Notice of Outback closing, and temporary relocation

[DoF Archive]

Date: 6/17/2000 11:47 PM Central Daylight Time
From: HOST DFC Ria


A hastily erected bulletin board stood outside the space where the doors once were to the Outback, wood sloppily nailed together. It leaned slightly to the side as Ria stood on tiptoes, posting a sign regarding the closing of the Outback. Later that day, the latest edition of standings would be posted before both papers would be encased in a clear plastic-like material, to protect them from theft and
the elements. The woman glanced over the notice, nodding before she moved through the hole, into the Outback.

The notice reads:



Outback Closed for renovations!

As of June 15, the Duel of Fists will not be taking place in the Outback, due to renovations within the building.

Dueling will take place during normal hours at one of the following locations:

The Silent Dragon Dojo, or the RhyDin Free Park

To get to the Silent Dragon Dojo: Follow the road behind the Red Dragon Inn until you pass the Single's Bar, then take a left. Continue until you reach the Orphanage, then go right, down the Alley. At the end is the Silent Dragon Dojo, and across the street is the Park.

We apologize for any inconvenience during this time.

- The Duel of Fists Staff -



((OOC: The description of both the Dojo and the Park are in the next post. ))

[DoF Archive]

Date: 6/17/2000 11:50 PM Central Daylight Time
From: HOST DFC Ria


Nestled between a seedy inn to the left and an abandoned workshop to the right lies the Silent Dragon Dojo. Once the area flourished, trade and business abundant, but after the hoodlums claimed the space as their own, slowly the well-to-do citizens left, taking their business to safer places. Street urchins patrol the area, looking to catch the unwary off-guard, and relieve others of their purses. Much of their time
was spent loitering in the "park" across the street, a place that long ago was filled with the delightful scent of roses and fruit trees in full bloom, but now stands as a wild untamed forest of weeds and tall grasses.

Entering the dojo itself, much of the large open room is covered by a once-comfortable thick blue mat, the covering having gone to waste in its time of disuse, several gaping holes throughout showing the wooden floor below. The roof sags, hole-ridden in some places, appearing to be ready to break if one crashes too hard into the walls. The walls themselves are of brick, and fading. Windows, yellow with grime, have been shut and locked, rusted in
the frames, and would prove difficult to open for any wishing fresh air.

The air itself is stale, there being little means to circulate, and the dust stirs only slightly when trod upon. On the far wall, one sign remains of the dojo's former glory, a set of three metal swords in elaborate sheaths ... oddly, they do not show any signs of aging among this dilapidated space. A door in the far left corner hangs open, it leading to both an office and a changing room. The showers and sinks in the changing room run red water,
the pipes having rusted in the time unused, and sometimes a cricket or cockroach just might drop into view. The office, however, is clean and livable; someone has taken up temporary residence there.

Several rotting banners of ancient characters hang limply from the walls, stained with age. For those knowledgable in the ancient languages, they might recognize the meaning of five of these once majestic banners. Each symbolizes an element -- Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Metal. The sixth, however, seems to have no translation, and lies crumpled at the floor, near the door.

[DoF Archive]

Date: 6/24/2000 6:35 PM Central Daylight Time
From: JakeThrash



A Pit Where a Pit Ought to Be



Jake hummed tunelessly to himself as he tossed his tools into the back of a wagon. The pick clattered as it fell on the shovels. After the tools went bundles of wooden stakes, each of them four feet long, their points studiously sharpened and then fire-hardened in preparation for use. If the duels were going to be taking place elsewhere until the Outback could be rebuilt, it didn't make sense to deprive everyone of a dueling pit.

The orc set out from the brewery, mission in mind, still humming tunelessly as headed to the Silent Dragon Dojo. The place was a dump, which sort of suited the orc, it added an element of surprise to the dueling. One never knew when the rotten wood might crumble and cause a fall. Still, since they were trying to fix the place up, which made it seem the Dojo might be in use for a while, Jake felt it was his duty to make sure the place had a decent pit. A good proper orcish style fighting pit, yes, that was what the dojo needed.

The orc wound through the dirt streets of Rhydin, eventually bringing the wagon to a halt in front of the dojo. Since it was just at the onset of night, the streets were already empty. There was no one about to disturb his work, which also meant there was no one around to help dig, either. The orc sighed, it would have been so much easier in the old days. Round up some of his buddies in arms, raid a nearby village, capture a few slaves, and then supervise them doing the work with a barbed whip at the ready. Those were the old days though, and the locals seemed to frown upon orcish methods of labor recruitment.

The orc set about his work, selecting a plot across the street from the dojo. What was it they called it? A "park," that had been the word they used. Jake figured that must mean "empty land with no use." Well, now it would have a use.

The earth broke easily under the impact of the heavy pick. It looked as if there would not be too many rocks to deal with in excavating the area. Since the location was just temporary, the pit didn't need to be especially complicated. First a simple hole, ten feet deep, thirty feet in diameter. The orc actually dug a bit deeper than that, so that he could lay in a layer of crushed rock to help disperse water should it ever rain. First tamping
down the earth, making it as hard as possible, then a layer of crushed rock, more dirt and tamping, more rock, and finally refilling the bottom of the pit with several inches of good dirt to "soften the falls" of duelers.

He did what he could to reinforce the walls of the pit, but again, they didn't need to be perfect since the pit wasn't permanent. Jake then clambered out of the pit. Ten feet was just about right. Shallow enough for a regular-sized person to climb out of, but deep enough to give the pit a good feel. The orc tossed his shovels into the back of the wagon and dragged out the bundles of wooden stacks. This was what the Outback's pit had always lacked to give it a genuine feel. He took the sharpened spikes back to the pit and began setting them into the holes he had already prepared for them around the mouth of the pit.

The spikes were mostly for show. Mounted in the earth only a foot below the pit's rim, and angled upward, the spikes would never affect a duel, unless someone got tossed really high, but they satisfied the orc's sensibilities. They gave the pit a look of respectability.

After setting the last of the wooden stakes, the orc stepped back to survey the effect. A ring of sixteen blackened wooden stakes surrounded the mouth of the pit, reaching up into the air, almost like the mouth of a giant worm or leech ready to swallow up anything tossed into its mouth. Jake was satisfied. A few benches placed around the pit for spectators and the pit would be ready to go.

The orc yawned as the light of day began to break. His muscles were sore, but the feeling was good. Hard work was good for a warrior. It kept the muscles in shape, and helped to build stamina. Jake shook his head briefly. If only he could enslave a few local villages, they would see how effective slavery and hard labor was for keeping in shape.

Jake tossed the last of his tools into the back of the wagon and climbed back up onto the seat. With a shake of the reins and a growl the horses set off down the street, back towards the brewery. After another yawn, the orc reminded himself to send a message to Matt to let him know the new pit was ready for use.