isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

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EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

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This is the event log for IC comments only! Ask OOC questions/plot/view event notes HERE or use the FAQ for general questions. Click here to view top-level comments only.

SUMMARY: King Arthur needs to go meet with Queen Elphame. Celliwig holds a tournament to invite other people to come with during the communication and celebrate their newfound friendship. A temporary barrier was put up so the river is currently mostly impassible.

After the departure from Celliwig last month, the people of Celliwig have been working hard to make the area around their town safe again from the angered specters. For now, there are makeshift barriers that are preventing anything from crossing the river, dead or alive, except over the Pure of Heart bridge. It will, at the very least, prevent more from coming over and overwhelming the land surrounding Celliwig again.

The city is open and, while the Elphame traders have stuck around to help train people in the proper use and treatment of mounts, the safest way to speak to Elphame is through Celliwig's hall of mirrors. King Arthur, Merlin, and a couple of other members of the royal court entered to speak to Queen Elphame directly in order to find out what information she knew about the Calamity and to begin discussion of what it would take to reclaim Excalibur. With the magics of Avalon having recovered significantly enough to not be at risk of falling apart if some of the otherworlders leave while still maintaining the barrier to keep Avalon safe, they need to begin discussing action.

At the same time, in celebration of King Arthur's arrival and a royal wedding within Celliwig, a tournament is underway! Celliwig's tournaments work a little differently, however, and focus on a little more than just combat skills-- a modern tournament for the modern person. (Though there is fighting as well, of course.) Celliwig's Top Talents Tourney hasn't been held in a good many years since it's been closed off, so everyone is invited to participate. Invitations have been sent to all of Camelot's residents. The tournament categories are as follows:

Cutthroat Cooking - For the chef's out there! Compete against other chefs to show off who has the best culinary skills. All contestants start with 2,500,000G which will be theirs to lose through the course of the tournament. This money can be used to purchase sabotages to use on other chefs throughout the course of the competition.

Vicious Vocals - Singing competition. Anyone may participate, there are no auditions. Each contestant will compete solo first, then have to do a competitive duet with another person who moved onto the second round. The final round involves performing and singing at the same time, so you may want to go find friends to give you tips between each round and help you come up with an awesome set-up that will wow the judges!

Speed Sculpting - This one's for the artists! Celliwig is really big on art, in particular sculpture. Any decent sculpture can be sold whether it wins or loses. Sculpture form can be made with anything you want-- glass, sugar, and ice are popular choices in Celliwig because of the city's aesthetic, but any materials are possible-- plants, stones, clay, chocolate, fabric, whatever you want as long as it stands on its own after you're done creating. (You can use your magic to sculpt if that's what you want.)

Melee Mania - Fight your fellow competitors one-on-one. Weapons and magic are both allowed. Healers will be paid generously for assisting after combat is finished.

Familiar Feud - Let your familiar have a little fun and combat each other! They're the star of the show here and otherworlders are only there in a support role.

Mario Party - It's literally a series of Mario Party games. If you win your block, you move onto the next round and so on. 4 max players per game. If you don't rage quit at any point, you get free energy drinks throughout the day because this party isn't stopping.

Silent Assassin - This competition will take place throughout the course of the tournament. All competitors are kept confidential, but required to wear a hidden body cam so that the experience can be shared online for audience viewing later. All competitors are given fake weapons (paintball guns, rubber knives, and so on) with sensors in them and have to find and "kill" the other competitors throughout the tournament period.

Anyone who shows up to either participate in or watch the tournament will receive 50% off a hotel room and a single (Potion) Counter-curse.

How the tournament will be run is a little different from an OOC standpoint. Any characters can participate, but in order to determine a winner, we will need anyone who thinks their characters skill is great enough to win to comment to the name of the tournament they are entering HERE! If your character would have canon advantages in a category, write +1 advantage in your comment. (So if you are from an idol series, you'll have a leg up on singing, or if your character is a skilled assassin in their canon, they could gain a +1. It won't guarantee they win, but it will give them a leg up so we're not ignoring their skill!) If you do not think your character has any chance at winning, please do not comment. (Someone who's never cooked a day in their life isn't going to magically win the cooking competition, you know?) If you think/want your character to lose even if they may have skills, we do not need your information. This is only an RNG for potential winners. We will RNG the winners from those who comment for each competition as linked.

ICly, anyone who wants to thread any part of it out, go for it! You can thread out watching, you can thread out participating, interfering, anything you want! Thread out having an intimate moment with a healer after a battle, a tearful failure and hurt/comfort consolation, buying a round of vodka flashes for your fellow losers. Whatever you want! Just have fun.

SUMMARY: King Arthur & Co. are still in chambers. A woman shows up and claims they're in danger, argues with Glwelwyd that she saw it despite that those abilities are not possible right now. Players voted to determine the next course of this prompt. (This section may be skipped for prompts now, but is still posted for reference.)

The day after the end of the tournament days, all seems well and peaceful as usual within the city of Celliwig. The mirror hall that King Arthur's party had gone into is still closed shut. The Hall is guarded by a 7 foot tall man with a long, scraggly beard and huge rippling muscles named Glewlwyd IV. (You may have seen him around at past events.) None may enter until negotiations are completed, and it is his sacred duty passed down by his ancestors to ensure that none shall pass his guard. Most in Celliwig won't even try, knowing the futility of such an action, which is why it is particularly peculiar that Gwion can be found yelling outside of the halls that they need to be let in. After an argument and a call to action, some other worlders chose to find Gwion and ask questions.

	"Listen to me, there's something wrong, you need to let someone in there! Look for yourself! I saw it!"
	"Time is frozen, the future cannot be seen. A dream is but a dream, not a prophecy. Disrespect from the people of Celliwig interrupting a meeting of the fae and King Arthur's party would spell much more certain fate.

After one more failed attempt to get past him, the woman stomps off to a nearby bar to blow off some steam, and ends up posting to the AOL Network instead.

The King's party is in danger. No one is allowed in or out, but they're going to die if you don't work together to get past Glewlwyd. You can ask how I know, but it's a real long story and we're real short on time, so I'm kind of going out on a limb here. I'll be at Celliwig's bar if anyone wants more details.

SUMMARY: A very close battle ensues in front of the Hall of Mirrors, with the doors eventually being forced open to reveal a dark, possessed hall. Reflects prey on characters' deepest insecurities and anyone who falls victim to them are trapped within the reflections. King Arthur and the Pure of Heart and Brave of Soul Mirror used to communicate with Elphame are possessed by angry specters trapped on Celliwig's side after the river barrier was put up.

After the drama caused by Gwion's warning, the city of Celliwig is rather unsettled. There's an air of tension thick enough that you could hear a pin drop, and enough people who thought it was more important to protect the integrity and wishes of the fae than to worry about the unlikely chance that a seer had a vision while time was stopped. A large number of people have shown up to stand by Glewlwyd's side and defend the Hall of Mirrors, a show which will not be forgotten by the people of Celliwig... However, the strength in both numbers and battle goes to those wishing to enter the Hall of Mirrors. The battle is strenuous, a mixture of both Celliwig citizens and Camelot's otherworlders, and anyone wishing to play out part of it should put either defense or offense indicators in their prompt title to clearly attract those wishing to play out the fight.

Those who manage to break through the line will make it into the Hall of Mirrors. The first and most notable thing once the door is open is that it's as dark as night. Not at all conditions for a meeting. And it's cold, condensation and fog forming at the door where the freezing night of the hall and the summer heat outside. It is not at all like it was the first time visitors were allowed in to place their Pure of Heart and Brave of Soul crystals in the mirror to communicate with Elphame. There is absolutely something going on, and those on either side of the battle may want to redirect their attention to the Hall. None of the party seems to be seen. Those who dare to venture forward into the hall will find themselves rather quickly at a loss for where the door went. There is a dim light still visible from it, highlighting the other people in the room and the edges of glass and mirrors throughout the hall.

An eerie blue glow reflects through the number of the mirrors, but it seems to move about as if passing impermenantly. Those who try to chase it will find themselves further lost from the entrance, until they find themselves face to face with a reflection that doesn't seem to follow their own movements. This reflection will begin to speak with the character's voice, then immediately target the character's deepest insecurities. Every bad thought that they've thought of themself is fair game. If the character can remain calm and keep moving forward, then they will not fall victim to the trap. However, should they react with a burst of emotion, argue, or be unable to move forward when faced with their own insecurities, they will find themselves trapped in the mirror, replacing the reflection.

Those who manage to pass the mirrors will find themselves at the Pure of Heart and Brave of Soul Mirror. The communication is still open to what appears to be an ornately decorated, natural throne. The Queen is long since gone, having been escorted to safety to keep her safe from the cursed mirrors. Notably, every crystal lining the edge of this mirror seems to have been infected by the blue, almost spectral color. Approached, a chilling laughter echoes from the possessed mirror, but the laughter is finished by King Arthur himself, back turned and facing the mirror. He turns around and wields his sword, ready to defend the mirror, eyes filled with the same blue as the mirror. As more people approach, reflections of Arthur seem to walk out of the mirrors as well to fight more and more people. It's hard to tell which is the real one, so can you really kill him to get him out of the way and get to the mirror? Fight the small army of King Arthurs and gather enough death mages to exorcise the spirits out of the mirror.. or maybe just smash it. Did you think this was the last choice you'd make this week?

Please refer to the plotting post for any additional plotting needs and to check added notes for the third prompt. Timeline-wise, the new/third prompt doesn't start until the 23rd. The poll for it is here.

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[Chongyun looks up at Bennett, listening to him talk about his struggles as an adventurer. He remembers their brief conversation before, and how Bennett had mentioned his bad luck and how it affected him so. The kinship he felt with the Mondstadtian adventurer, and how he likened the other boy's misfortune to his own struggles as an exorcist. Looking over, he can see one of Bennett's reflection materialize on one of the mirrors, though it remains silent. It makes Chongyun look at Bennett with surprise.]

But... doesn't it weigh on you? The struggles you go through... does it not bother you?

[He doesn't mean it in a mocking or condescending way. He's genuinely curious how Bennett handles his own struggles, his own personal "curse". In a way, they were quite similar, weren't they?]

I'm sure you'll be a pretty good guardian. You're already a pretty good friend.

[The girl breathes in then exhales slowly and deliberately. So... she's talking about this? She hadn't talked about the Box in any great detail in years.]

There was something trying to wake up. Some kind of... old god, they called it. [Her throat tightens and she clenches her fists tightly over her knees.]

They needed us to keep dying in certain ways, to keep it sleeping.

[ he laughs as well. ] I figured!

I would’ve loved to go against you, though, unfair advantage or not! I’m kinda used to unfair fights, actually!

[ gotta love primal beast fights… ]

... Well, there's only one way to tell if it worked.

[ She picks up a fork, takes a generous helping...

... and puts it to his mouth. ]

Open up.

[ gran deflects the attack with his own blade, definitely sensing the strength as he does. this was a tournament, after all, so he had to work for that win.

he pushes link back, soon charging in with sword strikes of his own, but these seem a lot more strategic rather than chaotic. ]

Even if the god was a threat, there had to be another way. I'm glad you were able to escape.

[It sounds hellish; if anything, it's a wonder she hasn't become numb to the concept of death altogether.]

Hey... Have you ever tried pretending to be relaxed until you trick yourself into believing it? I've heard it can work wonders.

[He looks up immediately at that pinch, making a face.]

Ow. What was that for? [How dare you.

But he knows exactly what Bailey is talking about, and though the fight with the Cwyld-infected puca doesn't play much on his own mind (he has fought many a larger and more frightening creature than that) he knows it still plays on theirs.]

I don't blame you. I don't expect it was easy to watch.

I wanted to see that face.

[What? Can you blame them for wanting to (lovingly) bully their boyfriend? Looking at his annoyed face is much better than remembering... All of that.

Ugh.]

Quite frankly, it was absolutely terrible, and if anything like that happens again I'm going to lose it. But... I don't know. I think this place is better.

[Still plenty of danger going around, but at least there's not some sort of horrible, terrible infection running amok.]

[ what the actual fuck is your series, hijikata ]

I'll have you know I have a balanced diet! Fruits, vegetables, and a nice cup of tea to settle for the evening. And I am a maiden of war, my body is in top shape!

There are far more gentle ways to get my attention.

[Because ow. Red Wine frowns, sighs, and shakes his head.]

And this place has its upsides. The lack of a steadily encroaching magical disease is certainly one of them.

[And his not being a vampire. That is definitely also a massive plus.]

As well as the ruling party seeming more competent.

... Thanks, dude. I don't think I can "hear myself" as loudly now.

Well, next time I'll do this, then.

[They lean down - a bit far, considering Red is sitting - and place a kiss to the top of his head.

Then they straighten up, well aware there are people around. PDA is... A bit much, sometimes.]

Well, I think it would be harder to be worse than whatever was going on with the Coven. It does make it easier to relax, though I could do without things like being teleported to other cities without warning.

[Their common strengths would be an amusing surprise for Hijikata if he were aware of them, but as of yet he's still trying to figure out Keith's approach to the magical side of things. He wouldn't be able to tell that water is one of his weaker elements, given how it curves with Keith's motion to solidly meet the fireball and extinguish it with a loud hissing noise.

But where fire and water meet there'll be steam, and Hijikata uses the fleeting obscurement to attack again, this time with a significantly stronger gust of wind to try and push Keith off balance. If Keith were only using one sword he might have tried to pull a little stunt and kick it out of his hand, but with two blades against him that'd be too risky a move. If he stumbles Hijikata will drive him back and try to pin him against the ground or the arena wall, then freeze and disarm him - that should secure him the victory. Now it only needs to actually work out!]

I'm fine.

[That's a bit of an exaggeration. He wasn't injured, but he's feeling so drained that he's struggling to keep himself upright, which he masks by "casually" leaning against a pillar as he smokes (sorry, Celliwig, he needs his nicotine, hallowed halls or not).]

You?

[He sure is sparse with his words now compared to his blathering earlier... regardless, he scans Cecelia for injuries (not that he could do much for her beyond calling for a healer, most of which are crowded around the king or anyone else seriously harmed).]

[ He considers her, and then he shifts in, looking down at the paper. It's so carefully done. The artwork was put together with such care that it's hard to not feel honored when he looks at it. Then his eyes settle back on Jane. ]

Wow - you make me look really nice.

[ Like, he really likes how he looks in the drawing so he's even more honored that she spent her time producing the work. ]

[save for the exhaustion and some nicks and tears on her attire, she seems rather damage-free herself. and if she is, she doesn't seem bothered by it, her attention instead on procuring a handkerchief from a dress pocket, holding it out to him. he's gonna have to reach a bit, because she's not encroaching any closer (egads, what is it with her and being drawn toward sour-faced, dark-haired men who smoke those nasty things?).]

Living, for now. Though every moment we collectively linger here can alter those odds, I daresay.

[She looks down at the sketch. It doesn't have the amount of detail she'd like to put into it - and could, if she had more time - but she thinks she captured him quite well.]

That's what you look like.

[Jane smiles, ducking her head slightly and clearing her throat.]

I might replicate it at home if you don't mind, and paint it. [His eyes are such an interesting colour, and... she'd like to do a little better than a scruffy sketch on a torn out page of her book.]

[Hijikata's smile is tired, but sincere. If he's noticing Red Wine's displeasure at him stinking up the place he doesn't seem to care (ever the gentleman...).]

That's the spirit.

[It's a given for seasoned comrades-in-arms to have each other's back, but for this being their first meeting they did a damn good job at trusting each other to do their respective part in the battle. Red Wine's capability certainly made it easier for Hijikata to fully concentrate on the exorcism.]

Give me your name so I can call you up for a spar or an elemental duel one of these days.

[It won't be any time soon, not with the king being in such a precarious state, but Hijikata is deliberately trying to lighten the mood and distract himself from his rampant worries.]

Animal and uh...

[He said before shifting his weight a little. He didn't know if he should say this to him out of all people but...]

Death magic too.

Sounds a lot like a game where you just slash as many enemies as you want but the setting is in China.

[On that note? Ken mumbled a little.]

I wonder if they have that game here. I haven't played it a long time!

I'm going to tail-light us out of here. It'd suck if all the death mages ollied out and then the ghosts came back, right?

[Also maybe if he gets to rest and recover for a few more minutes he'll be able to walk without black dots wobbling around his vision. It takes him a damn long moment to notice the offered handkerchief.]

..? What's that for? Is something on my face?

[Run while you can, Cecelia, this one has worse habits than most of them, probably.]

[He glances the man's way, studying him for a moment. Appraising him.]

My name is Red Wine, and you assume a great deal to think I'd accept sparring with you.

[Though he doesn't sound insulted by the implication. Amused, perhaps. When he chuckles there's a clear flash of elongated, sharp canines. He adjusts the placement of his sword, letting his hand rest atop the sabre's pommel.]

But I will, if you're as capable in battle as you were with that exorcism.

[Trying his best to dodge all the fire balls, he knew that he couldn't run from them for long. Instead, he tried his best to run toward Harry before leaping up at him.

Will that do anything?]

[Ochako can see Yuzu struggling to get to her and she bites her bottom lip. No, this isn't about her. It's not about her, and it shouldn't be about her!! There's someone still, at the end of this mirror maze, that needs to be saved. Someone far more important and influential than her - they can't keep wasting time. If anything happens to Arthur, or the other delegates, this whole kingdom could fall in on itself.]

Yuzu-chan, no!! You have to go to Arthur! I'm...I-I'm not the most important one right now!

['Well that's for sure. You never have been and never will, to anyone. Ever. You blew your shot for that already, didn't you?' Ochako grinds her teeth, fingernails scraping against the glass separating herself and her friend. Her eyes squeeze shut, breath hitching, but she stubbornly tries to push through it. It's not about her. It's not about her! REMEMBER WHAT'S IMPORTANT!!]

Get to Arthur first!! I'll be fine, so you have to leave!

['That's right, leave! Leave just like everyone else will, once they find out how worthless their so-called friend is.']

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EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

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