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[Bralbaard]

also, Quantum, that is a brilliant bit of writing and I look forward to future journals from your delegation

Yet you place a bet against him

80 gold on my name-neighbor, Nostrotortoise the Desert Tortoise. That shell looks pretty handy in a fight!

Aaah... the politics and backstabbing¹ of the arena 

¹(Small print: I've got money on this fight as well )

[p_the_d]

Asa Peekot pivots and walks away from the draft board, he pulls a letter that was tucked in his threadbare loincloth and reads

Peekot, we hope the plan is successful and you draw a manageable melee engagement that will play to your athletic wiles in order to win funds for armor that our poor village can not afford. If that falls through there is the pointy stick we gave you that you've become so good at! We're so proud of you - we're sure you'll win the day!

folding the letter and tucking it back, Peekot briefly looks back at the draft board while taking in a deep breath, looks at his spear and presents it to his manager

"any chance we can swap this out?"

p_the_d looks around incredulously while backing up to the books' betting stable saying "what? do i look like an armory? anyway that's a perfect weapon!" while making hurried jabbing motions in the air "jab and poke, jab and poke", then turning around and whispering in to one of the book's ears "75 on Yeti Soon To Be Spaghetti"

[DwarfFortressDude]

 Hello! I wanted to bet 35 out of my 100 on the gladiator Zeps please.

[Martelleus]

70 on Osouf Amir

[Thomasasia]

I would like to bet 75 on my boy, Massive Mike.

Big troll or small jaguar woman? Oh man i wonder who will win 

[Rendentare]

I must respond in kind and bet 40 Gold on Skitterleap. May no shins be spared in her contest against the esteemed Furfoot!

[Salmeuk]

also, Quantum, that is a brilliant bit of writing and I look forward to future journals from your delegation

Yet you place a bet against him

80 gold on my name-neighbor, Nostrotortoise the Desert Tortoise. That shell looks pretty handy in a fight!

Aaah... the politics and backstabbing¹ of the arena 

¹(Small print: I've got money on this fight as well )

According to my hastily written backstory, Nijinsky still thinks this is a dance tournament, though he is beginning to suspect something after the first dance-off resulted in six casualties.

[chipathingy]

75 gold on my girl Madame Spots!
She normally hunts small, agile deer with her spear, big slow troll has no chance!

[ShockinglyTallDwarf]

also, Quantum, that is a brilliant bit of writing and I look forward to future journals from your delegation

Yet you place a bet against him

80 gold on my name-neighbor, Nostrotortoise the Desert Tortoise. That shell looks pretty handy in a fight!

Aaah... the politics and backstabbing¹ of the arena 

¹(Small print: I've got money on this fight as well )

According to my hastily written backstory, Nijinsky still thinks this is a dance tournament, though he is beginning to suspect something after the first dance-off resulted in six casualties.

A dance tournament with only six casualties? Must've been a slow waltz 

[aspy523]

This town aint big enough for the two of us roaches.

100 gold on Horof DreadHoof

[PaperPlinkPlonk]

100 gold on Queen Regina Formicarium

[Headless]

I wasn't planning to write so much but when I looked at the brackets and discovered Agea was a girl suddenly her family had things to say.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Agea ducked the iron ball swinging from the ceiling and blocked her opponents spear with her buckler.  Quickly sidestepping to find a weak point in the armor.  A quick jab swatted away by the spear and then dodge a ball again.  Hurled back with wicked glee by her tormentors around the circle.  She caught the next thrust on her gladius and stepped inside.  Her blade running down the haft to control her opponents weapon, until she was shield to shield where her shorted weapon would have the advantage.  Only to be shoved back by the larger stronger opponent.  The ball spun crazily, clipping her on the shoulder and sending her sprawling.  She fell as she had been training, dodging another spear thrust. She rolled to the side and came up behind opponent.  He blocked the iron ball with his shield and Agea stepped in behind him, knife to his throat. 

"Enough," her Father shouted.  Her younger brothers and sisters spilled off of the stands where they had been gleefully flinging the iron ball at her.  They pilled in around her, hugging her legs and giggling tripping her in the process. 

Her eldest brother took off his black bronze helmet and helped her to her feet. "Well done Monster, I thought I had you."
"No! Not well done Daughter. How many times must I tell you?  The point beats the blade."  He took her wooden training Gladius and stepped behind her brother. 

"From here the fastest safest best kill, is a stab into the kidneys like this."  Her bother grunted.  Even through armor her father could still pack a punch.  "You are going up against a stronger opponent with no armor. You can not take even a single hit.  I've seen Dwarfs wade into dozens of goblins shrugging blows off like eain drops killing with every strike.  You are faster and better than the Dwarf you are facing.  You can beat him, but you can not take a hit.  I wish there was time to fit you with armor and train you to fight in it.  You're practically naked." 

"She could go mountain clad," her younger sister Thea said. "What she could, its allowed."
"No, it is unseemly. ... It is unseemly because," her father spoke over her sister. "she is unblooded.  As much a maid to battle as she is to men. When you are blooded you may enter the area sky clad if you wish until then you will do as your Father says."

"Now, Again."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Nakon Andama su Theramachea sat at loom and passed the shuttle.  Work holding back thought. 
"A visitor lady"
"Not now."
"But Nakon,"
"I said not now!"
"It is alright child she will see me." The Winter Lady glided into Andama's spinning room. Andama stood and curtsied though nearly shaking with hatred.
"Your pardon Lady. Girl bring tea and short breads."   
She bit her tongue on the customary offer of service. If freely offered the high fay could freely accept. Instead she merely gestured, "Will you sit?"
"Thank you."
The Lady of Winter sat.  And said nothing.  The Nakon Andama sat. And Watched the lady.  A life time of training urging her to make the high fay welcome, but she was not, so Andama sat, and waited. 
Finally the maid bustled back in with cookies and tea bustling. A word died on her lips and she fled when Andama gestured that she would pour. 
"Do you take cream or lemon Lady."
"As you take it."
"Very well, lately I find I drink it strong black and bitter."
The Lady of Winter inclined her head. "Just so."
"You have killed my Daughter Lady.  You did not come for tea."
"Killed her?  You have no hope she can win?"
"There are 63 fighters that will end this tournament dead and only one will live through it.  Hope is poison."
"You send your eldest to fight with the legions."
"And my husband when he was a young man and this year 2 more of my children.  That is necessary.  Even battle is safer than this blood sport you've chosen."
"Three in the legions? I did no know you were so blessed."
"The census is this year.  I have a son and a daughter that are likely to be called up if Theramachea marches to war."
"Three in the legions and only 1 in the arena.  Do you hate your Senate? Your Strategos?"
"The Senate fights the wars that are necessary and the Strategos is a frugal man.  He does not waste the lives of his soldiers."
"You think I am foolishly sending Agea to her death?"
"I think your purpose will be served win or loose."
Andama poured the tea.  Strong black bitter just to her taste.
They sipped.
Winter grimaced. "I can see why you like this tea."
"I did not say I liked it."  She sipped again.
"Do you think she can win?"
"I told you hope is more bitter than the tea."
"Do you think she can beat the dwarf in the first bout?"
"What does it matter?  1? 2? Even 3 more weeks?  It is too short.  She was to be married this year.  You have made her a bride of death!"
It was Winters turn to sip her tea. 
"Yes. She can beat the Dwarf.  She's faster, better with a blade.  Neither have much armor and the gladius is a better weapon against an unarmored opponent." 
"But you have placed no wager."
"Wager! Wager?!? You would have me bet on the hour of my daughters death?"
"If you have trained her well.  If she can win. Yes."
"I told you 63 gladiators will die, and everyone betting on them will lose all their money.  It's not enought that you kill my daughter, you would bring my house to ruin?" 
"Your house is wealthy you must have money set a side."
"Yes and expenses to pay with it.  Agea will enter the arena with out armor.  My other children will not go to war like that."
"Her dowry then?  You are convinced she will not need that."
"There will be no wedding to pay for instead it will be a funeral."
"If she dies it will be as a Champion of Winter. We will see to her funeral."
"Why do you care?"
Winter sipped her tea. "You are right, Agea does not have to win the tournament, but my purposes are not served if she dies in the first round."
"I've told you she can win."
"And yet you have placed no wager."
"You would bet against your own champion with her mother?"
"No. But I would place your bet for her."

"I must know can she win?"
Andama su Theramachea set down her tea cup, and stared at Winter.  Clearly more was at stake than just her daughters life.  Winter would have to deal with that.  How best to help Agea? She walked to her sewing box and pulled an embroidered bag from its depths. 
"I love my daughter.  She is strong and fast, brave and true and very good with her blade.  She can beat the dwarf, she can beat most of the gladiators.  But if I bet on her every round I'll lose.  Its just math."
She handed over the bag.  "All of it on Agea su Theramache. In the first round."

A slender figure in and elegant cloak and hood glides up to the book maker.  50 Gold on Agea Velites su Theramachea bracket 1A.  He takes his marker a bumps into Cardinal Cassiera.  The man throws back his hood showing the the unnatural beauty of one of the fair folk.  "Watch yourself jackel."

[BlackGriffin23]

Spoiler: Diary of Sylvia Welneray (click to show/hide)

Day 11 since my exile.

I have been going through my training once more again - trying to, at any rate. But the ice-cold air around the tournament, the whispers of who will win and who will losee… it is all proving far too much for me. My hands are shaking with every swing I take at the mannequin I am supposed to cut as I have to cut my for. I find my halberd connecting far too weakly, sometimes even missing entirely - and I do not even feel like I am in control of my own body when the blade finally cuts into the straw.

I will not make it. I have neither the skill nor the strength to. Gods have no mercy upon the weak - so say the priests back home.

Home. Was it ever truly such for me, or was I merely a vagrant girl in hiding, staying silent so that the masters of the house do not expel me into the rain?

…No. No vagrant would be so foolish as to cry out for changes in the dwelling merely because she believed she had finally found some “inner strength”.

As I am writing this entry, I cannot help but relive the memories that led up to the moment I found myself in this room, with a quill in my hand, pouring out my heart on a blank piece of paper that no soul will ever read. The day I had first met the Emperor - and was terrified of the hunger in his eyes, a wildfire consuming all that he had seen. Meetings of the Council that me and a few of my temporary Allies made crawl to a hold - attempts to quell the flames that threatened to engulf the continent. And finally, a drop of the hammer, a sentence for a treason I had not thought of committing, with letters that I had never seen before - the moment I was set ablaze by walking in the burning woods.

Frankly, Your Imperial Majesty, a simple execution would be far more humane than what you have decided to be fitting for me. Then again, perhaps it is a just reward for a fool I was.

A fool I am. A fool I will die as.

I can only hope my opponent grants me a quick and easy death.

I shall train a little bit more in the few days before the match. Perhaps, if I give whomever this “Knifing Around” a worthy enough challenge, she will not try to use me for additional entertainment.

Spoiler: Betting Misadventures of Wrivvin the Bard (click to show/hide)

Honestly, the fact that Wrivvin was a particularly enthusiastic tournament goer could surprise anyone who knew them. The blood and noise certainly did not seem like a suitable environment for a… leisurely lynx person. But hey, tournament fans came from every walk of life and had every possible temperament!

Well. Every single one would be an exaggeration. Actually, saying “most of the temperaments” would also be. But their point remained!

And besides, the catperson had a task here! A very important one. One that they could not be less bothered to attend to, frankly. But, really, how difficult could it possibly be to gather some funds in the one time when gold basically falls on you from the sky in the Arena City?

Well, that might also be an exaggeration. Whoever could read Wrivvin’s thoughts just had to forgive their tendency to exaggerate. It came with the territory of being a bard.

But hey, there was an easy way to earn some money! They had heard stories of how some people came into the Arena’s betting ring paupers and came out ready to buy an entire kingdom!

Which, honestly, probably was an exaggeration as well. But it was an easy way to get rich!

So they strutted into the bet registry area, setting off a hundred coins for their betting adventure, and stretched a bit as they looked over the bets already made and the matches.

Frankly? They had no idea how to bet.

They looked over at the pile of gold on Knifing Around - and only a tny pile on her opponent. Probably one bet. It was a very tempting offer to bet on the underdog here, actually… except they suddenly recalled they were not, under any circumstance, to bet on any Sylvia Welneray. It was weird specificity, but hey, rules were rules.

Even if they wished they weren’t.

But hey. There was another gladiator similar enough! I mean, a Halberd and some armour, right? And with name like Priest Ndrog certainly already gave them a bit of a scare. They could only imagine how scary that one would be live!

So, with a careless and easy stride, they came over to the counter and purred “Hey there! Put this much on that Priest fella! The scary one. You know.”

Before the bet manager could ask to clarify, Wrivvin was already out of their door. They could not wait to hit their well-deserved nap.

The fact that they only did 30 minutes of activity did not bother them in the slightest.

Betting 35 gold on Priest Ndrog as a sign of respect for absolutely awesome writing on Quantum's post!

[Eris235]

Actually finished the full bracket this year! Burned out the last two years partway through.

Let me know if you see any issues with loadouts or styles. Tried to guess who probably wanted clothes but didn't specify any, and who probably wanted to be nude lol. Also, colorspace I'm working with is limited, using the 8-bit NES palette for simplicity, but it does mean that some colors use the 'close enough' rule. Scaled things off my own boy, zeps, at size 35, being 16x16, and roughly scaling gladiator's height by the cube root of size (since that's volumetric). So sizes should be roughly correct compared to in-game, with some guesswork involved.

[kesperan]

This... this is brilliant.