sWIFT : MatCH
Dramatis Personae
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Madoc Solea
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Mauv Solea
sWIFT : MatCH
A few hours before opening his palace in Eremobia to the public for feasting, cultural displays, and festivities, Danno had other amusements on his hands. It had been a long Eresmos tradition, being somewhat of a buffer state between the Milenakos and the An-Awen who fed on them, between the Herdstalkers and the Sulyafuj who hated each other, to have some under-the-table betting for locals.
Oftentimes, when it came to these momentous occasions which only happened every nine years, Danno had been too young to participate. But now he was slated to join the ranks of Ae-Camula - it was in his blood and his destiny. So before the announcements started, when one of his cousins approached him with haste, he took his opportunity.
“A fight broke out and the guards moved them to the ballroom underground,” cousin Madoc said with an ear-to-ear grin. “We’re taking bets.”
Danno noticed that most of his aunts were no longer present. It was obvious where they were. “Who’s fighting?”
“It’s more of a mating dance than a fight,” Madoc scoffed, placing a hand on Danno’s back and guiding him out of the room.
“It’s no surprise that the world-renowned Eremos sorcerer, Domina Animalium Danno Solea of the Court of Black Gold, made it to Rank A. With a perfect ten out of ten, one of the most influential political figures of the tournament- no, of our time! A single downfall is his women control all of the money- he’s left with a lot of aunts and sisters to answer to, is he up to the task? The people of Eremobia believe so!”
Danno could hear Lalaba’s sweet voice in his mind clear as day as he descended the stairs of his desert palace. Only a few hours from now, the focus of his aunts would be back on him - as would the attention of the beasts fighting below.
The two fighters were known to Danno - in one corner, was the Herdstalker Magistra Lodgii, Argentorix. He had an infamous temper, but his community relied heavily on Eremobia for imports from Kargast so he had to keep himself on Danno’s good side.
“After placing fourth in the last Catu Samonii, Magistra Lodgii Argentorix. Master of the Guild of Herdstalkers and Co-Consul of the Court of Silver Sleep, has cast his lot for a position of Ae-Camula. The legendary mentor of our very own Lalaba may face his best student once again - he has the talent and leadership, but will he be ousted by a conspiracy as last time? Can talent make up for temper, as intoxicating as his Holy Restrictions may be? We’ll be waiting to hear more from King Argentorix.”
In the other, the Sulyafuj Magistra Lodgii, Agwen Agrianos, also known as the King of the Wastelands, an exorcist and dispeller of miasma who Danno’s army protected from the Herdstalkers during their monthly raids.
“Agwen Agrianos, Co-Consul of the Court of Silver Sleep, also lays claim to the mentorship of our current Camula, Lalaba, having been her initiator at her NP-L2 ceremony and facilitated her metamorphosis. He will have plenty of support from the Wastelands and the Galeodes, our most gracious allies from the East. They say while Argentorix can draw the dead in with his lead, Agwen can dispel them with his silver. We may never see an event again where these two face each other in combat like this!”
Both men hailed from the same Court - the Court of Silver Sleep, both extremely powerful in their own right. The two leaders of the South ruled all galena magicians under their wings - and they hated each other.
The two were engaged in a stalemate, both users of Heavy Metal who tinkered with lead and silver, and while their skills differed, things had gone from sportsmanlike to the two genuinely trying to kill one another.
Danno remembered his mother telling him how seeing two powerful beasts destroy each other was more freeing and satisfying than the act of breeding. At this moment he knew he was cut from the same cloth. He took his purse of gold and tossed it at one of his sisters, a gloomy woman named Mauv who looked too much like his step-father, Cinnorix.
“I bet on the Sulyafuj. In honor of Cinnorix Pater.”
Mauv gave him a withering look but passed the bag onto one of their nearby councilors and exchequers who had a whole new workday ahead of them keeping track of the Solea household’s gambling.
“Who did you bet on?”
“Argentorix.”
“For shame, Mauv. Being half Sulyafuj…”
“Oh, like you care,” Mauv snapped in a low and defeated voice. “You barely see the Kubeleya as people.”
“And I always welcome them to prove me wrong, just like you have, my dear Mauv.”
“Drop dead.” Mauv walking away allowed Danno to get a better glimpse of the fight.
Agwen Agrianos currently seemed to have the upper hand, as he had just foiled a rather brutal attack from Argentorix. Arentorix, a mighty Herdstalker, had enough force in his hands to grip Agwen’s jaw and break it with just the slight use of force. They’d all heard the crack of Agwen’s jawbone and the strangled gasp, as he drove a silver dagger into Argentorix’s hand and the transference of blood caused his hand to become whiteish, pale, soft, and limply fall at his side. Not wasting time, he pulled the knife and drove it straight through Argentorix’s third eye with a sickly thud.
Danno’s eyes widened. Agwen didn’t exactly look in good shape. One side of his face was currently paralyzed from a blood swap he’d done to get out of one of Argentorix’s Holy Restrictions- a beam of holy energy descended from his crown which caused anything touching him to be transformed into their most base form - for someone like Danno, that was a pool of oil, but for Agwen, it would have been a polyploidic fetus and something like that could rarely be undone.
“What even started this?” Danno laughed. The Kubeleya were always like this, foolish braggarts who thought the end-all were heroic feats of strength.
“Who knows,” some responded while Agwem’s dagger became lodged in Argentorix’s skull with such force that he had trouble pulling it back out. Again he stabbed his forehead and took out another eye and blood spurted everywhere, Argentorix’s body twitching and squirming all the while, as if Agwen straddling him was like riding an angry animal.
He flicked two coins into the match ring suddenly, causing the two men to stop. Agwen’s hands shakily left the dagger lodged in another one of Argentorix’s five eyes. Argentorix reached up in vain trying to get Agwen off of him and grab at the dagger.
“King Danno,” Agwen rasped, with slight panic but also bloodlust in his voice. “We did not-”
“One shilling for every eye you take out,” Danno said playfully. “And one for every tooth he cracks out of your jaw.” His eyes cast down toward a tooth that had fallen from Agwen’s bloody mouth. He flicked a shilling and hit Argentorix in the forehead, causing a muffled hiss of anger and pain as Argentorx thrashed.
“Are you… serious?” Agwen asked, disbelief apparent in his voice that Danno chose to overlook.
“If you’re going to wreck my far-sight-speech-place right before the Catu Samonii Draw, then at least make it entertaining.” Dano held up another minted coin, allowing it to glint briefly in the dim and suffocating light.
Danno Solea
Assignment: Team Beech
Talent: 10/10
Political Influence: 10/10
Charisma: 8/10
Military Insight: 7/10
Resources: 6/10
Total Score: 41/50
Final Grade: A
Agwen Agrianos
Assignment: Team Juniper
Talent: 10/10
Political Influence: 9/10
Charisma: 9/10
Military Insight: 7/10
Resources: 6/10
Total Score: 41/50
Final Grade: A
Argentorix
Assignment: Team Oak
Talent: 10/10
Political Influence: 10/10
Charisma: 10/10
Military Insight: 5/10
Resources: 5/10
Total Score: 40/50
Final Grade: A
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