Ham replies to Rylia's inquiry with a casual demeanor, "That orc there? Nah, he isn't one of the fighters. He's one of Daask's boys. They're the ones who help keep order in Khyber's Gate."

As the conversation continues, none in the group, except Arr, notices a half-orc entering the tavern. He pauses momentarily to glance at your group with a somewhat surprised expression. After a brief pause, he approaches the orc, exchanges a few words with him, and then heads out of the tavern once more.

Arr glances at the half-orc but doesn't recognize him and soon returns their attention to the group´s conversation about the food.

Brother Coltinar, "This is exciting.  You can feel the excitement in the place."  He pats those closest to him extending his excitement to those near him.  "Have you ever seen such a place.  Look around you my friends.  All these folks are here to find a moment away from the dull world of work and the harsh surroundings.  Take a moment to enjoy the festivities.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed.  Every day I wake up is a good day my friends."

 Brother Coltinar keeps a watchful eye on their surroundings and for the food and beverages to arrive.

“Hum, I could have bet that the half orc that just left recognized us to some extent,” Arr comment to their companions. “He spoke with this orc. Who did you say he works for?” They ask Ham.

"Half-orc?" Rylia asks, having not noticed him. "Ham said he works for Daask. Not that I know who that is."  She looks over at the large Orc. "I could go chat with him. I mean, if the group he's with are the ones keeping order in this area, then he'd be a good fellow to know. Right?"  She looks ready to get up and go over, but she does hesitate to see what others say. 

Bryn quickly puts his hand on Rylia's arm to stop her from leaving the table. "We're good with him over there and us over here. Try not to keep looking at him - best if we stay below his notice." He seems a bit nervous - an unusual trait for the rogue.

Lowering his voice to prevent being overheard, he tells the group, "The Daask are a group of monstrous races, thugs all. They will rip off your arm and beat you near to death with it just as a likely as not, and often for little reason. They 'run' things down here in COgs, but are waging a turf war with the Boromar clan elsewhere. So let's not give it any reason to come over here, yeah?"

Arr listen intently to Bryn’s explanation and makes an effort to not look anymore in the orc’s direction. In response he hushes, “You think that this group could be responsible for the attack on us?”

Braxiel looks at Bryn and says, "Do you believe they will know anything of my tattoo? They seem like they would have some marking of their own." You see a slight crazed look in his eyes as he asks the question. 

"I cannot say for sure, but knowledge of magic is not something the Daask are known for. Or sharing..." Bryn replies. There is something about the organization overall that seems to have him spooked.

Brother Coltinar, "The way I see it.  By the light of Dol Arras.  We only have our own choices for whether we interact with them on our own initiative.  We do not have the ability to make their choice to not interact with us or not.  Knowing that however does give us an advantage should they do so.  We should be prepared to deal with them or any circumstances that might be forced upon us.  Just keep your minds sharp and reflexes ready.  Good advice anytime really.  Enjoy the events tonight and stay sharp." 

Brother Coltinar will focus on his surroundings with an eye to the events.  Not allowing his sight to linger too long on anyone in particular and scanning the crowd at irregular times casually.

With the touch of Bryn's hand on her arm, Rylia pauses, turning her attention to him. "I just don't see how such a questionable group would be given the job of keeping order. Are they really that bad?"  She notably doesn't look back at the orc however.  Instead, she keeps her eyes focused on Bryn as he is very close. She gives him a mischievous smile. "You aren't just trying to monopolize on my attentions, are you?" 

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Instead, she keeps her eyes focused on Bryn as he is very close. She gives him a mischievous smile. "You aren't just trying to monopolize on my attentions, are you?" 

 "Well, now that you mention it..." Bryn returns the mischievous smile. "But alas, in this place we should probably focus on the potential threats around us to allow us time later to focus on each other."  With a wink and a squeeze on her arm, he sits back and also scans the crowd in a casual manner.

Rylia smiles back widely at Bryn. "Oh, later? Hmm, I guess that's not a bad idea."  She slowly shifts her gaze away to take in what is going on around them. Though she does continue to try not to look over towards the orc. 

#Paladin
As Ham brings the dishes to the table, an explosion of aromas fills the air.

"Wow, this really arouses the senses of even the warforged!" exclaimed the Paladin as he looked at Arr with a smile.

Each dish boasts exotic scents, colors, and flavors that dance on the tongue making your stomach rumble.

The Steamy Sizzler with mushrooms, offers an earthy burst of flavors with a hint of a spice you can recognize.
The Globlub Grub, features local snails that provide a unique texture and a bold taste.
The lizard tail soup is a surprise, with a rich and savory broth that immediately warms the body.

While everyone enjoys their meals, Madame Petras enters the hall accompanied by the half-orc who had entered and left quickly. The enigmatic aura surrounding Madame Petras seems to grow as she announces the start of the betting.

She outlines the tournament rules:

- There will be two initial rounds. Fighters in the first round are rookie challengers.
- Fighters in the second round are known and invited participants.
- The first matches will be won by points over three rounds.
- Winners of the first rounds will face off for another points over three rounds.
- The two final victors will battle until one falls.

As Madame Petras explains the rules, the half-orc moves through the tables, distributing pamphlets with the fighters' names and betting odds. The atmosphere in the hall becomes charged with anticipation as patrons start studying the fighters and considering where to invest their coins.

The half-orc approaches the group's table. As he discreetly drops a pamphlet on the table, he leans in towards Bryn, speaking in the hushed tones of a streetwise lingo that only the rogue understands.

"You don't know us. You've never seen us. For your own good. Make sure your friends are aware of that, and everything will be just fine," he mutters, his words laden with a sense of urgency and veiled threat.

With that, the half-orc swiftly moves away from the table, continuing his rounds to the other patrons.

In the pamphlet you see some announcements and the list of the fighters

| Round | Fighter | Fighter's Name | Race        | Class      | Rating |
|-------|---------|----------------|-------------|------------|--------|
| R1    | 1       | Slink          | Gnoll       | Druid      | 4:1    |
| R1    | 2       | Drogar         | Dwarf       | Paladin    | 2:1    |
| R1    | 3       | Kaela          | Harpy       | Rogue      | 4:1    |
| R1    | 4       | Arr Rage       | Warforged   | Barbarian  | 4:1    |
| R2    | 1       | Riven          | Lycanthrope | Warlock    | 2:1    |
| R2    | 2       | Barret         | Orc         | Barbarian  | 4:1    |
| R2    | 3       | Boho           | Half-Orc    | Fighter    | 2:1    |
| R2    | 4       | Grimlok        | Minotaur    | Ranger     | 4:1    |

Brother Colinar looks over the pamphlet and comments, "Drogar in the first round might be your toughest competition Arr.  I'm still betting on you though.  The second round it looks like a couple tough one, Riven and Boho.  We saw him outside I guess it was. right?"

He mentally connects to each of the party saying, "I wonder if it's rigged.  I would enjoy betting, but I don't want to squander our funds frivolously either.  If any of you can figure that out safely, we could put some coins in our pockets tonight. If not I'll bet small wagers through the night and ask for Dol Arras' blessings."

Brother Coltinar bets 5 gp on Arr Rage for the first round and 5 gp on Boho the second round.  OOC - subtracted 10 gp

'What was that all about?' Rylia asks Bryn telepathically after the half-orc leans in towards him.

When she sees Boho listed, she yells, "Woo hoo! We get to see Boho! I'd been hoping to see them again, but never imagined it would be so soon."

She then adds, "Arr has 4 for his rating.  That's good, right? Though strange Boho is only 2."

Bryn looks at the pamphlet with Rylia, his head close to hers. He points to the card but whispers to her, "We were just warned. Do not let on that we know who the Daask are. We're just visitors new to the Cogs and we don't know anything - OK?" He kisses her on the cheek to help mask any surprise she might show at his dire warning.  He then confers with Brother Coltinar and Braxiel about the betting, slipping them the same warning. (but without the kiss =D

Braxiel does not participate in the betting but he does pull out a fresh notebook and a quill and is ready to study the different fighting styles, predicting that he will be in more fights. He is eager to see how people dodge between blades or how those who find power through brute strength attack there victims.

Quote from Culuril >>

'What was that all about?' Rylia asks Bryn telepathically after the half-orc leans in towards him.

When she sees Boho listed, she yells, "Woo hoo! We get to see Boho! I'd been hoping to see them again, but never imagined it would be so soon."

She then adds, "Arr has 4 for his rating.  That's good, right? Though strange Boho is only 2."

 

 Brother Coltinar responds, "I could be wrong, but I think it's worse.  Think of it as He might win 1 out of 4 fights as opposed to, he might win 1 out of 2 fights which would be better.  Now Arr is a new face, so they don't know how good he really is so they're not giving him very good odds.  I think you got this Arr.  Do well my friend.  This food smells scrumptious doesn't it.  Let's dig in while it's warm."

Brother Coltinar minds his manners and etiquette as he eats politely and engages in small talk over the meal and watches the crowd and anything unusual casually.