[Snowy]

The servant looked this man up and down and said, with a rather smug look on his face," Only champions are allowed to go to the first challenge. You'll have to wait."

[Mobster101]

Decipi crosses his arms, placing his hands in his sleeves. His scar and black eyes becoming slightly visible beneath the hood. "Tell me, then. Do you define 'champion' as a noble trait? Or, perhaps, you have lost its meaning among every other title in this world." a slight chuckle shows Decipi's morbid amusement with the situation.

[Snowy]

Once again, the servant refuses to pay this man any attention.

[Mobster101]

Seeing that the servant will not join him in his psychological discussion, Decipi calmly turns and walks amongst the crowd, noticing strange looks as he does. He decides to wait, see what the competition has still to offer. It may just be worth his time anyhow...

[Darkness]

A dark cloaked man trudged slowly towards the courtyard of Frionia's icy castle. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, but in this forsaken land, it did little to warm the freezing climate. And so most who saw him likely assumed that the dark cloak was for warmth. Whether such an assumption was correct or not would remain a mystery, however.

The dark cloaked man glanced around. He had entered past the tall portcullis and wall that surrounded the castle's keep. The courtyard was not far. He had been to Frionia before, and was indeed rather surprised at how lax the guards had become. Or perhaps it was how lax the King himself had become? He remembered a time, and it did not seem very long ago, that not a single soul was allowed to wear a hood inside the city gates -- and the rule was twice as strict within the castle's gates. This was, of course, to ensure that there were not any direct agents of evil -- wraiths, the undead, or other creatures of that sort -- attempting to sneak in. Yet he had walked right past at least four guards, and they had barely given him a glance.

The man dismissed it from his mind. There was nothing he could do to solve the problem, not in his current position. And he had not come here to lecture the King about stupidity. He had come here to participate in a tournament. Or was that really it? Was it the bloody fight for glory that he sought? Or had he come, just to see him again? He had practically raised the boy, and that one fateful day ended all that. He knew he could not let himself be seen, but simply -to- see... That was enough.

The dark cloaked man arrived in the courtyard. Upon a raised dais in the center of the courtyard was the King of Frionia, upon a regal armchair. Not his usual icy throne. And he was not alone upon that chair; two women sat upon the two arms, petting at the King. He did not seem to be interested in them. But their presence was surprising enough, and the dark cloaked man could not help but smile amusedly and raise an eyebrow at the young King's audacity. Had the King of Frionia set up some sort of harem...? Strange times indeed.

A shrouded figure stepped out of the crowd and moved towards the King, likely to pay his respects. The dark cloaked man's gaze turned to a circle of men in red and black, around a man in Aderon's royal colors. His amused smile disappeared, turning to coldness. He turned his eyes back to the King, deciding it would be better to... forget about them.

Rhesal's speech was short, and oddly enough almost humble. But he stepped forward, with all the rest of the champions, looking at the ground to ensure his face was completely obscured.

[Snowy]

The servant, tired from all the street trash that decided to waltz right in, noticed a strange hooded man. Sick of all the ominous characters he was dealing with, he was rather short with the man, "Are you a champion or what?"

[Mobster101]

Decipi notices a man step up amongst the supposed "champions". The man is different from the rest, cloaked, hiding within the confines of its cloth. Perhaps this man wore his cloak for the same reason Decipi wore his? "Interesting..." Decipi mutters.

[Darkness]

The dark cloaked man turned to regard the servant. Both eyebrows raised this time, disappearing behind his hair. Of course, the servant could not see this in the darkness that was his hood, but if he could, it would show his surprise indeed. Frionia seemed to have turned to insanity... Guards that did not care if evil entered through their gates, the King sporting a whore on either arm, and servants that disrespected those that were clearly above them so quickly.

Of course, the cloaked man had immediately realized that several of those 'champions' who had come for the tournament were nothing more than the rabble of the streets come in hopes of gaining some fame and glory, but even them were higher than a servant. Even those poor champions were here, as guests by invitation of the King, for all who felt themselves worthy to enter the tournament, and that was what set them above the servant. Back in Aderon, such a servant would be expelled from the castle immediately... Strange times, indeed!

Yet none of his surprise and anger showed in the dark cloaked man's voice, which was, if anything, the epitome of calmness and coolness. "I am indeed here to take part in the tournament. I assume it begins immediately; to where should I go for the first challenge? I am ready."

[Snowy]

The servant rolled his eyes at the man and was about to tell him off when the words "I am a champion" came out of his mouth. Shocked, the servant was stuttering out apologies as he motioned to another underling of the king. "Take this man to the armory, right away! Good luck to you, oh kind and noble, yet rather striking, sir!"

A servant motioned for the cloaked man to follow him into the castle, and after that, downward into the dungeons.

OOC: I do believe the armory is on the first page, if you don't need anything just post that

[Pureblade]

Neolumin returns to the armory, dropping the items he had borrowed and picking up nothing but studded leather, a tower shield, and a dagger.

Approaching the servant once more, he slings the items over his shoulder and looks the man up and down. "I believe I'm ready. That is, if you are," Neolumin says, watching the man carefully.

[Darkness]

Seeing as he did not need anything, and this reporter finds it silly to make a quality post here when he will simply be moving to another topic now, the dark cloaked man continued to the dungeon.

[Snowy]

The servant looked at the items Neo had picked, and then at Neo with shock on his face. "You're ready? Erm, okay. Follow me."

The servant led Neo back into the arena, but on the right there was a staircase that was almost hidden away in the floor. They went down, staircase after staircase, until they reached the bottom floor. There was a massive stone door with a large knocker on it.

The servant motioned towards the door, "This is as far as I go, you may enter when ready." With that, the servant hurried up the stairs.

[Pureblade]

Neolumin nods, then shoves open the door.

[Mobster101]

Decipi watched as the various "champions" went into the dungeon. What was this king's true motive? Surely he aspires to something greater than giving away gold and armor... No, he was just as blood thirsty as his challengers. Decipi pondered these thoughts...