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Penny's Dungeons and Dragons: Submission Holds

"Don't worry about it, no offense taken." Zima retorted and finished her end of the conversation with, "Thank you, I'll try to do exactly that." as Zima replied to the confirmation that she could pass into the city of Waterdeep. It was a relief that she got past the watchman without having to name drop the Neverember house as her official destination. In all honesty, the name of Ranaer was on her tongue were she in need to name drop to get into the city. Being affiliated with a former lord of waterdeep, if by a few degrees of separation, was likely going to leverage her through the checkpoint. Though now she had a few more things on her 'to do' list, as the probe toward the difference of Waterdeep's currency and more general currency about the land heading into Waterdeep brought about another issue. One she likely did not have time to address in the current time frame that she felt she had before the day turned to evening.

It was already late afternoon, and now Zima needed to prioritize what she wanted to do. She had 10 days to register herself in Waterdeep. Who even knew if she was gonna stay that long as she really had no idea what was in store for her once she met up with Ranaer in the Sea Ward. The watchman spoke of taxes, and those were likely something that she could worry about later as well. Possibly even try to negotiate something with Ranaer? It was something that she needed to keep in the back of her mind. Another aspect was that her silver and gold pieces were potentially not worth much of anything while in Waterdeep. Though perhaps it might be the same if she switched all her gold and silver into the shards and dragons that the watchman mentioned.

Even though she had spent most of the day travelling, Zima had one last leg of her journey before her travelling was done. Her destination was the Neverember house in the Sea Ward. With the basic set of directions that were provided from the watchman, Zima hoped it would be little issue to find her way into the Sea Ward. Hopefully it was not going to be too difficult to locate the Neverember house once she made her way into the Sea Ward. Zima did keep what the watchman said about the currency near the top of her mind as she technically was penniless while in Waterdeep until she came upon some of the local currency.

Mostly trying to make sure I remember how to do the spoiler tags, but the gist of it all is to head directly to the Neverember house.
 
Unarmed and unarmoured, no one gives Zima a second glance as she passes through the gates and she doesn't need to drop Renaer's name. . More dangerous-looking travelers than her pass through with nothing more than the same rushed warning about fees that she got when she first entered.

Following the watchman's directions, Zima heads north up High Road. The first area she passes through - the Southern Ward, according to the sign she saw as she entered - obviously houses a large population of travelers, merchants, and immigrants. Inns make up many of the businesses around her, and most others are built above stables or around wagon yards. She experiences a bouquet of exotic scents, including appetizing foods, seductive perfumes, or both at once (which is neither appetizing nor seductive). The people are colourful, with races and ethnicities from across Faerûn, though the largest group are still humans of Chondathan descent, who make up most of the labourers that cater to travelers. The buildings and roads of this district are similarly functional and utilitarian, with most colour coming from the garb of travelers and their vehicles.

The cosmopolitan nature and influence of travelers lessens as she heads north, though it never goes away entirely. It is overtaken by an overwhelming variety of shops lining the streets, sometimes layered five floors high, each with flashy signs competing for her attention. The City Watch has a heavy presence here, too, making sure no one harasses the businesses or their cash-flush customers. Along the way, a curious exception to the many shops is an enormous statue of a knight in plate, facing southwest with its sword sheathed and shield doffed.

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High Road turns hard to the west, continues for a short time, and then turns north again. The shops continue on the right, eastern side of the street, but to her left and west, the buildings are larger, older, and more reserved. Most are made of stone, compared to the mostly wooden buildings she's passed so far. Fewer people walk the streets to her west, as she sees when she passes intersections, and those that are dressed in more formal and expensive clothing. Again, there is a heavy Watchman presence in the streets to her west, and even the streets are cleaner than those she has seen until now.

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Continuing along the High Road, she passes one more large marketplace before she reaches Julthoon Street. Turning left, as instructed, she continues along Julthoon Street, passing almost directly underneath another great statue - this one of a muscular man, its left leg sunk into the earth up to its pelvis while its left hand and right foot press against the ground as if trying to push itself out. The statue's head looks up towards a massive stone sphere floating above its right palm. Zima has heard of this statue; it's one of Waterdeep's most famous landmarks: "The God Catcher". Paintings and other renditions that make it out of Waterdeep apparently chose not to include the cheap tenement housing growing on the statue like barnacles on a ship.

The sphere floating above the statue is obviously magical, but it's hard to imagine why someone (or more accurately, many someones) would make this statue. It must have been incredibly expensive, but the pose is inscrutable.

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Zima follows Julthoon Street until she finally passes Shield Street. According to the Watchman, she is now in the Sea Ward. It's uphill of the rest of Waterdeep, and Zima can look down on most of the city. Many of the residents no doubt do so - this district is obviously much richer than anywhere else she passed through. She is surrounded by gorgeously decorated palatial homes, some of which have stone walls reminiscent of castles. There are many sights to see here, but by now, the sun is setting and Zima is too tired by her travels to properly enjoy the Sea Ward's beauty. Asking a patrolling watchman, she gets directions to Renaer's home, the four-storey Neverember House, currently bathed in the orange light of dusk.
 
Zima could not fathom the sheer size of Waterdeep compared to the backwater nowhere she hailed from. Even when she was in the previous town, Zima figured there could be at least 10 of those entire towns fit inside Waterdeep. Suffice to say that Zima felt a bit overwhelmed with how big everything was compared to back home. First making her way into and through the Southern Ward. Zima remembered this area for how plain everything looked, and sometimes putrid with how things smelled.

After making her way through that first section, Zima found herself into what she figured to be a market district of some kind. The buildings were far taller than anything she had seen previously. The major site in this area was a statue, perhaps that of a famous knight? Zima pondered while she stopped for a moment and took in the sheer splendor of the sites Waterdeep had to offer so far. Were she to get the time, Zima made a mental note that some of her shopping was going to be done here.

As the market area continued to her right, a new area emerged to her left. One thing Zima had to give credit to was that there seemed to be a large number of watchmen and watchwomen patrolling these areas. Back home she might normally see one guard, if any bothered to stay awake long enough. The left side view confronted Zima with even more exquisite buildings that were generally taller than the ones she had passed by. Zima could not help but notice the stylish manner of dress she was seeing compared to the area previous. Perhaps Zima herself could find such exquisite styles to her liking if she made it big here in Waterdeep.

Soon, Zima came upon another of her instructed directions in Julthoon street. Another large statue serving as a landmark that Zima figured might be significant. The makeshift tenements somewhat spoiling the landmark and the inherent beauty of an untouched, masterwork statue. Continuing past the next to last marker the watchmen gave her, Zima passes Shield Street and is in for another upgrade for the luxurious denizens of Waterdeep. Ranaer did not mention any of this, but Zima had to admit this was a lot to take in on such a short amount of time to do so.

Finally Zima made her way into the Sea Ward, and it did not take too long to locate House Neverember. Making her way to the house that Zima intended to enter. She wanted to make her introduction, see if there was anything she needed to do, try to sort her specific situation out, and then see what she could or had to get done before the on setting dusk turned to night and brought this day to a close. Perhaps if she was lucky, Ranaer, or whomever it may be under him, had already made arrangements for Zima. For now, Zima made her way to House Neverember to make her introduction.
 
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Zima approaches House Neverember. The front door has an elegant door knocker shaped like a pegasus and gleaming like silver, though that's probably only silver plating over a less expensive base. Shortly after using the door knocker, the door opens to reveal a halfling butler on the far side of middle age, elegantly dressed except for being barefoot.

"Madam," says the butler with a nod. His voice and body language are crisply polite, formal, and detached. "You knock upon the door of House Neverember. May I inquire as to your name, so I may pass it on to the master of the house?"

"Zima!" comes a call from above. Renaer leans out of a third-story window, both hands on the windowsill. "I didn't think you'd make it! Let her in, old Hin!"

"Ah, yes, the Madam Volkov." The halfling bows and steps aside, sweeping an arm to beckon Zima into the manor. "The master is expecting you. The house requests that you remove your shoes as you enter."

Zima barely has time to enter the manor - or wait at the door, if she prefers - before Renaer descends to the first floor. Like the halfling, he is barefoot. He grins when he sees Zima.

"You didn't have any trouble, did you?" he asks. "I thought maybe the sheriff gave you a hard time or you got lost in the city. Did you get a horse or just hire a ride? We've got stables if you need them. Anyway, have you eaten? Have you drank? We can go hit the town if you're not too tired."
 
Zima reached her destination, having spend the better part of the day getting there. Zima knocked on the door, and soon after was greeted by a butler. Taking a quick glance about, Zima noticed that the butler was not wearing any footwear. "I am here to see Ranaer, my name.." Zima was cut off before she could finish her introduction as Ranaer himself interdicted. Zima shifted her focus from the butler to Ranaer who was making his way down a set of stairs to greet Zima at the door. While Ranaer made his way to the entryway, the butler explained some of the rules of the house, to which Zima nodded and confirmed that she understood.

Waiting near the entryway for Ranaer to properly greet her, Zima noticed that he too was also barefoot. Zima responded as Ranaer continued their conversation, "No trouble, but the trek was perhaps a bit more than I figured it to have been on foot." Zima making a point to contrast the difference between a commoner like herself with limited resources compared to a lord of a massive town like Waterdeep. "Perhaps one day I might get a horse.." Zima mused at the constant mention of horses and stables. Soon after, Zima reached into her pack and produced a mostly eaten trail ration as well as her near empty waterskin. "Nothing but the finest.." Zima replied in a clearly sarcastic tone.

Zima took a moment to think about Ranaer's invitation to 'hit the town'. It was not a bad idea, especially if Zima was going to be staying here for an extended period of time. Of al people, Ranaer was probably on top of all the various issues related to staying within Waterdeep. "That sounds like a good idea to me. I should be fine so long as you don't literally run me around town. I did just spend the better part of the day walking here, but I did make time to stop and rest enough. Did you have anywhere specific in mind?" Zima posited as she prepared to follow Ranaer on what might well be a guided tour of the town. Then again, Ranaer might well want to get right down to business. With that in mind, Zima stepped back out of the entryway of the manor. "Shall we then?" Zima stated as she made way for Ranaer to join her outside.
 
"On...foot." Renaer looks embarrassed for a moment, but disguises it with an easygoing smile. "I'll bring you some place you can put your feet up, then! Don't worry, I got somewhere in mind. The drinks come quick and the food's the best kind of terrible."

He winks, then adds, "There's something else, too. You'll love it."

Renaer begins pulling on his boots. As he does, the halfling butler asks, "The master will be eating out tonight, then?"

"That's right, Old Hin. I'll be back late, too. Don't wait up! I'll let myself in."

"I wouldn't dream of it, sir. I will ensure someone attends to you when you return, and to any of your guests."

"I wish you wouldn't," Renaer mutters, but doesn't put up any more of a fight. He steps outside, and the butler gives a bow before closing the door behind him.

Despite his disagreement with the butler, Renaer is in high spirits as he leads Zima through Waterdeep's city streets, mostly south. The trip is longer than expected; despite the distance Zima has already come, she can tell Renaer is bypassing several inns and taverns to bring her somewhere specific. He leads her all the way back to the shops-heavy section of Waterdeep before pointing out a two-storey building. By now, dusk has changed to night, and the light and the sounds of shouting and laughter spill from the building's windows. A sign above the door reads Bowels of the Earth.

Renaer leads Zima into the tavern. Inside are some rough-looking patrons in travel gear, many of whom are strapped with weapons and armour (which is unusual within Waterdeep, from what Zima has seen). While the quality of their equipment varies, most of them are too expensive to be thugs and criminals - more likely mercenaries or adventurers. Most of the tables are empty - the shouting Zima heard is coming from below, via a downward staircase next to the entrance. One of the servers, a youthful, olive-skinned human male, spots Renaer and approaches.

"Table for two with a view of the show!" Renaer grins. "Can we still get bets in?"

"I'm afraid not, sir," the server says. He leads the Zima and Renaer to a set of stairs leading down. "Betting is closed, and the show's about to begin. Yagra and Xanaphia tonight."

"Oh, this should be good!" Renaer is all but jumping out of his skin. He motions for Zima to follow and descends a set of stairs next to the entrance. "C'mon!"

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Compared to the ground floor, the level below is a maelstrom of activity. Tables are laden with food and drink, but everyone is crowding, cheering and jeering in anticipation. Past the crowd, Zima sees two women on a slightly raised platform: one a half-orc in leathers, and the other a blonde half-elf in a breastplate. They stare at each other intently, but are separated by a middle-aged, dusky-skinned human man. The man raises one hand and steps back, looking from one woman to the other.

"On the count of three!" the man shouts, stepping backwards.

"One! ...Two! ...Three!"

At "three", the man steps off the raised platform. The half-orc surges towards the half-elf, arms wide. The half-elf throws one fist forward in a haymaker that catches the half-orc in the left-cheekbone, knocking her head to the side, but the half-orc continues on to wrap her arms around the half-elf's midsection and tackle her to the ground. The crowd erupts in a roar of excitement, including Renaer, who pumps a fist toward the ceiling with a hoot.

On top of the half-elf, the half-orc rises to throw a punch downward, but the half-elf parries the blow and pulls herself up on her opponent's arm to punch the half-orc in the solar plexus. She wheezes, and the half-elf presses the attack, shoving the half-orc off her dominant position. Both women are obviously skilled wrestlers, though the half-elf appears to have more technical training and the half-orc relies on extraordinary strength - short-lived strength, Zima can tell. She pushes herself to the limit the way Zima does when she fights, and like Zima, she can only maintain that level of exertion for so long. After a minute, the half-orc tires, and at that point the fight is over. The half-elf puts her into a chokehold and, a few seconds, the half-orc taps out. The half-elf releases the half-orc and stands, the crowd cheering as the man announces her the winner.

"Ah, well!" Renaer says, stepping away from the crowd to a table where the server is waiting. He sits and motions for Zima to sit down. "Order whatever you want! My treat!"

After the two have ordered, Renaer leans forward on the table, a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. "So, what'd you think?" he asks, gesturing towards the now-empty stage.
 
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Zima watched the interaction between Ranaer and the butler. Trying to make a note that the butler's name was 'old' Hin. Ranaer then led Zima through a few areas that were recognizable to her as Ranaer made his way toward his intended destination. The tavern that Ranaer led Zima toward looked to some degree similar to the one where they had first met the night before. Though this being Waterdeep, everything was a bit more extravagant. Taking a look around while keeping up with Ranaer, Zima saw little of import save for what she figured were a few mercenaries, guards or adventurers lazing about.

Ranaer seemed to be drawn to sounds that Zima could hear coming from an area that was below where she presently was. Ranaer with Zima in tow moved toward where the sounds were coming from. A waiter greeted the pair and Ranaer's intentions partially were revealed. He seemed quite interested in placing a bet on whatever it was that was going on. Zima noticed a bit of a downturn in his mood when he was denied the ability to place a bet, but he noticeably became more excited as two names that Zima did not recognize were given. Being shown to a table, Zima quipped. "Looks like we were just in time for.. whatever this is?" As Ranaer moved to a place where he could get a good view of the action about to take place. Zima not to far away by his side.

The latter part of what Zima stated was a rhetorical question as it looked like the two women were meant to fight each other. There were no weapons involved, but Zima did notice they were both still wearing armor. "Won't that heavier armor slow the elven woman down?" Zima half muttered to herself though Ranaer might have been able to hear it through all the commotion going on around them as the spectacle started. There was someone between the two, 'a referee perhaps?' Zima thought to herself as she was focused on the action unfolding before her. Predictably to Zima, the orcish woman seemed to have the initiative. Though the elven woman landed a pretty good punch, the orcish woman seemed to shrug it off decently enough.

As the combat developed, Zima noticed some similarities toward how she tends to fight compared to the orcish woman. Through it all, the elven woman was able to outlast the orcish combatant and secured the victory. Zima hearing Ranaer proclaim as if the fighter he was going to bet on had lost. "You were going to bet on Yagra?" Zima probed as Xanaphia were proclaimed victorious. With the battle concluded, Ranaer made his way to a table with Zima soon to follow. Taking a few moments, Zima made her order. Soon after Ranaer asked Zima of her opinion of what she saw. Zima did not take long to figure out that this was likely part of what Ranaer had mentioned when they met the night before.

Zima took some time to explain the similarities and differences to what she was accustomed to compared to what she was able to see with the match between the elven and orcish women just now. The main difference back home was that most contests ended with someone being able to pin the other to the ground for 5 seconds, or knock them down with strikes so that they could not get up within 10 seconds. Zima made it clear that using a hold like she just saw the elven woman use to win would have been against the rules back home. Shifting gears a bit, Zima recalled the watchmen at the gates mentioning that there was to be no unsanctioned fighting taking place. The exact phrase escaped her, though Zima recalled 'dueling and unlicensed sport combat' were deemed to be illegal.

This set off a small flurry of questions that Zima wanted to ask, as she was clearly interested in testing herself against another to see where she stood. "Is this the only place in town that has organized fights like this?" Giving time for Ranaer to answer, Zima made sure to address a few other points as well during their conversation over dinner. "What are the rules, and do they change depending on who is taking part?" Zima wanted to follow up by also asking if the rules changed from location to location if there were other establishments that engaged in similar activities to this one. As the conversation drew to a close, Zima had one final detail to work out as it was one she clearly overlooked on her travel to Waterdeep that took most of the day. "Where should I stay the night?" This last question entirely meant to gauge if Ranaer had some manner of deal in mind that he wanted to offer Zima. It was no accident that they went here to this tavern on this night. Was Ranaer planning to sponsor Zima in some way so that he could bet on her winning fights similar to the one they just witnessed before having dinner. Generally not one to want to beat around the bush, Zima wanted to know where the relationship between the two stood as well as how she might best be able to take advantage of the relationship between the two were one to come to fruition.
 
Zima said:
"You were going to bet on Yagra?"
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"I was!" Renaer nods, leaning back in his seat. "I knew she'd probably lose, but I was rooting for her anyway. Xanaphia's been dominating ever since she started fighting in Waterdeep. At first it was exciting, seeing someone new do so well, but now it's just boring to see her win all the time."

Renaer listens as Zima explains how fighting works back home, occasionally nodding. Once she's done, he explains, "Sometimes you still see fights like that, but really only on amateur nights. There used to be more variety in Waterdeep, years ago, but after a while, everywhere started fighting like you saw tonight. I guess it's just the most popular.

"The rules are like this." Renaer holds up a fist, extending a finger with each rule. "First, no weapons. You probably figured that out already. Second, no eye jabs and no biting, but otherwise, it's no moves or holds barred. Third, the fight's over when someone is unconscious or taps out. Fourth, stay in the fighting space. Fifth..."

He thinks for a moment, hand hanging into the air with all five fingers splayed out. "...whoever owns the place has the final word, I suppose! These are unwritten rules, so everything has some wiggle room and they might wiggle one way or the other depending on the establishment, but you can rely on what I've told you."

He leans forward on the table, looking into Zima's eyes with a conspiratorial smirk. "There are places like this all over the city. This one is unlicensed. Maybe not all of them are, but here in Waterdeep, we have a saying: 'Keep it off the streets.' The Watch tends to look the other way on a lot of things if you're behind closed doors and don't involve anyone that didn't ask for it.

"The point is, you can make decent money fighting in Waterdeep if the crowd likes you...and I think they would like you." He waggles his eyebrows. "Interested?"
 
Zima took the time to listen to what Ranaer had to say. It was the least she could do given that she had spent most of the day travelling to Waterdeep at Ranaer's invitation to do so. Having taken a bit of time to properly answer Ranaer, Zima took a moment to assess the situation. "Well, if I were down there right now, I think both of them would have made short work of me." Zima took particular note that the competitors were able to deftly move while wearing armor. Zima on the other hand did not wear armor, which could be a liability in a fight like she just witnessed.

Zima's self reflection was based mostly on what she saw today in the arena compared to what she witnessed back home. Though Zima did also recall what the town watch had said as she entered the town. As long as Ranaer made the promise to keep her out of trouble, then Zima had no objections to the idea of participating in these fights. "How long do you think it might take to set something up?" Zima stated as she made up her mind. Perhaps she might be in over her head by accepting, but the idea of establishing herself as a fighter of some renown was an opportunity that she was not going to pass up. Though that little bit of self doubt was there still creeping around in the back of Zima's mind.

The drunks she fought yesterday in the tavern were probably not the best gauge of Zima's skill, "You wouldn't have a place I could train at, or stay at in mind?" From what Zima could tell, the basic idea was likely that Ranaer was betting with or against Zima. So long as Zima did not have to worry about any of the 'taxes' that were going to be imposed on her, then it was no better or worse than staying back home and working on a farm. There was a bit of fear and doubt that perhaps Zima might not be good enough for this given the fight she just bore witness to. Who knows if Ranaer might simply kick Zima to the curb if she lost one too many times and ended up costing Ranaer money that was bet on her?

There were a flurry of questions floating about in her head, the least of which being what she might need to do to get ready. Also sorting out where she might stay was of some concern though Zima herself still had some currency that she'd likely have to exchange into proper Waterdeep coin at some point. As much as Zima had no doubt that Ranaer had the best intentions for Zima, she still wanted to make sure she could keep herself out of attracting unwanted attention from the city watch or anyone or anything else that might put her newfound employment at risk.
 
"Hey, come on, confidence!" Renaer taps a finger on the table. "How many people did you knock out yesterday? Now, Yagra and Xana are better than some drunks, sure - but I've been watching this scene for a while, and I think you're a contender.

And I'm not just gonna toss you in, either." Renaer rests one elbow on the table and leans in towards Zima. "I know a guy that'll train you. We, uh...the story's complicated, so let's just say we go back a while. Anyway, I'll pay for the training and sponsor you in the scene. I bet we can start in the next week or so. You know about Waterdeep's taxes, right? Those kick in after ten days.

"Now, where you'll sleep. You saw my family manor. It's got guest rooms, and you can stay there until you get situated. I'm usually not even there. Just be nice to the staff, alright? They're good people. Just try not to get in the way."
 
As Ranaer brought up the idea of confidence, Zima replied. "Sure, maybe after I win a few.." The latter part of the statement trailing off as Zima looked to recompose her thoughts after a moment. "I had initially thought to travel here into Waterdeep and perhaps use it as a way to gain some rapport and notoriety. Perhaps eventually find myself in Neverwinter at some point?" Zima stated with a bit more conviction behind her worlds. "Then again, plans change." Zima made a few hand gestures to go with the final statement as she continued to hear Ranaer out.

As Ranaer said it the day before, he was planning on being in Waterdeep for a few days. This being the first or perhaps second since he made it here yesterday compared to Zima taking almost another full day to make her way into Waterdeep. "I guess I need to have faith that I am unofficially already a local champion, but the fighting styles could not be more different between home and here." Zima took another moment to compose her next thought before speaking more. "This all feels so surreal to me, I guess that is the real issue for me. Before meeting you at that bar yesterday, I had figured maybe I could make my way as a mercenary here for a while. Build up my name and my reputation." Zima laid out to Ranaer her 'grand plan' were he not to have interjected himself into things and the two not had crossed paths the day before.

"I guess, I said it myself a moment ago. Plans change. This is probably a better setup than I could have ever asked for if I made my way here without your help in doing so." Zima mused as she clearly intended to accept Ranaer's offer and terms. Zima had to remember after a period of ten days that the Waterdeep taxes were going to take effect. Aside from that, the plan was to train some and fight, hopefully in a controlled environment where the only real damage done is to Zima's pride if she ends up losing. "I'll see this through, when do we get started?" Zima stated as she started to turn her attention to the order that was placed in front of her while the fight was taking place. Having what looked to be most everything taken care of to a degree that Zima had not considered possible before yesterday's encounter with Ranaer.
 
"Don't go to Neverwinter," Renaer grumbles, then takes a deep swig of his drink. "There's some real bastards there."

He sighs to himself, then shrugs it off. He smiles again. "Don't worry about your fighting style. You're gonna shake up the scene! If you stand out, more people will want to watch you, and that means places will pay more to have you fight there!"

He points to Zima's drink. "Anyway, get drinking! Here's to your new career!"

Over the course of the night, Zima learns Renaer has two loves: fighting and drinking. It's well past midnight when he finally leads her, stumbling, back to his home in the Sea Ward after hours of spending money without restraint. True to the halfling butler's word, there is a servant - another halfling, this one a woman - waiting at the door when they return, opening the door before Renaer even reaches it. Renaer stumbles inside and sits down to take off his boots, but he's so drunk that she has to remove them for him, despite his attempts to ward her off.

"Welcome to Neverember House, love," the servant tells Zima. "Leave your footwear by the door, please."

Renaer makes his way to his own bedroom while the servant leads Zima to a guest room. Its decor is bland (they were probably going for "neutral") but not cheap. The comfortable bed makes it easy for Zima to fall asleep.


The house staff provide a simple but ample breakfast - fruit, eggs, and salted meats - as early as Zima likes, but it's late in the morning before Renaer rises. When he does, he's clearly hung over, but still greets Zima gamely. After a greasier version of Zima's breakfast, he takes her out into the streets of Waterdeep.

Renaer points out interesting places as they pass - mostly bars and pubs - but he clearly has a single destination in mind rather than random meandering. Waterdeep is a big city, he tells Zima, and it'll take more than a day or a week to learn her way around. He leads her out of the Sea Ward to the shop-heavy district, relatively close to the tavern they'd visited last night, and stops in front of a rather modest-looking building. While it is clearly inhabited and maintained, the building bears no sign, ornamentation, or other indication of its purpose. Despite this, Renaer gives Zima a grin and beckons her to follow as he pushes open the door and steps inside.

The inside of the building is as extravagant as the front, but at least Zima can tell what it is. The building is a gym filled with weights, exercise mats, and training dummies. Young, fit men and women either spar with each other or go through training drills. In the center of the room stands an unusual-looking man: six-and-a-half feet tall, heavily muscled, and remarkably similar to a humanoid pig.

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"Oldrek!" Renaer shouts, waving a hand. Some of the other students look over curiously, but then return to their training.

"Neverember," the porcine man responds. He turns to look at Renaer and catches sight of Zima, looking her up and down before looking back at the redhead. "Haven't seen you in a while. You must be here for a reason."

"Come on, don't be like that! Do I need a reason to come by and visit? I guess I've been a while, but the heart just grows fonder, right?"

"Why are you here, Neverember?"

Renaer chuckles nervously, glancing back at Zima. After a moment, he smiles and looks back at Oldrek. "I brought you a new student. A hot new fighter for the brawling scene! She's got potential! She just needs a bit of refinement, but she's a diamond in the rough!"

He looks back at Zima. "This is Oldrek. Every half-decent brawler in the city's trained under him."

He motions from Zima to Oldrek. "Go ahead...say hello."
 
Zima's idea of eventually heading off to Neverwinter was summarily dismissed by Ranaer. Choosing to leave the matter alone past that, Zima simply replied with "Good to know about that."

With the two together again, Ranaer seemed to be relatively care free. Perhaps it was going to work out, though as of yet Zima did not see what Ranaer might become if he lost money on any of the bets he had planned to make. Through the drinking and mostly idle conversation taking place between the two, Zima wanted to see if she could pry just a little bit. The idea that Ranaer himself be the one fighting had crossed her mind. Perhaps it might be too early to bring it up, then again maybe at some point down the line they could fight together almost like they did in the tavern where they first met.

The night drew to a close and the pair returned back to the Neverember house. Again the butler informed them to leave their footwear at the door. Ranaer went his way while Zima was guided to her own sleeping area separate from Ranaer. The accommodations were a bit tame perhaps compared to what else was on offer inside the Neverember house. Maybe over time the room could be modified, but there were no complaints about the bed. For that matter, the food on offer as the new day started was top notch according to Zima's standards.

Zima did not need to look too hard to tell that Ranaer was hung over. Zima might well have been the same were she to have drank to the level that Ranaer did. Ranaer took Zima out into the city again with the new day. This time there was not much of a tour element to this as it seemed Ranaer had a specific destination in mind. 'Was it another fighting pit?' Zima thought to herself. As Ranaer reached his destination, the place seemed to be a training area. Looking around Zima was in a bit of an overload.

The equipment alone was far better than anything Zima could have imagined while training in her backwater nowheresville town. This sure beat the ropes around lumber pieces that did not suit the local lumber mill's needs. The sheer amount of people around was another element that Zima had trouble adjusting to. Her eyes kept moving from one thing to the next or one person to the next in a rapid succession. It took a subtle nudge from Ranaer to snap Zima back to reality as he also stated that she should make her introduction.

"Oh, right.." Zima half spoke as she straightened herself to address Oldrek. "Hello, my name is Zima." She spoke while bowing her head forward slightly in a show of respect. Turning back to Ranaer, Zima leaned toward him a bit and tried to whisper. "So now what? You got him to train me, right? When do I start?"
 
"Y'know, I used to want to fight," Renaer says at some point in the night, after a couple of hours of careful prying from Zima and quite a few careless drinks. "Even took lessons, you know? There's this guy in town, a hor - a hor - no, not a whore. But I couldn't, on account of my ffffather. It wouldn't be good for his image, y'know? If his son's goin' out and - and throwing hands in bars. Ha!
"Might'a done it anyway, a'course, because fuck'im, but it would never'a worked. Who could'a fought me without fearin' I'd use daddy to get back at 'em if they won? And if I won, how could you know it was fair an' square? And even if e'ryone did trust me, how many times could I embarass my father 'fore he shut down fighting in the city? I could get the whole thing shut down."

He waves a hand dismissively and clumsily. His face is a drunken mix of wistfulness and regret. "Naaaah. Wasn't to be. That's just how it is."


"Zima," Oldrek echoes. His eyes narrow slightly in thought. "What does that mean? 'Cold', right? Welcome to the gym, Zima."

Renaer listens as Zima whispers to him, then nods. At a normal volume, he says, "She wants to know when she can start training. I'll cover the fee."

"Today, if you want," Oldrek says languidly.
 
Zima stopped scanning the room for a moment when Oldrek mentioned the term cold. "Yes, though some believe the term to mean 'winter', as I do."

Not long after the brief exchange with Oldrek about the intricacies of the elven languages and their dialects, Zima leaned toward Ranaer. The two had a brief exchange which caused Ranaer to raise his voice back to a normal tone. Figuring she might have needed to do some manner of test before being admitted. Ranaer instead offered up the fee, which prompted a quick response from Oldrek. The tone of his voice almost sounded like he was trying to lure a kid into a candy store. As far as Zima was concerned, she pretty much was a kid in a candy store with all the equipment, trainers, and potentially even sparring partners.

Zima took a half step forward, hesitated, looked over toward Ranaer, and spoke. "You sure?" Zima pondered as Ranaer's generosity caught her by surprise. Once the generosity of Ranaer sank in with Zima, she turned to Oldrek and proclaimed "I'd certainly want to start today, heck right now if you'd allow me to!" Zima completed her step forward into Oldrek's gym. At this point Zima was not sure if she should turn to address Ranaer as the two were likely headed their separate ways for the day, or if she should turn her attention toward Oldrek and see what he had in store for Zima's training. Swivelling her head between the two, Zima awaited some kind of confirmation of what she was going to do next.
 
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"Winter," Oldrek says, nodding. "Got it."

Zima said:
"You sure?"
Click to expand...

"Why not?" Renaer grins. "I told you, I'm sponsoring you in the scene. I'll put my word in, get you into your first fights, too. You're gonna be the hottest new star in the Waterdeep fighting scene, and I'm gonna be the one who discovered you!"

"You're really confident about this," Oldrek observes, sharing none of Renaer's enthusiasm. He looks over at Zima. "First things first, I want to see where you're at. I'll train anyone I'm paid to train, but I have to know where to start."

He turns and snaps his fingers. "Daren!" he calls, and a man across the room pauses in his assaults upon a training dummy. Oldrek beckons with his hand and the man approaches, giving Zima a closer look at him: somewhere in his twenties, with stringy brown hair, a short patchy beard, and a missing tooth.

"Zima here is a new student," Oldrek tells Daren. "I want to see how she fights. You said you were looking for someone to spar. You interested?"

Daren looks at Zima like a butcher looking at a pig. His eyes scan her up and down, but linger on her breasts. "Yeah, I'm interested."

Oldrek turns back to Zima and points to a square, empty mat in the center of the room, about twenty feet on each side. "Alright, let's get you in the ring."
 
Zima looked at Ranaer and thought to herself that she better not let him down. Looking over toward Oldrek, Zima was perhaps in for a reality check. Zima was gonna get thrown right into the fire as Oldrek summoned someone from their training. It took only a few moments for Zima to look Oldrek, "I accept."

Zima confirmed that she was up for the challenge. Oldrek pointed to a square mat that looked to be about 20 feet wide. Aside from a colored border around the edge of the mats there were no ropes or anything else set up. A slightly different structure to what Zima was used to. Zima's curiousity getting to her as she asked about the obvious, "So what happens if one of us goes out of the ring?" Zima had every intention of establishing her dominance, and considered what her options were outside of beating this guy senseless.

Once Zima learned the rules of engagement so to say, she started to formulate her strategy to take this guy down. Trying to get herself 'warmed up' Zima started to shift her weight from one leg to the other, bouncing up and down a bit each time. After 10, maybe 15 seconds of this, Zima worked in a quick flurry of punches. Jabbing with her left hand followed by a straight right, then a few power punches as Zima threw a left hook, and finished with an uppercut.

After this quick warmup sequence, Zima looked to see if any others were gathering around to watch. She should not focus on such things, but Ranaer mentioned that she was going to be put into fights and spectators were going to be a big part of that. Once Zima scanned her surroundings, she focused on the combat area. There were two lines in the middle a few feet apart from each other. The only other remarkable trait of the mats was the clearly defined border area. Zima also noticed that the mats had a good bit of give to them which was a big contrast to the normally harder surfaces that she fought on in the past.

Zima made her way to one of the lines opposite her opponent, Daren. Zima cracked her neck, asked if he was Ready and started to bound about shifting her weight between her legs so that she ideally will not be caught unaware and able to get the first move in once whoever was directing this session gave the signal to start.


4 on the die, +3 = 7 for Zima

Just in case Zima goes first, she rolled a 1 on her first attack so.. yeah. Presuming she goes second and Daren is able to hit her AC 16 she will rage, and then roll that 1 to miss her attack.
If Daren missed and Zima misses with the 1, no harm no foul, so may as well send it right back to Daren to take a second turn.
 
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Zima said:
"So what happens if one of us goes out of the ring?"
Click to expand...
"Don't," is all Oldrek says.

"That's one of those rules that'll change depending on where you fight," Renaer explains, giving a small satisfied smile at Zima's question. "Usually, people want a fight, not a shoving match, so you'll get disqualified if you push anyone out, or you'll be fighting in a pit, so it doesn't matter. There's a couple places where you can get points by pushing the other one out of the ring, though."

"I'll train you for that if you want to be trained for that," Oldrek says with a small, dismissive wave of his hand. "Right now, keep it in the ring."

Daren is already warmed up, so he stands by and watches as Zima gets ready. By the time they step onto the mats, they've attracted a lot of eyes, with plenty more looking over. It's probably not usual for people to spar in the ring while everyone else trains, but people are catching on that Zima is a new student and they want to see what she's got. Daren steps onto the mat, switching to a relaxed, loose stance, waiting for the signal to begin.

Oldrek doesn't bother playing up the drama. As soon as she's satisfied everyone is in place, he nods. "Go."

Daren is more prepared for Oldrek's start than Zima. He launches himself forward and wraps an arm around Zima's neck, locking her in a grapple. It catches Zima completely by surprise, and before she knows it, Daren has a secure hold on her.

Zima's 1 was her roll to resist the grab, which failed. She is considered Grappled, so her speed is considered 0. It is now Zima's turn.
 
Zima was outmaneuvered when Oldrek called for the start of the battle. Daren made his move efficiently, grabbing hold of Zima around the neck. Zima let out a surprised grunt as her neck was at least loosely secured by Darien. Was he going for a chokehold of some kind? Zima was not interested in the answer as she adjusted her position so that she was perpendicular to Daren. Landing a close elbow into his abdomen in the process. 'That should discourage him a bit..' Zima thought to herself as she landed the elbow into his abdomen. Zima was going to likely need to do a bit more than a simple elbow to derail Daren, but it was a start.


Z rolled 15+4 to attack for 3 damage. A few notes in case we want to try moving things past one round at a time per post. Zima will rage the next possible time she can after taking damage. I left a few proxy rolls for use in case it was of value to try and expedite combat. Otherwise I will use the rolls in the order they appeared as they are needed.
 
Daren grunts as Zima's elbow connects with his abdomen, but it's not enough to dissuade him from his neck hold. Zima feels the pressure building in her head as his arm constricts her breath and bloodflow. Daren shifts his weight, trying to throw Zima over him to the floor while maintaining his hold, but she doesn't allow him to get the leverage necessary.

The pain in Zima's neck is becoming intense. In response, so is her anger. She feels a rush of strength as she strikes Daren again, this time somewhere sensitive. The force is enough for him to loosen his grip for a moment, relieving the pressure on her neck and allowing her to breath, but not enough for her to slip free. Daren, who obviously expected this fight to go differently, tries desperately to throw Zima to the floor again. His free arm snakes under her body, trying to get a better grip, but only succeeds in grabbing one breast and then yanking hard on her clothes.

Daren tried to shove Zima prone, but rolled poorly. However, his fighting style means Zima takes 1d4 damage at the start of every round where she's grappled by him, so she lost 2 hit points at the start of the round. She then entered Rage and critically hit Daren. On Daren's turn, he tried to shove her prone again, but rolled a 1, which Zima can't possibly fail to beat. Zima also took damage at the start of this round, but it was 1, so her rage reduced it to nothing.

tl;dr, Zima has taken 2 points of damage and is raging. Daren has taken 9 points of damage and is looking quite rough as a result. It is currently Zima's turn.

Describe the previous turns however you like, as well as your current actions.
 
Zima continued to be trapped in the hold that Daren put her in. Zima's instincts were to simply hammer away at his abdomen until he released the hold. That tactic worked back home as generally not many people wanted their abdomen turned inside out. This time, Zima landed two good elbows but was still trapped. "let go, damnit.." Zima tried to speak as Daren's arm continued to work around his neck. Soon after, Zima's second elbow landed.

Zima knew Daren was getting a bit desperate as his arm not trapping her neck started to explore. Explore places that it was not meant to go. Intentionally or not, Daren copped a feel on Zima's chest. Letting out a stiff moan, Zima tried to hide her embarrassment and arousal behind being trapped in Daren's hold. Her face already being red from the choke helped, though Zima's body was betraying how she felt. Her knees buckled if only for a moment and Daren pulled his hand away along with a good portion of Zima's top that had gone with it. Zima was struggling, not because she was topless, but Daren managed to do something that the thugs at the bar did not.

Making an ineffective attack, Zima was protecting her chest. Not because she was worried about others seeing her exposed breasts. Zima was mortified what was going to happen if Daren continued to attempt to molest her. Zima was hoping that Daren was so focused with trying to throw her to the ground that he might not notice that Zima's chest might be a better target to focus his attention on.

Zima: 13/15 HP - 2/10 elapsed Rage turns

Rolling with disadvantage to hit: 1, auto miss
 
A murmur of surprise ripples through the assembled students as Daren tears away Zima's top. Renaer winces, Oldrek cocks an eyebrow, and the crowd ogles Zima's body. She may or may not have been comforted to know that her wardrobe malfunction has apparently distracted onlookers from her arousal, at least for now.

Zima's attack goes wide, but it's apparently enough to warn Daren off as he releases her and takes a step backward. He looks down at the torn cloth in his hand, then at Zima's heaving chest. Though obviously battered by Zima's assault, he throws the torn clothing to the ground and raises his fists, taking a moment to collect himself, peering at Zima from between his knuckles. After inhaling, then releasing a deep breath, he lunges forward and directs an open-palm strike at Zima's chest.

Daren released Zima from the grapple and attacked with a normal attack. He rolled a 14, which doesn't beat Zima's AC, so it doesn't deal damage. You can decide whether he still made contact and/or this would count as another grope.
 
Both Daren and Zima inadvertently had a moment to process what had just happened. Daren still had Zima's top mostly in his hand while the rest fell to the floor beneath Zima's feet. Trying as best she could to ignore what was going on around her, Zima's facial expressions did little to betray her present situation. Daren took the initiative and Zima also made a move forward to re-engage the fight between the two. Daren looked to strike at Zima, but the attack seemed to be little more than an excuse to grope at Zima's chest a second time. Daren managed a quick squeeze before his hand was slapped away by Zima.

Zima attempted to follow up as she slapped Daren's hand away from her sensitive chest. Instead of thrusting her own fist forward, Zima had another idea. Maybe she could beat Daren at his own game? Daren already did enough to embarrass Zima in front of the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight. Trying to power through the feeling of arousal, Zima reached out to grab the arm that Daren previously groped her with. If she could control Daren's arm then she could work to maybe even throw him down to the mat in a similar fashion that Daren had tried to do earlier in the match.

If Zima could beat Daren at his own game, that was going to be far more embarrassing to Daren than what has just happened to Zima with her top being ripped away. As Zima drew it out in her head, the idea was to gain control of Daren's arm. If Zima could manage this, then she'd look to forward her control and try throwing Daren down to the mat.

Rolled 15 to grapple for 19 total. I believe we established that grappling counted as an attack per posts #22-24, so..

Zima 13/15 HP - 3/10 turns elapsed
 
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Zima's attempt to grab Daren is good, but he is obviously an experienced wrestler. She gets her hand on his arm, but before she can secure her grip, he twists his arm unexpectedly to break her leverage. Moving quickly, he reverses her hold, wrapping one arm around her neck while the other trying to lock her arm behind her back. At the same time, he presses one of her legs between both of Zima's, ostensibly trying to knee her or throw her off her feet, but rather obviously just trying to tease her further.

"Daren!" Oldrek shouts from the sidelines. "Knock that shit off!"

The pressure from Daren's leg against Zima's crotch lessens, but he still has her in his grip. Her breasts aren't being groped, for once, but they're certainly on full display.

Daren rolled very well, resisting Zima's grab and instead trying to grab her with a 20. No damage this round.
 
Zima seemed to be getting the better of things so far in the sparring match with Daren, aside from having her new top ripped away once more. Daren seemed to be not taking the session seriously even after absorbing a few good elbow shots. Surprisingly for how well Zima felt she was doing, Daren kept at it. His tactics were questionable and Zima was even thrown off a bit when Oldrek intervened and told him to basically cut it out and potentially take things seriously.

Zima tried to adjust her positioning, but Daren put a stop to her attempt at controlling his arm. Zima soon ended up in a rather familiar position with Daren behind her, an arm wrapped around her neck, but this time Daren had switched tactics a bit and caught Zima by surprise as her left arm was trapped behind her back. Daren was trying to do something different and Zima realized that she should go back to what was working earlier. A steady dose of elbows to the abdomen was the plan, though it might be a bit risky with only one free hand.

Zima let loose with her right hand as she tried to contort herself enough to get a clear path for her elbow to land clean. If Zima could deal enough damage before Daren gained control then it simply did not matter what Daren was trying. Zima was almost entirely focused on the moment while in her rage, and the only thing she cared about in the moment was trying to defeat Daren.

Zima rolled decent but not enough to get above the 20 and is once more grappled. Z rolled 15 to attack which feels borderline for if it is able to hit or not.

Zima 13/15 HP - 4/10 turns elapsed
 
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