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.

Comments

[cantgetanyworse]

[Fascinating. She stores that word away in the back of her mind for any potential future use. Jane considers herself to be very well-educated but she isn't adverse to discovering new things.]

Oh! Well, I'm sure you can show me later. [She's going to be around here for a while today, after all.]

Is it something from your home world?

[cantgetanyworse]

[Luckily for Mukuro, Jane isn't familiar enough with both of them yet to even realise that she and Junko might be related. She smiles a bit and shakes her head, her hands fluttering up in front of her in a display of mixed excitement and anxiety about the entire situation.]

Oh, no, don't be silly. It won't take a moment to get you fixed up.

[There are enough healers flitting about to sort out any more dire injuries that might crop up in their rounds of those still sitting outside. Jane looks the young woman over quickly before she starts healing up the more uncomfortable-looking cuts with a gentle touch.]

I'm sure I might have been fighting to get in too, if I didn't think I'd just get in the way. It did sound very ominous, didn't it.

[cantgetanyworse]

[How haltingly he speaks registers with her immediately, but the little creature in his hands wipes any questions she might have had about that out of her mind.]

Oh, what a little darling.

[Not wanting to scare it she doesn't try to touch, but she crouches slightly with her hands braced to her knees.]

You can understand animals?

[cantgetanyworse]

[She'll make the recovery part go as fast as she can, honest. Jane gives him a look that's mixed exasperation and amusement, and pushes up her sleeves.]

If you put too much strain on yourself physically, you're not going to be able to enjoy the tournament for as long. [She tells him wryly. Perhaps the idea of being able to fight for longer if he lets her work will make him more amenable to it.]

Now, tell me where it hurts.

[cantgetanyworse]

They know how to draw in the customers.

[She's excited, and it shows in her body language from her head to her feet. Her neck cranes slightly to try and see the front of the stall, while she clutches on to the strap of her bag and lifts herself up on her toes to get a better look over the heads of the people in front of them.

Once the people in front of them have been served, she moves forwards and points out what she wants with a bright smile on her face. They tuck her choice into a small brown paper bag and hand it over.]

Oh! And my friend, too. I'll pay for what he's having.

[kokuryuu]

No, we shall not. Should we break it? Fight them?

[He nods back in the direction that they both came from. There is a little frown of concern on his face.]

Others are coming. I...

Do not wish. F-for others to hear the poisoned words.

[conciliant]

[Perhaps the reason that the song hit her as much as it did is because 2B understood what those lyrics were trying to convey. Somewhere deep down, there are feelings that she'd much rather not touch. The fact that a song could explain all of that... It's both incredible and frightening at the same time.

So, she focuses on Monika's answer instead, shifting awkwardly between her feet again.]

Your hopes... I assume this person isn't here.

[sereneadherent]

[All said and done, this really has been a best case scenario when it comes to having to face her demons. Thank the Goddess for that.]

Please, I insist. I don't know how to make coffee, but I can always pick some up and bring it for you. [Cafes and coffeeshops are a dime a dozen in many places in the city, after all.] If not as thanks, then as a token of friendship.

[Are they friends? It seems they're on their way to it, at the very least. Her statement stands.]

[conciliant]

It was a joke.

[Of course, she remains completely serious, not a laugh to be heard in her voice.

She falls silent for a moment after that to finish off the last bite of her snow cone. She stares down into the empty void of a cup now, and her blue lips press into a thin, disappointed line.]

I'd like another one. Let's go. The stand is over there.

[Without another word, she struts away, fully expecting that Izuku will follow. They weren't done their conversation after all, and she didn't say bye!]

Mirror Hell Continues

[colchismagecraft]

Once the two were out the domain of tiny Medea, the sorceress breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't let her guard down entirely, but for a moment let herself think that at least that part of this trial was over...

Until she heard Morgan's voice- cutting in again, and again-

And Medea's eyes grew cold as she all but latched onto his arm, giving the reflections a truly vicious glare... and then her eyes met that strange, perfect Morgan's. Was that Stormborn-

No, now wasn't the time to ask.

Her grip tightened- "...Morgan. I don't know if you'll believe it from a woman like me, but I'm not using you. You know that, don't you?"

[sereneadherent]

[Marianne doesn't reply right away, unsure as to what she can even say. The impact of this on Byleth is obvious, and she understands intrinsically that there are many things that words cannot solve. Nevermind the way in which these conversations always make Marianne's own heart hurt, torn between Byleth's truth and what she's always known.

The last sentence catches her curiosity, but she doesn't pursue it. Marianne is aware of what happened in Abyss--Hilda told her everything, desperate for an outlet to process her own thoughts and feelings about what she observed--and isn't eager to drag that back up. The whole thing is horrifying, and especially so to Byleth by virtue of it involving her own mother.]

...I know this doesn't help or change anything, but I'm sorry. And... that I'm glad you'll be the last, and that you've found your happiness regardless.

[excalibeam]

[ A wolf did always bare its fangs in a fight. Saber expected nothing less, as she had been the one to give her that comparison. She knew that Gareth would strike back, so it was merely a matter of dealing with Gareth's attack.

She released the invisibility on her sword to focus all of her light magic into her next slash, her blade glowing fiercely as she swung down to clash against the Mana shell-boosted attack, just barely making it in time to respond to the point blank attack.

The light that bursts out from her sword on impact is explosive, as Saber unleashes as much light as possible in this beam to repel Gareth and provide an opening for Saber to finish it...

But she'd taxed herself too much in the last few exchanges between them, and while she successfully gets the full-power beam off... ]

...!

[ She can't maintain the magic around her sword during the clash, and at the end of it, the force of Gareth's attack plus the explosion of wind magic causes her sword to fly out of her hand, spinning through the air before landing a fair distance behind her, planting itself into the ground while the remaining light around it dissipates, the invisibility fully vanishing and revealing her weapon. ]

Hall of Mirrors

[colchismagecraft]

[It was eerie, hearing the familiar voice echoing through the hall of mirrors- she'd been resolutely ignoring the little reflection of her that had been following her around, but this one was different. The little girl bound by puppet strings...

Byleth, hm?]

...In the end, we're all bound by the wills of fate, aren't we?

But we shouldn't linger here too long. This is another trick of those wretched Fae.

[excalibeam]

[ Her blow does connect, clashing against Chris' ice shield with force backed by wind magic. Even with her sword clashing against the ice shield, though, it's not there for long as Saber is quick to respond to the thrust, parrying the attack and immediately following up with another series of quick slashes at Chris. ]

Hah!

[excalibeam]

[ There's another glare sent his way, though it's more a glare of annoyance than one of murderous intent. ]

Do not call me that!

[ A cold response... and what about his other questions? Well... she doesn't really give him an answer, instead opting to look back at the screen and not at him. ]

Speed Sculpting

[colchismagecraft]

[As Caster took a break from her own sculpture- a detailed diorama of the temple she'd once called home- she took a look around to see what the other people in this contest were making.

That was someone she recognised. She'd argued with him over Darin's release, hadn't she?]

...Oh. It's you.

[peninhand]

Mhm! That gives you a reason to stay positive that way.

[sereneadherent]

[Marianne will happily let him examine the sword. Her feelings toward the weapon are complicated, but she trusts Darin with those complications. He gets it in a way that becomes more and more clear every time they have a conversation like this one.

Marianne listens queitly as Darin shares his story and his doubts with her. She doesn't say anything to the former, although she takes his hand and squeezes it gently in sympathy. It's tempting to lean into it, but she suspects that he wouldn't let her get very far--this conversation is about her, for better or worse.

The concerns he expresses are simulatenously reasonable and hurtful. Marianne doesn't want to think of the Church as seeking to control and manipulate, but... well, that's been a lot of what Claude has unconvered and Byleth has intimated to her, isn't it? It makes her head and heart hurt too much to examine, and she deals with that by side-stepping it entirely to clarify one point of confusion.]

The sword was only recently recovered from Maurice himself. His curse kept him alive all this time, roaming the forests in mindless bloodlust. After we defeated him and finally put him to rest... the sword was entrusted to me. By a dear friend, who doesn't believe in the curse any more than you do.

[She smiles warmly at the memory of how much it felt like a weight had been lifted from her life in those moments after defeating the Beast. Her world is not easy, and she still has lingering doubts and fears, but her future finally looks bright and possible. It's a feeling she's not quite able to articulate, although she suspects it comes close to Darin's movement toward epiphany when she was a mossatee.

(She still needs to come clean on that, come to think of it.)]

She's here, although she comes from a different version of Fódlan than myself. Her name is Byleth. Have you met her?

[beaumains]

[ Gareth knew well she didn't so much overcome her King's assault there, even with her constant counterattacks, as much as she survived it. That last attack, even if it knocked Saber's blade from her own hands, had enough force that Gareth had no choice but to be pushed back as well. At that distance, she knew it would only take her King a few paces to arm herself again...

... She didn't like the idea of beating her just be beating her to the punch, though. She valued her speed, but... Chivalry forbade attacking an unarmed opponent.

So Gareth just stood there... waiting for the fight to begin again. The audience was a little confused at first, murmuring, but once they realized what was happening, applause of respect for both warriors broke out. ]

[sereneadherent]

Marianne hesitates in response to Edelgard's tone. It's hardly a surprise--of course the other woman doesn't want to expose her secrets and fears this way--but she is a bit taken aback. The pause allows for enough of an opening that the mirror-version speaks again, happy to strike at that very issue.

She doesn't move aside. She does, however, politely look away from the mirror and focus her attention on the actual Edelgard.

"Edelgard, I am so sorry to insert myself into your secrets like this and I promise never to bring this up again if you don't want me to. But we need to walk away, for both of our sakes. Please."

Marianne reaches out a hand, intending for the other woman to take it as something of an anchor so they can move.

[sereneadherent]

[Marianne frowns deeply, not satisfied with his response--especially because he's right. It's no different than the battlefield: by necessity, the objective has to come first.

She's always hated that mindset. But that's war, and apparently that's also rescue missions.]

I promise we'll find a way out of there once we have the Hall of Mirrors secured, Lorenz.

[The spectre in Marianne's form, frustrated and ignored, fades into the background entirely. Lorenz's intervention has prevented it from claiming her as a victim.]

In the meantime, please stay safe.

[writtendestiny]

I think so.

[Poison is frowning as she approaches, on the lookout for her own double as well. It's already almost drawn her in once, and she's not about to fall for that again. She rubs her arm, where she can still feel the touch of it on her wrist.]

It has something to do with those blue lights.

[She points to where one is bouncing away, from mirror to mirror.]

Something's not right here.

[writtendestiny]

Mm.

[But she still looks discomforted. It would be easy enough to leave but the part of her that tends towards throwing itself into danger without a plan won't let her just abandon what might be about to happen here.

Besides... it could just as easily happen wherever she goes. It might not even be here. No, for good or ill, she'll just remain where she is.]

Not just that. Things like this always mean trouble. Places where lots of people who aren't supposed to be here have come together.

[writtendestiny]

Unpredictability? It isn't unpredictable.

[Nothing here is that unpredictable, after everything she's seen so far. Sure, she can't see something coming like some kind of augur, but when the bad things do happen she's rarely surprised.]

It's just... typical. This is what phaerie magic does where I come from, too. It tricks you. Makes you see and hear things that aren't real.

[writtendestiny]

Mm, that's right.

[She isn't sure how she feels about being recognised. It used to be a nice feeling, when she could walk into a room and have people know her, but these days... it's a strange sort of feeling. Uncomfortable in a sad way.]

I don't think we've met in person.