Urbs Magna III: Blood on the Sands Report

Quardi, the 17th of Cirearius, 114 PR

Standing in the blooded sands of the area, the party had finished off all of the wolves except Ükhilflin, yet crowd demanded more blood! Kegho closed his eyes and successfully tames his barbarian rage for the moment. He chucked a wolf head into the stands of the bloodthirsty spectators while Theo subtly tended to Alex’s wounds, taking care to mask his use of theurgy. As Alex stood, he suggested that Kegho “tame” his war dog in a show of "barbarian" skill and to put as much theatrics into it as possible. Kegho exhibited a manly force of will and brought Ükhilflin to heel, enthralling the spectators who demanded with one voice that the tamed wolf be spared. Emperor Venatius acquiesced to the will of the people as if it were the will of the gods. Sefu Eba Belaye came out onto the arena and led Ükhilflin back to safety, grateful that one of his charges was spared in Maya's name. The enslaved adventurers were then taken back down into the arena's hypogeum, with Kegho carrying the nearly unmanned Alexandru Croitoru like a ball. Once below, they were fed and given more of the soporific wine that had caused them so much trouble in the first place while a barber-surgeon tended to their wounds. Rukh informed them that he was pleased by their ability to play the crowd.

While they were deep in their cups, a burly new figure of northern Rhenish stock was shoved into their cell. He was dismayed by their obvious incapacitation and deeply miffed that he had been imprisoned by that villainous bell-end, Gallienus Kerularios as well. He was larger in form than Kegho and they immediately began the subtle ballet of staring and understated personal slights that would eventually end in combat, an embrace, or some awkward combination of the two.

Qunidi, the 18th of Cirearius, 114 PR

After awaking and performing his early morning supplication to the his gods, Brother Theophilus asked the group to provide some cover from the jailers, as well as their fellow gladiators, while he attempted to draw down the divine mercy of Maya to heal Kegho’s wounds. Even the enigmatic Rhenish barbarian grudgingly agreed, despite still being disdainful of the Ouranic Church, he appreciates the powers which their gods bring to their followers. Alex’s distraction was probably unnecessary, but it made the Eknoi mage, Teleptyon Marathonos, uncomfortable which was its own sort of joy.

Shortly after Theo successfully performed a minor miracle in the healing of Kegho's wounds, the rest of the gladiators awoke from their golden lotus induced stupor. The sound of wrenching echoed throughout the stone walls of the cells in which the adventurers were held. It seemed that Priscianus Lascaris, who was scheduled for a fight this morning had taken ill. In need of gladiators, Rukh, in his role as head of the Kerularios gladiatorial stable, instructed the party to send their two best fighters, in Priscianus's place. Kegho stood to volunteer, and as the new barbarian had never sat down, he was assumed to be volunteering as well. At Telepyton's request, the rest of the party were allowed to travel to the arena stands to watch their compatriots engage in battle, perhaps for the last time.

The group was led up to the entrance of the arena by their guards, where the Rhenish barbarian and Kegho were led onto the arena sands while the rest of the group were led to a special spectator box for gladiators. After Kegho and his new battle companion reached the center of the arena, all of a sudden a large and fearsome Ghimaslayan Snow Ape ran out into the arena through the eastern gate. The fight was quick but vicious. The ape charged towards the Rhenish warrior, leaping in the air with a makeshift bone club in his hand. The warrior dodged the attack; however, the ape then tried to capture him in a bear-hug. Teleptyon, attempting to even the odds for his new companions, used his small understanding of the arcane to summon a cloud of gnats to distract the ape, attempted to hide the somatic gestures necessary for his art by dancing spastically in the stands. Using the momentary distraction to his advantage, the warrior deftly escaped the grasp of the ape and followed up with a strike to the ape's exposed torso, plunging his gladius deep into its bowels. Kegho then flanked the grievously wounded ape and finished it with a thrust from his trident.

The crowd lapped up all the spectacle, remembering Kegho as the "wolf tamer" from yesterday's matches. Despite Teleptyon's attempt at subterfuge, his use of magic was noticed by at least Rukh, who informed him that “Necromancers don’t live long in this world.” Teleptyon innocently proclaimed that he “didn’t fuck the dead.”

After the match, the party was brought back to the gladiator's lounge where they were given more golden lotus-laced wine and some time to relax before being placed back into their cell. Brother Theo approached the new barbarian, Asbjorn, with open friendliness. However, Theo, as an Aeriscan, did not have the context that the volatile politics of the three warring duchies of Rhenia Magna were intimately tied with the upending of the historical social order brought about by the expansion of the Ouranic Church’s influence during the time of the Rexan Empire and its undermining of the socio-political mores of the extant pagan order. Unfortunately for Brother Theo, Asbjorn, this giant of a man, was part of the old order of Rhenish heathenry. Nevertheless, Kegho’s gruff “You fight good” in broken Vulgar Rexan was met with an equally gruff “You as well.” From Alex's perspective, a deep friendship, tinged with rivalry was all but assured.

Wary of the potent narcotic effects of the medicinal wine that the gladiators of the stable relished in abusing as a method of forgetting their wretched fate, our group of adventurers drank much more lightly that night. As an experiment, Alex applied some lotus wine to his recently injured groin and felt the lingering pain subside. Perhaps Brother Theo might make use of this in the future as he continues learning Lamos's healing arts, he thought, before succumbing to his fatigue.

Sestadi, the 19th of Cirearius, 114 PR

During the night, Teleptyon heard something in the hall and woke the "legitimate-business oameni," Alex, to use his keen oameni hearing to listen at the bars. When he leaned against the cell door to listen, it swung open silently, and they appeared to be free to escape! As far as the adventurers could tell, Rukh, Sefu and Priscianus were all clearly asleep in their cells across from them. Furtively creeping out of the cell and down the corridor, they moved quietly toward the kitchen where they scavenged sacks, small knives and rations; that is all of them except for Kegho, who went left and ended up in the lounge and the larder. There, he found a sack and stocked up on food before noisily making his way to the kitchen, where he almost was stabbed by everyone else in the party, on edge from hearing his heavy footsteps towards the kitchen door. An attempt to unlock the door leading upward and toward the stadium was thwarted by poor tools and Alex's unskilled hands. They decided to search for alternate paths before finding a poorly lit hallway that bypassed the locked door.

In his haste to escape, Asbjorn walked in front of a manned guard post, but with his keen warrior's reflexes, he nearly cleft the guard's head in twain. However, he merely cracked he guard's helmet instead. Nevertheless, the guard was taken by surprise and Kegho dispatched him expeditiously by grabbing his throat and plunging a kitchen knife straight into his left eye. The guard only managed to let out a soft gurgle before his life was ended and his corpse sunk to the floor. After searching the guard's body, they found 10 silver argyron that they gave to Brother Theo for safekeeping. Asbjorn took the guard's spathion in hand and donned his mail and tabard, hoping to disguise himself as a guard escorting a group of gladiators.