# [Halmae] Our Party Picked a Name!   Full story inside!



## spyscribe (May 29, 2006)

So, our group, who I write about in the Welcome to the Halmae, was playing last night, and towards the end of the evening we realized that we needed to infiltrate a coluseum, and the only way to get in was to go undercover as a team of gladiators.

(I'll post a few more details in our story hour thread, for those who are interested.)

But, to be a gladiator team, you need a hook, a gimmick. And most importantly, you need a name.  Thing is, our group doesn't even have a collective adventuring name, let alone a gladiator team name.  After throwing around some alternatives, one of our players pointed out that clearly the thing to do was to ask the story hour forum for their input.

We're a group of six, details below.  We think our best gimmick is that in our group we have holy followers of all four of the Halmae's gods, plus two arcane casters.

I'm putting our short list in as a poll.  Vote for your favorite or suggest your own!

*Current Party Members*


Anvil the Just - Cleric of Kettenek, god of Winter, Law, and Justice.
Thatch - Fighter and member of martial sect devoted to Alirria, goddess of Spring, Water, and Travel.
Giovanna (better known as: Lira) - Sorcerer/Cleric of Ehkt, god of Summer, Fire, and Chaos.
Tandelle - True Neutral Paladin of Sedellus, goddess of Fall, Change, and Luck.
Eva - Rogue and member of the Fortune Riders, a sect of Sedellus.
Rilke - Wizard/Rogue evocationist, pantheist.


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## Jackylhunter (May 29, 2006)

Woot, first reply...I win...errr Something like that.


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## jerichothebard (May 29, 2006)

Well, since "Team Unable to Make Up Our Collective Minds and Just Pick a God" is a little too long to fit on a jersey, I go with Season's Vengance.


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## Baron Opal (May 29, 2006)

I'll throw my hat into the _Godstorm_ ring.


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## el-remmen (May 29, 2006)

Either Godstorm, or "_The Deciders. . ._"

I chose "Other" for. . . _The Deciders_.


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## babomb (May 29, 2006)

spyscribe said:
			
		

> “How about Dar Aego?” Thatch asks with a derisive snort.
> 
> Moira’s eyes light up. “Oh yes, I’ve been there several times. The architecture is stunning, just absolutely incredible! Have you ever seen the gladiatorial arena?”
> 
> ...





			
				Fajitas said:
			
		

> She had heard the players grousing about how much they hated Dar Aego, and she'd heard me grousing about how the PCs never went to the really cool gladiatorial arena there to earn more money.  Thatch's player muttered something about Dar Aego, and she said the above without missing a beat.  I just about fell out of my chair laughing.





			
				Piratecat said:
			
		

> I bet modrons fight there.




Clearly, Kettenek's Justice demands that your team (or one of the ones you fight) be called The Modrons.

Or you could be the Pantheistic Champions (PCs for short).


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## Murasame (May 29, 2006)

Personally, I'm kinda partial to "The Hammers of Justice".  After all, hammers and Anvil(s) go together like stink on an ogre!  Or...um...something.  ;3


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## Sirya (May 29, 2006)

*... and the stranger says..*

Divine Right

I like it.. and it seems to fit the best as far as I've read.


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## Orichalcum (May 30, 2006)

I vote for "Holy Smiters." I still have a vivid memory of WisdomlikeSilence trying out that spell for the first time, in the early days of 3rd Ed, with the comment, "Ah, it's Detect Evil with Extreme Prejudice."


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## Piratecat (May 30, 2006)

Well, I voted for Divine Right... but really, I want Divine Might. It seems more ass-kicky, and less preachy.


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## Sirya (May 30, 2006)

OOOOOH Divine Might sounds good too..


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## Dolza (May 30, 2006)

*what Piratecat said*

I think Divine Might would be a great name for you guys.  More martial for the arena.  You wanna strike fear into the heart of your opponent, not convert him to your cause.

dolza


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## Piratecat (May 30, 2006)

Dolza said:
			
		

> You wanna strike fear into the heart of your opponent, not convert him to your cause.



 Unless your cause is kicking his ass. Kettenek’s justice demands it!

I'm just saying, is all.


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## The_Warlock (May 30, 2006)

The Gods Fist
The Six of Seasons
Faith & Steel
Heaven's Storm

Of course, that's not really knowing if anybody has a schtick, since we don't know all these characters due to story hour vs current group delay. But if Anvil is involved, it should include Faith and Beatdowns in some way...


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## A'vandira Silvermane (May 30, 2006)

Since nearly all characters are involved with religion in an active role, religion or god/divine should be included in the name. Paraphrasing T_O_W: The Fist of the Gods or something like Hammer of the Gods. I like Murasama's suggestion about Hammers of Justice, but that might give the impression Anvil is the most important character <ducks to avoid the storms of protest / agreement>  , whereas Hammer of the Gods is more neutral in that respect.


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## doghead (May 30, 2006)

I personally like understatement, self depreciation even. There is nothing worse than loosing a trivia game to a group called 'Low IQ' ... er, for example.

Inspiration, however, escapes me.

thotd


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## mother1219 (May 30, 2006)

Another vote for: "Other: Divine Might"


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## StevenAC (May 30, 2006)

*What are your singing voices like?*

"All'opra -- dagli, martella!"
(_"To work -- strike, my hammer!"_)

I give you...

*The Anvil Chorus*!


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## spyscribe (May 30, 2006)

Thanks for the suggestions and votes everyone.  Keep 'em coming.  Better than many of ours that *didn't* make the short list (The Diversity Bunch, Title IX, Mosaic, The Defenders of Daybreak...)


			
				The_One_Warlock said:
			
		

> But if Anvil is involved, it should include Faith and Beatdowns in some way...



 Funny enough, so far Anvil's main reaction has been to shake his head, and quietly mutter, "This is *so* undignified..."


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## The_Warlock (May 30, 2006)

spyscribe said:
			
		

> Funny enough, so far Anvil's main reaction has been to shake his head, and quietly mutter, "This is *so* undignified..."




As it should be...he just wouldn't be the uber-lawful we've come to know and love in the Halmae storyhour if he didn't. Reminds me of a monk I used to play whose primary body language when his party suggested plans was slumped shoulders and a shaken head.

For amusement...how about the Holy Hexad...chuckle


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## Nonlethal Force (May 30, 2006)

Of the ones given, I like Divine (M)Right best.  But I chose other.  I always like names that describe what is going to happen to the enemy.  Something like ...

Fade to Black

or ...

Entrails Exposed [Ewww ... not this one]

or ...

Severing Heads (Guillotine (sp?), perhaps?)

or ...

Dismembered.

Hmmm ... of those four I like Fade to Black and Dismembered.  *Fade to Black* is just a cool concept.  *Dismembered* has so many different levels of meaning to it, though!


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## Angcuru (May 30, 2006)

Godstorm works well since all of the elements are involved in storms, and storms = power etc.  I like this one.  Divine Right sounds a bit preachy, but Divine Might is probably a good fit just like Godstorm.  I think there's a catch however, since while it fits the party persona, you're invariably going to have people in the game world who see these titles as arrogant.  On the other hand, you could have people seeing them as trying to bring the faiths together, or showing how there is mutual cooperation among them, although that seems to be the case already in the Halmae.  Mixed feelings, tension among the fans, good stuff.

I think it would be a good idea to throw in a _Dar_ there somewhere as a tip of the hat to their work (essentially) on behalf of the Confederacy.

So I'm thinking:

_Dar Godstorm_
_Dar Godstorm's Might_ (maybe a bit lengthy)


Or you could go with Dar H.A.L.M.A.E. *acronym from aspects of the four gods*


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## el-remmen (May 30, 2006)

I still like "The Deciders".

Short and sweet, and plus you guys decide stuff and help facilitate decision (as in your role choosing the school chancelor) and are all about moral forthrightness (well, mostly).

I can just see you in your professional wrestling poses barking out to the crowd, "Who decides? We decide.  We are the Deciders!"


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## The_Warlock (May 31, 2006)

Angcuru said:
			
		

> I think it would be a good idea to throw in a _Dar_ there somewhere as a tip of the hat to their work (essentially) on behalf of the Confederacy.
> 
> So I'm thinking:
> 
> ...




On a similar note, you could use words not from english. The Darine Confederacy has that Greek city-state feel - maybe look up from current or ancient greek - the Darines would get it, but it'd sound somehow more "in world" to us mere watchers.

Theikos = divine, or rough equivalent
Trykimia = storm, etc

So Dar Trykimia is roughly the Darine Storm, essentially you are the power of the storm sent across the Darine Confederacy, etc etc...

A greek-english translator:
http://www.kypros.org/cgi-bin/lexicon


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## Sundog (May 31, 2006)

I voted for Divine Right, but "The Gnome Pimpers" sounds better to me.


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## weiknarf (Jun 2, 2006)

godsmack


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## dpdx (Jun 8, 2006)

Section Eight [, Paragraph J, SubParagraph 12.9 of the Universal Law Caucus.]


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## Brogarn (Jun 8, 2006)

I gotta go with "Divine Might" as well.


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## KidCthulhu (Jun 8, 2006)

I agree with el-Rem, I like Deciders. All the other names have a little too much swagger for this group.  They imply that you guys speak for the gods.  And as is very clear from this SH, you're much more like their playthings than their favored avatars.  The other names are (not to start a political debate) a little too Dubya for you guys.


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## el-remmen (Jun 8, 2006)

KidCthulhu said:
			
		

> I agree with el-Rem, I like Deciders.




It feels good when someone's got your back!


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## Monty Tomasi (Jun 8, 2006)

My suggestions are: 

"Dinive Intervention"

Saved at the last moment by the grace of gods, these gladiators have a knack of pulling off an almost miraculous recovery when it looks like their down and out. But never underestimate the fickleness of the gods my friends, intervention can be very beneficial - or it can also go really badly. Whatever the outcome, these gladiators will have you on the edge of your seat no matter what.

"Can You Hear Thunder?"

For the second to work you'd need a herald to stir up the crowd by getting them to stamp their feet and clap their hands, this would work best after a number of victories have already been scored. The herald works the crowd up in to a frenzy and (perhaps magically augmented) the gladiators enter the arena with a thunderous roar to inspire the fans and intimidate the enemy.

Think of the beginning of "Knight's Tale" combined with "Wild Thing" from Major League.


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## spyscribe (Jun 10, 2006)

Monty Tomasi said:
			
		

> "Can You Hear Thunder?"
> 
> For the second to work you'd need a herald to stir up the crowd by getting them to stamp their feet and clap their hands, this would work best after a number of victories have already been scored...



 Yeah, but to engineer an entrance like that, we could look into paying people.


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## Eridanis (Jun 17, 2006)

Count my vote for "Divine Might."

Alternatively, I rather like "Friends of Bob," myself, but that wouldn't exactly inspire fear in your enemies...

(I'm madly consuming StevenAC's fantastic pdfs of this SH and loving every minute of it... should be caught up by the end of tonight's train ride home!)


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## spyscribe (Jun 28, 2006)

_Thanks for your input everyone!  We wound up going with a variant on one of the poll options, inspired by the Divine M/Right suggestions.

What happened next?  Imagine that somewhere in Dar Aego, someone is writing an early 20th Century American newspaper.  Then imagine that this piece was buried on page 6.  If you read the story hour there might be minor spoilers, but nothing beyond what's already been revealed in this thread._


*Mystery Gladiators Make First Appearance*

The odds-makers are going to have to go back to their abacuses because scant days before the opening of this year’s sixteenth anniversary Dar Aego Games there’s been a change in the usual line-up.  Coming out of… we’re not sure really… *Seasons Fury* fought their first bout last night, beating al-Assal’s Siren’s Call in a nail-biter.

Turn-out was sparse for the hastily-organized exhibition match where the two teams fought for the right to represent The House of al-Assal in the Games.  Initially, it looked to be an easy victory for the Call, befuddling the other side with a _rainbow pattern_ followed by a well-placed _confusion_ by Essanis that had the Fury scrambling, babbling, and attacking nearly everyone except their opponents.  Ouch!

However, all that changed when Random—one of the self-styled autumnal “Shadow Sisters”—lit-up the opposing enchantress with a shocker of a _lightening bolt_.  That certainly got an indifferent crowd’s attention!  Especially when, in al-Assal’s practice-sized ring, the _bolt_ sizzled into the stands behind the home team’s gate!  That’s a tactic that won’t go over in the big arena.  While not nearly so flashy, observers-in-the-know opined after the match that Random’s follow-up _dispel magic_, that nixed her counterpart’s _confusion_ spell, was what really saved the Fury’s season.

After all, just moments earlier, the Call’s Leeos thought he had found easy prey in Summer Storm who, surrounded by al-Assal’s notorious twin monks and her own befuddled allies, had beat a hasty retreat across the arena.  She certainly seemed a more tender morsel than Hammer of Justice who Leeos had just left lying unconscious on the sand.  

And indeed, the _enlarged_ Leeos was just closing in for his trademark death-clinch (always a crowd-pleaser) when the _dispel_ went off and Might of Spring, apparently clear-headed for the first time during the bout, came charging in on his mighty steed.  With a single stroke he cut the giant grappler down to size and brought the crowd to their feet.  Even from the stands it was clear Might of Spring had laid out a serious injury and reports later confirmed it was a death-blow.

With half of their number now down for the count, the Call just could not regain the momentum they had so decisively seized at the beginning of the match.  While Miol, no doubt wanting to avenge her brother, fought to the end, the Seasons full Fury soon forced surrender from her and Sillas.

Personal fans of the twins Lios and Mial will be relieved to hear that al-Assal has assured this reporter that he plans to have Lios _raised_ and he and his sister, along with the rest of Siren’s Call, will be resuming their non-gladiatorial duties at The House of al-Assal in the very near future.  As always, all members of the Call are available for personal encounters only to select clientele and only by appointment.

But it looks like we’ll *all* be seeing more of Seasons Fury—and you, readers—at the games!

*Sidebar Story*

Who are these new challengers, and how will they fare in the big area?  Their new manager, al-Assal, is close-lipped with the details, but this match provided some tantalizing hints.  The team captain is known as Tandelle Dakara, The Thanean Threat, but she’s not leading an army like any *we*’ve seen before.  

Tandelle seems young for a leadership role, but she’s tough in a scrap, and swings a flail like she means business.  The Hammer of Justice looks to become one of those fighters the crowds love to hate, and he’s certainly fearless, being knocked unconscious twice and still coming back for more.  

We’d love to say something about Random’s “shadow sister” Chance, but since she went invisible shortly after the fight began, we’ll just comment that we think that was her carving chunks out of Tandelle’s mount… and we hope she was _confused_ while she did it!  Might of Spring is a sword swinger to be reckoned with.  

Oddly enough, while the last seasonal fighter, Summer Storm wears a holy symbol of Ehkt, she looks to be pretty handy with a _magic missile_.  But did we really see her *familiar* healing Hammer of Justice to bring him back into the fight?  Looks like these Seasons are going to be full of surprises.


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## spyscribe (Jun 28, 2006)

So yeah, our final decision basically came down to picking a name that would let us pick cool gladiator alter-egos to go by at the same time.  

Here's the back-page bit on the other teams in the tournament:

*The Field of Twenty-Four*

As expected, last year’s champions, Auric’s Warband, are still considered the team to beat.  With Siren’s Call out of the running, it could mean there’s room for the Darine Dragoons to move up, but al-Assal’s replacement team, Seasons Fury, remains so far unranked by the official handicappers (see related story).  For those always after the longshot, the Woodchuckers promise to pay handsomely if they come through for the glory.

_Teams are followed by their betting odds by rank.  Read the ratio x pays y.  For example, 1 gp on Arcane Fury pays 5 gp if they win._

Arcane Fury 1:5
Auric’s Warband 10:1
Bloody Brood 3:1
Darine Dragoons 1:3

Desert Sistren 2:1
Drunken Devilry 1:3
Gutter Rats 1:2
Iron Monkeys 1:3

Ketkath Killers 1:3
Last Ones Standing 1:3
Mother’s Revenge 1:1
Night Owls 1:5

Nothing to Lose 1:2
Pitch Blade 5:1
Sapphire Squad 1:1
Siren’s Call* 1:3

Snow Leopards 1:2
The Crazy Eight 1:2
The Fisthammers 1:2
The Gravediggers 1:3

The Lady’s Shieldwomen 1:5
The Phalanx 1:2
The Righteous Warriors Backed by the Lord’s Holy Might 1:1
The Woodchuckers 1:10


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## Fajitas (Jun 28, 2006)

spyscribe said:
			
		

> *The Field of Twenty-Four*
> 
> As expected, last year’s champions, Auric’s Warband, are still considered the team to beat.



Which, for anyone keeping score and reading Dungeon (or one of the Age of Worms Story Hours) carefully, should be enough to tell you that we're currently playing through a slightly modified version of "The Champion's Belt", from Dungeon 128.

Giving credit where it's due.


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## el-remmen (Jun 28, 2006)

spyscribe said:
			
		

> *Mystery Gladiators Make First Appearance*




Cool, but it doesn't seem to match up with the level of magic as presented in the story hour.  Will the intervening installments of Welcome to the Halmae explain the prevalence of _raise dead_ and _lightning bolts_?


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## doghead (Jun 28, 2006)

> Oddly enough, while the last seasonal fighter, Summer Storm wears a holy symbol of Ehkt, she looks to be pretty handy with a magic missile. But did we really see her familiar healing Hammer of Justice to bring him back into the fight? Looks like these Seasons are going to be full of surprises.




This sounds suspiciously like Lira. Who is dead. Or not perhaps.

thotd


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## Fajitas (Jun 28, 2006)

el-remmen said:
			
		

> Cool, but it doesn't seem to match up with the level of magic as presented in the story hour.  Will the intervening installments of Welcome to the Halmae explain the prevalence of _raise dead_ and _lightning bolts_?



Yep.  And remember, of course, that as in our world, "pleasure palaces" are always the early adopters that really help new technologies take off...


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## Orichalcum (Jun 28, 2006)

Fajitas said:
			
		

> Yep.  And remember, of course, that as in our world, "pleasure palaces" are always the early adopters that really help new technologies take off...




So true. I mean, I can quote you Roman graffiti talking about how hot gladiators are - though generally they got their fun more in the celebrity athlete way than as brothel slaves...


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## Fajitas (Jun 30, 2006)

Orichalcum said:
			
		

> So true. I mean, I can quote you Roman graffiti talking about how hot gladiators are - though generally they got their fun more in the celebrity athlete way than as brothel slaves...



Patience, patience.  It's only the gladiators who are also brothel slaves that get their fun in the brothel slave way.  The celebrity athlete gladiators get their fun in the celebrity athlete way.

*looks at what he just wrote*

My god, I've become *that* GM...


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## Orichalcum (Jun 30, 2006)

Fajitas said:
			
		

> My god, I've become *that* GM...




Sorry for the accidental encouragement.


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