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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tournaments could be great fun, but again, not if they're involuntary fighters. In this case though, it was for fun, but there was also a question of what are the full rules.]

[Eh, they can just figure them out through the day.]

[Looking over at Aerith, he grins and nods.]

Heck yeah! Dunno who I'm fighting yet, but I'm ready!

That's what I like to hear.

[And she didn't expect anything less from him. She casts a look around thoughtfully before she settles her gaze back upon him.]

Is this your first tournament? I'm going to guess no, since you seem like the jack-of-all-trades. Is there anything you can't do?

[Ehe, she's not wrong. This was far from his first tournament ever.]

Well, I'd like to say this was my first tournament here, buuut I got roped into that whole illegal ring they had going. Also, you know what they can say about jack-of-all-trades, and I do have my skills I excel at.

Hm... Let's see. I think the saying goes 'jack-of-all-trades, but master of none.' Is that right?

[Aerith taps at her chin in thought before her attention is drawn onto what she can only presume is Zidane's arsenal of skills.]

Did they say what the winner was going to get? I don't normally get involved with the fighting aspect of tournaments. Last time we had one here, I just played healer and took care of people who were hurt. Well, the people who'd let me, anyway.

That's one way I've heard it. I've heard it too as 'jack-of-all-trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than the master of one'. I think it just started with that first line though and people added onto it. You know how those things go.

[He shrugs.]

What? People wouldn't let you heal them? How rude to deny your services! Anyway, I think there's a trophy and maybe something else, but I forgot.

Oh, there's more to it...

[She files that away for future consideration.] I've always been curious how those kinds of things become so well-known. And where they originate.

[But that's what books are for, right?

As he continues, she raises an eyebrow, uttering out a laugh.]

Well, some people don't like being touched and definitely don't want someone in their space. Unfortunately to heal people, I kind of have to be near them. I can't fault them if they're uncomfortable. I guess you could say I'll be doing something the same here. So if you get hurt, for instance, I'll make sure you're good.

[Aerith doesn't suspect he'll need her help, though. He's pretty self-sufficient.] If you win, I'll want to take a look at what you get.

You'll have to pop open a history textbook because honestly? I've got no idea.

[It's just a saying that pops up from time-to-time that he remembers, and it's even been mentioned in some stories he's read.]

... But then how do they stand visiting a doctor? Someone's eventually gonna get in their space. [He has to shake his head and sigh.] Guess I get you as my own personal healer then!

[He gives her another smile.] If I win, sure!

That's a good question. Maybe they don't go to doctors. Or maybe doctors are the exception. I'm sure they've got a way they justify it.

[When he names her his personal healer, she laughs and shakes her head.]

I said I'd help you, but that's not an invitation to get hurt. Personally, I'd prefer to see you safe. And you know, not hurt.

Maybe? There's gotta be one or two exception to boundaries... right?

[Like, would they even get a date like that?]

I know, I know, but it's good to know you're there still.

I assume everyone has an exception or two to whatever boundaries they have. Even if they aren't readily wearing that on the outside. But it's possible there are people who are so committed to their boundaries that they don't leave any room for exceptions.

[She doesn't have to say it, but for those types of people, life must be very lonely. Not even she can force others to accept help. There are some who are best left to their own devices.

A hand poised to her chin, she settles her gaze back onto Zidane.]

Would you say you're good at fighting? When I was watching you at the training grounds, it was more for speed, if I'm remembering correctly. Are you going to use that training today?

Ugh, I don't know how they'd pull that off. Sounds cramped, and not fun.

[And lonely, but some people are introverts. Also, he doesn't have to say that out loud; she's probably thinking that too.]

Yeah, I'm pretty good. Don't fight people too often for obvious reasons, but there's been a few scraps. I'll probably use some of that training, and a little of my other training with it.

Edited 2021-07-21 17:41 (UTC)

[She can't disagree with him. Cramped and not fun is the very epitome of that. She wears a frown for just a moment, but it disappears the moment he continues.]

What other kinds of training do you do?

[Aerith gives him a look over thoughtfully, wondering what kinds of skills he has hidden away in his arsenal. He has weapons. She knows that. She didn't get a real good look at them, but she knows they're there. So probably those...

His acting probably comes in handy here, too.]

A little something here and there with Moguo. It helps me move heavier things around.

[Specifics? What specifics? She'll just have to catch him at the training grounds again.]

[His acting would come in handy, but he wants to play fair - he'll stick to his weapons and magic for this and save any dirty tactics for elsewhere.]

Moguo. That's your moogle's name, right?

[Another pause and she tilts her head.] You don't know if Moguo is a boy or a girl? Do they not talk to you? [Not that Zaral talks to her, admittedly. Just a lot of hissing. It took forever to figure out that the drake was most likely a boy.]

Yup! Cute, isn't it?

[It reminds him of some nightmares.] Oh, no, he's a boy. At least, he's never corrected me. As for talking, he saves it for moments, and getting his gender wrong would be one.

It's very cute. He's very cute. And I'm guessing you're right. My drake doesn't talk to me either, aside from when I first arrived, but I always felt the same. When I was trying to name him, I was unsure whether I should give him a girl or boy's name, so I left it pretty ambiguous, but he's never corrected me either.

[She shakes her head.] Or that kind of stuff doesn't matter to them. [After a thought, her expression relaxes.] We have moogles back where I come from, too, though... I don't know very much about them. They seem pretty rare. The kids sure like them.

I just named him Moguo because he reminds me of a moogle with the same name sometimes.

[He shrugs.] Maybe! [They were familiars; they might not see those things as a big deal.] Oh, really? Were they hiding or something? It shouldn't be that hard to meet or see a moogle.

[Oh, so it's an actual moogle he knows back home...

She thinks back to what she personally knows of moogles, which is not very much, and taps at her chin before she finds her voice again.]

It's possible. I feel like the kids knew a lot more, but they refer to it as moogle mythology. They're supposedly uncommonly sighted and I think I read once that maybe they only show themselves to those they deem worthy.

Huh, that sounds... odd. Wouldn't expect them to hide away from people; they can be really helpful when they're not being lazy or jerks. You should find a Kupo Nut - if that's a thing in your world.

['Deem worthy'... well, maybe they were still jerks in a sense.]

A Kupo Nut? I haven't heard of these before...

[She looks curious then, evidently unfamiliar with the item.]

To be fair, moogles probably exist in a greater number outside of Midgar. I haven't actually left home in... Well. Not much at all. So I'm not completely sure of what things are like outside of it. It makes sense that they aren't inside. It's not a very moogle-friendly place.

If you find one, keep it. Moogles love them. Saw one lift up a huge bell just to get one.

[And then raced past his wife. Whoops...]

Really? What's this 'Midgar' like? Is it that bad because moogles should do fine in cities too...

I'll have to keep that in mind. I'd love to get my hands on one.

[She's quiet when she thinks of Midgar. How does she describe it? It's a bit dark and unhappy. People do the best they can, but the people definitely deserve better. But that's what Avalanche is attempting to do. Slowly, but surely...]

I'm not sure I know how to answer that without it getting complicated. It's definitely nothing like Camelot. The lighting down where I live is artificial. I live underneath a plate. Most of the people do, unless they're well off. It's... sort of like a city with levels. There's a bottom level, which is where I'm from. And then there's everything on the top.

[Aerith shakes her head.] Nothing really grows. Most of the people are desolate. But everyone does their best.

Hey, if I can get one, I'll give it to you... if Moguo doesn't eat it.

[Haha, funny joke, but a moogle is glaring at him. Nooo... Neither do anything though, waiting for Aerith to get her thoughts together.]

Hrm... I don't think I get how that works. I mean, I can see a city with levels, but I don't think I get how your city has levels and no sunlight. And artificial lighting? So like light bulbs and stuff?

[He frowns further.] That sounds sad, but... if people are trying their best. Isn't there anything better though?

Well...

[She tries to demonstrate with her hands from bottom to top.] So since the bottom is underneath the plate and all the different sectors have plates, these prevent the sunlight from coming through. There's only a few places where real sunlight comes through. To make up for the lack of sunlight, there's sun lamps, but again, it's artificial. You already said it. Light bulbs.

[Her head tips as she eyes him thoughtfully.] I guess life would be better on the upper plates, but again, only the wealthy are allowed to live up there. That's the way it has to be for now, but it won't always be that way. [She hopes. Aerith can sound confident all she likes that change will one day come up, but it might not. She's only one person, after all... Maybe Avalanche can help.]

Oooh... [Yeah, he'd been imagining it totally wrong. Even with the levels and districts in Lindblum, no one was out of sunlight and things could still grow in the shadier areas. There had to be more to this 'Midgar' not growing plants.]

[He snorts a little.]

Of course wealthy people would be on top... Might as well make it literal. [He places his hands on his waist and his tail swings a little more harshly than usual.] ... Nah, things can't stay that way forever. Not if enough people get tired of it, but it'll take work and some people on top too wanting to help.

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