INTERKINGDOM RACING CONTEST

[Silky Gooseness]

Welcome to the Inter-kingdom Racing Contest!

Hosted by each of the kingdoms in turn per round, all competitors are welcome to bring whatever beast they would like to face the race… skunks, lava snakes, badgers, any other creatures are welcome - so long as they keep to the rules!


For the Imladris event, we’re keeping things classy: a bevy of well-dressed elves are ready to take your sign ups. There is even a table with drinks. Deep elvish wines, tankards of foaming ale, bubbling spirits - and some plates laden with snacks; cut vegetables (the way they feather those carrots really is clever), cakes, wafers, and fruits.

If you’re a competitor, please fill in the following form:


Owner:
Racing animal name:
Racing animal species:
Any other key features and traits

If you’re a spectator, simply come in and get comfortable! Have you dressed for the races, or just shown up??


And, when everything is ready, the race will begin!

[Eldrith]

Oh oh... Now I need to make a decision! Guthbrand or Eldrith
!!

[Aerlinn]

Had she known that her beloved valley was due to host a world renowned racing event just as she returned to Imladris, Aerlinn might have been better prepared. Perhaps she would have befriended an antelope in her travels, a lion, or another one of those lovely cheetahs--a bit high strung, but worth the trouble. Even a hare would have radiated more promise than the brown...lump...sprawled at her feet. The lump had four feet of its own, each sticking out in a different direction. Its neck was stretched out in the grass, the sun glinted off its damp black nose. It huffed a small snore.

Aerlinn sighed and stepped over the prone form to greet the elves at the sign-up table. The wind blew hair into her mouth. Behind her, the lump burped and spat out a ragged, drool-soaked leather hairband. Aerlinn picked up a quill; the capybara snuffled and returned to his dreams.

Owner: Aerlinn Mordagnir
Racing animal name: Capybara
Racing animal species: capybara
Any other key features and traits: Enjoys potatoes, mashed potatoes, and long naps in the sun.

[Merewyn]

Merewyn & Éomer: Racing in Imladris - Pt. I

Merewyn had never ventured to this area of the North, not in all the years she had spent wandering Eriador. She had steadily made her way up from the West-March, meandering through the lands of the Dunlendings until she came upon the green hills of the Bree-land. For years she had traveled back and forth between the Shire and the Bree-land, taking odd jobs and working for anyone who had need of her services. Her work had seen her travel to many of the areas of the western and southern parts of Eriador, but very little to the east near the Misty Mountains. But when Merewyn overheard a pair of traveling Dwarven merchants talking about a race to be had in a place called Rivendell, her curiosity was piqued. She plied them with questions, though they only gave her the vaguest directions to find the Valley of Imladris. It took her far longer than she would like to admit to make her way there, but thankfully a wandering Elf was kind enough to escort her there when they observed her blindly leading her horse Éomer through the hills, stumbling in the dark.

Rivendell was more beautiful than she had words for. She wasn't an educated woman, but even if she was, she felt her words would fail her still. She and Éomer rode their way into the Valley, being directed by another Elf to a table where they could sign up for the race. As she approached the table, she observed an Elf with a strange creature at her feet. It looked like a large...rodent, perhaps? But unlike any that Merewyn had ever seen. Her eyes stayed on the creature for a moment, until she had to dismount to speak to the Elves coordinating the sign ups. She passed one more glance at the strange animal, before patting Éomer on his rear, giving him some scratches, then gently grabbing his face to kiss his nose. "Stay here for just a moment, Stinky Boy. I'll be right back, I'm going to get us signed up for this race." She went to turn away from him, but stopped for a moment. "You know we're just doing this for fun, right buddy? I don't want you to push yourself too hard. It's not about winning. It's just for us to have a good time, see a new place, meet interesting people we haven't before. So don't overwork yourself when the race starts, you got it?"

With that, she patted his face again and moved to the table. "Uh, hello there. I'm Merewyn, this is my horse, Éomer. We heard about the race, back in Bree. Figured we might join, if that's alright? I'm not sure if there's an entrance fee, I think I've got a little coin if that's the case," she said, woefully looking at her mostly empty purse.

Owner: Merewyn of Rohan
Racing animal name: Éomer
Racing animal species: Horse of Rohan
Any other key features and traits: Éomer has distinctive golden-brown fur, though flecks of white show his advancing years. He has large, expressive ears, which he often uses to convey his thoughts and moods. He is particularly fond of having his rear scratched, his ears played with, and being the center of attention. When not with his mother, he spends most of his time watching people (and silently judging them).

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Loremaster Quennar Tarcelmë

An elf from the west was certainly not to be underestimated. Quennar though, didn’t count himself among them anymore. He was born as one of the Noldor, but became one of the Galadhrim of Ossiriand. He had found his love there and his own children were born there. Valinor was a distant memory. From Rohan he travelled on horseback to Imladris, to have a look there if there was news to gather up. He had no idea what his presence could add, but it was always nice to have a gaze into the old structures. In the old days there had been much such a bard and poetry society, a running force and a healing house. Even Lord Elrond had his court in active and healthy condition. But in these new times, after the fall of Sauron, what would Imladris now be like? Busy as ever, or more quiet? It would be something to write down, make a record of it. As loremaster he was a collector of news and stories to document in Quenya. He settled down on the visitor’s stage to see what this activity was.

Owner: Quennar Tarcelmë
Racing animal name: Quicksilver
Racing animal species: Mouse (not one with a wire)
Any other key features and traits: Quick, tiny, witty.

[Eamila Bolger]

NPC Milo Bolger

It had been quite a journey to get here, and Milo was glad that he had finally arrived in Imladris. He wasn't really a big fan of traveling. But this was for racing! For the honor of the Shire! So he had overcome his fear of being abroad, and traveled to the East with his parents and his coney Falcor.
But to his own surprise, he had quite enjoyed the beautiful nature of Eriador. The weather had been great for traveling and most of the people they had met on the road, were friendly.
Still he was glad to have finally arrived. With big eyes he looked around in this strange - to him - new world.

'Good day', he greeted the elves at the sign up desk, nodding politely while doing so. While he was writing his name down, his eyes wandered to the table close to them. Fresh vegetables and ale! That looked fantastic. Falcor would love some veggies too, he was sure about that.
So without further ado he went on to the next table.
'One moment please, young man.'
His father stood next to him all of a sudden and looked at the elf serving the beverages. 'No wine, ale or spirits for this boy please. Perhaps you can pour him some juice?'
'Ah, father... please?'
Fredegar looked stern at his son.
'Are you planning to win this race, my son? Or at least planning to try your best? Then make sure you make wise choices, even today.'
Milo sighed. 'You're right, father.'
So he walked on to the vegetables with some juice in his hands. Then he started to look around at the competition. Perhaps there weren't just rivals, but also new friends to make.

Owner: Milo Bolger of the Shire
Racing animal name: Falcor
Racing animal species: Coney
Any other key features and traits: fluffy, smart, will do anything for a couple of grapes or blueberries

[Eldrith]

Guthbrand

*he had used to travel more. These days the day to day work of the cavalry kept him mostly bound to Meduseld. But well someone had to defend the honor of Rohan, and it's history. Traveling with a badger in a sack had had it's disadvantages but Rohan had a TRADITION of racing badgers, that was older even than he, so he could not in good conscience allow this event to go past without at least one badger participating. It struck him as always how beautiful and serene these lands were, even more so now the shadows of war had lifted. He had not forgotten, nor would he forget how they had fought on their own fronts, Mirkwood, Lothlorien.. all of us had faced the assaults at the same time, and like his own land, they'd defended what they could. There were rumors that more of them were leaving but for now.. for now there was a time of rejoicing in peace and adventures of a much more wholesome nature. Then again.. letting loose a badger didn't always turn out how one expected.

Owner: Guthbrand, Feldmarshal of Meduseld
Racing Animal: Ele
Racing Animal species: Badger
Any other key features and traits: Excellent at burrowing, can and will eat about everything. (For Bema's sake do NOT give it mead, we don't want a repeat of the cellar incident, now do we?)

((OOC: (@Merewyn Yay for more more Rohirrim! Swing by the pub!))

[Silky Gooseness]

Race Host, Beledir

Beledir strode around the field in a frenzy of nervous energy, hop-skipping away from some of the larger beasts, collecting entry papers, and straightening some of the glasses upon the display table. The delicate pyramid of sparkling wine glasses had taken him quite a while to arrange to his satisfaction and it would be such a terrible shame if it were spoilt, would it not? He plucked a flute of it and drained it… before carefully refilling another and replacing it. There, perfectly aesthetic.

When the sand had quite been churned up and there was a whole array of competitors awaiting, Beledir decided it was time to begin.

RACE RULES!
“As you can see there is a beautiful route for us today… across the grass and over the bridge, and then looping back again with an option to splash through the shallows of the river or use our stepping stones, before returning around here.”

To run please choose an A roll or a B roll!
A Roll: 6 sided die which will advance you by the number of paces you roll
B roll: 20 sided die. Rolling an even number advances you by that number! Rolling an odd number will require you to complete an RP prompt - and some may even cause you to go backwards.

“Owners, you may go with your beasts and encourage them of course, but no interfering with other people!”

No Godmoding except by the race runner where required! Mark OOC clearly and tag where necessary!

“Please line up and get ready to start when I blow the whistle!”



Please RP moving to the starting line and choose your roll!
Late starters are welcome!

[Silky Gooseness]

@Eamila Bolger
@Merewyn
@Eldrith
@Aikári Salmarinian
@Aerlinn

OOC: apologies, couldn’t make tags work in previous post!

[Eldrith]

Guthbrand

He lifted up his badger. No matter what someone said, cradling a badger took a certain amount of courage and he'd named his after a fierce formal first Marshal of the Mark for a reason. The very elegant elf had gathered what needed to be gathered and was ready to start the race. Well.. they would show them why Rohan was KNOWN for racing badgers now, wouldn't they?
He moved to the starting line and muttered under his breath "there you go, see? It's all lined out. No detours. Very pretty. Across the grass, then that bridge. I know the horse is big, but you've raced horses before, haven't you?"

He looked at the hose with a certain amount of approval. A wonderful mount. And then there was the mouse. And the coney. And a.. what was that beast? It would be an interesting race to be sure. He kept his hands ON Ele just till the whistle would sound, glancing over at the other owners @Eamila Bolger, @Merewyn @Aerlinn and @Aikári Salmarinian . Some he knew, some he didn't yet. It would be interesting to see how each of them competed!

(B Roll, please.)

[Drífa]

Mugra

With her lava snake wrapped around her neck for warmth, Mugra, a sorry survivor of the Mount Doom eruption, made her way towards the start line on crooked legs wrapped in cracked leather stuffed with matted sheep wool over which a long, battered coat of rusted mail hung. She was unused to this Eastern cold and felt the little course hair on her arms and legs rise in a shiver.
Mugra was once called Jib Jara, then an ignorant orc chief decided Bula was a better name. And so, for most of her wretched life, it had been so. But since a molten rock hit her head when the Mountain erupted, she had been calling herself Mugra. It was a confusing disorder, but not enough so that she would bother her battered head over it.
Determined to win this race, she drew on her experience from a previous one in The Land of Shadow, when she was called Jib Jara, which gave her confidence; she hoped to earn some coin or a barterable prize. She aimed to return to the South, where the heat still smoulders from destruction, and although lounging in drinking halls for too long made her soft and lazy, she looked forward to returning to the pub where perhaps the Stranger would slice more orc throats. She had to admit, she enjoyed the adrenaline of watching the blade cut the throat. The thrill of risking everything by coming to this race fueled her resolve, even if danger lurked around every corner.
By observing her surroundings, she realized that if she kept her nose out of the other participants' business, she could race her lava snake with minimal persecution. After all, it wasn't her fault that her ancestors bred for evil, had given all her kind a bad reputation. Anyhow, in most cases, she knew how to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Uncoiling her racer, Lhûg (her previous snake; Muck Rack had slithered off a high cliff), she placed him on the start line and whispered menacingly to him.

'Slither, you maggot and do not stop till I command you to.' She threw a Slag Slug (giant slugs with a bit of heat) at Lhûg's mouth- a bite of encouragement.

Owner:Mugra
Racing Animal: Lhûg
Racing Animal species: Red Lava Snake
Any other key features and traits: cowardly, backstabbing, and prone to spitting.

A roll,

[Eamila Bolger]

On the grass, over the bridge, the river... wait, what? The river?
Milo shivered. It was well known how careful Hobbits were around deeper water, and he was no exception to this. However, he knew that Falcor - whom he had been calling Falcor the Fearless before - wasn't as scared of rivers and ponds as he tried not to show he was. The idea of stepping stones comforted him.

'That horse will have no trouble crossing a river', he whispered to his coney. 'But I'd use those stones if I were you. They could really help you forward, because the stream won't slow you done if you use the stones. Just be careful you're not stepped on by that horse. And I'd be on the lookout for that mouse in the field though. Nobody will be able to see it in the parts where the grass is high. You wouldn't want it to find a short cut, do you? As for the other animals...'

He looked at the Red Lava Snake and tried to keep his face straight. That animal was... well, it gave him the creeps, that was a sure thing. At least the badger looked normal, and like animals he had seen at home.
'Well now. Let's proceed to the start, shall we? Go get them, Falcor! Show them what power there is in Shire coneys!'

Let's start with an A roll please.

[Aerlinn]

Aerlinn slipped a handful of carrots, several stalks of celery, a dozen berries and as many apple slices as she could stuff in her pockets under her cloak. Luckily, there were a pair of hobbits in attendance, rendering her unlikely to be blamed for any diminishing refreshments. But her need was great, she suspected. The capybara was still asleep where she had left him.

"Well, come on then," she knelt down and produced a feathered carrot. "It's a splendid day and the course isn't so long. I've got a feeling you may be better at this than you look, and there's the river. You do seem to love the water."

The capybara opened one eye with all the hurry of paint peeling off of a stable wall.

"That's a bit dramatic, isn't it?" The elf added a berry and a fat bit of apple to the offering, held strategically a handspan's out of reach. She considered as the animal finally rose and stretched. He looked a bit like a stuffed toy animal a child might make. A slightly misshapen oversized mouse, or a bear modeled on a bad sketch and worse description.

Aerlinn let the creature take the fruit from her hand when they reached the starting line. It disappeared with a satisfying crrrrrrrrrrronch between his long front teeth. "Ready on the whistle then!" she gave his bulky hindquarters a scritch. "I suppose I ought to call you something. I can hardly stand here yelling 'Go, go Capybara...Capy...Caps...Lump...Lumpy...Lumpkin...no, well..."

B roll, please.

[Silky Gooseness]

Race Host Beledir and Commentator Silarien

“And they’re off! My goodness, what a start - well, I say that, not everybody has actually made their way to the starting line yet. You’ll notice, Bel, this year, that we’ve got some streamlined tracks here for some of our smaller competitors so they don’t suffer too much from the disadvantage of their larger co-runners, although I have to say, if you are choosing to race a fieldmouse against Mumakil you knew you what you were getting into - and will certainly win, but also die, when the Mumak goes mad with terror and tramples the field! Anyway, a fine selection this year don’t you think, Beledir?”

“Is that a SNAKE?”

“It sure looks like it! One of Mordor’s finest racing lava snakes, my goodness, that takes me back!”

“UGH. I HATE snakes.”

“Just step back here my good fellow; don’t you worry! Well! Looks like that badger is quick off the mark! What a spring in his legs he has… the Marshal sure knows how to pick animals! He’s advanced forward 6 yards in record speed! Incredible work there: what do you think he’s had for breakfast! Do tell us, @Eldrith we’d love to know your secret!

And here comes that lava snake… slightly more hesitant and cautious but still making a good effort progressing 2 yards - good show from, uh, our evil contingent this morning, Mugra was it @Drífa?

And now it’s the coney - trying to stay clear of the lava snake very wisely, and it’s JUST ahead of Lhûg clocking in at 3 yards, you’d better try and keep that lead, @Eamila!

Finally for now our capybara, being raced by one of our home contingent! Can we hear a cheer for @Aerlinn! Come on Beledir, you can do better than that. No, LOUDER. And that’s not at all a bad start as she’s leapt forward 4 paces! Good show!”

[Silky Gooseness]

OOC Sorry the tags aren’t working again.

SCOREBOARD

@Drífa: 2 yards
@Eamila Bolger 3 yards
@Aerlinn 4 yards
@Eldrith 6 yards

[Merewyn]

Merewyn & Éomer: Racing in Imladris - Pt. II

Merewyn had walked away from the table after properly signing up for the race, leading Éomer by the reins towards the starting line. She had misunderstood the rules at first, or at the very least misinterpreted them when she first heard about the race from those wandering Dwarves. She had assumed everyone would be on horseback, like the races she had seen and grown accustomed to in her childhood in the West-march. But strange were the assortment of creatures and their owners who came to race this day. She saw again the large, rodent-like beast that was new to her eyes, along with its Elven owner. Apart from them she saw the other competitors and the beings who stood beside them, another Elf with a mouse, a Halfling with a rabbit of some sort, an...Orcish looking woman with a red...snake? And what looked to be another person from Rohan, but this one accompanied by a badger of all things. Bewildered and mildly amused, Merewyn busied herself with talking to Éomer, giving him a sort of encouraging talk, though it may have seemed a less encouraging to one who didn't know him.

"Well...this is not quite what I expected, but I think this will still be fun. I would wager you likely have a fair chance of winning, just by sheer size and the length of your legs. But then again, you are an old, silly bear of a horse. You're most likely going to wander off to nap in a sunbeam, or stray to the water and chase birds. But I would not recommend that, not here at least. It seems the beasts of this land are more than just beasts, so don't go chasing any birds or stepping on any rodents, you might end up crushing someone's beloved friend. That being said, have fun. I will not be mad at you if you do wander off to nap, or just watch the people, these Elves of Rivendell, go by. But if you win, I promise you I will give you double the amount of scratches on your rear that you usually get. How's that for a deal?"

She was so absorbed in her strangely upbeat but also not quite positive pep talk, that she failed to hear the start of the race. As the other animals darted off, she slapped Éomer on his big, golden rear and yelled, "Go boy, go! Show those rodents and serpents what an old, silly bear of a horse can do!" while jogging along beside him to encourage him on.

B roll, please.

OOC: @Silky Gooseness, sorry about the late start. I didn't check my notifications properly and missed the initial round. Sadface.

[Drífa]

Mugra

Lhûg's eyesight wasn't her best sense, but her scent sense never failed her, thanks to Jacobson (a small organ inside her mouth that played music whenever prey was near). And prey was near. She senses the vibration of the hoppity hop (Milo the coney) before her. And the heat coming from the creature made Lhûg's forked tongue, red as her scales, dart out and pepper the air with flicks here and there. If she had lips, she would be licking them too. Yes, her master may curse her and kick dirt at her, but all that was worth it if she could catch and swallow a warm, bloodied, furry feast.
Using her muscular body, she slithered across the grass, sidewinding and picking up speed. Not normally the fastest creature at distances, Lhûg had become quite adept at it with her attempts to avoid her master's boot. She appeared like a red flame flashing through the grass.

A roll,

[Eldrith]

Guthbrand

Guthbrand looked on in satisfaction as Ele raced. Oh he'd known she'd be fast when he named her, didn't he? He glanced aside, seeing someone else enter and honestly.. he was glad the horse had to start a little bit later. He saw Merewyn slap it's hindquarters and a rather inappropriate thought came to his mind. He quickly coughed to dispel that image and almost missed the judges question.

"Oh well.. ehm... food yes. I feed her, of course. Mostly earthworms but considering we had a race today there might have been some mice and ah.. the fruit she got as well may have been a bit.. fermented??"

Did that mean there was potentially a drunken badger in this race? Yes. Yes, it did. He quickly followed Ele with his eyes and saw with satisfaction that she was indeed in the lead.

B roll please!

[Eamila Bolger]

'Go Falcor! Go Falcor!', Milo screamed on top of his lungs. It wasn't just for the race, but also because he didn't like it much to see that snake so close behind his precious coney. 'Show them how quick you can be!'
There wasn't much more he could do: after all it was the race of the animal champions. He would just have to wait and see what magic she could do. To his surprise the badger seemed to be quite quick, even though she didn't seem to be able to run in a straight line.
Just as he was trying to stretch out his entire body to have a better look at the field, a new voice sounded behind him. Some lady had arrived late and wanted to join with an old bear?
With a curious look on his face he turned around, but all he saw was a friendly looking horse, who was just about to pick up pace and make for the start.
Another competitor. And quite a large one. Well, the race was getting more interesting every minute. He would perhaps find courage to get acquainted to one or two of the others who were standing here to watch their animals race. But first he wanted to see what Falcors next step would be.

B roll please!

[Merewyn]

Merewyn & Éomer: Racing in Imladris - Pt. III

Éomer started off after the other animals, his golden-brown body glistening in the sunshine, his mane tossing lightly in the breeze. His powerful legs were taking great strides, but the winding path of the race slowed him down so that he was not quite at his fastest. Were these the wide grasslands of Rohan he would certainly be far past his competitors. But that wouldn't be quite fair. In fact, Merewyn thought to herself that this course through Rivendell was probably the most evenly made path it could be for all of the various animals racing. Éomer was happily bounding along after the other animals, starting to gain on some of them, as Merewyn trundled along behind her watching and encouraging.

"You've got this! Keep that pace up, you're doing wonderfully my boy!"

Ahead of her boy she saw a crimson serpentine form being chased by its master, the Orcish looking woman whose name he had not caught earlier. Far ahead in the lead ran a badger, whose owner had stayed behind at the starting line. Merewyn chanced a glance back at him, slightly caught off guard by the realization that he was a Man of Rohan. The rabbit and large rodent were sprinting down the pathway too, but Éomer was going to catch them, she was sure. She silently reminded herself to ask the Elven woman what type of rodent that was after the race, as she still had no guess as to what it could be.

a-a-a-a-a-a-a-A Roll, if ya don't mind!

[Aerlinn]

six months earlier
Aerlinn Mordagnir was covered in mud. Her trousers were wet through, her tunic was covered in burrs, and algae slime dripped off of and into her boots. Peaky black eyes stared at her from across a shallow pit of muck. She could see gaping nostrils and little round ears. The nostrils submerged, and a few murky bubbles pip-popped to the surface.

Slime dripped.

"What are YOU looking at?"

present day
"...Fob...Mop...Pig...Peg..." 'Peg,' it seemed somehow fitting, though not a proper elvish name. Of course, the capybara was hardly a proper elvish animal. TWEEEEEEEEEEE! the blast of the starting whistle jerked both elf and animal from their reveries. The capybara leapt! All four feet splayed out in the air and then he was off, careening down the racing track with surprising gusto. Aerlinn took a cautious bite of apple. That badger had been a bit goggle-eyed as well. Was there something in the food?

The halfling lad (@Eamila Bolger) with the coney was standing nearby. "How do you and--Falcor, was it?-- find the refreshments? He's a beautiful rabbit."

B(etcha can't catch me) roll, please.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Quicksilver

It was sniffling the half wet grass, step by step for smells and scents along the way. Quicksilver was not quick, rather slow. Silent even. The grass shoots were higher than the body, mingling thus in the vegetation. There were others, but Quicksilver could not see. The sound of a capi, the cries of a horse, some kind of hutia/rabbit, and a badger. And something slithering. Quicksilver knew to make out the sounds, but each of these creatures meant danger. Let them all go first, run, miss Quicksilver at all. If you were so vulnerable and tiny it was time to linger, keep still.

The loremaster had good sight on the little mouse he had chosen for this. But it lingered now while the others were encouraged. It was not that the mouse could not be quick, but it was snuffing around a lot. He shrugged and got out notebook in what he wrote his observations. It could be anything really, but he judged what was worth saving in word and writing. He was more observant of the others on the visitors stage. His rodent would make it somewhere. What or how remained to be seen. Could be that the mouse was the last to finish the race?

B-roll is okay.

[Silky Gooseness]

Race Host Beledir and Commentator Silarien

“Aaaaaannnd would you look at that, Beledir! That’s a mighty fine horse coming up onto the field - but I’m not sure the racer has really got the right idea here - yes, that’s it, she’s giving him a mighty whack on the rump to make him move and there he goes! Oh, my, Beledir, what do you think of that! It’s the complete wrong direction! I think we all thought that a big tall beautiful boy like that would take the lead in no time at all but no, she’s going to have to go catch that one - the track’s this way, fella!

Meanwhile it looks like our lava snake is making progress - surely but v-e-e-r-y slowly, she can’t have gone further than a metre there, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps she’s digesting a meal!

And that badger seems to be moving forward as well - but oh, what’s this?! My goodness! There’s a fox on the field! And we all know what that means don’t we Beledir? I said DON’T WE, BELEDIR? That’s right! Foxes hate badgers and badgers hate foxes! I do believe we are about to see a scrap on the field!! And I think the coney has smelt it too because it has taken off like a ROCKET! Leaping into the lead there! And oh - there we go, the lass with the big horse has redirected him and he’s now running the right way although still somewhat behind the others! He seems to have caught the attention of the capybara at any rate - it’s stopped completely dead in its tracks to watch him! I don’t blame you, he’s a gorgeous animal! And for our final racer, just a wee mouse - can he outpace the rest? By Eru, it seems he can - he has scampered ahead with INCREDIBLE speed! Beledir, I’ve never seen anything LIKE it!!!”

Merewyn: Eomer has moved backwards 7 but forward 3
Mugra, your lava snake has moved forward 1
Guthbrand, your badger has started a fight with a fox - RP what happens to move forward
Milo, your Coney has moved forward by 8! Great job
Quicksilver has moved forward by 10! Amazing!

[Drífa]

Mugra

Mugra's eyes bulged from her head as she watched Lhûg slither off at top speed, then slow down to a snail's pace as all the other racers passed by. She dashes towards her racer, pins flying from her head of mashed-up hair, her crooked knife pulled from her belt, and a handful of Slag Slugs in her hand - her hand ready to pelt the sluggared lava snake with the hard little dried-up slugs. But as she neared, she could see that her snake was not slithering slowly, but appearing to sway slowly, her lidless eyes mournful, even though her brain structure lacked the capacity to feel sadness. It all could have been a trick of the eye, but suddenly Mugra was aware of the singing that came from over a rill. She stopped and listened; she felt something touch a part of her. Her heart, though only a small hidden part in the darkness. Then she snapped out of it (her corrupted mind focusing once more) and stared at her snake, growling.
"I thought I told you to slither fast and not stop till I commanded you? Move you traitor!"
Mugra pulled back her arm to throw the slugs at the snake, meaning to throw hard, but only scattered them gently in the snake's direction. The singing was still audible amid the race's commotion, even if she did not listen; it was still searching in the darkness within her heart.

A roll,

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Quicksilver

The little mouse had to deal with grass dots all in the way. It was the nose with the whiskers who pointed the way, where to go safely than the eyes. Even they were quite big and round. The tripling effect was quite fast, but how fast, the mouse had no conception to it. For that the brain was too small. Big ears caught every whisper and crack. Quicksilver encountered a straight round tunnel and entered it without hesitation. He body fitted right through it and shortcutted all obstacles above. When the mouse emerged at the end, it stopped and sniffled the air. There was wetness in it, so possibly rain? With no threat nearby, Quicksilver made a dash for it, crossed the open field and vanished between the helms in a cornfield. But there could be many other sorts of dangers, snakes, hares, foxes… even flying scavengers from above. The little mouse sat there for the moment and scooted along the cornfield. Going around might be better.

B-roll sounds good.

[Eldrith]

Guthbrand

See.. this was the problem with the fermented fruit approach. Sure it was motivating, but it also might make an animal exhibit a little less common sense than is usual. Sure, a badger was bigger than a fox and stronger, and had powerful, powerful claws.. but the object here was to win a race, not to get sidetracked.
The fox got the first swipe in, which was really not a smart move, on several levels, but to be fair Ele had not been expecting it. She was focused on the race. Except well.. FOX. FOX on the track. Fox intercepting badger. And that could clearly not be tolerated. Ele used those powerful claws to retaliate, striking out to the fox's hindquarters.

There was hair tearing, there was yipping, there was growling... and that was just the Feldmarshal seeing the lead evaporate.

"Ele for Bema's sake, leave the fox alone!" He yelled, except that Ele was, as most badgers were wont to be, rather deaf to the intricacies of those instructions, and indulged herself in a rambunctious fight, rolling from side to side, clawing swiftly and kicking at the fox at the same time while she too was trying to her licks in. Wasting precious time.

"Leave the fox! LEAVE the FOX.. Oh for..." At least the fox had the good sense to finally run off, but Ele went in pursuit and it was a question of that was the right direction!

B roll please

[Eamila Bolger]

Milo had seen it all, in racing. Especially at home. Coneys hopping towards a vegetable garden instead of the right direction on the track. Coneys hopping towards nice flowers or a pond to admire themselves. Even coneys hopping towards each other and worse. They were coneys after all...
But this group of racers was something new. And the presence of a fox, seemed to be giving Falcor wings.

Milo wasn't sure whether to cheer for his own coney right now, or for the badger who was chasing the fox away. He ended up doing both, especially when the fight started. There was a big furry ball of white, black and orange rolling on the track. 'Go Ele! Grab that fox!' he yelled, hoping that this large man from Rohan wouldn't mind.
Finally the fox ran off. Or was it now chasing Falcor?? Milo's hand palms were all of a sudden wet from sweating. He started shouting as loud as he could.
'Run, Falcor! Ruuuuunnnn!!!'

B roll please

[Silky Gooseness]

Race host Beledir and commentator Silarien

“It looks like one of our trainers has taken it real personally that her beast hasn’t been paying as much attention to their racing lessons as previously thought and - yes, Mugra is entering the field herself! Not to compete of course, that’s not allowed, although some assistance and, shall we say, encouragement, absolutely is; and it looks like it’s working to pretty good effect there as her snake has shot forward four paces with that motivation! Jolly good show!

But my goodness that has spurred our mousey contender even further - perhaps nervous from the scent of the snake? Absolutely POWERING ahead there by another ten paces, I can barely believe it - who would’ve thought our smallest contestant would also be our speediest so far???

On the other hand - our badger has come off not all that well from the fight with a fox there - we’ve had to double check that the fox has not been entered as sabotage by anyone - but it has certainly meant that our badger has been so distracted from the race it’s actually gone back three paces! Bad luck badger - maybe that has fired up your spirit enough to give you a burst of speed?!

As for the coney, it’s managed to move forward six paces - but that fox limping away from the badger seems to have caught its scent! What WILL it do?!”


@Drífa you move forward four
@Aikári Salmarinian move forward ten
@Eldrith bad luck, back three
@Eamila Bolger forward six

[Eldrith]

Guthbrand

He groaned audibly. Rohan had a TRADITION of badger racing and Ele was making a disgrace of herself. STOP FOLLOWING THE FOX!! TURN AROUND!! *he was making wide, sweeping gestures with his hand to indicate to Ele that she should actually turn.. get back to the race "YOU ARE GOING TO BE OUTDONE BY A MOUSE!! What are we going to tell at home? Hm? You were defeated by something one tenth of your size? If that? Get back to the race or no more fermented fruit! Ahum.." he coughed, looking around to see if anyone had heard that.
Was it against the rules to have a slightly tipsy badger racing? Likely not but still. He was not exactly proud of it. It just had worked so well in the past! Ele seemed very, very motivated with just a few morsels. He also usually didn't lose his calm. Drunk recruit antics on the roof? He dealt with it. He had done battle when all hope seemed lost. He had been part of what could have been the end and lived through it. And then he had been part of rebuilding. But there was something about races that stirred his soul.


B roll, please?

[Drífa]

Mugra

Maybe the music that induced some gentleness in Mugra caused Lhûg to open her mouth wider than the normal actual size of her head and muscle-in as many of the Slag Slugs as possible, hiding no attempt to appear greedy. And maybe having so many Slag Slugs than usual breaking down in her stomach, it gave her a boost of energy before slowing her down to digest thoroughly. Who knew, but whatever caused such an advancement, the lave snake would not question. She may have a small brain, but her jaw bones knew the vibration of the big Orc's boot falls - dirt usually followed them.

Life was better without dirt kicked into her face.

A roll, hisssssss

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Quicksilver

Around the cornfield was the best, and so Quicksilver began the detour around it. Between all those halms could lurk dangers. Here in the grass it was better and there was good oversight. With quick little legs the detour was quickly finished, before arriving at the next hurdle: water. How to get over that? Quicksilver was not a swimmer really. Rodents didn’t like water, except to drink it fresh. Was there not a bridge? Or a wooden walkway? The will was there to go further, how? She was alright so far. Home was ahead. Her small brains puzzled as she sniffled the ground and let her eyes process what she saw. Ah there! A small light tree over the stream. She had come over that before. She tested the smallest trunk and scuttled quickly over it. Her whiskers told where the end was and so she shot away again in the grass, invisible for scavengers. She scooted further.

B-roll sounds good.

[Eamila Bolger]

Milo of the Shire and Falcor the Fast

It seemed indeed that the fox was now going for his coney. Milo cried out so loud, that his throat started to hurt.
'Watch out Falcor! Watch out!'
The coney did seem to notice the fox. Instead of running straight, it started to 'weave' from left to right and back again, making an erratic pattern through the field. The limping fox needed all its wit and energy to keep following the coney, and soon its tongue was almost on the ground.
At the end of the field, the coney hid behind a tree. Milo frowned. This could cost precious time... what was Falcor doing? He was too far ahead to coach him. Stretching his hobbit body as much as he could, standing on his toes, Milo kept watching. The fox was near the tree now. But what was that?
Two strong coney paws kicked from behind the tree, causing the fox to trip and fall. Falcor rushed off again. Milo chuckled. He loved how smart Falcor could be. But he hoped it would be enough... he hoped the fox was finally defeated.

A roll please.

[Silky Gooseness]

Silarien, commentator, Beledir, host

“Well we’re just over halfway through the race for some of our competitors and everyone seems to have got the idea this round and is progressing in the right direction, I’m happy to say! The badger has righted itself and is now speeding ahead, although it can’t catch Quicksilver - well named that little animal, I’ve never seen anything like it! An uncommon turn of luck! And slow but steady here goes that lava snake going forward a couple of yards and just behind is that coney, hope he isn’t limping after that kick he gave! Keep going everyone, we are nearly there!”

@Drífa you move forward 2
@Eamila Bolger you move forward 1
@Aikári Salmarinian and @Eldrith you both move forward by 10!!

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Quicksilver

The grass stood tall, but had lots of little paths. Quicksilver’s nose and whiskers told her precise how she had to walk. She was a diligent mouse, not resting before the dark fell and it was safer to stay underground. But the day was not over yet, the sun stood high above her. The green grass was turning a bit yellow. Too little water, it hadn’t rained much. She coursed around an ants nest, which was a bit heap. Those tiny buggers were not the friendliest insects. But her four legs made it safely around, her long tail following. Nothing could stop her and she was safe. She stopped for a moment under a bush full of rose flowers. For anything bigger it was thorns of pleasure. Quicksilver was small she passed by the rootsystem. There were no thorns there. The grass was the kingdom of the ants. Time to make herself scarce.

B-roll sounds good.

[Drífa]

Mugra

Mugra was discouraged, feeling a mix of frustration and worry. Lhûg obviously had taken advantage of her generosity and eaten too many Slag Slugs. The tough-skinned terrestrial molluscs (with the added heat) may have given her snake a burst of energy, but now, all the lava snake wished to do was digest and move sluggishly along the race track in the wake of the other racers' dust. Mugra's boots should be the dust beaters aimed at her racer, not the competition.
'Bah!' the orc growled from the sidelines, her voice tinged with irritation and disappointment. The sudden warmer weather irritated her further. She was not in the mood to scold the snake. It was time to go home.

A roll, bah!

[Eamila Bolger]

Milo of the Shire and Falcor the Fast

Was it the fox? Or something in the air? Or the long journey they had been making to get here? Milo wasn't sure. They only thing he was actually sure about, was the fact that Falcor seemed to slow down. It wasn't like he stopped racing all together, but his speed was... well, it just wasn't there anymore, or so it seemed. It was time to stop being a spectator.
Milo rushed off and joined the group of racers from the side of the track. From his pocket he took small carrot bites.
'Come on, Falcor!' he shouted. 'Have a snack and then go get them!' He threw a handful of carrot bites to the coney. Falcor indeed seemed to be hungry, for he stopped racing at all, and started munching on the carrots.
'There will be more at the finish line!' Milo shouted. 'So go, my friend, go! Go get them!'