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'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.

You basically have it all right there. It'll take work and people in positions of power wanting to help.

[So... anyone who isn't Shinra. But as long as Shinra's running stuff, no one's going to want to risk that wrath. Well, no one aside from the obvious. Somehow 'saving the planet' is not a tagline that causes a lot of people to flock to the cause.

Aerith supposes she can't fault people for feeling as they do.]

But that's how it is. Coming here is basically like night and day. It was a little disorienting when I originally arrived.

[Boo... shouldn't take shit even if they have the power. But things are different in her world it might not be that easy.]

I can get that. If you're used to expecting one thing out of people or a place, seeing the opposite throws you off.

[So a king looking out for his kingdom, or plants mingling with buildings and technology... What surprises him is how quiet it can be sometimes despite technology. He's so used to hearing gears constantly turning.]

That's very true.

[With a hand poised at her chin, she motions with her other.] What about you, Zidane. Is your home world at all like the one here? I know a bit about you as a person, but I don't really know anything about where you're from and it's hard for me not to be the slightest bit curious.

Haha, wanna know about my world huh? Too intrigued~

[But he has a smile.]

My world as a whole isn't fully explored or settled, but on the continent that mainly is, it's pretty much like here. Though, if I had to make more direct comparisons, Camelot would be more like Lindblum with its technological advancements and the Regent pushing more invention and development. Meanwhile, Alexandria would be more like Celliwig especially with its crystal sword. It's also ruled by the fairest Queen~

[Not that he knows if the Faerie Queen is all fair, but he definitely speaks of this Queen with fondness.]

Of course I want to know about your world.

[Aerith wants to learn everything about everyone. Within moderation, anyway. Zidane rattles off names that she doesn't know at all, but he seems especially fond. Although even those don't compare to the fondness she picks up almost immediately when he makes mention of a queen.

Royalty is an idea that has really only ever come across to Aerith in books, but she can easily see how one might be enamoured with the idea of a queen, king, princess, or prince. Or whatever else comes in those categories.]

So Camelot is pretty similar to what you're used to, then. No wonder you're adjusting so well. To you, it's probably just like being back home. Minus your queen and regent, since we have King Arthur here.

If you ask every time we talk, you'll probably learn plenty about it.

[But she might have to tell him more about her world in exchange over time. This can't be a one-way learning experience.]

Well, not that much different. The faeries have their queen too, but none of us have met her. Still counts though! As for King, there was the King of Burmecia, but I don't think the Prince has taken the throne yet.

That's clearly what I'll have to do, then.

[It's as simple as that, right. And Aerith is great at asking questions, though maybe not as great at answering them. She's getting better about it, though.]

I do wonder what the faerie queen looks like. Maybe she's pretty. [A pause, and then:] She's probably pretty. I'm sure she is. She's a queen. Wouldn't make sense for a queen not to be pretty. At least books always make it seem like they're... pretty. Guess I'll know for sure whenever we get to see her. Either way, I've never met a king or a queen before coming here. King Arthur isn't exactly what I imagined when I thought 'king' either.

[Zidane scoffs a bit.]

A Queen does not have to be pretty to rule, but it would be nice for her to be sane. Same rules apply to Kings and Regents of course, but eh, looks are subjective anyway. [He shrugs.]

Oh yeah, he's not? What did you expect of Arthur?

Well, no. I guess she doesn't, but every book I've read makes it sound as if they are. As someone who isn't really familiar with royalty, it seems a little silly to expect me to know any better.

[But he's the expert. She isn't.
And she further proves it when she answers him regarding Arthur.]

I actually expected him to be an older man with a long, white beard. I didn't expect him to be handsome.

Nah, even books in our world talk about beautiful Queens and Princesses, but even those are fantasy novels.

[Which, fantasy novels in a fantasy world, don't think too much about it.]

Haha, he'll get there! Arthur probably became King when he was young and that happens sometimes.

The more you know, I guess...

[That Aerith wasn't even sure princes and princesses really existed, having confirmation from Zidane who knows royalty is already a mind-blowing discovery.]

That's true. I didn't ask him how long he'd been king for. I wonder what he would have said if I had. [Aerith, that's weird. You can't just go up to a king and ask them how long they've been a king.] Come to think of it, I don't really know very much about him at all. But he seems like a good man. I think the majority of his people are very happy. That definitely matters more than what he looks like.

I'm sure Arthur wouldn't mind telling you. He seems like an okay guy. [He hasn't met him personally, but he was helping him out so he couldn't be all terrible. And Zidane nods when Aerith says that King Arthur seems good too.]

You're right. A good ruler wants to look after their Kingdom and its people, and give them the chance to have a good life.

You think so? You sure he wouldn't find it offensive?

[Her eyebrows raise. She's evidently trying to picture what exactly that conversation might be like, though she doesn't seem to have much luck imagining that. Probably because she has no idea what royalty would be like. Especially if books aren't necessarily very truthful.]

Then you agree. Is he anything like the royalty where you come from? Like, if I were to think of royalty, would he be a good example of what to expect? [But maybe Zidane doesn't know enough, considering he's just defined Arthur as an 'okay' guy.]

Nah, I don't think so.

[They were outsiders and some didn't know about royalty and how it all worked. One or two questions wouldn't hurt the guy's ego.]

Hm... Right now, I'd say he was, but without meeting him personally, I don't wanna say for sure.

I hope you do get the chance to meet him. I'm sure we'll get that again eventually. Until then, maybe you'll just have to educate me on what I should expect and what the differences are between books and the real thing.

[After a pause, she continues.]

Not all at once! Consider it like a future project.

Sure, I can do that! And hey, if we're lucky, a Queen might show up and be able to give her personal account.

[And honestly, that'd be great.]

Haha, I got it. One lesson at a time.

That's true. I think it's only a matter of time before we get a chance to see another piece of royalty here. I feel like I need every account I can get. Might not run into any back home, but I'm soaking up information like I'm a sponge.

[An incredibly optimistic and annoying sponge.]

And that's right. Little bits at a time. It's like if you have a cake, you want to make it last, yes? So you have a slice at a time and not the whole thing.

Hey, it's great you wanna learn!

[Continue being a great sponge, Aerith.]

Or avoid overeating it and getting sick. Oh, and then eating it fast enough so it doesn't get spoiled!

Is that how you eat cake—

[Aerith fingers her chin, tapping it in thought.]

—Fast enough that it doesn't spoil? I'm pretty sure cakes can last pretty long in a refrigerator...

The refrigerators we have back home aren't as good as the ones here. Or maybe ours could've used some repairs.

[He rubs the back of his head.]

Besides, with the group, a cake wouldn't last long enough to be saved.

[Honestly, with Zidane's talk of queens and royalty, Aerith's a bit surprised that they even have refrigerators at all. To be fair, she has no idea how long such luxuries have been around.]

I dunno. I think I might be able to polish off a cake before a group of people could.

[There's a pause and then:] Maybe, anyway!

EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

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