[The Colosseum] Nexus Prime Cage Fighting Championships *Bookies and Betting*(OPEN)

Shorty · February 2, 2007, 08:05 PM

10th Cryxatum
Season of Spring, Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIII Post Fractum. The First Era of the Regency of Milo L'Evienne

A buzz filled the air around the Colosseum as the day of the Nexus Prime Cage Fights arrived. Finally... even after the numerous small crisis that Gaston the promoter had to overcome. Guild laziness, a surpring shortage of iron on the market, and the thousand other little fires he had to put out. He looked worriedly at the sky, but the gray clouds soon parted and the sun shone upon the dusty arena. It was time.

Within the Colosseum three iron cages stood- all 20 feet square and 15 feet high. Against the edge of the ring on a podium was a minature version of the three iron cages.

In the entranceway Gaston's bookies were taking bets- all worked for him, though he couldn't control the illegal bookies who were working across the street. Baloons and festive music met those coming to attend the matches. A giant chalkboard with the matchups and odds for all the matches hung.

Post in this thread and wage money on any of these fights- even the NPC ones. They won't be RP'd out- but you can win or lose crowns on them. I'll pop in and officially announce the results and edit updates in matches in this top post. Everyone is welcome- fighters and spectators!

Quote:

NEXUS PRIME CAGE MATCHES

FAE-WEIGHT
Ankou "the Blackguard Doll"
To Win: 3 to 1
Nothing much is known about this fighter.
vs. Puffy "Mean Machine" Lindenberries
To Win: 2 to 3
Mean Machine is unbeaten in 6 matches

Rootuibum "Blue Nasty" Hillbunnies
To Win: 1 to 4
Blue Nasty has tore off the wings
of his last two opponents
vs. Geep "Flying Menace" Patchwork
To Win: 9 to 1
Local fae, fighting to save his orphanage. A Long shot.

WOMEN'S MIDDLEWEIGHT
Viskyia the "Little Deer" Crow
To Win: 4 to 1
Is tougher than she looks
vs Svetlona "Thunder" Legovska
To Win: 2 to 3
Three time "guest" at the citadel for fighting

Chan Reese
To Win: 2 to 1
Strong looking Jagura
vs One-eyed Eileen
To Win: 1 to 2
Street Fighting Women's Champion. Eyed lost during a fight with a shark

MEN'S MIDDLE WEIGHT
Dzie Towen
To Win: 3 to 1
New Comer...nothing much is known.
vs Verus "The Snowman"
To Win: 2 to 3
West Warden, veteran of Paxia probably trained

Leopald "The Masked One" Spyre
To Win: 4 to 1
Who is this Masked Man?
VS Gabriel "Make It Up" Havisham
To Win: 2 to 3
Local Crimson Tiger and Protector of Nexus Prime. GO TIGERS!

Dirk "Lazy Man" Corbett
To Win: 3 to 1
Always seems to take it easy
VS. Trent Lonehawk
To Win: 1 to 2
Local bouncer

Luberto "De Destroyer" Vitebeke
To Win: 6 to 1
Old vet, fighting one last time
VS Vlad "The Pale" Berkutov
To Win 1 to 5
Last era's "Imperial Rumble." winner

MEN'S HEAVYWEIGHT
Rhargn "The Pit Hound" Etn
To Win: even
Looked strong at weigh in but is unknown.
VS Burly Doitsky
To Win: even
Looked fat at the weigh in. But we know him.

Hazudar "Green Lightning"
To Win: 1 to 5
The Legend in the flesh! Fair freestyler.
VS Corran "The Gentleman" Bethager
To Win: 10 to 1
Looks tough, but does he have what it takes?

A how do about the betting, so we're all on the same page-

Secrets :

Milling around the bookies were trying to collect bets. They peppered the air with their calls. They would stop and take the gambler's bets, giving the better a ticket where their bet is recorded.

"Hey- wadda ya say buddy? Corran "The GentleMan for the win! Great odds, he's a hoss! I saw at the weigh-in thread!"

"Let's do Haz for for 50! Hazudar for 50!"

Amelia Lynsdaughter · February 3, 2007, 05:35 AM

"Nexus Prime Cage Matches..." Amelia murmured. She knew the meaning of all four individual words, but she had only a vague idea of what a 'cage match' was. In fact, she wondered what exactly she was doing here, with so many noisy men filling the air with screams, names and numbers. They kept bumping into her and pushing her aside as she drifted in brownian motion. The commotion of the betting had diverted her from her usual stroll and now she did not know what to do.

And not knowing what to do, she stared at the chalkboard and read up its contents, recognizing the names all those people were yelling. Such yelling seemed to be accompanied by the exchange of money with tickets of some kind, and at last Amelia realized they were all gambling, though she hadn't the foggiest what they were betting on. Back in the village, she had been taught that gambling was the domain of Meephos and good girls should not indulge such hobbies, but like everything else that she had learned back then, it was just a big blur now.

Oh, fights - she realized as she read up the background info on some contestants. Sounded violent, and definitely unladylik... WHAT!? There was a women's category!? How was that possible? This event hinted at barefist fights being performed inside metal cages, and there were women willing to do that? "What is the world coming to?" Amelia commented softly, choosing to not bet on women who tried to mimick men as she adjusted her aquamarine jacket on herself and considered the other fighters. For, of course, she wanted to bet on someone, because just for once she wanted to be like everyone else. But in the end, she knew she would win - she knew the trick.

Omens, that is. And she could read omens like few other Vagarans - in her humble opinion, at least. She considered the birds as they took flight; the direction of the wind; the cobblestone patterns on the street. And in the end, she reached a conclusion, the omens shared their secrets with the girl. The green moss thriving in that particular cobblestone section was the ultimate sign as far as the superstitious Adjurator was concerned.

So the blue-eyed brunette approached the nearest bookie, and smiled as held her bet in her raised hand. "Hazudar!" she said. Of course she hadn't been at the weigh-in, so she knew nothing about this guy other than he probably wore greens like a ranger or something. And there, in her hand, lay the treasure she was going to part with.

A shiny, beautiful golden Crown.

Meaning she was, in the best case, going after a net gain of two whole silvers - but Amelia hadn't even looked at the odds, numbers never made too much sense to her. She wondered if perhaps one Crown was too much, but she was feeling bold that brightening.

Hazudar · February 4, 2007, 10:32 AM

Sometimes, the mere mention of his name was all it took. Like the boogeymen of children's nightmares, the half-orc seemed to be exist ever just around the corner; lurking in every shadow, hiding under every bed. Always out of sight but never out of mind... permeating all of reality with his odiferous, lingering malignant presence. He could be THERE! He could be ANYWHERE! Even... RIGHT HERE AT THE BOOKIES!

And forsooth! A rancid breeze, a rustling noise, a revolting flash of putrid gray-green... the crowd shifted... and where before there had been nothing but sun beams and dust mites, now there stood HAZUDAR. Tall, dark, and hideous--like a blot upon the waking world--his gruesome orkish visage hidden under the shadows of a wide-brimmed hat, disguising all save for the eerie glint of his trademark fanged grin. The brute's arms were crossed, his massive frame leaning against a nearby wall in typical slovenly fashion. He sneered at the crowds, awash in silent jackal laughter as they clamored to lose their hard-earned crowns.

But there was one in particular who'd caught his attention.

His grin cracked open as Amelia neared; blackness pooling betwixt those sharp, yellow teeth. "Feelin' lucky today, are we?" he rasped, his voice that of an animal. A predator.

Amelia Lynsdaughter · February 5, 2007, 12:18 PM

As the Orc's raspy voice called out to her, the witch-in-training turned her head in the brute's direction. Being one who saw dead people had its advantages, for there were ghosts roaming the streets of Nexus that were marginally uglier than even Hazudar himself, or what parts of him were visible at the moment. Though judging by the teeth alone, he was almost too ugly to be alive. Thankfully the brute's shadow betrayed his physical presence, sparing Amelia the embarrassment of asking him what grudges he held on the living.

Still, her previous contacts with the dead had shown her certain things that had enormously raised her tolerance to the morbid and the grotesque, and she did not flinch upon seeing the Orc. Coin in her hand, she blinked once and pondered over a reply. Now, she was a self-proclaimed Lady in the making, striving to always look impeccable no matter what. This meant politeness. Everyone could be polite to a well-dressed gentleman with a blinding smile and banknotes stuffed into his pockets. Where was the challenge in that? Being polite to a seedy, smelly, malicious creature of darkness whose every pose - albeit very cliche - seemed to radiate evil... now that was the mark of the true Lady. According to Amelia, at least. If she could pass this test, she could pass them all.

"There is no such thing as luck," she replied quietly - mostly in order to minimize the amount of air she had to inhale near Hazudar, "it's just a matter of listening as the gods speak to us and following the omens." She even managed the shade of the hint of the trace of a smile. "Are you... betting on someone, too?" She said, not sure why she had chosen to drag the conversation on - maybe to not appear rude, maybe because the presence of such a demon made the young spirit guide vaguely curious. Still, the die was cast!

Ankou · February 5, 2007, 06:34 PM

A high-pitched laugh echoed across the cobblestones. Ankou, son of Ankou, first servant of House Lescartes, had arrived.

No glorious fanfare, no mockable parade, merely the dark creature, born on hatred wings, alighting gently between the girl and her half-orc companion. "Indeed you are correct, human." Ankou said, smiling gently, he had overheard her it seemed! "It is not luck at all. It is... skill. This half-orc, this Hazudar lacks any trace or semblance of skill at all!" He snickered, turning to the betting numbers, his eyes widened.

"Ahahahaha."

"This is amusing, there appears to be an error here. There's no way Hazudar Half Orc gets 10 to 1 odds. I've seen him in the Gut fights, I've personally witnessed him lose to a fifteen-year-old human child." Huxley had probably been a bit older, but the evil mastermind also didn't care, he was making a grand show of disliking Hazudar, that was the only purpose.

"No, you waste your money, human. My good man!" Ankou said, addressing a bookie. "I believe I'll take your offer on that longshot, Corran Bethager. I'll show my support with some paltry sum... say, 5000?"

Ankou removed his backpack, overflowing with bank notes and coins, and indeed it was exactly 5000 crowns worth, and handed it to the man, recieving the proper ticket in return.

"Yes, Hazudar, my old enemy, your worthlessness is about to make me slightly richer! A pity you have no comprehension of skill or talent." Ankou laughed again, but there was no humor, it was a cruel laugh intended to humiliate the dangerous half-breed.

Shorty · February 5, 2007, 08:52 PM

Amelia:
"Here ye go darlin'"- Amelia received her ticket showing her one crown towards Hazudar. She began to see spectres in the surroundings, fallen combatants from the Colosseum. They sorta drifted in and out of the crowd, curious as to what was going on.
----------------------------------------------------

"5,000 for The Gentleman!" The bookie exclaimed to the crowd, and it caused a great stir. The conversations could be heard. Ankou's declaration about Haz's abilities had found an audience always looking for a tip.

"You think he knows something we don't know?"
"You kinda got to back a human over a dirty orc."
"I was at the weigh-in, the orc didn't look to tough."
"Probably all talk, the other one seemed cool and collected...."
"500 for Bethager!"
"Make that 3000 from me!"

Gaston began to look nervous...would he lose his shirt on this? The halfling was not below changing the odds in his favor...and began to edge towards the odds board. Somehow the crowd needed to believe in the half-orc again.

Amelia Lynsdaughter · February 6, 2007, 04:55 PM

Just when Amelia was thinking that she had the whole situation under control, lo and behold! A Fae flew into the conversation, literally. This one was unlike the other friendly Faeries that one usually chanced upon; his words filled with resentment and contempt. He reminded her of her ghostly nemesis, Khestet the Imp, but there was no time for her to dwell on that, as the creature revealed that the other creature - Hazudar - was the 'ranger' she had entrusted her shiny Crown to. Omens were strange things indeed.

However, as Ankou publically mocked the half-Orc and... whipped out 5,000 Crowns! Placing a bet on Hazudar's opponent. Amelia's eyes went wide open, as she had never seen 5,000 Crowns being spent like that; actually, she had never seen 5,000 Crowns, period. So this was the order of magnitude people were willing to invest in such a risky game. It got her thinking, as she toyed with the receipt of her own bet.

Also, the Fae's behavior stood out as somewhat fishy to her. Was there something behind the foolish act of betting 5,000 Crowns on a long shot? And in such a theatrical way? Maybe they were trying to cheat the management with a rigged fight? As in, put your money on the long shot only for the half-Orc to lose on purpose and split the ill-gotten gains? Oldest trick in the book, even Amelia knew that one.

That pretty much axed her omen thingy, though.

"I take it you already know each other," the impeccable, slightly aloof, half-Elven part of her said, though there was Vagaran blood starting to bubble within. It occurred to her, by seeing Ankou in action, that she could actually gain money from this, as opposed to simply standing back and watching with her one-Crown receipt.

It wasn't that Amelia cared about money, per se. But once she imagined all the things that money could buy, it all took on a different color. After all, money may not bring happiness, but lack of it tended to bring extreme unhappiness. And she had a power that few others had.

Clearly, the world would call it rigging a fight. But people like Hazudar or Ankou would likely not mind, she suspected. It was probably boy scout stuff to them. If anything they would be mildly surprised at what a good girl with a cash problem could come up with.

"Thanks for the advice... but there are other ways to spice up a tournament," the young Adjurator smiled, an expression of calm serenity on her face as she pulled a vial out of her handbag, uncorked it and inconspicuously poured it on the cobblestones - everyone's attention surely focused on Gaston and the shocking revelation of Haz's weakness. A weak scent of alcohol emanated from the liquid, Spirit Water. It would draw the ghosts of the fallen gladiators to her.

She needed to exchange a few words with them. Second oldest trick in the book.

Halb · February 7, 2007, 03:45 PM

Halb not like wrong account.

Ankou · February 7, 2007, 03:45 PM

Ignoring the rather unusually perceptive VAGARAN female, Ankou quickly saw that there was a problem here. Naturally, he had anticipated this problem, but the loud-mouthed bookie needed to die. Why hadn't he killed him?

Ankou had played his role perfectly, but a bet of that sum would never go unnoticed, there was only one solution, Ankou sighed, let the half-orc never say ankou didn't do nuffin' for him.

He screamed, roaring over the crowd, making sure every human there could hear him. "Now I have my revenge against you, Hazudar Half-orc! See how the crowd turns against you! I thought I'd bested you in Imperia when you SINGLE-HANDEDLY PULVERIZED MY GIANT ALLY. I thought I'd defeated you permanently in Archadoon when YOU SLEW TEN MEN WITH YOUR BARE HANDS. Now, however, I'll stay content with ridding you of your glory here, this day. Good-bye HAZUDAR HALF-ORC."

And he turned to leave, but not before giving Hazudar 'da zignal'.

Hazudar · February 8, 2007, 04:22 AM

ooc: guys please give me a chance to post. promise 1 soon

Saethe · February 8, 2007, 07:04 PM

Saethe heard about the cage fighting championships and decide to come to place some bets on some of the fighters. When he got to the entrance he noticed that the colosseum was a very busy place today bookies all around. He walked up to the giant chalkboard to see what the odds were and who the fighters were going to be. As he looked down the list he saw his friend’s name and made a mental note about it. He continued to look down the list and saw a name the will forever be with him Gabriel “The Liar” Havisham or so Saethe called him. Once he saw his name he looked at who he was going to fight and left the board to go to a bookie.

When he found a free bookie he said, “I would like to place 250 gold crowns on Leopald “The Masked One” Spyre, 25 gold crowns on Viskyia “The Little Deer” Crow, and 25 crowns on Ankou “The Blackguard Doll”.” Saethe didn’t know anything about the masked one, but he knew that he would have at least a chance at beating Gabe since he fought him a couple days earlier and they were pretty evenly matched. Saethe took out the crowns and handed them to the bookie and waited for his ticket.

Hazudar · February 9, 2007, 12:39 PM

ooc: sorry bout that ><

ic:

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A fist punched right through the chalkboard before the halfling could get any closer. Breathing hard, the brute withdrew his claw slowly, still balled up tight and ready to take a swing at the next punk to spout some foolishness about him bein' "all talk." Make no mistake--set up or no, the half-orc's pride was hurtin' here! O ye of little faith...

"Waste yer money if ya want, chumps--but nobody sullies da Hazinator's bad name an' gets away wiff it!" Warrior spirit aflame, the orc's hat flew from his noggin as he ripped apart his own shirt and growled incoherently at the crowd, rearing and half-charging at them a few times for good measure...

Suddenly he turned!

"YOU! Why yew no good, slanderin' fae... TELL DA TRUTH! IT WAS TWELVE MEN!" Beating his bare chest with his fists, the orc began barreling towards Ankou with murderous (wink wink) intent. Arms and legs pumping majestically, the bruiser exploded right through everyone unfortunate enough to be in his path (and a few that weren't)!

"C'mere yew!" he cried, wrapping his fingers around the fae in a (gentle) iron death grip, then winding up and heaving him over the wall of the arena in a single throw. Well... heaved him, at least--whether Ankou chose to sell it like it was the throw of the paradigm or not was really up to him...!!!!!!!

"ANYONE ELSE WANNA BET ON CORRAN BETHAGER?!" the orc roared immediately afterwards, spittle flying everywhere. "C'MON, WHO WANTS SOME O' DIS!" Brimming with masculinity, Haz was more than eager to warm up on these chumps. More than the money, there was PRIDE at stake here... anything lower than 10:1 odds was an insult, and Hazudar wasn't about to be insulted without a fight!!!

Viskyia Crow · February 9, 2007, 05:20 PM

Viskyia lingered on the edge of the bookie's row. She was going to wait until the very last minute, just before they closed, to place her bet. She was sure, by the way things were going, that the odds would change several times as money was laid heavily on one contender over the other. It was her goal to get her bets in place only when she was sure the numbers wouldn't change at all. That was the safest way to play it.

Plus.. she was staring at one of the matches undecided. If their fight had been broken up, she'd place money on Dzie and Verus both. As it stood, she had no idea who she was going to decide as a likely winner. She knew both of them, and each of them were strong, fit, and determined. Of all the matches, she was certain Dzie and Verus' would be a legitimate exciting battle.

Shorty · February 12, 2007, 07:56 PM

Hazudar's fist punctured the chalkboard with much to-do and made the crowd duck for cover before the unbridled aggression. Gaston, the halfling promoter, grew angry and his face flushed. However, he valued his skin and instead decided to look flabbergasted.

Not done, the half-orc rampaged through the crowd knocking people aside, a mother here, a fat dwarf there... they all scattered before the green battering ram. He grabbed the fae and threw the tiny hustler into the air....

"Ohhh...now there's a decent bet- already ready to rumble!"
"Hmmm...I don't know if I'm convinced."
"Did I say 3,000 for the Gentleman? I meant 3,000 for Hazudar."

The tide seemed to sway a little, however Gaston continued to look unconvinced, yet lacked the courage to continue to push the issue. The odds remained unchange for now.

Amelia

The spectres, remnants of gladiators past, seemed drawn to the Spirit Water and the young girl who possessed the liquid. They began to drift her way and she began to make out a couple of the brave ones: a human man carrying his animate head in his right arm, and a dwarf who hopped around on one foot. The question was- what was the second oldest trick in the book?

Amelia Lynsdaughter · February 15, 2007, 03:53 PM

Setting a fight up unbeknownst to the fighters, of course.

While Haz and Ankou proceeded to sort out their own civil disagreement - a discussion that seemed to involve some bystanders, as well - Amelia had other business to attend to. She had to admit, however, that the two were... interesting people, albeit rather forgetful of their manners. Plus her money was on Hazudar. She would believe in him!

She had no idea whether they had different plans for the fight, but if she ended up betting on a rigged fight, it would be one she had rigged herself. Or else it would feel like cheating.

Pleased that the ghosts had answered her call, she took advantage of the commotion - something a lady would never want to be in - to step back and address the fallen gladiators. It was not Common, but a tongue alien to the living. A language of whispers and hisses, that only one whose tongue had been split could speak or understand. The language of the dead and the non-living.

"Wretched souls who linger on, unable to leave the final battlefield," she began, her voice a hushed whisper, half an octave lower than her usual tone, "I approach you on this brightening with a proposition." There were essentially two parts to Adjuration. The first was about the tools, and knowing when to use them. The second, however, was subtler and more complex - it was the art of negotiating. The whole craft was an exchange of favours between two parties. Short-term favours like the one Amelia was going to ask of the spectres commanded short-term favours in return.

As girly as she may be outside of the craft, as an Adjurator the Outlaw was dead serious - pardon the pun. Those who were not tended to not last long in the business anyways. "I desire your help in determining the outcome of a fight to take place later today," she said, examining the chalkboard. Now, it was previously said that the odds made little sense to Amelia. That was because she had only considered the raw numbers involved. "9 to 1" made no sense at all. Even "9 Crowns to 1 Crown" gave her mind little to work with.

However, "9 pairs of shoes to 1 pair of shoes" did make sense. Nine pairs was a lot - she pictured them on a 3x3 grid in her mind. Amelia had a very soft spot for shoes.

"In the second fight, Geep Patchwork must beat his opponent. How you do this is up to you, blocking the other Fae when it counts would probably do the trick. Mr. Hillbunnies... you can stop him, spook him, distract him, your physical forms look definite enough that you should be able to do it. Those willing to share their names with me and make sure Mr. Patchwork wins, will receive fresh Ambrosia every darkening for two cycles, either here or near my place in the Jasmine District if you'd like it hotter." Ghosts varied wildly in power and strength, ranging from shapeless puffs of smoke to beings that could strangle a man in seconds. However, there were several of them here... and the person to be blocked was only a Fae.

"Besides, once we have established some mutual trust, we can then have other, more interesting deals in the future," she added, smiling a little. She wasn't feeling overly guilty about this - just compensating for some of the unfair things that life had thrown her way. That and the guy was fighting for his orphanage. Such things never failed to move a girl's heart.