Six-Way Battle (Exhibition Match)

"I have something very special for you tonight," Lumus Dule announced to eager cheers as he walked out onto the balcony to announce his latest promotion, "It is a gladiatorial combat under obstacle conditions."

"But not just any!," he elaborated above the cheering, "This afternoon, you will have the opportunity to watch history in the making! Six brave warriors, all trained well in six separate disciplines, all at the beginning of their career, but sadly condemned to a life of slavery, will have the chance to be free men!"

"And that is not my greatest surprise," Dule smirked, waiting until it was almost deathly quiet before he dropped the bomb, "The winner, in addition to his freedom, will be given an artifact found deep in the temples of a southern land. Once this gem is bound to a weapon, it will focus the wielder's entire being into every, single strike. The winner of this battle will, in effect, become one of the most powerful warriors to ever live. Would you like to meet them?"

To the thunderous adulation of the masses, the six gates opened, and out walked the challengers.

"Our six competitors!," Lumus announced, "From the first gate, a nobleman who served under the warlord Feusang until his capture during the war. As skilled with his wit as his blade, Lord Glace!"



"From the distant land of Meido," the kitsunemimi announced the second of the six, "A skilled ninja who, to escape a blood debt, joined our merry menagerie of combat and carnage. Please welcome Chakkari!"



"Next up, an unfortunate victim of the events taking place up north in Sylvanna," Dule continued, "Who was once a simple woodsman until he was captured and sold into slavery. Good thing he's skilled with a bow! Our third challenger is named Greff!"



"Even in the lowest pit, noble blood can flourish," the fox man motioned to an emerging knight and his mount, "You know him and love him. Phoenix City's beloved knight of the arena, Sir Laus!"



"Moving on," he nodded to the fifth challenger, "The law is fair, but make no mistake, if you get on the wrong side, it is also very firm; a lesson our next challenger learned the hard way. Fortunately for him, he's as fast with his sword as he is with his hands. From zero to hero? We'll soon find out! Introducing Vite Courez!"



"And last, but certainly not least," Dule noted the sixth, "A slave from the outlands to the south. It took ten men to capture him. Do five stand a chance of ensuring his demise? Fear the wrath... of Slaaf!"



With the last of them out there, Lumus leaned forward and, with a snap of his fingers, the ground floor of the arena began to raise into a ponderous fortress of tunnels, windows, stairs, and only the gods and he knew what else.

"Fighters ready?," he shouted to the six from above, who themselves had already taken cover inside during the initial formation of the tower, "Begin!"

Within the great arena tower, the six combatants readied themselves for battle as the crowd looked on anxiously.

~~~~~~~
Lord Glace rolls Swiftness
~ 13 + Swiftness 4 + Speed Demon 4 = 21 total

Chakkari rolls Swiftness
~ 3 + Swiftness 5 + God Speed 4 = 12 total

Greff rolls Swiftness
~ 7 + Swiftness 2 = 9 total

Sir Laus rolls Swiftness
~ 2 + Swiftness 8 (4 x 2 via Mount) + God Speed 2 = 12 total

Vite Courez rolls Swiftness
~ 2 + Swiftness 4 + Speed Demon 4 = 10 total

Slaaf rolls Swiftness
~ 8 + Swiftness 4 = 12 total

TURN ORDER
1st = Lord Glace (21)
2nd = Sir Laus (12, Swiftness 8)
3rd = Chakkari (12, Swiftness 5)
4th = Slaaf (12, Swiftness 4)
5th = Vite Courez (10)
6th = Greff (9)
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 13, 3, 7, 2, 2, 8

Lord Glace, lightest on his feet by far, found himself moving through a maze-like series of columns and corridors when a faint flicker of light in the darkness ahead tipped him off that he may not be alone in the room.

"What treachery is this...?," he looked around cautiously with his cold blue eyes.

~~~~~~~
Hidden Obstacle uses Stealth
~ 13 + 5 Magic = 18 total

Lord Glace opposes with Awareness
~ 20 + Resistance 2 + Awareness 4 = 26 total (Success!)
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 13, 20

"Thought I smelled a rat," Glace sneered, disabling a magical barrier of lightning between two columns by jamming his blade into the mechanism responsible for it. With a brilliant flash of light all around, not one but several barriers deactivated.

In turn this startled a second challenger passing through, whose horse let out a frightened whinny as struggled to keep on it.

Turning to see who it was, Glace smirked and charged forward into battle, "Have at you!"

~~~~~~~
Lord Glace attacks Sir Laus with Rapier (combines with En Guarde! and Enhance Weapons)
~ 18 + Attack 6 + Rapier 4 + Fighter 4 + Enhance Weapons 4 + Spring Armor 1 = 27 total
~ ~ Note that Lord Glace designates Sir Laus as his guarded opponent for Fencer this turn.

Sir Laus defends against Rapier
~ 8 + Defense 8 + Heavy Armor 6 + Tower Shield 4 + Fighter 4 - 2 Surprised = 28 total (Success!)
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 18, 8

"It will take more than striking my blind side to defeat me Milord!," Sir Laus laughed confidently as he charged through his opponent with a telling blow from his mighty lance!

~~~~~~~
Sir Laus attacks with Lance (combines with Knightly Charge, Full Tilt, and Enhance Weapons)
~ 18 + Attack 8 + Lance 12 + Fighter 4 + Enhance Weapons 4 = 36 total
~ ~ Trip Attack Auto-Activates: 10 + Attack 8 = 18 total (must match/beat or lose turn and take -4 penalty on Defense checks for that turn)

Lord Glace defends against Lance
~ 16 + Defense 6 + Shield 3 + Fighter 4 + Fencer 4 = 32 total (-4 hp, KO'ed via Full Tilt)
~ ~ Defends against Trip Attack: 17 + Defense 6 = 23 total (Success!)
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 18, 10, 16, 17

Meanwhile, Chakkari saw the explosion from nearby and decided to send his shadow minions to investigate.

"Off with you now," he commanded them as he vanished into the darkness; his pawns would soon be doing the same.

~~~~~~~
Chakarri activates Animate Shadow (x2 via Shadow Mage)

Chakarri activates Silence
~ 3 + Magic 12 = 15 total

Chakarri activates Stealth
~ 10 + Magic 12 = 22 total
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 3, 10

At the same time, in the courtyard on the other side of the fortress, Slaaf hefted his ball-and-chain warhammer as he saw an opponent with an equally heavy weapon, "You know how to use that sword boy?"



"Here, let me show you!," the young swordsman quipped as he swung his blade over his shoulder and moved into a readied stance.

"You make light of my challenge?," Slaaf growled, getting worked up at the boy's impudence, "I'll make you regret that!"

With a mighty swing downward, the outlander cracked the ground in front of him, sending a shockwave-like fissure straight for Vite!

~~~~~~~
Slaaf attacks with Warhammer (combines with Earth Splitter and Enhance Weapons; -6 Defense, +6 Attack via Strong Attack)
~ 12 + Attack 8 + Strong Attack 6 + Warhammer 6 + Fighter 4 - Hide Armor 1 = 39 (must match/beat or lose turn and take -4 on Defense that turn)

Slaaf activates Rage!
~ Attack 12, Endurance 10, Defense -2

Vite Courez defends against Warhammer
~ 4 + Defense 6 + Medium Armor 5 + Fighter 4 = 19 total (-20 hp; dying at -8 hp)
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 12, 4

Meanwhile, another enemy waited in the shadows, bow knocked but silently waiting for his moment to strike.

~~~~~~~
Greff activates Silence
~ 19 + Magic 10 = 29 total

Greff activates Invisibility
~ Automatically unseen for duration
~ ~ Duration Left = 5 turns

Slaaf resists Silence
~ 20 + Resistance 2 + Awareness 4 = 26 total (failed to hear Greff)
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 19, 20

Readying his lance to strike even as he did so, Sir Laus brought his erstwhile enemy back to his senses with a little hospitalier care, "It would seem that treachery hasn't served you very well. If you will join up with me, I give you my word we can settle our score once our enemies have been vanquished."



Narrowing his eyes up at the self-righteous paladin, Lord Glace reluctantly nodded, "I see your point, so a bit of honest advice; turn your back to me again, and I won't hesitate to kill you. Neither will they."

"I will make a note of it," Sir Laus chuckled as he helped the man to his feet.

However, as the two nobles formed an uneasy alliance, the shadows of a new enemy crept up on them...

Suddenly, Glace's ears perked up, "Someone's coming."

"I didn't hear a thing," Laus looked around, a bit nervous now.

~~~~~~~
Chakkari's shadows activate Silence
~ 11 + Magic 12 = 23 total

Chakkari's shadows activate Stealth
~ 17 + Magic 12 = 29 total

Sir Laus resists Silence
~ 4 + Resistance 4 = 8 total (failed; -4 penalty to Defense checks against shadows)

Sir Laus resists Stealth
~ 13 + Resistance 4 = 17 total (failed; -4 penalty to attack shadows)

Lord Glace resists Silence
~ 18 + Resistance 2 + Awareness 4 = 24 total (Success!)

Lord Glace resists Stealth
~ 4 + Resistance 2 + Awareness 4 = 10 total (failed; -4 penalty to attack shadows)
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 11, 17, 4, 13, 18, 4

The shadows, though their presence was known, had the advantage of stealth, and decided to further it with a simple illusion conjured by the first one; the apparent manifestation of an identical shadow ninja looking out from around every column. That would buy time for the two targets to waste their energy on fighting figments of their imagination while the second shadow moved in to strike at Sir Laus, who was most vulnerable.

~~~~~~~
Chakkari Shadow 1 activates World of Illusion
~ 2 + Magic 12 = 14 total (must match/beat or believe the illusion)

Chakkari Shadow 2 attacks Lord Glace with Claws 1
~ 4 + Attack 4 + Claws 4 + Ninja 4 + Stealth 4 + Deadly Shadow 2 + Illusionist 4(?) = 26 total
~ ~ Auto-combines with Poison Attack (Poison Star); 19 + Magic 12 = 31 total (must match/beat or lose 1 hp each round until Remove Poison is applied)

Chakkari Shadow 2 attacks Lord Glace with Claws 2
~ 8 + Attack 4 + Claws 4 + Ninja 4 + Stealth 4 + Deadly Shadow 2 + Illusionist 4(?) = 30 total
~ ~ Auto-combines with Poison Attack (Poison Star); 17 + Magic 12 = 29 total (must match/beat or lose 1 hp each round until Remove Poison is applied)

Lord Glace resists World Of Illusion
~ 12 + Resistance 2 = 14 total (Success!)

Sir Laus resists World of Illusion
~ 3 + Resistance 4 = 7 total (failed)

Sir Laus defends against Claws 1
~ 10 + Defense 8 + Heavy Armor 6 + Tower Shield 4 + Fighter 4 - 4 Silence = 28 total (Success!)
~ ~ Resists Poison Attack; 10 + Resistance 4 = 14 total (Failed; -1 hp and poisoned)

Sir Laus defends against Claws 2
~ 16 + Defense 8 + Heavy Armor 6 + Tower Shield 4 + Fighter 4 - 4 Silence = 34 total (Success!)
~ ~ Resists Poison Attack; 3 + Resistance 4 = 7 total (-2 hp and poisoned x2)

Sir Laus HP Left = 12/14
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 2, 4, 8, 19, 17, 12, 3, 10, 10, 16, 3

"I see through your charade," Glace lunged for a shadow and attacked, killing it instantly.

Without fear of death, as it was never alive, the final shadow attacked Glace, hoping to have as much success as it did with his ally.

As Glace was brutally stabbed in the side, the shadow vanished before he even had a chance to attack it. Looking to the even more wounded Sir Laus, Glace drew in a deep breath, "We are now on borrowed time. Once the poison runs its course, we're dead."



"We'll just have to move quickly then," Laus tried to smile, but winced in pain.

"Are you always this annoyingly optimistic?," Glace sighed.

"Most of the time," Laus genuinely grinned as he temporarily healed himself and his current partner in preparation for the task ahead.

~~~~~~~
Chakkari Shadow 2 attacks Lord Glace with Claws 1
~ 13 + Attack 4 + Claws 4 = 21 total
~ ~ Auto-combines with Poison Attack (Poison Star); 19 + Magic 12 = 31 total (must match/beat or lose 1 hp each round until Remove Poison is applied)

Chakkari Shadow 2 attacks Lord Glace with Claws 2
~ 14 + Attack 4 + Claws 4 = 22 total
~ ~ Auto-combines with Poison Attack (Poison Star); 1 + Magic 12 = 13 total (must match/beat or lose 1 hp each round until Remove Poison is applied)

Glace defends against Claw 1
~ 9 + Defense 6 + Shield 3 + Fighter 4 + Fencer 4 = 26 total (-5 hp)
~ ~ Resists Poison Attack; 13 + Resistance 2 = 15 total (failed; -1 hp and poisoned)

Glace defends against Claw 1
~ 17 + Defense 6 + Shield 3 + Fighter 4 + Fencer 4 = 34 total (Success!)
~ ~ Resists Poison Attack; 19 + Resistance 2 = 21 total (Success!)

Glace Total HP Left = 6/12

Sir Laus heals himself and Lord Glace of all current damage with repeated uses of Heal Hit Points Alpha.
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 13, 19, 14, 1, 9, 13, 17, 19

As Slaaf entered a dark room not too far away, another presence silently awaited.

~~~~~~~
Slaaf resists Silence
~ 8 + Resistance 2 + Awareness 4 = 14 total (failed; -4 on Defense checks)

Slaaf resists Stealth
~ 3 + Resistance 2 + Awareness 4 = 9 total (failed; -4 on attacks)
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 8, 3

Seeing how dull the man's senses were, Chakkari decided on the best route to deal with him as his shadows resurfaced at his side after their semi-successful battle against the two nobles.

Releasing a shinobi spell, he attempted to make it appear as if the room had suddenly filled with copies of himself and surrounded the big ox.

Meanwhile, his shadows moved in to attack!

~~~~~~~
Chakarri activates World of Illusion (combines with Enhance Magic)
~ 13 + Magic 12 = 25 total

Chakkari Shadow 1 attacks Slaaf with Claws 1
~ 18 + Attack 4 + Claws 4 + Ninja 4 + Stealth 4 + Deadly Shadow 2 + Illusionist 4(?) = 26/30 total
~ ~ Auto-combines with Poison Attack (Poison Star); 5 + Magic 12 = 17 total (must match/beat or lose 1 hp each round until Remove Poison is applied)

Chakkari Shadow 1 attacks Slaaf with Claws 2
~ 12 + Attack 4 + Claws 4 + Ninja 4 + Stealth 4 + Deadly Shadow 2 + Illusionist 4(?) = 20/24 total
~ ~ Auto-combines with Poison Attack (Poison Star); 19 + Magic 12 = 31 total (must match/beat or lose 1 hp each round until Remove Poison is applied)

Chakkari Shadow 2 attacks Slaaf with Claws 1
~ 19 + Attack 4 + Claws 4 + Ninja 4 + Stealth 4 + Deadly Shadow 2 + Illusionist 4(?) = 27/31 total
~ ~ Auto-combines with Poison Attack (Poison Star); 15 + Magic 12 = 27 total (must match/beat or lose 1 hp each round until Remove Poison is applied)

Chakkari Shadow 2 attacks Slaaf Glace with Claws 2
~ 12 + Attack 4 + Claws 4 + Ninja 4 + Stealth 4 + Deadly Shadow 2 + Illusionist 4(?) = 20/24 total
~ ~ Auto-combines with Poison Attack (Poison Star); 19 + Magic 12 = 31 total (must match/beat or lose 1 hp each round until Remove Poison is applied)
~~~~~~~