2017 Gubernatorial Cage Match Pre-Game Party

[Mairead Harker]

((Originally posted between Sep 25, 2017 and Sep 30, 2017))



Maggie coordinated with two of her aunts to get the party together. Come Saturday night, there would be a larger than usual buffet set up in the common room of the inn. Food from Nicole's Bistro and Divine Delights Bakery were being given away for free.

Banners with Duel of Fists greats like Billy Ray Karnafexx hung from the rafters. Maggie had met Billy Ray once and was in a bit a fan girl state at the time. Replicas of his sap gloves hung on either side of his banner. Claire Farron, it was Gallows now, was pictured with a diamond on either side of her banner. Maggie grinned, she had found a pair of tiny boxing gloves and was planning to tuck them into a gift basket for baby Jake.

Nicole and Ariana had divided the cooking and baking, they worked well together. The women had mastered the art of keeping out of each other's way in the kitchen to produce delightfully tasting dinners and desserts. Nicole had learned cookie baking with Ariana and not her mother as one might think. Maggie, too, had developed her cookie baking skills at Ariana's knee. Colleen stayed out of their way. Rhiannon sat with her mother discussing a few plans that she and Eregor had for the baby that was due in January.

Beginning at 8:00PM transportation was at the ready for anyone that was headed to the Cage Match.

[Mairead Harker]

The logo of the Rhydin Sports Network appeared on screen before a young girl wearing a headset came into view. She tapped the side of on earphone with a fingertip then nodded as a voice reminded her that she was now on the air.

"Hello, Rhydin sports fans! I'm Maggie Harker, Baroness of Old Market, and we're coming to you live from the Cardinal Inn! This is the pre-game party for the 2017 Gubernatorial Cage Match. This shindig is sponsored by Nicole's Bistro and Pizzeria over in Old Temple along with Divine Delights Bakery in the Marketplace. Come out and enjoy some free food and fun. At eight p.m., we're going to start ferrying folks up to the Cage Match."

The camera panned the commons and focused on the buffet and dessert trays for a moment before returning to Maggie. She held up the appropriate amount of fingers for each amount of titles. "With us, now, we have two time Overlord, four time current Baroness, Mage Emeritus, three time current Keeper, two time Opal holder, two time Diamond, and the host for tonight's match, Claire Gallows! Welcome, Claire!"

Saving the glitz and glam for later in the evening, Claire had elected a more casual look for the pre-match party, consisting of jeans and a nondescript t-shirt, her hair tied into a loose tail over one shoulder. With Maggie's introduction she donned a bright smile for the camera. "Hi Maggie, thanks for having me!"

"What are your thoughts on tonight's Cage Match? Does anyone stand out as a possible winner?"

"Jesse comes in with quite a bit of fighting experience in the ring and she's, uh... definitely a risk taker, if needed. So she's the easy bet, but I don't think Colleen's tenacity and in ring experience or Samuel's element of mystery should be counted out either. We know next to nothing about him both in and out of the ring other than that he can throw a fun party, so he might be one to watch for any wiliness."

"Mr. Drumpf didn't appear for the debate nor has he made any public announcements about his candidacy. Do you think he'll make showing tonight?"

"To be honest, we didn't receive any sort of response from him or his people so instead we named the Missing Candidate cocktail after him and his lacking presence. It's a lovely blend of vodka, lilac liqueur, moon orange, and a tiny sliver of dry ice to make it foggy."

"What can you tell our audience about this year's cage?"

"This one's a bit of a doozy, I think. Our first year, we played it save with a three tiered Crucible. The year after that we had the barbed wire octagon and last year, we had the sand pit. This year, we've put together a twenty-by-twenty plexiglass box of lights and motion with the Discombobulator. The light show is sure to entertain the crowd and confuse the fighters while the ring itself shifts and spins to add an extra element to contend with while Colleen, Jesse, and Samuel square off against each other."

"Kruger, the Anvil, Allen is set to officiate tonight's match. Will his pyrotechnics and music be a part of activities outside of the ring?"

Claire laughed. "Isn't it always? It's been such a pleasure to call these matches with The Anvil nearly every year. I expect plenty of fireworks and shenanigans from him along with some incredibly colorful commentary. Just wait until you see his outfit for tonight!"

"Before we close this segment, we have a little present for you, Claire. For the viewers that haven't heard, yet, Claire and her husband, Cooper, have a brand new baby boy at home! Congratulations!" Two shopping bags were set in front of Maggie. "Looks like we have a few things for, Jake, too!" Maggie held out a wrapped rectangular package about 2 inches by 3 inches.



"Ohhhhh my goodness, how sweet! Cooper's going to love this little hat. For Jake, of course, not him. Thank you, Maggie, and again thank you for having me!"

"Thanks for being with us tonight, Claire!" When Claire was out of the camera's view, Maggie said, "Don't forget, folks, Claire is also the owner of the Sassy Owl Saloon located right here in Old Market. They've got the best Buffalo Wings in Rhydin. If you're a Team Dirty fan, wear your gear and get a 10% discount off your bill."

[Mairead Harker]

A bit later, the camera followed Maggie as she approached Kruger Allen. "Welcome back to pre-game party for the 2017 Gubernatorial Cage Match! This is Maggie Harker again and this time, we have a past holder of the Opal MoonBeryl and the official for tonight's match, Kruger The Anvil Allen with us. Welcome, Kruger!"

It would be difficult to miss him in the multi-spectrum clash of colors he was wearing. "Thank you very much, Baroness and Overlord hopeful, Maggie Harker!" He looked directly at the camera and put on that Anvilicious grin of his. "Don't try to adjust your sets folks, I really do look this way and why not? I've hosted this event three of the last four years, and I really need to make up for the proper attire they put me in last year!"

"What are your thoughts on the match tonight?"

"The way I see it, the physical debates... some people just call it a fight... is as important as the verbal skirmish of last weekend. It's one thing to say you can do things. The Anvil says you have to prove it to him... in a knock down drag out!"

"Do you think any of the candidates has the edge?"

"Experience is always a big factor inside any ring. Those first time jitters can only be compounded by being enclosed... there's nowhere to run. So I'd say the edge goes to Jesse, and Colleen in this. However, tonight the ring may cancel every advantage they have.

"There some fans that have described your style of officiating with all the pyrotechnics and musical soundtrack as flamboyant. Do you consider that a positive or negative commentary?"

"Not only do I think it's positive, it's entirely true... though I'd say flamboyant is a soft sell. I'd have gone with over the top. Do I want all of the fans attention? Of course I do! But it's not just for me... maybe eighty percent is for me... but when I think that they've paid good money for seats, I want to leave them entertained... Win or lose, they always walk out entertained."

"Do you have advice for any of our viewers that might be considering signing up to join the team of Dueling officials?"

"Tons of it, but I'll try to be brief! First piece of advice, don't just consider it, try it. There's plenty of room for substitute callers, and how will you know for sure if it isn't for you if you don't at least try? Secondly, have fun! If you're having a good time, then it's a safe bet that everyone else will have one as well. Lastly... Don't be afraid to have a gimmick... just not pyrotechnics and soundtracks. Those are mine! I'm kidding of course, the more the merrier!"

"Last question for you tonight, Kruger! You have a young son, has he shown any interest in following in your footsteps as a caller or duelist?"

"Well, Maggie, Niko isn't quite five yet so his interests could change. I'll say this much for him though, he does like to try Kratering The Anvil often. I think that says a lot about how he feels now."

Maggie couldn't help but grin. "Thanks again, Kruger, and I look forward to seeing what else you've got cooked up besides that crazy get up!" Maggie turned toward the camera and addressed the viewing audience. "In addition to calling duels, Kruger has a business in the city called Kruger's Exotic Weapons, Armor, & Leather. You can see him there or during the year at the Shanachie Theater where they are gearing up for the current season of productions."

[Mairead Harker]

"Here we are again and I'd like to introduce the former Baroness of Dockside, three Keeper of Fire, two time Keeper of Earth, Mage Emeritus, and one of the competitors for tonight's match, Jesse! Thank for joining me tonight, Jesse." Maggie paused a moment. "Have you got a surname that you use?"

"Through shared memories from the machine I've concluded that, for now, there is no need for any surnames. While past versions may have held them, I view myself as my own person - for the time being - unless I am to die and be recycled again, then who knows. Wait, the question was about surnames? I'll just go with Armstrong. Jesse Armstrong."

"Armstrong it is. Your dueling specialty is Magic. However, you?re also the most experienced Fists duelist going into this match. Who do you think will be the biggest challenge among your possible opponents?"

"Uhh.. I don't know, I just assumed I'd be summoning a golem or something to handle everything. So my biggest challenge would be telling it not to **** up."

"Jesse, do you have a signature Fists move like Jake Thrash and Matt Simon?"

"So there's this thing you can do with your hand.. first you sit on it and make sure it's asleep, right? Then when you to-- Oh, you mean like a thing? Like Matt's spinning back whatever? Yeah. I spit blood in peoples eyes."

"Is there anything you'd like say to the viewers?"

"If there's anyone out there interested in buying an old air-hockey table, come by Twilight Isle. Asking price is around one-hundred, but I can go down to fifty."

"You heard it here, folks. Jesse Armstrong is selling an air-hockey table! Thanks for being with us, tonight, Jesse, and good luck!"

[Mairead Harker]

Maggie waved at the camera. "Hi, again! We're here now with two time Baroness and a recent holder of the Overlord belt, Jewell Ravenlock. Welcome, Lady Ravenlock."

Jewell crossed her legs, one red high heel tapping in the air, and waved at the camera. "Hello RhyDin!"

"I understand that you hold the Emerald rank in Fists. Will you be challenging again for an Opal or waiting for the next Diamond Quest to claim one of the big sparklies?"

She laughed, "I do hold Emerald, but I've been pretty unsuccessful at challenging for an Opal. Andrea beat me more than soundly when I tried for PathFinder this past winter. I think she may have helped me lose my taste for the opals. A Diamond though? They are very sparkly! I do enjoy joining the Diamond Quest, and I've heard somewhere that Diamonds are a girl's best friend? Not sure how true that is! What do you think?"

"Either way, I haven't really thought about what I'm going to do next. I'm pretty sure I'm inactive in Duel of Fists at the moment. I've been a little preoccupied." She shrugged. "If IFL is going to run this year though, expect to see me there."

"You've pretty much been the public relations person for the Samuel Adder campaign this year. What do you think his chances are in tonight's Cage Match?"

"Oh no no, I wouldn't call myself a public relations person for Mr. Adder," she smiled modestly. "I really just have an interest in the election and decided to throw my support, and possibly a portion of my money, in with him. I have business interests to look out for, and I believe voting is a personal choice. We have to give some consideration to the good of the city and some consideration to our own needs. Naturally, there should be a balance between those two." The statement was all rather matter-of-fact. "As for his chances tonight in the ring? I think your grandma is likely to give him a run for his money on this one!"

"You're a well known philanthropist and have been taking part in Rhydin's community activities for several years. I'm sure I'm not the only person curious about this, why are you supporting a dark horse candidate when you could win the office on your own merits?"

The Empress laughed again, "Do you think I could win? I'm not so sure. The truth is, I have no interest in the position at the moment. I have given a lot to this city, and at some point? There's only so much I can give. I'm more interested in supporting someone who I think can give more. I also don't really view Mr. Adder as a dark horse candidate. While he has not been much in the public eye before the election, he has been a successful businessman locally and intergalactically for years now. I think we may limit ourselves at times by looking for leadership from those who revel in the public eye, like I do. Some of us are just glorified socialites, nothing more."

"Just one more question for you, Lady Ravenlock. Is there anything you'd like to say to our audience?"

"Nothing special, honestly." She twisted to better look at the camera instead of Maggie. "Get out and vote if you haven't, RhyDin!"