You Just Got Schooled IC Group 1

[GuyFawkes]

Chapter 1: First Day Funk

Under the hot blistering sun, you walk for miles and miles. As far as your eyes can see, the land is dead. Dust flies at every light breeze that blows, but there are signs of rebirth here or there. A shrub, a patch of grass, nothing more. You would have been lost ages ago, where it not for the two distinct features that gave you your bearing: the mountains looming on the horizon before you and the stream of people trickling down towards it.

You are but one of a few tens, maybe even well over a hundred, who took this road for whatever reasons, yet all for the same purpose: to try your hand at becoming one of the elite mercenary forces in these parts of the world, the Jokers of the Blood Carnival. Wherever you may be when it all happened three years ago, the news got to you, and it lit up something within you that ultimately led you right in this very spot right now. It raised questions, and you knew the answers lied on those peaks in front of you. And so you trudge on, however weary you are, however tired you may be. You are too close to back away now.

When the thought that those peaks aren’t getting any closer slowly and steadily intensified in your starved and fatigued mind, you find yourself stand in front of your destination. At long last, you are here. But this is just the beginning of your journey. And this might just be the toughest hurdle you have to face.


http://matteomazzali.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/fortress.jpg



*


“Up up up! Everyone up and about in five! Today is your first day. First order of business is trainee orientation. Be at the grounds in ten minutes. You don’t want to be late on your first day. You. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. Late. Now move it!”

A loud gravely bark cuts your dreams, pleasant or unpleasant as it was. It is your first day in training camp. Everything was a whirlwind yesterday, from signing up, to being assigned rooms and roommates-slash-teammates. Like you, everyone seems so different, and yet you have to work with them for the rest of your stay here. And all of that starts now.

First hurdle: training orientation.

[Hystoriwr]

"Nnngh-GAH!"
Malorey startled easily from her slumber, eyes wide and the floor moving very quickly to greet her as she flopped from her bed, tangled in the fickle curls of hair she had made due as a blanket for the night. Trailing-length hair made for a conveniently cozy human burrito when it came to sleeping arrangements; less so when untangling oneself the next morning.
"Uh- SIR! YES SIR!" she shouted from the floor, unwrapping herself quickly and painfully.

In moments (read: minutes) she was untangled and on her feet, still dressed in the same outfit from the day prior and vainly trying to brush down the knotted mess draping down from her head. Her stomach growled ferociously.

[Necroticplague]

Tetou doesn't have to wake up, one of the benefits of a stopped heart. She merely appears from our of sight into thin air. Wanting to hurry stuff along (due to the huaunting suspicion that putting us into groups means if one person screws up, whole group their in is punished), she uses her ability to make some of her extraordinarily long haired teammate unbent angle itself before she speeds off for the orientation herself, passing through the wall and heading towards a massive light show to her eyes (indicating a lot of living things. Probably other recruits/ensigns/cadets).

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan had been awake for almost half-an-hour. The anxious anticipation of the day and the pangs of homesickness had kept his sleep fitful, though he was used to short sleep cycles during the hunting season.

He quickly gathered his equipment and, looking around at his groggy-eyed companions, pulled out some nuts and dried meat. "Breakfast anyone?"

[SubLimePie]

Semira starts up from a disordered bed, evidence of a night of uncomfortable dreams.
She steps out of bed with her dress already donned. Its design is clever enough to sleep comfortably in, and it doubled as a light blanket.
Thank god for that, no awkward dressing scenes.

She utters a simple cantrip, and the issue of the bed tugs itself back into a pristine resolution.
And people wonder how she has time to keep her hair perfect - a little prestidigitation goes a long way.

At the sight of Malorey struggling so long with her hair, she offers with a smile,
"Maybe I can help with that next time?"

[Hystoriwr]

Dirty clothes; nothing extra to change into. No time to brush teeth; no brush for it anyway. Malorey's morning wake-up call was typically her stomach, but seeing as its job was already done for it, it was content to just remind her of how long she had gone without a proper meal. She would just have to ignore it for now, and hope those 'free meals' mentioned didn't have a capacity limit when she eventually got to them.

Weird; usually her hair took longer than this to straighten. Much longer. Looking up from her doubled-over pose, everyone else seemed just as prepared, except the white-haired floating girl who was missing, probably on her way to the training grounds already.

"Oh, geez," Malorey made a toothy smile at the offer of help with her hair, "I-it's alright; you don't have to! I've got it under control today. Thanks, though."
In reality she would very much appreciate help in every respect, but it was natural to politely decline offers. She would have to take Semira up on that offer another day. Offered food, on the other hand, she had little power to decline. That was her stomach's decision, not her own. And it decided loudly.
"...breakfast?" she asked the man to confirm, spying the small bit of tantalizing sustenance he was conjuring from his bag. "I...I haven't eaten in weeks."
Did she say weeks?
"...days. I meant days."

[Breitheamh]

"Days!?" Jorudan exclaims. "Well, gods, take as much as you want. Go slowly at first, though; I imagine today's going to be rough, and we're all going to need some stamina."

He takes a few bites of venison jerky and swallows some dried fruit after, then heads out the door. "We should probably get going. I'd rather not piss anyone off on the first day."

[Promises Kept]

Ara is already up and meditating when the man shouts into their barrack room. She gives a wince at his volume, and a quiet sigh. "I am starting to have doubts about my decision to come here," she mutters under her breath. At Jorudan's offer, she replies, "No, thank you. I don't particularly need to eat. I'll go on ahead to the Orientation, make sure we don't miss anything." With this, she slips out of the room and begins running to wherever they are to meet, moving incredibly quickly and smoothly past any traffic that blocks her.

Using the Run Action to get there ASAP, Tumbling and Jumping as necessary to get past any other traffic. She runs at better than 30 miles per hour and can take 10 on a Tumble Check to move through occupied squares while running. She can jump twelve feet into the air and cross 50 feet in a Jump by taking 10, and will do so if it seems like that would get her there sooner.

[Hystoriwr]

"Er, thanks! It's not that bad...once you get used to it." she lied.
Most of Malorey's first instincts were to take full advantage of that 'take as much as you want' comment, but that was mostly her stomach talking. Other, more homely habits, informed her that this would be a bad idea if she wanted to make friends, so she settled on just taking a handful of the offered meat to tide her over.
Or rather, she intended on taking a handful, but flinched back as a blue blur (http://static.tumblr.com/337dc96bc6042043d3045da4383ebcd3/zn4io0i/ltJmh1mhu/tumblr_static_tumblr_mex9tntmyc1r42m2zo1_400.jpg) flashed past her and out the door. She recognized the color as belonging to the shorter, blue-skinned girl, but Malorey hadn't noticed her wake up until just then. Did she say something...?
"Oh! Right!" Malorey exclaimed, eyes wide, "Gonna be late!"
She reached forward to grab a thankful handful of the offered jerky while fumbling for her spear with the other arm, and made an admirable effort to emulate the most appropriate stereotype for her age, gender and situation (http://th07.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2013/052/d/8/i_m_late_for_anime_school__shimattaaaaaa_by_wuflux _biscuits-d5vow53.png). Her hair even made the appropriate cape-whooshing motions as she ran.

[SubLimePie]

In a similarly stereotypical manner, Semira follows her teammates towards the meeting place like a socially unadjusted high school student hugging her textbook and walking down the hallway for the first time. (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aE2GwoP_Y7w/UU5ccL-eZgI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/5d_gl7SPw8Y/s1600/Emma_Stone_Spider_Man.png)
Although it is her spellbook, and the whole notion of a high school is entirely foreign and frankly ridiculous to her.

[GuyFawkes]

The sun is still below the horizon when everyone gathers at the training grounds. You haven't had the chance to see it yesterday, but now that you do, you notice how grand it is - almost the size of coliseums, only with fewer seats around it - with the shadows from the torches making it look larger than life. It is here that you will be spending a considerable amount of your time, if ever you do last that long.

Around you there are more than a hundred other recruits, some still visibly sleepy, the rest more than fired up. Down to one side of the shorter axis of the oval that is the training grounds, a small sort-of stage stands, with a few people standing on top of it. One of them, sporting long, black hair and clad in armor, steps in front and raises his clenched fist.

"Attention all recruits!" a loud, commanding voice fills the whole grounds like it is somehow magically-amplified.

"My name is Alistaire Henderson. I am the overseer of this facility. As such, it is my duty to see to it that all the activities here go smoothly, and are done in a manner upholding the standards of the Carnival. It is also my duty to assure that all that come out of here are fit to bear the name of a Joker."

"Now, what does it take to bear the name of a Joker?" he pauses as he looks around among you.

"Courage? Yes, definitely. Courage to press on despite the odds, and more importantly, courage to fight for what you believe in. Strength. You must have the strength to back up that courage, else you will be no more than barking dogs who do not bite."

"And last, but the most important of all, is integrity. We may be mercenaries, but we are no ordinary fighting force for hire. We are the descendants who bear the name of heroes, and when you bear the name similar to them, you carry with it their values and beliefs. We may take money to swing our blade, but it does not mean we swing it without thought."

"We are not righteous men, no. We take lives, we pillage, we plunder if needed. But we have rules. We have principles, yet however few they are, we stick to them, and dishonoring them is the worst crime we can commit."

"These rules will be given to you after this orientation and be drilled into you for the course of your stay here, along with the rules you will have to observe while you stay here. Each group will be assigned an instructor, and he or she will be your instructor and guide through your whole stay here. You will receive training from other instructors, such as ones that specialize in specific subjects of training, but your main instructor will not change throughout. You can direct all your queries and concerns to them, and only them alone. You are not to elevate any issue to anyone else before them. They are the ones lined up behind me, and you will proceed to them when I finish here and begin your training."

You notice a long line of men and women standing at attention and in constant spacing from each other behind the stage.

"What else? Have I forgotten anything?" Henderson looks behind him as if asking the others' opinions, and when most of them shake their head, he looks back to you.

"Well then. That concludes this orientation. At least my part of it. You may now proceed to your group's assigned instructor for the rest of the orientation. Oh! One more thing. See that building with the smoke-belching chimney?" he points to such a building to your right. "Yeah, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, ever, go inside that building. In under no circumstance must you enter it. That is all. Good luck, and welcome to the Carnival Gates!"

On the stage, Henderson turns and walks down and off into the rear part of the stage, but does not appear to walk off to any side, just disappearing out into thin air. One of the persons behind him walks forward and speaks.

"Recruits, you may now proceed to your assigned instructors. Move by group, and in an orderly fashion. Your instructors will have an arcane mark on top of them bearing your group's name. They will give you the rest of the instructions regarding the rules and regulations of the Carnival, as well as this training facility. Move!"

The crowd begins to move, most of them orderly, but there are those who do so with blatant disregard of the instructions, talking loudly and moving haphazardly across the field. Beside those groups, however, loud blasts erupt, and you can see the man at the stage pointing at those exact locations.

"I said, in an orderly fashion. Do not make me repeat myself," is all he says, and the crowd moves as instructed.

In your searching, you manage to find your instructor at the far right of the line. Under the arcane mark bearing your group's name, you find a quite attractive human lady, sporting long, raven black hair tied up in a pony tail and sporting a rather revealing armor. Makes you wonder the actual purpose of wearing armor.

"Hi, you must be Group 1?" a sweet, honeyed voice issues from lady before you. "Follow me, please."

The lady walks towards the grounds exit nearby, and continues walking until you reach a sort of cul-de-sac. She stops at the entrance of the cul-de-sac and takes out her sword. She proceeds to draw a line traversing across the whole width of it, sheaths her sword and walks back towards the end. Turning in the most sensual way possible, she looks at you and suddenly her demeanor seems different. You can feel something...something dangerous from her.

"A little test. To gauge what I have to work with here. See that line over there? Try to cross it and approach me. If all of you manage to do so, then the test ends, and we proceed to the remainder of your orientation."

All players, roll 1d20 + HD + Wis mod + modifiers on saves against fear.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey hadn't put much thought into what she was expecting when she had been informed of the 'training grounds'. A field, maybe, with some chalk lines drawn into the dirt. Matching uniforms and a huge crowd. Well, she got the last part right, at least. Everything else was scaring her out of her wits; there were way too many people for her comfort zone, and she spent most of the orientation gripping her spear tightly to her chest and hoping her name wasn't called for any reason.
Then there was a teacher who was pretty but wore clothes that would make Malorey afraid to go out in public with, even with her wardrobe shortage. She seemed nice, and for a moment Malorey felt as though she had lucked out with someone that she could make friends with.
Then she drew a line in the dirt with a sword and told Malorey to charge.
1d20 + 6 (HD) - 1 (WIS) = [roll0]
"Urk-" Malorey holds her hands out in front of her in shock, her spear clattering to the ground. "I-UH, um, a-are you sure?" she asked, taking a few steps back from the now-scary woman. "I don't really...I mean...I wouldn't want to...uh..."
She quickly fell silent, skittering towards the back of the party. Maybe...someone else could try first.
Malorey was taken aback by the sudden shift in demeanor, but was undeterred; she knew this would be hard from the get-go, and now was finally her time to prove herself. Besides, the woman couldn't actually be planning to use that sword on her, right? It was just...a scare tactic. Yeah, this was a test of her courage!
Malorey stuck a stiff salute, "Y-yes, ma'am!", though her voice was wavering an awful lot, and her eyes were pinned on that sharp, sharp blade.
She shook her head, took a deep breath, and (not the wisest of decisions) took the first turn running head-on towards the lady, displaying just as much strategical planning as her 9 Wisdom would afford her.

[Necroticplague]

"Easy Enough." She floats on over to her instructor, the line passing beneath her, seemingly unfazed by the instructor's display.

All fear effects are mind-effecting. As per the undead traits, I'm immune to mind-effecting. Thus, as per intimidate, I can't be effected by it.

[Breitheamh]

At first, Jorudan was relieved. His instructor was not Captain Firren, and instead was some incredibly attractive woman. He could live with that. That is, he thought he could, until she drew her line. Some kind of unbidden fear clutched at his heart, leaving him torn.

Ok, well, if I go over there, I'm going to have to talk to her, and what if I say something stupid? You know, what if I act like an idiot and she disapproves? Or what if she attacks and I'm forced to fight her? I'm not sure I really want to hit her, she's just so pretty. But if she does and I don't and I get my butt handed to me, what then? Then I look like an incompetent fool...

All this and more began racing through his mind, leaving him standing completely still, staring blankly ahead, his face turning redder and redder.

[Necroticplague]

Realizing with no small sense of anxiety that her fellows seem to be having trouble moving beyond the circle, Tetou decides to give them a little push along to help. Of course, TK isn't very precise, so this push comes as more of a slam in the back trying to push them forward, but the idea is still the same.For these first few seconds, the one holding the spear is targeted, while Tetou keeps her eyes trained to see if any move under their own effort.

Use leftover standard action (move action used earlier to move) to use Telekineses, Combat Maneuver version. For this round's free action, Initiating a Bull-Rush against Malorey, attempting to move her towards instructor.
Recharge time:[roll0]

My CHA check (opposed by your STR):[roll1]
If my check exceeds yours,you're moved 5 feet, +5 for every 5 my check exceeds yours.

[Promises Kept]

Ara gives their new Instructor a Look, before tearing off a strip of cloth from her sleeve and tying it around her head, covering her eyes. That done, she simply walks across the line, before removing the cloth from her eyes.

Intimidate checks only work if the target can see you. Blindfold OP!

"Does that suffice, maam?"

[Hystoriwr]

...nnnope. Nope. Nah. Malorey was done. The Blood Carnival seemed like a good idea at first. It was around the point where she was cowering at the edge of a line in the dirt when she decided that it was decidedly not a good idea. As soon as her legs decided to stop shaking and listen to her, she was going to pack up her hair brush and high-tail it out of-
"EEP!"
Malorey's legs evidently had a different opinion on the matter. Now there were three lines in the ground: one from the lady's sword, and two leading from where Malorey's feet were previously standing, digging two reluctant, panicked ruts in the ground to her current point.

Malorey stands in front of the instructor, quivering and gripping her spear like a teddy-bear. She looks up. There's the teacher. Right in front of her.
"...I...I-I did it..."
She forces an uneasy smile.
"...yayy..."

[SubLimePie]

Semira impatiently shifts her weight from hip to hip while her teammates try the line.

The ghost had an easy time. The monk devised a clever trick. Malorey was probably pushed by the ghost.
Jorudan, on the other hand, seems stupefied by the beauty of the instructor, as evidenced by his glowing face.
Semira frowns in irritation, clearly annoyed that Jorudan had offered her a hug when they first met.
If it's her beauty that keeps him away, what am I, chopped liver?
Hmph, she's not even that good looking. Just a decent body with the dignity of a harlot.

While these thoughts transpired in her mind, the part of the team that crossed looks at her expectantly, reminding her to cross the line, sometime, this year...
Oh right, the line. Psh, how hard could it be?

Taking an impetuous step, her leg freezes mid-lift.
The cause for her frown turns from irritation to concentration, as she tries in vain to force her leg to budge. It's as if all her strength deserted her.
Suddenly, fear.

Why can't I move?
Did she paralyze me?
What kind of power is this?

All these thoughts raced through her mind in an instant and to everyone else watching it was as if a storm passed through her face.
Seeing no way to cross the line and too proud to admit it, Semira taunts,
"Why don't you cross the line to me instead? And while you're at it, put on some clothes."

What's the DC I have to beat for bluff? Hopefully it's not 45...
Hopefully it's an equal demonstration of her courage (or impudence) xD

Ahhh messed up by previewing and then leaving it as [roll0], I'll roll in the OOC thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?351563-You-Just-Got-Schooled-OOC-Group-1&p=17555651#post17555651)

[Breitheamh]

Okay, don't look at her. All you have to do is walk over the line. She didn't say you have to talk to her, she didn't say you have to fight her, just walk...over...the line. Jorudan tries to psyche himself up to cross the line, trying desperately to forget his instructor, and focus only on her instructions.

He plants his gaze firmly on his feet, watching intently as first one foot, then the other, begin to move slowly towards the line. The ridge of dirt where the instructor's sword cut felt like a canyon as he squeezed his eyes shut and cautiously edged a toe over the it.

[GuyFawkes]

"Ha ha ha ha!" the lady suddenly laughs.

"You, you are one funny bunch. Funny, and a bit odd, but promising. I can work with this. Come," she says as she walks past all of you. She walks back to the training ground but takes a left and walks along a road parallel to the wall. After a few minutes, she makes another left, into a building with multiple doors. She walks up to the closes door, opens it, and turns around.

"Come in," she motions for you to go inside.

Once inside, you see that it is a small square room with a few chairs facing one side and a desk with a chair fronting the chairs.

"Sit," she instructs as she moves towards the desk and opens the drawer. Inside, she grabs some papers and reads through them before taking a few pieces and putting back the rest. She then moves around the desk and sits on it, crossed legs.

"As Sir Henderson mentioned, we shall continue with the orientation. What we'll do now is go through the rules of the Blood Carnival, as well as the rules for you trainees, which I have right here," she says as she raises the papers in her hand.

"Here, get one and pass," she shoves the papers to the one closest to her. "Get a copy and pass on to the others."

"I will give you five minutes to read through them, then another five to ten minutes for your questions. Go."

The Blood Carnival is an independent fighting force. As such, it owes no allegiance to any sovereign state, nation, power, entities, or individual. It does, however, lend its services to any and all sovereign states, nations, power, entities, or individuals. Such services include, but may not be limited to:


Deployment of manpower
Buying and/or Selling of any information of interest
Arbitration between two or more disputing sovereign states, nations, power, entities, or individuals
Training of standing armies and/or other military/paramilitary/militia forces


Services to be rendered shall incur remuneration, the exact details of which to be discussed and agreed upon by qualified Blood Carnival personnel and the client before such services are to be rendered. This is materialized in the form of a written contract to be signed by both parties.

All requests for services must be duly submitted through proper channels for processing. Should a request be given to a member of the Carnival, said member is to submit the request to the Requests Committee for processing and approval. Requests that are not processed and recognized by the Requests Committee shall not be honored by the Carnival as a legitimate request, and any consequence of the actions committed within that request, the Carnival shall hold no liability whatsoever.

Entering into contracts with both, or in case of multiple factions, two or more sides of any armed or unarmed conflict is strictly prohibited. This applies to all types of services the Carnival is able to render. As a corollary, any contract that deploys a Joker against other Jokers in other missions is strictly prohibited.

All contracts are to be fulfilled by any Joker assigned to the utmost of his or her ability. Failure to do so shall mean failure of the contract, and the client is relieved of any of its responsibilities stated in the contract. The assigned Joker/s is/are to undergo investigation.

All contracts are on a need-to-know basis. Only the Carnival Head Committee, the Requests Committee, and the client are to be privy of all manners of relevant information regarding the contract. Assigned Jokers are given only what is enough for them to execute their mission. Divulging of information, unless through proper request and contract, is a capital offense.

Personal conflict between two or more Jokers is strictly prohibited. If there is a need for violence to settle a dispute, the parties involved should request for an official duel, to be witnessed by three or more Jokers not involved with the said dispute.

Divulging of information regarding the Carnival to any outside entity is a capital offense.

Jokers are free to take any mission that is within his/her capabilities. At the same time, accepting of missions is not compulsory.

Compensation for Jokers is stipulated in the contract for each mission he or she undertakes. A Joker may request for additional compensation should the completion of the mission entail factors not stated in the contract, to be reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee.

Jokers are free to utilize all facilities and amenities provided by the organization. In cases of deployment, Jokers can make use of equipment as deemed necessary for the completion of the contract.

Jokers are free to leave the Carnival at any given time. To do so, he or she must submit a formal request to the Head Committee and undergo an interview for the process to be finalized and recognized. Former members are hereby relieved of all duties and responsibilities of a Joker, as well as all privileges of one. Any Joker who does not comply with this shall be considered a full member, and thus must still abide by the rules of the organization.

A person is considered a recruit once he or she has undergone the orientation up until he or she graduates. Basic training course lasts for two years, and another year is used for field training.

All recruits must follow the commands of the overseer.

All recruits must follow the commands of their group instructor.

In cases where the group instructor's commands conflict that of the overseer, the overseer's commands always takes priority.

In cases where the overseer's or group instructor's command is in conflict with the rules and regulations for recruits, the rules and regulations take priority.

During the course of the training, the Carnival shall provide free food and lodging for all recruits.

Recruits shall utilize a color-coding system for all matters regarding their personal belongings and those granted to them for use in training. Possession and/or use of equipment and/or objects not color-coded to the recruit is strictly prohibited.

All recruits must use standard equipment to be provided by the training facility during training, unless otherwise instructed. Use of equipment other than those provided is strictly prohibited.

All recruits can use any facility during the allotted time of use only. He or she may apply for personal use of any facility outside of such times, to be submitted to his or her group instructor, and await approval from the Training Committee. Approval is subject to availability of the facility during the time slot applied for, as well as the intended us.

All concerns and queries regarding training or other matters must be addressed to the group instructor only. Bypassing the group instructor is strictly prohibited.

All recruits must observe the proper time in eating, sleeping, and taking baths. Doing such activities outside of allotted times is strictly prohibited.

Destruction of Carnival property is strictly prohibited and penalized accordingly.

All violations shall be monitored by the group instructors and, depending on the severity of each case, shall either be considered a minor or major offense. Committing a minor offense shall earn a corresponding punishment to be decided by the group instructor. A major offense shall be elevated to the Training Committee for investigation, after which corresponding punishment shall be issued by them.

A recruit can only commit 2 major offenses. A third shall result in immediate expulsion. 3 minor offenses constitute 1 major offense.

By signing in as a recruit, a person willingly agrees to undergo all training done in this facility. He or she also agrees to abide by all the rules stated in this Rules and Regulations Guide. In case of serious injury that may result to permanent disfigurement or death, the recruit also agrees that the Carnival is not in any way liable or responsible, except for cases where foul play is found.

[Promises Kept]

Ara hands the copies to her groupmates, and glances over her own. Her eyes seem to grow wider and wider as she reads the section on Jokers, but she quickly seems to get herself under control. When the five minutes have expired, she begins rattling off questions. Clearly, she feels that the rules are incomplete. "So, when a Recruit graduates, are they automatically considered a Joker, or are there further trials to complete? Is the fifth rule for recruits absolute? I mean, if you were to, say, give us food for whatever reason, outside of the proper time, and tell us to eat it, would we be obligated not to do so? Does color-coding include clothing? Will we be required to use weapons in the course of training, or may I, being trained in hand-to-hand combat, make use of that? Lastly, how restricted are our movements? We were told not to enter the one building by Mr. Henderson, and the regulations mandate we may only use facilities when specifically allowed to do so, but can we explore the area otherwise? Leave the camp, so long as we miss no scheduled activities? Are we required to stay in the barracks at night, if we have no need for sleep?"

[GuyFawkes]

The lady smiles at Ara as she blurts out all her questions, and when the latter finishes, she nods and is about to answer when she seems to remember something.

"Oh, silly me. Forgot to introduce myself," she mock hits herself on the forehead. "My name is Jillia, by the way. And you are?" she asks Ara.

[Promises Kept]

The lady smiles at Ara as she blurts out all her questions, and when the latter finishes, she nods and is about to answer when she seems to remember something.

"Oh, silly me. Forgot to introduce myself," she mock hits herself on the forehead. "My name is Jillia, by the way. And you are?" she asks Ara.

Blushing (which looks particularly odd, given her skin tone) at the realization of just how overeager she likely sounds, Ara quietly replies, "I'm Ara Duskmere, Initiate of the Order of Peace, now on sabbatical."

[Necroticplague]

Rifling through the forms, contrasting with her teamate's care about the completeness, Tetou has more similar to questions of intent.

"Tetou Kinegho, here, instructor.
Doesn't the portion about using standard equipment make the part about color-coding redundant? Unless you plan on screwing with us by giving us non-colored equipment. And on an entirely different note, are we to be kept responsible for the actions of any undead created, if uncontrolled by us?"

[GuyFawkes]

"Ara Duskmere of the Order of Peace, here to become a Joker. My, my," Jillia giggles. "Interesting, interesting. Though I must say, you are quite something. That thing with the blindfold earlier, brilliant! You might just find yourself to be suited better here. And oh, where was I again? Oh, right questions."

Jillia smiles sheepishly.

"What was your question again?"

[Promises Kept]

Ara replies, still blushing at her prior behavior, "Well, there was only one really important question. I'm sure I can ask the rest if they ever become relevant. But, um, how free are we to explore? I mean, I don't really need sleep, so I'd like to have something to do at night, and it says we can't use the facilities without permission, but can we be there? And are we required to stay on the grounds, or can we check out the surroundings? I really, really don't like being confined in one place more than I have to be." She seems to sink into her chair as she says this.

She does, however, spare a look at Tetou, after hearing her question. Very quietly, she whispers to herself, "Oh, dear."

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey was a slow reader. An agonizingly slow reader; one of those readers who must mouth long bits of text to themselves to understand correctly. She was somewhat embarrassed over the subject, when two of the other girls had already begun asking questions about the second sheet while she was hardly finished with half of the Blood Carnival's Rules and Regulations, and she feigned understanding by nodding her head as she read.

It took a while, but Malorey eventually got to the end of the two frustratingly-long sheets, and internalized as many rules as she could. She glanced at the leaning spear she had carried from her room; that would have to go, since it wasn't colored red. And...her shirt? She glanced down at the very, very expensive shirt, which she was developing a fear that she would have to discard. It was her only shirt.

"Um, m-ma'am?" Malorey looked up and asked the pretty-but-terrifying woman, "Am I...uh, still allowed to keep this...?" she tugged on the edge of her shirt; the merchant who sold it said it was made of a special metal that could stop a sword, and Malorey hadn't had the forethought to keep her old hole-riddled shirt when she bought it. With another thought, she also motioned to the papers in her lap.
"And...these too? So I can, uh, study them. Ma'am."

[SubLimePie]

Barely giving a cursory glance at the sheets, Semira scoffs to herself, "hah rules."
She drops the sheets as a subtle act of defiance - the sheets slowly drifting onto the ground sure to annoy almost anyone.
To make sure the hostility is felt, she crosses her arms in a passive-aggressive display.

"The less you know about me the better, as if I'm going to be subject to your mockery," she says while her eyes speak daggers.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan quickly scans through the rules, absorbing each detail, understanding them, and storing them away in his mind. That is, until he reaches the regulations on leaving the Carnival. He finishes reading, and is immediately lost in thought, puzzling out a plan by which he may return home and protect his family.

As the others ask their questions he sits quietly by, focusing his mind on his self-appointed task. He finally looks up, raises his hand, and speaks.

"My name is Jorudan Faoil. I have two questions pertaining to the rules, and one which is related by extension, but not does not directly involve the regulations.

Firstly, are duels between Jokers generally to the death? Secondly, does forceful recruitment count as foul play, whereby a recruit's family could be compensated in the event of said recruit's untimely demise? And lastly, do you know where one might generally find an officer by the name of Firren?"

His eyes show a dead-set intensity that reflects none of the nearly inexplicable cowardice he experienced earlier.

[GuyFawkes]

Jillia's smiles and is about to answer Ara's question when the others cut in with their questions, whereupon her smile begins to wane into a look of annoyance.

"No exploring after sleeping hours. You can explore if you have no schedule for training during the day," she replies to Ara in a monotone. Turning to Tetou, she continues in a similar manner.

"I don't see your point. It's all about ownership, at the same time focusing on yourself and not on fancy magical stuff. Nothing redundant about that. And of course, anything you make, you clean up after."

"Yes, that's yours to keep, and you pick that up. Throw it in a proper place if you're not keeping it," she says to Malorey and Semira respectively without even blinking. And lastly, "No, the parties involved decide on the particulars of the duel included in the request," she now is looking at Jorudan. "We don't do forceful recruitment here. In fact, we don't recruit, we've enough volunteers as it is. And no, don't know anyone by that name. Too many damn Jokers 'round here to memorize all of 'em."

Towards the end of it, Jillia's tone has changed, like she was a different person. However, as she finishes, she breathes in deeply, and suddenly she is smiling again.

"Well, that concludes our question and answer portion, kids! Better keep those rules in mind. Remember, most of the times, I will be giving the punishment for your offenses. Tough luck for you," she giggles as she stands up and moves to the door.

"Come, we are done with the orientation, so we get to have extra time for anything we want. And I have just the thing to spice up your first day here."

With all of you at her heels, she leads you back along the path you came from, but not back into that cul-de-sac, instead straight back into the training grounds. Arriving back here, you see some of the other groups are still there, doing whatever crazy idea their group instructor is telling them to do. As you walk on, you see some doing arm-wrestling, others are running about, and quite a number seem to be fighting their instructors.

You arrive at a pretty vacant spot and Jillia stops and turns back to face you.

"You two," she points at Malorey and Semira, "to the right. You and you," she points at Tetou and Ara this time," to the left. "You sit this one out boy," she grins at Jorudan.

"All right. This is going to be simple. You will fight each other. No holds barred. You will go on until I tell you to stop. First up, you two at the left," she motions to Malorey and Semira.

"Begin."

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan frowns at Jillia's response, obviously slightly confused. He begins to raise his hand and open his mouth to speak, but halfway through the first word, he thinks better of it, and contents himself to wait, allowing events to take their course for now.

While the girls face off at Jilla's behest, he stands a little ways off from his instructor, hands clasped behind his back, watching the conflict, studying his group-mates' techniques.

[Hystoriwr]

what
What.
"Wat."
Malorey had dragged her spear from the place they had been given their rule-sheets with the intent of finding a place to dispose of the contraband, since it wasn't color-coded like the rules stated (one of the few rules she had understood thus far), so she already had it conveniently on-hand. Or, well, she did have it on-hand, but fumbled wildly upon hearing the instructor's orders, and now the spear (as well as the small stack of papers she had been holding along with it) were strewn about her feet haphazardly.

Malorey snatched the spear from the ground and hugged it tight, embracing the closest equivalent she knew to a 'battle stance', though it looked a little more like an 'oh gods please don't stab me' stance. She glanced to the instructor in a panic, and back to Semira.
"D-do we have to?! I mean, I didn't- I wasn't thinking- We're not supposed to fight each other, I thought!"
Maybe this was another test, like a pop-quiz to see if they had actually read the rules? Malorey dearly hoped so.

[roll0]

[Necroticplague]

At the prospect of getting to fight already, Tetou seems to perk up a bit. And then un-perk when she hears who it is. Not because of any specific thing about who she's fighting, but more about who she isn't. She was kinda hoping to be able to knock the sorceress down a peg or two. She's rather glad that she's second round and not first, since that gives her time to think. Her opponent isn't wielding any weapon, much less a magical one, so she shouldn't even be able to harm her. On the other hand, she wouldn't have volunteered for a merc corp if she didn't have some trick up her sleeves. Maybe she's a construct, and the weapons are inside? She was preternaturally athletic earlier, and mentioned not sleeping earlier....either way, better safe than... whatever the hecks gonna happen once she takes too much of a beating. Of course, the unarmed person might also be a fellow member of the walking dead. Like a more rational version of the hungry dead Tetou had accidentally created before.

[roll0]

[SubLimePie]

[roll0]

Keeping the same pose and putting on a bored pout, Semira pretends to read her spell book, considering her options.

Seeing that Malorey is still shaking like a twig in the wind while clutching her spear for support, she declares, "All right fine, I'll go first."

At that, she whispers something under her breath and then says in a tone entirely different from her usual sardonic quips,
"We shouldn't be fighting each other, you remember the rules you just read?
Let's be friends."


Heightened charm person (level 3) with DC 18 against will save

[Hystoriwr]

Though the magic behind Semira's words failed to grasp at Malorey's mind, unbeknownst to her, the meaning of them did not. Semira didn't want to fight, and Malorey didn't want to fight, and apparently the rules didn't want them to fight either, so everything was culminating to a perfectly pacifistic evening. She hadn't the slightest clue that Semira's offer to step down was, ironically, her first offensive. She looked towards their scantily-clad teacher and calmed down considerably, untensing with an inward sigh.
"...so, we're not really fighting, right? Was that the test?"

[Necroticplague]

"I'm pretty sure this counts as a duel. It's between two people willingly, and you currently have 3 uninvolved witnesses; the rest of your team. And even if it wasn't, since it is among your own team, think of it as a game between friends. I mean, what's a sleepover without a little rough play?"

[GuyFawkes]

"That rule is for unsanctioned fights. I am the one ordering you to. This is not a fight, this is training. We are still inside training period. Unless you have something personal against each other," Jillia smirks.

"Now go on," Jillia adds, crossing her arms over her chest. "Or shall I give you failing marks on your first day?"

[SubLimePie]

The corners of Semira's mouth curl into a slow smile as her "attack" worked.
Whether her spell succeeded or not, she knew Malorey would be easy to convince.

Turning to the instructor,
"You're trying to get us in troubled aren't you?
Clearly the rules says 'Personal conflict between two or more Jokers is strictly prohibited'", punctuated with air quotes.

"That means any conflict between two persons who are training to be a Joker," she says while wearing a satisfied smile at her clever twisting of the rules.

"Plus, there's the other rule: 'In cases where the overseer's or group instructor's command is in conflict with the rules and regulations for recruits, the rules and regulations take priority'."

Frowning that the instructor's not budging, "Fine, be that way."
She mutters under her breath, and a white fog condenses around the area Jillia is standing near.


Stinking cloud surrounding Jillia with DC 20 Fortitude save

[GuyFawkes]

"Sheesh, one minute she's bitching about the rules, now she's suddenly a strict follower. Women, huh?" Jillia says to Jorudan before laughing.

"No, this is not a test on you following the rules. Look around, there are others doing it," she points out, and clearly you can see other groups doing so as well. "It's perfectly fine if it's training. We're gonna have a lot of it, between group mates as well as other groups."

"I just want to see what I'm working with here, so go ahead and do it while you're allowed to," she says with another grin.

When the cloud begins to form around her, she laughs.

"So, this is your answer? You got guts, I'll say that."

[GuyFawkes]

In a flash, Jillia is beside Semira, and with another quick movement, an open hand cuts through the air towards the latter's head in blinding speed.

Charge Attack Unarmed Strike
Power Attack -12
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] (nonlethal)

[Necroticplague]

Despite the apparent futility, Tetou tries to continue the rules lawyering with some of her own. "The key words their are personal conflict, and between Jokers. This isn't personal in any way, and we aren't jokers yet. You're just following orders, that has to be the closest to "sorry bub, not personal" that you're ever gonna get. Also, we aren't jokers until we finish training, we're recruits. Different rules apply to both, as shown on the given forms. Us killing each other falls under "destruction of Carnival property", which shouldn't apply as long as we stop at unconsciousness.So if you'd go back to fighting, we can get on with our day."

The futility is made ever more evident by her summoning of a cloud of....whatever the heck this is. Tetou merely sighs , the gas not even seeming to recognize she's there. Which works just fine, because her body likewise ignores it. and so she continues in the most deadpan monotone she can manage (which is quite a good one, given the lack of breathing that could make it un-monotone).

"Or you can attack you boss, who could probably kill you with both hands behind her back, and your teamate that doesn't ever rest and can rip the life right out of you, or just toss you more than a hundred feet in the air. That is equally as good an idea, It's a wonder I didn't try it myself."

[SubLimePie]

When the cloud was forming and the view partially obscured, Semira summons up a small gilded flask and directs its top towards the silhouetted figure of Jillia.
Removing the stopper and whispering "geyser", a small jet flies out at an incredible speed, the momentum of which knocking Semira back several meters.

The decanter of endless water mainly used to get away from melee range as an improvised jet engine.
Being squirted with water is also extremely annoying :P.




The last thing Semira saw was the half of a supplicated hand homing in on her vulnerable neck in a chop.

She drops to the ground without any resistance. Her face is, oddly enough, peaceful, and the scene taken out of context could be described as an angelic slumber.

Acting without considering consequences sure sucks...

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey was not a very perceptive or wise individual, and it took Jillia to point out that, all around her, there were people fighting. More accurately, they were sparring, which was a foreign concept until now. Taking the time to observe the controlled chaos around them in the training grounds, it dawned on Malorey that she wasn't expected to do or face anything lethal, or even particularly maiming. In her shoddy defense, the request could have been phrased more gently to avoid her previous freak-out, but that was more Malorey's fault than anyone else's. She looked down at the spear in her hands, and supposed she could just use the stumpy end like it was the stabby end, to show she could use it. It was just a little...rough play, like the white-haired girl said. Not that bad, right?
"Ack, what's that smell?" she asked, pulling her shirt up to her nose and turning her attention towards...

...well, that was new. In the time-span of Malorey's daydreaming and self-direction, an opaque cloud of noxious vapors had appeared some ten feet away, and the teacher was standing over the crumpled, sleeping form of the same girl Malorey had been working up the courage to hit with a stick. Yet another reason to fear the scantily-clad Jillia. As if she needed another one.

"...does...does this mean I'm not sparring?" was all that Malorey could think to say in reaction.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan would have laughed if he were willing to open his mouth with the noxious fumes swirling around him. Real stupid, girl, he thinks as Jillia dashes forward through the cloud and gives the obnoxious brat a smack upside the head.

Then, seeing her body crumple into unconsciousness, he races forward, shock on his face. "Is she ok?" he asks as he comes up behind Jillia. Holy crap! Teaching a lesson is one thing, but she just knocked her out with one hit!

[Promises Kept]

Ara, despite her generally reasonably hardy constitution, seems to find something especially off-putting about the smell of the cloud. She barely is able to stagger out of it, retching. When she's recovered, she tosses a nasty glare at the unconscious Semira.

Duration: [roll0]

[GuyFawkes]

"She's fine. Just out cold," Jillia bends down and carries the unconscious figure of Semira, and you notice how effortlessly she does it, reinforcing the weight of the blow she gave her earlier. She walks off towards the benches and lays Semira there gently before turning to the others.

"Now that that's taken care of, we proceed. Or is there someone else who still questions my words?" she looks at each of you in the eyes, smiling.

"Okay, up next, we'll have Ara and Tetou, was it?" she asks. "Oh, dear me. You got affected by that silly girl's stink cloud. Well, it'll wear off in a few. You can start when you both are ready."

"And you," she looks at Malorey. "Don't think you've gotten out of this yet. You get to fight this boy here," she points at Jorudan. "At least I got to see a glimpse of what this silly girl's capable of, all I'm after really, but you, you didn't even budge an inch. So you two follow next."

She sits down beside Semira. "All right, whenever you two are ready," she says to Ara and Tetou.

[Hystoriwr]

Ahh, crud. Malorey was ready to just accept the failing grade, whatever that meant, but now she was set to fight Jorudan instead. She didn't really want to fight Jorudan either, but she kept reminding herself that this was supposed to be a friendly sparring match of sorts. Like a wrestling match, but with less blood.
However, Malorey's match was now set to take place after Tetou and Ara's, and she was just fine with that. Jorudan had been expected to stand without a sparring partner this whole time, so maybe he was at least happy with the news? She meandered her way towards the more peaceful (though somewhat more foul-smelling) corner of the training grounds where he was standing, content to get the heck out of the way of whatever magical explosions might occur from either of the other two conscious combatants.
"...so..." Malorey whistled, looking at her spear, "...you'd be alright if I...uh, hit you in the face with this, right...? Like, with the wooden end."

[Necroticplague]

Tetou, following the "until you're both ready" statement, waits around until the poor girls stops being queasy. So once both are all ready to fight, Tetou act with greater speed, bolting into the air to prevent this from being close to an even fight.
Run action to move 120 feet into the air.

[Promises Kept]

Ara shakes her head as the ghostly girl takes off into the air, realizing there's no way she can reach her. "Running away, are we? Two can play at that game." With this, Ara takes off running along the ground, opening up as much distance as she can.

Run as a Full-Round action directly away from Tetou. I cover 360 feet. I'm fairly certain we'll end up stalemating - I'm not sure of your range, but I can beat your Run Speed with a Double Move, so once she's outside of it, she can stay outside indefinitely. In the meantime, if Tetou attempts an attack with an attack roll involved, Deflecting Palm: [roll0] (This is an opposed attack roll against your roll. I only get 1/enemy/turn.)

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan gives Malorey quizzical look, then laughs and rests his hand on her shoulder. "Haha! Of course not," he answers with a smile, "Teacher said so, right?" and he finishes with a wink.

"Besides," he continues, "I'm not even sure I know how to do what I can do." He thinks about it for a moment, then he starts to mumble, "Last time I just wished I were an eagle, and I became one. Does it work on other animals?" He closes his eyes and concentrates on one of his favorites from the tattered bestiary his mother had, one that was fierce and swift, like an arrow shot from a bow. So many times, he remembered wishing for that speed, and as he drifts into memories, he begins to realize that he is shrinking. He opens his eyes and looks around, and his face is now where his waist was just a moment ago. He looks worriedly down, trying to see his body, and is greeted by two black-spotted yellow paws. He turns his neck, finding he can move it with incredible range, and sees that his body is not much smaller, but is four-legged now.

"Wow!" he exclaims, the sound coming out more as a cheetah's bark. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fadJ0AMG90) "It worked! And I can still talk, just like last time!" He laughs, and the sounds comes out a high-pitched chirp. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Qh3VTmtxU)

[Necroticplague]

"Running away implies that I can't or won't attack you. Unfortunately, both are wrong. I was merely maneuvering to a better vantage point." she then demonstrates this fact by relatively lazily floating on, before pointing her hand vaguely at her foe. As if on command, peices of stone below pick themselves up and launch at the running girl.

Move action: move diagonally down-forward (this end up with me 100 feet altitude, and 340 feet away from opponent).
Standard:use violent thrust version of telekinesis to throw twelve 25-pound peices of rock. Long series of attack and damage rolls in spoiler.cooldown:[roll0]
format is attack, crit confirm (if needed, these threat on a 20), damage.
[roll1],[roll2],[roll3].
[roll4],[roll5],[roll6].
[roll7],[roll8],[roll9].
[roll10],[roll11],[roll12].
[roll13],[roll14],[roll15].
[roll16],[roll17],[roll18].
[roll19],[roll20],[roll21].
[roll22],[roll23],[roll24].
[roll25],[roll26],[roll27].
[roll28],[roll29],[roll30].
[roll31],[roll32],[roll33].
[roll34],[roll35],[roll36].

[Promises Kept]

While Ara is able to bat away one of the rocks heading toward her, and dodge most of the rest, two are able to get through and strike her.

Deflecting Palm deals with the first one, the 8th and 10th hit for 9 damage total.

She continues to open up distance between them.

Another run action, another 360 feet. By the end of the cooldown period, she'll be out of range of Telekinesis.

[Necroticplague]

"C'mon, take it proper and get back here. You can't run forever. I CAN."
Trying to catch up, but failing due to the incredible speed this coward possesses. Must have gotten a ton of practice running away.

Full-round action: run 120 feet towards Ara. If my math is right, that puts me at an altitude of 100 feet and 580 feet away, with 2 round of no TK.

[Promises Kept]

Ara keeps running, not particularly wanting the ghost-girl to have a chance to throw more at her.

Another Run action, another 360 feet. 940 Feet away now. The running rules fortunately won't come into play - once she's out of range, Double Moves (which can be done indefinitely) will keep her beyond the range of your Telekinesis forever.

"Get down here and fight me like a humanoid, dead-girl!"

[Necroticplague]

Ara keeps running, not particularly wanting the ghost-girl to have a chance to throw more at her.

Another Run action, another 360 feet. 940 Feet away now. The running rules fortunately won't come into play - once she's out of range, Double Moves (which can be done indefinitely) will keep her beyond the range of your Telekinesis forever.

"Get down here and fight me like a humanoid, dead-girl!"

"I do fight like a humanoid, taking advantage of what I have. You are the simpleton who fights like an animal, no weapon but their fists and running away when your obvious weakness is exposed.Tell me, you run so fast, do you lack intelligence to convert your sideways momentum into upwards momentum?"

Now now, if we're going to be creature-type-ist, we can at leat be accurate. Tetou is a Humanoid(Human, Augmentead Undead, Incorporeal)

Run action down-forward, bringing me to altitude 20 and 860 feet away, with one round of wait time left.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey was distracted for a few moments there, watching both of the girls suddenly race off into the distance. She could hardly tell where the blue-skinned one was anymore, while the white-haired girl was still floating around above the training grounds, looking determined to find her.
"Wow, they're...really going at it, aren't they?" Malorey looked down to ask the cheetah. Then something registered in her mind, and she realized that she was talking to a huge cat. This was met with the sane, collected, and perfectly acceptable response of shrieking and jumping away in fear of having her face mauled off.
"Wh-What?! How-?"
It took her a few seconds for it to click. A few more than it would have taken most people. The fact that the cheetah was talking, merrily so at that, helped piece the difficult (for her) puzzle together.
"...wait...Jorudan?" she asked hesitantly.

[Breitheamh]

"In the flesh," Jorudan says, giving a feline equivalent to a smile and resting back on his haunches.

He suddenly feels a strange urge, and begins to lift his leg, his head going down, before suddenly realizing what he's doing and standing bolt upright, his tale between his legs. "Wait, did I just...was that...oh, boy." He lays down and lets his head rest on his front paws, surprised at how instinctive and natural everything seems to feel, and even a little perturbed.

[Promises Kept]

Ara chuckles at her opponent's banter, and keeps on running.

Run action this round, Double Move in all following rounds until such time as something interesting happens. If there are any obstacles, she'll jump it if it's less than 11 feet tall; she can manage that on a nat 1 on the check. Anything higher, I'll have to think about it. She moves 360 feet this round, 180 in all following rounds. Once she's opened up enough of a lead (1/2 mile? Not sure how the geometry works out on this, but enough so she won't run into any trouble getting back) she'll turn 90 degrees and keep on going until she's certain Tetou is out of the path back to the training grounds, then head back to where they started.

And really, do you expect a poor little int-8 monk to know that the ghost is only sort of a ghost? (And I'm just now understanding why you took Human Heritage. I suppose that a Human *is* a human-descended race, hehe.)

[Necroticplague]

After a moment of muling it over in the chase, Tetou abruptly stops and begins to return to the group. Fight like a humanoid, ey? Well, a good amount of the humanoid races fight through ambushes. Like a spider, she needs only to wait.

Run action back towards rest of us. Once I reach them, I then prepare an action to use Telekinesis once he comes withing 500 feet of me.

[GuyFawkes]

Jillia is amused at the way the fight is unfolding at first, but when they get repetitive and run around chasing each other, this bores her, and proceeds to observe Jorudan and his antics.

"Oh, so you're a shapeshifter? That's handy," she smirks. "Hey, little girl. See, he's not a human now. Maybe that'd remove your inhibitions on hitting him?"

When the two reappear inside the training grounds, Jillia suddenly shouts.

"You two, keep it here inside the training grounds! Unless you want to be like Little Miss Sleeping Beauty over here!"

The training ground is shaped like a football stadium. Roughly the same size as well. It has a couple rows of benches around and a 10-foot wall surrounding it.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey was perfectly okay with never mentioning that event ever again. This was physically evident by her refusal to look in Jorudan's general direction, making a poor attempt to appear as if she had not noticed in the first place.
Jillia's voice startled her, as usual, but she kept more composed this time around, staying focused on not remembering the accidental cat-like habits of those in her proximity.
"Y-yes ma'am!" she responded with a salute, keeping her cone of vision pointed aimlessly towards the sky. In all honesty, it kinda did make her feel less inhibited to hit Jorudan once she found out he had special shapeshifting powers. That was pretty neat, actually, but now she was a little worried that their sparring match would end with her face being mauled off.
"Um." she stuttered aloud, aimed towards Jorudan who she refused to look at, "...just, uh, please don't maul my face off when we're fighting. I like my face."
If she could keep it intact by the end of the day, that would be fantastic.

[Promises Kept]

Oh, that small? Ara jumped the wall the first round, then. Whoops.

A good five or six minutes later, well after Tetou has turned around and returned to the grounds, Ara comes running back towards the training grounds from the side opposite from that which she exited, empty hands held up in a clear gesture of surrender. She takes a flying leap to clear the wall and stands, and lands just before the group standing around on the ground, tossing an odd look at Jorudan's new form, but otherwise not reacting. She quickly shouts, "I surrender! This clearly isn't going anywhere, and I don't feel like being beaten into unconsciousness with rocks."

After a moment's consideration, she shouts up to Tetou, "And I'm sorry for what I said earlier! That was cruel and unwarranted! I was just a little frustrated at not being able to reach you!"

[Necroticplague]

Turning to the instructor she's hovering above (and quite glad she died wearing pants under her dress), tetou seeks confirmation/permission from her instructor. She did say, keep going till she said so, after all.

"Would you allow such surrender, or shall we continue?"

She feels her ability to act on the physical world coming back, and she begins to re-assert her control, through kept at bay.

Standard: Activate Telekinesis. Combat Maneuver Version.

Free:talk.

Note:Still my turn, will continue once answer is given.

[GuyFawkes]

Jillia waves a dismissing hand.

"Yeah, whatever. I guess I kind of have an idea on you two a little," she shakes his head side to side as she speaks.

"All right then! You two sit down. You two," Jillia points at Mal and Jorudan, "front and center. You're up."

"And please, give me a bit of a show, will you, darlings?"

[Hystoriwr]

Okay, this was Malorey's chance to show the scary teacher what she could do. With some skill, a little flare, and an unfairly preposterous amount of luck, she'd make it through this (A) without her face mauled off, (B) as the victor, or possibly (C) with style.
"Yes ma'am!" and a salute, as had been her usual response to everything Jillia had said up to this point, and Malorey jogged to where she assumed 'front and center' was supposed to be, spear in hand and hair flowing like (in her simple mind) a cool-as-heck cape.
She turned to face Jorudan, or rather, the cheetah that was claiming to be him, and made an effort to look calm and collected and not jittery in the slightest at the idea of being clawed at. She even made the mistake of trying to spin her spear like those street-performers did with flaming staves, and was rewarded with a small knock on the noggin for her efforts.
"Ow. A-alright, I'm gonna...go easy on you." she lied terribly, holding her spear with the wooden-end forward so as to not accidentally be skewering her teammates on the first day of sparring.

Malorey is using her longspear to deal Nonlethal damage. Because she sucks at using spears in the first place, let alone special rules for them, she has a total of +2 to hit at the moment.
Her Initiative roll (if we're not going with our previous rolls) is [roll0].
If she's winning initiative, she's preparing an action to bump Jorudan on the snout when he comes within wackin' distance. None of that "bracing for a charge for x2 damage" nonsense; she is not a very clever girl.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan yawns, then suddenly is up in a flash and sprinting toward Malorey. He bites gently at her leg, hoping to knock her off her feet, ending the fight as quickly as possible, with as little damage as possible.

Charge, then attack trying to deal nonlethal, so 8-4+2=6
[roll0]
Then trip attempt [roll1]
Then attack again if trip is successful (improved trip) [roll2]
Damage 1 [roll3] in case of crit +[roll4]
Damage 2 [roll5] in case of crit +[roll6]
Again, all nonlethal

[Necroticplague]

Tetou merely sighs at not getting to continue this thing. And then briefly contemplates the talking cheetah. How is that even possible? It's mouth is shaped way wrong for human speech. Of course, she then thinks about how she doesn't have a physical body to move air around with, so she should be similarly mute. And she is entirely silent when she wants to be, so it's not like their is some displacement.

Ending her field of control, she shouts out at her surrendering partner while she moves to ground level. "O.K., it's safe now."

"Though I wouldn't have been throwing the ground against you. I would have been throwing you against the ground."

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey was having a difficult time keeping her feet on the ground today. Though she still swung at the spotted blur-

To-Hit: [roll0]
Potential Damage: [roll1]

-there wasn't enough time to gauge if she had connected or not before the ground became the sky and she was sporting what felt like a bruise on her side from hitting the dirt. Also, there was a giant cat currently latched to her leg. Today was turning out poorly, and honestly her first thought upon hitting the ground was 'darnit, now I'll have to untangle myself again', followed shortly by 'crabapples, I've got a cheetah on my leg'.
Against the better judgement of someone wiser than she, Malorey attempted to pull herself back up to her feet amidst the cloak of tangled hair, backpedal, and take another swing. Whether any of these actions occurred or not would depend on a certain cat's approval.

Move Action- Stand Up (Provoking AoO)
Free Action- Five-foot Step Backwards (If still standing)
Standard Action- Deliver a Wallop (Whether standing or not)
To-Hit: [roll2]
Subtract 4 from that if she's still prone by the time she attacks.
Damage: [roll3] wackin' damage

[Breitheamh]

After giving Malorey a couple of light nips, just to demonstrate his ability, Jorudan backs off of her and begins to sit back, satisfied with his performance. He is surprised when she takes a swing at him again, and he feels the butt of her spear give him a solid hit.

"Ooof!" he winces at the blow. "Well, I probably deserved that. Do you want to keep going? I don't want to hurt you, and I'm satisfied that I've shown what I can do." He curls his tail around him as he sits down and tilts his head to one side, waiting for her answer.

[Hystoriwr]

It was hard to describe how disconcerting it was to be pounced by a giant cat, only for it to back up peacefully and start talking again. That was probably why Malorey instinctively bopped it on the head; that, and because Jillia told her to, but her mind wasn't occupied with the barely-dressed teacher at the moment.
She dusted off her side, and exhaled, "Ah, no, I'm...I'm good. Just...surprised, is all." she admitted, readying her spear once again in case of another surprise, though she wasn't planning on going on the offensive any time soon. She got one good hit in, though she was definitely on the losing end of this sparring match. "We can, um, keep going. Until Jillia says stop, I mean."
She wasn't looking forward to hitting the ground again, but this was supposed to be her means of impressing her teacher, and if that meant showing how much punishment she could take without complaining, then so be it. She lowered the butt-end of her spear again, this time ready to move if she saw any familiarly hostile blurs.

If Jorudan spent his entire turn, Malorey is just using her standard action for Total Defense, adding +4 to her AC. Otherwise, it's still his turn and he's free to trip her into oblivion.

[Breitheamh]

"Alright," Jorudan sighs. He springs forward again, loving the amazing acceleration his legs can suddenly give him. He runs in a swift zig-zag, hoping to fake her out on his direction. He drops low as he gets close to avoid any swipes and aim for her legs. In a flash, he is on her again, attempting to knock her over.

Not charging this time, and Jorudan is going just for the trip first, no attack before.
Melee touch attack to engage trip [roll]1d20+8[roll]
Trip attempt [roll0]
Attack after trip (nonlethal) [roll1] confirm crit in case [roll2]
Damage [roll3] in case of crit [roll4]

[Hystoriwr]

This time, Malorey was ready. Well, not ready ready, but her inadvertent flinching saved her from a second tumble this time, and she was happy to chalk that up to skill instead of luck. Happy to be on her feet, Malorey took a long step back from Jorudan's advances (not difficult with her long legs) and swung again, cautious not to get within biting range again.

Free Action: Five-Foot Step
Standard Action: Deliver a second wallop (Nonlethal Damage, Fighting Defensively for +2 AC)
Move Action: I guess circle around so she doesn't get pushed into a wall?
To Hit: [roll0]
Potential Damage: [roll1]

[Breitheamh]

Barely fazed by his miss, Jorudan figured his opponent was not as incompetent in a fight as she seemed to think she was. His low posture kept him from being struck by Malorey's wild swing, and as she moved away from him, his instincts took over for just a second, and he turned his body, coiling his legs for a millisecond to give him a boost in his new direction. He was inwardly laughing at the power of his new form, the rough pads and partially extended claws on his paws allowing him to change direction at blinding speed.

He shot toward Malorey again, attempting the same tactic.

Melee touch attack to engage trip [roll0]
Trip attempt [roll1]
Attack after trip (nonlethal) [roll2] confirm crit in case [roll3]
Damage [roll4] in case of crit [roll5]

[Hystoriwr]

Same tactic, same response. Malorey was getting less jumpy as the fight went on, at least, and this time she didn't have to flinch away from the attack; she merely sidestepped Jorudan's swipe like she did last time, stepped backwards again, and thrust once more. Though she wasn't doing terribly poorly so far, she had the nagging feeling that she would be dead by now if this was a real fight. Regardless, she was at least going to keep giving it her best shot, though she hoped Jillia would call them off before she had too many bruises to nurse.

Same as last time: Five-foot step, wallop, fighting defensively.
To-Hit: [roll0]
Potential Damage: [roll1]

[Breitheamh]

"Wow! You're quick!" Jorudan comments encouragingly as Malorey once again dodges his attack. "You should probably swing a little lower, though." He tries to keep his banter friendly, hoping not to seem condescending. He really was impressed with her efforts so far.

In any case, he decides to try and knock her over again. A small part of him wonders if he's just doing this to prove to himself that the first time wasn't a fluke.

Melee touch attack to engage trip
Trip attempt [roll[1d20+7
Attack after trip (confirm crit) [roll2]
Damage [roll[1d6+3 (crit) [roll3]

[Hystoriwr]

"Wow, uh, thanks! You're really-"
Malorey wasn't able to finish that sentence before she hit the ground for the second time that day, this time bashing her hip hard enough to let out a grunt of pain. A second time she scorned herself for her less-than-impeccable balance, and a second time she pulled herself up to swing again. No more talking; she kept getting distracted whenever she started talking, and when she got distracted, she hit the ground.

Move Action: Stand Up (Provoking AoO)
Free Action: Five-foot Step Backwards (If still standing)
Standard Action: Deliver a Wallop (Whether standing or not)
To-Hit: [roll0]
Subtract 4 from that if she's still prone by the time she attacks.
Damage: [roll1] wackin' damage

[Breitheamh]

"Sorry." Jorudan winces as Malorey hits the ground again. When she takes another haphazard swing, he's starting to wonder if there isn't some frustration she's feeling that's keeping her from being accurate.

"I'm really sorry. Are you ok?" he says pleadingly. "You know what, screw it. I SURRENDER!" he shouts at Jillia. He sits down a few yards from Malorey and starts to think about how to change back.

[Hystoriwr]

Jorudan was correct in his guess that there was some frustration getting in the way of Malorey's accuracy, but in her defense, there was also a considerable curtain of hair she had neglected to part before she swung. And swung. And swung again, like a blindfolded birthday-girl at her first piñata, until she realized that her frustrated swings at the air weren't making her look as calm and competent as she would have liked. She hadn't been tripped by the leg for at least twelve seconds, which had to be some sort of record, and also tipped her off that the fight had simmered to a halt again.
She planted her spear in the ground (which promptly tipped over), and parted her hair enough to see Jorudan on his haunches again, a few yards away. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
"...er...is...is it over? Did I do something wrong? Did I lose?"
Win or lose, her entire left side ached and she was feeling hot-headed and a little dizzy and she wanted to lay down. Maybe it was the spinning that did it, or the weeks days without a proper meal. Either way, she was ready to call this fight a loss and accept her poor grade from Jillia. Maybe she'd do better next time?

[GuyFawkes]

Jillia laughs. She laughs a long one before standing up.

"My, my. I seem to have ended up with the good kids. Weird. Why are you even here when you can't even give a damn good beating when told to?" she shakes his head before rummaging in his bag, obtaining from within it three small glass vials containing a clear liquid.

"Here, you two seem to be fine," she says to Tetou and Ara, "so you two drink up," motioning to the other two. "And give the other one to Sleeping Beauty over here. After you wake her up of course," she hands the bottles to Malorey.

"All right. I think I have a rough idea of what I'm working with here. Frankly speaking, you are just good enough for recruits. And the worst of all are your attitudes towards combat. Sure, you're fighting against your team mates, I can understand why you're holding back. But there will come a time when you will meet former comrades or lovers or former allies on the battlefield. When that time comes, will you be ready to raise your arms and fight? Cause I'm sure as hell they won't be holding back."

She pauses long enough for the thought to sink in, but not so much to have them respond.

"But not to worry. Rest assured, I will hammer in those instincts in you soon enough. If you think otherwise, you best leave now. This place is not for you."

Jillia stretches her body by locking her hands above her head and bending left and right. "Right, I'm bored and lazy. That concludes training for the first day. Read up on the rules. You can go anywhere around the camp you want before dinner time. That's at six. Tomorrow I will be at your room at seven in the morning. You best be prepared and done with everything you need to do before then. Dismissed."

With that, she walks off slowly towards the nearest exit.

[Hystoriwr]

Maybe it wasn't the most inspiring speech in the world, but Malorey was expecting a tongue-lashing and a threat of poor grades. She couldn't swing a stick worth a darn, or even keep her own two feet on the ground long enough to swing it in the first place, but it was a helpful reminder that she had come to the Blood Carnival in the first place because of those facts, not in spite of them. She could only get better from this point on, right?

As Jillia meandered into the distance, Malorey reviewed her mental checklist. Semira still had her bell rung, Malorey was holding three vials of what looked like water, and she was supposed to hand them out to Jorudan and Semira (once she was conscious) to somehow alleviate the problem. Then dinner. Eventually. After weeks days of patience, with only a mouthful of jerky to tide her over since this morning. It suddenly occurred to her that she had been given an official assignment from her teacher, and she instinctively reached up for another salute, though it was pointless with the teacher already gone, and she didn't bother with the 'yes ma'am' this time around.

"Er, sorry for smacking you." she apologized upon handing Jorudan his vial, hesitant to discuss the fight further, and she quickly retreated to the unconscious Semira.

"Uh," Malorey crouched beside the least lucid of the group, putting aside the vials for now, "I don't really know...how to, um..."
She rustled Semira's arm, putting her infinite medical knowledge to use. "Are you awake?"

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan concentrates for a moment, then suddenly realizes he is human again. He lets Jillia speak her mind, and doesn't blame her (it is her job, after all), but contempt is clearly written across his face. When she pauses for a moment, he starts to open his mouth to speak, but is cut off when she continues.

He loses himself in memories for a second, and is shaken back to reality when Malorey apologizes. "All forgiven," he answers casually. "I mean, I hit you too, so I'm sorry for that." He downs the vial she hands in one gulp, then follows her to Semira's unconscious body.

"Can I ask you a question, though? Why are you here? You really don't seem the mercenary type." He pauses to let her answer, then, seeing her struggling with Semira, he crouches down and cradles Semira's head in his left arm and holds out his right hand for the vial. "Here, I got it," he gently tells Malorey, gesturing toward their team mate.

[Hystoriwr]

"...is it really...that obvious?" Malorey asked with a frown, scooting aside and handing over the vial to the obviously more educated one. "I mean...uh, yeah, I guess it is. That was my first time using a spear. Or, um, any weapon."
In hindsight, it was a miracle that she didn't poke her eye out, let alone that she landed a single hit.
"But that's why we're here, right? So we can, uh, get better. I mean, I'm not super-great at much right now, but...maybe I'll get better after a while?"
Malorey eyed the single vial left, contemplating what it tasted like, or if it was actually, in fact, water. Only one way to find out, she guessed. She nearly lifted it back to quaff in one gulp like Jorudan had done, but decided to just sniff the thing instead, puzzling over the liquid.
"I sorta assumed that's why everyone came here, right? Cuz...y'know," she fiddled with the vial, "The world is...big and mean and...dangerous, and scary, after all. And unfair. Like, really unfair. Unfairly unfair. So maybe, um, it would be a little less unfair if, y'know, I was...good at something?"
For the most part, Malorey had assumed the same of everyone who wanted to join the Blood Carnival, to a degree. She glanced around, taking note of the blue-skinned girl Ara and the floating white-haired girl Tetou in the vicinity.
"But you guys are all already good at stuff, so...why did you come?"

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan's face grows dark at Malorey's question. He takes the vial from her and quickly turns his head away, then pours the liquid into Semira's mouth. He is silent for a moment before answering, "Because he would have dragged my brother to this rat-hole if I didn't." He lays Semira's head back down and turns to face Malorey, his eyes showing a deep pain and anger that goes far beyond anything she has seen of him before.

After a second, he continues, a slightly forced smile starting to spread across his face, "I didn't mean the question like that, though. Yeah, anyone can get better with practice, and you show some nice potential. But you seem too kind and friendly to come here by choice. Do you know what it means to be a mercenary?"

[Hystoriwr]

Today was just a roller-coaster of emotions, though it would be a good dozen centuries or so before one would be invented. A panicked wake-up, a nice teacher, a tongue-lashing, a pleasant conversation, a frustrating fight, an encouraging word from Jillia, Jorudan's question, then a startling amount of anger, then a compliment about her having potential, and following that pattern she assumed Jorudan's next question was going to be insulting. It was, the tiniest bit, but he probably didn't mean it.
"Well, it's like any other job, right? You get paid to just...go do stuff. Except, you're usually fighting things instead of milking cows or running messages to people. I can't do any of those things, but, um, if I could choose something to be good at, I'd like the one where I can wrestle a bear."
She held up her unoccupied arm, twiggy as it may be, and made a mocking flex-motion.
"A-and win, cuz that would be...a cool thing! I mean, if I could really fight, then the world wouldn't be so scary, y'know?"
She grinned foolishly and shook her head at the ground. Her side still ached from bruises yet to form, and she had yet to drink whatever was in that vial.
"I'm...less sure now, but I'm gonna try anyway. This place is...nice, at least. And they said the food is free. Why do you hate it so much?"

[Breitheamh]

"Well, yes, you get paid to fight. But beyond that, being a mercenary only adds to the danger and unfairness of the world." Jorudan feels the anger start to come back to his surface, and starts to let it out in his words. "Why do I hate it here? Because I was dragged here to keep my family from being murdered! If the man who "recruited" me is anything like the other officers, I just want to keep my head down and try to survive this long enough to find a way out!"

Surprised at the volume of his own outburst, Jorudan takes a step back, shock written in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he starts, trying to calm down, "I'm just..." he sighs.

"Come on. Let's go back."

[Necroticplague]

After a second to listen to their conversation,she floats along and talks to her teammates.

"Why am I here? I'll tell you. My first life was boring as hell. The only path going forward was looking forward to to being a wife and a mother. Nothing of interest. I'd grow old, and die, with the world not even noting my passing. I didn't want that. For a long time, I worshiped fervently, because I'd heard of pious warriors rewarded with the ability to turn into animals, somewhat like you.And I wanted to be able to fly away so I could make my mark on the world. When it became clear that they weren't answering, I tried to sail away instead.

So I'm here so I can be somebody. I will make my mark on history, even if it has to be written in blood, and after my death."

[SubLimePie]

Coughing a fit and lifting her lead slightly, Semira glances around as if surveying her environment.
Clearing her throat and beating her chest, she says, "Ugh... Did someone try to choke me while I was down?"

Then, noticing the wetness on her lips, "Or rather drown me?"

[Necroticplague]

"Oh good, your awake, so we don't have to carry you. Duels are over, we have till 6 to explore as we please. And no, don't kid yourself of your own import, nobody tried anything like that. You've just been lying down down quietly while we had a couple of pathetic duels."

And then addressing the group in more general terms

"Speaking of which, anyone have any idea as to where to hang out until 6? I get the feeling it's probably a better idea to stay in a group."

[Hystoriwr]

As the day was going on, Malorey was learning lots about her new friends. Or rather, she hoped they would all end up friends; Jorudan hated this place with a burning passion, Tetou had a somewhat vague-yet-worrying goal of attaining historical importance through bloodshed, Semira had apparently done something bad enough to warrant the teacher smacking her unconscious, and Ara...Ara was aloof. Malorey felt a little farther from being buddy-buddy than before, if anything. She added more items to her mental checklist.
One: Don't mention the Blood Carnival to Jorudan; he gets extremely upset over the subject, and Malorey had no fantasies about being mauled by his cheetah-form any time soon.
Two: Avoid getting in the way of Tetou's morbid goal; she can throw stuff with magic, and Malorey recently learned that she counted as being "stuff" for this purpose. She also evidently had no qualms with fighting her team members.
Three: Eventually ask Ara about...something. Anything. Or don't, in case Ara also had something to potentially lash out about, like the color of her skin, or her shortness, or how she looked like she was hit by the ugly stick a few too many times. In fact, maybe it was best to avoid any conversation with Ara about her physical looks.
Four: Confront Semira about her newfound consciousness. Now.
"O-oh!" Malorey snapped back into reality, realizing that the girl by her side had regained consciousness (and coughed up quite a bit of liquid). "You're, uh, awake!" she stated the obvious, trying to get her back to speed on what was going on, "The fights are over, and the teacher left, but um, she gave us these things..." she motioned towards her own vial, still untouched, "...though, um...Jorudan tried to give you yours already. I'm pretty sure it worked, because, y'know, you're awake now. At least, I...think it worked." she scratched her head, getting fingers caught in the tangles. She should have brought her brush.
Five: Answer Tetou's question.
"If you want to stay together, we could, um..." Malorey trailed off, realizing just how lost she was at the base of this massive mountain-range that served as the Blood Carnival's territory, "...go walking? Or, um, floating. I still need to turn my spear in, because it's against the rules, but I don't know where to go for that. Maybe we can find a map of this place?"

[SubLimePie]

After a palpable pause, "He... What?" Her tone falters from strongly incredulous to weakly weakly distraught.

Semira brings her fingertips to her moist lips, eyes staring off into the distance, clearly lost in thought.
Then in an uncharacteristically meek voice, "I should thank you... I guess."

I think Semira's in a very confused state right now.
Her entire world view is being challenged, all in one day too!
First she was knocked out in one hit.
Then apparently this guy touched her while she was out (to her the touching is the important bit),
but the gesture was to aid her.
This is very much against her established mental picture of men as abusive, neglecting creatures.

The spark of romance would be pretty interesting!
Her first impression of him was that he's a woman, so having such development and a twist (so early too) would be lots of fun.
I think she just needs a little kindness to nurture her into a blooming flower :P.
(Jorudan's mediocre charisma shouldn't be a debilitating factor)

[Necroticplague]

"The spear-bearer brings up a point, we may as well use this time to pack our things. Pretty sure we don't have to turn stuff in, just leave the non-approved in our quarters. I mean, how are they even gonna handle my stuff, given its location. She's also right in that a map would be useful, as so far only how shiny most everyone else is let me find where to go this morning. We should probably split up on that hand. Me and and the bare-hander can carry our gear back to our quarters, thanks to our mad ups. Meanwhile, the Stabber and the Mauler, can ask around for a map.Or just the location of the most important things. And both groups can meet back here after their tasks are done."

She then opens up a sack she's been carrying with her "Just put your stuff in here, and I can carry it."

[Breitheamh]

As Jorudan rather naively puts his possessions in to the strange floating girl's bag, he addresses Semira, "No need. Anyone else would do the same; I was just closest at the time. I'm not exactly sure what you did, but I don't think it warranted her knocking you out. So far, most of the officers I've met seem a little sadistic." Then, noticing that the weird ghost-girl had neglected to include the young sorceress in her plans, he asks, "Do you want to come with me and Malorey to get a map?"

"Can you stand?" he asks as he offers his hand to help her up, and then continues, "I don't think I caught your name, by the way."

I hadn't intended for Jorudan to have any kind of romance with other party members, although, I've never tried it before in an rpg, so it might be fun. On the other hand, Jorudan is just a nice guy in general, so he will continue to be nice, and if he starts to fall for Semira, so be it, but if he doesn't, I really hope she doesn't get the wrong impression.

[SubLimePie]

Semira opens her mouth as if to speak, but hesitates, weighing the options.
She settles on simply"I'm Semira."

"And yup, I'm fine. Let's go," she says after putting on a brave face, barely able to mask the burning ache in the side of her neck.
She tries to get up with the assist of her arm, but falls back down mid-rise. Going slower the second try, she rises to a shaky stand.
Her lithe legs exaggerate her weakness and seem willing to buckle at any moment.
God am I this weak?

Am I allowed to decrease her CON by 2 and increase her WIS by 2 (and lowering her max HP accordingly)?
As for the romance, we'll just let the characters progress naturally and see what happens :P.
I don't think she knows that she has the inkling of a liking to him; many things are subconscious.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey watched the exchange between Semira and Jorudan, utterly unaware of any implications any of this conversation could hold for the future. She was happy Semira could stand, at least. Less so that she was barely able to keep on her feet. Regardless, there was also a floating Tetou beckoning for Malorey, and though she was none-too-comfortable being around the overtly magical and dangerous girl yet, it would be rude to decline.
Before fully returning Tetou's offer, Malorey busied herself with collecting the sheets of paper from the ground she had dropped in a panicked state from earlier, when Jillia originally gave the order to fight, and put them in a roughly organized -though slightly crumpled- order.
"I, uh, thanks for offering to run these back. I don't know if I could...find our room again, to be honest. Though, um, you might not be able to..."
Malorey attempted to elaborate how Tetou would have to carry her spear back by hand instead of in the bag, but was surprised to find that a visual (half-joking) demonstration of this suggestion wouldn't be possible, as her spear dropped unabated into the cloth sack, which was paradoxically smaller than the spear itself.
"...O-or you can...apparently." Malorey hesitantly admitted, before following up the spear with the carefully-placed stack of papers. She was originally going to leave it at that and make a hasty retreat, but raised one small question on her behalf instead, tapping her fingers together tentatively. "Oh, um, as a favor. When we meet here again...could you, um, bring my hair brush? I think I'll need it. It's on my bed."

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan looks incredulously at the bag as Malorey's spear is dropped inside, and he realizes that he had not even given it a second thought when all of his own equipment had fit as well. He looks at Tetou, a confusion and mixed-feelings apparent in his expression.

"Thank you, indeed, but may I ask what that is?" he asks, pointing at the bag.

[Necroticplague]

At the relatively obvious question, Tetou responds with a deadpan look and and a deadpan reply.
"What's it look like. It's a bag. Don't you guys ever use this to help you carry out the harvest? Its way easier than carrying everything by hand."

And then a more gentle response towards Malorey's request.
"Sure thing. You should try tying it back, so you don't trip over it again later."

And then makes her final preperations before heading up
"Anyone else? I see you still have your shield, for all the good it did you."

[Hystoriwr]

"Ah, um, I'll try it when I get the chance." Malorey agreed, nodding her head and pulling the accused hair into her arms in a half-earnest attempt to straighten it by hand. She wondered how it would look in a ponytail; maybe even braided? It would probably just look like a black rope sticking out of the back of her head. She'd never tried styling it before; the hairbrush she had bought a few days prior was the epitome of her hairdressing experience, and she had made a terrible mistake leaving it on her bed. Having straightened hair, she had recently discovered, was undeniably the greatest feeling in the world. She missed that feeling.
Realizing she had been staring off into space for a few moments, Malorey dropped the knot of hair in her arms and clapped her hands together.
"S-so I guess I'll see you all...later? I'll see if I can find a map with...er, Jorudan and Semira," she struggled with the names for a moment, "So, um, I guess we'll go now."
Semira looked ready to go, but Jorudan didn't quite. Malorey was ready to leave when they were.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan shakes his head slightly at the ghost's nonchalance. He hadn't ever seen such a device before. However, considering he had recently found out he could turn into animals, the girl he was talking to was a ghost, and another girl in their group had blue skin, he decided to just roll with it.

"Yeah, let's go." He gives Tetou one last puzzled look and then follows Malorey.

[Necroticplague]

With the Other group starting to take their leave. Tetou turns to the rapid one and asks "Honestly, I was more focused on following then looking around while we were traveling here. You have any clue which direction we should start heading?"

She then start to go a little higher into the air to try and look around for some sign, about 10 feet off the ground.

[GuyFawkes]

As Semira, Malorey, and Jorudan walk around, they come across other groups of recruits still doing what their respective instructors gave them as their tasks. Some just milling about, looking to be on a tour around the camp, others running around and chasing some weird-looking objects that seem to zip through the air and change directions effortlessly. Others still are fighting each other, much like what they just did.

You exit the training grounds once more and you see more recruits, and others who seem to be recruits but not particularly busy as you are. Maybe earlier batches, you gather. Others still look like mere townsfolk, and you approach one of them, a rather plain-looking young man who seems disinterested with anything around him.

"A map o' this place? Not sure. Ye can check at the Shop Quarters," he says with a noncommittal shrug before lumbering on his way.

Meanwhile, back at the grounds, Tetou tries to find her way by rising up into the air for a better vantage point. She is up around 10 feet into the air, and she could see a rough layout of the camp. The buildings seem to be more on the left part of her, while to the right, a huge wall blocks her view to the north and trees fill the skyline to the south. If she wants to see more detail, she will have to go higher.

[Hystoriwr]

"The Shop Quarters?" Malorey asks aloud, "Where would we...or, um, we could find it on our own, I guess. That's fine too." she hastily lowers her inquiries as the young man simply walks away, showing no sign of pointing them in the right direction. This was one of those catch-twenty-twos, wasn't it? To get a map, they needed to find the Shop Quarters, but to find the Shop Quarters, they needed a map.
"So, um, there's probably a map at the...'Shop Quarters', but I don't know where that is. Is that...a building?" she asks either Jorudan or Semira, whoever was listening. "Does anyone see a sign for it around here?"
Malorey hoped to make this quick; she didn't want Ara and Tetou to be stuck waiting at the meeting place while she was still bumbling around looking for a map. Unfortunately, Malorey wasn't the best at finding things, so she would just have to hope that either of the other two of their small sub-group were more directionally talented than she. In an effort to seem competent, she shades her eyes against the sun while pretending to squint at something real important-like.
"It...should be around here somewhere, right?"

Malorey's laughable Search skill to attempt to find the Shop Quarters, wherever it might be:
[roll0]

[Necroticplague]

Though probably a rash decision, tetou decides to not leave her more groundbound friend behind by going too far up, and returns to ground level "Couldn't tell our quarters from everything else. But most of everything else looks like its that way, so we may as well get going. Keep an eye out for anything that looks familiar." With this, she floats down to ground level and begins moving towards the south, with all the buildings, trying to spot something familar.

If to my right was my north, then my left must be south, with me facing west.
Anyway, search check if needed to find the dang thing:[roll0]

[Breitheamh]

"Yeah, it probably should be around here somewhere. Hmmmm..." Jorudan responds pensivelyto Malorey's open-ended question. He tries to orient himself, muttering his though process as he does. "Okay, we're close-ish to the edge of camp, and the shop quarters seems like it would be near the center. Maybe? Well, okay, there's the sun, and it's still morning, so, that must be east..."

[GuyFawkes]

Jorudan and the rest continue to walk after being snubbed by the young man, asking directions for where to find a map. Unfortunately, it seems the people here are either all snobs or they all have conspired to make the lives of the new recruits hard, and you get nowhere with your questions. As you wander clueless, the young shapeshifter somehow manages to discern something: most of the non-trainees seem to come from one direction. And most of them are carrying items all wrapped up or in packs, like they are newly-purchased.

Meanwhile, Tetou and Ara begin their search as well. However, searching on ground level is proving to be more difficult for the duo, as all the buildings seems identical to you.

[Necroticplague]

"Goddang, these things have almost no distinguishing marks. This night, I'm gonna have to see if I can't find something to write on the wall with." Of course, if nothing else, she has the benefit of time. Given the clueless dolt, the self-centered ditz, and the abrasive ranger, it might take them a while. Tetou, thus, decides to take her time as well, taking a fair amount of time to check, momentarily popping through front doors to check.
Taking 20 this time, for an end result of 22.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan's eyes light up when he sees the pattern in the crowd and he opens his mouth, sharing a silent, "a-ha!" moment with himself.

"Hey, guys. I bet it's this way," he says, beckoning for Semira and Malorey to follow as he starts working his way against the flow of people with packages.

[Hystoriwr]

"It is?" Malorey asked, turning around from the opposite direction she had been investigating for some time now, "I-I mean, yeah, it is! I think....are you sure?"
Seeing how Jorudan was already heading in that direction, Malorey let the question fall on deaf ears, shrugged, and followed behind. If Jorudan had a different idea of where to go than she did, then it was already a step in the right direction.

[GuyFawkes]

Jorudan slowly follows the trail of package-bearing people, and more and more he sees people who look like ordinary folks rather than trainees or Jokers. In a few minutes, the rest of you (if you followed his lead of course could see the occasional stall here or there, then a trickle of more people. The trickle quickly becomes a swell, and more quickly into an ocean of people. To your left and right, merchants yell at the top of their voice, attracting potential customers towards their wares, from different food to armor and weapons to curios and even magical scrolls. Smoke belches from a lot of chimneys and the sound of metal hitting metal and loud conversations come from every direction. Suddenly, you find yourself standing in a place where it looked more like a market square rather than a training camp.

Tetou and Ara, meanwhile, take their time and slowly goes through the maze of buildings. After a while, they begin to take notice of the difference: most of the buildings nearby looks to be dormitories or some multi-purpose ones, and as they walk towards the west, the buildings begin to look like residential and commercial ones.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan walks up to the first stall he sees and asks cheerfully, "Where could I find a map of the camp?"

[SubLimePie]

Semira wordlessly follows Malorey and Jorudan into the den of stalls, attention turned inward in reflection of the day's happenings.
Occasionally, her thoughts are disrupted by the flash of foreign faces, with features alien to her eyes.
The ambient hum of languages too added to the cauldron mixing many cultures, bursting with excitement.

Her quiet sadness is quickly overturned to eager curiosity; she is not one to mope for long anyways.
Among the stalls selling shiny baubles and useless trinkets, Semira singles out a purple half-risen sun - an ancient symbol of magic in her lands.
Beneath this symbol is a claustrophobic doorway, unusually long and comically small, shaded from the sun by its length.

Any sane person would probably steer clear away of this foreboding corridor, maybe imagining it as a portal to an unknown and terrifying world,
but the strength of curiosity is often stronger than that of sanity.

Semira brushes the door open and steps in...

Just to add some excitement, Semira gets temporarily separated from the group :D.
Is this an ordinary magic shop, or something else? Who does she meet in here? So many questions and
decisions for the DM to make :P.

[Necroticplague]

Tetou continues on in her current direction, though uncertain of herself. " Hey, was the place we were in more like a barrack or a dorm? 'Cause it looks like one's one way, and one's in the other." Man, searching for a building in a crowded place is a slow process. While her brain says its only been a few hours tops, it feels like practically a whole month has ground by.

[Hystoriwr]

As trickle turned to torrent turned to flood turned to sea, Malorey found ever-increasing lengths of knotted hair twiddled in her arms, mostly to keep others from stepping on it, and partially to have something to hold while she tried to nervously navigate her way through the crowds upon crowds of unfamiliar faces, keeping only a step or two behind the leading Jorudan for fear of losing her way. It was deafeningly loud, and she kept getting bumped into, and the smell of cooked food coming from somewhere was making her stomach feel like it had grown spines on the inside, and she was pretty sure she just felt a hand in her back pocket, not that she had anything there anyway, and the whole ordeal was turning out to be pretty unpleasant to the point of sucking a whole lot.
She nearly bumped into Jorudan as he came to a sudden halt; her eyes were too wandering above the crowd to find the source of that tantalizing scent to notice that the three had arrived at one of the many stalls, though she was quick enough not to accidentally tackle the lad.
Actually, make that two of them arriving; Malorey's backwards glance revealed a distinct lack of a third of their party. She blinked, and quickly stood on her tip-toes in a vain effort to find the black-haired Semira before finally turning around and meagerly tapping Jorudan on the shoulder with a free hand. He was busy requesting a map from the stall owner, but she felt this was worth an interruption.
"Uh....Jorudan? She's...um, gone. Semira."

[Breitheamh]

"Huh?" Jorudan turns to Malorey, then cranes his neck in every direction, his face quickly falling from self-assured, to worried, to angry, to worried again, and finally freezing somewhere between the two.

"Oh, come on! Semira!" he calls loudly, hoping that his voice will carry over the crowd. He turns back to the stall owner, "We're definitely gonna need a map now. Do you happen to have one?"

[GuyFawkes]

While it took longer than expected, Tetou and Ara did finally make heads and tails out of the layout of the buildings, and soon you are making large progress with your search. You begin to see rather familiar buildings, like that one with the sign bearing a crossed swords out front with the name Dual Wielding Club painted underneath and the small stall that looked like a book store the block after that. Next you see the familiar cul-de-sac where Jillia took you earlier, and from there it was easy. In no time you find your own dormitory building and your own room.
"Map? Ye be lukin' fer them maps? The one with the squiggly lines and names o' places? Yeah, not heer," the young man at the stall replies to Jor's query. "Ye cud try thatta old-lukin' buildin' right there," he points at an obviously old-looking building across the square. "They be sellin' buks and stuff made o' papr." He nods at his words.

"So hey, wanna buy thees cool-lukin' stuffs? Made 'em meself." He shoves his hand forward, revealing a handful of small trinket, each made from different material like a piece of stone or string or broken glass, but skillfully and rather tastefully, you are surprised, made to resemble famous Jokers, like the Three Founders he has on his hands, and a handful other on the table between you. "Only 2 copprs a piece. See thees string right heer? Yoo can use 'em for stringing up yer keys, or other small items. Pretty usefool, eh? Pretty and usefool," he says before bursting into laughter.

"Thees tho' are worth 5, since theyr me bestsellrs," he refers to the Three Founders. "I can geev you thees three for 12 cops, though. The rest, I geev you one for free if yoo buy three. Introductory price, since you lot seem to be new heer. Trainees?"
A soft tinkling sound accompanies you as you step through the threshold of this mysterious-looking place. Based on the facade of the shop outside, you had the impression of it being a place dedicated to the arcane arts or other mystical practices, an you expected to see piles of books and scrolls and wands and other magical artefacts. But what greets you is a rather bare room, with a large counter opposite you, and nothing but a bench to your right, along the wall. Beside that is a small potted plant, and beside that still are large posters showing women draped in elegant fabrics.

From behind the counter, you hear a small thump, and out of the corner, you see a small person, a halfling woman, peer at you behind bespectacled eyes. She looks neat and her hair is all tied up in a bun, her dress simple yet fashionable. Looks to be in her middle years, you reckon.

"Yes, good day. How may I help you, madame?" she greets you with a smile.

[Hystoriwr]

"O-ooh...pretty." Malorey didn't quite understand everything the peddler said, but the baubles on the tables fascinated her nonetheless, and she reached out to touch one with an unoccupied hand before recoiling and looking back to the mash-faced man once she realized her pockets were empty. "Erm, I...don't have any coppers. Sorry." she admits, backing down from stall with a sheepish smile, "They're real pretty, though, so...maybe later? Um, before we go, have you...seen our friend, Semira? She's about..." Malorey stood up straight and held her unoccupied hand horizontally, leveled at roughly and inch or two below bottom of her chin, "...this tall?"
After some guesswork, she moves the hand in Jorudan's direction, matching his height (which was a bit lower than her last assumption), "...erm, this tall, I mean. She has black hair, and, um...she's carrying a book too. I think."

"Wow, y'all are short."

[SubLimePie]

Slightly surprised, but curiosity unabated, Semira's eyes scan across the barren room to settle on the potted plant.
Walking towards the plant she says inattentively, "Can you tell me a bit about your store?"

Now next to the plant, she sees that it isn't anything she's seen before - a small tree with its trunk replaced by vines twisting onto itself.
She reaches out a hand to trace the vines down to the soil, half expecting the plant to react.

Yeah, Semira can get carried away with curiosity sometimes. Luckily, she's not a cat :P!

[GuyFawkes]

"Lotssa gurls pass by heer. Wouldn't know if I saw yer friend," he shrugs. "How 'bout ye, dude? Thees are great for keepin' yer items sorted, mhmm." he asks Jorudan.
"Oh, yes. We are a specialty store. We make dresses for all sorts of occasion. But what sets us apart from most other tailors is that we use a little bit of magic on our dresses," the proprietress answers. "Not unlike your magic gear, but the magic we use is more for form rather than function. Like making the colors change to suit your mood, or have the dress actually change form upon the wearer's whims.

"You see, we are from a line of magically-adept warriors of the past. The sign outside is a testament to that. However, the interest was lost from the time of my grandmother. We do possess the talent, but it only sees use as I have told you now." The halfling smiles.

"So, what will it be young miss? An evening gown perhaps?"

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan snaps out of the slight daze of trying to trace their steps through the crowd and pick out where Semira might have gone missing. "No, sorry," he says politely to the trinket-seller. "Come on, Malorey."

He gestures for Malorey to follow as he walks away, craning his neck to see the signs of the stores around the square and the wares of the peddlers at their stalls. "Alright, what do we know of Semira? What would catch her attention and make her wander off?" he asks half to Malorey and half to himself, followed by some mutterings of "This is just like Mellis. At least he was tall."

[Hystoriwr]

"...huh?" Malorey snapped out of her trinket-ogling to see Jorudan already taking his leave, and resumed her regular hunched posture to quickly follow, grabbing all the hair she could to avoid any painful missteps.
She craned her own neck in an attempt to make out Semira from the sea of faces, even standing up straight to see over the majority of the crowd, but no dice. She wracked her brains for something she knew Semira would wander off for. This amounted to very little, as Malorey had only known the girl for less than a day.
"W-well...she, um...she was carrying around that book...and...she can do magic..." she tapped on two fingers, trying to find a third thing that she could point out about Semira that would help them find her. What would make Malorey wander off at this point would be a meal. Any meal. Any of the multitudes of smells coming from this market. Sweet gods she was hungry.
No no, they were trying to find Semira. If Malorey got distracted, she was likely to get lost herself.
"M-maybe she's...um, shopping for books then? Um, magic books? Or, um, she...could be hungry, and got something to eat...or..."
Malorey was out of ideas after that last bit. She gave a helpless shrug, defeated.

[Necroticplague]

"Thank the gods this is finally all over with, now we can finally drop this crap off."
She opens up a chest in the room before turning her bag inside out, spilling its contents. Some of its doesn't really fit well, like the spear (which is a bit long), so she settles for leaning it against the bedframe. Of course, then the issue of her own equipment comes to mind. How does she keep it from just floating away? She eventually figures out a little workaround: put ethereal equipment in the bag. Have corporeal object (in this case, a corner of the chest) be partway in the bag to keep it still. Looks a bit funny, but it works. She should probably feel less unencumbered, but none of that crap weighed anything anyway. Back out the door, she then heads back for the arena. While that would involve more looking around, she takes up to the air. The freaking size of it should make it a pretty easy find from up here.

[SubLimePie]

Wow, one dress... for all occasions?
I sure hate luggage.

Without waiting for the shopkeep to finish her sentence, Semira chimes, "I'll take one!"

Her thoughts trail off into a stream of dress designs, the thought of some of them tinting her cheeks red.

Having a dress that transforms on a whim sounds incredibly overpowered, there are limitations, right?
If not, then it could be abused as cheap camouflage a la the chameleon. Regardless, it'll be good for disguises haha.

If it's not obvious by now, Semira's kind of a pervert :P.
Probably a product of her curiosity and the forbidden-fruit syndrome during later childhood.

As for dress design, what about something like this (http://doradlove.blogspot.hu/2014/07/grey-lines.html)

[GuyFawkes]

It does not take long for you to see the grounds, and you do not even have to go up into the air that high, for as large as it was, your dormitories, you came to notice, was quite near it. Looking down, however, you could not blame yourself, well not that much, for having quite a hard time getting back here; the crisscrossing streets and alleyways were indeed labyrinthine in their structure. Not much forethought for a training camp.
"Wonderful!" the halfling lady smiles. She then moves towards you and puts a hand on your back to usher you. "If you please, this way so we could discuss the details of the dress of your choice, and of course, the price."

You are led to around the counter where you see that the room is still minimally-decorated save for a low table, suited for the proprietress' size. On top of it is a pad full of sketches of dresses and a pen. The halfling then pulls the chair back, sits on it, and grabs the pen. She looks at you and speaks.

"Now, young miss, please describe what you have in mind."

[Breitheamh]

"Magic. Right. Excuse me," Jorudan says politely as he tries to get the attention of a shopper. "Can you tell me where..." his question trails off as each person he asks brushes past him without a second glance.

The young shapeshifter purses his lips in frustration and strains to make out the signs on various buildings. "Alright then, Malorey, start looking for magicky-looking shops."

[SubLimePie]

"You want me to describe it? I thought you said it could change form on a whim," she said, slightly indignant.

Why does she need to know, can't I just change it afterwards? She thinks while folding her arms, subconsciously guarding
her body from the nosy proprietress' probing pen and groping gaze. The prospect of describing what she'd like to have
hug her body clearly causes her some distress.

"Where are your dresses anyways?"

[Hystoriwr]

"Magicky-looking shops...uh, got it!" Malorey nodded in agreement, standing up straight again and peering over the crowd. She hadn't been in very many magic shops over the course of her life, but she assumed it would have a sign denoting it as such (otherwise how would anyone find it?), or be in one of those big tents with stars sewed onto the outside, like a big wizard's hat.
She spotted a couple of stalls that were hanging various delicious, delicious salted meats for sale, and she could see the man selling those pretty baubles over the heads of the crowd, but no giant wizard hat-shaped shops were immediately noticeable. She stood on her tip-toes to get a better view, holding an arm out for balance.
"Erm...what...would a magicky-looking shop...look like?" she asked aloud, not sure if her mental rendition of their goal was the same as his.

[Breitheamh]

"Good question," Jorudan replies as he continues to crane his neck and turn in place, looking slightly ridiculous and completely out of place. He pauses and gives Malorey's question some thought before answering, "I guess...maybe weird-ish signs? I really don't have any experience with magic. Um, I guess look for stuff that stands out? Maybe a book with an eye on its cover, or a sun disk and stars? I really don't know."

In his single-mindedness, Jorudan had barely been paying attention as the tinker was answering his questions, but then he remembered. He snaps his fingers and smiles. "Wait! Didn't that stall-keeper say something about a book shop across the street? Come on!" he says excitedly, not waiting for an answer before heading in the direction that the stall-owner had indicated.

It's not long before he sees the store and dashes in through the front door, heedlessly yelling to no one in particular, "Hello!? Do you sell maps?! Or have you seen a girl come through here?! Black hair!? Pretty!?"

[GuyFawkes]

You try to ask around but unfortunately, either people just makes it their habit to ignore you or they are just too busy with whatever they are occupied with. You also look around for any signs of magical shops, but with all the different shops and the people blocking your view, you cannot make out much of the signs, with some of them in a different language you know not of. Jorudan does manage to catch a glimpse of a rather claustrophobic doorway, unusually long and comically small with a purple half-risen sun as a sign on top of it. But as you recall the words of the trinket vendor, you proceed across the plaza and towards the building he pointed to be a shop selling books and similar articles.

As you push open the double doors, you find the inside to be well-maintained, a stark contrast to the facade of the building. You also notice it to be quite spacious. To your left and right, tall shelves full of assorted books and tomes and scrolls lined the length of the room, about three to each side. Above you, there is a four-feet wide walkway fixed to the wall about fifteen feet high, giving access to yet more shelves fixed to the wall going up to the ceiling. Sliding ladders litter the walkway here and there for access to books on the top levels.

To your right is a small wooden counter, and a bespectacled young lady smiles at you and greets you. "Uhm, I am afraid there was no such lady that went here recently. And yes, maps? Right this way, please." She walks off to the side and around the corner further to the right of the room. At the end of the wall, you see a couple of baskets with rolled up parchment or paper or vellum stacked neatly, others in scroll cases, others just tied with a satin ribbon.

"Which map might you be looking for, sir?"
"Why yes, we do have that. But that is just one of the dresses we offer. Although for that, that one is rather pricey and takes quite some time to finish. Not that I doubt you are not capable of purchasing it," she explains with a sheepish smile. "Also, we have other options. As I have said, we could have something like a dress that changes color depending on your mood, or have a ball gown change into another ball gown, but not another type of dress. These ones are easier and faster to make, and considerably less costly."

[Breitheamh]

"Just a map of the camp, if you would be so kind. Do you happen to know of any magical shops around here? That strange, tiny doorway with the purple sun over it seemed promising, but while I'm here I might as well ask." Jorudan flashes the young bookkeeper a winning smile.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey flashes her own smile, though it's less winning and more nervous, and nods along with Jorudan.
"Uh-huh! We're...er, looking for a friend too. She's...um..." to avoid comparing to her own height, she points to Jorudan with a free hand, "...about that tall, and she has black hair down to...here..." she cut a finger at her shoulders, which was comically shorter than the balled-up mass of hair in her arms, "And...um...she carries a book! Have you, um, seen her? Her name's Semira."

[GuyFawkes]

"Oh, that's easy." The lady bends rummages around the stack and pulls one of the scrolled up sheets, tied with a ribbon, and looks to be made of paper. She smiles and hands it to you.

"There are lots of magic shops here in the Shop quarter, but unfortunately I am no expert with them. I do know of that shop with the purple sun. But it's not a magic shop. Well, not per se. They sell clothing with a little bit of magic. That's it."

Turning to Mal, she shakes her head and replies. "No, unfortunately we have not had any customer of that sort or name, I'm sorry. Would that be all?"

[SubLimePie]

Ugh, do I look poor? Maybe I should wear more jewelery?

Slightly annoyed, she tersely says, "Mmm OK. In that case, how about something functional - short with no frills.
Don't bother with the colour changing, I always take them in black."

"Something like this," Semira says as she motions her hand to bring a life-like image rotating in front of her.
http://ivy-blu.fashionstylist.com/ls/neiman-marcus-last-call/ivy-blu/ivy-blu-asymmetric-waist-sheath-dress-noche-blue-j.jpg
It's considered a sheath dress in case that's needed information for morphing

Aw it's just a regular clothing store :P? I was hoping it'd be something more sinister like a human trafficking den
where they knock you unconscious when you go to change into their dress or something of the sort.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan's smile fades. He takes the map and nervously fiddles with the ribbon around it. "Yes, thank you. How much will that cost?" he asks somewhat dejectedly.

[GuyFawkes]

"No, no, that one's for free. You are trainees, right?" the woman smiles. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

As you open up the scroll, you see a quite detailed map of the training facility. As you can see, the whole facility is roughly divided into four sectors by two large streets that divides the facility lengthwise and crosswise. Smack dab in the middle is a large oval labeled the Training Grounds. To the northwest, you can see it is lined with lots of buildings, and is labeled the Trainee's Quarters. One of the larger buildings here is labeled the Trainee's Dormitories; you figure this is your sleeping quarters, and probably where Tetou and Ara are right now.

To the north-east is a big rectangular area which is just blank. The only thing written on it are the words The Field. Below the field, the south-east sector, is labeled The Zoo, and from the looks of it, is mostly trees. Only a small group of buildings grouped into a circular arrangement in the middle of a small forest can be seen here, and it is labeled the Arcanum Ward.

The south-west quadrant is labeled the Shop Quadrant, where there are lots of buildings and labels that sound like shop names. At the center of the quadrant is a large square labeled Carnival Plaza. This is where you are right now, you reckon.
"Excellent taste, young miss," the halfling smiles. She looks at the image and begins sketching it on her pad, and a few deft strokes after, she has most of the design copied down.

"Mhmm, yes. The enchantment for changing into similar dresses would cost you 50 gold pieces in total. The enchantment for transforming it into any kind of wardrobe, that would be 250 gold pieces. Which one will you be getting, young miss?"

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey looked as downtrodden as Jorudan did at the realization that they weren't having much luck finding Semira, up until the news came in that they could have the map for free. She lit up with a smile.
"O-oh! Thank you so much! We're trainees, like...um, a lot of people, yeah! Thank you!"
She was a little too excited that the bespectacled lady was being nice. As she looked at the map from over Jorudan's shoulder, she wondered for a moment what the 'Zoo' could be, and decided to pay it a visit...later, when they had Semira back. For now, they had a map, and that little step of good luck was making her day. She looked back up to the lady, another question flitting into her mind.
"Um...since this is a...uh, shopping place, is there somewhere to buy...clothes? This is...my only pair right now." Malorey meekly referenced to the chain shirt, worn pants and boots she had slept in last night...and the past few weeks. At least the shirt was relatively new.
"And...um...a place to get the copper to buy them, too."

[Breitheamh]

"Oh." Jorudan perks up slightly at the mention of free things. "Yeah, we're trainees," he says as he unrolls the map. Independent of Malorey, he makes a mental note to go see the "Zoo" and figure out why it seemed so mysterious.

When Malorey mentions trying to find money to buy herself some other clothes, Jorudan looks at her in bewilderment. He composes himself and tells her, "Don't worry about it. She said that purple-sun place sold clothes. We can go there, look for Semira and get you some clothes at the same time. And don't worry about the money; I can pay." He gives Malorey a big smile, trying to hide his sadness behind his eyes.
He never thought of himself as wealthy, but now he realizes just how fortunate he really is. It practically breaks his heart to see poverty.

[GuyFawkes]

"Uhm, yes. He is right," the storekeeper says to Mal regarding the dress shop. "There are also more cheaper shops just around this square alone, since they sell mundane clothing, as opposed to that place's magical ones. As for uhm, obtaining copper, do you perhaps mean work? Hmm, I am sure there are a lot of establishments looking for help, but I doubt you'd have the time. With the training and all."

"Well then, I shall leave you two here. If you have any other questions, I shall be at the counter. Have a good day!" The lady smiles at you two and makes her way back to the store counter.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey laughed a nervous, fake laugh, trying to play it off and not get super excited.
"Haha, oh wow, um, thank you! Y-you don't really...um, need to!" she replied, "I didn't mean I don't have...um, any copper, just uh...left them in my..."
Don't say 'other pants', don't say 'other pants', Malorey for Gods' sake, do not say 'other pants'.
"...not my...other...pants."
Nailed it.
"H-how's about that clothes store, huh?" she gave an exaggerated shrug, taking long strides towards the door, "I bet they've got clothes, right? Haha, like clothes stores...do! I'm gonna go check that out! Like you said!"
Malorey strode backwards through the open exit with all of the grace of a cat taking the ALS ice-bucket challenge.

[SubLimePie]

When she hears the figures "50" and "250", Semira's shoulder slackens and arms relax to her side,
releasing a mental sigh of relief, phew, how embarrassing it would be if I couldn't afford it!
Not being accustomed to spending money herself instead of getting whatever she wanted,
Semira thought the price of a good dress would be worth thousands of gold, and a magical one tens of thousands.

Still, to maintain the illusion that she wasn't concerned about the prices or overjoyed at being able to afford it,
she struggles to keep her tone level - almost succeeding but for a few oddly pitched syllables as she says
"Regardless, I like this dress and in black. I'll take it as is."

Immediately afters these words leave her mouth, the thought of passing up on a polymorphic dress starts to haunt her.
She stands there, eyes transfixed on the ground and brows furrowed in concentration, secretly wishing she had an excuse
to go for the polymorphic enchantment. Ah right, camouflage and infiltration! That could work.

"Mm, on second thought. I'll take it with both the colour and shape changing enchantments."
"Might be useful for camouflage and infiltration," she says with a conclusive smile.

[Breitheamh]

Despite his compassion, Jorudan can't help but raise an eyebrow as Malorey stumbles out the door. "Don't worry about it," he says quietly to no one in particular.

He follows her out to the street and looks around to find the sign that had caught his eye before. "Aha!" he shouts as he spots the purple sun again. He gestures for Malorey to follow as he takes off down the street, trying to weave his way through the crowd. When he reaches the door, he bursts through, nearly knocking the wind chimes onto the floor.

When he sees Semira, Jorudan stops short, his mind racing between relief and anger. Finally, he settles on, Semira! There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

[Hystoriwr]

Malrey peeked her head through the opening curtain, just catching the tail end of Jorudan's frustration. She immediately noticed Semira, and she lit up in relief.
"O-oh, Semira! Hi! Um...what Jorudan said!"
The relief turned to wonder as Malorey took in the surroundings of the inside of the shop, looking quite foreign to her, while distractingly pretty at the same time. She stepped inside, ducking under the doorway and holding the mat of hair in her arms like a stuffed animal, feeling out of her element as usual.
"So...erm...what...what are you doing here? Are you...buying clothes too? Do you only have one pair?" she asked, trying to find some level ground to have a conversation on.

[GuyFawkes]

"But of course," the halling smiles and writes down the notes below the drawing. As she finishes, she hops down and goes towards the counter. She hops up the high stool next it and grabs another pen and paper.

"That would be 300 gold pieces in total," she says without turning towards Semira. "As such, we would require half of the payment now, and half as you return for your merchandise. We can finish this in tw-"

Her words are cut off as a violent crash and loud ringing of the chimes came with the sudden appearance of a young man surprises the proprietress, almost making her jump off the stool.

"Oh! Oh dear, please do not do that, sir. You are going to give me a heart attack," the halfling lady says, clutching her chest as she breathes deep. As soon as she regains her composure - after Mal enters, whose appearance also gives her a bit of a shock - she smiles at the two and greets them.

"Yes, sir, madam, how may I help you? Oh, you are acquaintances?" she turns to Semira as the two regard her.

[SubLimePie]

For a moment Semira just stands there, confused why the two seem surprised, forgetting that she wandered off in the first place.

"No, this isn't my only pair," she says defensively as soon as she recovers from her momentarily daze.
"And yes, these two are acquaintances, now what were you saying about how long it'll take?" Semira continues, turning her side
to the two that inopportunely barged in.

[GuyFawkes]

"Hmm? Ah yes," the proprietress looks back to Semira. "We will have it done in two weeks time. Would you require anything else? Your friends, perhaps?"

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan nudges Malorey with his elbow and tries to tell her discreetly, "If you need clothes, now's the time to say."

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey stares around the pretty, magical tent, a look of wonder overtaking her uneasy smile.
That is, until she feels an elbow in her side, still bruised from this morning. She lets out a small gasp of pain and jumps to respond.
"O-oh yeah! Um, I'm here for clothes too! Just-"
The multitudes of cloths and materials peppering the surroundings held her eye with a sparkle, but she snapped out of it; she didn't have the time to save up for those, and she definitely didn't feel it was right to ask Jorudan to pay for something frivolous.
"-just, um, n-normal clothes. Please." she kindly asked the bespectacled halfling, a sense of longing in her voice.

[GuyFawkes]

"Yes, that can be arranged. However, we do not have ready-made ones right now, so it will take three days to make yours. If that is fine with you, this way please so you can tell me the design you want and take your measurements," the halfling points to the back area where she and Semira were earlier.

[Hystoriwr]

"M-measurements?" Malorey repeated, uncomfortably unfamiliar with the term in this context. The last times she bought clothes, it was a 'pick something that looks your size' deal, which...granted, was a pain with her figure. Any pants long enough to fit length-ways would have big enough pant-legs to fit her torso through, and for that matter, shirts were their own problem altogether. It was a wonder the metal shirt she bought actually fit her, and she could never pull it down far enough to tuck in, and not even to mention how impossible it was to put on when she had to it pull down past her...gah, it was all such a pain in the patootie!
Malorey nodded after her initial hesitation and absentminded staring, suddenly all on-board with the idea of, for once, owning a set of clothing that fit properly. She wasn't sure how the (no insult intended) small woman was going to reach all the way up to take her height, but that was probably why the kind halfling woman was a professional, and Malorey was not. She approached the area Semira was standing earlier, sidestepping the girl herself, and let the balled-up mess of hair in her arms drop to the floor behind her.
Now for the design. Malorey didn't know lickety-split about how to design anything, let alone clothes. She liked hearts; that was a start. Her mind leapt to last night, when the entire gang was discussing a group-symbol and using the walls as a very...erm, interesting medium to display their ideas on. Many of them were pretty. Many of them were confusing. Malorey liked how the end-product was a pleasant mixture of confusing and pretty. She also had no idea exactly what it looked like, and if she did, how she was supposed to communicate that with the fashionista was beyond her.
"Erm...maybe it could be something...like a shirt! A-and pants. And...boots?" the last part was lilted as a question, because Malorey had no idea how the art of clothing-design stretched past simple words like 'shirt' and 'pants' and 'boots'. Finally, she looked helplessly back towards the other two standing near the entrance, and back to the halfling.
"Um. Just. Something that...fits. And maybe...looks nice? Oh! Can you make it red? Like the um...the color they told us to choose? And there should be a heart on it! Like the one we made for our group! Hey, Semira!" she waved giddily down to the entrance to get her attention, growing steadily more excited, "Um, do you remember that heart? The one you made at the room last night with your magic? Can you do that again? Please? A-and in that red color I chose? Ohmygosh, and a smiley face- u-um, no wait, forget the smiley face, just the heart!" she had to pace herself, her smile becoming wild with ideas that weren't particularly good nor fashionable.

Malorey's clueless on clothing design obviously, but the most I can conjure up is the lyrics to the song I now have stuck in my head forever (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7aDstrDMf0), color-coded to her dialogue color, and with the team's symbol displayed. Aside from that, if anyone else wants to weigh in (either in or out of character) with a snazzy hat or cool dress idea, they're free to!

[SubLimePie]

"Mm, I have just the thing in mind," Semira says as sparks in the air dance around like fireflies and coalesce to a life-sized image.
Quick painting after being inspired by Hystoriwr's song link haha. It's a long jacket that extends far enough to be a short skirt as well :P.
The rest of the outfit include some oxford blue stockings, and some timberland boots like this (http://tbl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTBL1-14014499t240.jpg).
Not exactlyyyy sure what our heart symbol actually likes like, and because she asked for a smiley as well, hence the armband haha. http://i.imgur.com/jIn1YDh.jpg

[Hystoriwr]

"Oh. OH. OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH YES!" Malorey's smile would have cleft the top of her head off if such a thing were possible. She had seen prettier things in her life; not many, but a few. However, she had never, ever imagined herself wearing anything like it, and the sudden reality of that possibility, seeing a (somewhat faceless) image of herself, all prettied up and confident and respectable, suddenly gave her a reminder of just why she had trekked for weeks to join this Blood Carnival in the first place. It was inspiring, and a little terrifying at the same time.
She thought she felt butterflies in her stomach for a moment, but those were other things she had momentarily forgotten to pay attention to. Heat of the moment and all. She calmed down considerably with that rather blunt reminder, returning her hands folded in front of her, instead of hesitantly reaching for the floating image. She kept a close eye on every detail she could see, drinking it in with sparkling eyes. She suddenly turned back to look towards the halfling, fingers fidgeting with each other excitedly as she pointed towards the effects of Semira's spell.
"C-can you do that?! I want that! Oh my gosh it's perfect!"

[GuyFawkes]

"Yes, yes of course. Lovely!"

The halfling lady holds Mal's hand and pulls her toward the tall stool. She hops up and from the drawer takes some measuring tape. "Come here, dear," she motions to the gal for her to come closer and immediately takes her measurements, around her neck, her chest, waist, down and around her arms and legs, with precise movement that shows her mastery of her craft.

In a minute, she is done and hops down and sits on the smaller stool, where she picks up her pencil and turns the page on her drawing pad and immediately juts down notes. She looks at the image made by Semira and copies it, adding a few bits of modification here and there. When it was all done, she stands up and looks at Mal.

"All done. That will be 50 gold pieces. A bit pricey, I admit, but we use only the finest of materials and our craftsmanship is next to none. Plus, all our clothing comes with standard magic, in that they never get dirty. Unless from magical effects, of course. As with your friend here, we require half of the payment up front and the rest upon claiming."

[Breitheamh]

While the craftswoman works, Jorudan turns to Semira.

"Are you okay?" he wonders. "Nothing happened to you to make you wander off? I mean, if you want to go do something yourself, I don't mind, just let us know next time. We were kind of freakin' out." He smiles at her. "But, everything's okay, right?"

When the seamstress finishes taking measurements and sketching, Jorudan smiles at Malorey and gives her a thumbs up, then hands 25 gold coins to the halfling woman. "When will that be ready?" he asks.

[Hystoriwr]

"F-f-...fifty?" Malorey's smile cracked at the sound, "...gold?"
She must have misheard. Gold was used for things like...buying a cartload of fish, or a barrel of pepper, or other stuff that merchants would buy in bulk. Fifty gold was like...like buying a year's worth of food.
Silver. She meant silver, Malorey decided. Fifty silver was still more money than she'd held in her life at the same time, and more than enough to support anyone for weeks on good food, but if suddenly magic was getting involved in the making of this clothing, she supposed fifty silver- oh dear that was gold Jorudan was handing over wasn't it. Bona fide, glimmering handfuls of the stuff. Just one of them was worth one-hundred copper, which was worth like, ten meals, and right in front of her was a solid handful of it being handed over nonchalantly. She watched the money change hands with a silent, internal scream, suddenly realizing the fiscal magnitude she had walked into without knowing.
She also realized that Jorudan, and Semira as well for that matter, were another caliber of wealthy entirely. Like, more than rich. The rich that rich people wished they could be, which raised a whole bunch of questions that Malorey was still too stunned to answer.
She raised an shaky thumbs-up in response, more or less showing her teeth in an effort to smile back.

[GuyFawkes]

"Yes, thank you," the halfling seamstress receives the payment graciously. "As I have said, the lady's dress here will finish in 3 days. The other dress will take a fortnight, since hers needs magical alterations to be made. And your payment please?" she asks Semira.

[SubLimePie]

"Mhm, I'm fine," Semira says, her eyes grazing past his.
Then briefly, her full lips dip down into a smile. This is how to be social right? You have to smile?

Turning to the seamstress, she casually hands over a copious amount of gold coins, without counting them out exactly as Jorudan has done.
Her absent gaze - the mark of a frequent big spender, or someone who has no conception of money's value - says a silent "keep the change."
Counting coins is obviously more suited to peasants and accountants, and far from being worthy of her time.

Mechanically, Semira pays 10% more for items when she doesn't count out the exact amount, just a consequence of her personality :P.
So that's 132 gold coins paid (deducted from character sheet)

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey coughed into her hand quite loudly, turning her head away from the transaction and trying not to freak out.
She didn't know that many coins could even fit into that little bag of Semira's.
Evidently either Semira was the daughter of the king of the planet, or Malorey had sorrowfully missed the memo about adventurer wealth-by-level.
Another stolen glance revealed that she wasn't even paying in platinum. She wasn't even counting it. She didn't even care. Even when she tried her best not to look, the jingle-jangling waterfall of coins in her ears felt like it was tearing something out of her. It didn't even last that long before the price was paid, but she felt a little sick by the end of it, thinking about all of that money being spent on...whatever it was Semira was buying here. And Malorey herself, for that matter, had racked up enough of a bill to otherwise cover a year's worth of living expenses with a single set of clothing. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in weeks, and just spent a year's worth of food on clothing with money that wasn't even hers to begin with.
Day one of the Blood Carnival, and she sort of wanted to retreat to a corner and hit her head against a wall for a little while. So far, so good.
Quickly whispering something along the lines of a thanks, Malorey suddenly stood up from her stool, trying not to look troubled (and failing), and strode exit-wards as fast as her legs could take her without picking up from a walk. She had some things to think about.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan does a bit of double-take as Malorey walks out of the shop. He notices her uncomfortableness with the situation and frowns confusedly at Semira before following her outside.

He puts a hand on Malorey's shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?" he asks her.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey flinched at the hand on her shoulder, expecting her elite stealth skills to let her pass without a trace upon her exit. Apparently not.
"HAHA WHAT." she spun around upon flinching, calming down considerably afterwards, once she realized it was just Jorudan.
"I-I mean, yeah! I'm fine. Great. Just...um, getting some air!" she inhaled deeply to sell her poorly-crafted lie, before suddenly becoming very interested and leaning forward, trying to hold a painted smile, "H-hey, real quick...um, just...no reason or anything for asking haha, but gold coins are, um, still worth ten silver coins each, right? Is that still how it works?"
The smile was reasonably fake, but an eyelid twitched every now and then for an unsettling sight. Malorey's mind raced to make sense of the fiscal differences here.
Maybe at some point, someone discovered enough gold to make it worth a whole lot less? Like, so much less that using gold coins was suddenly totally normal for buying clothes? That would explain a whole lot, like how Jorudan, the person standing right on front of her, was able to carry around a year's worth of living expenses in his back pocket. And how Semira could buy a small village with pocket change if she felt like it.

[Breitheamh]

"Yes, it is," Jorudan answers cautiously. "Is that what's bothering you? How much money we just spent?" He tries to give Malorey a reassuring smile, but he finds it difficult not to be reminded of the vast differences in their economic status, which saddens him and dampens the smile.

[GuyFawkes]

"Thank you, my lady," the halfling bows as she receives your payment. "I will begin on your orders immediately. Is there anything else you need?"

[Hystoriwr]

"Whaaaat?" Malorey replies with a cracked smile, trying to look surprised, "Nooo, hah, I was just...um...wondering. Is all. I mean. It's not like that was...that expensive. Just f-...fifty gold coins. Normal stuff. Haha."
Despite all of Malorey's efforts to avoid the topic, both she and Jorudan probably knew full well what was on her mind. However, this wasn't going to stop her from dancing around it in some desperate hope of fitting in.
"So um- Just a really quick question. Again. Totally random. But uh. H-how did you make that...um, how does one...er...?" Malorey was finding it very difficult to phrase this in a neutral fashion, but exactly how Jorudan came across that much money without immediately retreating to a life of luxury was something she wanted to know. For personal reasons. Mostly concerning her poor stomach.
"...so...um...d-do you...uh, kill people for a living, or...?"
She had intended for that to be said in a charming, sarcastic tone that could never be interpreted as anything but a joke. Malorey was evidently not capable of charming, sarcastic tones of any sort, joking or not.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan's face darkens. "No. I don't. And I hold out hope that I never will." He looks at Malorey with controlled anger burning behind his eyes. Then he softens a bit as he continues, "Why would you ask me that? And I'm begging you, don't say that you're 'just wondering.' I know something's bothering you and I want to help if I can."

[Hystoriwr]

Now, Malorey didn't have Sense Motive to save her life, but she had obviously stepped on a sore spot with her poor attempt at a joke. She threw up her hands to protect herself from those burning eyes, only lowering them meekly once the questioning was over. She fiddled with her fingers while she spoke.
"W-well, it's just...um, where...how did you...how can you afford f-...fifty gold coins?!" she finally blurted out, stepping in closer in case anyone was listening. She looked from side to side, feeling uneasy that they might be robbed outright just for mentioning that much money in a public place.
"I...I mean, just for some clothes...for me? What kind of job do you have to...to have that much?"

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan opens his mouth to answer, his eyebrows furrow, and he closes his mouth again. He ponders Malorey's question, and then responds tentatively, his eyes looking at Malorey, but far away at the same time.

"I was a hunter before coming here. My father is a farmer. Honestly, I've never thought of myself as wealthy, my family just always had plenty. I never really questioned where it all came from, though now that you ask, I'm starting to wonder if we weren't just lucky."

He pauses in thought for a moment, then continues, "Anyway, as for buying expensive clothes for you, my thinking is that if I have more than I need, which I most certainly do, what kind of man would I be if didn't help those who don't? And don't worry, I don't consider you a charity-case. You can handle yourself well enough with that spear, and once we get through this training, you'll be part of an elite mercenary troop. I just like helping when I can." Jorudan smiles again, hoping to put Malorey more at ease.

[Hystoriwr]

"I consider me a charity case."
Malorey was quiet for a moment after saying that in an unusually serious manner. She soon returned to her usual fidgety tone, lowering her voice.
"I-I mean...I've eaten stuff I've found on the ground to get by sometimes. I-I just can't afford to be proud."
She gave a helpless shrug, only knowing the hard facts. It felt odd to finally admit what had been on her mind for so many years to someone else. A little therapeutic. She could get used to this. And all at once, she started talking, quickly, as if hot water was roiling across her tongue and she was trying to cool it with words.
"I'm no good at washing dishes, or playing a lute, or begging-" she counted off her fingers, trying to recall the many hats she's had to assume over the years and not knowing why, "-and I've never gotten away with stealing, and I'm no good at killing unless you count a horse once, and I'm don't have a king for a dad to inherit from or anything like that, and I got a job as a cleaning maid once but I broke a vase and got kicked out the first day, and there was one time someone paid me a silver piece to eat a snake but then he got mad and left when I finally found one, and I got paid three copper coins to let someone cut my hair and keep it, and some weird pale guy paid me to cut my hand over a jar for some reason and I did it-"
The words came out like from a broken dam, and Malorey had no control over the sentences upon sentences she was rapid-fire blurting out to this person she had known for a little less than a day. She had no idea what Jorudan thought of these stories, or the stupid growing smile that was spreading across her face as she recounted them. She didn't even feel particularly happy, but like the talking, the grinning was out of her control, and widening by the second.
"-and the only-"
No, evidently she wasn't done spewing words yet. She thought running out of breath would give him some time to respond, but a desperate gasp of air only led to more word-volleys.
"And the only reason I have this shirt and these boots and that spear and my brush is because I cried in the middle of the shop and the nice shopkeeper let me have them for the rest of my money and it took me two weeks to get here and I haven't eaten anything but the jerky you gave me since then and if I don't make it as a Joker then everything I ever did to get here is pointless and I'll just lay down and die!"
The last inflection was not spoken angrily, or sadly, or anything Malorey would expect to accompany the unexpectedly dramatic declaration of dying upon failure. It was rushed and giddy, like explaining the most thrilling part of a favorite story. For the record, she didn't feel at all that strongly about becoming a Joker, and distinctly remembered telling herself that if the Blood Carnival didn't work out she would just shrug and move on. Her running mouth evidently had different plans. She was now standing in front of Jorudan, very excitedly explaining to him just how strongly she apparently felt about this whole ordeal, as well as every story she could think of that led up to this moment, all the while her stupid grin was growing to maniacal proportions until Malorey felt like it would be stuck that way forever. At the end of it all, she looked like she had just been offered the treasure horde of a dragon, and neither felt that way nor could explain why.

[Breitheamh]

When Malorey finally finishes her tirade, Jorudan breaks into a huge smile.

"And that's why you're going to make it as a Joker if it's really what you want. You may not be the best at everything, but no one is. You may not even be the best at anything, but that's normal too. What I know from your story is that you can survive. You can keep pushing when other people give up. You don't quit. You're like the boars I used to hunt. No matter how many wounds they take, no matter how hopeless the fight may seem to anyone else, they keep going until they have nothing left. You've been knocked down by life, Malorey, but you've picked yourself up every time. You may not have incredible speed, or be able to turn into animals, or cast spells, or be a ghost."

He puts his hand on Malorey's shoulder and looks directly into her eyes, his face showing seriousness and encouragement as best he can, and he continues, "But you're tough; probably the toughest of all of us. When the rest of us want to quit, you'll be the one who stands firm and keeps going."

Jorudan smiles encouragingly at Malorey as his hand drops to his side. "And if by some crazy circumstance, you feel like giving up, I'm right here to pick you up if you need. Now come on, we should probably be getting back."

He opens the door to the shop and says, "Semira, we've got a map, we should probably head back now."

[SubLimePie]

Looking up from the spellbook that she buried her face into, she shrugs, "All right."

Apparently oblivious to the cathartic exchange that occurred right outside the shop,
and at the same time amazingly deaf to the small talk the seamstress attempted while the two were out,
Semira's attention was wholly fixed on her world of magic.

Really, everything else is trivial when magic can do anything - keep clothes clean,
perform manual labour, and attract cute boys... Of course, she prefers to accomplish the last act with some "magic" of her own.

[Hystoriwr]

After that endless gushing of words, it seemed like Malorey had simply run out. She still didn't know why she had starting admitting everything in the first place, but she didn't feel any regret for it. It felt...kinda nice, for a change. Not so nice that she was spending the rest of her time with a goofy grin on her face; that was for an entirely different reason she couldn't put her finger on. She wished for it to go away, but the stubborn grin persisted regardless of her demands. She settled for covering it with a free hand, while the other picked up that curtain of hair from the ground.
So Jorudan was probably the nicest person alive; she had now learned that much in the small time she'd been part of the Blood Carnival. At least, the nicest person alive that she'd met. Offering food, offering money, offering kind words; suddenly the Blood Carnival was a little less terrifying than it had been a minute ago.
Malorey was a little more certain of herself that she could make friends with the rest of the group too, if she tried. Now they just needed to find the other half of them.

[GuyFawkes]

With the map in hand, it is easier for your group to move around. Easier than earlier, but with the sheer size of the camp, you manage to take a wrong turn here or there. It doesn't take too much effort to find the training grounds, however, as once you are roughly a few blocks near it, it is visibly distinct from all the other buildings surrounding it.

In minutes, you reach your destination. The grounds is relatively quite now, with most of the new trainees gone on their business. You still spot a few groups and individuals here or there doing training. But it does not take you too long to find Ara and Tetou waiting for you on one of the benches.

[Necroticplague]

"Took you guys long enough. I get not flying slows things down a bit, but this is simply ridiculous. You didn't do something you'll regret, did you?"

[Breitheamh]

"Nothing regrettable. Just a little adventure." Jorudan smiles. "Alright, what's next?"

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey had fallen upon a newly-discovered tactic of wrapping the tangled mess of hair around her neck a few times like a scarf, which had the effective (though somewhat silly-looking) use of keeping it off of the ground, as well as covering the inexplicable dumb smile that she'd been unable to lose for the last few minutes of walking. She was a little worried it was frozen this way.
Seeing Ara and Tetou sitting on (and floating over) a bench and looking quite bored reminded the lass that they had probably been there for quite a while, waiting for them to get back with their newly-retrieved map. Also, Tetou had brought her hair brush. At this realization, Malorey pulled down the mess of hair from her mouth and stepped forward quickly.
"O-oh, gosh, we took too long! Sorry. We got a map, though! A-and...um, clothes. Later. And we got lost. And we had to find Semira. Sorry."
Even while she spoke, still holding that mad grin, Malorey retrieved the brush with a longing quickness and immediately began the grueling process of untangling the unfortunate debris.
"I-I mean, there were a lot of people and- nnngh, a lot of the tents looked the same, so we had to ask a- fffgh, vendor where to get a map, and it turned out to be in a boo- rrzzztgrfm, bookstore, but it was free since we're new, so that's good!"
Now they just needed something to do for the next...whatever number of hours until dinner was apparently happening. The ordeal so far had done a fantastic job of distracting Malorey's stomach, and she dearly hoped she could delay those hunger pains for a bit longer.

[GuyFawkes]

After your reunion, you continue to discuss what you have learned about the camp on your way back to the dormitories. You spend the rest of the time learning more about yourselves and before long, it is dinner time. Your meal goes on uneventfully, and soon you decide to go back to your room. After a few minutes, it is lights out and your first day is done.

You awake the next morning more rested than the night before, maybe having settled in to your accommodations and routine. After having your breakfast and done your morning rituals, you sit outside your room, waiting for Jillia as instructed. Ten minutes before seven, you see her walking towards you. She is not alone; behind her are two men helping each other to carry a large wooden chest.

"Morning, boys! Ready for some work today?" Killiam asks as she walks past you and towards your room. She opens it and points at the two men carrying to put down the chest against the wall opposite the door. The two shuffle their way in and place the chest down as instructed.

"Would that be all, Mistress Jillia?"

"Yeah, good work, you two."

"But of course. Just call us anytime!" the older looking man replies with a grin, revealing a few teeth lost here and there, and the two bow before leaving.

"Inside, all of you" Jillia commands you. Once all of you are inside your room, she closes the door and walks towards the chest. From one of the pouches on herbelt, she produces a ring of keys and she bends down to use one of them to open the lock. In a single twist, you can hear the lock click open and she swings the top cover up and open, revealing the contents within: assorted weapons and armors, all tagged with a simple emblem in the color you chose to represent your group.

"As told yesterday, you will be provided standard equipment. We took into consideration the things you wrote down on your sheets during sign up to provide you with all the equipment you will need. You will find those inside here. This chest is a magical device that holds an extra dimensional storage inside, so you can store more than its size would suggest. You can use it to store all your personal items that you won't be using, like your weapons and magical devices for safekeeping. It is magically enhanced to be able to withstand heavy blows, as well as warded magical locks that will allow only your members to open it. It is coupled with a lock made by our finest smiths that can be opened only with these keys," she holds up the ring of keys she used earlier. "Each member will have one. If somebody tries to open it without using these, the keys will glow to notify you of it. Here," she hands out the keys. "Keep it safe. If you were to lose it, you would have to pay for making a new one yourself. And these things are not exactly cheap."

As soon as you have one key each, Jillia continues. "Alright, get your new equipment. Today, we'll give 'em a test run."

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan immediately starts rifling around in the chest. "Alright, what are each of you guys looking for?" he asks behind him.

[Hystoriwr]

"Yes ma'am!" Malorey stuck a peppy salute at the teacher's word, happy as all get-out. She had actually had dinner- and breakfast, for that matter. Sweet gods above, she never remembered eating so much at once. At least, not legally. How many plates came by at the end? Five? Ten? More? It certainly put her in a better mood, not having her stomach growling demands all the time.
Knowing only one safe place to put the key, Malorey keeps it in her pocket. It would still be a couple more days before she wouldn't be wearing them, so it seemed like the safest place for now. Now for the matter of that chest- Malorey joined Jorudan in his rifling, looking for anything marked with the color she chose. She would have been worried at the way their teacher Jillia described them going on a 'test run', but a full stomach made her too merry to care.

[Necroticplague]

Hearing this whole debacle about the chest, Tetou is rummaging though a previous mundane chest, making the transfer over to this now more useful one. "Well, stuff meant for me should be easy to id. Look for the drab-colored things that just seem to float around. More specifically, it should be a set of gloves and traveler's cloak, wrist-mounted billhooks, a third-hand collar, and a bag of phase silk."

[Breitheamh]

"Um, I've got the cloak and the gloves right here, and here are your billhooks," Jorudan says, putting the items in a small pile on the ground beside him, then goes back into the chest, "but I'm not too sure what the third-arm thingy looks like, or what phase silk is."

He keeps rooting around for a little and then pulls out a belt with an axe and two daggers strapped to it, followed by a bow and quiver of arrows. "Aha! I think these are mine," he says as he places the weapons next to him and then continues rummaging around in the chest.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey tried her best to take out anything that looked like it belonged to Jorudan or Tetou, but Jorudan was faster in that respect. Failing that, after a few moments of digging, she finally found purchase of recognizable shade of red, and pulled out...a spear. She took a sidelong glance at her own spear, leaning lazily next to the blanketless mattress along with her hair brush, and back to the item in her hands. It looked largely the same, except the pointy end was shaped a little differently, the haft was smoothed out, and near the tip was a band of cloth denoting it with her color. She set the single weapon next to her quietly, noticing that Jorudan had at that point pulled out a handful of assorted knives, arrows, and ax, and a bow, and was currently handing over the oddly-colored and oddly-textured assortment of objects to Tetou. Malorey dove back to searching through the larger-than-life chest, wondering if there was anything else sharing that same red hue, and came up with nothing else. The chest was impressive, though. Held more inside than outside, kinda like...erm, other things.
"We're not...gonna fight each other again, are we?" Malorey hesitantly asked as she dug around, "I-I mean, ma'am, what do you mean by a...um, 'test run'?"
Realizing that this chest held nothing more for her than the spear she had already found, Malorey spun around and stood back up, holding the spear to her side. After yesterday's terrible show of her proficiency with the weapon, she needed to make sure to impress Jillia. Or...Mistress Jillia? The two men had called her that, but Malorey refrained from experimenting with the phrase herself. 'Ma'am' was good enough for now.

[Necroticplague]

"Um, I've got the cloak and the gloves right here, and here are your billhooks," Jorudan says, putting the items in a small pile on the ground beside him, then goes back into the chest, "but I'm not too sure what the third-arm thingy looks like, or what phase silk is."

"Well, the collar looks like something you put on a cat or a dog.My family got one to get some of the animals to help with chores. But eventually, we realized that they worked for people, too, and were pretty cheap for essentially lending an extra helping hand.Actually, its pretty redundant now that I'm telekinetic. The phase silk is what the bag's made of, not whats in it. It acts kinda like the chest. Minus security features, of course." One lock-and-load montage of her donning the cloak, gloves, and claws later. She moves over to the chest while the ranger is playing santa and yanks the mentioned bag and collar out, before putting those on as well.
"O.k, equipped and reporting for duty, Mistress."

[GuyFawkes]

"Yeah, whatever. Come."

Jillia leads you outside and down the path leading out of the dormitories. You once again take the now-familiar street that leads towards the training grounds. Upon reaching it, you take a left and another path towards the west. Not long, you see the distinct sight of the walled-off quarters that should be the Field, according to the map.

Arriving at the junction, you take the road parallel to the wall that leads north, and after a few minutes, about a hundred paces after, Jillia stops and turns towards the wall. She walks closer and places his hand on it. Upon inspection, that particular section seems unremarkable, but after a few moments, the area touched by the instructor seems to depress into the wall and after a few inches, slides to the right, revealing a rectangular hole the size of a normal door. Jillia looks back at you and motions for you to follow him inside.

Stepping into the hole in the wall, the door behind you closes as everyone gets in, and you find yourself in a room, or more like a hallway, extending to your left and right. The wall behind you is unadorned, except with lanterns that glow with the unmistakable glow of magic placed at intervals throughout the wall's length. The wall opposite it, on the other hand, looks to be the same except with identical-looking doors set in between the lanterns. There are a few people walking to and fro, and one of them approaches Jillia.

"Good morning, Mistress Jillia," the man says with a slight bow.

"Good morning, West. Is my room ready?"

"Yes, sir. Right this way please."

The man called West leads you towards your right, and after a few doors, he stops and turns to Jillia.

"Here is your reserved room, sir. Is there anything else you will be needing?"

"None. Thank you." Jillia replies.

"Very well, sir," West bows again, turns and walks away.

Jillia moves towards the door and pushes it open, ushering you inside. The inside of the room, you find is nothing but a square room, about twenty feet to a side. Opposite the door you entered is another door, and there is a long bench on the wall to your right. On the corner to your left is a small cabinet, and beside it, centered on the wall to your left is a rectangular mirror. Jillia then points at the bench.

"Sit down." Once you have all settled down, she begins.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Field. This is where we do most of our training. Made by complex devices and magicks, it may look simple on the outside but it takes a lot of people to operate this. As you have seen, this place is made up of a long hallway parallel to the wall you see outside. Opposite are numerous identical-looking doors that lead to identical-looking rooms, such as this one, and similarly furnished."

"There are two important parts to this room. That door and that mirror," she points to the door opposite the one you entered in and the mirror facing you. "That door serves as a dimensional door that is keyed to open to certain locations within the Field that the requester of the room has previously arranged for. It will only open from this side though, so once you go inside and close it, you cannot go out until it is opened from this side, or at the end of the day, when you will be forced shunted out of the area and back here. That mirror is a scrying device. It will show what is going on inside the area you are in. This helps when not everyone is sent inside, and also for me to monitor what you are doing inside."

"Now, with that out of the way, let us begin. For starters, you will be facing off with five opponents. Should be nothing you cannot handle. It is but for me to see your natural tendencies in battle. All right, everyone go in."

Once you all step through the door, it disappears, and you find yourself in another square room, this one larger and the top open to the sky. The ground is natural terrain instead of worked stone like the room you came in, and the walls look to be made of steel. To the opposite side, you find five men all wearing similar armor and bearing similar weapons.

"All right, boys and girls. Impress me," the magically amplified voice of Jillia tells you.

Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=86183)
Semira: (1d20+3)[23]
Tetou: (1d20+4)[12]
Ara: (1d20+6)[8]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[5]
Thugs: (1d20+1)[5]
Jorudan: (1d20+2)[3]

[Necroticplague]

Now, Tetou might not be the brightest, but she does realize that armed people who are not moving are much less dangerous than those who are. While the claws on her arms may not work to physically act, they still make useful foci for the telekinesis. She motions a hand towards the closest enemy, and squeezes down on the claws, focusing on applying force to him.

Standard: Activate Telekinesis, Combat Maneuver version.Cooldown[roll0]
Free: Use Telekinesis to grapple the dude in H1.
Touch Attack Roll (if needed, honestly not sure on this for telekinesis):[roll1]
Grapple Check:[roll2]
Move: Move to H9.

[Hystoriwr]

Oh jeez- Malorey's gaze snapped into focus after so long gazing at the scenery walking here. She was supposed to be impressing Mistress Jillia, not showing her how great Malorey was at wall-watching! The spear at her side was new, but handling it certainly wasn't. Pointy end enemy-wards, right? Malorey had the distinct impression that there wasn't anything lethal being thrown at them (Jillia did say this was just to see how they all fought), so that was a bit of confidence in her bucket. Still unused to the ebb and flow of battle, Malorey stepped forward a few paces with the spear drawn, waiting for a reaction from the five -oh my, never mind- four combatants still capable of moving. When any of them got close- Jab. Just like when she faced against Jorudan yesterday, but hopefully without the shapeshifting giant deadly cat facing her this time.

Move Action: 30 feet forward, to square J7.
Ready Action: Stab the next enemy to come close enough to do so.

Updated Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=86603) (including Tetou's movement to H9)

[GuyFawkes]

Tetou opens up the fight by marching forward. She brings her hand forward and focuses her psychic abilities at the opponent in front of her, who is stifled, like a huge invisible hand is holding him. Ara then bursts forward, targeting the left-most thug. Her momentum generates enough force to lift the man off his feet as a solid uppercut connects to his chin, followed by a spinning axe kick that flattens the thug on the ground, never to stand again.

Semira opts to fight from a distance, and begins to chant a spell accompanied by the proper hand gestures. A magical arrow of acid forms in front of her and she sends it flying to the thug on the far right. The arrow strikes true, burying itself on the thug's chest, but he disregards it and charges to his right, straight at Ara. As he moves, so does two other, and they begin to circle the monk. Swords hack and thrust at her, but she is one step ahead of every attack, and not one really comes close enough to threaten her.

ROUND 1

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=86653)

Initiative:
Semira: (1d20+3)[23]
Tetou: (1d20+4)[12]
Ara: (1d20+6)[8]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[5]
Thugs: (1d20+1)[5]
Jorudan: (1d20+2)[3]

Tactical:
Thug 4 is dead.
Thug 2 suffers the effects of Acid arrow for 2 more rounds.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan had remained silent for most of the walk to the Field. He was nervous for the coming challenges, but less for the danger they imposed and more for their possible tests of his own moral fiber.

When the door opened to let them into the test, he had already determined that he was not going to kill anyone. Unfortunately, he knew injuring them might be necessary to survive here.

He dropped into his cheetah form as the others sprang into action, and then pads behind the back of Ara's nearest assailant, preparing himself mentally to attack this man he had never met before.

[GuyFawkes]

Jorudan shifts into his cheetah form and pads into a flanking position behind Ara and waits for an opening.

ROUND 2

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=86900)

Initiative:
Semira: (1d20+3)[23]
Tetou: (1d20+4)[12]
Ara: (1d20+6)[8]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[5]
Thugs: (1d20+1)[5]
Jorudan: (1d20+2)[3]

Tactical:
Thug 4 is dead.
Thug 2 suffers the effects of Acid arrow for 2 more rounds.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey was...okay with not being targeted. She expected one of the other party to rush at her, and as much confidence-boosting as she had been attempting in the last minute or so, she didn't know if it would go over well when something threw itself at her.
Still, she was determined not to look hesitant here, and moved forward with the same intent of jabbing at anything that got within range. Ara seemed to be doing plenty to take down these folks, so Malorey would just keep hoping that she would just make the rest of the party look good by association.

Move Action: Move closer to the fight, keeping her spear leveled
Standard Action: Prepared Action: Jab

New Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=87076)

[Necroticplague]

Tetou struggles a bit with her "grip" over the man, before shifting the force around so that he find himself with his weapon being knocked from out of his grip.
Standard: Continue concentrating on Telekineses.
Move:move to D5.
Disarm attempt against H1 thug.
Touch attack:[roll0]
Opposed Attack to disarm:[roll1]

[GuyFawkes]

Malorey, keeping her spear leveled in front of her, steps cautiously forward, but not so much as to be within range to strike, her move more defensive in nature. Tetou, meanwhile, decides to let go of her force grapple, choosing instead to focus her force into knocking out the man's weapon, to which she successfully does so. The thug scrambles to get his weapon back and moves to engage the cheetah, but the action makes him lose the opening he needs to strike.

Ara dishes out another flurry of fists and kicks at another thug. Her blows connect to the head and torso with such force that it rocks the man side to side. By her third attack, she only hits air as the intended target is already down for the count.

Two other thugs move to surround the monk, with one coming in from behind. He thrusts his sword for a stab, but his aim goes wide as his body spasms from the poison coming from Semira's earlier attack. The other one tries to come in from Ara's side, but even before he could close in, he is stopped in his tracks, his face looking like he is lost. Down by Mal's side, Semira chuckles at the sight of her successful spell.

ROUND 2

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=87107)

Initiative:
Semira: (1d20+3)[23]
Tetou: (1d20+4)[12]
Ara: (1d20+6)[8]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[5]
Thugs: (1d20+1)[5]
Jorudan: (1d20+2)[3]

Tactical:
Thug 4 and 5 are dead.
Thug 2 suffers the effects of Acid arrow for 1 more round.
Thug 1 is dazed for 1 round.

[Breitheamh]

Summoning his mental fortitude, Jorudan snaps at the dazed opponent's leg, giving him a sharp tug off his feet, then biting lightly at the man's head and whispering in his ear, "Please, just stay down. It's not worth your life."

Attack [roll0] (crit confirm [roll1]
Damage [roll2]
Trip attempt [roll3]
Nonlethal attack after trip [roll4] (crit confirm [roll5]
NL Damage [roll6]

Sorry about the wait, just got a bit distracted with life and stuff.

[GuyFawkes]

Cheetah Jorudan snaps at the closest thug's leg, making him lose his balance. As the man falls prone, Jor follows up with a bite, but one aimed to subdue rather than to kill.

ROUND 3

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=87445)

Initiative:
Semira: (1d20+3)[23]
Tetou: (1d20+4)[12]
Ara: (1d20+6)[8]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[5]
Thugs: (1d20+1)[5]
Jorudan: (1d20+2)[3]

Tactical:
Thug 3 is prone.
Thug 1 is dazed.
Thug 2 suffers from Acid Arrow until this round.

[Necroticplague]

Apparently, people making the map updates missed where I moved into D5.

Tetou takes quick look around the small battlefeild, a small sense of satisfaction coming from the quick result her actions had. So she focuses her attention on the brute closer to her, trying to use one hand as a focus to tear the weapon away, while the other crackles with a slight black glow as she waits for one of two vulnerabilities she's trying to open up.

Standard: Continue Concentrating on Telekinesis.
Free:5-foot step into D3.
Disarm against thug in C3:
Touch Attack:[roll0]
Opposed Attack:[roll1]

AoO that's probably gonna occur during my enemy turn:
Enervating Touch (incorporeal touch attack, inflicts a negative level (2 if crit), does 6 additional points of damage (in addition to the 5 a normal negative level provides) and gives me 11 temp HP if it hits):attack:[roll2],confirm:[roll3]
(note, both are 2 higher if he's still being flanked by me at the time)

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey glanced around, steadily and uneasily moving forward as the battle progressed. The one she had been preparing to jab at was swiftly taken down by Jorudan in the same way he had taken down Malorey herself the day before. He looked about as hesitant to kill any of these people as Malorey was too, so she followed his lead.
Sidestepping the tripped man with Jorudan on top of him, Malorey pointed her spear down, leveled towards his throat (but careful not to get it close enough to accidentally nick the guy) in an effort to look menacing. If she could just convince him not to fight, then nobody would have to get hurt, right? Right.
She just needed to use...diplomacy.
"D̨ON҉'͝T͢.́ MO͜VE.̴"
That was less diplomatic-sounding than she intended.

Move Action: Move to square G3, next to the one that Jorudan knocked prone.
Standard Action: Attempt to Demoralize with an Intimidation check.

Intimidation check: [roll0]
If the opponent fails his save, he is Cowering for 1 round, and is shaken the next round.

[GuyFawkes]

Tetou moves in closer and uses her mind force to disarm the weapon from the thug adjacent to her. Before the man could even begin to pick it up though, Ara rains a barrage of kicks and punches on him. Even before of the awesome display of martial prowess ends, the thug is lifeless, falling down once the monk's attacks ceases to hold his body up.

Malorey moves in as well, thrusting her spear forward and against the prone thug being accosted by Jorudan the cheetah. She tries to dissuade the man from further fighting, in her mind calmly, but something about her - her hair, her demeanor, the man is not sure - sets off his innermost fears, and the thug curls on the floor, screaming.

Behind Mal and her voluminous mass of tangled keratin, Semira walks calmly to catch a clear view of the last thug still on his feet. She begins her spell even before she starts walking and finishes it just as she stops. The thug, who had just escaped Tetou's invisible force grasp, begins to feel stiff again. The situation before him though clears his mind, and he brushes off Semira's mental assault and charges at Malorey. His panicked attack manages to catch the ozodrin off guard as she is focused on the man on the floor.

ROUND 3

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=87657)

Initiative:
Semira: (1d20+3)[23]
Tetou: (1d20+4)[12]
Ara: (1d20+6)[8]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[5]
Thugs: (1d20+1)[5]
Jorudan: (1d20+2)[3]

Tactical:
Thug 2 is dead.
Thug 3 is prone and cowering for 1 round, then shaken the next.
Malorey is hit with 4 slashing damage.

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan turns quickly and pounces on the man who'd just attacked his new friend. He viciously rips the man's leg out from underneath him and then jumps for the head, remembering his humanity at the last moment and pulling back on the blow slightly. He whispers in the thug's ear, "Just follow your friend's lead."

Attack [roll0] (crit confirm [roll1])
Damage [roll2] (crit [roll3])
Trip [roll4]
Follow up non-lethal [roll5] (crit confirm [roll6])
NL Damage [roll7] (crit [roll8])

I can't see the map, so if I was close enough to make a full attack, here are the two claws (both non-lethal)
Claw 1 [roll9] (crit confirm [roll10])
Damage [roll11] (crit [roll12])
Claw 2 [roll13] (crit confirm [roll14])
Damage [roll15] (crit [roll16])

[GuyFawkes]

Jorudan leaves the cowering thug behind and engages the last thug standing. He does a similar routine, going for the legs and tripping the man, which he does also successfully.

ROUND 4

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=87721)

Initiative:
Semira: (1d20+3)[23]
Tetou: (1d20+4)[12]
Ara: (1d20+6)[8]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[5]
Thugs: (1d20+1)[5]
Jorudan: (1d20+2)[3]

Tactical:
Thug 3 is prone and cowering for 1 round, then shaken the next.
Thug 1 is prone.

[Hystoriwr]

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry I didn't mean- AGH!"
Malorey didn't mean to make the poor man cry, but she also didn't mean to get stabbed in the friggin arm afterwards. Before she could turn to the accused attacker, Jorudan-jaguar (Jaguardan?) already had the man tripped and pinned. Malorey grabbed the small gash in her arm after her initial yelp of pain, but it wasn't as bad as she made it out to be. Wasn't so used to being stabbed yet. She backed up from both floored figures, wielding the spear more like a club and ready to bop anyone on the head who decided to get back up and keep fighting.

Free Action: 5-foot step away from the tripped man and the cowering man, to square H6.
Standard Action: Prepared Action: Head-Bop if either man decides to keep fighting.

Prepared Attack Roll: [roll0] (Crit Confirm: [roll1])
Damage: [roll2] Non-Lethal (Crit Damage: [roll3])

[Necroticplague]

Seeing how this girl was handling herself pretty well with plain ol' fisticuffs, Tetou decides to focus on giving her some better targets, instead of just keeping them distracted. To this end, she focuses on a downed enemy to wrap them up so that they could hardly defend themselves.


Standard:continue concentrating on Telekinesis.
Grapple against G2 thug:Touch attack[roll0]
Grapple Check:[roll1]

[GuyFawkes]

Even as the man begins to move to his feet, Tetou comes in with her invisible force grab, immobilizing the thug. With that, the distinct voice of Jillia echoes in the room.

"That's enough. All opponents are down or unable to continue. You're done. Come out"

Back at the wall where you started, the door reappears and swings open.

[Hystoriwr]

Like the schoolbell's ring to the ears of a bored student, Malorey felt a wave of relief wash over her with the words of Mistress Jillia releasing them from this bundled up ball of stress and pain, and she immediately spun around to face the opened door and power-walk away from the remains of the battle as quickly she could, holding her hurt arm and smiling aggressively to give the impression that it didn't sting like a motherflipper. Jeez, getting stabbed hurt.
"D-did we do good? Or- Uh, well? Did we do well? Ma'am!" she quickly moved her hand to salute as soon as she came within line of sight of the teacher, flicking some red freckles across her face from the cut she had been holding with it.

[GuyFawkes]

Jillia stands with her arms folded in front of her as you enter, looking at you wordlessly as you pile in one by one. When Mal asks her, she simply shrugs.

"Boring. But you got the job done, so I'll give you a passing mark. Oh, and check out that cabinet over there. Grab something to fix yourselves. You look like a mess." She points at the cabinet at the corner of the room. Inside, you find some glass bottles with assorted colored liquids in them on the lower shelf. On the upper one, you find some wooden sticks with gem tips."

"Since you are just injured, you'll be wanting the wands, if you can use them, or the red-colored potions. Don't worry about how many you use up. Use as many as you need. But of course, don't take any you don't need now. That'd be stealing. And you don't want to know the punishment for stealing."

[Necroticplague]

Tetou merely gives the healing materials a once-over before stepping back without touching any of them, given how she probably can't use them, didn't really get hit, and that they probably wouldn't work on her anyway. So she merely stares boringly at the others while they heal up. If that fight was any indication, looks like she's stuck as support for now. Guess that's only natural, given how she can't physically garrote a man. She might have been able to do some damage up close, but then her allies would have been less able. Overall, it's probably best this way.

"Any other simple tasks for today?"

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan stands up straight as his fur flattens back into skin. He gives Jillia a dirty look and clenches his fists as he mutters, "Great. I'm so glad we passed our test of beating strangers to a pulp for no reason."

[Hystoriwr]

Got it. One potion. No stealing. Malorey didn't have the idea of stealing, but now was terrified of the prospect, so Jillia's warning worked. Malorey gives a double-take for Mistress Jillia's approval before reaching in and procuring a glass vial of red liquid. She had no idea how wands worked, and didn't want to accidentally break them if she tried to use one.

Assuming a Cure Light Wounds with CL 1: [roll0]

Malorey downed the tiny vial in a gulp, not quite knowing what to expect. In an instant, the pain from her arm subsided, and wiping away the blood from before revealed untouched skin underneath. She tried her best not to look too surprised at the miracle of nature, but even the bruises from yesterday faded slowly like a crinkled balloon suddenly being re-inflated back to pristine condition, and she felt the need to prod the previously-cut area with wonder for a few seconds before snapping back to reality.
Malorey stood at attention again, having no idea where to put the empty vial after she finished it, and deciding to just keep it in her hand until further notice. She was partial to Jorudan's comment to a degree; though she had never touched one of the men in that room, it felt bad to just beat up on random people. Then again, that might just be her being unused to the schooling yet; maybe stabbing each other was the norm, in which case...Malorey would take a while to get used to that. Still, she suspected some level of machination beyond what she could tell at first glance, and raised a question thus. She raised her hand.
"Um, Mistress Jillia? Ma'am! Erm...what...what was that room? Is there something special about it? Ma'am!"

[GuyFawkes]

Jillia stares back at Jorudan with a smirk and is about to open her mouth to reply when Malorey asks her question. She turns to regard her, then nods.

"Not that room, but this whole facility. You're not paying attention. I explained this before you went in. Or did that measly cut addle your brain?"

Going back to Jorudan, she continues, "Reason? I'll give you a reason. And let's see if you consider the beating coming from your side this time. In you go, back in to the room. Next round is up. Same rules, but different opponents."

Before any of you could move for the door, though, three knocks come from the other door, the one leading outside to the hallway.

"Come in."

The door swings open and in comes the man you met earlier called West. He goes up to Jillia and whispers something, with the instructor nodding at particular points. When he finishes, Jillia looks back at you.

"Change of plans. You," she nods at Ara, "you go with West here." Before the monk could even voice a question she adds, "Now." With that, Ara wordlessly follows West out of the roo.

"You will be having a new member from now on. Don't worry about it. The higher ups do this sort of thing as they see fit. You," she calls out to the open door, "quit standing there. Come in and introduce yourself."

Cue entrance for Marlowe's character.

[Marlowe]

It's been a long time since Bruc worried about making an entrance, as opposed to getting the job done but still Appearances can be so important, especially to the young.. He comes through the door quietly, closes it behind him with a slight push of his hook-hand, and uses the same appendage to sweep his hat off his head as he stoops into a measured bow, his good hand on his rapier hilt.

"Delighted to meet you all." he says. "Bruc de Ironstaunche, gentleman at arms." He replaces the hat upon his head and gives the hook a swift look. "And at least half of what generally comes with. Whom might I have the honour of addressing?"

[GuyFawkes]

Jillia smiles. "They sure know who to put together. I will be your instructor from now on. And this," she motions at the rest of you, "your group. Until you either flunk out, the higher ups reshuffle any of you, or you finish the course. Everyone, introduce yourself to this gentleman right here. And you might want to discuss your strategy this time. You'll need it."

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan tries to appear more welcoming than his last comment would allow, but still answers very tersely. "Jorudan Faoil, resident shapeshifter."

[Necroticplague]

"Tetou, Apprentice of the Entropic Touch and the Unseen Hand." O.k., admittingly that title was entirely made up and arbitrary, but aren't pretty much all titles, when you boil it down?

After addressing the new guy, Tetou than attempts to get to this whole "tactics" discussion. "O.k, We did a bit too much splitting up last time. This time, how about we stay in close to each other. That way, we don't have anyone trying to run off on their own and get surrounded. That worked last time, but only because those guys didn't even have a good grip on their swords."

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey pretended not to be upset at the insult, saluting and nodding a quick apology instead. She pivoted towards the new face, marveled for a moment at the fanciness of his clothing, and saluted in the same fashion she did with Jillia.
"Malorey. Um," she looked down at the spear in her hand, as if realizing it was there for the first time, "...team...spear...user."
She frowned; that sounded a whole lot more impressive in her head, and it didn't even sound impressive in her head in the first place. She needed to work on that title later.
She didn't expect Ara to be leaving the team, but she did seem to be out-fighting the rest of them combined, so it made some sense that she'd be moved to a team that could better keep up with her. If anything, maybe this new...erm...Brook...Ironstache? Shoot. Well, maybe he'd be more on-par with what Malorey could keep up with.
"U-uh, yeah! Good grip on our swords," she agreed deafly with the last part of what she heard Tetou say, only now realizing that there had been planning going on while she was thinking, "And don't get surrounded. Right. Got it."
She gave a meager thumbs up in agreement. Less than 'got it', but she at least understood to be more tactically-minded this time around.

[Marlowe]

Bruc looks from face to face with a polite nod to each. "Am I to understand from your mutual air of distraction that we will soon be entering combat? An old dandy--" The bronzed steel hook glints as he indicates himself. "--a shapeshifter, a spearfighter, and---an economist? I dare say will shall strike terror. Young Miss Malory; if I may be so bold, are you the defensive or offensive kind of spear-user? It is a very versatile weapon, now sadly barred to me."

[Hystoriwr]

"...o-oh?"
Malorey looked down at her spear, and solemnly vowed not to take her eyes off of that spear until she came up with the proper response that wasn't 'pointy-end that-a-way'. Evidently there was more than one way to use a spear. However, as Malorey recently discovered that she didn't like being stabbed, she had an answer.
"Uh, defensive," she propped the spear up to lean on, with the hope of looking proficient. She didn't even know if there was a way to use a spear defensively besides 'stab them before they stab you', which had worked out exactly zero times in her experience. "I just...uh, try to help out, and not get in the way. Or get stabbed." She nodded at the last bit.
"Erm...sorry about your...uh..." she motioned towards the missing extremity, preferring not to finish the awkward sentence.

[Marlowe]

"Augmentation?" Bruc finishes the sentences mercifully. "I fail to see why. You did not make it necessary. Besides, it's now said I have the hand-" the singular form is very clear. "-of a skilled thief". he taps the hook to his throat and smiles thinly. "Perfectly true, I wear it at my neck."

[Necroticplague]

The reference to her as an economist puts a slightly puzzled look on Tetou's face for a moment. Then she realizes he merely took her overly elaborate title as something literal, instead of just an indication she wasn't a master at what she did yet. Ah well, minor things like that can be corrected later.

As for his hand, her own condition leaves little sympathy for him "Well, at least you're still breathing, so you've got a leg up on me, at least."

[Marlowe]

"Indeed. "Peg-Leg" Macclariat was busy today", says Bruc. "Now unless somebody has a nice graze or set of blisters they'd like to display might we get to speaking of our tactics, as suggested?"

[Necroticplague]

"Well, its hard to talk tactics when we don't know what awaits us. That would cause us to react very differently. We can only really talk about good ideas in general. Like: focus on one person at a time. Two half dead people fight just as well as two untouched people, while one dead and one living have half the firepower. The only exception is if you can make them not able to hurt you, in which case you want to spread that around as much as possible. That's me and the mage's specialty. So, barring any noticable complications, the best to do is as follows:Mage brings up a smokescreen against as many enemies as she can, I hold a person she didn't get, the cat knocks down someone while he mauls them (he seems rather good at that), then the two holding pointy things pounce on the downed person and fill him full of holes before he gets up. Lethally."

A bit wordy, but it'll do. One of the few upsides of not being able to sleep: it gives you a whole lot of time to think about stuff. Especially since she's stuck in her dorm for all the time. This man seems to pretty much fulfill the same role Ara did, so this planning hasn't needed any change since the night.

[Breitheamh]

"I agree," Jorudan chimes in somewhat begrudgingly. "I just have one thought. Do we really have to kill them? Incapacitation seems just as effective to me. I just don't feel the need to murder complete strangers just because Mistress Jillia here told us to."

[Marlowe]

"Are you sure?" Says Bruc with a raised eyebrow. "Because I've generally found killing complete strangers rather less distressing than killing people I know."

[Hystoriwr]

"...I'd like to not kill anyone," Malorey voiced her opinion among the conversation, raising a hand, "I mean...unless they're trying to kill us. As long as we show Mistress Jillia that we can fight, I don't think anyone has to die, right?"
Malorey was under the firm, if somewhat naive belief that the Blood Carnival didn't actually involve as much blood as it let on with the name. Learning to fight was part of the schooling, sure, but killing off students and, more importantly, the people they were supposed to be training on, didn't sound very realistic. Then again, she had just been stabbed in the arm by someone who obviously didn't follow that line of reason, but she was still trying her hardest to live in that mental bubble of hers.
"Can't we just...use the blunt end of our weapons? Or- Um, we could...wrestle them...?" she ended the last part with an unsure lilt, already regretting the silly suggestion.

[Marlowe]

"Young Miss", says Bruc with a frown. "Unless one is somehow completely certain that those whom you fight will not take advantage of a momentary--incapacitation--on your part to do you a serious injury, one should always fight as though one's life depended upon it. And theirs as well." He adjusts his hat somewhat delicately with the hook. His left hand still hasn't left his rapier hilt. "Besides. I do not do wrestling. Some of these people wear the most dreadful scents, and it takes forever to come off."

[Hystoriwr]

"...oh." Malorey replied simply, scooting slightly away from the hook-handed man and becoming suddenly self-aware of the last time she had taken a bath, or changed clothes. He had a point, both in that sense and in the sense of her unwillingness to fight seriously, though she didn't want to admit either.
"B-but if we kill them, then...erm...who will the other students have to train with...?" she made a poor attempt at logical persuasion.

[Necroticplague]

"First off, not all of us have the option of doing either. The "blunt" of my weapon would pass right through them, so the only way I can actually damage someone is lethally, via tearing off parts of their soul. Second: someone who's unconscious takes a spell that casts a couple seconds to cast to get them back in action, while a dead person requires a spell that takes a much longer time, which is easier to inerupt.Not even counting some people who heal quickly on their own, like my half brother. Freaking hated fire, but could could re-attatch his own arm when he lost it. Third, none of the previous ones seemed inclined to anything but lethal force, so this is merely returning in kind."

[Breitheamh]

"Fine, whatever," Jorudan answers begrudgingly. "Kill them all, then, if that's what makes you happy. I won't try to stop you, just don't ask me to like it."

He gives Bruc and Tetou a look of contempt as he falls back into cheetah form.

[Marlowe]

"I'm sure we're all indebted to you for sharing with us your opinion, and will place upon it all value deserved." says Bruc, who is fluent in self-righteous young pup. He draws his rapier and holds it up to the light, sighting along its length. It is not Poin-Sinister, but it will do.

"Are we ready to begin? None of us--excuse me Young Lady--are getting any younger"

[Necroticplague]

"Ready as I'll ever be."

[GuyFawkes]

Jillia stands with arms on her hips, silently observing the new team member interact with the group. She smiles, remembering her remark earlier about the higher ups putting the right people together. She had meant it as a joke on the team's rather interesting make up, but apparently they also did their homework on the personality types of these new recruits.

She shakes her head.

Of course they did. That's why they are called the "higher ups".

"If you're finished arguing about morality, let's get going. Go on. Inside, all of you. The rules are the same as earlier. It ends when one side is unable to continue. And this time, don't think those antics you did earlier will work. These people...well, better to experience it yourself."

As you step in through the door, you find yourself in another room. This one is much larger than the previous one, and looks way different. Whereas the previous one was a bare box, this one had terrain features: a small body of water in the middle, a bluff about twenty feet high at the far end, and trees and shrub scattered here and there.

Up on the bluff and across the water, you can see your opponents. They are different from the ones you just faced. They look to be of different disciplines and maybe a tad more tougher.

ROUND 1

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88257)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.

[Necroticplague]

...Welll crap. This is a lot more people, the mage might not be able to get them all in the screen. Tetou decides to try and make use of the cliff, violently yanking on the ones in the robes (because spellcasters pose the most threat to her personally) And after she does that, she is quick to make use of her own ability combined with the terrain, diving under the water, which doesn't even make a ripple as she enters it.

Standard:Activate Telekinesis, Combat Maneuver version.
Bull Rush Wizard1 straight South.
CHA roll:[roll0]
Move:Move to L16, one square downward.
Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88290)

[GuyFawkes]

Tetou kicks things off with the use of her telekinetic powers, pulling the mage down and off the bluff, and you hear a scream and a thud as he hits the ground. She then proceeds towards the pool and goes under, but she soon notices that the water is not that deep when she finds herself inside the earth.

ROUND 1

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88347)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
Tetou is 5 feet (or 6 :smallwink:) below the ground.

[GuyFawkes]

"Hmph. Stupid wizard."

As if to add insult to injury, Semira casts a spell on the wizard and the other enemies close by, engulfing them all in a nauseating cloud. The rogue comes out of the smoke coughing and then lurks behind the tree, and you can hear the wizard also and moving, but the cloud obscures him from your vision.

ROUND 1

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88458)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
The wizard is nauseated and has total concealment.
Fighter 2 is nauseated and has concealment.
Barbarian has concealment.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey was still a bit sore from the earlier argument, but not so much to distract her from the people who probably didn't have any qualms with stabbing her, or blasting her, or what have you. Seeing Tetou disappear under the water, and Semira throw out her hand (and the accompanying burst of gas in the distance), Malorey decided to gird herself for a rough-and-tumble as well, shifting forward a bit and keeping her focus on one of the closest combatants, spear drawn and ready.

Move Action: Move to square Q19
Standard Action: Prepared Action: Attack the first enemy to come within melee range, most likely the fighter at Q8.

Prepared Attack Roll: [roll0] (crit confirm: [roll]1d20+6[roll])
Prepared Damage Roll: [roll1] (crit: [roll2])

Attack of Opportunity (if enemy tries to get within 5 feet): [roll3] (crit confirm: [roll]1d20+6[roll])
AoO Damage Roll: [roll4] (crit: [roll5])

Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88515)

[GuyFawkes]

Malorey decides to go right, now in a direct line towards the swordsman, but stops and hunkers down in the same defensive stance she had been using since last fight. The response from the other side is a hail of arrows. Two of them hit Jorudan and Bruc while simply gets stuck on Malorey's hair.

ROUND 1

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88518)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
The wizard is nauseated and has total concealment.
Fighter 2 is nauseated and has concealment.
Barbarian has concealment.
Jor takes 4 piercing damage.
Lefty is hit with 4 piercing damage.

[Marlowe]

Bruc has been holding back calmly, trying to get the feel of the situation as it unfolds [that and some gonzo DM rolled a 1 for his initative:smallbiggrin:] as the arrows fly towards him "Cautious--ow, that tickles--fellows. Seek to panic us onto the blades of their chopperboys. Sound plan that. Well then--that's good young miss, no further forward--time to deepen the game. NACHT UND NEBEL!". He steps forward to o20, gestures with his hook, and an eerie mist springs up from k17 to r20, covering himself and most of the rest of the party.

[Using Deceptive Illumination to turn Dancing Lights into Silent Image, Caster level 5, DC 14 Will. Unlike regular SIlent Image, it lasts 3 turns after he stops concentrating.]

[Breitheamh]

Jorudan looks at his teammates for a moment and says, "One at a time, right? I'll put him on the ground, you guys keep him there, deal?" Then he takes off for cover behind some trees, planning out an erratic course of attack.

Double move to t14.
Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88584)

[GuyFawkes]

Bruc uses one of his tricks, and suddenly an eerie mist forms in front of the party, obscuring them from their enemies' view. Unfortunately, it may or may be the same for his teammates, depending on their mental fortitude.

Jorudan, though, disregards the mist entirely and dashes towards the tree to the right, seeking to position himself for an attack. Or possibly to lure the enemy closer, should they take the bait.

The swordsman closest to him though does not move, while the other walks out of the nauseous cloud holding his midsection and looks like he is about to vomit.

ROUND 2

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88715)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4. Creatures 10 feet or more from the ledge do not have LoS with creatures below, and vice versa.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.

[Necroticplague]

Tetou moves a bit forward before moving back out of the water and taking stock of the situation. Even with everybody freaking glowing like they were on fire, it looks like visibility as been cut down a fair bit. Not enough that the fact the enemies are being suspiciously standoff-ish and standing back to not be noticed. Trying to solve the issue of archers being annoyingly away from anyone who could stab them, Tetou again focuses to try and move one cliff-edge-ward. With any luck, they'll break things on the way down.

Standard:Keep Concentrating.
Move: Move onto j14, then 5 feet upwards.
Bull-rushing Archer1 southwards.
CHA Check:[roll0]
Linky map update! (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=88715)

[GuyFawkes]

Tetou surfaces some distance away and tries the same tactic against the archer to the left. Unlike the wizard though - perhaps he is ready after seeing what happened to his comrade - he is able to firmly plant his feet and oppose the ghost's force pull.

From behind the mist, Semira grumbles.

"Nice job, doofus. They can't see us, but we can't see them either."

Wearing a scowl on her face, she walks to the side while beginning another spell. She stops right at the edge of the mist and targets the ground near the swordsman. Some slimy liquid forms over it, but the fighter and the rogue are quick enough to adjust their balance and prevent themselves from falling over.

"Tsk," Semira complains at her spell's apparent failure.

On the other side, the barbarian looks at the other swordsman and the two exchange knowing nods. They simultaneously charge at the cheetah, axe and sword coming from both sides in a scissor fashion. However, they could not control their momentum and both their aim are wide.

ROUND 2

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=89345)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4. Creatures 10 feet or more from the ledge do not have LoS with creatures below, and vice versa.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
The wizard is nauseated and has total concealment.
Fighter 2 is nauseated.

[Hystoriwr]

Malorey held her spear forward, building up the confidence to charge forward instead of just standing there. She held this pose for all of a second before an arrow narrowly missed her throat, disappearing into the infinite tangled abyss that was her hair, and she nearly dropped her spear flinching.
Then Brook yelled something from behind, and a fog clouded her vision. She instinctively held her breath and staggered forward blindly; an action that could have been avoided if Malorey had been willing to talk about tactics earlier, rather than morality.
As soon as she was out, she gripped her spear at the sight of two of the brawnier-looking fellows going full-swing at Jaguardan. Malorey stepped forward with a hope of turning the 2-on-1 fight into a more fair encounter, hopefully.

Move Action: Move forward until out of the mist (sorry Bruc), and into attacking distance at square Q15
Standard Action: Jab at Barbarian 1

Attack roll: [roll0] (crit confirm: [roll1])
Attack Damage: [roll2] (crit damage: [roll3])

Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=89453)

[GuyFawkes]

Malorey breaks through the mist and finds the two warriors ganging up on Jorudan. She heads for the half-orc with her spear leveled, and with him focused on the cheetah, Malorey's spear tip draws blood.

The archers up above are annoyed with the mist, not having anyone to target. When Mal breaks through though and Tetou resurfaces, they fire away, the two on the right picking Malorey and the one on the left targeting Tetou. However, the distraction of the melee throws off the two archer's aim against the spear-wielding girl while the other arrow simply passes through Tetou's incorporeal self.

ROUND 2

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=89487)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4. Creatures 10 feet or more from the ledge do not have LoS with creatures below, and vice versa.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
The wizard is nauseated and has total concealment.
Fighter 2 is nauseated.

[Breitheamh]

Sidestepping out of reach of the barbarian, Jorudan focuses his attention on the fighter in front of him, going for a bite at the man's legs to bring him down, and following up with an onslaught of teeth and claws to keep him there.

Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=89509)
5 ft. step to U14
Attack [roll0] (confirm crit [roll1])
Damage [roll2] (crit [roll3])
Trip attempt [roll4]
Attack [roll5] (confirm crit [roll6])
Damage [roll7] (crit [roll8]
Claw 1 [roll9] (confirm crit [roll10])
Damage [roll11] (crit [roll12])
Claw 2 [roll13] (confirm crit [roll14])
Damage [roll15] (crit [roll16])

[Marlowe]

(Aaaak. What is wrong with the forum today? Five minutes and two attempts to load any page:smallmad:)

Seeing the foe step forward, Bruc says "Ah; there we go" to himself and surges against the barbarian, moving to r13. His rapier shoots out in a precise strike aimed at the unwashed fellows vitals.

Absolute Steel gives +10' move.

Attack: Insightful Strike:
[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

AC is currently 20. Bruc will use Wall of Blades should the barbs counterblow beat his AC

EDIT: That took five attempts to post. Also, I look forward to the day when Bruc can make an average roll.:smallsmile:

[GuyFawkes]

Jorudan circles the swordsman, both a defensive and an offensive move, and bites at the man for a take down. His attack surprises the armored fighter and the latter goes down. Jor follows up with a barrage of bites and claws, but the swordsman defends himself well from the onslaught, and only one claw attack goes through. He tries to stand up and retaliate, but in his hurry, he does not have the proper balance and his swing is off.

The one-handed, rapier-wielding figure of Bruc also appears from out of the mist and goes for the barbarian. He calmly goes around Malorey and waits for his chance to strike. When the half-orc focuses on blocking Malorey's spear thrust, he comes out to the left and lunges with a precise thrust, his rapier finding the gap under the half-orc's extended arm and delivers a deep wound.

The other fighter, still showing signs of nausea, slowly makes his way out of the slimy ground and down to the left.

ROUND 3

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=89645)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4. Creatures 10 feet or more from the ledge do not have LoS with creatures below, and vice versa.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
The wizard is nauseated and has total concealment.
Fighter 2 is nauseated.

[Necroticplague]

Tetou barely even notes the arrows as they whiz past her, but he then has a dangerous question in her mind: are those arrows that would always fail to hit her, or would they sometimes stick to her? Of course, that's a problem for the future, not now . She focuses to try and hold the barbarian most of her friends are beating on, before moving closer to as to see destruction caused. She might learn something useful from them.
Move: Move to p14.
Linkey! (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=89919)
Standard:Continue Concentrating
Grapple against Barbarian1
Touch:[roll0]
Grapple Check:[roll1]

[GuyFawkes]

Tetou's force grab locks the half-orc in place, and he flails whatever is left free of his extremities in protest, but to no avail. Just in time to aid him, the wizard finally manages to shake off the effects of the stink cloud and get back into the action. He moves up to survey the battlefield while chanting a spell, and spotting the cluster directly below him, he points in that direction. Suddenly, from out of thin air, small, glittery things begin to fill the area around Tetou, Bruc, and Malorey. The fine particles stick to your clothing and manage to float into any holes you have. And you find these glittering buggers are especially irritating to your eyes on contact.

Behind the mist cloud, Semira frowns once more as the swordsman seems to make his way closer to her. He is in a state of nausea from the looks of it. For now. But who knows for how long. Left alone, she decides to bolster her defenses. As her spell finishes, she seems to split into five more of her.

Suddenly there are six Semiras standing side by side.

Five more than one would find tolerable, whichever side you are on.

glitterdust
ROUND 3

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=90163)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4. Creatures 10 feet or more from the ledge do not have LoS with creatures below, and vice versa.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
Fighter 2 is nauseated.
Barbarian is grappled.
Tetou, Bruc, and Malorey must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be blinded for 4 rounds.

[Marlowe]

As the golden particles start to fall, Bruc can be heard to say; "Very festive. I approve", as he summons up his preternaturally disciplined willpower to see through the haze.

[roll0]

[Hystoriwr]

More arrows. More fighting. More flinching. More...sparkles?
"Gah!" Malorey clenched her eyes shut at the wave of sparkling dust, "Ack, come on! I had my mouth open for that!"
She was not a huge fan of all of this magic being thrown around, from either side. When she uncovered her eyes, her first worry was that all of this gold glittery powder was going to take months to wash out of her hair, and the second was that she was still in imminent danger of being stabbed, which was a bit more important in the short run.
Besides looking like she had just walked out of a particularly gaudy burlesque show, Malorey was still fighting-fit. However, her previous unshaven target seemed under his own duress from some invisible force, so she sidestepped the man and tried helping Jorudan with his own squabble.

Free Action: Five-Foot Step to S15
Standard Action: Aid Another (+2 to Jorudan's AC versus Fighter 1's first attack)

Attack versus AC 10: [roll0]
Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=90212)

[GuyFawkes]

Malorey and Bruc simply shrug off the harmful effects of the spell. Malorey then uses the reach of her spear to bother the swordsman with Jorudan.

The archers fire off, concentrating on Malorey and Bruc, but only one find its target.

ROUND 3

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=90405)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4. Creatures 10 feet or more from the ledge do not have LoS with creatures below, and vice versa.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
Fighter 2 is nauseated.
Barbarian is grappled.
Tetou must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be blinded for 4 rounds.
Malorey is dealt 9 piercing damage.

[Breitheamh]

Just as the man in front of him gets up, Jorudan tries to put him down again, but misses his leg in the confusion. Taking a breath, he steadies himself on his paws and then suddenly pounces on the man, biting savagely at his leg trying to pull him over again.

Bite [roll0] (crit comfirm [roll1])
Damage [roll2] (crit [roll3])
Trip [roll4]
Bite (if trip is successful) [roll5] (crit comfirm [roll6])
Damage [roll7] (crit [roll8])
Claw 1 [roll9] (crit confirm [roll10])
Damage [roll11] (crit [roll12])
Claw 2 [roll13] (crit confirm [roll14])
Damage [roll15] (crit [roll16])

Map (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=90413)

[Marlowe]

"I must say though;" says Bruc quietly as he steps to s12. "That these sparkles are quite unforgivable when applied to a young lady. Painting the lily and all that. Well, we can discuss that with their mage soon enough." His movements lose their fluidity, becoming stiffer and mechanical as he shifts his stance to something more appropriate to pure offense as his rapier flashes out against the grappled barbarian.

Shifting to Punishing Stance (-2 AC, +1d6 damage per melee attack).

Full attack:
1st attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]+[roll2]
Crit Confirm if required:[roll3]
2nd attack [roll4]
Damage [roll5]+[roll6]
CCR [roll7]

If first attack drops the barb, 2nd attack goes against the fighter with a +2 flank bonus.

Maneuvers refreshed.

As before, using Wall of Blades against an attack that gets through AC:
Parry [roll8]

AC is currently 16

[Marlowe]

[Critical bonus damage for second attack [roll0]]

[It wouldn't let me put it in a spoiler.]

[GuyFawkes]

Bruc's offensive display is not perfect - his first attempt hits solid armor - but the second try finds itself tearing through flesh and organs, and it is enough to send the half-orc into his death throes. Jorudan also assaults the swordsman, trying to bring him down again, but this time he does not succeed. He does manage to get in a vicious bite and claw. Now alone and surrounded by almost all of their opponents, the swordsman has only one thing in his mind: retreat. He brings up his sword against Jorudan, but it turns out to be a fake. As Jorudan steps back to dodge the potential blow, the swordsman turns tail and runs for it.

The other swordsman on the other side is still having problems with the stink cloud's effect, but he stumbles forward towards the brush.

ROUND 4

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=90597)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4. Creatures 10 feet or more from the ledge do not have LoS with creatures below, and vice versa.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
Fighter 2 is nauseated.
Barbarian is dead.

[Necroticplague]

Tetou regrets what was the probably in retrospect the obviously bad idea to cluster up near er allies. With this dust in her eyes, she's having a hard time seeing anything. As she flails around physically trying to wipe the dust off her face, she also lashes out telekinetically, trying to drag the the archers she knows still lie over the edge within range of her melee compatriots.
Standard:Keep Concentrating on TK
Attempting to bull-rush Archer2 south.
CHA check:[roll0]
Move: Move to k13, elevation-1 square.

[GuyFawkes]

Tetou relies on her mental picture of the battlefield to locate her next target: one of the archers. She concentrates on her force pull and yanks the archer down, who is surprised like the wizard and comes hurtling down the cliff. Clicking his tongue, the wizard thinks to do something about the ghost, but he composes himself. He casts another spell, in fact, the same spell. He believes in the age-old adage of trying until you succeeded, and he is hoping the second time's the charm. Second, because two instances of the spell was all he memorized that day. Once more, a glitter field engulfs Lefty, Malorey, and this time, including Jorudan.

Behind the mist cloud, confident that her defenses should keep her up long enough to bring her enemies down, Semira switches to the offensive. A greenish arrow of energy appears before her and she sends it streaking towards the approaching swordsman. As sharp as her tongue is, her aim is the exact opposite, and her energy arrow comes nowhere close to its target.

ROUND 4

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=90719)

INITIATIVE:
Tetou: (1d20+4)[22]
Barbarian: (1d20+2)[20]
Semira: (1d20+3)[19]
Rogue: (1d20+3)[15]
Wizard: (1d20+1)[15]
Malorey: (1d20+2)[14]
Archer: (1d20+3)[13]
Jorudan: (1d20+4)[8]
Lefty: (1d20+3)[4]
Fighter: (1d20+2)[4]

TACTICAL:
The bluff is 20 feet high, and you can go up through the slope at j4 to m4. Creatures 10 feet or more from the ledge do not have LoS with creatures below, and vice versa.
Trees at c8-d9, g5-h6, and t12-u13 provide cover.
The rogue is nauseated and has cover.
Fighter 2 is nauseated.
Bruc, Malorey, and Jorudan must succeed on a DC 16 Will Save or be blinded for 4 rounds.
Archer 2 falls off the cliff and is prone.