Gladiator: Houses Collide

[Chief Pappy]

After much deliberation I would like to Unchallenge Seneca and Challenge Mercato

[Ironside]

In honour of the passing winter solastice I wish to request to fight in the arena. You puny Romans haven't experienced true darkness.

[Jarema]

I challenge Ironside. Let's check if Romans are better at using nets than you, simple barbarians

[Zain]

Well it appears all 11 of our combatants have requested to fight in the Arena in one way or the other. Let's reflect...

Ishmael Challenged Darth Feather (In which he accepted)
LazyMcCrow Requested
Crossroad Challenged Seneca
Double A Challenged Lugo
Stildawn Challenged Aulus
Chief Pappy ultimately Challenged Mercato
Ferret also Challenged Aulus (IF Stildawn's request is accepted, this challenge will simply act as a request)
rickinator9 Requested, followed by Ironside
Jarema Challenged Ironside (Yet to be accepted or denied)

If anyone wants to make any changes, let me know. We have ~8.5 hours until the Arena Phase begins!

[Ironside]

I challenge Ironside. Let's check if Romans are better at using nets than you, simple barbarians

Hah, if we moved south in mass, your seas would become empty and your forests void of life if we wanted to, thanks to our netting skills.

Nevertheless, I recognise that it will be a match among equals, your skill do seem higher than for a normal Roman. Keep this up and we'll make a honourary Northman out of you.

I accept Jarema's challenge.

[Darth Feather]

Hah, if we moved south in mass, your seas would become empty and your forests void of life if we wanted to, thanks to our netting skills.

Nevertheless, I recognise that it will be a match among equals, your skill do seem higher than for a normal Roman. Keep this up and we'll make a honourary Northman out of you.

I accept Jarema's challenge.

Why would anyone want to be a Northman. Everyone knows the gods have permitted us, Romans to conquer and possess all of the world. The Roman Empire will never fall!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I love being the high-and mighty imperialistic Roman ;)

[crossroad]

After much deliberation I would like to Unchallenge Seneca and Challenge Mercato

I see that the lifeless body of Seneca does not appeal to you. I was about to liken you unto the barbarians of the north. There may be hope for you Festus.

I challenge Ironside. Let's check if Romans are better at using nets than you, simple barbarians

Its doubtful. Wielding two weapons at once is beyond the grasp of the barbarian.

[Ironside]

Why would anyone want to be a Northman. Everyone knows the gods have permitted us, Romans to conquer and possess all of the world. The Roman Empire will never fall!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I love being the high-and mighty imperialistic Roman ;)

Pah! You'll never do it you pantless weaklings. Freeze to death in the north or get mocked forever as pantyboy in the only city you think matter.

Eat your sweets, weaklings. I heard it makes you go crazy and sterile.

[rickinator9]

Why would anyone want to be a Northman. Everyone knows the gods have permitted us, Romans to conquer and possess all of the world. The Roman Empire will never fall!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I love being the high-and mighty imperialistic Roman ;)

I heard the barbarians are feisty. I like wild women!

[Chief Pappy]

Women of Carthage with their dark eyes and hair are enough to turn any "civilized" man. *Reminisces of home*

[Zain]

Pre-Arena 1

"The magistrate will join us momentarily." his wife announced as she and her ancillae entered the room. Hadrianus Avidius and Livianus Lucilius, along with Lunistae from other Houses including some from other cities, had gathered to dictate who would offer their men in the Arena. Avidius and Lucilius shared the proper pleasantries while simultaneously imagining the other at the end of a gladius.

After some time, magistrate Sabinas Tiberius Gaius Appius entered the room adorned in Rome's finest of drapery. "Apologies dear friends, pressing matters delayed my return." He obtained a cup of honeyed wine from his servant and beckoned his guests to do the same. "The games are upon us once again, Rome's finest gladiator city smiles once more. Any new acquisitions clamoring for position?"

Avidius responded first, "I have six new men, all showing promise. Capua would be dishonored by refusal of their attendance in this month's games."

Lucilius stole from the silence, "As do I, five new men. I would wager the magistrate would enjoy a friendly rivalry between Novicii?" He glanced at magistrate Appius and smiled at the request.

Appius responded hesitantly, "I would wager the crowd would prefer matches with gladiators they are familiar with, wouldn't you agree?"

Lucilius nodded, his smile not fading, the last thing he wanted was to offend the man who chooses who fights in his Arena, and who didn't. "Of course, we wouldn't want to starve the crowd of their heroes."

Avidius spoke again, "If I may suggest, with your approval magistrate, let us pair our veterani of lower standing against the others' novicii. Give our men a chance to prove themselves against a more seasoned opponent."

The magistrate laughed heartily, eyes bright, "Excellent idea Hadrianus! Let us compare your men and choose the matches."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Arena Matches:

Cato (@Ferret - Gallus - Avidius)
H/W 83cm (6'0") 95kg (209lbs)
S 7.5, E 6, A 3, P 4
vs.
Ashur (Gallus - Lucilius)
H/W 172.5cm (5'8") 83kg (183lbs)
S 7, E 7, A 5, P 5

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cicero (@Stildawn - Dimachaerus - Lucilius)
H/W 195cm (6'5") 84kg (185lbs)
S 1, E 1, A 10, P 9
vs.
Aulus (Gallus - Lucilius)
H/W 167.5cm (5'5") 73kg (161lbs)
S 5, E 5, A 5, P 5

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sextus (@Jarema - Retarius - Avidius)
H/W 175cm (5'9") 77kg (170lbs)
S 4, E 4, A 5, P 8
vs.
Berno (@Ironside - Retarius - Lucilius)
H/W 185.5cm (6'1") 86kg (190lbs)
S 4, E 4, A 5, P 8

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Decimus (@crossroad - Retarius - Lucilius)
H/W 177.5cm (5'10") 74kg (163lbs)
S 2.5, E 4, A 6, P 8
vs.
Seneca (Hoplomachus - Maxentius)
H/W 162.5cm (5'4") 74kg (163lbs)
S 7, E 7, A 4, P 4

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Optimus (@Double A - Gallus - Avidius)
H/W 175cm (5'9") 86kg (189lbs)
S 7, E 5, A 4, P 4
vs.
Lugo (Retarius - Avidius)
H/W 180cm (5'11") 84kg (185lbs)
S 5, E 4, A 6, P 6

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ambustus (@Ishmael - Gallus - Avidius)
H/W 180cm (5'11") 92kg (203lbs)
S 7.5, E 7, A 3.5, P 3
vs.
Tullius (@Darth Feather - Gallus - Lucilius)
H/W 180cm (5'11") 94kg (207lbs)
S 8, E 5, A 4, P 4

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Festus (@Chief Pappy - Retarius - Avidius)
H/W 193cm (6'4") 86kg (190lbs)
S 2, E 2, A 8.5, P 8.5
vs.
Mercato (Gallus - Lucilius)
H/W 170cm (5'7") 78kg (172lbs)
S 6, E 5, A 5, P 4

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Valentinus (@LazyMcCrow - Gallus - Avidius)
H/W 185.5cm (6'1") 97kg (214lbs)
S 7.125, E 5.125, A 4.125, P 4.125
vs.
Calavius (Retarius - Avidius)
H/W 185.5cm (6'1") 89kg (196lbs)
S 5, E 4, A 7, P 7

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amulius (@rickinator9 - Dimachaerus - Lucilius)
H/W 172.5cm (5'8") 71kg (157lbs)
S 3, E 4, A 9, P 5
vs.
Duro (Gallus - Avidius)
H/W 177.5cm (5'10") 85kg (187lbs)
S 6, E 6, A 6, P 6

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Arena Phase has begun!

Because no one has any money yet, this will just be a 24 hour phase. I would just like to see a post from everyone if possible, another indication that you're here with us. Comment on the matches, make predictions, etc. Tomorrow night I'll post the results. Not every match will get a blow for blow write-up, but some will if someone dies or if something of note happens.

ALSO, a certain player is working on ways to get money in unconventional ways. This is possible for other players as well via dialogue with your Loyal Servant, Doctore, Dominus, etc

Imagine you're a rockstar or a professional athlete. How do they get money aside from their salary? Use that as a route (If money is any of your concern)

~24 hours until results!

Time Remaining:

[Stildawn]

We should actively RP in character here lol. Will be able to once we get a picture of our surrounds etc.

[Zain]

We should actively RP in character here lol. Will be able to once we get a picture of our surrounds etc.

I will have a good description of the Ludi written up by tomorrow evening.

[Ishmael]

Imagine you're a rockstar or a professional athlete. How do they get money aside from their salary? Use that as a route (If money is any of your concern)

"Once I was a smelly barbarian. But after using Sulla's strigils - 'they make dirt disappear!' - I became the pick of all the Roman ladies."

It's a shame the Romans didn't have television; I could make millions like this .

[Stildawn]

Cicero sat quietly, in the corner of the arena dungeons as the roar of the crowd overhead swelled and subsided in reaction to whatever festivities were going on above them.... But Cicero heard none of that, nor did he hear or notice the numerous gladiators, servants and other people around him... No... For he had his mind locked in... Locked in on but one man... ... ... Aulus...

Every since the matches were announced back at the barracks, Cicero had been studying Aulus, almost stalking him to the point of a few confrontations... He had watched Aulus train, watch him move, watched what he was eating, what he was drinking... Ciceros keen mind and eyes had taken it all in, and he continued this even now as the day of combat had arrived...

Aulus noticed the stares once again and shouted a dumb taunt across the room... Cicero didnt react... Except for a small sly grin and the corner of his lips... His deathly intense stare unwaivering, unrelenting...

Retreating into his mind for a moment, Cicero thought over all he knew of Aulus... A small Gallus Cicero thought, barely V.II pes, mediocre in most ways... He was stronger than Cicero, and his smaller stature would mean he had more stamina, but he was slow, and dumb... At least compared to himself...

He noticed Aulus donning his heavy armor, really too heavy for his strength... He picked up his shield and sword and gave them a few swings as he began his warm up... Cicero smiled, the armour, the weapons, his limited size and strength for a Gallus, all of these worked in Ciceros favour. Light on his feet Cicero will dance around this under sized brute, finding the weak sides and backs of the armour, cutting his legs with his duel swords... It would be quick... ... ...

[crossroad]

Decimus had made it a habit to watch everything that went on around him. He wished he had the advantage that Cicero had - a fellow new comer to the ludus. He had been starring Aulus down since the announcements, watching his every move. At times, Cicero was humorous with his taunting stances. Some noticed as well, most didn't care. The feeble attempts of the Novicii were all but ignored in the gladiator world. "Foolish", Decimus thought. "To weaken one's own House!" It was such a conflict in his mind, but yet, Cicero had the bigger advantage.

Aulus began swinging his sword. The realizaion that soon he too would be in the ring battling a veterani struck again cold, as it had all day. He picked up his trident and gave it a powerful thrust. He was ready. The moment had come. It was the moment he had thought about since he was in prison. He eyed Cicero once more, still gazing at Aulus. It made him chuckle. He was thankful for it, for he had not so much as cracked a smile in a very long time.

[Ironside]

Glory to house Lucilius!

And glory to the frozen north.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I don't have time for a serious post so.

[Darth Feather]

"Once I was a smelly barbarian. But after using Sulla's strigils - 'they make dirt disappear!' - I became the pick of all the Roman ladies."

It's a shame the Romans didn't have television; I could make millions like this .

Finally you see our culture and deem it superior to yours. Bow down to your Roman conquerors !

[Ishmael]

Finally you see our culture and deem it superior to yours. Bow down to your Roman conquerors !

Bah, the only reason I was using them in the first place is because you savages don't have soap.

[Jarema]

Sextus looked at Berno, searching for sign of any weakness... only to found, that Ironside looks at him at the same way!
Sextus laughed. "Berno, if only you wasnt a barbarian, you would make a fine fighter!"
But, deep in his heart, Sextus was affraid a bit. Berno seemed to be as potent as himself, but he had longer arm's reach. Fortunately, they were not going to fight in close distance! And lower height also meant, that Sextus was harder to catch with the net.

[Ferret]

Ashur will die. That is all I need to say.

[rickinator9]

Amulius thought about the information he had received. He knew nothing about his opponent other than what his doctore had told him. He knew Duro was a Gallus and of a similar size as Amulius. He knew that the opponent was somewhat fatter. Perhaps Amulius could do his old tactic. Perhaps...

[Chief Pappy]

The Beast of Carthage instills fear in all...

(Time issue)

[crossroad]

Glory to house Lucilius!

And glory to the frozen north.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I don't have time for a serious post so.

Yea, glory to the House of Lucilius and of Rome!

And this "SPOIL" you attempted to hide to which you spoke "I don't have time for a serious post" must be your foreign speech concerning the "Spoils of the frozen north".

[Darth Feather]

I know my opponent is a stinking Gaul who loves to be beaten. That's all I need to know. (Are there any Romans here?)

[crossroad]

I know my opponent is a stinking Gaul who loves to be beaten. That's all I need to know. (Are there any Romans here?)

I am a son of Rome. Wrongly accused of stealing from Caesar and sent here as my punishment. I shall find the man who betrayed my family and he shall feel the cold prongs of my trident!

[Jarema]

Are there any Romans here?

I am proud son of our city. We shall prevail!

[rickinator9]

I am a proud roman. I was a thief before I came here. Everything worked out well, before I came into contact with this lady. We both had good times, until her aristocratic father found out and brought me here.

[Zain]

Arena Write-up 1

The lanistae from Capua and nearly a dozen from surrounding cities congregated in the pulvinus along with the magistrate and a few other Roman elites.

Many brought along their wives and servants. They were the shining light of wealth among the common folk in the Arena.

The magistrate extended a hand to Avidius, “Care to make introduction of our first match?”

The morning sun had already risen and began to peak above the Arena wall, casting a beam of light over it, Avidius answered enthusiastically, “You honor me, magistrate, but surely you are most qualified.” The magistrate quickly responded, “You are correct, and I reserve the right to bestow that right to whom I choose.”

Avidius responded with a smile, "Then you elevate me above my status, gratitude," and stood up, placing one hand out to signal the crowd to be silent. A few moments later not a soul spoke or shuffled, the stage was his.

He breathed in slowly, and then began, “Dear citizens of Capua… Romans! The gods have seen it fit to bless us with yet another month, let us now bless them with our very own sacrifice. Gladiators trained and beaten for this very day to spill their blood unto the sands! Let us begin!”

The crowd roared with the announcement. A thousand or so souls filled the stands, and none remained seated. He put his hand up again, and they slowly ceased, “Our first match is a challenge between Novicii of two cherished sons of Capua... myself, Hadrianus Marianus Avidius and my counterpart Livianus Septimius Lucilius. Let our offering to you and the gods be accepted and honored as we bless the sands with their blood!”

Again the crowd erupted, and again Avidius silenced them. “From the House of Avidius, I present to you… Ambustus the Gaul!”

The man, freshly shaven and hair cut short, adorned in armor and weapon sporting Avidius’ color entered the Arena through the opened gate. He raised his arms, shield and sword, and the crowd rejected him. Novicii are never accepted.

Not allowing the crowd’s discontent to discourage him, Ambustus smiled proudly, and prepared for the gate to allow his opponent in.

Avidius then announced, “And from my respected opponent, the House of Lucilius, Tullius!”

Tullius bursted through the gate, and the crowd responded accordingly. Once again, novicii are never accepted.

The two men, both gallus style fighters, faced the pulvinus for the signal to begin, and when it showed they erupted towards each other. Strike, parry, counterstrike, the two men stood as equals. Ambustus relied on his defensive expertise, while Tullius remained offensive by dishing out wide swings and keeping his body covered by his shield.

The battle raged, no man backing down. Tullius continued his wide sweeping attacks and in response to his repetitive attack plan, Ambustus had grown accustomed to his fighting style and automatically began to over exaggerate his blocks. When he noticed this, Tullius stopped mid-swing and planted a hard kick into Ambustus’ plexus solaris, sending the Gaul flying back. He immediately lunged towards him, using his shield to knock the sword out of the man’s hand and placed his own blade against the defeated man’s neck.

The crowd surged at this point, an incredible display of excellence from the new gladiator. Tullius placed his foot on the man's chest and looked to the pulvinus as the defeated raised the missio.

The magistrate clapped excitedly, “Looks like your man has the victor, Livianus. Why don’t you choose the fate of the fallen?”

Livianus Lucilius caught eyes with the defeated Hadrianus Avidius and saw the desperation for his man’s life. He stood up, wishing his man to end the Gaul’s life, but he heard the crowd, “live… Live… LIVE!”

He held his hand out until the crowd had silenced, and he announced, “Let him live!”

A sigh of relief fell from Ambustus as Tullius stepped away, his first match denying him the title of Veteranus…

“Excellent showing!” the magistrate said, “What’s next?”

Avidius responded, “First I’d like to express gratitude to Livianus for the life of my man.” He nodded to Lucilius, who waved him off and said, “I aim only to please the crowd.”

Avidius continued, “There are many matches yet to be had, magistrate. Shall we continue?”

They continued the announcements, embellishing and exciting the crowd, blood being spilled. Sextus besting Berno, Decimus over Seneca, Lugo taking Optimus…

The matches continued, and at the break of the midday sun, all of the lower-class matches had commenced. A lunch time hour would commence before the evening sun would cover the upper-class matches between champions.

You all remain alive, for now…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tullius vs. Ambustus
Tullius Victor

Sextus vs. Berno
Sextus Victor

Decimus vs. Seneca
Decimus Victor (Seneca killed)

Optimus vs. Lugo
Lugo Victor

Cicero vs. Aulus
Cicero Victor (Aulus killed)

Festus vs. Mercato
Festus Victor

Valentinus vs. Calavius
Valentinus Victor

Cato vs. Ashur
Ashur Victor

Amulius vs. Duro
Amulius Victor

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I would like to apologize for those of you who were not mentioned in the write-up. I simply cannot write that much for all of the matches. I will be featuring different gladiators per turn, and possibly may include more than one when time is bountiful.

For those of you who lost your matches, you remain Novicii, while the victors now hold the title of Veteranus. Also the winners were awarded 5d for winning as a Novicius.

ALL gladiators, regardless of the results of their matches, were injured at least minorly. No one sustained “life threatening” injuries, aside from Aulus and Seneca who died on the sands.

Order Phase 2 has begun! I will be sending out a PM to all combatants with some quick advice (as I feel it may be necessary) please respond to that PM with your order.

If you have any questions, please ask via thread unless it contains sensitive information.

Time Remaining:

[Stildawn]

Very good lol.

Are we allowed to embellish and role play our own matches that we're not officially covered?