There are a lot of snarls and growls, although the orcs part, recognizing one who is well trained at least. Morgana leads everyone up to the front of the room and adresses the court. "Greetings. Tonight I have the privledge of presenting a new member of Ht'Gon royalty. The Lady Alystrakos Obsidia Sybaris. I hope that you treat her with-"
And that's as far as she gets before a loud ogre bellows, "Challenge! For her position and rank!" He immediately has every orc in the room take two steps back form him. This ogre is much leaner than Morgana, thin wiry, almost troll-like muscles and dangerous inch-long claws. "Grind, Bonebreaker of the Grendal tribe, despises anyone who uses the title Lady!"
07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
Alys raises an eyebrow, and takes a few steps forward to the edge of the dias as Grind charges - one of her arms held out in front of Osmund in a clear "don't interfere" gesture.
When Grind reaches her, Alys steps neatly off to one side and grabs the ogre's arm, deflecting the brute in what seems for a moment to be a standard aikido style use-your-opponent's-momentum-against-them throw. And then she reaches one arm across his waist, and with a whumpf of air suddenly removed from his lungs, the ogre finds himself airborne and hurtling head-first in the opposite direction.*
Alys stalks forward as Grind manages to twist himself around for a (mostly) safe landing in the arena pit at the center of the room. "Challenge. Accepted."
The first minute of the fight continues in about the same vein - Grind attacks (using a wide variety of styles), and Alys dodges, deflects, trips, or otherwise arranges for the increasingly exasperated ogre to have a close encounter with wall or floor, or at least be off balance long enough for her to step away and wait for the next attack. Of some note is the fact that Alys hasn't drawn a blade; the one strapped to her belt is somewhere between dagger and short sword, but apparently Grind isn't worth using it on. Or perhaps she's just chosen to respond to unarmed (to the extent inch long claws can be considered "unarmed") attacks in kind.
Finally, Grind screams "Stop dodging you little pipsqueek!"
Alys shrugs. "Okay."
And the fight comes to a momentary stop - Grind approaches very cautiously, clearly expecting some kind of trick. Alys stands there, arms crossed, one foot tapping in impatience.
OOC: Post paused here to allow for peanut gallery commentary... and because it's late and my writing ability is headed steadily downhill.
_____
* Footnote: Ogre hurling seems unlikely to catch on as a competitive sport - in part because there wouldn't be very many competitors (of those in the room, only Alys, probably Osmund, and possibly the minotaur could get a decent distance), and in part because, even if you've got the strength to pull it off, leverage is a rather trickier business. In this case, Alys braced her feet against the side of the dias Morgana was presenting her from; a few tons of stone does wonders as a backstop.
Of course some (*cough*Asai) might compensate for deficiencies in both strength and leverage via sorcery. But that's clearly cheating and irrelevant to the current discussion.
When Grind reaches her, Alys steps neatly off to one side and grabs the ogre's arm, deflecting the brute in what seems for a moment to be a standard aikido style use-your-opponent's-momentum-against-them throw. And then she reaches one arm across his waist, and with a whumpf of air suddenly removed from his lungs, the ogre finds himself airborne and hurtling head-first in the opposite direction.*
Alys stalks forward as Grind manages to twist himself around for a (mostly) safe landing in the arena pit at the center of the room. "Challenge. Accepted."
The first minute of the fight continues in about the same vein - Grind attacks (using a wide variety of styles), and Alys dodges, deflects, trips, or otherwise arranges for the increasingly exasperated ogre to have a close encounter with wall or floor, or at least be off balance long enough for her to step away and wait for the next attack. Of some note is the fact that Alys hasn't drawn a blade; the one strapped to her belt is somewhere between dagger and short sword, but apparently Grind isn't worth using it on. Or perhaps she's just chosen to respond to unarmed (to the extent inch long claws can be considered "unarmed") attacks in kind.
Finally, Grind screams "Stop dodging you little pipsqueek!"
Alys shrugs. "Okay."
And the fight comes to a momentary stop - Grind approaches very cautiously, clearly expecting some kind of trick. Alys stands there, arms crossed, one foot tapping in impatience.
OOC: Post paused here to allow for peanut gallery commentary... and because it's late and my writing ability is headed steadily downhill.
_____
* Footnote: Ogre hurling seems unlikely to catch on as a competitive sport - in part because there wouldn't be very many competitors (of those in the room, only Alys, probably Osmund, and possibly the minotaur could get a decent distance), and in part because, even if you've got the strength to pull it off, leverage is a rather trickier business. In this case, Alys braced her feet against the side of the dias Morgana was presenting her from; a few tons of stone does wonders as a backstop.
Of course some (*cough*Asai) might compensate for deficiencies in both strength and leverage via sorcery. But that's clearly cheating and irrelevant to the current discussion.
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
(For those of you who are curious, Jon and I had a short chat about relative strength and warfare levels before he posted.)
A side orc (brown-skinned, if it matters) takes this time to shout, "Grind! Kick that stuck-up bi-"
At "Grind!" Osmund has launched himself off of the dais apparently guessing what was coming next. At "Kick that" the black-mage dressed flips in mid-air, crossing the 50 or so feet easily (perhaps magically), and before the orc finished, he is crushed to the floor by a drop-kick, in a surprisingly restrained strike that is careful not to cause permanent damage.
"Sorry." Osmund says. "Carry on..."
A side orc (brown-skinned, if it matters) takes this time to shout, "Grind! Kick that stuck-up bi-"
At "Grind!" Osmund has launched himself off of the dais apparently guessing what was coming next. At "Kick that" the black-mage dressed flips in mid-air, crossing the 50 or so feet easily (perhaps magically), and before the orc finished, he is crushed to the floor by a drop-kick, in a surprisingly restrained strike that is careful not to cause permanent damage.
"Sorry." Osmund says. "Carry on..."
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
"Why, thank you, Osmund," comments Alys, nodding politely in Osmund's direction. "That saved me a throwing dagger."
Another orc mutters to his fellows "Stupid princess; can't throw a short sw..." - the comment is cut off when a dagger lands hilt-first in his mouth.*
Grind chooses to use this momentary "distraction"** to attack, roaring and, smashing his fists down with the bonecrushing force from which he earned his title. There is, indeed, a cracking noise as Alys raises one hand to block the attack - but it comes from the paving stone beneath Alys' feat, and she just looks up at the ogre with a "are you quite done?" sort of expression.
"Enough." The word is punctuated with a jump kick*** to the ogre's chest - the snapping noise this time is probably a cracked rib.
"You've had plenty..." Grind falls back a few steps under a blinding flurry of attacks. Alys continues talking without so much as pausing - aside from the volume (enough that everyone in the room can hear) it would almost seem like a normal conversation to anyone who couldn't see the battle.
"...of opportunity..." Grind tries to counterattack - a sweeping blow that relies on his mass and toughness to survive Alys' continued assault. It earns him a broken arm, and not much else.
_____
* To be fair, the short sword is the only blade Alys is obviously carrying.
** Distraction is in quotes here because, well, if you don't think Alys was deliberately luring Grind to attack, you probably have a warfare down at chaos rank or lower.
*** Performing a jump kick in a dress is tricky at best. At some point in the last few seconds, Alys seems to have lost the skirt from hers; if you were watching carefully, you might even have noticed when she detached it and wrapped the cloth around one arm.
Another orc mutters to his fellows "Stupid princess; can't throw a short sw..." - the comment is cut off when a dagger lands hilt-first in his mouth.*
Grind chooses to use this momentary "distraction"** to attack, roaring and, smashing his fists down with the bonecrushing force from which he earned his title. There is, indeed, a cracking noise as Alys raises one hand to block the attack - but it comes from the paving stone beneath Alys' feat, and she just looks up at the ogre with a "are you quite done?" sort of expression.
"Enough." The word is punctuated with a jump kick*** to the ogre's chest - the snapping noise this time is probably a cracked rib.
"You've had plenty..." Grind falls back a few steps under a blinding flurry of attacks. Alys continues talking without so much as pausing - aside from the volume (enough that everyone in the room can hear) it would almost seem like a normal conversation to anyone who couldn't see the battle.
"...of opportunity..." Grind tries to counterattack - a sweeping blow that relies on his mass and toughness to survive Alys' continued assault. It earns him a broken arm, and not much else.
_____
* To be fair, the short sword is the only blade Alys is obviously carrying.
** Distraction is in quotes here because, well, if you don't think Alys was deliberately luring Grind to attack, you probably have a warfare down at chaos rank or lower.
*** Performing a jump kick in a dress is tricky at best. At some point in the last few seconds, Alys seems to have lost the skirt from hers; if you were watching carefully, you might even have noticed when she detached it and wrapped the cloth around one arm.
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
Grind switches to a more defensive tactic. It seems he's used to fighting with a broken arm, as it doesn't seem to phase him very much. (Neither does the cracked rib, although the fact it seems to put pressure on one lung does seem significant.) He grumbles, "Lady isn't." Surprisingly, he takes on a more boxing stance, attempting to allow Alys to tire herself out a little while relying on his larger mass and thick hide to avoid taking too much damage.
In a few moments, he offers a second counterattack, although to anyone of mid to high rank warfare, it's clear he's attempting to sacrifice his arm for some odd purpose. (It's not like it leaves you open to his other arm, that's already broken.)
In a few moments, he offers a second counterattack, although to anyone of mid to high rank warfare, it's clear he's attempting to sacrifice his arm for some odd purpose. (It's not like it leaves you open to his other arm, that's already broken.)
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
"...to yield prior to sustaining serious injury." Alys keeps up the attack, forcing Grind towards the edge of the arena.
At Grind's comment, Alys snorts, "What? You don't think sophistication can coexist with competence?"
And, when Grind offers a sacrificial attack with his uninjured arm, Alys doesn't even hesitate, stepping, breaking it... taking the bait. This is about the point when the trap becomes clear to observers - Grind apparently regenerates injuries; his first arm is usable again... Until Alys reaches out with her left hand and rips straight through the flesh near his elbow*, severing a tendon and making the limb fall useless, Grind's claws having come within inches of Alys' back.
Then she steps back from the disarmed ogre, her left hand held out away from her body to avoid getting blood on her clothing.
"Good use of regeneration, there," Alys says. A faint sizzling noise is coming from her left hand, followed by a thin trail of smoke.
"A bit risky, perhaps, but it's not like you had any better options." There's a momentary flash of brilliant white flame** from Alys' left hand, and then she's brushing ashes off her hand and arm instead of blood.
_____
* Yes, this is a somewhat ridiculous attack, of the sort that really shouldn't work without claws.
** Most people in the room are likely to just wave this off as "Oh, she's got sorcery too." Those with sorcery may be a bit more confused - whatever Alys did to generate that flame was either exceptionally sneaky, or perhaps even entirely nonmagical.
At Grind's comment, Alys snorts, "What? You don't think sophistication can coexist with competence?"
And, when Grind offers a sacrificial attack with his uninjured arm, Alys doesn't even hesitate, stepping, breaking it... taking the bait. This is about the point when the trap becomes clear to observers - Grind apparently regenerates injuries; his first arm is usable again... Until Alys reaches out with her left hand and rips straight through the flesh near his elbow*, severing a tendon and making the limb fall useless, Grind's claws having come within inches of Alys' back.
Then she steps back from the disarmed ogre, her left hand held out away from her body to avoid getting blood on her clothing.
"Good use of regeneration, there," Alys says. A faint sizzling noise is coming from her left hand, followed by a thin trail of smoke.
"A bit risky, perhaps, but it's not like you had any better options." There's a momentary flash of brilliant white flame** from Alys' left hand, and then she's brushing ashes off her hand and arm instead of blood.
_____
* Yes, this is a somewhat ridiculous attack, of the sort that really shouldn't work without claws.
** Most people in the room are likely to just wave this off as "Oh, she's got sorcery too." Those with sorcery may be a bit more confused - whatever Alys did to generate that flame was either exceptionally sneaky, or perhaps even entirely nonmagical.
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
Grind blinks and steps back a bit. His regeneration is slow, but steady. His second broken arm is usable by the time he replies. The severed tendons are much slower. "Still not a lady," he says bowing out of the ring, flexing the broken arm back into place.
There are light claps, but nothing too much.
Morgana clears her throat. "As I was saying... I hope you treat her with dignity. Cause she can demand it. The humans here don't understand that we are one tribe. Let's act like it."
There's a murmur of agreement, with a good side order of grumbling. Apparently this united front aspect that Morgana is preaching isn't well received, although there's little additional word either way that night.
There are light claps, but nothing too much.
Morgana clears her throat. "As I was saying... I hope you treat her with dignity. Cause she can demand it. The humans here don't understand that we are one tribe. Let's act like it."
There's a murmur of agreement, with a good side order of grumbling. Apparently this united front aspect that Morgana is preaching isn't well received, although there's little additional word either way that night.
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
Asai raises herself up into a bipedal stance to put her head a bit less far below most everyone else's and comments, in a somewhat wry tone of voice, "The humans don't seem to realize that they're one tribe most of the time, wouldn't it be something if you could show them how it's done?"
((Brain is somewhat fried, I'm sure there's a better way I could phrase this or speechify it, but it's not coming to me. Extrapolate as needed, or treat this as the pithy soundbite summary, or something. Her social skills are higher than mine in any case so...))
((Brain is somewhat fried, I'm sure there's a better way I could phrase this or speechify it, but it's not coming to me. Extrapolate as needed, or treat this as the pithy soundbite summary, or something. Her social skills are higher than mine in any case so...))
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
There is much grumbling, but some nods of agreement. Not winning any awards, but it does mean a few of the more civic minded ones might gravitate towards you. Anyhow... Looks like most of the participants have moved straight on 'till morning.
(I didn't have any more planned tonight...)
(I didn't have any more planned tonight...)
Re: 07.04: Shadow of the Mountain
Alys returns to the dias. "Some of you seem to be wondering how such... different people could possibly be a single tribe. Two things, here. First, a tribe where everyone's the same is a tribe that can't stand on its own. If everyone's a warrior, there's nobody to make homes or food. And second... there's not that much difference to start with." Her mouth quirks a bit, as if what follows is almost a joke. "Try talking to a squid sometime; you'll see what I mean."