by Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Tue Dec 23, 2003 9:08 pm
Sodales!
Today the Ludi Circenses have begun. Here is the report from the quarters!
QUARTERS
Group I (Victorinus, Juba Bane, Phaethoon, Pericolosus)
Welcome to the Ludi Solis Invicti, the last and decesive races of the year! The circus is a bit snowed in and the people are dressed in their winter togae but still the weather conditions can't temper their good mood. Especially the Albata fans seem particulary excited. One of the reasons is that a new charioteer joined their ranks. His name is Pericolosus and his chariot is the Flora Mortis or "Deathflower". He is sponsored by lady Dionysia Veneta. His contenders in his first quarters will be Publius Victorinus for the Greens, Juba Bane for the Blues and Phaethoon for the Reds. Victorinus has been tipped as the favourite in this quarter. We'll see!
And there they go, trailblazing through the snow! Oh look at that, spectacular! Phaethoon, the Greek mercenary charioteer, lashes out at Victorinus as both struggle to maintain or capture the lead. Phaethoon's whip scars the arms of Victorinus but he is not swayed by the ferocity of his opponent. By the second round, both charioteers are so wrapped up in their duel that they watch helplessly as Pericolosus not only crushes Juba Bane mercilessly against the spina, sending a cold shiver down the Veneta fans' collective spine, but swiftly passes the other two contenders. Using the uproar and confusion in the circus, Phaethoon finally manages to lash out so hard and unexpectedly at Victorinus that he loses control and rolls out of his chariot; the "Hamaksa Purdaês" however begins to slip in the tracks of Juba Bane and comes to a crashing halt against the walls of the circus. The cheery atmosphere seems to freeze. Albata, the Winter's faction, are pleased with the results but the rest maintains a gloomy silence as debutant Pericolosus wins the first quarters.
1. Pericolosus
2. Phaethoon made an unhappy encounter with the walls
3. Victorinus was taken out by Phaethoon
4. Juba Bane was crushed against the spina by Pericolosus
Group II (Damnator, Bibax, Hannibal, Morgareth)
The second quarter features four veterans, two of them also champions, so this should be exciting. Hannibal has decidely shown potential this year, while the other two now don't have much to prove anymore. Damnator looks a bit nervous but still confident. Morgareth, on the other hand, has changed tactics and rumour has it that his new armour will be able to withstand any attack, save for the strongest. We'll see. The fourth contender is Bibax, who was one of this year's major disappointments. But perhaps he still has a trick up his irregular sleeve.
The start seems to be a bit predictable, with Damnator and Hannibal leading the pack. The speed of the "Fulmen Draconis" however is too much for "the Elephant" of the Green racer and he is forced to fall back. Hot on Damnator's trail is his own team-mate Bibax. Will Bibax actually race a good race this time? Morgareth is also on the rise. His style has markedly changed and his "Infernerator" has been visibly modified and rebuilt. As the crowd is still in part discussing these changes and the Whites are overjoyed with their two charioteers, who are still leading, Hannibal bumps into Morgareth and elicits a shrill cry from his opponent as he begins to use his spiked whip to flay his skin. The "Infernerator" zigzags off but Hannibal is not so content as to pass the Golden champion. Again the whip swings through the air and this time tears Morgareth's hands open. The plates on his chariot and the armour he's wearing are no match for Hannibal's brute force and he falls back, avoiding a crash but thrown out of his chariot by the sudden stop. Damnator scrapes against the spina but is unharmed. Bibax is not so fortunate and smashes into the spina with an unparallelled violence. A sigh of relief escapes the Green fans' mouths as Hannibal secures the second spot and thus Praesina will be represented in the semis.
1. Damnator
2. Hannibal
3. Bibax slammed against the spina
4. Morgareth was no match for Hannibal's brutality
Group III (PD Robur, Caesar, Indutiomarus, Maximus)
Here we have four unhappy cases. Maximus of factio Russata was the champion of last races, but he has had a lot of ill luck. According to the experts he could and should have been a dominant presence on the tracks much earlier. This could also be said of Publius Decius Robur, who somehow always ends up facing the wrong end of the spina or with his "Quadriga Ignis" in splinters. Indutiomarus is a very impressive racer on paper but like his Golden colleague, he has had an exceptional record of ill luck. Caesar then is probably the unluckiest charioteer in the entire ludi. More than five races have still given him zero points although technically he is better than the likes of Bibax and Juba Bane. Let's see if things will turn out differently.
The Reds in the circus cheer noisily and violently as Maximus and Indutiomarus go head to head for the lead. PD Robur follows closely. Although Russata and Aurata are no real enemies, this time the atmosphere is grim. Aurata desperately needs to get into the semis but the Reds want another champion. They're bloody hungry! The few Veneta fans in the top of the circus, with red noses and silent expressions, watch another disappointment taking place. Caesar is doing the best he can but he is no match for the other three, who are definitely speed demons and have escaped his reach to send them against the spina. Oh and there! Indutiomarus almost loses control and with a painful sound, his chariot scrapes against the walls. This gives Maximus and his "Centaurus" the edge and lightning-fast he takes hold of the lead. Indutiomarus nor PD Robur can catch up with him and are now, in fact, rivals for the second place. In the end it's Indutiomarus who comes second, but still PD Robur has a chance of making it to the semis if the third racer of the next quarters will do worse than him. Many in the Aurata fan camp are praying…
1. Maximus
2. Indutiomarus
3. PD Robur
4. Caesar
Group IV (Romulus, Callidus, Myrtilos)
The fourth quarter once again features a champion and two erstwhile rivals. Although Damnator has long since replaced Callidus as Romulus' most outspoken opponent, the rivalry between Purpurea and Russata was started by the "eternally second" Callidus and the fluid, ingraspably talented Romulus. This is already a classic. Most experts agree that Callidus had an amount of ill luck but critics say that Romulus is simply a thousand times better. A potential outsider in this group is Myrtilos. He is factio Veneta's last and only decent hope of ever achieving something. He once made the finals but that's a long time ago… But who knows. Fortuna may yet drive him to the highest tops.
Callidus comes on strong. Under loud cheers of the Red fans, his "Celetior" speeds through the snowy tracks. From his perspective it must look as if the snow is travelling at incredible speeds alongside him and his chariot. Romulus gets rid of Myrtilos pretty soon and without much ado. His class is so visible that the few Blue fans who have bothered to buy a ticket have, deep in their heart, become supporters of Romulus, four-fold champion of the ludi Societatis. Just as most spectators now watch the distance between Romulus and Callidus become smaller and smaller, their silence is broken by a harsh sound: Myrtilos' chariot has slipped up and slid against the walls, causing Myrtilos a major head-ache and factio Veneta to exit another ludi circenses with zero points. Although both Purpurea and Russata are now certain of their spots in the semis, Romulus, who realises that all points count if he wants to defeat Damnator, passes the helpless Callidus and once again the myth is reinforced.
1. Romulus
2. Callidus
3. Myrtilos crashed against the walls
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Go in the semis: Pericolosus, Damnator, Hannibal, Maximus, Indutiomarus, PD Robur, Romulus and Callidus
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Gn. Dionysius Draco Invictus