Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
First Wave
Present Day
Bumble Brew still seems to be having some difficulty focusing the energies of her Staff of Power as she unleashes another Lightning Bolt against the 11 Ants remaining in her line of fire.

However, she does succeed in knocking Ant W2-R4 Unconscious with Grievous Wounds, while inflicting Mortal Wounds on Ants W3-R3 and W4-R1 [Both Die on T2-CR6] to do her part in aiding the Clerics!

The Fuzzy Wolverine rakes his claws against Ant W5-R3 and bites Ant W4-R3, Killing both of its foes!

Cunning Fox selects 3 more Arrows and succeeds in Mortally Wounding Ants W5-R5 [Dies on T2-CR5] and W1-R1 [Dies on T3-CR1] with his first two Arrows!

He Kills Ant W4-R2 with his third Arrow!

Sir Yder targets Ant W2-R5 with his 2 Arrows, leaving the Ant Unconscious and twitching upon the Dark Arena sands with Grievous Wounds!

Ullrich locates Ant W1-R4 which still possesses its full vitality to attack the Clerics, but his 3 Arrows leave his foe twitching in the Dark Arena sands, Unconscious with Grievous Wounds!

ThunnGarr the Mighty jogs 60 feet to a position 50 feet in front of Fighter #3 to better position himself in case he is needed for further combat; while Amberlyn, Shandra and Ariane each jog 60 feet straight ahead to provide any needed missile support against any remaining Ants.

West End The five remaining Clerics succeed in Slaying two more Giant Ants and Mortally Wounding a third [Dies on T2-CR6] as the tide turns in their favor!

The two remaining Monks Mortally Wound the two remaining twitching Ants from the East End [Both Die on T2-CR6] and Monk #4 fires his third Arrow with minimal damage dealing against one of the North End Ants to aid the Fighters!

North End Ollie Gory fires his first Arrow and Kills the final North End Ant, then fires his second Arrow at one of the twitching West End Ants, but fails to eliminate his targeted foe!

Brandishing their Heavy Cross Bows, the Human Fighters move into positions where they can fire upon the West End Ants that are threatening the Clerics!

They succeed in Killing one Ant and knocking another Unconscious with Grievous Wounds, causing the two remaining active Ants to march against the Fighters!

One of the Ants marches 45 feet to the top diagonal location between Fighters #7 and #8, while the other Ant marches 35 feet to the right side of Fighter #8, thus clearing the Clerics from harms way!


Initiative has once again been gained by the Gladiators for T2-R5 against the Giant Ants!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
First Wave
Present Day
North End Before either the South Enders or Clerics can launch another attack against their foes, four of the Fighters succeed in Slaying the two Ants that had marched against them!

Plus, the two remaining twitching Ants at the West End were also Mortally Wounded by the Cross Bow Bolts fired by two other Fighters! [Both Die on T2-CR6 and T3-CR1 respectively]


All Ants are now Officially Dead as the remaining Gladiators [8 North Enders, 8 South Enders, 5 West Enders and 2 East Enders] have Survived the First Wave of Dark Arena Opponents!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Unexpected Wave
Present Day
Before the rest of the Gladiators have time to respond to the sudden victory of surviving the First Wave of Giant Ants, the Dark Arena Dome suddenly flashes repeatedly with brilliant lights that brings a sudden transformation!

The dead and dying Ants instantly vanish from the Dark Arena sands!

Healers momentarily appear, restoring maximum vitality [hit points] to each Gladiator who suffered from Ant bites during the First Wave of battle action!

Finally, the backup weapons of the Dead Monks are distributed to the South Enders as a sign of respect for aiding the Monks!

However, the Fighters refuse any backup weapons from the Clerics, confident that their own weapons will suffice in the coming battles, so the Clerics give all the backup weapons of their fallen comrades to the South Enders as a sign of respect for aiding them also!


Time has seemingly stood still during this Unexpected Wave, but the surviving Gladiators return to their original positions, readying themselves for the Second Wave of Opponents that are about to emerge upon the Dark Arena sands!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Second Wave
Present Day
Although the Giant Ants had done their damage to cull the weaker from the stronger, the Dark Arena Consortium had ordered The Healers to restore the vitality of the survivors.

ThunnGarr the Mighty knew that the Dark Arena Consortium had some sort of trick up their collective sleeves by providing the surviving gladiators some sort of false hope that The Healers would continue to restore lost vitality after every wave.

Long years of fighting in the Dark Arena serves his memory well as the South Enders return to their original positions; while the Fuzzy Wolverine crouches 10 feet to the left of Bumble Brew, continuing to protect the young Wizard as ordered.

"Do Not be lulled into a False Sense of Security," warns the Giant Dwarf as he takes his position, "because the Dark Arena Consortium is setting us up to expect The Healers to return after we survive this Second Wave of Opponents!

"I have seen them pull this type of stunt before, so Expect the Unexpected and Watch Each Other's Backs! They are Probably Preparing to Spring Some Type of Trap on All of Us! Trying to Entice Us to Fight with Wild Abandon Against the Second Wave of Opponents with No Fear for Our Lives!

"Expecting Us to Think that The Healers will Patch Us All Up Again! Before Sending a Third Wave of Monstrosities to Finish Us All Off!"
Suddenly, as if trying to subtly silence the Giant Dwarf, the Dark Arena Dome subdues the lighting to erase every trace of brightness upon the Dark Arena sands.

The elevator hums as it descends beneath the sand surface to begin spewing forth the opponents for the Second Wave!

Sir Yder and Amberlyn are aware of a hostile force seeking the blood of the gladiators as their respective helmets pick up the thoughts of their as yet unknown opponents.

Ollie Gory takes a position on the ramp above facing the East End, where he can assist the two remaining Halfling Monks. It seems to him to be the most strategic and beneficial decision for aiding his friends at the South End.

Long, agonizing moments seem to stretch unendingly, before a somewhat peculiar formation of foul featured humanoids begins assembling on the Dark Arena sands.

They resemble a human male in size only. Thick, knobby blackish green skin and darker, knotty, greasy hair hangs down to their waists. The ugly faces and twisted features show no mercy for their anticipated foes.

Clad in Chainmail and armed with Two-Handed Battle Axes, these monstrosities emerge into a formation of five(5) groups of ten(10) fiercely militant warriors, each commanded by a Lieutenant standing behind the sixth(6th) warrior in each troop.

Four(4) of the troops form into a pattern resembling a deadly, formidable flower design, while the fifth(5th) troop stands in a straight line inside the formation, facing the two(2) remaining East End Halfling Monks, their Lieutenant standing behind the sixth(6th) warrior, while a Subchief and a Chief stand behind the second(2nd) and tenth(10th) warriors respectively.

Ollie Gory grips his "Finger of Death" Wand as he bellows to the remaining gladiators:

"Prepare Yourselves For The Hobgoblin Horde!"

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Filled in boxes denote the dead gladiators.
Numbers 1-10 represent the 10-member troops.
L = Lieutenant
S = Subchief
C = Chief
W = Fuzzy Wolverine
1 = Bumble Brew
2 = Cunning Fox
3 = Sir Yder
4 = Ullrich
5 = ThunnGarr
6 = Amberlyn
7 = Shandra
8 = Ariane


Note from the Castle Keeper Turn 1 consists of 6 Combat Rounds, so please either PM me or preferably Post in the Xenophobia Q&A your generic orders for the first six(6) Combat Rounds.

I am leaving for the Philippines two(2) weeks from today and I would like to get these first 6 rounds of Turn 1 configured, typed and posted a few days before I leave so you can decide on your generic orders for Turn 2.

Am not sure how internet availability will affect my posting while in the Philippines, but I can at least configure the 6 Combat Rounds of Turn 2 and type them into my computer to post whenever possible.

Then it will take another few days or so to get things sorted out once I arrive in the USA.

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Second Wave
Present Day
The Fuzzy Wolverine crouches and waits for a HobGoblin to break ranks and threaten Bumble Brew as the young Wizard focuses her abilities to unleash a Fire Ball against the HobGoblins.

The ability to channel the arcane blast from her Staff of Power seems to have increased, although the damage dealt was still less than half the potential.

She targeted HobGoblin 6, succeeding in damaging all in Troop 1 except for #3; plus 1, 2 and the SubChief in Troop 5.

Cunning Fox decided to use his 3 Arrows against HG2-T1 with mixed success as a half damage, maximum damage and minimum damage left his opponent close to the threshold of unconsciousness!

Sir Yder had his heart set on targeting the Lieutenant from Troop 1, but first he had to remove HG6 from the equation.

His two Arrows did just enough damage to allow his teammate Ullrich to follow through with 3 Arrows from his Oath Bow.

“Swift defeat to my enemies” whispered the white composite Long Bow as the Ranger nocked and pulled the first Arrow, swearing aloud to slay HG6 and as many other HobGoblins as possible before firing, with the fresh remembrance of the Giant Ants reviving under the Dark Arena Dome reminding the Ranger that these opponents were more dangerous than their previous foes.

The magical properties of the Oath Bow responded to Ullrich with a low shout of “Swift death to those who have wronged me!”

Ullrich was swiftly rewarded as the 3 Arrows found their mark, inflicting extra magical damage enough to drop the HobGoblin lifeless to the Dark Arena sands!

ThunnGarr the Mighty smiled approvingly as he patiently waited in his position, allowing his teammates to pepper the HobGoblins with their assorted missile fire.

There was no immediate need to rush headlong into battle, since their Second Wave Opponents would have to get closer before the Giant Dwarf would be able to unleash his Dwarven Thrower War Hammer.

Let the Arrows and Fire Balls soften their foes before ThunnGarr the Mighty is needed to enter the fray!

Amberlyn fired 2 Arrows against HG10-T1 that weakened her foe further from the effects of the Fire Ball blast; while Shandra chose to aid the Monks by shooting 3 Arrows against HG2 from Troop 4 that brought her chosen target to the brink of unconsciousness!

Ariane also chose to fire 2 Arrows to aid the Monks, targeting HG1-T4 with marginal success that inspired Monk #3 to keep from losing heart against the seemingly impossible odds!

The Halfling Monk succeeded in Grievously Wounding his chosen target with his 3 Arrows, although Monk #4 was only able to deal half the damage against his chosen foe.

West End The Clerics were able to fire 2 Arrows against their foes and a bit of teamwork between 3 of the Gnomes resulted in Mortally Wounding one of the HobGoblins! [Dies on T1-CR3]

North End The Human Fighters were impatient to face these HobGoblins weapon to weapon as they moved ahead 15 feet before firing their Cross Bows!

Meanwhile, Ollie Gory fired his Finger of Death Wand twice under the influence of the Dark Arena Dome enhancement, first Killing the Chief HobGoblin, followed by the SubChief in the Troop 5 line!


Gladiators have gained the Initiative over the HobGoblins!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Second Wave
Present Day
Ollie Gory wasted no time in pressing the advantage with his Finger of Death Wand as he next eliminated HG6-T4, followed by the Lieutenant from Troop 4, scoring Kills against both his selected targets!

Monk #3 continued to be inspired by the aid of others as two of his Arrows drained the life from a HobGoblin, while Monk #4 was able to knock another Unconscious with his three Arrows!

The Human Fighters advanced another 15 feet before firing their Cross Bows once again, Fighter #6 knocking another HobGoblin to the Dark Arena sands Unconscious and Fighter #7 Killing another!

Clerics #4, #5 and #6 combined their efforts to Kill another HobGoblin; while #7 and #8 were able to render another Unconscious!

The Fuzzy Wolverine remained on the alert in its crouched position as Bumble Brew managed to unleash another Fire Ball with half the increased damage dealing ability against the HobGoblins!

This time she targeted HG5 and the resulting explosion added damage to all remaining HobGoblins in Troop1 except for HG10, plus HG1 from Troop5.

Cunning Fox was then able to Kill HG2-T1 and render HG1-T1 Unconscious with Grievous Wounds with his other two Arrows!

Sir Yder fired his two Arrows at the Troop1 Lieutenant with just enough effectiveness to allow Ullrich to follow through with 2 more Arrows as the magical properties of the Oath Bow responded with another low shout of “Swift death to those who have wronged me!”

The Lieutenant fell to the Dark Arena sands Mortally Wounded [Dies on T1-CR3] as the third Arrow managed to stagger HG5-T1 just a few heartbeats from unconsciousness with the same song!

ThunnGarr the Mighty was still disciplined enough to hold his position as his teammates continued their aerial barrage, waiting for the precise moment when his Dwarven Thrower War Hammer would be able to strike with the most effectiveness against the HobGoblins!

Amberlyn fired two more Arrows that rendered HG10-T1 Unconscious with Grievous Wounds, twitching in the Dark Arena sands!

Shandra was able to Kill HG2-T4 with her first two Arrows, eliminating another threat against the Monks, before her third Arrow guided by The Light found its mark with just enough force to Mortally Wound HG10-T1 [Dies on T1-CR5] that lay twitching on the Dark Arena sands!

Ariane managed to score only slightly more than minimal damage against HG1-T4 with her two Arrows as she continued to assist the Monks!

HobGoblins on the Move
South End
The following HobGoblins advance 30 feet against the South Enders: 1, 4, 3, 7, 8 and 9 from Troop1; 3 from Troop 4; plus 1, 2 and 3 from Troop5.

West End HG 4, 5, 7, 9 and L from Troop2 and HG3 from Troop1 advance 30 feet against the West End Clerics.

East End HG1, 5, 7, 8 and 9 from Troop4 along with HG4, 5, 7, 8 and L from Troop5 also move 30 feet against the East End Monks.

North End HG9 and 10 from Troop5; HG10 from Troop4; HG1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and L from Troop3; plus HG1, 2 and 3 from Troop 2 march 30 feet against the Human Fighters.

Two of the HobGoblins also charge Fighter #2, inflicting some damage with their weapons before Fighter #2 succeeds in Killing one and rendering another Unconscious!

Fighter #3 is attacked by another charging HobGoblin and suffers some damage, but is able to retaliate with enough force to bring his foe to the brink of unconsciousness!

Two more HobGoblins charge Fighter #4, inflicting some serious damage before he is able to bring one of his attackers close to unconsciousness, while inflicting Grievous Wounds on the other!

Fighter #6 is also charged and attacked by another HobGoblin, but he only receives minimal damage before striking back and leaving his foe twitching in the Dark Arena sands with Grievous Wounds!



HobGoblins have gained the Initiative for Combat Round 3 over the Gladiators!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Second Wave
Present Day
South End The HobGoblins march forward, but for some reason related to their twisted overconfidence, they do not charge and attack.

They are now dangerously close as four of them are now next to Sir Yder, Ullrich, ThunnGarr and Amberlyn.

Another is within range of moving forward to attack either Sir Yder or Ullrich and three others are also in range of moving and attacking Amberlyn and Shandra.

Still another is not far from Ariane.

The Fuzzy Wolverine instinctively senses that Bumble Brew will move into a better position to attack the HobGoblins, so he springs into action and attacks the unconscious twitching HG1-T1, ripping the HobGoblin to death with his claws!

The young Wizard moves 5 feet to her diagonal left and unleashes a Lightning Bolt against HobGoblins 4, 7, 8 and 9 from Troop 1.

She seems to be improving her ability to wield the Staff of Power as she is able to deal two-thirds the damage dealing potential of her Staff of Power and bring her 4 targeted foes to the brink of unconsciousness.

Sir Yder quickly swings his blade against HG4-T1 with such force that he instantly Kills his foe!

Cunning Fox targets his nearest foe HG5-T1 and it takes all three of his Arrows to Kill the HobGoblin!

Ullrich steps back 5 feet and fires at HG7-T1 as the magical properties of the Oath Bow responds with another low shout of “Swift death to those who have wronged me!”

It takes two Arrows to Kill his target and his third Arrow finds its mark against HG8-T1 as his Oath Bow sings its song of death, resulting in his second target falling to the Dark Arena sands Unconscious with Grievous Wounds twitching at the brink of no return!

ThunnGarr the Mighty immediately smashes the twitching HobGoblin with his Shield of Bashing and kills his foe as he follows through with his Dwarven Thrower War Hammer against HG9-T1 with such force that he Mortally Wounds his second foe! [Dies on T1-CR5]

Amberlyn fires 2 arrows at HG1-T5, but the HobGoblin is barely fazed by her two shots!

Shandra fires 3 Arrows at HG2-T5, but her foe still has enough vitality left to pose a threat to her and her teammates!

Ariane decides to fire at HG3-T5 with her 2 Arrows to weaken her foe before it advances any nearer!

West End Six HobGoblins including a Lieutenant advance on the Gnome Clerics and two of them charge Clerics 4 and 5 with vicious bites!

In the ensuing battle, Cleric #8 succeeds in Mortally Wounding a HobGoblin! [Dies on T1-CR6]

East End All the HobGoblins march towards the Halfling Monks and are now out of range of the Finger of Death Wand that the Half-Orc Bard was brandishing!

In the ensuing battle HG1-T4 trades weapons clashing blows with Monk #3 who succeeds in Mortally Wounding his foe! [Dies on T1-CR6]

Also of note, HG7-T4 breaks his weapon while attacking Monk #4 and before he can claim the weapon of his fallen teammate Monk #4 delivers the Mortal Wound to his unfortunate foe! [Dies on T1-CR4]

North End These HobGoblins all advance upon the Human Fighters and are also out of range of the Finger of Death Wand used by the Half-Orc Bard previously!

During the attack Fighter #4 falls to the Dark Arena sands Unconscious with Grievous Wounds, but he also begins twitching with a reviving life from the Dark Arena Dome!

In fierce retaliation the Fighters are able to Kill 2 HobGoblins, knock another Unconscious and Mortally Wound another! [Dies on T1-CR5]


With all the HobGoblins out of range of his Finger of Death Wand, Ollie Gory is resigned to using his Composite Long Bow instead, resulting in Mortally Wounding HG6-T4 at the East End [Dies on T1-CR6] to aid the Monks and HG1-T3 at the North End [Dies on T1-CR5] to aid the Fighters!



HobGoblins have again gained the Initiative for Combat Round 4 over the Gladiators!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Second Wave
Present Day
North End Although the HobGoblins are unable to draw blood against a majority of the Human Fighters who prove to be surprisingly agile, Fighter #4 is Mortally Wounded by the combined efforts of two HobGoblins! [Dies on T1-CR6]

The remaining Fighters respond with 2 more Kills, knocking 2 others Unconscious and another HobGoblin is left Unconscious on the brink of Death with Grievous Wounds!

West End The HobGoblins move into position against the Gnome Clerics and 3 HobGoblins attack Cleric #4. Although the Cleric is injured by the first attack, the other two miss!

However, 3 other HobGoblins fare much better against Cleric #5. The first attacker misses, but the Cleric is unable to dodge the other two as their combined blades inflict Mortal Wounds! [Dies on T1-CR5]

The 4 remaining Clerics are able to render 2 of their foes Unconscious with Grievous Wounds, while also scoring a Mortal Wound [Dies on T2-CR1] plus a Kill from 2 Arrows!

The HobGoblins move in for the attack against the two remaining Monks, inflicting injuries against both Halflings!

Monk #4 succeeds in Mortally Wounding two foes! [One Dies on T2-CR1 and the other Dies on T1-CR6]

South End Four of the advancing HobGoblins move an additional 15 feet towards the South Enders.

ThunnGarr and Amberlyn manage to avoid the blades of their foes, but Shandra receives a glancing chop on her left arm! [Shandra loses 4 hit points! She is now 8/12]

The Fuzzy Wolverine moves 25 feet North away from his Kill, sensing that the HobGoblins in the South End are Doomed to Die!


Bumble Brew unleashes another Lightning Bolt with nearly the full damage dealing potential she can currently muster!

The vitality of HG3-T4 is reduced by half and HG2-T5 is left twitching in the Dark Arena sands Unconscious with Grievous Wounds at the brink of extinction!

Cunning Fox steps ahead 5 feet and fires all 3 of his Arrows at HG3-T4 that leaves his foe Unconscious with Grievous Wounds!

Sir Yder steps ahead 5 feet to his diagonal right to finish the job with his first Arrow as the ultimate opportunist leaves HG3-T4 laying upon the Dark Arena sands with Mortal Wounds! [Dies on T1-CR6]

The Human Knight fires his second Arrow at HG2-T5 as it lays twitching in the Dark Arena sands and scores another Kill against his foe!

Ullrich steps back 5 feet to his diagonal right for a clear shot against HG1-T5 as the magical properties of the Oath Bow sings with another low shout of “Swift death to those who have wronged me!”

The Human Ranger is rewarded with a maximum damage impact that leaves the HobGoblin twitching in the Dark Arena sands Unconscious with Grievous Wounds at the brink of elimination!

He threads the needle with his second Arrow against HG3-T5 to protect Ariane and follows swiftly with his third Arrow as his Oath Bow continues its Song of Death, leaving his foe barely hanging on to active life!

ThunnGarr the Mighty bashes the twitching HG1-T5 with just enough minimal force to Kill his foe!

Then he hurls his Dwarven Thrower War Hammer at HG3-T5 with enough brute force to Instantly Kill his foe that was threatening Ariane!

The South Enders have eliminated All their Immediate Threats!
Amberlyn, Shandra and Ariane all move 15 feet to their diagonal right towards the East End to assist the Halfling Monks.

Amberlyn looses 2 Arrows against HG4-T5 with slightly above average minimal damage that leaves her target Unconscious with Grievous Wounds!

Shandra finishes the job with her first Arrow that inflicts a Mortal Wound in her foe! [Dies on T1-CR6]

The young Monk then rapidly fires her other 2 Arrows against HG5-T4 with slightly above average minimal damage!

Ariane fares a bit better with her 2 Arrows as she follows suit against the same target, leaving HG5-T4 twitching Unconscious on the Dark Arena sands!

Ollie Gory decides to finish the job started by his Monk and Paladin teammates as his first Arrow shot Mortally Wounds their common foe! [Dies on T1-CR6]

Then he fires his second Arrow with near maximum damage dealing impact at the formerly unhurt Lieutenant from Troop 5 to aid the Monks!


Gladiators have regained the Initiative for Combat Round 5 over the HobGoblins!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Second Wave
Present Day
South Enders As Bumble Brew moves 15 feet to her diagonal right and unleashes a Lightning Bolt to aid the Gnome Clerics at the West End that strikes HG7-T2 with enough force to Grievously Wound the unsuspecting HobGoblin from behind, The Fuzzy Wolverine stays crouched in his protective position to aid the young Wizard when necessary!

Cunning Fox moves 15 feet to his diagonal left [10 feet to the left of Bumble Brew] and fires an Arrow at the stricken HG7-T2 that inflicts Mortal Wounds! [Dies on T2-CR1]

The Native American Human Cleric then fires his second and third Arrows at the previously unscathed HG5-T2 to further assist the Gnome Clerics!

Sir Yder moves 15 feet diagonally West [directly next to Bumble Brew] and fires his 2 Arrows at the previously unhurt Lieutenant from Troop 2 to lend his support to the Gnome Clerics!

Ullrich moves straight ahead 15 feet (with some extra Arrows in case he needs them) and fires at the Lieutenant from Troop 5 that is menacing the Monks, as the magical properties of the Oath Bow responds with another low shout of “Swift death to those who have wronged me!”

The Ranger smiles with grim satisfaction as his 3 Arrows pepper his foe!

The Lieutenant falls to the Dark Arena sands Unconscious and twitching with Grievous Wounds!

ThunnGarr the Mighty jogs 60 feet NorthEast to get into a better position to survey the battle, before giving any orders to his teammates that he deems necessary for their survival in the Dark Arena!

Amberlyn moves 15 feet North and fires an Arrow at the Lieutenant from Troop 5 that sinks deep enough to inflict Mortal Wounds! [Dies on T2-CR2]

The young Knight in training then fires her second shaft at the previously unharmed HG5-T5 that sinks deep into his left shoulder!

Shandra also has a good bead and follows suit against HG5-T5 with 3 more of her Arrows that leaves her targeted foe with little vitality!

Ariane decides that Monk #3 is obstructing her view from the HobGoblin targeted by Amberlyn and Shandra, so the young Paladin opts to fire at HG9-T4 because she has a decent view of her intended target, but her shots average slightly better than minimal damage!

However, this assistance from the South End Archers gives the Monks the opportunity to take advantage of the distracted HobGoblins as they try to locate where the Arrows came from!

Monk #4 is able to inflict Grievous Wounds upon HG9-T4 thanks to Ariane, while Monk #3 strikes HG5-T5 with enough force from his weapons to Mortally Wound the HobGoblin! [Dies on T1-CR6]

West End Cleric #7 moves 15 feet diagonally out of the line of fire of the South Enders who have come to their assistance and then fires at HG4-T2 with his first Arrow that inflicts Mortal Wounds! [Dies on T1-CR6]

He then fires his second Arrow at the Lieutenant from Troop 2 as does Cleric #8 with his 2 Arrows after moving 15 feet diagonally out of the line of fire of the South Enders!

This enables Cleric #4 to finish the job started by Sir Yder as he strikes the HobGoblin with his Club with just enough force to knock the HobGoblin leader Unconscious with Grievous Wounds at the brink of elimination!

Cleric #6 attacks HG5-T2 with enough force behind his Club to remove half the vitality from the enraged HobGoblin!

North End The 7 remaining Fighters maneuver themselves with renewed vengeance for their fallen comrade as they Kill two more HobGoblins!

They also inflict Grievous Wounds upon two others and Mortal Wounds on another! [Dies T1-CR6]

Ollie Gory manages to Kill HG2-T2



Now the HobGoblins have regained the Initiative for Combat Round 6 over the Gladiators!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Second Wave
Present Day
The East End HobGoblin missed Monk #4 and the West End HobGoblin had even less success against Cleric #4, but the HobGoblins at the North End had mixed success as Fighters 2, 6 and 8 were able to avoid their attackers; whereas, Fighter #1 took some damage and Fighter #3 dodged one attack, but fell victim to a well placed blow that almost sent him into an unconscious state!

North Enders The Fighters continued to take their toll against the HobGoblins, inflicting damage with each attack as the Lieutenant from Troop 3 succumbed to Mortal Wounds! [Dies on T2-CR1]

Fighters #8 and #7 scored Kills as HG1-T2 and HG6-T3 crumpled Lifeless to the Dark Arena sands under the force of their respective blows!

East Enders Monk #4 succeeded in rendering HG8-T4 helplessly twitching and Unconscious on the Dark Arena sands as Monk #3 delivered the Killing Blows to rid themselves of their last HobGoblin menace!

West Enders The Gnome Clerics managed to Kill the Lieutenant from Troop 2 and inflict upon HG5-T2 Mortal Wounds! [Dies on T2-CR3]

Cleric #8 even had an extra Arrow to fire against HG5-T3 to assist the Fighters!

Ollie Gory also fired 2 Arrows against HG5-T3 to soften the HobGoblin up for the Fighters to eliminate!

South Enders ThunnGarr the Mighty shouts to his teammates:

“Attention!”

“Every One!”

“Hold Your Positions!”

“Shandra!”

“Take Out That Last HobGoblin!”
Shandra fires a lone Arrow at HG9-T4 that sinks deep inflicting Mortal Wounds! [Dies on T2-CR1]

ThunnGarr responds:

“Good Shot Shandra!”

“Ariane!”

“Heal Shandra with the Wand of Cure Critical Wounds!”

“Now!”
Ariane responds to the battle command of the Giant Dwarf by pointing the Wand at Shandra who is 10 feet to her left side and upon her command dispenses a force that baths the injured Monk in a healing glow!

[The Wand of Cure Serious Wounds fully restores Shandra from the lost hit points with 1 charge! Wand of Cure Serious Wounds now has 49/50 charges remaining!]

ThunnGarr then bellows:

“Every One!”

“Hold Your Positions!”

“We Must Be Prepared For The Trap!”

HobGoblins survivors have the Initiative for Turn 2 Combat Round 1 over the Gladiators!

Note from the Castle Keeper Turns out it was Not Necessary to get your generic orders for the Second Turn of Combat Rounds!

So I am proceeding without them!

Also, the Oath Bow that Ullrich has been using will be Unable to sing its Death Song that imparts the Extra Damage to a Sworn Foe for a period of 24 hours after the final HobGoblin dies in the Dark Arena!

Ullrich Chose Wisely on His Decision to Use that Ability of his Oath Bow versus a Sworn Enemy during the Second Wave of Opponents!

HobGoblins are bound to be encountered sometime in the future if you guys decide to continue to play in this Adventure after you finally survive the Dark Arena!

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Second Wave
Present Day
The only remaining HobGoblins were fighting a losing battle at the North End against the Fighters, but their savagery fueled their continued attacks nonetheless!

Of the three remaining HobGoblins, only one of them was able to inflict any damage against Fighter #2 as Fighters 1 and 3 were able to avoid the slashing blades of their opponents!

Monks #3 and #4 fired Arrows with enough accuracy to first render HG10-T5 a hopelessly twitching Unconscious adversary with Grievous Wounds before the Killing impact ceased its struggles to survive!

Then Monk #4 launched his final Arrow at HG10-T4 that upon impact left the HobGoblin twitching upon the Dark Arena sands Unconscious with Grievous Wounds!

Fighter #1 was able to dispatch the twitching HobGoblin with a single Killing Blow, while his teammates #3 and #5 buried their blades into HG5-T3 with such force that the first strike left the HobGoblin a mere hair from unconsciousness and the second ended its life rather abruptly and unceremoniously!

The roar of the Dark Arena spectators surrounding the sands was almost deafening as the gladiators began to rejoice in their triumph over the Second Wave of Opponents!

Suddenly the Dark Arena Dome nearly extinguished any traces of bright light as the dimming effect coincided with the disappearances of the dead and dying corpses that littered the Dark Arena sands!

A hush began to fall upon the Dark Arena crowd and gladiators alike as the familiar low hum of the elevator descending into the depths of the Dark Arena structure tunneled beneath the sands greeted their heightened senses!

Mere moments later the familiar low hum of the elevator ascending back to the sands with its cargo of Third Wave Opponents climaxed with the disgorging of the horrifying sight of .....

As Ullrich’s arrow buried itself into the last Hobgoblin, he couldn’t help but smile. That was two waves down. How many were there going to be? Four? Half way to freedom. Maybe.

But the Hobgoblin made him smile grimly for another reason as well. They were nasty creatures, pure evil according to those he had asked about them. It made killing them easier. Pure evil and trying to remove his head! That also made killing them easy on his conscience!

Ullrich had always hated fighting humans. He’d killed enough of the Emperor Divine’s guards in his time in the Federation, but as necessary as it was, each time it still made him a bit uneasy. The emperor was the true enemy, and if not purely evil himself, he was responsible for many heinous acts. He had the blood of thousands of innocents on his hands. But what of guards that were simply trying to survive by following orders? Were they evil, or simply caught in a trap? He knew it was an old and unanswerable question, but that didn’t prevent it from nagging him.

He had once been forced to watch the funeral of one of the Emperor’s soldiers. (He was in town scouting and everyone was attending the funeral.) The man’s family had wept. A young woman had lost her husband. Parents had lost a son. There had even been a child. Ullrich had killed the man. He’d had to do it. Doing so had allowed Ullrich and his team to free a dozen people who had just been captured and were going to be shipped as slaves to work on the temple on the Mountain of the Divine. Slavery was evil. These were his people who had been captured. But the man he’d killed had had his own people as well. And they grieved for him.

When he was being hauled towards the Emperor in a cart after his capture he had spoken with his guards. They believed in what the Emperor was doing. They believed they were doing the right thing. They didn’t see what they were doing as evil at all. Although at least one of them wasn’t comfortable with slavery, even that one saw Ullrich, not the Emperor, as the enemy. So were those guards evil? They were doing an evil thing in hauling him towards his death (or banishment as it turned out ), but were the people themselves deserving of death?

Such questions had always bothered Ullrich. Some things still needed to be done. Some fights had to be fought. He knew that. He was comfortable with that. He would not allow, and could not allow, his people to be enslaved and his world to be destroyed. That was worth fighting for. Still, he hated having to do an evil to prevent an evil.

But he liked Hobgoblins. They made the situation easy. It was all black and white when dealing with Hobgoblins. The ants had been neutral, he guessed, and so perhaps not really deserving of death. They were fighting for their lives the same way that Ullrich and his team of South-Enders were. The evil in that fight had been in the stands with those who organized these horrific games. The ants died because the evil that created these games had given Ullrich no choice.

But Hobgoblins? They made it easy. Black and white. Good and evil. Here was an enemy that not only needed to die, as the Emperor Divine’s guards and the gladiatorial commission’s ants had needed to die, but that also deserved to die. The world was a better place without them. There need be no moral quandary when aiming an arrow at the heart of one of these beasts. The force of the arrow knocking the creature backwards and claiming its life could bring pure satisfaction, with no nagging doubts.

Ullrich loved that clarity of purpose. It made fighting so much easier. Black and white.


And so he smiled as his arrow brought down the Hobgoblin. It was purely evil and deserved it, right? It was black and white, was it not? Surely it looked evil as it lay there with his arrow buried in its chest.


It looked dead.

Shandra took a moment to turn inward and restore balances with a set of 3 deep breaths. Never had she fought like this and in the depths of her being she knew it was wrong, not wrong in killing those trying to kill you, but the killing for entertainment. This had to be stopped the whole practice of injustice, slavery, and intolerance was wrong, morally and spiritually.

"Light grant that I live to see the day when these games are put to an end and those who perpetrated them are punished. Under thy Light there can be no Xenophobia."

As the lights dim Shandra prepares for the next battle.

Tears flowed freely for his eyes as Cunnig Fox again released an arrow to seek out life...... and take it. his soul hurt. Never before had he seen such a waste. Killing for the sport of others made him sick. But it was not for him to question, the great Thunderbird had brought him to this accused place for a reason. He had to believe that or else he would just give up.
Nothing in his previous life prepared him for this hellish existance he was now a prisoner to.Such strange and yet astounding creatures, he felt shamed for have to slay them, but kill he must and kill he would for he thirsted for the knowledge and possible favor he might gain from the Thunderbird if he did survive and make it back to his people.
As he prepared for the next wave he felt his staff and marveled at the beauty and the awsome power of this new world. so much to learn but so much death.
he raises his head try to seek out the unknown viewers of his morale struggles "AT WHAT COST...LIFE?" he screams in to the air. He then puts up his bow and takes the staff in hand. "Magic stick send me a creature." he says as he summons some help before the next wave.

Roxas Isla
City of Nefaria
Dark Arena
Emancipation Sand Dance
Third Wave
Present Day
The roar of the Dark Arena spectators surrounding the sands was almost deafening as the gladiators began to rejoice in their triumph over the Second Wave of Opponents!

Suddenly the Dark Arena Dome nearly extinguished any traces of bright light as the dimming effect coincided with the disappearances of the dead and dying corpses that littered the Dark Arena sands!

A hush began to fall upon the Dark Arena crowd and gladiators alike, as the familiar low hum of the elevator descending into the depths of the Dark Arena structure tunneled beneath the sands greeted their heightened senses!

Mere moments later the familiar low hum of the elevator ascending back to the sands with its cargo of Third Wave Opponents climaxed with the disgorging of the horrifying sight of .....
"Wights!" gasped Ollie Gory as the gravity of the danger now stalking the remaining gladiators on the Dark Arena sands began to strike untold fear in the hearts of the spectators as they reacted in horror at the unspeakable scenario unfolding before their very eyes!

"My Finger of Death Wand is of No Use!"
Whispered tales of such Humanoid Undead were regarded by most as the fantasy and fiction woven by WordSmiths or Wizards to frighten children or scare undesirables from their designs of looting graveyards or castles!

Yet, here they were in full view of all the spectators and gladiators who had convinced themselves long ago such dreadful things did not exist in the Land of Xenophobia!

Four groups of four Wights were slowly advancing towards the remaining gladiators at each end of the Dark Arena. There was no particular battle pattern or formation for each group, other than marching forward in a straight line with varied spacings between them from group to group.

Their ragged bodies surprisingly showed some semblance of eerie grooming, unlike the foul appearance of zombies or ghouls, but the unmistakable hatred for all things living exuded from every macabre fiber of their undead bodies!

In spite of the hideous appearance of the obvious hatred twisting and contorting their faces, the most unnerving feature of these undead creatures were their unnaturally long fingers that were capped by thick nails that served as claws!

They needed no other weapon!

"The Trap Is Sprung!" bellowed ThunnGarr the Mighty as he readied himself for the coming battle between the living and the undying!

Only the Giant Dwarf and the Half-Orc Bard truly realized what dangers the gladiators were up against from the 16 Undead that comprised the Third Wave of Opponents!

The two friends had spent countless hours over the years of their captivity discussing the legends and lore that the Bard was able to relate from his studies of ancient parchments and the whispered secrets shared by the few adventurous souls that Ollie Gory was privileged to meet during his private wanderings prior to his captivity.

The Half-Orc Bard was counting on Sir Yder to be able to read his thoughts regarding the danger of the approaching Wights with the magical properties of his Helm of Telepathy and that the Knight would relay the information to his nearby teammates as Ollie Gory began Chanting the following in an Orcish Bardic language that few living beings understood, in hopes that Amberlyn would translate and share the information with her nearby teammates by the magical properties of her Helm of Comprehend Languages and Read Magic:

Your Foes Were Once Human
They Be Now Undead
Now Cursed To Be Haunting
You Must Resist Your Dread

Yes They Are Pale
Like Death They Are So
Their Skin Is Stretched Thin
But You Can Defeat This Foe

They Despise All Things Living
To Maim Hurt And Cripple They Will
They Attack With Clawed Fingers
Trying To Kill

They Drain Energy Levels
Create Spawn They Do
Do Not Let Them Touch You
But I Have Good News For You

You Were Given Special Weapons
For A Time Such As This
You Must Use Them Wisely
Pray You Do Not Miss


Ollie Gory grabs his Staff of Evocation and prepares to aid his South End teammates!

One Lethal Touch from a Wight can Drain an Experience Level from its Victim and if it chooses to do so a Wight is also able to create a Spawn from its Slain Victim!

Now the Half-Orc Bard will do his best to help prevent either of those things from happening to his South End friends!
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Wights = 1,2,3,4 without boxes
Fuzzy Wolverine = W inside box at South End
Bumble Brew = 1 inside box at South End
Cunning Fox = 2 inside box at South End
Sir Yder = 3 inside box at South End
Ullrich = 4 inside box at South End
ThunnGarr = 5 inside box at South End
Amberlyn = 6 inside box at South End
Shandra = 7 inside box at South End
Ariane = 8 inside box at South End
Ollie Gory = 9 inside box on catwalk

Catwalk designated by light line surrounding the dark line representing the Dark Arena elevator

Surviving gladiators designated by corresponding number inside box at North End for Human Fighters, East End for Halfling Monks and West End for Gnome Clerics

Solid black boxes at North End, East End and West End represent the corresponding Slain Gladiators

Lightly shaded boxes represent the original starting positions of the corresponding gladiators who have moved from their original position during the Second Wave battle