Re: Bralian Olympics

I meant to respond sooner but had some trouble finding this info.

here is some stuff from Jammers regarding how I handled the games.  I
only had some players compete in the spellcasting competition.

This is from the 5th month Crystal Ball entry:

>The Red Masks and Yakuza guilds are rumored have taken a bath on the
>Olympic Festival Games. Running numbers on the various events, their
>"fixes" have all seemed to fail and those they've given the worst
>odds seem to keep winning.  Some point to the smug faces of a sect of
>the Olympians devoted to a god called "Hermes" as the cause of this.
>Regardless, both guilds are certain to be looking for opportunities
>to refresh their depleted coffers in the near future.

This was actually a precursor to the 'Rat War' a few months later.
It's basically accurate.  The priests of Hermes worked to throw off
the odds makers, so that the games were honest, but the odds skewed.
They also eliminated some obvious cheating.

Only two of my players wished to compete, i had hoped to entice more.
Here is how i handled it.

All the below from Jammers, Turn 5, Chapter 3:

At 12:21 AM -0500 1/13/99, Paul Westermeyer wrote:
>Deigatt rises early, as usual, and spends some time on the deck of the
>eelship practicing with his great axe.  Later in the galley, after he's
>downed two heads of  cabbage and half a loaf of bread, the minotaur
>announces,  "I would like to haccompany Comrade Holland to the spellcasting
>competition hand cheer him hon. I will  return this hafternoon to take a
>shift guarding the SILENT STAR."
>
>Leera feigns indignance. "But Deigatt! Won't you cheer for me as well?!"
>
>Deigatt looks at Leera with wide eyes. "I did not realize women were
>hallowed to compete." He puffs his cheeks and his eyes dart to Italapate's,
>then Kain's, then back to  Leera's. "That his," the minotaur continues, "I
>was not haware that you were halso competing, Comrade Leera. Hof course, I
>will support your hefforts has well."
>
>When Deigatt looks to Kain, Kain shrugs.  "I can't help.. ah.. you out
>there Deigatt," he smiles.
>
>Billy chuckles at the minotaur's gaff, "I'll be here 'til you get back
>Deigatt, though I do need to leave to visit friends this evening. Don't
>worry over the ship."
>
>"Olympic Games?" Raken asks.  "Intesting.  I think I'll accompany you and
>watch the ceremony.  It's always intesting to see priests of other
>pantheons trying to out-shine each other.  Luckily Celestan does not allow
>himself to become involved in such... pettiness," he says with a smile.  He
>quickly throws his cloak on and joins the group heading to the Pantheon.
>
>"I.. ah.. am going to visit the harbormaster's office," Kain announces.
>Adjusting his rucksack and sticking his hands in his pockets, Kain adds, "I
>hope to.. ah.. catch some of the competition, if not I'll just, well, come
>back to the STAR."
>
>Leera gathers her spell components and asks Holland, "Would you like to
>walk together to the contest?"
>
>"May I accompany the two of you or will there be, hoom, trade secrets to be
>exchanged?"  Nilaroo asks, adjusting his coin purse on the front of his
>belt.  "After all, this should not last all day and I can certainly arrange
>for the purchase of, hoom, timber after your contests are done with."
>
>Leera laughs, "You may be right, Nilaroo, but I'd like to think that we'll
>manage to stay in the contest for some respectable period of time!" Leera
>inclines her head and smiles. "Of course you can come."
>
>Holland nods and says, "Sure Leera, I would like that," and then says to
>Nilaroo, "Nope, no trade secrets at all, feel free to join us."
>
>As the wizards leave to the competition, Grigree says to them, "Good luck
>with spells today.  I be, hrrr, here to watch ship."  He then waits on deck
>for  'Pate, Ferric, and Seguld, watching the people walk by on the dock.
>
>On the way to the pantheon of Olympus, Leera asks Holland, "So, do you know
>how this contest is going to be run? I wasn't able to learn much when I
>signed up...."
>
>Holland smiles and says, "Basically it is a free for all.  Illusionary
>opponents versus us.  I am not too clear on anything other than that."
>
>Leera steps back and eyes Holland's belt pouches, trying to discern which
>spell components he has made most accessible. She asks, "What's your
>strategy going to be.... lots of bangs and booms, I assume?
>
>Holland laughs, "My strategy?  To win of course.."
>
>Leera smiles winfully, "You seem reasonably confident of your abilities....
>How would you feel about a side contest between the two of us? The winner
>is the one who advances farthest in the competition." She pauses and slowly
>a mischieveous grin spread across her face. "What should we wager?"
>
>Holland taps his chin and says, "Hmm..  Perhaps loser treats the winner to
>dinner?"
>
>Leera nods, "Done."
>
>--------------


At 12:21 AM -0500 1/13/99, Paul Westermeyer wrote:
>An hour after dawn, Deigatt takes his axe and heads into the city, letting
>his backpack ride high on his back to keep it from any thieving hands. As
>he was on his  earlier visits to the Rock, he is astounded by the diversity
>of beings moving through the streets of the asteroid city.
>
>On Ferric's advice, the minotuar takes Hammer  Street, passing first
>through Giff Town, where the many  grey-skinned inhabitants remind him of
>Captain Wilhemina  of the FLOWFISH, and then through the Dwarven district,
>many of whom watched him suspiciously as he moved carefully  through the
>street.
>
>Finally, the buildings on his right ended, and a grassy field lay before
>him, just as Ferric has described. In a grove ahead of him, he watched
>several humans moving about, several dressed in shiny armor, others in the
>dark robes of priests. Deigatt stopped, inhaled deeply, sucking in the air
>of the city to bolster his nerve, and then  continued forward, traveling
>down the road between the Temple of Tyr and the College of Celestrian,
>turning left to go around the Polygot Shrines until finally he came to the
>Planar Church of Olympus.
>
>Deigatt is surprised to find little activity around the Planar Church of
>Olympus. Slowly, he approaches the  temple, stopping when he someone step
>from behind one of  the columns of the colonnade. Humanlike, she is short
>and thin, and Deigatt can see the tips of her pointed ears poking out
>through her dark brown hair. "Minotaur," she says, eyeing him curiously.
>"You have business here?"
>
>Deigatt snorts, his anger rising at her haughty demeanor. He takes a step
>forward, then stops as the elf raises her right hand in a foreign gesture.
>The minotaur takes a deep, calming breath.
>
>"I thought there were to be games, here," he says finally. "Spellcasting
>games. My comrades har competing."
>
>"The games are in the arena," the elf replies,  lowering her hand to her
>side. "Follow Lake Street from Temple Square until you get to Tower Street.
>Turn right
>and follow that, then go around the Elven Forest when  you get to Armada
>Street. When you get to Grand Street,  you'll be at the Festival Grounds."
>As she speaks, she  points to her left to indicate the direction to Temple
>Square. Deigatt glances over at the road that runs  between the church and
>the Polyglot Shrines, and he's  startled to see an amused minotaur watching
>him.
>
>************
>
>An hour later, Deigatt stands on Grand Street  looking across the Festival
>Grounds and at the Arena  of Frun behind them. Daunted by the utter chaos
>of
>light and sound and movement, he looks to find a route around the dancers
>and troubadours and stentorian vendors, but he sees that both Park Street
>and Low Park Street, the two roads forming the long  borders of the
>Festival Grounds, are filled with  people of many races, quite a few of
>which the minotaur has never before seen or heard of.
>
>Resolved, he steps forward, hoping to make a path of his own through the
>crowd. After several frustrating minutes, he finally reaches the arena.
>Making his way in, he finds a spot high in the stands and begins to look
>for his friends.
>
>He sees Talus and Raken are already present, having saved seats for Deigatt
>and Kain.  Deigatt joins them and the three chat while waiting for the
>games to begin.
>
>Kain makes his way through the crowd to Talus' side just before the
>competition of wizardry.  "It was..ah..fairly busy at the Harbormaster's
>Office, surprisingly enough," Kain says loudly so he can be heard over the
>roar of the audience.  "So.. ah.. I went and paid our docking fees for the
>next two weeks to save myself another trip."
>
>--------------

At 12:21 AM -0500 1/13/99, Paul Westermeyer wrote:
>Leera and Holland wait with the other competitors, perhaps 3 dozen men and
>women of a variety of races.  Many are priests of the Olympian gods being
>honored by the festival, and these seem especially determined to out do
>each other.  The compititions rules are explained, they are fairly simple.
>Each contestent will start with all the others on the open arena floor. A
>horde of illusionary monsters will appear and begin attacking the
>contestents.  The contestents are to respond with spells as they see fit,
>no spell effects are permitted to leave the arena floor area, however. If
>any spectator is injured by a contestents spell then full criminal
>penalities apply. If a creature scores a palpable blow upon a spellcaster
>then that spell caster will be surrounded by a purple faerie fire and is
>out of the tournament. They must withdraw and cast no more spells.
>Disbelieving the illusionary monsters does not stop them from scoring a
>touch and removing the spellcaster from the contest.  Contestents may
>cooperate with each other if they wish, but there is only one winner.
>
>The stands are very crowded with an uncounted multitude of races and
>cultures.  By tradition the Olympic Games, as the Pantheon priests call
>them, do not charge spectators but many vendors roam the stands with food
>and drink and a carnival atmopshere pervades the arena and festival grounds
>around it.
>
>The contestents stand in the center of the arena in two lines, back to
>back.  Holland and Leera are side by side facing the same direction.  A
>smokepowder pistol goes off and dozens of illusionary mosnters appear and
>charge towards the contestents!
>
>Three green, pebble-skinned reptilian creatures appear before Holland,
>wielding bone daggers and clubs.  They rush towards the mage with great
>speed, their odd, gait propelling them as quickly as the fastest warhorse.
>
>A spider like creature, approximately man-sized, appears before Leera and
>scuttles towards her.  It has no arms or legs but is clothed in an ugly red
>robed and is covered in tatoos.  Its eyes are an evil yellow color and the
>claws on its eight legs clatter on the stone pavement as it scurries
>towards Leera, poison dripping from its fangs.
>
>Holland links his thumbs together and spreads his hands out and mutters a
>few quick words as a tall, thick wall of licking fire appears directly in
>the path of the reptilian creatures, too close for them to swerve around,
>forcing the creatures to pass through the deadly flames. The creatures
>disappear as they hit the wall, blinking out of existance.  Holland's wall
>continues to Flame before him as he looks for other opponents.
>
>Leera casts a quick spell, and then takes a single, short step toward the
>creature. It pales and flees.
>
>As the creature runs, Leera's hands move with quick, practiced motions. As
>her spell takes effect, the outline of her form becomes blurred, shifting
>and wavering.
>
>The creature (many spectators point at it yell "Look, a neogi!") stops at
>the wall of the Arena then turns and rushes back towards Leera.  She pulls
>something from her puch and makes a quick series of gestures with her
>hands, flinging what looks like flower petals towards the spider creature.
>whatever the spell she cast was intended to be, it doesn't succeed and the
>creature continues rushing towards Leera.  Her blurred form dodges left and
>right as it slashes at her with its front two legs.
>
>The crowd gasps as the second wave of monsters appears.  In front of
>Holland a dark form appears, looking something like long black cloak of
>flesh with a large, teeth lined mouth.  The creature flies towards Holland
>in a lazy, undulating motion with its mouth opened wide in an evil looking
>grin.
>
>While Leera continues to fight the neogi, a large creature with the
>forequarters of a hawk and the rear of a horse appears in front of her and
>leaps into the air, beating its powerful wings as it fies towards her.
>
>Though Raken hollers out encouragement for his fellow commerades ("Take
>that oversized garment, Holland!!; Watch the hippogriff!!), his voice is
>drowned out in a sea of cheering and shouting.
>
>Holland's brow furls in concentration and a single bead of sweat appears on
>his forehead, sliding down the right side of his face as his hands are
>still interlaced in front of him.  From the tall wall of Flame a giant open
>hand, palm forward, of flame shoots out at the black creature. The creature
>dives underneath the hand, however, and swoops down upon Holland,
>enveloping him in its embrace. When it disappears a moment later Holland is
>enveloped in the purple faerie fire which indicates defeat. Glancing about,
>he sees over two-thirds of his fellow competitors are bathed in a similar
>glow.
>
>Meanwhile, Leera steps forward and casts a handful of colored sand
>into the air
>before her. A shimmering wedge of clashing colors springs into being and
>envelops the neogi. It collapses to the arena floor then disappears.  The
>hippogrif dives at her at the same instant, but her blurred figure causes
>it's strike to miss by inches.
>
>The Hippogriff swoops about and comes flying towards her in a second pass.
>Leera makes a series of arcane gestures and a shimmering pattern of light
>appears before the onrushing creatures. The hippogriff stops cold and
>hovers above Leera, staring at her.
>
>Leera quickly casts another spell, while the light show fascinates the
>hippogriff, and grows a set of eagle wings. She rises about ten feet into
>the air and stays as stationary as possible, circling as tightly and
>slowly as possible.
>
>The hippogriff comes out of its daze, and suddenly disappears.
>
>As Leera circles slowly above her position,  the third round of monsters
>appear.  Directly in front of her there appears a giant, furry rodent of
>some kind; perhaps 8 feet long. The creature waddles forward and looks up
>as Leera circles above it.  Then, without warning it spits a huge glob of
>spittle at her.  Leera is covered, for a moment, by the viscous liquid
>before it disappears, along with the furry creature, leaving a purple
>tinged Leera to follow Holland to the stands where they watch the rest of
>the days competition.
>
>In the stands, an ancient gnome exictedly tells Leera, "Idesignedthat
>prototypeGiqantSpacehamsterFireextinghuisher youfoughtthirtyyearsago,
>quiteexcellent,isn'the?"
>
>Leera stares at the little gnome as he then disappears into the crowd.
>
>Shaking her head, she returns to discussing the remaining half dozen mages
>with her companions.  The events and festival fun continue throughout the
>day.  The final winner of the spellcasting contest is a powerful looking
>minotaur in a grey tunic. He hurls fire spells and lightening bolts like
>they were going out of style, and is announced as "Dorn of Toril" at the
>close of the ceremonies.

--
"...How shall a man judge what to do in such times?!"
"As he has ever judged," said Aragorn "Good and evil have not changed
since yesteryear..."
J.R.R. Tolkien, _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_

Paul Westermeyer,  westermeyer@????????.net