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

Well, these familiars are essentially fae and youkai, right? Mystical spirit beings, that are meant to share particular bonds with us. That's what I've gathered, at least. Maybe you can't read anything, because they're tied to you?

[ That was entirely a guess on his part, but it at least sounded like it should make sense. ]

[ A thoughtful sigh, taking a step forward to who knows where presuming he would follow. ]

I figured as much, but even so... I mean there are people I have been unable to read in the past. [ Venti for one... Who was a God and frankly, apparently had ability to hide away his destiny from someone like her. ] It is rare though, even so I do have a fondness for my familiar. Even if, she hangs about my hair like an ornament.

[ Mona lifts her hat just a bit, where her bow as instead had been her Lunar Moth Fae. Seemingly still as if lifeless. However present, and aware. ]

Oh wow, she's really cute!

[ Both Kipposhi and Mori leaned in... though Kipposhi was quick to pull his arm back, keeping Mori a bit more distant. ]

Easy now, boy, this is a friend, not a snack.

[ They stop for a moment and....... 'Hmm... So close...' Mona's look seem to be distracted by how brightly red the Avengers eyes are. Whilst the Moth itself merely flutters it's wings with a sprinkle of dust much like glistening lights sparkle between them both. ]

Your eyes are really red.

Like blood, right?

[ He responded in a way that almost made it seem reflexive. Which made sense, of course she wasn't the first to point out the color of his eyes. He blinked, turning his gaze right to hers, deep vermilion baring down on her. ]

It runs in the family... My brother had eyes like these, too. They might say it was a mark of madness...

[ That was - ]

Like blood?

[ Mona thought what the other said was strange, and irregular. Blood was not the first thing on her mind, but it gave her further introspection on the way he thought. ]

In Teyvat where I am from, I am also an Alchemist. Astrology and Alchemy actually go hand in hand. That said, your eyes reminded me '"Agnidus Agate'. A crystalized form of fire, condensed in a deep gem.

[ She keeps walking then, seemingly happy about the quote she says next. ]

"A pilgrimage for a wish; a battle to earn a name..." Burnt to cinders for a dream." This was a story of the Fire Archon. Or a Fire Archon. It suits you.

Edited 2021-07-31 01:15 (UTC)

[ Kipposhi leaned back in that moment, dismissing Mori and sending him back to the skies above, calm at first before... he started to burst into laughter. The sort of deep, full chested laughter that was born from the kind of irony that was existential in its reach, crossing over Fate itself into something far greater. ]

Burnt to cinders for a dream! Of course it does! I couldn't think of anything better! The warlord whose ambitions burned so hot they consumed him!

[ Unaware of just how true that complied to him. Her arm playfully hooks around his and she tugs him forward a bit. They are walking! Going somewhere, she has a place in mind. So shes pulling him. ]

You know I say things like this All the time to Albedo. He lets his work consume him - [ For good reason, she knows. She knows his stars talk about ambitions swarming his entire existence, a man who pursues and conquers what he sees fit. All the more reason she feels that... ] Ambitions are a good drive, but to fall so deep you lose sight of yourself. Is so pointless, don't do that. [ Ordering him around? ] There is only one you after all, and your destiny is rather blinding to boot.

[ The pulling was enough to jerk him right out of his joviality and back into the reality of things. He stumbled slightly, but otherwise managed to not fall on his face, keeping step beside her and clearing his throat. ]

C-come on now, you can't say that kind of thing to a guy like me! Besides, I don't mind getting burned.

What ever do you mean? 'A guy like you'? [ Mona got him in a small power walk, sorta. Mona normally walks fast as it is. Despite someone who wears heels. ]

Flames that burn you will turn you to cinder, but cinder is just another change. A product of what remains. Such is simple Alchemical laws - flames may consume you but all that will become of it is a change. Clearly someone needs to study the basic principles of Alchemy!

I feel as if you're letting your position as my tactician go to your head a little, lecturing me like that.

[ By then, he'd managed to recover enough to keep pace with her, even nudging back against her arm a bit, playfully, chuckling as he did so. ]

Well in a way you're right. From the flames of Honnouji, that's where the true legend of the Demon King was born. If not for my name becoming so mythological after death, I probably wouldn't be here speaking to you.

Well I welcome you to say something against what I had said. [ Mona was like that, blunt. Matter-of-factly, the sort of bluntness that cared little for practiced consolation. The nudge against her, make hers chuckle just a bit. Though what he says sounds so serious, and it is full of truth. So there was nothing for her to retort.

She lets him go and they come to a stop, her little area. Where she planned to do several readings of people here. From Camelot, or other realms. It looks a bit gaudy, and flashy. Not by her choice, but its evident that an Astrologian works here. ]

I thought I'd show you, the instrument that got made for me.

[ Theres a starry curtain that leads inside the small tent. She welcomes him in, despite the sign saying: Out for Lunch! ]

Oh yeah! Is it that thing we talked about?

[ He'd been meaning to check out her booth, but since he'd run into her at the buffet, he'd nearly forgotten about it, distracted as he was with just being around her. She had that effect on him, really... not that he could find it within him to complain about.

He followed closely, sticking near her as they stepped past the entrance curtain. Gaudy, maybe, but... he liked it. Then again he tended to be drawn towards flashy stuff. ]

Indeed. It still needs a bit more tinkering, with proper engineering. As it is... I've managed to... Be able to extract electromagnetic waves - also knowing as... Light, or radiation in a way. From a person, and place them into a gem, from there I read the celestial bodies attributed to said person. Map out their star charts with the help of the instrument - and go from there... A lot of it is unreadable to anyone but me, so really. All information that is confidential. It would be hard for anyone but me to understand.

[ Mona holds the apparatus within her hands. Offering it to him, so he could look upon it. It looks like an astrolabe - but very intricate. ]

[ Intricate enough that he didn't dare touch it, simply leaning in to get a close look. Plus, despite her explanation, he couldn't hope to understand at all how it all worked. It wasn't as if mechanics were beyond him, but knowing the engineering of firearms was well different from this.

Still, that experience made it obvious to him how well it turned out. ]

A worthy investment then. I'm glad I helped make it happen for you.

All thanks to you of course, which then reminds me. What sort of returning payment can I offer? I may not have a lot of income as of right now, but in the future perhaps. I don't know if my science interests you, or if you are looking into benefiting from my work. However, either way. I will do my best to help you, as long as you ask. [ Mona places the instruments down, and makes a very excited noise. ] Being able to focus on my studies instead of having to work relentlessly to pay off something like this, is absolutely a privelaged and a welcome kindness I wont overlook.

[ Kipposhi blinked for a moment, straightening out and tilting his head to the side, raising a hand to rub at his chin. ]

Honestly, I... hadn't thought about that? I did it as a form of patronage. If you're gonna be my tactician, you need all of the best tools, right?

And besides, all I really did was hook you up with an alchemy engineer who could do the work. [ And pay for it. ]

I don't want you to start thinking you owe me for something like this.

Hmm... [ Mona was prideful for one, but also did not like using others for her own benefit. As an Alchemist, the concept of exchanges were extremely important to her. Let along being someone who were incapable of holding on her own, often did upset her. Almost as if one cannot follow the pursuits of their studies and handle working hard to pay for all the stuff they needed.

Troubling thoughts, but at the end of it all she did feel that she owed it to Kipposhi in some way. ] Well if not now, I will think on it later. Your efforts made it a lot more easier for me to handle things. I promise to not let it go to waste.

[ Especially since she hates that the most, being wasteful. ]

[ I'm definitely not worried about that. A small chuckle, lifting both arms to wrap behind his head, leaning back against nothing and flashing her a confident smirk. ]

I have full faith in your ability, at this point. Without knowing a thing about Oda Nobunaga, your ability told you so much about me and none of it I can dispute. When it comes to it, I'm almost certain that ability will clear any fog ahead of us.

[ He shifted a bit, letting a hand once more fall to her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. ]

Just keep supporting me, and I'll consider that payment enough.

[ There a pause of thought, her eyes do not move away from the expression Kipposhi makes. ] Even if what I say, is something not to your liking?

A good tactician doesn't just say what their commander wants to hear.

[ He shrugs, though his hand didn't move. ]

Honestly, even if you betrayed me, I wouldn't be that upset. In a position like mine, you have to be prepared for situations that aren't favorable to you.

[ Mona is to use to her truths being thrown in her face, and being told she is a menace as opposed to otherwise. Truths were burdens not everyone could bare, and even though she spoke them to life. Making sure she uttered them rightly, there was still the whole fact that most people could not handle the truth.

Slipping upon the table. Her legs cross and then she crosses her arms thinking. ]

I don't betray people. I am on the side of Truth, my values don't align with others and it is a main reason why. [ I tend to distance myself from people. ] Us Astrologists shed the material realm away from us, and keep ourselves upon another level of existing.

[ Her position on the table just made it slightly easier for him to lean forward again, almost over her. Once more, those red eyes locked with hers, red as flame and, of course, blood. He was very... particular with the next words he spoke, letting them leave his lips in an even, but firm tone. ]

I do not ask for your morals to align with mine. If your adherence to your Truth tells you to run away from me, then I accept that. People who refuse to hold themselves to what drives them have no respect from me.

Don't become merely a leaf on the breeze, and I'll never find reason to resent you, no matter what you say to me.

[ Run away? Mona's mind is focusing on the type of example used, and why of all things to use why was that said. She is not so fearful she would run away, when facing Venti's Archon form. Corrupted with the blood of Durin, melded with the body of their friend Dvalin... Mona wasn't afraid, she stood before the Archon. A Godkin being, and demanded that they tell her the truth of her realm.

She wasn't afraid.

Not of a God.

Not of Demons.

Nor their Demon Lords.

But she did feel her heart race beneath him like this, and she did feel afraid of something. As if she were going to burn away, and nothing would be left of her. Something of which, Mona did not like. This 'Avenger' overpowered her in many ways, as if to say he would always be over her. A daunting sort of heat, either enticing her to burn away or scaring her to look away. Much like looking directly at a sun that would blind her - it felt that way to feel him over her like this.

Had this been anyone else. Mona could respond with equal vigor, line her words with spite. Be vindicated in what she says. Blunt mannerisms that would speak something like, 'What ever your respect makes of me, means nothing. When Truth is all I care about.'

But that wasn't true, his respect meant a lot to her.... Mona wanted to make certain that he knew he had no power over her - and its there. That she realized he did. That was a problem. ]

I get your point. You don't need to talk to me like this.

[ Mona's face was slightly flushed, and her eyes soften. Her body language was that of someone uncomfortable with the exchange, but her expression soft. ]

[ Kipposhi lacked a lot of Ieyasu's ability to read people so keenly, but he wasn't blind, either, and he hadn't become the Fool of Owari for a lack of it, but rather his willingness to disregard it knowingly. It's what made people so terrified of him, at times, in his life, that he'd be able to take all of that understanding and still push forward his intentions. It was like a blade that couldn't be stopped... more accurately, a blaze that could not be contained. Flames that fed and fed, consuming all before them.

But he could see that... there was a struggle behing Mona's eyes. He wasn't lacking in empathy. He just happened to weaponize when and how he allowed it to impact his decisions.

But here... he couldn't help but feel himself stop, just briefly, and feel like he'd missed his mark. Was this what he'd intended?

Not... really... But what, exactly, had he wanted? He had been pushing forward, as he always had, but his goal was only to assure her alliance. But beyond that..

.. He could see something else he desired... ]

Then how would you have me speak to you? If you hold yourself so strongly to Truth, then what does that tell you of me, in this moment?

EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

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