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Frost, with Tiam

Now that was what he was hoping for! Frost watched as Tiam rushed ahead, immediately moving into the middle of the pack. She was a prima donna and no mistake, how a snake could be like that was beyond him but there she went! She was not in first yet, but if that last move was any indication, she might very well win this race. Her impossibly black scales glittered like radiant voids of emptiness as she slithered along the track. Frost couldn't fully make her out at this distance but he had trained her well enough to know the look her eyes right now. It would not be out of the question for her to try and eat one of her opponents right about now. Deep down, he kind of hoped she would. Either way, she was moving brilliantly, faster than he had expected her.
She was hungry really, whatever Frost thought, she was just hungry. She knew the fastest way to get fed was to finish this race. She had passed a few snakes that seemed more eager to jump in holes or go backwards along the way. Perhaps she should try to eat them, put them out of their misery. It would only be fair for these amateurs.

A Roll, por favor

"Great, I knew it" Aelflaed growled as her useless racer turned round and went back the way she had come. Then she paused, thinking. Maybe it was her negativity that caused Loroth to misbehave. Maybe she should try and be pleasant and encouraging. "Er, Loroth, go, you are an excellent serpent." she thought a moment longer. "Er, ssssstick it to 'em, sssnakey" she yelled, trying to be encouraging but not sure exactly what a lava snake would find motivating.

A roll please

Nerwen with Phoebe

Phoebe whipped around and bit the snag hard on the ankle. She sank her fangs into the tough, hardened flesh which came towards her at heavy speed and squeezed with all the muscles and strength she could summon. The lava snake was fuming (literally) she had been burnt, smashed into a rock and now stepped on. Enough was enough! She was a Lava Snake of Mordor for badness sake! Relaxing her coils and leaving two sizeable puncture marks behind, Phoebe slithered on.

B roll please

Azshla w/Mdzzk

The lava snake hissed as her luck seemed to be running entirely against her. True, she was still in the lead, but not by much and there were many behind her close enough to taste the dust her scales threw into the air as she slithered along. The slightest problem could cause her to lose the narrow lead she held. As if on cue, a piglet suddenly dashed onto the course in front of her. Her hissing turned angry as she paused to collect her muscled body into a tight coil and sprung at him, sinking her fangs deep into his fat little rump. He squealed loudly, but Mdzzk not only didn't care, but was quite satisfied that her annoyance at being slowed down was revenged. It was a shame her venom was so poisonous, otherwise he would have made a nice bacon breakfast for Azshla. Of course, the raven haired daughter of the Harad had created an anti-venom, but did it work on an already dead animal? She didn't bother to find out as she quickly zoomed past the dying critter as she struggled to keep her lead. Soooo close to the finish line, she thought, yet so far away. Out of the corner of one beady eye, she saw Azshla asking an official if she could have the piglet carcass. Maybe someone would be having some bacon after all.

B Roll, please!

Nerwen, with Phoebe - B Roll - 20 - You must have gotten quite a thirst for biting things after destroying that snaga's ankle, because as soon as you spot a succulent mushroom sprouting ahead you slither over and take a giant bite out of it! Unfortunately for you, it's the hallucinogenic kind. Deal with your trip and make your final roll!

Aelfaed, with Loroth - A Roll - 1 - Move backwards. Lame.

Aghbagh, with Windy - no roll

Glasha, with Zorp - A Roll - 5 - Move backwards. Booooo!

Bob the Troll, with Tom Willbert - no roll

Garbanzo Beangurtz, with Little Gairie - no roll

Sssstanley, with himself - B Roll - 20 - You and Phoebe have the same taste in mushrooms (weird). You take a bite out of one after all your efforts, but unfortunately it's the hallucinogenic kind. Deal with your trip and make your final roll!

Azshla, with Mdzzk - B Roll - 16 - Are you serious? Move forward!

Gorfank, with Slizzer - A Roll - 5 - Move backwards. Hisssss!

Frost, with Tiam - A Roll - 2 - Move forward!

Regdush, with Blinky - B Roll - 13 - I'm not even kidding, you rolled the buzzard again. Have fun and then make your final roll!

Aelflaed threw her hands up in the air and yelled "I give up!" to whoever would listen. If she was mean to the snake, she did poorly; if she was angry with the snake, she did poorly; if she was nice to the snake, she did poorly. Apparently trying the full range of human emotions to get this snake moving in the right direction was not getting her very far. What on earth were you supposed to do to motivate a blasted lava snake anyway?!
She paced up and down in frustration. Maybe lava snake racing wasn't the sport for her. At least she hadn't place a bet on this one.
She reached into her pocket to check her coin, after all she couldn't exactly trust the denizens of Mordor to not pickpocket, and her hand touched something that wasn't coin. She pulled out a small canvas pouch - ah, yes! She had packed a snack of dried meat for herself, after all it travelled well and she had come a way from home. An idea dawned on her and she ran from the stands to the arena just ahead of where Loroth was currently in 4th place.

Perhaps the darned snake was hungry...and may be a little food would act as suitable motivation. She threw three pieces of meat down to the ash floor, between Loroth and the finish line, hoping the snake would slither towards them, and therefore towards the finish line.

A roll please

Frost, with Tiam

She would laugh if only snakes possessed the ability to laugh. She truly was an elite lava serpent. How could anyone else deny it now? She had given the entire field a two round head start and she still managed to slither her way into third place. The finish line was in sight! She could taste victory and it tasted like a giant Mordorian rat. If she could have salivated she would have then. With a quick look backwards at the human, she curled and sprang forward, throwing in all her reserve energy into the final round.

A final B Roll, por favor

Azshla w/ Mdzzk

Was she serious? Of course, Azshla wanted the dead piglet that had annoyed and held up her lava snake. Even if he wouldn't make a bacon breakfast, the carcass was still useful. After all, she wasn't a hobbit or an elf, she was an Easterling, and they didn't have the same reservations. Maybe she could even sell it here in Mordor. At least her snake was now ignoring the obstacle, as Mdzzk shot forward once more, destroying the course once again with her speed. Even so, there were several snakes hot on her slithery tail. All she had to do was hold it for a teeny bit longer. This was Mordor, however, and who knew what evil lay in that final stretch. Mdzzk strained, coaxing as much speed out of her muscular body as she could.

B Roll, please!

Picaroon monched away at handful after handful of beetle chips, mostly he was stress eating. He had been hoping Ssstanley was going to come out ahead, but not only had the snake fallen far behind, but he was running into rocks now. This was getting ludicrous. He didn't have high hopes for the last moments of the race, but he wasn't going to leave now.

"Come on, you sssilly sslithery sssnake! Go Ssstanley!"

He had to hand it to the snake, at the very least it was tenacious, and showed no signs of stopping, helped along by having no apparent sense of self preservation.

Nerwen, with Phoebe - no roll

Aelfaed, with Loroth - A Roll - 3 - Move backwards. Lame.

Aghbagh, with Windy - no roll

Glasha, with Zorp - A Roll - 3 - Straight into a tar pit! Eww.

Bob the Troll, with Tom Willbert - no roll

Garbanzo Beangurtz, with Little Gairie - no roll

Sssstanley, with himself - B Roll - 12 - Move forward!

Gorfank, with Slizzer - B Roll - 11 - Right into a pool of acid! Ouch.

Frost, with Tiam - B Roll - 8 - Move forward!

Regdush, with Blinky - B Roll - 3 - Right into a tar pit. Ewww.

Azshla, with Mdzzk - B Roll - 1 - A hungry looking buzzard circles overhead, but it fails to catch you before you... SLITHER ACROSS THE FINISH LINE IN FIRST PLACE!!!

"Well, that's it, I give up" Aelflaed retorted as Loroth went backwards again. "Don't know why I ever thought you were a racing snake, oh yes, because that shifty man in the pub told me and I believed him. Well, you'll be lucky if you ever see a race track again, you useless noodle!" she ranted as she snatched up Loroth from the ground and shoved her in a bag and stalked out of the arena.

Azshla w/ Mdzzk

Azshla smiled triumphantly as Mdzzk slithered across the finish line in first place. It was a shame no one had taken her bet of fifty gold pieces up. Pretending that she had been confident the entire race that they would win, the Easterling sauntered across to the finish with the piglet carcass tossed over one shoulder. A hungry looking buzzard circled overhead, whether for the piglet or for the tired lava snake savoring her victory, she did not know nor particularly care. There would be no lunch for the bird anytime soon. Mddzk on the other hand, eyed the bird hungrily and almost welcomed the challenge. Flaunting her beautiful scales and leaving the other lava snakes eating her sand had given her quite the appetite and she was considerably hungry. Before she decided to turn an unwary suspect into her prey, Azshla scooped her up and twined the serpent around her shoulder and waist, simultaneously offering her a candied mice treat. "Until next time." She bid the course farewell under her breath as she turned her back and departed.

Frost, with Tiam

Second place! Second place! Ha! As Tiam, all slithering grace and poise, crossed the finish line with more than a little room to spare between those left in her dust. Frost lifted her up on his shoulders and paraded her around like the serpent queen of serpent racing she was. If she had feathers she would have been preening, as it were, she stuck her tongue out to the raucous sounds of her victor. Yes she had come in second but, had she really? If one looked closely enough, one would see that she, Tiam the Great, was the true winner of this race. Now she wanted that giant rat she had been promised. In fact, she wanted two. No three. And she wanted a massage. All of these things, she believed, were hers now by right. If every race as this successful, she might make a habit of starting the race on time to truly crush the competition.