in his coat and his boots and his blackheart machine

[realitymods]

[Every girl's crazy about a sharp-dressed man, and this man is dressed sharply indeed. How can you not like a guy with a top hat and a cravat? Tall, blond, and smiling, he catches a note that appears in the air in front of him. He is smiling even as he reads it and murmurs,] You monster.

[And then the note burns away in his fingertips, and the man turns to the Plane at large, showman-like.]

Ladies, gentleman: I am here to invite you all to an event two days hence at the Coliseum, where four of your fellows will battle to their deaths. The food is free; the sport is costly. These will be the first of fights but not the last, and we hope you enjoy the entertainment we offer in these next few weeks. A fair few of you will have your chance to live or die, whether or not you wish to.

[He fixes the angle of his hat.] And someone should try to keep the children from it. Small mercies.

[ooc: IC announcement for this!]

Comments

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

What result?

[realitymods]

What else could it be but death?

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

But why?

[somehow he makes it sound both petulant and sincere, because this is not computing for him]

What reason would there be for such a spectacle if it's not a question of the fight or the honour of the contenders. [thinks this over some more] Is there a war that I'm not aware of?

[realitymods]

Many, your highness, and even some that are relevant to this combat.

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

What is being fought for?

[realitymods]

Not land, but power and freedom, the two intertwined.

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

Power and freedom over what?

[realitymods]

Everything.

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

That's extremely ambitious. Do I even want to ask how challenges such as these would help anyone achieve such a lofty goal?

[realitymods]

Probably not. Will you?

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

How do the challenges here help anyone achieve these goals?

[realitymods]

I suppose you will. In that case, they want people dead, and apparently someone thought it was a good idea to make a tournament out of it. I'm sure you understand that particular sentiment, your highness.

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

And instead of challenging us himself, he has thought to pit us against each other. I cannot understand the sentiment at all, and I'm not sure why you might think I would.

[realitymods]

No? But you have public executions and you all come out to watch fights to the death.

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

Public executions are for prisoners, and fights to the death are usually agreed upon by the contenders in some fashion. This is neither.

[realitymods]

But they are all entertainment, your highness.

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

I would not call any of it public entertainment, particularly when death is on the line. The needs of a kingdom are not always pleasant, but some things are necessary.