You regain consciousness, slowly and miserably, with a splitting headache and a dry mouth.

As you rise from the cool sand on which you slept, you begin to take notice of your surroundings. The first thing you notice is the sand. Not a common feature in the land you were accustomed to, you are most familiar with it as a feature near bodies of water.

Next, you feel the heavy iron manacles on your wrists and ankles. They seem to throb in time with your pulse, and feel oddly warm against your skin.

Finally, you hear the muffled sound of stomping feet, a roaring crowd, and a low rumbling beat of drums, all of which seem as though they are coming from a great distance away.

As you examine your surroundings further, you see that you are in a sandstone cave, which has been repurposed into a cell. Slightly green-colored metal bars keep you within the cave.

There are six other sleeping forms in the cell with you. All of you wear simple rough spun tunics and breeches, and leather sandals.

What do you do now?

His thoughts and memories still fuzzy, Ezekiel cautiously pushes the ground away from body. fumbling only momentarily with the thick chains that connect his manacles, he now stands against the bars looking out from the cell in which he is trapped.

In front of him stretches a long corridor that splits at a “T” intersection. A single torch glows softly there, and another outside the prison cell, just a hair too far for anybody on his side of the bars to reach. one other tunnel leads away to the left of the cell for an unknown distance, no light escapes it and Ezekiel would not be able to get the right angle to see very far down it from within the bars. No guard keeps watch over the prisoners but stranger still there doesn't seem to be any conceivable break in the bars that might indicate some kind of door.

The sound of rattling chains forces Ezekiel’s attention back inside the prison cell. Two of the other prisoners have come to.

“Ugh… who are you” says a large figure with a rough voice,the movement of his lips hidden behind his thick beard

“I am called Ezekiel. I am a prisoner here, much like yourself.”

“where is here?” As he speaks the man rises to his full height, pausing only momentarily when his massive arms are caught by the chain connecting his wrists to his ankles. oddly, his chains are only half as thick as Ezekiel’s though his head comes within mere inches of the ceiling that Ezekiel couldn't reach with hands unbound. A giant of a man.

“Obviously a prison of some sort, all i can smell is piss and shit, but if i had to speculate…” Ezekiel glances over his shoulder for dramatic effect, but quickly returns his attention to the bearded mountain in front of him. “judging by the unusually high traffic of footprints in the corridor and the sound of the euphoric mob of inebriates accompanied by theatrical war drumming I’d say we’re the entertainment in some sort of fight-to-the-death arena.”

"Prison... Arena... Only a portion of the truth, friend." Comes a voice from the darkness.

Shuffling forward, a gaunt, pale-skinned humanoid looks you in the eyes. He has dark, sleepless-looking eyes, thin, pale lips, and slightly pointed ears. You think that he may be a half-elf, although he is considerably taller than any you have known.

"I've been here for far too long, friend. Never doing well enough to be crowned champion, never poorly enough to earn death. I want out, and I believe that we can escape together, if we do everything just right..."

[[Roll to Sense Motive, text me your result, and I'll let you know if you pass. :) ]]

Ezekiel dose not move, he only turns his head slightly to get a better look at the old man not wanting to give away his suspicions. he lets the old mans words hang in the air for a moment, not wanting to give away any trust. "alright old one... i have no reason to trust you, but it is not as thought i have many options. I'll hear what you have to say, that is all i can promise."

"what secrets do you know old one?" the thunderous voice of the giant man vibrates through the stone. he seems friendly but far to incompetent to be of any real use.

"shhh! shut your trap you enormous imbecile!" the old man hisses "we cannot trust anyone." his eyes flash to the now stiring figures behind him.

Your head turns towards the bars at a queer, clacking sound. It calls to mind the songs of insects on a summer afternoon, and wind chimes made of wood, or perhaps bone. However, the sound is quite suddenly cut off by an angry buzzing, akin to a hive of wasps.

At the sound, the other prisoners retreat to the rear wall of the cell, and all conversation stops. Even those that were sleeping rise with a start, and scoot away from the bars.

Several figures approach the bars. From your vantage point, you see five of them. Only one of them stands even close to your height, at about five and a half feet tall. It appears to be wearing a suit of reddish brown armor. You quickly discover that it is only the creature's chitinous exoskeleton. As it leans it's head towards the bars, you see that an ornate bronze helm adorns it's head, which cocks from side to side as it regards you. It wields a long javelin in it's hands, and gestures towards you with it.

Surprisingly, the next sounds that come from it are recognizable as the common tongue, although it's voice sounds dry and raspy.

"Greetings, hunter... Are you ready for your first taste of the arena?"

"as a mater of fact, yes i am" Ezekiel states very plainly. "the sooner i can get these shackles off the better"

the creature who addressed him clicks and cackles in what Ezekiel presumed to be a laugh and taps one of the bars with his javelin. silently, three of the bars retract into the walls leaving a space just big enough for a human to walk through. seeing no other real option, Ezekiel takes a step through the opening, not bothering to check if the bars close behind him.

the ant-like creature grips his arm tightly and pulls him in close. "who said anything about removing your chains meat!" and with strength unlike that of any mortal man the creature shoves him harshly down the long corridor. Ezekiel looks strait ahead as he takes his first steps into the unknown. readying himself mental for whatever may lie ahead.

"as a mater of fact, yes i am" Ezekiel states very plainly. "the sooner i can get these shackles off the better"

the creature who addressed him clicks and cackles in what Ezekiel presumed to be a laugh and taps one of the bars with his javelin. silently, three of the bars retract into the walls leaving a space just big enough for a human to walk through. seeing no other real option, Ezekiel takes a step through the opening, not bothering to check if the bars close behind him.

the ant-like creature grips his arm tightly and pulls him in close. "who said anything about removing your chains meat!" and with strength unlike that of any mortal man the creature shoves him harshly down the long corridor. Ezekiel looks strait ahead as he takes his first steps into the unknown. readying himself mental for whatever may lie ahead.