Big Talkers and Small Dragons

Just an ordinary day at the Alexandrea colosseum! The games are going, as they often are, at the end of the week with people sparring and fighting in a variety of serious and not serious match ups over the last few hours.

At the moment, a comedic routine with one fellow dressed as an 'otyugh' and the other a sanitatrion worker trying to escape it hugs is presently going for the entertainment of the crowd.

Walery has come out for another round of testing, but it's not empty like it was earlier. Well, it wasn't empty before, but it wasn't filled anything like this. He takes a look around, sighs, and will look for a good vantage point to watch the games.

Malik is in the stands, today, staring down at the spectacle. His fingers are stained with charcoal, and there are a pile of sketches next to him. Depictions, though rough, of various martial techniques that the gladiators have presented, along with some hastily drawn notes. Sword techniques. Defensive techniques. All up close and personal, little more than charcoal sketches of stick figures and various angles, but enough to follow.

Kaydin enters the stands and looks around at the people nearby. He watches the man nearby sketching something and he smiles at the sketches. "You seem to be studying their techniques...Any impressed you?" He asks curiously as he looks to the arena below.

Merek has come to the Coliseum to settle in and watch while he looks to those about.

This is the first time Seldan's ever been to watch the games, and he is sitting in one of the quieter sections in the stands, wrapped in a cloak, and hasn't spoken to much of anyone since he arrived. He does seem to have purchased a packet of some form of food from a passing vendor, and munches on that, slowly.

Edinaz works his way all the way down to the front, carrying a bag that holds practice swords and padded armour. Sliding into one of the seats, he cheers along with the antics of the 'otyhug.'

Malik looks up to Kaydin's question, offering the stranger a slight smile. "They're good at what they do," he tells him. "But I think I can make it slightly better." He finishes up his notes on the page he's working on, gathering them all up in a small leather folio and securing the string. Instead of keeping it next to him, though, he picks it up and -tosses- it into that quieter part of the stands, next to where the paladin is sitting, along with an accompanying glance that suggests he'll be searching for feedback on that later. For now, though, he turns his attention back to the otyugh play, leaning back in the stands and getting comfortable. "At least this one smells nicer."

Kaydin waves to the paladin and he looks to Malik. "Seems you are one of his many friends." He says as he turns to watch the play. "So I dont get it..." He says as he watches the play with a confused expression. "Does he need help?" He asks looking shocked at no one helping him.

Eventually, the comedy routine ends with the otyhug being 'sucesful' and the sanitation worker being dragged off by 'Cuddles', legendary Otyugh.

Next up, an actual fight! Warrior Kall Torchbearer versus The Hearty Spearman!

Both emerge, familiar to regulars, as always offering a good mcatch up. Spear and net versus slightly blunted blade. These aren't to the death fights, after all, and they move right into it with the showmanship one would expect of a pair who've done this times before. According to the crowd, the tally is 2-3 in the Spearman's favor.

Merek pulls his cloak to him while he looks to the next match, watching in thought while he seems to think about.

As absorbed in the play as he is, Seldan doesn't spot the airborne folio until it's nearly in his face. There isn't time to react, and it hits him squarely in the arm before he can get out of the way. "What-?" He picks it up, leafs through a page or two or three, and shuts it again, re-securing the string. Food in one hand, folio in the other, he stands and looks at the stands around him, as if searching for something or someone. The current show is momentarily lost to his attention.

Walery gets up to get a bag of peanuts, returning to his seat and munching away as he watches the performance, cheering and hooting with each blow struck, even if there's no blood. It's still a good show, and even better when a folder of stuff is thrown at someone in the crowd. He cheers for that, too.

Malik nods, grinning a little as the folder hits Seldan in the arm, offering the man a slow clap and a sarcastic nod of approval, though the smile suggests that it's all friendly. Turning his attention to Kaydin, he says, "Friend is a good word for it," that melodic Tsuran accent ringing through as he does his best to explain to Kaydin the meaning behind the play. "People enjoy suffering that isn't their own," he explains. "That's why we have these games, too. In other places, they're far bloodier." The tone reserves judgment on whether this is good or bad. Though he does frown a bit as he sees the weapons matched up against each other in this fight. "Impractical."

The two combatantys square off before beginning an entertaining set of strikes upon each other. It's clear that they know what they're doing, and moreover, have taken the time to figure out how to make sure the crowd is entertained while keeping theri efforts as authentic as they can. The swings are perhaps a little wider and showy than they need be to the eyes of skilled swordsman, but they are certainly trying to beat the other. The net is simply cleaved in twain with a single swipe when its thrown and the spearmen sighs.

"/Again!/ You always do that!"

"You always bring the net," roars back the warrior. It's true.

Some of the rougher parts of the crowd, inhabited by, say, Korites or Oruchs, jeer and laugh at how showy they're being.

Walery munches peanuts, hoots at the net being cut. That's well played! He's shouting and jeering with the rest of the crowd, though not quite so boisterously as the Korites or the Oruch. Or the Oruch Korites. They're the loudest.

It takes Seldan a minute to spot who he is looking for, but he makes his way over to Malik and Kaydin, greeting both politely. "Good day to both of you. These are yours, are they not?" He holds up the folio, looking at Malik questioningly, then turns his head aside to emit a cough that rattles ominously in his chest.

Malik nods, taking the folio from Seldan with an easy smile. He's pale, too, and looking a bit worse for the wear, but seemingly in good spirits about it. "I figured that you would have some insight," he offers in response, letting the drama below play out. "It's hard to stab with a sword when a man with a long, pointy stick does not want you to stab him," he comments. "And I don't think that sword is sharp enough to break the spear. This could be a long dance."

Edinaz is, at least, a half-oruch Korite -- and he's living the stereotype, cheering with gusto. Showmanship! But a kind he enjoys!

. . . .... e e e e eeeeeeeee EEEEEEEEEEE! Is heard shortly before Kae, the rather extremely hyper inventor/artificer can be seen zooming down the road... On a two-wheeled cart... No horse in front, NOpe nope, instead there's some wheeld thing chugging away, and well pulling the cart and Kae down the road at a pace faster than a horse can go?

Someone mentioned horseless carage to the goofy inventor, and she took it a bit too litterally!

And it's probably a good thing none of her toys ever really last either, and this is no acception, Suddenly there's the sound of metal screetching on metal, steam shoots up into the air, and the whole contraption (the towing contraption) just stops, just about instantly..

The cart tilts forward, acting like a catapault, and Kae ends up landing in a pile of veggies.... Completely burried in said pile....

Kaydin turns when he hears steam and he sees the woman. She flies into a pile of veggies and he gets up and goes over to try and help her up. "Are you alright ma'am? What kind of machine was that?" He asks as he looks to the cart and mechanism and he turns back to the woman.

Walery is distracted from the martial spectacle by the artifice spectacle that is Kaelin. Yes, a reminder to play it safe, and to sliminate any of the -really- out there ideas. Though the robot horse thing might be useful.....

Merek blinks a bit to where the sound looks to be all about, then he shifts his attention back to things.

Seldan chuckles quietly, seeking a seat near Malik and Kaydin once he's handed over the folio. "I should like to see them, a little later," he answers Malik, turning his attention to the spectacle just in tim for Kaelyn to make an even bigger spectacle.

Malik turns his head at the strange sounds, eyebrows raising a bit as he tracks it toward the gate area, where vendors are trying to push their wares on people entering or leaving. There's a bang, and a crash, and someone goes flying into a stall as some strange mixture of metal and magic gives up the ghost. His jaw drops a bit, and he looks back to Seldan as Kaydin goes rushing off to help her. "Everyone in this city is insane."

Edinaz glances back at the commotion, looking faintly annoyed. He absently rubs one of the Korite symbols on his shoulder, and nods in Malik's direction. This he can get behid. You know what else he can get behind? SHOWMANSHIP! He cheers loudly, like a good Korite oruch.

Kae is not where she entered the large pile of veggies! Nope, nope, there's a shifting in the pile, like a mole burrowing, before Kae pops out the back side of the pile and calls out "Tadaaaaam!" She is then beaned by a tomato, and she slooow turns to the person throwing it, where there's a farmer type person with hands on their hips looking between Kae and the pile of veggies...

Kae pauses a bit, sighs, ears dropping a bit, and she hands over a couple silver to pay for damaged veggies..... "Send em to my place? I'll eat em... "She says cheerfully, and the farmer smiles and nods.... Yes, disaster turned into a profit! Though not really for Kae... then again, she's artificed food preppers in the past, maybe this is how she goes about aquiring the base ingredients.

Kae slow turns toward the folks who tried to help hyer and holds her hands into the air, a shuck of corn falling off the top of her head now that it's been jostled "Ooh thanks for trying to help! Everything is good!" She says, absentmindedly catching the corn and looking at it curiously....

The showmanship is indeed a contining effort!

Kaelyn sees it first, of course. A griffon flying overhead, towards the Colosseum. It's not a terribly unusual sight. Those who were present for the days of the Myrrish occupation would be used to it, but it's more unusual /these/ days since the Myrrish have long since withdrawn to their own proper borders, fighting their on and off again civil conflict.

Upon the back of the griffin is a man clad in silver and black. Because of course there is. It appears over the Colloseeum proper, putting a stop to the showmanship mometnarily as the combatants look up.

Seldan nods mutely to Malik, his agreement clear in the eyeroll that accompanies the nod. "Artificers chief among them." He stops, though, frowning at the arrival of the griffin. He's used to them, of course, but not here in Alexandria, and turns his attention to the show, watching intently.

Edinaz looks up and up. A griffon. Oh, well. He has not seen Myrrish lords in days of yore, though, so this is quite the sight.

Kaydin nods to the woman as she seems to be alright. When he turns there is someone on a griffon. He has heard the stories. Everyone has, of course. He pulls his bow off his back and begins the process of stringing it. This may take a few turns. "What is that?" He asks, gesturing with his head as his hands are busy.

Malik just rubs at his face a moment, nodding in agreement to Seldan and the Kordite. But then, things get even stranger as the griffon approaches, causing him to peer out between two fingers as he keeps the hand on his face. "Apparently some not of this city as well," he adds, looking over to the Paladin. "I think that Bryn Myridorn may have come to you," he teases, though there's no small amount of exasperation in his voice as the event is interrupted by so many other things. But he's sitting up straighter, paying attention to this latest development.

Walery goes back to watching the show now, cheering for the hits and well-played moves. He doesn't much care who wins, he's just looking for a good show.

Kae squints, tilts her head, then squints again, then takes a deep breath... A pause and she puffs her cheeks out as she tries to figure out what to shout out to announce what exactly the critter flying is....

She pauses some more, then rubs at the tip of her ears both at the same time, then blinks runs her hand through her hair, and suddenly holds both hands up while waving them up and down.

"Kitty Birb!" She calls out, before then pointing with both hands. Nobody's ever really called Kae 'normal', she's living up to that now.

"That is strange, that one of the griffin riders would come to the Colosseum." Seldan appears to agree with Malik's assessment, although he doesn't look over at any of the others, more interested in the unfolding spectacle. "I am unsure that this was part of the script..."

The griffon lands dramatically, wings flared with a screech as the armored man upon the back dismounts.

"GREETINGS, ALEXANDRIANS! 'TIS I! LORD FORTEWIT DEBRANT! You witness two combatants engaged in spectable, but dare I ask, are you not BORED of this? Do you wish to see a /TRUE/ spectacle? Somethiung truly bold, innovative, and /new/?"

He puffs his chest up, spreading his arms wide.

There's whispers of curiousity while the two men in the ring glare at him. Interrupting their fun is just /rude/.

Kaydin strings his bow just in time for the man to make his declaration. He pulls an arrow out and watches the man, nocking it. "I got a bad feeling about this." He says to Seldan and Malik. For now he waits and watches.

Walery is disappointed, but this fellow's promising a bold and innovative spectacle. That sounds good, doesn't it? He'll reserve comment until he sees what this is about.

Edinaz crosses his arm, scowling at this interruption. "How rude," he scowls, but doesn't yell it. He doesn't compound blasphemy with blasphemy.

"There is no need for your weapons, Kaydin." Seldan's look turns from bemused to alarmed, and thence to a frown, and he hisses at the young man. "The griffin riders will not harm you, or anyone here. They mean none harm."

"Bold and innovative, in this city," Malik says, "usually means that something is getting ready to explode." He takes the folio off of the stands, shoving it into a satchel at his side as he turns to Seldan, raising an eyebrow. "Would you like to go someplace quieter?" he asks. "Maybe we can get in some practice of our own?" And a drink, possibly, judging from his expression as he gives Kaydin a bit of a raised eyebrow at the bow. But he's not sticking around to find out what the paladin does, instead making his way through the crowd and leaving the others to bold, innovative sources of conflagration.

The crowd settles in with curiousity as Lord Fortewit throws his arms up in a cheer before grabbing the backpack he had saddled onto his griffon.

HE then pulls a rather large sliver of glinting glass shaped in an almost lightning bolt fashion.

"Deep into Dragonier did I fly, going where few dare to read. Battled through a horde of wights into a city long fallen from the sky, and there did I claim this prize!"

"It's a piece of glass!"

There's laughter at the yell from the crowd, but Fortewit continues, "Indeed, but 'tis glass from the wizard's academy of Dragonier, where once man and dragon did work wonders the world is never likely to again see! This glass calls forth the spirit of one such dragon, of ghostly form and power! Behold, I, Lord Fortewit, command the wyrm Vaelgr to once again come at my command!"

He thrusts the glass into the sky and there it does begin to sparkle -- wait, no. That's just the light shining down on it.

There's rustling, laughter at first, but the lord seems undeterred. Finally, trhere's a whisper of sound from the cente of the grounds where light seems to begin to swirl before composing into the ghostly image of a gold dragon, great and fierce, but also of modest size compared to the truly great ones. It towers over Fortewit all the same, but it seems quite phantasmal.

Edinaz's expression starts sour, but hey, dragon! That catches his attention, but then he's caught on... "What's next?"

Kae blinks, peers at the fellow, then midget ghost dragon appears.... She squints and puffs her cheeks out again in an effort to -not- call out just what she thought of the critter in the first place. No dragons like to be accused of modest stature by being called... midget...

Kae pauses a bit and at her musings she sniggers just a teensy bit before trying to right her self and peer at what's going on curiously... Nope, she's not gonna call out Midget Dragon... Nope nope nope, no yelling... Buuut she does mutter it, very quietly "Oooh Midget dragon."

Walery hrms. Well, you don't see too many dragons, so this seems pretty interesting. The attempt at summoning gone awry is amusing, but then -something- is happening, so that's intersting.

Seldan watches for a few minutes, but at the phantasmal dragon, he rises quietly and turns to go, semi-following Malik out. He does not make a spectacle of his departure, but he coughs again, wetly, into his cloak as he goes.

Kaydin looks at the dragon as he appears. He begins to growl out something towards the dragon, speaking a tongue which has changed little since the old times. The Draconic tongue to be specific. He hopes to garner the dragon's attention and ask why he serves the man.

Walery isn't quite sure what's going on. He's watching the dragon and watching the guy and scratching his chin. He will continue to watch them and see when this blows up in their faces.

"Great Dragon! I command you! Show the audience your fangs! Show the audience your claws! Let them see your might!"

And the phantasmal dragon does exactly that, on command, spreading wings and claws. It raises up to its still impressive but not /massive/ twelve foot height and roars silently.

The crowd whoops approval. It's /still/ an impressive light show.

Edinaz claps along with the crowd. There's a show, and it /is/ in the right place, so he gives that.

Merek looks to the dragon, lifting his brow in thought while he takes a moment to pull his cloak about his dark attire, then he seems to consider also.

Kae flail sher arms... "Midget dragon raawwrrrrr!" She calls out, waving her arms up and down. Is she really just getting wierder every day? Or is it she's been eating tons of sweets and is on a major sugar high... maybe several things? Who knows..

Kae tilts her head to the left... "Soo dragon aparition! Soo isn't as impressive as the real thing!" And yes, she nearly got in trouble with the last real dragon she met.. something about sleeping in its presence.

"It /is/ the real thing. It's a GHOST dragon," yells Lord Fortewit at Kaelyn and her falilyness. "One plucked from the heart of dragonier!"

The ghost dragon roars in Kaelyn's direction before settling back on its haunches.

Edinaz nods, seeing the wisdom in Kaelyn's wor-- he pauses, then nods. No, he really does. A frown, "Are not ghosts more malevolent?"

"They /can/ be but needn't be so," says Fortewit, firmly, to Edinaz. Now others in the crowd are starting to get a bit unsettled. Ghosts? Undead.

"NECROMANCY," yells one.

"Oh no," says Fortewit.

Walery hrms. Ghost dragons definitely sound bad. But is this a ghost dragon, or just a shaky illusoin. The guy is so sketchy and clueless, it's hard to work out what's really going on.

Edinaz puts his hangs on his hips. "Mmm," he says, disbelieving the showman. "Explain why this is not necromancy."

"There's no necromancy involved!"

"Then how is it a ghost?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh no," says Lord Fortewit. "A spirit! A SPIRIT is different than a ghost!"

"Oooh," say some people, nodding along.

Edinaz snorts in derision. "So," he asks. "If its a spirit, it's still necromacy. Is it a phantasm?"

"Spirits aren't necromacny! I know many Oruch who would take offense to that," yells Fortwit back to the crowd. The guards are starting to get a little nervous and restless, as is the crowd.

"/Fine/. I will depart, my friends, but rest assured I will be back to share another story of my exploits soon. Me and my SPIRIT DRAGON," he climbs upon the back of his griffon.

Kae blinks and peers at things going on curiously... "Ummmm... See through dragons for the entertainment!!! I'd say win, but this isn't a competition!" She calls out, yes more flailing! Kae's kinda animated that way!

Edinaz waves his hand at the man. "Bye, big-talker!"