A Spellbook (Wizard) (Lawful Nuetral)

What to expect: A parodic take on the mysteries of the arcane and learning the rules of magic, if the rules of magic were written by perverts.

You look past all of these barbaric weapons, as they will clearly not break through the metal bars, and are used only by unintelligent brutes. Not you though, you know that whatever the answer is to get out of here must involve your mind, which you have sharpened with great care over the decades. You find the perfect weapon of the mind; wrapped in leather and hung against the wall by a hook is a spellbook. You remove it from its trappings and quickly flip through the pages and become frustrated just as rapidly. The work is incomplete, as most of its pages are blank. While this would at first be disheartening, a more careful second look through the spellbook grants you greater benefits, as you find what appears to be a disillusion spell, perfect for the moment in question. The fundamentals of it are easily understood, and with focus, you successfully cast the spell, causing the small room you are in to fade away.

Relief turns to panic, as you are out of the trial and entered the gauntlet. Clothed in plain robes, you find soft sand beneath your feet and the hot sun above your head, surrounded by a high circular wall and hundreds of screaming fans. Somehow, you've stumbled into a combat arena, and you're the contestant of the hour. Or maybe it's the other guy that's the person to root for; you aren't sure. He at least looks like a combatant; short but well muscled, full of anger and malice, but not a hint of cognitive function. You've heard of these brutes before, but never met one; a bugbear. On the totem pole of intellect, they just below that of goblins and trolls, where it's uncertain if one can even call them sentient.

Hoping to avoid this, you return to your spellbook, finding the spell you had just used has vanished! Frantically, you flip through the pages, and are relieved that you find exactly what it is that you need to resolve this problem.

With the blaring of a great trumpet heralding the beginning of the match, the crowds cheer even louder. The bugbear has enough sense to recognize that the battle has begun as well. In another moment, you'd wonder if it understood that on its own or if it had to be trained to recognize that. Today though, intellectual curiosity has to take a backseat to self preservation, as the monstrous humanoid charges at you with full speed, armed with a spiked maul that would surely kill you in one strong swipe. You hold your position until the last moment and leap out of the way, knowing it can't change course that quickly. You lose sight of him for a moment as you tumble, recover to see the bug bear still charging, carried by inertia. With its back towards you, this is the best opportunity you'll have and seize it, as conjured bolts of magical energy move from your hands towards the creature with great speed. They make their impact, and the enemy is clearly injured, but still standing. You don't know if you'd be able to cast the spell again successfully, finding a new approach, trying to outsmart him. You move towards the perimeter of the arena, with the wall behind you. Hurt and ****, the bugbear approaches slowly at first, closing the distance between you, than makes another hard charge. You get out of the way again, this time the beast running straight into the the wall of the arena without the time to slow down. He staggers after the impact and collapses. You're unsure if you've killed it or just knocked it out, but you have at least survived the fight, and heralded as such by the cheering audience.

Leaving the arena, you're handed a heavy purse of coins, your share of the bets made. Exiting the arena, you find yourself in the city of Ispola, an independent city-state in the deep deserts, known both for its high trade and its low criminals. For everything wrong with this place, there's also opportunity. One who knows back channels could easily find certain items or services prohibited in neighboring kingdoms. An inspired crafter could make a successful business here selling and trading unique goods. A wizard's college is also found here, having served as a haven for knowledge amid the chaos in the surrounding area, although access to that knowledge is said to come with a price.