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

I'm not? [Gokudera isn't certain if he's getting in her way.

He's more likely getting in his own way, which makes her trying to be a good friend that much more difficult to accept. It isn't like he can't see her as a friend, but that he's just never seen himself as a very good friend, or person.]

Why... I'm... gonna keep trying.

Right. Keep trying.

[It isn't far now. She can see the door. No one is trying to keep people from leaving.]

Giving up is easy. I did it once, and I hurt a lot of people. [That's something she hasn't thought about in a while. She bites her lip hard as she walks.] Carrying on when you don't think you can... that's hard. But it's brave, too.

[Gokudera can probably see a medic for his neck, but also worries that they may try to remove his collar. If they do, that could be easy and quicker than him struggling to do it himself.]

I'm so tired...

[He's certain he's losing himself. It can't be healthy or normal to be in pain all the time.]

I need it off...

I know.

[Ugh, the door, finally. She can feel her entire body shaking under the effort of holding Gokudera on his feet, and as soon as they're a few feet from the door and the chilly, rolling fog she almost crumples. It's only through sheer force of will that she's able to not drop the young man entirely, but she ends up on the ground regardless.]

Spirits-- [Poison mutters. And then--] Gokudera.

[She reaches out for him again, for his hand or his arm, whatever she can reach first.]

How do I make it stop choking you?

Sorry... Just... give me a minute.

[Gokudera moves to kneel by Poison, letting her sit or lean or whatever she'd like without his weight. He's not a very large young man, but he is very considerate when he tries to be. So they aren't as close to the mirrors and there isn't any more of his internal-turned-external dialogue encouraging the worst. It isn't easier to breathe, but it's a familiar struggle.]

It'll loosen on its own after a while.

[Gokudera takes her hand and holds it firmly before struggling to gather himself. He's on his legs again, but not willing to lean on her. He feels guilty for literally bringing her down with him.]

Okay... good.

[Still catching her breath, she squeezes his fingers and leans a little of her weight against him.]

I hate fae magic. [Poison mutters, pressing the words out between her teeth.]

What it had to say to me wasn't any better.

[Gokudera gives a start when she leans on him, but then seems to accept it and leans in right against her, glad to be of some support. That helps... honestly, to know that he can just be there for someone else and he isn't as horribly off as his reflection made him feel.]

Is it the unpredictability, or the way that it feels like a personal attack?

[Because both suck, but Gokudera's feeling like those mirrors turn people on themselves. Ouch.]

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.

You really think so?

[He remembers being cursed to act like a dog by the fae, but can't remember for the life of them why they ever did that. It's more the manner of how the bad things happen that catch him off guard. He expects bad things, but like good omens, they aren't always obvious.]

It's my own voice...

[So it feels very real, even if it isn't. Normally he wouldn't try to take off his own head, because yeah, things are bad, but they will maybe, hopefully, desperately get better.

It all has to balance out eventually, right?]

That's why it's worse. Mine was... telling me things. Like yours was.

[Things she hadn't wanted to hear. Things she knew already, or felt in her heart, and that was why it hurt so much.

Poison reaches over and gently takes his hand, holding it loosely between both of hers. She doesn't volunteer contact like this for many, but Gokudera already knowing who she is goes a long way towards easing any discomfort she might feel.]

You're okay now, right?

[His collar may be loosening now, but the damage is done. The skin is swollen and bleeding, obviously sensitive, but the material is slowly pulling back.

He nods and decides he doesn't want to stay here and think on what Poison had stopped him from, what her own reflection could have done. They need to get out, and yeah, he's not having a great time breathing, but this gets easier when he's not alone.]

Yeah... I will be. C'mon.

[And now he's trying to tug her up, a little stronger on his feet.]

[When he tugs her she scrambles slightly and gets back on her feet. She shoots a wary look back to the door they just stumbled out of and then frowns, feeling an all-too-familiar anger bubbling up in the centre of her chest.

Never trust the fae. Never.]

Right. [She says firmly, entirely too eager to get away from here and whatever disaster might happen next.]

I thought about leaving yesterday. I'm glad I didn't, though.

[Gokudera isn't a rush to leave, especially when she's helped him out so much. He walks with her, quiet and appreciative, neck throbbing, exhausted.]

Leaving? To go back to New Camelot?

Mm. I could feel something in the air. I suppose this was it, and now I really can leave. [Not that she really has much to go back to.]

You can come with me, if you like.

[Unless Gokudera is desperate to see the outcome of this latest disaster. Poison feels terribly numb to it all, at the moment.]

Yeah. I think leaving is a good idea. [He maybe should seek medical attention. Strangulation isn't great, after all, and especially when his body can't heal itself properly or magically like he used to.]

Mm. [She still has hold of his hand, feeling no reason to extract herself from his grip when his company is so comforting. Poison looks around with her lower lip drawn in between her teeth, then up to Gokudera again and the wound on his neck.]

I hope it's all right that I used your given name. [Hayato. She remembers it cracking out of her throat in a desperate bid to get his attention.]

I know you never gave it to me to use.

Just not around Yamamoto.

[Then the baseball idiot might assume more of his relationship with Poison beyond just friendship, he worries.

Gokudera walks easier now, no longer in pain. The throbbing I’m his throat is dull now, an echo of what it was.]

[She lets out a soft chuckle.]

All right. Deal.

[It had only been within the past hour, but the mirrors feel so far away already. Had all of that really happened? A quick glance up at Gokudera's neck and the damaged skin around the collar confirms it.]

Does that... happen often? With the collar.

[Gokudera can feel her looking at him, but says nothing, just keeps on walking, trying to focus on anything other than Yamamoto or his own neck.]

Hm? Yes... often enough that it's getting in the way of some very important things.

[He can't live the life he wants with it acting up so unpredictably.]

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EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

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