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.

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Mm, that's right. I do curses and hexes too.

[She plays that particular fact off quite lightly, but many aspects of dark magic still disturb her greatly. She doesn't like having it, but she has to acknowledge that she could have ended up with something worse.]

I wasn't sure about it at first, but I think... I do like being able to be helpful. [Jane looks up at him and laughs.] A little like you, I suppose!

[They're nearing the stall now, and the scent of something very tasty comes wafting towards them.]

But no... no one got hurt too badly. I think some of them had more wounds to their pride than anything else. [She smiles again.] And if you like heroic stories, I might have some books you could borrow.

Curses and hexes are really cool! [ He's really excited by that. It's a combination of his natural, mischievous nature and his excitement and interest in the actual applications. ] I can kind of tell.

[ He's pretty flattered, to be honest, and he's still figuring it out and then she mentions the books and he blinks, nodding. ]

Books? I'd love to borrow them. So you enjoy stories about heroes?

[ He feels light, easy. Happy. ]

This place smells amazing, by the way. Being here is my first time I really get to experience things like this in the same way people do. It's really cool!

Haha, I do. I always thought it would be more exciting to be the hero than the princess who needed saving.

[That's her mother's influence again. Jane had been molded into a bold and outspoken woman who didn't quite fit into Edwardian society despite espousing many of its norms on a subconscious level.

As they get close to the source of the delicious smells her eyes light up and she grips the strap of her bag with one hand, and Hypnos' wrist with the other as she lengthens her stride. After they take their place in the short line to be served she looks up again, thoughtfully this time.]

Being mortal must be hard for you. But it sounds like you're fitting right in. [Experiencing new things is such a big part of being mortal after all. Of being human.] What else have you been able to do?

[ It doesn't surprise him, somehow, even in this short time of talking to one another. She does seem a pretty heroic sort. He's never been the type, nor will he really ever be. He taps his chin playfully, observing the menu and glancing towards her. ]

I can see that. Wielding magic and saving someone in distress.

[ Heh. ]

It's just weird. Everything is weird. But I like it. I mean - I got to see the sky freely and at night - the stars. I experience food and drinks normally. And walking, walking was new. I have kinetic magic so I don't have to all the time, but I never did at home.

[ And then, a laugh. ]

You guys use a lot of energy, no wonder you need sleep.

[ He looks the menu up and down. He's got fairly simple tastes, at least. ]

What are you thinking of getting?

[She wrinkles her nose at him when she smiles. Jane has never been the kind of person to sit back and simply let life happen to her. Being a princess in one of those stories sounded like a terribly boring way to live - who wouldn't want to be the hero?

Hypnos is a head and shoulders over her in height, with features and a strange pallor that mark him out as different, but it's easy to forget that he's a god when he's so personable. She looks to the menu and purses her lips before pointing out--]

That one. The apple one with honey and cinnamon. That's what I can smell.

[Ugh, it smells even better now they're close to it. Jane bounces a little on her heels with eagerness.]

I didn't realise how hungry I was!

Edited 2021-07-31 23:52 (UTC)

[ Cute.

It's a quick passing thought when she gets excited over the smell of what seems to be a delicious treat. He can appreciate it, though, because truly it smells amazing over here. He shifts, standing more upright, and tilting his head to focus on her still, while he speaks with her. He can be polite. ]

They have a lot of nice flavor combinations.

[ He blinks. ]

There's something that it looks like it's orange and cranberry, I think I'll try that. Everything smells so strong - no wonder they have a line.

[ He eats sweet treats now and again when the mood strikes or he's picked up a quest that looked easier. ]

Only a couple more people in front of us. You won't have to wait much longer.

They know how to draw in the customers.

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

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

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

[ He orders for himself the orange and cranberry. He's at least a head taller than nearly everyone here so getting everyone's attention is easy and people in front of him is no big deal. They bag up his as well and hand it to him, and his attention diverts to Jane. ]

Thank you, by the way. You don't have to, but I won't say no.

[ Never. ]

It's a great pick.

Oh, of course I don't have to, but I am.

[She steps away quickly once she's paid, to let the people behind her get to the counter. With her treat in her hand she walks backwards to make sure her companion is following along, then she turns her attention to the pastry.

Jane uses the bag to hold it, pulling part of it out over the top and sinking her teeth into it, making a sound of appreciation as she does.]

Mm. So good.

[ It's easy to keep up with her when she starts moving. After getting a little bit away from the line so others could order their own treats, he starts in on his. Like her, he uses the bag to hold it neatly and takes a first bite. His eyes light up. ]

That's pretty amazing. Unlike anything I've ever had before.

[ Another bite. ]

Mortals make pretty amazing foods.

I think you're right.

[Not to overstate the qualities of mortals, but Jane has to agree that their creativity in terms of things they eat is quite incredible. She smiles cheerfully before taking another bite of her pastry.]

I don't suppose gods really need to eat anything, do they? That must be very strange.

[Along with everything else that comes with it.]

It's very weird!

[ And he seems very amused by this fact. But, it tastes good nonetheless so he takes another bite into the pastry and swallows before speaking up again. ]

We don't need to, but we do if we want to, I guess. Hades isn't exactly booming with resources, though.

[ A laugh. ]

So mortals should boast about their great concoctions with food. It's impressive to invent and create this.

[ He's starting to move his hands, getting animated as he talks. ]

But I've always liked humans. As much as I possibly can, at least.

Do you know much about us? I suppose you must.

[Even if he only saw them in their dreams... He might know more about the hearts of mortals than most. It's an interesting thought. A person's innermost self might be laid bare in dreams in a way that it would never usually be when face to face.]

How has it been for you? Being mortal, that is.

[Aside from 'weird', anyway.]

[ Her assumption is right, for the most part. ]

I now their dreams, I know their wants, and imaginations. So people I know.

[ It's the world itself that remains a bit of a mystery. ]

It's strange! Because things are needs instead of just being wants. If that makes sense. [ He hopes. ] I like plenty of the things, though. It could be a lot worse. There's sunshine, nature, clean air.

[ So few requirements. ]

Good company, good food.

How fascinating... [She lets the words slip out as he describes what he can do - the kinds of things he might know from someone's dreams.

But she smiles up at him again, because he sounds like he's so easily pleased. Much like herself, all he really needs is good surroundings and good company to be quite content.]

The company is rather splendid at the moment.

[That's a compliment, and not a very well-hidden one. She clears her throat. How bold of her to say something so plainly!]

Have you watched any of the competitions?

[ It doesn't sound like flattery, either. She seems...genuine. And he doesn't know how to take it so he just blinks, quietly taking a bite of his treat and then eating that before he speaks up again. He might be a tiny bit embarrassed by any compliments. ]

Yeah, you're pretty great company.

[ Smooth. ]

A little here and there, I came to kind of see...people. And I got my brother to come along, too.

[ And then - after a moment. ]

How about you? I'd totally believe you if you told me you were just here to draw. There's a lot going on to see.

Edited 2021-08-26 01:41 (UTC)

Aha! Flattery will get you nowhere.

[Smooth...

She likes it. Does she? The little twitch of nerves in the pit of her stomach when she considers he could be flattering her could really swing one way or the other.

Jane has never been particularly shy of compliments, but why would a Greek god be paying them to her with any measure of sincerity?]

I didn't come to draw, specifically... but I always keep a sketchpad with me, and there's so much here that makes for excellent subjects for art. [To say she hadn't come here considering she would be drawing would be a lie, but it wasn't quite her only reason.]

But-- your brother? Thanatos? You're twins, aren't you.

Who says it's flattery?

[ Because it's not - it's just exactly what's on his mind at the time, and he's trying to distract attention or compliments away from himself. He considers her for a moment. ]

You should show me more of your art sometime. What I've seen is really lovely. [ Again, a genuine compliment. ]

My twin is Thanatos, yes. He's the one who's here. He's the best of my siblings.

[ They're the most mellow ones of the bunch. ]

Or should I say my favorite? I maybe shouldn't call him my favorite brother, but we're twins so it's normal.

Oh, you're welcome to see my art any time. [She tells him with a bright smile. If there's one thing Jane is proud of, it's her art, and she has no shyness at all about showing it off.

And she did, of course, mean it when she said she would draw him again and paint it. He would be very interesting to paint.]

I don't know that I've seen him. What is he like?

[She hasn't seen anyone who looks quite like Hypnos floating about, but perhaps they aren't identical?]

[ Jane may realize very shortly that she's made a mistake asking Hypnos about Thanatos. Because when he opens his mouth, he finds it easier to talk about his brother than himself. ]

Thanatos is -- well, he always looks pretty stern and serious. I think it's easy to see we're brothers when we're together, but maybe not so much otherwise. He's a little shorter than me and he has silver straight hair.

[ But wait - there's more. She'll definitely sense the total adoration for his brother when he speaks. ]

He seems serious but he's a really good person. He's always wanted the best for me, I think. I don't think talking to people is really easy for him, but he's Death so I guess that's why. But there's no one I'd rather have as a twin brother. He's way less scary than any of our other siblings. You'll probably see us together at some point.

[It's sweet, the way he gushes about his brother. She'd read plenty of stories about the greek gods but never really considered that they would have such close relationships. Ones that she could recognise as almost human.]

It sounds like you really care about him.

[And she might have seen him around, now she knows he doesn't quite look like Hypnos. There had been a very tall man with silver hair watching the melee earlier in the day.]

Are you close?

It comes naturally for me to care about him.

[ He says it easily. ]

Like, it's something I've always been meant to do. And always will.

[ The reality is that he's a part of Hypnos that no one else can be. He's a different thing entirely. It has nothing to do with him being death and completely to do with him being his twin. ]

We were close when we were younger. And we're...working on it now.

[ It's a polite, delicate way of explaining it, which he's sure she'll sense. ]

But at our ages...things won't always be exactly perfect. I think that's a benefit I have as -- well, we have. There's time for us to make up for the mistakes we make.

[ Plus a lot more. ]

Edited 2021-09-07 03:48 (UTC)

Did you argue?

[It's a bit of a personal question. She realises that as she says it. They've only been speaking for a couple of hours and she's asking him if he and his brother had a falling out?

He can always tell her it isn't her business, she supposes. Sometimes she says things without thinking.]

That is... I know that siblings can fall out over silly things. Or for no reason at all.

Sometimes, over some things. Well, we're both old, and we're siblings. We've had a lot of time to fight.

[ He laughs a little. He doesn't seem to mind that type of personal question. ]

But it's fine now. We'll find each and sort it out in the end. I like to think it's because we're twins. Do you have any siblings?

[ Given her comment he can't really tell if it's experience or what she's heard. ]

[Of course... he'd have a length of time behind him that she can barely even imagine. Which makes it all the more interesting that he wants to spend all this time around little old her.

She shakes her head, humming softly.]

Oh, no. I'm an only child. [And all things considered she could have ended up terribly spoiled, but her father's various eccentricities alongside her mother's artistic influence had always kept her grounded.]

I think I would have liked to have a brother or sister, though. Maybe that would have been nice.

(no subject)

verytired - 2021-09-19 15:32 (UTC) - Expand

I think this one can wrap

cantgetanyworse - 2021-09-24 21:19 (UTC) - Expand

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