Ghosts of Bara Magna

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra Daring - Outside Celrys' Workshop, Tajun -

Skyra spins around as she hears a friendly voice. She grins as she sees who it is. 

"Hey bro! What's up? You sleep well?"  

@Alex Mason

[Toru Nui]

IC: Lutenus, Vraek and Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Drawing a Blank

Sneering, Vraek waves a hand dismissively. “The ‘Spikit scat’, as you so elegantly call it, is hardly fine dining, but it is not supposed to be. Its purpose, rather than slake your refined palate, is to provide nutrition. This is, after all, gladiatorial combat, for which we must prepare ourselves, not gorge ourselves.”

“Iconox is not well-regarded for its cooking, in case you couldn’t tell,” Lutenus remarks to the Skrall. His eye looks over his mouth and chest. “You don’t appear to be breathing,” he says, like it’s perfectly normal.

Vraek scoffs and is about to retort about her tribe’s ability to cook, but then Lutenus makes the observation of the Skrall’s breathing - or lack thereof, causing her disdain to be replaced with visible concern for his well-being.

Skrall is just about to leave when he notices something. There is one of them in a secluded corner of the room, who appears to be… writing? No, no, writing goes from left to right, these movements were far more erratic. So unless the southern writing language was very different, this was… drawing?

Why? Why would a warrior draw? It must be some manner of plan, or observational sketch of the enemy. As such, it was his duty to learn of it. What else could explain the impulse to march over and ask her what she is doing and why she is doing it?

Unfortunately, having been raised in a crude and rigid society, Skrall ignorantly assumes that everyone he meets is male, foolishly believing that he would recognise a female if he saw one, what with their inherent powers of witchcraft. He also believes that the southerners would not allow one to compete in their Games, due to the obvious advantage that power gave them, and the idea of someone not being either male or female, or being both, or anything like that had never crossed his mind. As such, in Skrall’s mind, he is going to ask him what he is doing and why he is doing it, when it was not the case.

Diverting his course away from the exit and towards the corner in which Kehla sits, Skrall wonders if he is about to commit a mistake of some form. For the first time in his life, he is going to speak to someone outside the Rock Tribe. He had not said a single word directed to the once-Skrall they escorted and sold to the Renegades, nor the Renegades themselves, nor any of the southerners when they entered this Village of Water. This could end badly. A consequence he would accept, rather than shirk his responsibility to the Legion.

Skrall looms over Kehla, perhaps far more ominously than he intends. “Drawing,” he says, matter-of-factly and without venom, only curiosity. “For what purpose, and why?”

@Burnmad @Nato G

[Nato G]

IC: Kehla - Tajun Arena (Ready-Room)

The ashen Glatorian tilted her head, blinking quizzically up at the imposing warrior standing before her. She'd heard the rumours on the streets yesterday of a new tribe entering the tournament; she just hadn't expected to meet one of them so soon. But though he appeared menacing, in his dark armour with its red highlights, there was no judgement or hostility in his eyes. Just curiosity. 

"My village is small and isolated; most of our people don't travel much further than Vulcanus or Ferrum," she explained, eagerly turning around her notebook and flicking back over the last few pages to show him her completed sketches of Tajun's surrounds, and some of the inhabitants she'd met yesterday. "Most of them will never see the other villages, or their people. By sketching what I see, I can help them learn about the rest of the world." 

@Toru Nui

[a goose]

IC: Aenia (Tajun, Ready-Room)

As her competitors came filing in, Aenia stood off to the side, arms folded. Watching. Listening.

A few were louder than the rest – a group, interacting with an imperious Skrall. She recognised one of them, a Glatorian from her old tribe. She didn’t know him by name, and she didn’t know the ugly cybernetics stuck roughshod into his head either; no doubt the golden boy had been playing god again. He looked, and sounded, typically arrogant. Another would-be Second, most likely.

She smiled to herself. With any luck, she’d get to dash those hopes personally. One Jungle Glatorian would be as good to take her anger out on until the next. Until she got to fight Vastus personally.

He’d have the first fight of these matches, and again in Tesara and possibly Vulcanus. She doubted he would fight at all in Iconox, without another Prime to go against. He didn’t much care for anyone below his weight-class. All the better for her – she wanted him to see her coming. Watch her pummel every fighter in her way until she finally got the chance to face him herself in the tourney proper.

And then she would fucking kill him, right there, for all to see. And it would be glorious.

OOC: Aenia open for interaction.

Edited October 15, 2025 by a goose

[Alex Mason]

19 hours ago, Snelly said:

IC: Skyra Daring - Outside Celrys' Workshop, Tajun -

Skyra spins around as she hears a friendly voice. She grins as she sees who it is. 

"Hey bro! What's up? You sleep well?"  

@Alex Mason

IC: Karak - Outside Celrys’ Workshop

I take a moment to parse what she said and then I nod, returning the smile. Odd. 

“Sleep…ok. Had to share with Glatorian.” I attempt to explain, scratching at my shoulder. “She fight soon. Like me. Maybe she fight me.”

I squint behind the mask.

”Del. Where is?”

OOC: @Snelly

[oncertainty]

IC: Escus - Second Watch, in the Cave

On 9/1/2024 at 12:02 AM, Nato G said:

"The way I see it, we're all going to end up in the same place. It's what we do on the way there that matters."

Escus laughed then, erupting like water after a thrown stone. It tumbled from him like it would never end.

All at once it ceased. His face fell back to a languid mask, disrupted only by mumbling movements of his lips. "True enough, that. What we do matters. On the way to where we're all going. Somehow it matters, to someone, somewhere. It matters. But where are we going? To whatever's going on in Ferrum. See what matters there, we will. See what matter's there. What's matter now, and wasn't before, I'm thinking."

His own joke doesn't seem to strike him funny. If it does, he makes no move to show it. His water is now stilled. His speech is stilted.

"I'm sorry. Gayle, was it? I hope you're right. I hope we make it count," Escus said. "But I think I've been not making it count longer than most. And this doesn't look like a different trajectory to me. Everyone else here is deluded, or defeatist. Nobody thinks anything good is waiting for us. Maybe you're right, maybe we make things matter. But I see the way the currrent is flowing. I'll pick defeat before delusion."

He sighed one last time. He rose like from hibernation, loping past Gayle and out beyond the cave's edge. He stands there, silent, monumental, running down the time. All the rest is silence.

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra Daring - Outside Celrys' Workshop, Tajun -

"Oh right, Del! Del is ummmmm...." Skyra looked around, wait, where was Del? 

"...probably inside?" She pointed at the workshop. "Yeah, pretty sure they decided to crash in the doc's house."

@Alex Mason

[Alex Mason]

IC: Karak - Outside Celrys' Workshop

"...With him." I conclude, not bothering to cover up the disdain in my voice. 

"...I should go." I say, not wanting to follow her back in there. "Unless you want to watch fight. I almost kill you before, hah." I smirk, which comes out in my tone.

OOC: @Snelly

[a goose]

IC: Tueris (Staff NPC; Abandon All Hope)

The smell of smoke and death had been thick in their nostrils for half a day now. The smell of Ferrum. There were no vultures in the sky; they were on the ground, picking through the bones. They had passed bodies on the way here, lying in the dirt of the canyon, all of them picked clean by the carrion-eaters, all of them survivors who had crawled out of one hell and died in another. Some had died in groups. Some bodies were… smaller, than others.

The pit outside the gates was overflowing, a would-be mass grave, black with flies and burnt bodies, and Tueris had to cover his face to keep from retching. It wasn't the only such attempt in sight, but it was the only one for which they had bothered to dig; elsewhere, the charred corpses lay piled in crude pyres. At some point, they had begun dying too fast for it to be worth the effort. Tueris turned his gaze to the Ferrumite in his party – these were neighbours, friends, family. He opened his mouth to speak and was overwhelmed by the taste of ash and rot, becoming immediately wracked with a fit of bilious coughing. At last, he choked down the rising gorge and spoke:

“We have to go in,” he said, voice hoarse, as much to himself as to the others. Before them, the gates of the village were shut and barricaded with furniture and scrapwood – from the outside, no less. There was no written warning, as if such a thing would even be necessary; no one could possibly be fool enough to enter so cursed a place.

Tueris grabbed a blood-crusted dinner table and tossed it aside.

OOC: Recommended listening: https://youtu.be/yfCRXCfL_Ls?si=zQAHZk-dWLK02oUu

 @Burnmad @Toru Nui @~Xemnas~ @Nato G @oncertainty

Edited October 27, 2025 by a goose

[Burnmad]

IC: Selamat - Ferrum, Front Gates

Selamat had known people to die before-- Bara Magna was not a gentle place, and as a Glatorian with aspirations of arena glory, he had not spent much of his life associating with people who embodied caution and risk-aversion. For this reason, and perhaps because of how quickly and thoroughly the vultures and the sun had turned them from dead bodies to a part of the desert scenery, he had thus far been able to ignore the remains they'd been passing in growing numbers, and hold on to his stubborn hope that they would arrive to Ferrum in time to help the stricken village.

That hope had persisted no longer after they reached the gates of Ferrum than it took the youth to process the scene, and register that the blackened lumps piled high in front of him were the remains of countless civilians. It had left him, then, along with the contents of his stomach, and the muscular rigidity that had kept his legs under him. He had vomited, first on all fours, then on his knees, stopping only when there was nothing left but acid, then starting up again moments later.

Tueris' shouts broke through the haze that filled his head. Only halfway in control of his body, he shakily rose to his feet, and joined the other Vulcanusian at the barricade, using the haft of his spear for leverage as he helped the older man budge the obstacles that barred their entry to the village. As much as he was trying to help, he was also trying to hasten their departure from the wretched scene they had found themselves in. It did not occur to him that they were unlikely to find anything more pleasant inside.

OOC: @a goose @Dreamers

IC: Skrall - Tajun Arena, Ready Room

Skrall was about to rebut the second fighter's defense of the arena food, which he of course had not actually tasted, when the first one clocked his implants. He frowned. "Yes, well, you seem to have something in your eye. Nobody's perfect."

@Toru Nui

[Nato G]

IC: Gayle – The Pyres of Ferrum

Gayle had seen death like this before.

Many of her fellow slaves of the Bone Hunters had been discarded just like this, left where exhaustion or injury had finally overwhelmed them. Their bodies shredded by scavengers, the shifting of the sands slowly burying their bleached bones. The scent of sun-seared rot stung her nostrils, making her eyes water as much from the stench as they did from the memories it dredged up.

But the sheer scale of what they’d seen was far worse than what she’d endured before. And whatever awaited inside Ferrum itself would be worse, still. Which made Tueris’ sudden statement that “We have to go in,” all the more surprising.

“I don't want to sound insubordinate, but... why?” Gayle challenged, standing a few metres back from the barricade. “You told us to avoid touching anything, and now you’re manhandling tables covered in blood.”

She raised a shaky hand to gesture at the charred corpses scattered outside the walls. “The mission was to learn how much of a threat this plague poses, right? We have our answer. If we open the gates, we could get infected ourselves, or let this thing out into the wider world. What do you hope to find in there that would be worth that risk?”

@a goose

[Toru Nui]

IC: Lutenus, Vraek and Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Draw Swords

Vraek’s concern dissipated once she realised the Skrall’s lack of breathing was due to cybernetics. ‘Nobody’s perfect’? He could speak for himself.

“Oh, I don’t mean to judge, it was merely an observation.” Lutenus tapped his cybernetic eye. “I was not aware that such technology was available in the north.”

The opponent’s words made sense. The spread of information about them may prove harmful to the Legion, but the laws of this land likely did not permit Skrall to stop it. But… “Why does a warrior learn to draw? Are words not enough?”

@Burnmad @Nato G

 

IC: Xyde (Ferrum, Gates) - Contagion

It was so, so much worse than Xyde had imagined, even in the worst-case scenarios they had thought of on the way here. So many gone, even children… and if their suspicions and instincts were correct, it was only going to get worse from here.

“From how the bodies lie and the apparent speed at which the plague spread,” they spoke up, tempering their voice to remain composed, “I’d say it’s carried through the air. If so, we are likely all already in the early stages of infection. We need to find the cause of this, and for that, we’ll need to go inside. It’s the only way to know for certain how to keep this from happening elsewhere… and possibly, determine how to cure it.”

Possibly.

“If we can use their telegraph station, we’ll be able to send our findings, without going back and risking the spread of the contagion.”

@Nato G @Burnmad @a goose @~Xemnas~ @oncertainty

[Nato G]

IC: Kehla - Tajun Arena (Ready-Room)

"Words fail, memories fade, but art endures..." Kehla replied thoughtfully, remembering what she'd been told when she'd asked a similar question, long ago. "As I said, most of my people will never travel far from their homes. So for my village, I'm not just a warrior. I'm their window into the wider world. I bring back images and ideas the same way other warriors bring back supplies." 

Or at least, I will... she reflected, though she kept the thought to herself. There was no need to mention to this stranger that this was her first year representing Precipere. 

@Toru Nui

[a goose]

IC: Tueris (Staff NPC; Abandon All Hope)

Damn. He had almost forgotten.

He took the video telegraphy device from his pack and attached it to his head, his mouth and nose still covered with cloth.

“Celrys’ device can send what we see without us needing to return. Video telegraphy, as I said. That said, we can’t make any assumptions about how this spread or how it began – it’s our duty to go inside and learn everything we can. However…” His face become thoughtful for a moment. “The telegraph station would not be a bad place to start. I want to know why they never reached out for help, or informed the other villages of their situation.”

OOC: @Toru Nui @Nato G @dreamers 

Edited October 31, 2025 by a goose

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra Daring - Outside Celrys' Workshop, Tajun -

Skyra just smirks back. "Suuuuuure you did buddy~ Alright I'm interested in watching you fight, I'll cheer you on. I'll uh, check up on Del later." 

@Alex Mason

Edited November 6, 2025 by Snelly

[Alex Mason]

IC: Karak - Outside Celrys' Workshop

"I take you into...locker? The warriors prepare there." I say, still smiling somewhat. Before I left I saw how many Skrall were there. Skyra's presence would likely prevent me from doing something foolish if tempted...but the sheer thought of the first step of my revenge being exacted after all of the time spent waiting seemed to have me in a much happier disposition than usual. Unless I just liked Skyra that much. That thought was doubtful.

I begin to lead her back towards the arena, idly whistling an old Blood Tribe hymn.
 

OOC: @Snelly @Toru Nui

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Aurax: Outside Ferrum

Aurax was oddly silent. What was the Ferrumite thinking? Perhaps he was deciding whether or not to see what horrors he would find in the village of his birth. Perhaps he was coming to grips returning to the village that he hardly had a connection to anymore in the first place. Perhaps he was worried about what horrible death might befall him, based on the bodies that had been seen. Perhaps... it was a mix of all these thoughts and emotions, and more.

Doing his best not to let anything show on his face or in his voice, he finally spoke up. "I agree, I think it would be good to look around the telegraph station. I find it unlikely that an attempt at a message or warning would not have been sent. There's some key pieces of this story we're missing, and some of them might be there."

OOC: @a goose @Toru Nui @dreamers

[Nato G]

IC: Gayle - Outside Ferrum

Gayle let out a long, unsteady sigh, wanting to protest further but knowing it wouldn't do much good. She was already an outsider among the group; there was no need to push her luck further. But there was also no need to linger any longer than necessary...

"Alright, uh... let's get this over with," she sighed, drawing her axe and advancing on the larger chunks of wood and furniture crammed into the barricade. 

[Toru Nui]

IC: Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Pronoun Trouble

That didn’t make sense. Or… did it? Skrall tried to minimize any confusion leaking through to his face, just to be certain.

“‘Just a warrior’?” He repeated. “What more is there? Leadership? You are not the leader.” He spoke in earnest.

‘You’. Skrall didn’t necessarily like using that word, but if he was discouraged from using ‘I’ and ‘me’ then logically, he should avoid ‘you,’ ‘he,’ ‘him,’ ‘his,’ ‘them,’ ‘their’ and ‘it’. As well as ‘she,’ and ‘her,’ but that went without saying. However, this limited vocabulary was difficult to maintain. Sometimes he forgot, and other times he couldn’t think of a way to impart his meaning without it, at least not quickly.

@Nato G

 

IC: Xyde (Ferrum, Gates) - Video Killed the Radio Star

Xyde decided to let the Glatorian handle the dismantling of the bloodstained barricade. They had brought many pairs of spare medical gloves, yes, but it was best to avoid contamination wherever possible, even if they were certain they were all already in the early stages of infection… whatever this was.

Ferrum was one of the Big Five, it wasn’t a small, tight-knit community like Precipere. So for the entire village to succumb at such a rapid rate… it was the stuff nightmares were made of. And there was nothing - NOTHING - they could think of that could explain it. In fact, the more Xyde examined the situation, the more it didn’t make any sense. The Ferrumites had dug mass graves - at least in the beginning, it seems. There was a period of time where they thought they could contain the spread, which meant it couldn’t have happened overnight. But then why didn’t they send any messages? No warnings, and no calls for help?

Truth be told, they had forgotten about Tueris’ implants, but perhaps it was for the best that they utilised both them and the telegraph station. All joking aside - and this was no joking matter - they weren’t altogether confident in the new technologies that came out of Tajun. What did he call it? ‘Video’? It would never catch on. Why were they thinking about that at a time like this? They would stop thinking about that now.

@a goose @Nato G @~Xemnas~ @Burnmad @oncertainty

[Nato G]

IC: Kehla - Tajun Arena (Ready-Room)

She titled her head, trying to discern the source of the misunderstanding. "Surely your society has more than just warriors and leaders?" 

@Toru Nui

[Toru Nui]

IC: Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Glory

“Yes,” Skrall admitted. “Poor wretches, who can never know the glory of combat themselves, only contribute to it.” He seems genuinely saddened by this. “That is not ‘more’. Why is one not here to serve? To draw?”

@Nato G

[Nato G]

IC: Kehla – Tajun Arena (Ready-Room)

Kehla was learning more than she’d expected to about this new culture, and none of it sounded pleasant.

“You say that… like you think combat is the only way to serve?”

Beyond her general unease imagining such a society, she found herself feeling far more wary of the prospect of facing one of these beings in the arena. If combat was literally all they knew, what chance did anyone else have against them? And they’d sent so many…

@Toru Nui

[Alex Mason]

IC: Karak - Ready Room, Arena 

Skyra in tow, I lead us both inside, clutching my javelin launcher tight. I see the beady eyes of the Skrall glance my way, or I think I do. Mine certainly go to them, daggers of hate spewing from my gaze. I envision a thousand ways of their death.

Their gear seems largely unchanged from when we were at war. I have not a doubt that their flesh disrupting devilry has evolved along with the people we now both stand in the midst of. And yet I wonder if any of them would even recall the tale of the Blood Tribe.

"You..be here before?" I ask of Skyra, distracting myself for the time being. "You are good fighter."

OOC: @Snelly 

 

[Vezok's Friend]

IC/ Skrall/ Tajun Arena/ Ready Room

She found a quiet spot of her own to prepare. Not directly in the line of the entrance, with a good overview of the rest of the room and a wall to her back. While she went through a deliberately understated routine to ensure all her gear was in working order she watched the other fighters file in and get ready.

She noticed the ashen artist, the jungle tribe glatorian, the hateful stare of the blood warrior…but what stood out to her were how many were like her - and were simply accepted. They took something for granted she couldn’t even dare to ask for.

Skrall rolled her shoulders and flexed her posterior chain as she felt the fire of righteous fury rising in her gut. That was one way to get warmed up.

Her hand dropped to the pouch with the little flat tub…but she checked the motion. It was only the first round of matches. It wasn’t time yet.
 

OOC: Skrall open for interaction. @Skrall