to Performance: Drum = (19)play a rhythm upon the surface of his drum, unusual and foreign to the Greek ear. It was playful, but steady. After establishing the sound, he began to speak, Performance: Chant = 18poetically, and with a melodic voice: Mihyar's Song Praise to the Sun For he is both the giver of life And the taker of life We rely on his fire, the fire of passion, And like a burning desire, Should we linger to near his light He shall take our souls and Leave us withered husks. The dancer twirls round the fire at dusk Her supple hips sway seductively So enchanting and captivating They that watch At least two pairs of eyes Filled with jealousy. As the moths are drawn into the blazing torch So two men draw their swords Prepared to spill blood and perhaps to earn the right To take the seductive dancer to their bed tonight Ferociously they strike to end each others lives Not knowing that their passion would be their demise Blow for blow they are evenly matched An eye for an eye Arm for an arm Leg for a leg 'Til both men lay dead Standing in a pool of their own blood which together they had shed. And though the eyes filled with jealousy had left, The dancer continued to dance her dance The moonlight shown down upon the unfortunate fools For the love of an unobtainable jewel. After he had finished his song, Mihyar drummed emphatically three times for emphasis before closing his performance. He opened his eyes. He was unsure of when he had closed them. But then again, when the muses called for a performance, Mihyar had found that sometimes you lost some of yourself in the spirit of the moment. Breathing slowly, he returned to the present. Turning to Orpheus, he said, "It is a privilege and an honor to have had the opportunity to perform for you. However, I fear that in so doing I have neglected the duties given to me by my Master, Yassar Rahman." "Master Yassar Rahman, the nobleman, has charged me to come here to this tournament and bring honor to his house, and I have yet to present myself and my Master's gift to Prince Jason. Please, Master Orpheus, if you would be most generous and introduce me to him, you would receive my most humblest thanks." Mihyar bowed humbly again before Orpheus. He could only hope that his performance would be enough to earn him this amazing man's favor. DICE

[Gamer9]

First, I'd like to apologize for the disruption. I'm really not like that.

Ahh, I see you two know each other. I am Ahmose. Egyptian Scholar of the Mystics. He nods to Hypatia and reply's with confidence

I can surely provide a display of spells or notes if that is what you choose to see, but what sort of challenge you choose I'll do my best to deliver.

He backs away a few paces, casting a quick cantrip a grey ghostly face appears in smoke in between the three. It's features looking scared and in pain then it melts away and disappears.

[GleefulNihilism]

OOC Spellcraft to ID Ahmose's Spell - 33

Oh, it would of been so easy to tank things now. Just lose to this upstart pretender an intellectual but as much as she doesn't really want to go her pride is stronger.

"Spellcaster. Handy, but there's more then one way to do that. Not all of them imply intelligence.

I am Hypatia of Athens. Guest Lecturer of the Platonic Academy in the Field of Mathematics, and may I add that I am the first woman to hold that position with the Platonic Academy. If you really want a show of intelligence, let me show you something I've been working on."

What she pulls out of her bag next looks kind of like a bow and arrow, but much smaller, attached to a gauntlet, and with extra wheels and spokes added if small ones topped with a small hand crack on the side. It slips over her hand and forearm fairly quickly.

"Quick, not as accurate as a trained archer but small and light enough that anyone can use it. As for stopping power -" she starts, aiming at a nearby hay bale - she's not going for the archery context after all.

Dice Attack:

1d20+5

(19)+5

Total = 24

Dice Damage:

1d6+1

(3)+1

Total = 4

"I prefer to let results speak for themselves." she says after a flick of her wrist sends a bolt flying.

OOC Ooo! Critical! It's just a weapon's test, I'll let McD give the result.

[Gamer9]

Ahmose nods approvingly when Hypatia shows her invention. Very nice Hypatia. A good idea if there ever was one for sure.

Reaching into his robes he pulls out a thick book. The leather has been dyed black, the screaming skull in all it's ghastly glory marks the front cover. Two red and one white piece of cloth dangle out, marking certain pages, Ahmose quickly turns to a red strip and begins to read.

Throughout my studies I've found the Arcane energies exists within and around most everything. A living creature or plant gives off an energy that can be accessed to power ones own abilities. Sapping the energy can be harmful if used in excess. Once connected to the "Life Force" of a creature or plant your able to change it in various ways. Controlling it's emotions, brain function, or even physical capabilities. Through this connection you could cause the bravest of warriors to become fearful of a ground hog, only by changing his emotions through your connection with his "Life Force". Causing a trees roots to grow rapidly or bend the mighty trunk to your will. Furthermore, this Energy exists on it's own as well, and can be used in a variety of ways without living things. Manipulating this energy that exits within the air itself is a bit simpler, although it doesn't prove as powerful. Using the free energy around us also allows us to manipulate the elements, creating fire or electricity from what appears to be nothing. Forming the Energy into something tangible, without the use of elements, is also possible. Creating a "Force Hand" to carry things, or a shield to protect oneself.

Holding the book with his left hand he opens his right wide and then closes it slowly while backing his hand toward his body, until all his fingers and thumb touch. Mumbling a phrase, A hand to aid me.
His left hand glows for a brief second, then the book slides off held in mid-air by a hand that is made from pure energy. While see through, it's easily spotted by the outline of Ahmose's hand.

See the results of my studies are very... Hands on. Some of the more complex theories would harm, possibly kill, a test subject if I were to provide demonstration.

[Solomon777]

Standing at the edge of the collection of bards gathered around the servant, Mihyar, playing a skillful set of drums and weaving the enchanted tale of Sun, sacrifice, and the unobtainable. She found herself, as in most cases, swaying to the tune. Her heritage carried both drums and pipes and it was easy for her to feel the power and presence of the divine within the beauty of music. She listened intently to the wonderful beating, letting the rhythm take her and twirl her curved hips about, allowing her delicate clerical robes to flow as if carried by the wind.

As Mihyar’s song drew down to its close, she smiled at its influence and the goddess’s grace by which Ragna enjoyed life itself. Being not too soft spoken, and as forward as her often-times stereotyped kinsmen, she remarked aloud, “I’d say you honored Master Rahman quite well, if I should be so bold.” She nodded humble affirmation in respect to Master Orpheus. “Pardon my interruptions Master Orpheus, but his song was very kind to my ears.” she remarked with a playful smile.

 

If not, please disregard
Perform (dance)

Dice Roll:

1d20+3

(12)+3

Total = 15

Profession (dancer)

Dice Roll:

1d20+6

(1)+6

Total = 7

Diplomacy

Dice Roll:

1d20+8

(17)+8

Total = 25

[Mcderth]

Ripaa/Bashaa and Cernunnos/Davin One of the spectators gives Bashaa a funny look, like he wonders why the snakeman seems to care so much about magic when such an epic battle is playing out before them. Ya, you can do whatever you want before. Hell, a few of 'um have been outright spell slingers, tried to take him out that way. Meanwhile in the pit the large man gives out a snarl in response to Davin's words. I know a monster when I see it, half-breed. I don't know what form of sorcery you posses, but I promise it will fail you. Even as he speaks he faints once with his club, then smashes it into Davin's side. If either Davin or Cernunnos couldn't tell just how well trained and experienced a fighter he was from the way he stayed out of their first attack the well placed attack and force of the blow tells them so now. OODM: Davin/Cernynnos takes 14 damage

Ragna and Mihyar Orpheus listens intently to the drumming smiling slightly. As Ragna begins her impromptu dance his smile widens a bit. After they speak he nods thoughtfully for a moment, his brown eyes shining. A little ruff, but well done. I definitely see potential in you, in both of you. But if you are to go on this journey with us, you must do so of your own volition, freely and uncoerced. Can you honestly say that you wish to join us, that you wish to risk your very life?

Titus and Scuda Atalanta takes the bag of apples and walks out onto the field. Alright gentlemen, let's begin. First challenge for you. Get as many as you can. Without any more warning or fanfare she begins to toss apples into the air as quickly as she can. OODM I'll need initative checks and attack rolls please.

Hypatia and Ahmose Oh, yes, Hypatia and I met at the Platonic Academy. Aethalides says to Ahmose as the mathematician gets her contraption ready. When she fires the bolt it flies clean through the bale, embedding itself in a pole behind. Quite an impressive device you have there! He says, walking over to take a closet look at the weapon on her hand. When Ahmose draws his attention again both with his knowledge and magic Aethalides seems impressed again. I say, you both truly are impressive in your fields. I will be more then willing to give my recommendation in your favor.

[MundayKnight]

"Great, now hurry up with the prey big man and come fight a predator!"