Berra — Wrestling Practice 04
????
Context
Season/Week/Day/Time and Notable Context. [[[s01:session-30|Session 30]]]
Events
“More Beer?” The Storm Bull offers.
Berra gives Rajar a glance, and Varanis a glance, and looks at the bucket of water with the beer-jug next to it, and considers.
Varanis, nodding at Berra, lowers her spear and walks over to Rajar. She plucks the cup out of his hand with a wink, takes a drink, and hands it back.
Berra carefully puts her spear back into the pile, after checking it one more time, and then goes to get beer after a glance over the swords that are present, and a considering look at the heavens.
Rajar belly laughs. “And you are sure you wish to fight Storm Bull?”
Varanis grins. “I’m game for it, big guy. Apparently, I left my pride back at the inn this morning. Are you wanting to spar with weapons, or are you ready to have a go at wrestling today?”
Rajar frowns. “You are a friend, I do not wish to kill you, so no weapons yes?”
Berra winces slightly.
“It is hard to practise with Stormy.” He hefts the engraved Great Axe
Varanis laughs. “No weapons today, then. I’d rather not practice with … Stormy either. Berra? Can you help me with these straps?”
“Mhm. Armour on or armour off, though? Sartar or Esrolia?” Berra comes to help if required.
Rajar shrugs out of his armour and strips to the waist. He wanders over to the barrel of water and splashes himself down with it. Then rubs his hands in the dust and beats his chest.
(( Rajar also DMs the GM to say he is palming a handful of earth. GM accepts this. GM may have laughed out loud. ))
“If we are wrestling, it’s armour off.” Varanis unbuckles her vambraces.
Outlying parts of Rajar come to rest as Berra tugs on straps and helps Varanis get her armour off. “He’s not going to hit lightly,” she notes. “Don’t let him crush you, either. In fact, just don’t get broken.”
Varanis starts to remove her tunic and stops, looking at Berra with an eyebrow raised in question.
Okay whats the SR for unarmed…otherwise 4
“Seriously. That’s not all fat.” Berra grins. “Although he’d make a good husband.”
(( Varanis, INT * 3 roll for working out that Rajar is casting: 74. Berra makes hers at 37. ))
Rajar shouts and beats his chest a bit more, bellowing to the Storm and to all who can hear. (And some who couldn’t.)
“Oh balls,” says Berra quietly. “He’s just cast Fanaticism.”
(( Varanis inspires Grapple with air right away – successfully. Rajar, on the other hand, chooses Earth, and get a Critical. ))
Rajar turns. Smiles a far too eager smile and charges…..
“This doesn’t feel like it’s going to be a….”
A crowd has drifted in to start watching and gawping. Storm Bulls make a lot of noise. Berra steps smoothly away from the target, and then casually makes for the wooden weapons.
Varanis frantically dodges as Rajar storms in, but he’s just so fast he is there before she can physically react. Spell reactions are a different matter.
(( Varanis makes a successful cast of Leap. ))
Rajar swings a wild haymaker at Varanis, and prepares to knock her back.
(( GM decides: The casting will go off at SR1, then the fist attack and what Varanis does together – she manages a dodge – then Varanis gets her action, then it’s Rajar at #12. Strike Ranks while wrestling may vary, but penalising both for using natural weapons when the other also was seemed strange, as they were within range and nobody was dancing around much. ))
Berra mutters a spell, and the strange look of inhuman dexterity comes onto her again. She may have spotted that Rajar is leaving dented footprints, evidence of Ernalda’s love.
(( This is Round 1 of Fanaticism, which lasts for 2 minutes. A combat round is 12 seconds, so at the end of 10 rounds that will wear off. Also round 1 of co-ordination. ))
Varanis drops below the Storm Bull’s fists to drive her shoulder into his gut, and then attempting the wrap her arms around him. She can’t reach all the way around, so settles for trying to secure a hold on the waistband of his trousers.
(( Rajar declared Knockback, and GM rules it is reasonable as he has a fair chance of just mowing her down. He rolls a special, meaning he does, and wins at the STR v DEX roll, but Varanis manages a grapple which the GM allows under these special circumstances, to keep hold of him and not merely be trampled by the Bull. ))
The watchers have not yet really understood what is going on. Berra reaches the pile of weapons and scoops up a likely-looking broadsword, just as Rajar charges through where Varanis is. She casually holds it, watching over her shoulder. The crowd begins to catch on.
Varanis frantically hooks one leg around the back of Rajar’s, digging her heel into the back of his knee, in an effort to hold on. Her knuckles have gone white in their grip on him.
(( SR is the same. Varanis has a higher DEX, so goes first, and elects to try to throw the mountain. She makes the grapple, and Rajar has no parry, as he is under the effects of fanaticism. She also makes the DEX STR opposed roll. ))
Varanis somehow plants her feet, twists her body, and the Storm Bull hits the ground with a thud.
As soon as Rajar hits the ground, Varanis leaps out of range. She’s fast, clearing 6m to the opposite side of the training grounds. She watches him warily, red hair hanging in tangled plaits, sweat soaking her tunic.
“You’ve fallen, Rajar,” Berra calls loudly. “Pause!” She’s got her foot on a battle-axe now, but she is not yet lifting it into her hand. All might still go well.
“We both fell?” The Storm Bull looks puzzled and rather violent.
By now the watchers have realised what is happening, and there is some tension – and a bit of fear – in the crowd. “She got dust on her knee. You on your back. Beer time.” Berra gives Rajar a wide smile. “And that was bloody good!”
Rajar mutters darkly but accepts the beer. And drops the handful of earth.
Berra puts the wooden sword down, and comes to slap Rajar on the back. “If it had gone to more rounds, a definite win for you. Opponents leaving the ring counts, whether you throw them or they leave.” If she notices the earth that he was holding, she says nothing.
Varanis maintains her distance, for the moment. Still watching warily, she paces to cool down and perhaps to slow her racing heart. Her chest rises and falls in slow, deep breaths.
Berra stays steadily talking to Rajar for a while, as the crowd mutters amongst itself. To many, it would seem she is flattering and congratulating him.
Varanis Insight: Berra is making sure that Rajar’s attention is on her, and the talk, and anything but the battle. She probably is impressed – but she’s also telling him things he’ll want to hear, and talking him down.
(( Berra rolls 04 for Orate. Berra’s talking for the crowd now, and they’ll go away knowing that Varanis won the round and left because Rajar didn’t know the rules. ))
Varanis strides over to the water barrel, keeping an eye on Rajar as she does so. She’s prepared to make a break for it if necessary.
By the time the spells on them both wear off, Berra has become louder and more animated, talking about other fights, and how it was over quickly – and it was then up to Varanis to keep the peace, but at least there is beer, Rajar, and the way you trampled through and she fell and then held – that was glorious! And she delivered you to Ernalda, Storm Bull’s love! And she is of the Air, of course. I mean, she had to leave then, lest you fight on and not know to pause, but it was glorious to watch! I wonder if she saw me getting ready. It would have been a shame to intervene, so I will have to thank her for giving me the chance to do so with beer – here, have this beer…
Rajar is in good humour again by now.
Berra even goes so far as to ask the crowd if they have ever seen anything like Rajar, or the quick thinking of Varanis, or the thundering sound of Urox meeting his wife. For once, words that often tumble out are coming at a perfect pace, and she stops only because she too needs a drink, but if you have cups there is plenty for all. Otherwise, perhaps best to get back to the exercises now?
Varanis approaches with a feral grin on her face now. She seems to have dumped water over herself. And she’s carrying a bucket with more water. With no more warning than that, she flings the water at him and looks set to run.
Rajar picks up a throwing axe…
Some of those who have enough leisure to stay and look at the fighting ground are investigating the dents that Rajar made, as Ernalda’s embrace took him. Then there’s a Varanis, and a bucket. And a throwing axe.
Berra looks nonplussed.
“You were dusty, Rajar and needed to get clean!” Varanis is laughing and holding the bucket up between them. “That was glorious and insane! It was probably the best fight I’ve ever had!”
Berra still looks nonplussed, and on her left hand side, damp.
Rajar pauses and considers… then throws back his head and laughs long and hard. Then he throws the axe…
At the bucket.
“Come on. Let’s get cleaned up and I’ll buy the…. “
And misses.
“… beer.” Varanis stops laughing as the axe sails past her head.
“Rajar. Don’t tell me you aimed at the ground and missed?” Berra remembers to drink her beer.
Rajar grins and head off to get a few proper sized beers and maybe some Bronto meat.
Berra gives Varanis a look. “Well, that went well,” she says once Rajar is out of earshot.
“It was…. not what I expected.” Varanis replies.
“I have to admit that casting Fanaticism was unexpected,” says Berra carefully.
“I knocked him down and got away though.” There’s definitely some pride in those words. “You know… I was thinking about heading back in before you talked him down.”
“More than that. You brought him down and did you see? Ernalda was holding him stout and you still did!” Berra probably hasn’t got to the second part yet – she is busy being impressed by Varanis having thrown Rajar in that state.
“I wasn’t sure I could take him though. In fact, I was pretty sure I couldn’t. But I wanted to try.”
“Huh. Yeah. I was planning to step in if he didn’t stop, so… well, I’d have used up a lot of magic, and it would have been tricky. I’m glad he stopped. Rare Storm Bull.”
“Vinga doesn’t encourage throwing one’s life away for pride, so I thought twice. But… he was mad and glorious and I just wanted to… I don’t know. Share some of that, I guess.” She shrugs eloquently, even as she wipes at the hair plastered to her forehead.
“You think you didn’t?” Berra is wide-eyed. “Maybe we should find Torograi and ask him to… well, ask if we can ask him to sing that. He’s left footmarks a thumbspan deep!”
Breakdown
This took a little thinking, but as long as you use the knockback rules as mechanics and don’t let the fact people could be bouncing off Rajar get in the way, Sumo Wrestling is possible. Under ordinary circumstances there would probably not be time for the fist attack and the knockback attempts, but the GM decided that would be fine. Equally, Varanis didn’t deserve to be knocked away without the chance to hold on, but she very nearly got trodden on by someone of SIZ 19 who was being pulled downward extra hard by Ernalda.
I think what we learn from this is mostly that Storm Bulls cheat, and are very bad at sparring. In general their training seems to consist of ‘go kill that thing there and come back if you survive’.
