Arena of Death - Tear Bridge

[Jack Shrapnel]

The two riders tore through the glade towards one another, Insharx mad with rage, Uther more measured and deliberate in his charge. The orc swung his sword in a blistering arc of death, and his tuskor attempted to slam right through the gallant steed. Uther expected this however, having fought many savage orcs in the past and fully aware of their "tactics". He easily turned away the ferocious strikes with barely an effort. He struck with his own blessed weapon, however the seemingly unprotected Insharx was as impenetrable as if he had the armor and blessings of a Bretonnian lord!

The combatants made another pass at one another, using speed to their advantage to increase the power of their impact. The Bretonnian was nearly able to decapitate the orc, however Insharx's shield was able to deflect the blow.

For all his fury, the raging orc was unable to penetrate the human's defenses. With each missed opportunity Insharx grew even more angry, spitting curses at Uther and hacking at him with wild abandon. Uther saw his opportunity and used the beast's rage against him and was able to cut low across Insharx's leg, drawing blood. The injury only seemed to enrage the orc further, and he was finally able to bring his sword through the defenses of the human and draw blood himself.

They broke from one another again, and circled more slowly this time. Insharx was breathing heavily, as was Uther. The Bretonnian Lord measured his opponent and waited for the opportune moment, knowing that Insharx's pattern was to strike high as they collided, trying to decapitate rather than strategically injure. Uther's shoulder ached from the injury he had sustained, and his shield felt twice as heavy as it should. No matter, he thought, this would be over soon.

With renewed rage, Insharx roared again, and charged. Uther set himself for the impact, but did not expect what the crazed orc did next. Insharx went low on the back of the boar, and instead of clashing with the human, sunk his iron teeth into the neck of the horse, while his tuskor tore into the animal's belly. Uther fell to the ground as the horse reeled and kicked as it's lifeblood left it. Insharx swung himself around the horse, leaving his own mount to land heavily on the chest of Uther. He reached down and pulled the Bretonnian's helmet off, and used it as an impromptu weapon to crush Uther's skull as he hit over and over again until his rage was spent.

Breathing heavily, Insharx collapsed from the effort, laying in the bloodied remains of his foe. He gibbered and laughed to himself as his tuskor continued to root in the remains. This was a good day.

---------------

After battle thoughts.... okay, this appears to be a pattern now that the fights are taking longer and longer... it seems that we have a few more "defensive" builds that make it much harder to score a first turn knockout (like what was common last arena)... Uther had the chance to one shot the orc, but unfortunately rolled a 1 on the D3 for his wounds that got through... the sheer amount of high strength attacks that the orc put out were what won the battle (as Uther was immune to the killing blow) - to his credit, Uther made so many ward saves it was crazy!

[stonecutter]

Exhausted and exhilirated, Insharx hefted the dangerous blade that had wounded him. Taking a few deep breaths, he swung the mighty weapon with both hands against a rock and grimaced as sparks flew and the shock travelled up his arms. Using the pain to drive him on, he continued to hammer the blade into the rock until, finally, the weapon shattered. Seizing the dented helm off his foe, he attached it to his saddle with his other trophies before burying the Bretonnian under a pile of heavy stones. His opponent had fought well and Insharx granted him the respect of a worthy foe.

[thesanityassassin]

Arathelian picked his way carefully through the ruined city, marveling at the crystal structures, which were magnificent even in their current state of disrepair. A son of mountainous Caledor he was drawn to the sharp edges of shattered stone lying between the ancient buildings, and for a moment he thought of his father's estate, nestled within the craggy peaks of western Ulthuan. Such thoughts quickly brought shame to his heart, and he felt his face flush with embarrassment as he recalled his failure in the fire caves, his keen Elven memory recalling even the most minute details of the encounter. In his frustration he lashed out with a booted foot, his heavy armour pinging as he kicked a chunk of stone away from him. Instantly he realized the folly of such an act, as any foe nearby would have heard the commotion. His keen hearing quickly proved the truth of such a thought, and he turned, blade in hand as he heard someone or something emerge from the ruins behind him. Arathelian blanched as he saw the size of the beast who had stepped out behind him. The massive bullheaded creature stood at least two heads above the Elf's own considerable height, and held a massive sword at its shoulder. The fallen prince had no doubt that a blow from such a weapon could cut him in half with ease. As the great beast lowered its head to charge, steam pouring from its nostrils, Arathelian raised his blade, preparing to strike. He could not hope to match the beast in strength, but he knew the advantage in speed, and presumably skill would lay with him. Though years of instruction at the temples of Asuryan warned him against it, Arathelian voiced a small prayer to Khaine. He would need all of the war god's bloody mindedness if he was to survive this.

[danydaigle24]

Gorukk is watching this Elf for a couple minutes. He knows he needs to use is brutal force to crack his little bones. He is ready for hitting hard because he knows that if he doesn’t kill that Elf fast, he will be in trouble. He is confident in is huge sword and in the power of Chaos.

[Jack Shrapnel]

Prince Kerkutf stopped his chariot briefly on the road to survey the tracks ahead. He recognized the markings of another chariot that had gone before him down this road, seemingly from the same direction. "Curious," he thought, "I was not told of another coming for the crystal."

He spurred his skeletal steeds forward, eager to see what lay before him. He was surprised to find a lone dark elf examining the ruined carcass of a cold one chariot, the decay evident that it had been there for many months. The Tomb Prince realized that there was no way this could have been the chariot tracks he had observed, as they were freshly made.

Mehimrael Bloodfist stood from the remains of the chariot and turned at the sight of the arriving tomb king. Undead may have been capable of doing this to his kin. He took a deep drink from his flask. Looks like this thing meant for him to be next.

With a hiss, Kerkutf raced his chariot towards Mehimrael, the impact of the front spike deflected from the dark elf's armor however. The elf spun wildly, almost appearing off balance. He swung his twin swords as one to tear at the tomb king in a surprising display of speed and force that belied his wavering countenance.

Kerkutf slammed his own sword down with unnatural force, that fully split the breastplate of the dark elf's armor and drew blood. Bloodfist grimaced and spat a curse at the undead creature. He clutched at his protective amulet defensively, wondering why it had not activated.

As the chariot swung round, the steeds attempted clumsily to hit Mehimrael, however he was far too fast for that. His blades whirled and hacked at the undead creature, but Kerkutf remained unharmed, batting away the light slashes with ease. Kerkutf attempted to strike at the very heart of the dark elf, and grinned as his sword his home. His grin turned to that of pain however, as Mehimrael's black amulet shone with dark light, black smoked cascading outwards to pull at the very lifeforce animating the Tomb King.

The two combatants continued to assault one another, neither finding an opening for their blades. Mehimrael avoided Kerkutf's strikes with a wavering dexterity, while the Tomb King was able to simply shrug off the dark elf's blows. Mehimrael ended the stalemate by aggressively, and somewhat recklessly pressing the attack, his twin blades finding purchase in the chest of the undead. Kerkutf leaned heavily upon the chariot and slumped forwards, his flesh turning to sand that fell from his wrappings to the ground below. The skeletal steeds falling in a clatter of bones that could no longer keep themselves intact.

[BewareOfTom]

Mehimrael stood over the pile of dust and crumbling old bones, "hmmm....., tough old pile of rags..." he gasped, holding his amulet he thought "You always like to wait until its life threatening don't you?", a small thrum of power shined in the amulet, "I thought so" and he finally left the scene into the ruins in the distances.....

[Jack Shrapnel]

The great saurus oldblood crouched hidden and still amongst the brush. Kha-cho-lot knew that there was something coming. He tasted it on the air, the unmistakable scent of the undead. And where there was one, there was often a horde. He was surprised to see a lone chariot come down the trail, driven forward by one of the ancient Tomb Kings. Strange to find one this far from the deserts of Khemri. It must be after the crystal the old ones are seeking. He had to remain still and strike when the moment was right, using the element of surprise.

Bob of Numas chuckled softly to himself. The lizard was hiding in the bush looking to ambush him. He could sense it’s lifeforce just as clearly as if the creature was standing in the open road before him. Bob tightened his grip on the reins as well as his murderous spear, ready for the inevitable charge.

Kha-Cho-Lot leapt from the cover of the foliage to attack the Tomb King. Bob was ready however, and willed his skeletal steeds to move to intercept, and the charger became the charged. The impact of the chariot knocked the saurus to the side. Bob though him finished, and readied his spear, however when he spun around the lizardman was gone.

In a flash, Kha-Cho-Lot was astride the chariot, hacking with incredible speed at the undead creature. Bob was unable to deflect every strike however, and felt the blade dig deep into his flesh, taking great chunks out of his decrepit body.

Bob commanded his flesh to remain intact, and ignored the injuries to stab at the saurus with his enchanted spear. The foul magic was repelled by the blessings of the old ones however, and the old blood remained unharmed.

Kha-Cho-Lot embedded his blade deep within the chest of the Tomb King, forcing it deep enough to protrude out it’s back. Bob raised his spear to strike a death blow to the old blood, however he could no longer move, as his life force ebbed from him, and his body began to disintegrate. The skeletal steeds fell silent and unmoving. Kha-Cho-Lot smashed them to pieces with his blade.

[Jack Shrapnel]

Gorukk charged forward, head lowered, to gore the tiny elf on his massive horns. Arathelian was able to spin out of the way at the last instant, avoiding certain death from the impact of the gorebull.

Arathelian’s weapon moved in a blur, his blade slicing with fantastic speed against the tough hide of the beast. He drew blood in thick rivers down Gorukk’s chest. The great minotaur barely seemed to notice and swung his sword hard enough that the high elf knew he would have been cut in half had it struck home. Arathelian was backed to a sharp cliff edge, moving as quickly as he could to try and avoid this raging monster and his deadly weapon. He struck with his own sword, feinting and moving. He knew if he stopped he was dead.

Gorukk could feel the weight of his sword much heavier than normal. He knew that the puny elf was hurting him with all of the small cuts. He needed to finish this once and for all. Hefting his sword as if to strike, he instead came low with a kick from his massive hoof, knocking the elf precariously close to the cliff edge. Arathelian’s eyes were huge as he realized his predicament as the last moment, arms flailing out to catch his balance. He had only an instant to react for when Gorukk charged. Thankfully, his speed was his saviour, and he managed to dive out of the way as the gorebull charged. Gorukk skidded to a stop at the cliff edge, his momentum bringing him nearly over, when Arathelian shouldered him in the back, forcing him over the edge. As the ground came fast to meet him, Gorukk roared in rage for the last time.

[Jack Shrapnel]

...thus ends round one.....

If you wish to challenge one of the other participants, you have until Saturday at noon to post a piece of fluff where you encounter one of the surviving entrants, and issue a challenge to arms! If you have been challenged, this will be assumed to be automatically accepted, UNLESS you post a response to this challenge (again before Saturday at noon) in how you've escaped the person who challenged you....

Round Two matches will be resolved in the following order:

1. Challenges
2. Random assignment

So yes, if you are quick to post fluff, and come up with an entertaining challenge, you will fight sooner than those who do not

[stonecutter]

With the full moon setting on the second day after battling the horse lord, Insharx stood immobile over a shallow pit filled with brushwood that was vigorously burning. He held a small metal vessel filled with a silver liquid over the flames until the liquid bubbled and then raised it to his nostrils. Exhaling, Insharx then inhaled deeply of the mercury vapours and let the vision come over him. A glowing crystal in a decrepit underground crypt appeared in the smoke and hazy aura now surrounding Insharx. Whereas the magical forces had been vaguely directing him, Insharx now felt a narrower attraction that became evident as the smoke reformed and the crypt transformed into an abandoned cemetery. At the same time, Insharx felt waves of energy flow through his body, healing his remaining wounds and drawing him toward the ruined city centre.
With shocking suddenness, Insharx came out of his trance. The fire was now nothing but embers and the sun was up - what had seemed like only seconds of dreams had actually been hours. Quickly donning his gear and mounting his boar, he followed the fading wisps of magical flux. Again, his keen nostrils picked up a scent, first of dusty decay and then, a more familiar and delectable odour - that of an elf. Passing by the ruins of an ancient wooden chariot, Insharx examined the light footprints leading away from the bones. Quickening his pace, he followed the tracks through winding city blocks until the scent became ever fresher. He spotted the fey figure in obsidian armour a short distance ahead on a roadway by a pile of rubble. Screaming a battle cry, he goaded his mount into a charge and roared a challenge as he rapidly closed with the dark elf warrior...

[Jack Shrapnel]

Sir Skrittick pulled the reins on his rat ogre, halting the beast and hopping down from his perch. He patted the beasts nuzzle, feeding it carrots. "easy girl" he stated reassuringly "take a rest my noble steed".

Sir Skrittick straightened his heraldry and strode towards the pile of rubble, which was adorned with the helm and shield of a noble knight, possibly felled by some foul beast such as a dragon. He sniffed the air and could detect the unmistakable odour of orc.

"yes yes" he murmured, "a dragon it must be".

Taking off his helm, and finding a clear spot of earth and grass that would not hurt his knees with pointy rocks and such, Sir Skrittick fell to his knees, arms upraised, and screamed, "nooooooooooooooo"

His bonebreaker mount eyed him curiously. Sir Skrittick moved to one knee, pulling his sword and holding it aloft. He then swore on his knightly duty to avenge this noble knight by slaying the dragon that did this foul deed.

He then scurried atop his mount, adjusted the flowing banners once more to maximum effect, and urged his noble steed forward to begin his quest.

[thesanityassassin]

Hahahah....a Bretonnian Skaven. Best character ever.

[thesanityassassin]

Arathelian fell to his knees, breathing heavily as he watched the giant Minotaur plunge off of the precipice, bellowing in rage until his life ended rather messily on the canyon floor far below. Still somewhat shocked to be alive, the Elven prince took a moment to ensure that all of his limbs were still attached before dragging himself to a nearby fallen tree to rest and tend to his blade. Defeating the great beastman had greatly aided his confidence, proving to him that the exchange of his lance for the brace of potions had indeed been worth it. Perhaps his life would become more than the cruel joke he felt it to be at the moment. His only regret was that the beast had fallen so far, smashing to pieces on the rocks below. With no head to take, how was he to prove to his family that he had bested the great creature? He supposed that meant it was time to go seek out another target of worth. Sighing, he hefted his notched blade and rose, moving deeper into the ancient ruins in search of a worthy target.

Before long he found what he was looking for. As he moved through the scrub that had grown up around the ruined city, he spied a great hulking beast, which must have reached nearly 8 feet tall, and was covered in scales much like those of Caledor's Dragons. A Saurus of Lustria! Arathelian could hardly believe his luck. His people, with their affinity for great reptiles, would surely know the power of one such as this. To claim its head would be a grand step towards redemption in the eyes of his family. Gripping his blade in one hand, Arathelian pulled another draft of the shining blue speed potion from his belt, and downing it in one gulp charged from the underbrush, moving so fast he was sure he would slay the beast before it even saw him.

[Jack Shrapnel]

Aug 26, 2010 9:39:36 GMT -5 thesanityassassin said:

Hahahah....a Bretonnian Skaven. Best character ever.

This would be the "ringer" I asked James to make - Bret background was totally his idea... funny as hell... he cannot be challenged this round, and is there for when the entrants reach an odd number, to make it so that everyone gets a fight that round... but he's tough, so it's going to be a fair challenge to get past him when he does throw his gauntlet into the ring for a fight!

[LizardTau]

one question, if you both have always strike first does a high elf still get the rerolls since he had higher int?