Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by JBRam2002
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Ruby Phoenix Tournament - Day One


The night passes without incident as the party finds themselves drawn to sleep in some of the most comfortable beds they had ever felt. The morning soon breaks, and it seems as if all of New Harbor wakes before dawn. Even as the dull orange sun creeps slowly over the eastern horizon, the fishermen have already crowded into their boats. They move swiftly, like blackened silhouettes dancing against dawn’s watercolor pallet, eerily silent except for the shuffling of ropes and oars, and the caws of their trained cormorants. Marthysan greets the party when they rise, already awake and brewing his morning tea, and tells them they need to get going so they won’t be late for the opening exhibition. Finding their way to the Grand Pavilion poses no challenge, who find a steady stream of boats carrying contestants and observers who can afford passage across the bay to the seaside arena, while droves of locals follow the coastal path to the pavilion.

The Grand Pavilion and surrounding fairgrounds lie deep within the cove, and feature a massive and elaborate combat arena specifically constructed for the tournament. Scores of colorful tents cram the grounds spreading from the wood almost to the water. A line of spectators stretches from the Grand Pavilion, waiting to enter the arena. Contestants are given priority, and red- and orange-clad monks usher the eclectic collection of warriors and battlemages into the arena to stand before the Emissary.

Before they are allowed to enter the Grand Pavilion, however, the party must sign an entrance contract before an Abadaran cleric. On the contract, the PCs must write their team name, and the name of each member of the team. They must also each sign their names to the contests’ five simple rules, which are:

• The commands of the Emissary and his agents are to be obeyed at all times, and the Emissary's word is final. None shall take violent action against the Emissary or his agents.
• No contestant may leave Xielan Island until the conclusion of the tournament for any reason.
• Once a round has begun, no contestant may receive any aid, be it magical or mundane, from anyone not participating in the round as a contestant.
• Should any contestant yield to a foe and forfeit the battle, failure of other contestants to honor that forfeit will result in immediate disqualification.
• No contestant shall loot the body of a fallen foe.
• All contestants agree that there shall be no ties; only one team may be named the champions.

Once each member signs the entry contract (which is mandatory for participation), monks escort them to the fight stage, where they find many other contestants already assembled, each waiting patiently, and watching performer acrobats entertain the growing crowd as the audience files into the grandstands.

In the grandstands, a tenuous hush falls upon the immense and eager crowd. Moments later, the curtains part, revealing the Emissary flanked by the oni Kiang Zhen and the previous Ruby Phoenix Champion, the half-elf paladin Marthysan the Righteous. Behind the Emissary, like motionless statues, stand no less than a dozen qinggong monks—his mystic disciples and bodyguards. As all watch rapt, the Emissary rises and addresses the crowd.

“I am Sifu Xho Nuo—Emissary of the Ruby Phoenix Tournament and guardian of the legacy of Hao Jin, the once immortal sorceress in whose name you are gathered here to battle. To honor the Grandmaster’s legacy, I stand before you to carry out her final will: the thirty-first decennial Ruby Phoenix Tournament. Without further delay, we begin our first round of the contest. May the worthiest win!”

Upon his final words, the crowd erupts into clamorous applause, and the contestants scatter for their respective seats or positions throughout the pavilion. The PCs are escorted by a group of silent usher monks and directed to the center of the fight stage to face their first opponents, the most skilled martial artists of the famed Monastery of the Enduring Spirit in Quain. The party is given a minute to prepare for the combat, at which point the gates will open and the contest shall begin.
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Muttonhawk
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It was decided. Outside of the bouts of the tournament itself, they had a new mission. Ming was so excited that she thought she would have trouble sleeping. As soon as she was out of her armour and on the futon, however, she felt all her energy get sucked away into the soft surface. She did not realise the sensation until the sunlight peeked in.

Ming greeted Marthysan with a bow, a smile, and a quiet good morning. As good as the tea smelled, she swiftly excused herself for her morning prayer. She lit a stick of incense, held her silver locket in both hands, and spoke at barely a whisper to Daikitsu. She thanked her for all the help the day before, hoped she enjoyed the song and the food and all the excitement, and kindly requested her watchful eye for another day. She promised to share some more today.

>Spell prep: Just as yesterday except swapping Compel Hostility for Stone Shield, Desecrate for Shard of Chaos, and Savage Maw for Grace.
>(This is not at all because Mutton was a dumb-dumb and forgot to buy the material components for Desecrate)

By the time Ming stood up from the balcony, she consulted her party for whom to receive a little trick for the tourney today. They knew the procedure by now. Maiko offered, and Ming sat with her for ten minutes to gently chant and wish blessings upon her. Then, abrutly, Ming poked Maiko on the nose. Maiko felt her bones hum for a moment. She was imbued with Daikitsu's favor.

>Imbue With Spell Ability cast from domain slot. Maiko may now cast 2x Cure Light Wounds and 1x Grace, each at CL 10.
>Maiko has these spells until they are used, or until Ming dismisses the imbue effect.
>These imbued spells do not require a divine focus to cast normally, but we'll need to get a spare holy symbol for other spells for future imbuing.

The rest of the morning was mainly spent bickering over selecting a team name. Ming had plenty of suggestions to give that were promptly discussed for little to know length of time. 'The Tail Chasers,' 'Hanani's Honeys,' 'The Bun Munchers,' 'Daikitsu's Divas,' 'The Moë Marauders,' and 'The Fruit Foxes' were the highlights from Ming. She wondered how they could make a decision at all if such wonderful titles could be shuffled off on a whim.

Nevertheless, they had a muster to attend. They signed in, much to the jumpiness of Ming, making her armour rattle as they were brought to their first bout.

"Yesyesyesyes! Let's fight!" She made no effort to hide her teeth as she bounced in place and bestowed boons to the party on the final countdown.

>Bless: (Standard action) Each ally gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects. This lasts 10 minutes.
>Stigmata: (Standard action) Ming takes 1 hp of damage each round as she bleeds from ritual markings. Ming gains a +1 sacred bonus to saves until she stops the stigmata.
>Folding Tower Shield: (Move action) The buckler on Ming's arm springs out in extradimensionally hidden surfaces, clacking and clicking into a tall rectangle emblazoned with nine etched fox tails. It's a tower shield now.
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Ermine
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Kyoumi spent the rest of the night in silence, with the majority of the night and morning not spent sleeping spent on meditation and prayer, though shortly before they were brought to the arena, she did take some time to comb her hair, brush her teeth, and weave her hair into hard-to-grab patterns.

"We're not going to lose this fight, no matter who we face. We're destined to win, right?" She said to the group, before joining the discussion on group names, though her only good suggestion in her opinion was Glitter and Rainbows and Ünicorns and Princesses, or GRÜP. She didn't expect the group to agree to it, but at least it was simple.

Once they reached the arena and signed in, however, she ceased talking, entering a sort of battle trance, as she cast spells to prepare for combat.

>Mage Armor (+4 armor bonus to AC), Shield (+4 shield bonus to AC), Disguise Self (A heavily armored human samurai of indeterminate sex with a plumed kabuto and draconic mempo), and Mirror Image (4 extra Kyoumi-samurai).
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Big Dread
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The ground rumbled as Haksir dashed through the sprawling camp that surrounded the great arena. He left deep footprints in the ground making his passage impossible to miss. Well, the clattering of steel, hissing steam, and drifting cloud of greenish-black smoke probably didn't make him any harder to follow if someone really wanted to. In his experience though, few people wanted to chase after something nearly seven feet tall, made of metal, and looking like a nightmare given form. He was fine with that. The clatter also made people very quick to get out of his way as he made his inexorable charge to the arena. He was very, very late and his team would suffer if he was not there. Not only that, but, if he missed his chance to show just how far the experiments and progress at Salhadrik had come he would be cursing himself for the rest of his very poor life.

Bounding through hallways, around people, and through rooms, with a quick stop by the entrance to give his official signature to the monks, took Haksir to where he needed to go. He was impressed by that actually. He had only gotten lost once and had to ask a terrified young man where he was. Normally he was constantly lost. Even when he was at home in the halls of Salhadrik Sanitarium he sometimes got turned around in the labyrinthine architecture. Everything was going well aside from him being this late. He heard the announcement of 'one minute' just as he dashed into the room and engaged his armor's cleats. The metal spikes deployed and all nearly eight hundred pounds of man, metal, and gear came screeching to a halt in the room with the other five team members. The armor creaked and hiss, belching steam and foul smell smoke from both the stack on it's back and from the joints.

"Salutations!" The hulking golem shouted to the gathered fellows in a metallic rasp filled with honest mirth, "I do gravely apologize for my tardiness, allow me to remedy that." a small snort of laughter echoed from the golem as it unslung the large bag from it's back and reached in retrieving a number of glass bottles and tossing one of them to each person. "Something to keep the constitution clattering away at full tilt, eh?" the golem then straightened and left the bag sitting on the ground. Haksir wasn't sure if he would need any of the other gear or potions he had prepared for this moment, but, best not to bring in something that might get damaged easily. "I'd give more but I fear I'm not appraised of your particular specialties and thus I fear some might be wasted." the golem raised a large metal finger, "Never fear though, I shall have grand tonics prepared for all of us once we have a proper composition established,"

> All Party Members gain one Potion of Cure Lesser Wounds at CL 5

He slid the bag to the side with his foot and an excited chuckled cackled rattled forth from the golem's motionless face plate, "Let's give them all a good bit of hands on instruction in the delicate art of applied violence, eh?" The golem raised it's massive hands together and "cracked" the metallic knuckles, the only sound issuing was the scraping of metal on metal. Soon the world would get the first taste of this marvelous machine. Soon he would be rolling in funding from all over the world and every noble from hither to thither would want a suit of Living Combat Armor for their honor guard. In back of his mind he could hear the rumble and scratch of other begging him to protect these people. She keened for their safety and gnashed her teeth. She'd just met them and already she was trying to make them her pups. Blasted woman, too quick to form attachments and throw their body into the path of as many slings and arrows as she could.


Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Zverda
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Hanani stared at the form for a moment, reading over every tid-bit that was written much like one would study a contract for any fine print to avoid agreeing to something ridiculous. When he was satisfied, he signed as he was meant to and looked at the rest of the team, wondering if they had actually agreed on a Team name and if they had, was it going to be ridiculous. He certainly hoped not as he didn't want to deal with something that had to do with tails, he didn't have one after all and it seemed a tad... he shook his head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that now was it? They had a fight they had to win and a Paladin they needed to ensure remained safe during their stay with the group. Lives had to be preserved and people needed to be taught not to mess with them. Sure, one of the monks had made a show of being able to grapple Ming, something Hanani wasn't all too happy about, but Ming hadn't really been able to use any of her real potential. The woman was a paladin as well, and she was far better with her sword and shield than she was with just her hands.

Once forms were signed and the group was ushered into the Pavilion, he took a moment to look around, a frown on his face. He hated large masses of people and he didn't really trust a single one of them not to stab them in the back, even if they were supposed to be some of the most honorable among they people. Something sketchy happened once and it was clear that something sketchy was bound to happen again if it had last years champion asking them to watch his back. As he scanned the crowd he saw a few familiar faces and some he had yet to recognize, he assumed he would sooner or later. It was then that he noticed many were clumping up in groups of six, which was odd because they only had a group of five. This made him frown, were they able to have a substitute or was his team basically going to be stuck going 5v6? If that was the case, he was not at all pleased about it and he was rather prepared to knock a few people down a peg... or 50.

'You know I doubt that they would let it slide that you only have four other people while the other teams have a total of six,' Mercy said, the blade humming in his hand as he scanned crowds, looking for anything that seemed out of the norm, 'Then again, who knows what the people who run this tournament are thinking at any given time? We could do some mind snooping, or at least you could.'

Hanani made a face at this, sure he could do some mind snooping, but there were too many minds to shift through and there was no guarantee he would manage to get anything out of it. No, he rather scan, look for someone shady, and then try. It would save time and effort really, and thanks to the helm he had come across ages ago, he was able to understand practically everyone around them that spoke a language he did not already know. During his scan, he didn't really see anything out of the normal, just a bunch of excited people ready for a day of fighting, cheering and trying to prove who was the best. There would be a lot of posturing it seemed, and some unnecessary flexing but it is what it is and he didn't much care since no one appeared to be an immediate threat apart from whomever they were going to have to fight. That was fine.

> Take 10 Perception = 31 perception to look for shady characters and anything out of place


Shortly after he finished scanning the groups within the area, he was met with a rather huge metal monstrosity that spoke with excited and quick words. Then he found a potion practically thrown into his hands, a potion that he wasn't entirely sure was what the man... creature... thing had said it was. With a frown on his face he turned it over in his hand, studying it with a skeptical eye before placing it in his bag of Holding. "Name?" he asked simply as he stared at the construct that towered at least 9.5 inches higher than himself, "And who assigned you to our team?" It was clear that the Elven male was distrusting right off the bat, who went and threw healing potions at other people without a word of who they were? Let alone showed up with only a minute to spare? Speaking of which, Hanani had about thirty seconds to prep the spells that he wanted, and that was exactly what he did now. For a brief moment, Mercy seemed to sear with a molten glow of the forge before she went back to her icy black color and Hanani had a brief blue glow about him that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "And what exactly are you?" he tacked on as he used one of his wands last.


Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by JBRam2002
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Maiko's early morning meditation brought a measure of peace and beauty to the catgirl's attention. This small fishing village continued about its daily business despite the clamor and excitement of the tournament's crowds. Calls from the wharf sounded as the sunrise kissed the waves in New Harbour, and Maiko watched from her perch on the windowsill as the fishermen hauled in their morning catch. Today would be another good day.

But the morning meditation would end, and Maiko climbed down from her vantage point, almost regretfully turning away to join the others. She accepted the offer of tea from the paladin, grateful that so many were keeping her safe and free from the chains she once bore. A few pleasantries were exchanged, Ming's ritual was performed, and the party was off to the Tournament.

Maiko signed the contract after briefly glancing through its contents. Yes, these rules could in extreme circumstances prove to be troublesome, but it also ensured that everyone was on equal footing. No outside aid from healers would patch up combatants; no unexpected magical gear would interrupt combat. No, the rules were fair, and Maiko's signature was quickly affixed.

As they were led into the colosseum, Maiko wondered at the size of the Pavilion and its crowd. People from all over the world dotted the stands, although there was a sizable portion of Tian Xia natives ready to cheer on local favorites. The party was led into a small area fenced off from the fighting floor where they could prepare, and through the mesh, the monks awaited their turn on the opposite side of the arena. It was a shame that they would have to fight each other so soon, but such was the way of tournaments.

As the alchemist hurried in, Maiko paused for a moment, not recognizing the new mechanically-armored ally, but quickly realized who it was. "Doc!" she called out, giving him a hug. Unsurprisingly, it felt like hugging a metal cylinder, but the thought was important. She quickly stashed the potion in her satchel, along with the others, and pulled out a couple of her own. "Glad you could make it!" she added before she began her preparations. Maiko focused her ki through her body, hardening it like tree bark before she assumed her Dragon Stance. Next, she downed a potion that made her double in size (and one would assume fluffiness), followed by her shield potion as a shimmering arcane barrier formed around her. Finally, she pounded her fists together, sending sparks of electricity flowing.

"Let's do this!" she shouted in excitement.

Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by 16 Bit
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It was a wonderful night, sleeping in the lap of luxury. though now that morning had come, it was time to fulfill their end of the agreement. The party was quickly ushered down to the arena once she had signed away her participation to this contest. All the rules were pretty standard, though the fact they couldn't leave the island at all until the tournament's completion struck a bit of a sour note. She understood why, but it almost screamed its a trap the way she read it.

They were given a minute to prepare, which was more than enough time for her to do what she needed to do. Greeting the tin man as he joined up. Elora readied her bow, nocking it and watching as an arrow formed and readied itself. A faint smile spread across her face. She was ready. Though she removed the arrow, letting it dissolve in her hand. No need keep her bow primed until the match had officially begun.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Ms Ravenwinter
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~~
______________________________________________________________________________________
N a t s u m i
~~~~~~~~
_________
E n c h a n t i n g G e i s h a
------------------- -----------
___________ ______

______________________________________________________________________________________

Sleep was gentle to Natsumi, the luxurious beds easing him into rest. But, in the silent dead of night, he awoke to an unnerving, warm sensation. Like a hot, clawed finger caressing the line of his jaw. As the haze of a dream cleared, his eyes opened with realization and he sat up upon the bed. Only minimal moonlight lit the room, but it was clear that nothing was there as the nonexistent touch pulled away. Sounds of amusement fluttered into his mind, silent to all but himself, at his startled awakening.

With a sigh, Natsumi whispered to empty night air, "What now?"

"I have need of you, Natty," the soundless words rumbled with sultry tone.

"Can it wait?" he whispered, both annoyed and worried.

A faint growl started to build at the back of his mind, and he felt it bubble up and rumble with intensity as if it were close to him. In his defiance, he felt his neck constrict, the warm feeling digging into his skin like hot needles upon a tightening grip. The voice replied, "You wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you?"

"N--" he coughed, the word catching in his throat. The pressure eased, and he huffed momentarily as air came back to him. "No, of course not," he continued, "I'll go."

"Good boy," said the silent voice, clearly pleased with the capitulation, "Now, get going. I won't be waiting long."
______________________________________________________________________________________

He was quiet as he gathered his things, being sure not to wake any of the others. They wouldn't understand anyway. Once packed, he gave his silent, secret goodbyes to the others as they slept, before weaving his fingers into the air in an incantation. In the next moment he had vanished, appearing past the entrance of the building outside. A ferry this late would normally be hard to convince, but who could say no to him? He didn't know where he was going yet, but it certainly wouldn't be on the island. He knew he'd know where to go soon. At least after it was clear that there wasn't any going back. For now.

At least he left a gift behind. Something to remember him by until they crossed paths again.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by JBRam2002
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Grand Pavilion


Ming gasped once the source of the heavy, clanking footsteps came into view. The voice was strange but the mannerisms and tone gave away the towering creature's nature. "Doctor Haksir!" Ming beamed and hugged the golem from the other side to Maiko. Ritually enduced blood placed a bright red handprint on the golem's front and back without the exctied Ming realising it.

Ming pulled away. "I knew you'd make the next boat! You always sleep in when we have a deadline..."

She subtly avoided the potion. The good doctor had been told a few times by now that Ming was 'allergic' to traditional magical healing. She did not begrudge him for it.

"Glad to see you young lady," Haksir frowned imperceptably behind his face plate, "Oh yes, yes, no potions for you. We don't want you getting sick. I'll figure out something special for you." he brought his hand to his metallic chin, "Or maybe I could turn you into a human... or half-rabbit..." he pondered the possibilities. He wondered if she would take some time to come back with him to Salhadrik once this tournament was over so he could more closely study her 'condition'. There had to be a way to alter the chemestry of her body and allow her to partake in normal methods of healing while still keeping her other abilities. He'd managed to make his own aging process slow dramatically and even envigorate himself more than a younger man might be with a simple regiment of drinking asp venom, mercury, and dilluted alchemist's fire.

"Don't think too hard! You'll hurt yourself in the fight," Ming said. She clanged the back of her cestus against the golem's metal side encouragingly and leapt to the fore of the party, planting down her shield to provide cover against any immediate surprises the opposing team had in store.

"What's our team name again?" Ming asked in the second before the bout started.

"Nothing stupid I would hope," Hanani stated while glancing over at their resident Catfolk, he really hoped they hadn't agreed on what she had suggested earlier, or called them on the ship.

"I just put down Tail Chasers," Maiko replied, grinning brightly. "How's Mother doing, Doc?" she added as she took up position at Ming's side, the light from the electrical energy in her palms illuminating the team. It had been a while since they had a good old-fashioned spar, and without the possibility of everyone getting hurt too badly, she could really let loose.

Hanani made a face, that had been what he was afraid of, "I fear that the announcers are going to have a hard time figuring out who we are. We really should have sorted out a name before we came in here... or just made an acronym with our first initials... or something other than Tail Chasers. I don't chase Tails."

"I haven't chased my tails since I was a little girl." Kyoumi's tone was solemn, and she never left her position, or honestly her battle trance itself.(edited)

"Anatomical Rearrangement Specialists." Haksir said simply. "I think It rolls off the tongue and strikes fear into our foes, eh?" he looked over at the shimmering monk, "Well, she is unruly as usual. She has no care for practicality and insists on being over protective," he srugged, "Really nothing new. My attempts to make her a seperate body has yet to yield any publishable results."

"Good luck with that," Hanani muttered, "I just put BAMFs because I couldn't think of anything on the spot and I wasn't about to call us Mercy like she wanted. She can be so self centered sometimes, I swear. If she wasn't such a good sword I'd have to put her in time out."

"Haksir!" Ming complained. "I can hardly even pronounce that!" She pouted and lowered her voice. "I liked Daikitsu's Divas but we'll see what's picked later, I guess." Not that she would stop talking. "Hey Doctor Haksir? Do you think you could put Mercy in her own body?"

"An attractive one or she'll never shut up about how you ruined her," Kyoumi piped up.

"By the Gods no! She will never shut up if you do!" Hanani blanched.

Now THAT was an interesting experiment! The nature of the soul had always been a point of interest for Haksir grew in excitement as he considered the possibilities. He had long been theorizing that the disturbed mind was a symptom of an issue with the soul. Having a soul without a mortal body would be the perfect way to test that theory. "Hanani," Haksir began, "Do not be so quick to dismiss. If we had the time and resources we could perhaps give Mercy the ability to transfer between a form more humanoid in nature and that of her currently swordly one. Think of the possibilities! I might even be able to cure her of her of her troublesome quirks if I could isolate the very soul itself!" his voice rose to an excited trill of metallic vibrations echoing through the helmet.

Hanani made a face that closely resembled a pout, "I like her quirks, I don't come up with those aweful jokes myself you know," he muttered.

"Oh, don't sell yourself short good man. I am sure your personal jokes could be just as terrible," the doctor retorted, but was interrupted before he could continue by an announcement from one of the monks who had stepped forward on the Sifu's pavilion.

"From the Western Entrance, please direct your attention to the famed Monks of the Enduring Spirit, who along with Marthysan the Righteous, uncovered the treachery of the previous tournament, and saved the Ruby Phoenix's legacy from an unfortunate demise!" The crowd erupted into applause and cheering, but were soon hushed by the monk's continuing announcement. "And from the Eastern entrance, please welcome the newcomers, slayers of a dreaded oni, the uh..." Shuffling of papers could be heard as the monk turned around, asked Sifu Xho Nuo a question, then continued tenuously. "The um... Badass Motherfucking Tail Chasing Diva Grüp for Science?" A few scattered polite claps could be heard, but it was obvious that most had no idea who this group was.

"Uh, in any case... let the combat begin!" With that, the gates rose, and the fight could begin in earnest.
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by JBRam2002
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Match 1: Monks of the Enduring Spirit


Initiative!

25 - Sword Monk A - 63 damage
25 - Sword Monk B - 68 damage
24 - @Zverda - Hanani
23 - @Ermine - Kyoumi
21 - Chung Po - KO'd
21 - @JBRam2002 - Maiko
21 - @Big Dread - Haksir & XLA-001
19 - Spade Monk A - KO'd
18 - @Muttonhawk - Ming
15 - @16 bit - Elora
12 - Spade Monk B - KO'd
12 - Meteor Monk - 59 damage
Map of the Grand Pavilion


Combat Complete!

The party receives 36,800 XP each. Hanani receives 1 Hero Point for snogging Chung Po. Ming receives 1 Hero Point for fixing the DM's stupidity. The party will start the next tournament encounter with a slightly improved crowd score.
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by JBRam2002
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Test 1: Breaking Competition


As the Monks of the Enduring Spirit surrender, a cheer erupts throughout the crowd. The announcer monk from before stepped forward. "And your winner is... the uh... Something Something Badass Divas!" The cheering continued as the Emissary rose from his seat and beckoned the party to approach. As they reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the raised Dais, they felt for an instant all of their magical and supernatural abilities fade, but return to them once they passed through an unseen barrier. The Emissary stepped forward, holding out his hand.

"To the victors, I present this small gift. May fortune find favor on you in your next bouts." In his hand was a small smooth stone, although it seemed completely mundane at a glance. To be fair, this was only the first level of the tournament.

"Well done," Marthysan congratulated the party, applauding along with the rest of the crowd. "You have exceeded all of my expectations. I look forward to seeing more from you." On the opposite side of the Emissary, Kiang Zhen stood with a small scowl on her face, applauding politely but not deigning to speak.

Once they received the Emissary's gift, the party was ushered off the platform. It seems like the Emissary’s monks need time to set up the elaborate fight stage between matches. He amuses the crowd during these intermissions by hosting tests of skill, strength, fortitude, and will. One such test was being set up as the party was led away, and the monk directing them offered to allow them to participate.

In this challenge, items of various hardnesses are placed on stone pedestals positioned about the arena. Competitors must race about the ring, and using their bare hands, feet, and heads, smash as many of the objects as possible. Objects must be broken with a single attack, and objects that are damaged but not broken are replaced with new materials after each attempt. If a contestant fails to break an object, he will take some damage depending on the item.

There are eight such items scattered around the arena. You may attempt to break any object any number of times, but will take damage upon each failure. You must use the body part indicated below to attack the items or it does not count. The party has five minutes to complete this test.
Items:

Coconut - Hands. 5 Hardness, 15 HP, Penalty: -1d6 HP. Broken by XLA.
Ice Block - Arms, 0 Hardness, 20 HP, Penalty: -1d8 HP. Broken by XLA.
Metal Bar - Head, 10 Hardness, 30 HP, Penalty: -2d8 HP. Broken by Maiko.
Quarterstaff - Feet, 5 Hardness, 10 HP, Penalty: -1d8 HP. Destroyed by Maiko.
River Stone - Fingers, 8 Hardness, 15 HP, Penalty: -1 Dex. Destroyed by Maiko.
Stacked Boards - Hands, 5 Hardness, 15 HP, Penalty: -1d4 HP. Destroyed by Maiko.
Stacked Bricks - Hands, 8 Hardness, 30 HP, Penalty: -1d6 HP. Broken by Maiko.
Stacked Clay Tiles - Hands, 8 Hardness, 15 HP, Break DC 18, Penalty: -1d4 HP. Broken by XLA.

Good luck.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Muttonhawk
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Muttonhawk Let Slip the Corgis of War

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The bout was over before Ming knew it. She looked around the cheering crowd with an open mouthed grin and willed her shield to fold back into a buckler. "When do we get to do that again?" she said.

>Move Action: Transform folding shield into a buckler again.
>Standard Action: Turn off stigmata.

Still full of energy, Ming bounded up to the dais with her friends. In response each to the emissary and Marthysan, she threw them an excited bow. "Thank you, sirs! Thank you, madam!" She didn't forget the less amiable Kiang Zhen.

The next challenge made Ming's eyes light up as they were all moved on. She knew just the trick Daikitsu taught her, for one of the objects to break, at least. She asked as much to the monk explaining the rules. Her face immediately dropped into a disappointed pout when the response was a flat, if polite, no. Keeping the adamantine plates in her cestus would probably be disallowed as well.

Nevertheless, Ming didn't feel like just sitting down and sulking. She instead stood on the sidelines, shouting words of encouragement to Maiko and Hanani as they stepped forward to be the first to test their strength.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by JBRam2002
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JBRam2002 Controlled Chaos

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Grand Pavilion


Hanani eventually made his way over to the set up where the coconut sat, staring at it before glaring at a Cackling hobgoblin before smacking at the Coconut with his hand. After a brief moment, he stared first at his hand, then the unharmed coconut, then his now reddening hand again. "I TOLD YOU I WAS USELESS FOR THIS HAKSIR NOW STOP DARING ME TO DO STUPID SHIT!" He shouted at the now rolling Alchemist, the cackling having grown in its mania. "Give me a Dexterity challenge and I've got you covered, but this? I rather just hop in the Golem and do it." With that said, he walked off and biffed Haksir against his shoulder. "You can stop now, you may just suffocate on your own laughter."

Maiko stifled a chuckle of her own as she calmly approached the quarterstaff. "Let me show you how it's done, Hanani!" she exclaimed as she brought her foot down on top of the stick, splitting it clean in two. The poor quarterstaff didn't even stand a chance. The crowd cheered as the staff was turned into wood chips, but Maiko shot a worried glance towards the metal bar. That one would be a real challenge.

Hanani stared pointedly at Maiko before stretching out for a brief moment, "Not my area of expertise but..." the male trailed off before taking a small jogging head start and flipping back into a double backhand spring, his form bending gracefully before landing solidly on his feet, "That is." He smiled a bit, surprisingly pleased that the Crowd seemed to have enjoyed his little display.

Roll Results: 36 Acrobatics; 31 Boosted Charisma Roll

For each attempt, success or failure, Ming never failed to be heard over the din of the audience from her spot standing to the side. "Wooo!" Her armour clinked and scraped as she jumped up and down. "You can do it, guys!"

Haksir shook his head at the display from Hanani and then, between chuckles, snapped his fingers to get the attention of XLA-001. "Break that bar with your head, if you don't ind." he ordered with giddy anticipation. The golem complied with gusto! Well, emotionless and robotic steadiness, which, Haksir assumed was the golem way of doing things with gusto. XLA smashed it's robot face into thebar with little effect. Some acid dripped down from it's face before it slammed it's head into the bar a second time, this time hopefully smashing it. "You can do it ol'boy!" Haksir cheered and pumped his little goblin arms up in the air.

Maiko winced as she watched the golem smash into the metal bar, to no real effect. His technique was... brutish, to say the least, and the golem was lucky its thick skull saved it the extra pain. She moved over to the smooth river stone, and brought the side of her fingers down with precision and power, and the stone cracked in two as the catgirl winced, shaking her fingers. It's a good thing she was able to break through the stone, or her fingers make have been less usable the rest of the day.

Haksir tapped his foot and shook his head. The points were for most broken, so, time to move on. "XLA!" he shouted out, raising his finger, "Go break that block of ice with your arms, eh?" The golem stopped smashing it's face into the metal bar and turned to move toward the ice, "The time of man has come to an end," it droned emotionlessly and obediently.

The ice block exploded into shards with a blurr of flashing electricity as the golem smashed it. Haksir whooped and pointed next to the stacked clay, "Smash it with your hand you beautiful poisonous metal juggernaut!" The golem pivoted, and stalked to it's next prey!

Maiko approached the metal bar of impending doom and headaches with a significant amount of trepidation. If the robot couldn't bend the metal, how could she hope to? But deep inside her, she recalled a special technique taught to her in the fighting ring: the application of force in precisely the right spot in precisely the right way could nearly double the power of a blow. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then WHACK! For a moment, everything turned white as her head collided with the metal bar, but when she opened her eyes again, the bar had been bent nearly in half.

The remaining few pieces were destroyed quickly, putting up much less of a challenge than the metal bar. As XLA-001 broke the final piece, the crowd leapt to its feet, cheering wildly. The party was motioned to the stage and presented with another gift from the emissary, this time a potion marked in script as "Stoneskin."

>The party gains 4800 XP each for completing the challenge.

As the party leaves the arena, a monk stops them at the exit. "His Grace the Emissary wishes you to return no later than two hours hence for an exhibition match."

Maiko raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, prompting a further response from the monk. "Interspersed with dozens of bouts between the other
contestants hoping to move to the next round of the contest, the Emissary offers exhibition matches between randomly chosen combatants and either noncombatants or captured monsters, some in the Grand Pavilion and others hosted elsewhere. You have been selected for one such exhibition, to be held in a small fighting ring a short distance from the Grand Pavilion. If you return here in two hours, we can direct you to where you need to be. Until then, you are free to explore the island, but remember the terms of your contracts."
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Ermine
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Ermine Alice von Ermineskaya Klossowski de Rolo III

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With a slight perk of the ears, Kyoumi regains her excitement as the monk tells them about the exhibition match. The little challenges for breaking stuff was a good way to show off, but was also a waste of energy, and she doubted they'd let her use her fire claws or bite. She could see how it would be cheating, after all.

She'd already let the effects of her spells fade, "sheathed" her weapon, and had dismissed her claws and bite almost immediately after using them, but she re-cast corrosive touch into her armor in case anything were to happen, though she figured they were safe enough for the moment. So for now, she was going to follow the lead of whoever took them somewhere.
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Muttonhawk
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Muttonhawk Let Slip the Corgis of War

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"Two hours?!" Ming bemoaned with her head craned forward. "What am I going to do in two whole hours?" She sighed and let her head and straight hair fall forward.



"Agar agar agaaar...Agar agar cream~" Ming quietly sung along while holding a bowl of jellied fruits swimming in fresh double-thick cream in both hands. Her little song helped her concentrate on not spilling it while walking along the arena stands, so she repeated the two lines over and again.

"Agar agar agaaar...Peach and cherry cream~"

She was looking forward to the cool and refreshing treat, but not as much as the hype all around her. The seated crowd burbled and chattered, talking all sorts of gossip about the next show. Ming clanked her small armoured backside upon the stone seats and listened out. It was hard not to listen when the first spoonful of early dessert stopped her lyrics.

>Perception for what's coming up next: 14
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Big Dread
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Big Dread Absurdist Hero

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Haksir patted XLA-001 on the back as it stepped up beside him, "Good job ol'boy. You did great!" he congratulated the soulless abomination of science, or, as he liked to think of it, progress. He looked over at the group and saw two of them moving off to watch the next match before glancing over and up at the elven swordmage, "Hanani, my good man, why don't we go see what there is to see in this massive camp, eh? I think there probably is something we could find that might be of interest." he gestured outward to the sprawling camp at large, "I would love to see what these primitives have managed to build with their rudimentary understanding of the arcane force." he chuckled and then tapped his right shoulder three times and nodded, prompting his armor to pick him up and place him on it's massive shoulder. The diminutive mental giant shifted and leaned his elbow on the head of his creation before pointing, "Onward, eh? Let's find something to do while the other watch some concussion exchanges."
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