[aliyaah]

Round 1

Stark (Whisper ) vs Aftershock (TrinitySilph )

A ways from the rocky structure that forms the Colosseum, and past the open plains, the terrain begins to become more broken up, and more rocky. There are breaks in the earth where the rock falls away, creating many crevasses. In the early morning, the skis threatened a storm... However now as the afternoon grows closer, the risk of rain grows further. Still, the clouds cover the sky, and the powerful winds remain - a nuisance to any present here this day. 

---

Please remember that this pst serves as the first post of the battle. It is taken as though both your characters are now present, and your following posts will begin the fighting (unlike regular battles where one equine enters and has to wait for the other to arrive). 

All battles are fought with the rules 3 attacks, 1 dodge, 3 days to reply. There will be no extensions given out, no exception. As these are meant to be shorter, quicker battles, the maximum word count is 800 words. 

Please ensure you utilize the battle for just like regular battles. 

TrinitySilph , you were drawn to post first. You have 3 days from this point to make your first post. Let the battles begin!

[TrinitySilph]

What awaited him on this sullen battleground, he had no way of knowing. He approached this battle blind but, to his favour, he had rarely known a battle that had been properly planned.
When Rianne had challenged him to prove his worth by fighting, he had assumed it would be a one-on-one battle with the mare herself, not with some stranger… but that didn’t bother him. He had trained for too many years, seen too much bloodshed, to be worried about a single strange opponent.

They had told him only a name and a place to meet. Here, at the place where the earth cracked and split, under a sky that howled and raged with promised storms, he was to draw Stark’s blood.

Aftershock paced as he observed the terrain and his opponent. He had but seconds to take in all he could - where the chasms lay, where the terrain looked most treacherous, and how much of a challenge the other stallion seemed to be.
Surprisingly, this stranger seemed to be cut from much of the same cloth as Aftershock himself - he was half a hand taller, and all over darker, but his scars spoke of training, and his stance spoke of confidence. Aftershock didn’t think Stark had seen quite as much war as he, but he recognized a brother in arms when he saw one, and knowing this fight would be on equal footing made Shock’s heart sing with eager challenge.

With a decisive snort, he started forward, ears pinned and neck weaving like a desert cobra. Stark’s left eye was scarred - Shock was sure he would defend it, and yet it was his most obvious weakness. The painted stallion weaved and swerved, then lunged, darting towards Stark’s left side, towards what he presumed was his blind spot. He snapped and bit at the roan’s neck as he half reared, shoving his knees and forelegs against the other stallion’s side in an attempt to unbalance and, ideally, shove him to the ground.

****

Name: Aftershock
Breed: Irish Draught x Georgian Grande
Age: 6
Gender: Stallion
Height: 16.2hh
Alliance: Unallied
Health: 100%

Whisper

[Whisper]

Stark was not an impulsive man. He couldn’t completely write it off as a snap decision to participate in the Gladiator Tournaments. Well, maybe there had been a small, puny, miniscule element of ‘Eh, what the hell’ in joining so soon after his arrival in Wild Equines, when he hadn’t even met anyone. But then again, it wasn’t like Stark was a social butterfly, or anything. And when the call had gone out across the land, coursing through the grapevine as rapid as a rattlesnake, he had felt it in his belly - that old spark of determination that had often flared when his sire (may he rest in Hell) had him pitted against a much stronger colt, back in the training days of his boyhood, a lifetime ago. Oh no, this wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment choice. This was an opportunity for the blue stallion to make his mark and forge his destiny. He was tired of roaming endlessly, aimless as a tumbleweed. This was his chance to see and be seen.

The terrain allocated to Stark and his opponent was rugged and uneven, the rocky soil falling away in some places to form jagged crevices. Every now and then the wind would pick up, puffing clouds of dust from the loose topsoil into the air. It certainly wouldn’t be the easiest surface on which to fight, but Stark felt up to the challenge. And by the look of things, his fellow combatant was up to the challenge too. In the tense, liminal moments before the round would commence, Stark took a moment to observe the stranger with his one good eye. Splashed with black and white, and only a little shorter than Stark’s 17 hands, the horse named Aftershock cut a striking figure against the barren landscape. The painted man’s pelt bore the marks of old battle scars, even more than the scars Stark had earned over the years. Not a novice, then.

Aftershock went on the offensive first, neck snaking forward and darting from side to side in a reptilian fashion that had Stark rearing and at the same time pivoting to the left to keep his blind side away from the other’s bared teeth and striking hooves. Stark wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge Aftershock’s rapid advance, however, and the pied stud’s ivories sank into Stark’s right shoulder, tearing through skin and flesh. At the same time, the paint’s front knees thudded against the roan’s chest with a dull thwack while dust swirled around them both. Still in a rearing position, Stark drove his forelegs downwards, hoping to slam them down upon his opponent’s head, neck or shoulders. With his slight height advantage, and his weight bearing down, perhaps Aftershock would be knocked off balance.


"Speech"

Name: Stark
Breed: (Holstein x Friesian) x Georgian Grande
Age: 7
Gender: Stallion
Height: 17hh
Alliance: Unallianced
Health: 95% before battle - blind in left eye from childhood injury.


Tagged: TrinitySilph
Words: 457
Notes: My first post with this fella!
Attacks:
1 - Reared and pivoted to the left as Shock attacked his blind side and struck downwards with his front hooves, hoping to make impact on his opponent’s head, neck or shoulders and possibly knock him off balance.
2 -
3 -
Dodges:
1 -
Injuries:
Round 1 - Bite on right shoulder, tearing through skin and flesh. The open wound will take about a month to heal over, and will make movement of the right shoulder difficult. Bruised chest from impact of opponent’s knees; muscle will ache for a few days afterwards.

[TrinitySilph]

His opponent guarded his blind spot, just as Shock anticipated. A shame - if Shock had been able to drive Stark to the ground right off the bat, this battle would have been over before it began. Still, the coppery taste of blood in his mouth signalled a minor victory on its own, and the painted stallion was grimly satisfied with that.
First blood to me… as ever.

Stark reared to escape the worst of Shock’s attack, and for a moment the painted stallion saw only a silhouette against the stormy sky. Stark wasn’t that much taller than him, but those extra few inches gave him an advantage of height and power that Shock had seen many times on the battlefield.
Nowhere to go. He couldn’t dodge in time. He braced.

Two hooves slammed into his shoulders with vicious force, and Aftershock knew in an instant that Stark was trying his own game against him - attempting to knock him to the ground. A valiant attempt… and it nearly worked. Thank the gods for adrenaline - without it, Aftershock might really be feeling that strike. The painted stallion jolted and staggered, stumbling a pace or two in a wild, scrambling attempt to keep to his feet. He knew another attack must be coming, and he had but seconds to gather himself and retaliate.

This wasn’t a real battle, of course. Bloodsport was a challenge and a show, not war… and still the overo had to rein in killer instincts. Once upon a time he might have simply whirled and driven his back hooves into his enemy’s jaw. A broken jaw meant certain death. A long, painful end, by starvation or predator. No mercy.
Aftershock steadied himself, bracing his soul against the softness and kindness she had taught him in the desert. There would be no death here today… but Rianne’s challenge called for blood.

Aftershock lunged forward again, shoving off his back hooves and rearing to reach for Stark’s ear with bared teeth. He wouldn’t force the other stallion to part with it, but if he managed to grab an ear, it would be all too easy to drag his head low and force him into submission. He’d drag his foe right up to the edge of one of those crevasses if he had to.
No death… but no mercy, either.


Name: Aftershock
Breed: Irish Draught x Georgian Grande
Age: 6
Gender: Stallion
Height: 16.2hh
Alliance: Unallied
Health: 95%

Attacks:
1. Aftershock tests Stark by lunging into his blind spot and attempting to knock him down.
2. Aftershock attempts to control Stark and force him into submission by biting his ear.
3. --
Dodge:
1.--
Injuries:
1. Bruised shoulders that will stiffen and cause a limp when the adrenaline wears off, likely for a week or two.

Whisper

[Whisper]

The pain wasn’t felt immediately as Aftershock’s teeth tore into Stark’s shoulder. Nor did it come as the painted stallion’s knees drove into the roan’s pectoral muscles. In the moment that followed, all that Stark really registered was the dull thud of his hooves on the other’s shoulders, the dust that swirled around them, the dark sky above that carried the promise of a storm, and the pounding of his heart in his ears. The impact seemed to shake his opponent temporarily, and Stark felt a flare of excitement for an instant as Aftershock stumbled. However, the paint was able to keep his feet, and Stark couldn’t say he was surprised. They were both fighting men, after all. Keeping your feet was Lesson Two in combat. Lesson One was keeping your damn head.

It was only as they temporarily broke apart that the blue stud felt the sharp sting from the bite on his shoulder, as well as the ache in his pectorals, but this was nothing Stark hadn’t felt before. His movement would probably be restricted slightly on his right side, and there would be a scar, but that didn’t bother him too much. The scars he had collected over his years of training and brawling were scattered across his hide like the stars of a distant galaxy, woven into the tapestry of his past as well as his skin. However, there was little time to do anything beyond a brief acknowledgement of the pain before Aftershock sprang forward again, rising into a rearing position as he lunged for Stark’s ear. Oh, hell no.

Stark had seen this tactic before. It had been a favourite move of his sire’s, the idea being to bite down on the opponent’s ear and pull downwards, bending them into submission. Some of his former training partners had had their ears mangled, and sometimes ripped clean off as a result. Stark may have already lost the sight of one eye, but he would be damned if he would lose an ear as well. As Aftershock rose towards him, Stark ducked his head downwards just before the pied stud’s teeth could close over his ear. Gathering himself together, Stark lunged forward towards his opponent’s hindquarters, keeping his skull lowered, and snapped at Aftershock’s stifle. The junction between the femur and the top of the tibia was an oft-overlooked target, but a kick or bite in just the right spot could severely impact the mobility of the hind leg. Stark had already seen how fast Aftershock could move, and he already bore the injuries from those rapid attacks as a result. Now, he only hoped that this bite would be enough to slow his opponent down.



"Speech"

Name: Stark
Breed: (Holstein x Friesian) x Georgian Grande
Age: 7
Gender: Stallion
Height: 17hh
Alliance: Unallianced
Health: 80% - Blind in left eye from childhood injury. Bite on right shoulder, tearing through skin and flesh. The open wound will take about a month to heal over, and will make movement of the right shoulder difficult. Bruised chest from impact of opponent’s knees; muscle will ache for a few days afterwards.


Tagged: TrinitySilph
Words: 457
Notes: <33
Attacks:
1 - Reared and pivoted to the left as Shock attacked his blind side and struck downwards with his front hooves, hoping to make impact on his opponent’s head, neck or shoulders and possibly knock him off balance.
2 - After dodging Shock's second attack, Stark lunged forward with his head low and aimed to bite Shock's stifle to affect his mobility.
3 -
Dodges:
1 - As Shock attempted to bite his ear, Stark was able to dodge this attack by ducking his head down and lunging forward.
Injuries:
Round 1 - Bite on right shoulder, tearing through skin and flesh. The open wound will take about a month to heal over, and will make movement of the right shoulder difficult. Bruised chest from impact of opponent’s knees; muscle will ache for a few days afterwards.

[TrinitySilph]

Time moved slowly, as it often did when adrenaline ran high. Aftershock reached for Stark’s ear, neck extending like a shot… and the other stallion’s head dropped low. What on earth was he doing? A decent dodge, to be sure, but he was reaching--

Aftershock’s ears, already pinned to his neck, defied physics as anger drove them down even harder. He was going for a leg joint, the bastard! What had been done thus far was not meant to permanently injure, but Shock had seen many soldiers’ careers ended by broken bone, broken tendon, ruined muscle. Joints were tender and precious and to be protected at all costs, and Stark was clearly more interested in winning the fight than good sportsmanship, or so it seemed in the moment. Could Stark’s teeth do that much damage? Was he even trying to? Hard to say. Impossible to process when years of battle training and brutality drilled into him by merciless officers had stirred his blood into a frenzy.

Aftershock immediately broke off his lunge as he realized where the attack was meant to land and whirled on his heels to protect himself, then threw his weight forward. He landed on his forehooves and kicked out hard with his back legs. The jaw was off limits, and likely well out of reach, but missing Stark’s belly would be like missing the broad side of a large rock and perhaps even more effective. Hard to make a decent strike when one was wheezing and fighting to get a strong breath. Perhaps he was sinking to Stark’s level with an attack like that, but then… this was bloodsport, and the judges wanted to see blood.
Rianne wanted to see blood.

Name: Aftershock
Breed: Irish Draught x Georgian Grande
Age: 6
Gender: Stallion
Height: 16.2hh
Alliance: Unallied
Health: 95%

Attacks:
1. Aftershock tests Stark by lunging into his blind spot and attempting to knock him down.
2. Aftershock attempts to control Stark and force him into submission by biting his ear.
3. Shock kicks Stark in the belly with both back hooves, attempting to wind him and thereby weaken his last attack.

Dodge:
1. Whirls out of the way of Stark’s teeth and dodges having his stifle bitten.

Injuries:
1. Bruised shoulders that will stiffen and cause a limp when the adrenaline wears off, likely for a week or two.

Whisper

[Whisper]

It was a risky move, to be sure, lunging for Aftershock’s hind leg like that. A bold move, perhaps even a dick move, but risky all the same. Stark snaked his neck forward, mouth open and teeth bared as he reached forward. His heart galloped through his chest with anticipation. Just a little further…

But his teeth closed on mere air, ivories snapping together with a jolt. The paint had dodged the attack, ears pinned back in anger. Stark wouldn’t allow himself to feel any remorse, even though his opponent didn’t seem pleased. What could he say? He only had one good eye, didn’t he? And if his sire had taught him anything, it was to fight to win. You win or you die, boy, his father used to say in that gravelly voice that was overly husky from age and the toll of war. This wasn't war, of course, but there would still emerge a victor and a loser.  Otherwise, what was the point?

Once again, Aftershock was swift in his retribution, whirling and kicking at the roan’s barrel with the rapid ferocity of a viper’s strike. Once again, Aftershock was too quick for Stark. The splashed stud’s hooves struck Stark’s right side like the crack of a whip, knocking him back a few steps and draining the breath from him in one fell swoop. Stark grunted in pain and blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill from his sockets from the force of the kick, and backed away for a few moments to get his breath back. There was a slight twinge of pain as he inhaled, indicating some serious bruising and possibly a cracked rib. Fuck. Time was almost up. The tournament was about to end, and Stark still had one attack left. Gathering a last burst of energy, he snaked his neck out and snapped at the other stallion’s rump, hoping to leave a mark. After the devastating force of Aftershock’s kick, he wasn’t sure if this would be enough to leave some damage to the other stallion, or if he would even make contact. But he had no choice but to try.  



"Speech"

Name: Stark
Breed: (Holstein x Friesian) x Georgian Grande
Age: 7
Gender: Stallion
Height: 17hh
Alliance: Unallianced
Health: 70% - Blind in left eye from childhood injury. Bite on right shoulder, tearing through skin and flesh. The open wound will take about a month to heal over, and will make movement of the right shoulder difficult. Bruised chest from impact of opponent’s knees; muscle will ache for a few days afterwards. Bruising on barrel, cracked rib from kick.


Tagged: TrinitySilph
Words: 359
Notes: <33
Attacks:
1 - Reared and pivoted to the left as Shock attacked his blind side and struck downwards with his front hooves, hoping to make impact on his opponent’s head, neck or shoulders and possibly knock him off balance.
2 - After dodging Shock's second attack, Stark lunged forward with his head low and aimed to bite Shock's stifle to affect his mobility.
3 - Aimed a bite for Shock's rump.
Dodges:
1 - As Shock attempted to bite his ear, Stark was able to dodge this attack by ducking his head down and lunging forward.
Injuries:
Round 1 - Bite on right shoulder, tearing through skin and flesh. The open wound will take about a month to heal over, and will make movement of the right shoulder difficult. Bruised chest from impact of opponent’s knees; muscle will ache for a few days afterwards. Bruising on side and cracked rib from being kicked in the barrel.

[Whisper]

TrinitySilph Just realised I dropped the ball a bit and now my last post has Stark awkwardly ending on an attack.  Trin, I'm guessing you can decide ooc how the injury affects Shock?  Idk, I'm not really sure how these are supposed to work XD

[aliyaah]

TrinitySilph Whisper

To keep things fair, we will have Trinity list OOC what the results of the attack were. This way, Trinity does not have to post once more and therefore there be an unequal amount of posts between the two battlers, which could result in a disadvantage (more results to lose points). Trin, if you could post OOC the effects of the attack, we will get rolling on judging!

[TrinitySilph]

aliyaah Whisper

Works for me! 

Name: Aftershock

Breed: Irish Draught x Georgian Grande
Age: 6
Gender: Stallion
Height: 16.2hh
Alliance: Unallied
Health: 90%

Attacks:
1. Aftershock tests Stark by lunging into his blind spot and attempting to knock him down.
2. Aftershock attempts to control Stark and force him into submission by biting his ear.
3. Shock kicks Stark in the belly with both back hooves, attempting to wind him and thereby weaken his last attack.

Dodge:
1. Whirls out of the way of Stark’s teeth and dodges having his stifle bitten.

Injuries:

1. Bruised shoulders that will stiffen and cause a limp when the adrenaline wears off, likely for a week or two.

2. Stark's teeth grazed his rump and tore skin.  The bleeding will make it look worse than it is, but it will scar and cause a minor limp as it heals, likely healing roughly in line with his bruising.

[❅ Icy Dragon ✩]

I will tally.
Waiting on judge collection: No
Judge 1 Collection: Done
Judge 2 Collection: Done
Tally-ing Scores: Yes

[❅ Icy Dragon ✩]

Roleplayer & Character: TrinitySilph with Aftershock
Cohesiveness: 9
Comments:
- “​​He snapped and bit at the roan’s neck as he half reared,” - Should be “half-reared”.
- “but missing Stark’s belly would be like missing the broad side”- Should be “broadside”.
- There was one paragraph that was a little hard to follow as it was all run-on sentences, but other than that, posts were clear and easy to read, delivering the message well.
Surprisingly, this stranger seemed to be cut from much of the same cloth as Aftershock himself - he was half a hand taller, and all over darker, but his scars spoke of training, and his stance spoke of confidence. - Run-on sentence.
Aftershock didn’t think Stark had seen quite as much war as he, but he recognized a brother in arms when he saw one, and knowing this fight would be on equal footing made Shock’s heart sing with eager challenge. - Run-on sentence. This entire paragraph was difficult to follow as it all ran on so long I found my eyes wanting to skip through it.
Shock had seen many soldiers’ careers ended by broken bone, broken tendon, ruined muscle. - Should be 'ended by broken bones,' or 'ended by a broken bone'.
The jaw was off limits, and likely well out of reach, but missing Stark’s belly - Off limits needs a hyphen. Off-limits.

Realism: 8.5
Comments:
- Attacks felt realistic.
- My only complaint in regards to these posts is, while I totally understand the role of adrenaline, I don’t feel as though Shock would have been so entirely oblivious to his injuries throughout the rest of the battle. I would have liked to see even at least a mention or two of how his movement might be altered from the hurt he had sustained.
- Attacks were realistic but there was definitely points of powerplaying.
He snapped and bit at the roan’s neck as he half reared, shoving his knees and forelegs against the other stallion’s side in an attempt to unbalance and, ideally, shove him to the ground. - Powerplaying. No attempting to aim, just that he's definitely biting at the opponent's neck.
The jaw was off limits, and likely well out of reach, but missing Stark’s belly would be like missing the broad side of a large rock and perhaps even more effective. - This was a little confusing, and sounds like it's leading to there's no possible way Aftershock could miss Stark's belly which is powerplaying. No attempting, just that he'll definitely hit there again.

Movement: 9
Comments:
- While attacks were well written in response to their opponent, they feel very little/basic for a character who is roleplayed as quite aggressive.
- In general, I feel like both opponents had two really strong attacks, and then one less so. In this case, it was Shock going after the ear. I understand Shock’s train of thought in that he wanted to battle for sport, and not to maim/kill, but just something to think about for future battles in comparing the severity of attacks (I did not dock points for this observation here as, as I mentioned, I can make this argument for both sides).
- Would have liked to see the environment mentioned more, particularly the powerful wind and how that might have changed things. Ex. Hair whipping in the way of eyesight, powerful wind helping knock one off balance, etc.

Completion of the Form: 10
Comments:
- Completed correctly.
- Form filled out correctly.

TOTAL: 36.5

---

Roleplayer & Character: Whisper with Stark
Cohesiveness: 9.5
Comments:
- No major concerns
- Posts were well written except for a few excessive run-on sentences.
Well, maybe there had been a small, puny, miniscule element of - Should be minuscule not minuicule
But then again, it wasn’t like Stark was a social butterfly, or anything. - The comma after butterfly isn't needed.
And when the call had gone out across the land, coursing through the grapevine as rapid as a rattlesnake, he had felt it in his belly - that old spark of determination that had often flared when his sire (may he rest in Hell) had him pitted against a much stronger colt, back in the training days of his boyhood, a lifetime ago. - Very run-on sentence.
Aftershock went on the offensive first, neck snaking forward and darting from side to side in a reptilian fashion that had Stark rearing and at the same time pivoting to the left to keep his blind side away from the other’s bared teeth and striking hooves. - Run-on sentence.
Some of his former training partners had had their ears mangled, and sometimes ripped clean off as a result. - Comma isn't needed after mangled.
It was a risky move, to be sure, lunging for Aftershock’s hind leg like that. - I feel as if 'to be sure' doesn't make sense here, should say 'It was a risky move for sure, lunging for Aftershock's....',

Realism: 9.5
Comments:
- Attacks felt realistic.
- I like how Stark used Shock’s elevated position to duck down easier to aim at his stifle.
- Liked how the injuries were addressed.
- Attacks were realistic but there was a few instances where it sounded too definitive where they would hit.
Stark lunged forward towards his opponent’s hindquarters, keeping his skull lowered, and snapped at Aftershock’s stifle. - Needs to be attempting to snap at his stifle, sounds too definitive that they'll hit it.

Movement: 10
Comments:
- Attacks seemed good in comparison to opponent.
- Attacks were well thought and even with the opponent.

Completion of the Form: 9
Comments:
- In the form on the first post, they didn't account for their first injuries in their health percentage. Corrected it in their second post.
- Does not address injuries from Shock's attack in health percentage in first post.

TOTAL: 38

The winner of this round is Stark.

Gladiators, please prepare yourself for the second round of battling.