[OOC] To the Screams of the Roman Mob

[MelonHead]

The Roman Colosseum aches for new and exciting feats of combat and bloodshed, roaring for depravity and mindless violence, who will answer the call?

[MelonHead]

Match Listings

The First Match

Brennus, Woad-Worn Barbarian of Britannia, Hero of the Iceni.

Brennus

Identity


Name: Brennus

Race: Human, Iceni

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Born: 40 A.D

Weight: 80kg

Appearance: Brennus stands at about five feet eight inches tall, with the muscled build of a trained warrior. He has brown eyes and naturally brown hair, though it is usually dyed white blonde with ash and lime and stuck up in a mad messy affair. He has a similarly dyed blonde moustache, though not as thick as usual for his people. His features are relatively plain, but handsome enough, save for two thick scars, one on each cheek. His left forearm is branded with a crude S, and his lightly tanned body is criss-crossed with a number of similar scars, mostly from cuts.

Equipment

Weapons:
Spear: Brennus is outfitted with a spear about as tall as he is with a wooden shaft and a steel tip. It can double as a javelin in particularly desperate situations, and is well weighted for this purpose.

Longsword: Brennus carries a Celtic Longsword, which could be considered made of steel such was the skill of ancient Celtic ironworkers. It features a small guard and a bone hilt with a steel blade roughly 90cm long.

Shield: Brennus carries a roughly oval shield about 100cm tall and 75cm wide, made of oak and covered with leather, with an iron rim. The front is decorated with green spirals roughly resembling plants on a brown background.

Clothes:

Tartan patterned wool trousers, blue and brown, his torso is bare.

Leather sandals

Armour:
N/A

Physical Capabilities

Strength: Brennus is a strong man, though by no means unreasonably so, and is more than capable of lifting up to half again his body weight at a push.

Speed: Brennus moves quickly, he can run as fast as 20mph, aided somewhat by his lack of encumbering armour.

Agility: Brennus has proven himself to be more agile than any he has had to face thus far, perhaps placing his reflexes at the peak of human potential.

Endurance: Almost three years of harsh gladiatorial training has forced Brennus’ body to its maximum potential, resulting in his impressive ability to fight for extended periods of time. Though well within human capabilities he is unlikely to tire in any short skirmish.

Durability: Brennus is a man, his body as fallible as any other.

Senses: Brennus has decent eye sight, 20-20 vision, his other senses are fairly average, save that he has grown to resist pain after suffering a number of minor wounds across his relatively short life.

Skills

Brennus is competent with a number of weapons, he is particularly skilled with the spear and sword coupled with a shield.

He can also throw javelins with fairly dependable accuracy, scoring hits on a target up to fifty feet away around 8 in 10 times.

Brennus can use a sling and bow with average skill.

Brennus is adept at traversing difficult terrain quickly, making him a particularly dangerous opponent in forested and other treacherous arena types.

Brennus has the questionable skills taught to him by two and a half years of fighting in the Roman Gladiatorial Arena. These include fighting dirty when necessary, fighting multiple opponents and even fighting wild animals.

Brennus can ride a horse and a chariot, though neither with any particular noteworthy skill.

History

Brennus was born in the lands of the Iceni, somewhat similar to modern day Norfolk in England. His tribe willingly submitted to the Romans, albeit without the occasional threats when faced with disarmament. However, the death of their king and the uprising of the legendary Queen Boudicca saw Brennus, a young noble of the tribe, drawn into battle with the Italian invaders. His people fought valiantly, but were ultimately undone in the battle of Watling Street. Brennus himself was captured after the battle and picked up by slavers as a potential ‘sacrifice’ for the Arena.

His bloody survival of his pre-destined execution turned the crowds onto his favour, and he never looked back. He still hopes to escape his fate, but for two and a half years has fought and trained as a gladiator at the behest of the people of Rome. He fights in the fashion of his people, the Iceni, keeping their legacy alive through his actions. No one has killed him as of yet.

Facing off against, The Dreaded General of Sparta, Caspus IV.

Caspus

Name- Caspus IV

Position - Spartan General

Main Stat - Physical Dmg

Main Trait - Strength

Age - 31

Height - 6'5"

Weight - 202lbs(no armour)

Weapons- Custom Spear(seen in pic)- Capable of piercing through full plate armour, this spear is unique in shape. The niches in the spearhead allow Caspus IV to flip or twist a weapon out of his opponents hand from a relatively safe distance. 4'11" long. 13lbs. It is very hard to break.

Custom Shield(seen in pic)- 21 inches in diameter, hardness of steel. The indentations in its side serve the same purpose as the spear's, though at a much shorter range. 19lbs. It can be attached to Caspus IV's armour to allow him to hold his spear with two hands.

Xiphos-2ft long total, 5inch handle.

Light Javelin- Caspus IV has two of these, and he can throw them 100ft. 11lbs. 4ft long, they sit in a quiver on his back.

Other- Caspus IV is very adept at using long weapons such as pikes and spears. He is also a master of thrown weapons, such as javelins. He's not too shabby with a shortsword either.

Caspus IV's armour is weak in these places:
Area of torso under his arms(near armpit), thigh area, right shoulder, neck, hands, elbows, calf, pelvic area(basically crotch, lower part of hips, and rear end.)

@Bartimaeus

Second Match

Brennus, Hero of the Iceni

Facing off against Kathleen, the Black Lioness

Gatsha, The Black Lioness

Name: Gatsha (Her European Masters have renamed her Kathleen)
Race/Nationality: African
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Class: Gladiatrix
Appearance:
Standing at 5’10 and weighing just under 147 Ib’s, Gatsha is tall for a human woman, even possessing broad-shouldered and is lean, well-muscled, with dark skin and dark eyes - every bit as fierce as her gaze suggests. Her hair is worn in thick braids, tied back and up, and she dresses simply in worn, comfortable combat gear. Though she's not unattractive, the watchful, aloof air of a seasoned adventurer and warrior makes her, if not unapproachable, then less appealing to more urbane and mannered peers. She wears spiked gauntlets over her hands, but by far the most arresting part of her armament is the heavy, hook-bladed poleaxe she carries, walking with it as though with a staff. It's easily big enough for a man larger than her size, but she carries it with a casual ease that suggests a familiarity with the weapon born of long use.

Personality:
Gatsha is a straight forward individual and a no-nonsense warrior. Slow to judge, or take offence and surprisingly clever, despite no formal education. Well even tempered enough, Gatsha, when angered, can become a true terror to whoever is the object of her ire. Gatsha is often slow to trust strangers, but gives them ample enough time to earn it, and those who can call her friend have a stalwart ally indeed, one who would never abandon them and would die in their place in a heartbeat. Her time in the wilds means she holds little to no value in gold or riches, and indeed would even pass such things by should they come across her path. One cannot buy Kathleen's trust.

Given her past, one might be surprised to learn that Kathleen's one greatest fear is in fact being alone. She also hates an unfair fight, and will defend someone who can't defend themselves if their life is in danger. Though apart of that is she also enjoys a good fight.

History:
Gatsha’s, or Kathleen’s given her new name, past is partly shrouded in mystery, for one she does not even know the identity of her birth parents. Found as an orphan on the borders of the Korcari Wilds by a Chasind tribe. The elder, a kindly women named Eavan, took pity on the child and took the young defenceless babe as her own. Gatsha would grow up and spend most of her young life amongst the Chasind, who treated her as one of their own thus forming a strong kinship, even so life in the southern african wastes were not easy by any means. Gatsha would learn the viable skills needed for survival, hunting, tracking, and skinning game, how best to avoid the many dangers of the wilds by reading Chasind markings, she was even taught minor herbalist skills from Eavan, who became something of her adopted mother.

The peaceful tribe never saw Gatsha as an outsider, and it was not long before she was quickly assimilated into the community as she learned their ways. As a young girl, Gatsha grew quickly enough, in fact at the age of thirteen winters she stood almost a head taller than even boys much older than her. Many of the tribe nicknamed her Damhnait, which loosely translated 'Ox' in the Roman tongue. Gatsha's physical stature would only continue to grow as she aged, something many of the children picked on her for. This often resulted with a boy ending up with a bloody nose if not worse, as Gatsha would develop quit the nasty temper. Though she was ever the soft spoken and peaceful sort on most occasions, when provoked she could become frightening indeed.

By the time she was of age, the tribes war leader was impressed by Gatsha's strength, and quickly mentored her in the Chasind styled fighting. Among the young unblooded, she would become the most promising and formidable fighter, showing a kind of relentlessness that was unmatched by all, but the most savage, proving her worth in hunts and raids alike. However, the peace she knew would not last. During the last days of a rather harsh winter, a marauding tribe from the far southern wastes swept north in a great raid. Gatsha’s village was right in its path. Though they fought bravely, the unforeseen and unprovoked assault quickly overwhelmed the tribes defenders, leading to many- young or old, being butchered indiscriminately. Gatsha, who was away on a hunt, came too late to lend any aid, arriving in time only to watch Eavan, the only women she could call mother, skewered by a spear.

The sight of the women who raised, taught, and protected her from childhood murdered before her eyes caused something to snap in Gatsha that day. With powerful bewildering war cry she charged into the ranks of the raiders left behind killing, or at least injuring many before they even realized they were under attack. Though they outnumbered her easily enough, the sight was enough to break the ranks of the raiders and force them to flee. The damage by then had been down however, and hardly anything of the tribe was left in the wake of the war party. Gatsha held a dying Eavan as she drew her last breaths, and with her death Kathleen was truly alone once again. Scavenging what she could she soon moved on, leaving what was no bitter memories and reminders behind. She would travel the dangerous Korcari Wilds alone for the next two years, managing to eek out a living where few others could hope to survive using the many skills she had learned from her tribe. It was not an easy existence. She tried to join other tribes, but it never ended well.

Eventually as fate would have it, while camping in the north of Africa within a cave for shelter. Gatsha would wake to the sight of what remained of a great battle the next day. A patrol of Roman Soldiers discovered her, and thinking her to be a local mercenary involved in the battle, she was taken as a prisoner of war. Her fierce attitude and spirit caught the attention of her captors and she was made to become the rare and few Gladiatrix’s in Rome.

Weapons:

Spear-The Spear Gatsha uses is made from extremely durable steel. The spear features a very long handle with a decent sized spearhead. The spear head has an appealing curved design, making it suitable for trying to trip an opponent. The spear measurements are as follows:
Overall Length: 70.5 Inches
Handle Length: 40 Inches
Blade Length: 24 Inches

Arm Shield- This shield embodies a certain elegance of form. The curved, wood grained finish is accented with riveted antique brass trim. It possess hardened leather wrapping, hard metal handle for support and control that is coated in pig skin for extra grip and comfort. The center of the shield has a metal buckler suited for bashing or protecting. The arm guard also features two pronged blades some 7 inches long down the front to be used as a weapon in themselves. The upper metal prongs are dulled in the center to avoid cutting herself with it in battle, though it should be noted they bend outward for this reason. The prongs serve the further duel purpose of catching blades with them.

Height: 44.5 Inches
Width: 23.5 Inches
Weight: 1 lb. 12 oz.

Roman Maintz Gladius Sword- The Roman Maintz Gladius Gatsha uses features a full tang construction, strong steel blade, and hardwood handle. Its highly polished steel spacer at the bottom of the handle offers strength and durability. A wood scabbard, wrapped in leather, is included.

Blade Length: 21 Inches
Handle Length: 8.25 Inches
Overall Length: 29.25 Inches
Balance Point: 2.5 Inches Below Hilt
Weight: 2 lbs. 5 oz.

Armour:

Upper Body- As a Gladiatrix, Gatsha is not allowed to wear head protection. She wears a iron shoulder guard with leather underbelly on her left shoulder.

Middle Body- For simple protection Gatsha wears as seen in the picture, though she does wear a leather arm-guard on her right hand, while her left forearm is protected by her shield.

Lower Body- Leather boots reinforced with iron protect her lower legs and calves. Gatsha wears no groin protection aside from her leather belt and simple loincloth.

Skills: Tracking, Hunting, trap-making, a talented herbalist, and possess General Survival skills

Fighting- Gatsha’s experience and training with her tribe has created a rather accomplished warrior. She possess a keen insight for combat, able to pick up quickly on a changing battlefield. Thus she is an adept warrioress thanks to her time in the arena. She has become a skilled sword fighter, though has more experience and ability using spears.

Strength- Gatsha is surprisingly strong, for a women at least, possessing the strength and endurance to match more than a few Greek Olympic athletes.

Speed- Her time in the harsh wilderness has allowed her to inherit the stamina and speed well known of her people. She can run longer and faster (24mph) then more civilized peoples.

Agility- Gatsha enjoys better flexibility than her male counter parts, but her true edge comes from her nimble footwork rather then her out right mobility. The warriors of her tribe believed more in staying mobile then taking a blow or blocking.

@GreivousKhan

[MelonHead]

Bartimaeus, just a point, materials for weapons have to be period realistic, so your shield won't literally be able to stop a 50cal round because that's impossible. Though it won't matter, as an ordinary shield would be resistant enough versus anything else from the period.

The same goes for your spear, it can be as sharp as steel, and an ordinary steel spear probably could pierce through plate mail, but don't expect it to be above realistic standards.

It's also completely up to you, but your character is somewhat overloaded for a Gladiator at this point. With a spear and shield and a sword presumably at their hip it would be difficult to also carry three Bolas and two Javelins.

[Bartimaeus]

Duly noted. :)

[Bartimaeus]

Should i change it?

[MelonHead]

Should i change it?

@Bartimaeus

It's up to you, if you can think of a way for your character to conveniently carry that much weaponry then re-post the sheet with the additions and I'll put it back up (please use the format I've used, I like things more spaced out.)

If not then I can only assume your character will walk in with it all in his arms, which I will probably capitalise on pretty harshly.

[Bartimaeus]

I would assume the javelins are in a javelin quiver on his back, and the bolas would be on his hip opposite his sword, but i will change it.

[Bartimaeus]

Ive fixed it in our PM.

[MelonHead]

I can add the Javelin quiver to the CS if that's how you want to utilise the weapons, just bare in mind the limitations of having such equipment on your character's person in a relatively close range 1v1 fight.

[Bartimaeus]

I realize them i think it evens out. Me having relatively heavy armour and (presumably) being stronger. But i have many weapons and this slows me even more than i already am, so you are much faster and can maneuver better.

[MelonHead]

Alrighty, I'll post up the opening when I get in later.

[Bartimaeus]

K

[Bartimaeus]

Also, i forgot to add this, his spear can be used as a longer slashing weapon because of the shape of the spearhead.

[MelonHead]

Sorry if it's a little technical, I'm working through my knowledge of spear and shield (which is completely theoretical based on my own laziness and lack of access to either pieces of equipment) and I feel accuracy is important in a historic/realistic battle like this.

[MelonHead]

Also, i forgot to add this, his spear can be used as a longer slashing weapon because of the shape of the spearhead.

@Bartimaeus

Spears are always capable of this function, it should be obvious by the shape of the head that it would be more effective than usual however.

[Bartimaeus]

My dad actually collects stuff like that- swords, spears bows, axes, a few shields. My favorite is the katana :)
so i know more about there technical uses and stuff than most people.

[MelonHead]

My dad actually collects stuff like that- swords, spears bows, axes, a few shields. My favorite is the katana :)

@Bartimaeus

Lucky, I've never liked the Katana very much, super over-rated.

[Bartimaeus]

Eh, the ones they show in anime and stuff are kinda inaccurate, they are curved abit more, and if made too sharp, they are just as effective as a blunt weapon, as they chip. also i love the speed at which they swing. Edit:the traditional shorteronnes anyway.

[MelonHead]

I dislike them because they tend to be quite short and aren't massively effective thrusting weapons, and for whatever reason they have no useful hand guard so you'd probably have all your fingers chopped off. Plus they take years to learn how to swing effectively, when you can teach someone to use a spear in a fraction of the time and they'll probably just stab you before you can get close enough to use your fancy sword because half the time you can't even use a shield with it.

There are a lot of issues with the Katana, but they do cut things nicely, so hey-ho.

[Bartimaeus]

Do you know any sword fighting styles? My favorite is Battou- Jutsu, but my arms ar a little bit too shortl unless im using a curved sword or a shortsword.