EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

[avalonmods]

---

QUICK NAV: LOGS ⚔️️ NETWORK ⚔️️ MEMES ⚔️️ OOC ⚔️️ NAVIGATION

---

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.

Comments

[tempredmental]

[Keith was breathing hard, too, but he smirked. He might not be making snarky comments to his opponent and getting frustrated when he got backed against a wall, but he was still enjoying the challenge. As the steam fizzled away from the melted ice, Keith let the fire die down and fade. With Hijikata having stepped back, it gave him the chance to recover the dropped sword that thankfully hadn't been kicked out of reach before he decided to try for another charge.

As he ran in, he didn't have the mobility with the katar-like bayard that he did with his Marmora sword, so he used the latter to create a flurry of movement and channel some small gusts of wind for dust devils around him in the hopes of distracting his opponent away from his final target, feinting it across his body to his own right and Hijikata's left before twisting and slashing the bayard in towards Hijikata's right arm from Keith's own left side.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata has never tried to channel elemental magic through his weapon, though he has seen others do so. His distraction is brief enough that he can meet Keith's attack with full attention, and while he doesn't anticipate the quick change in maneuver he manages to react in time, given that it's a tactic he often uses himself. He blocks the bayard, and while the blades grind against each other he quickly pulls up a wall of ice on his other side to shield himself from a strike from Keith's second sword.

He knew the dual-wielder would be a challenge, but he's really giving him a run for his money! At this rate he'll run out of steam faster than anticipated... what element can help him, given that ice can't stand up to Keith's fire and Hijikata's own fire is likely to be extinguished by his opponent's water again? He comes up with a possible solution, but holds back for now. Depending on who of them (if either) wins the current struggle, or if Keith decides to attack the ice barrier, he'll take it from there.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith didn't outright attack the barrier, but its sudden appearance did startle him just a bit, causing his side of the crossed blades to falter just slightly. He felt it slip on Hijikata's, forcing himself back to focus. Instead of attacking the ice wall, he flipped the Marmora sword in his other hand to a reverse hold and, bracing it along the length of his forearm like a shield, swung it upward into Hijikata's sword with the hope of pushing him back.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Oh crud. Hijikata finds himself on the defensive more strongly than before with his katana increasingly under strain against the heftier bayard, and with the Marmora sword coming into play in the same spot he knows he'll lose his grip if he stays in position. So he quickly falls back, giving up the struggle, swerves behind his ice barrier and shatters it with a violent swing that sends ice shards flying everywhere.

This is probably the last chance he'll get to go on the offensive, so while Keith (hopefully) shields himself against the flying ice Hijikata jumps to strike at him from above, first throwing a newly summoned fire attack right at Keith's visor (the helmet may keep him from needing to avert his face from the ice, after all; it's better to double up!) and then bringing down his sword. He's aiming to cut deeply into Keith's shoulder, but if this one misses... well, he may not be able to move away in time to evade the counter-strike then.]

[tempredmental]

[To Hijikata's benefit at the moment, Keith still had to hold back on using his armor's full defensive capabilities due to the fact that he hadn't yet been able to get himself the charm from Elphame Traders that allowed it to stay powered. So, he'd been reserving the hard light shield from the forearm gauntlet and the helmet's full face mask for true emergencies. As far as he was concerned, this was not one of those times, even if ice shards were pretty sharp.

He crossed his arms in front of himself instead, using the physical arm plating from the armor itself to try deflecting any shards that might come at his face, and, at the roar of flames from above, he spun, swinging one arm over to create a gust of wind hopefully strong enough to push the incoming fireball to the side. That hit does land, though, drawing a sharp yelp from him. He stumbles, then scrambles back and away to gain some separation between them. The armor held, but it wasn't the first time Keith had ever taken a hit like that on that shoulder, and it definitely put him off his game for the moment. Thinking fast, he actually closed his eyes for a split second to force himself into gaining enough focus for another element he wasn't all that great with, but still existed and reacted to his magic.

Similar to Hijikata's ice wall, another wall suddenly erupts from the ground between them... but this one was made of rock and earth.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Keith's wind defence works in blowing the fire away from him, and his armour does its part as well. Hijikata immediately feels that his blade didn't cut into flesh, though he's hopeful that the impact may reduce Keith's strength and mobility in that arm for the rest of the battle. The newly erected rock barrier prevents him from doubling down on his attack.

He quickly goes through his options: He could try to shatter it with a physical attack, but honestly, he's already too drained to muster the sheer force that would require. He could use wind-, water- or earth magic to lift himself on top of it and surprise Keith with his sudden high ground... but he keenly feels that his energy reserves are already too low for that, too. He's been a swordsman for a long time and knows his body and its limits very well, but the magic is still too foreign for him to gauge his reserves properly, and this is becoming his downfall in this duel. It's a good lesson to learn, and he resolves to dedicate himself to his training all the harder.

Ultimately he chooses the plainest option and simply dashes around the barrier, striking at Keith with just his sword and trying to target the presumably weakened arm. Even if he succeeds in disarming him on that side, though, they'll still be well-matched thanks to Keith's other weapon, and if the armour is strong enough to have prevented any lasting effects Hijikata's chances of success are even lower. He's pretty much out of fancy tricks now, and unless Keith is equally exhausted he doesn't expect to win this round anymore - but that doesn't mean he'll go down easily!]

[tempredmental]

[A rock wall probably hadn't been the best idea, considering Keith couldn't see through it to figure out which approach Hijikata would take to get to him. Around one of the sides? Over the top? Smash right through? Regardless, he needed to get his head back into this.

He'd fought multiple opponents with this shoulder hurt before. If he dug deep enough, could he do it again here? Keith had noted that, since arriving, his endurance and durability weren't as high as they were back home, which made him wonder just how much of what he could do was because he was half-Galra. It also meant that there was a chance that even just a one-on-one like this was going to be a problem now. He could already feel a lot of the ache starting to spread its way down the arm, and that was going to make his grip on his weapon weak.

Plus... he was running out of steam. They'd used a lot of magic between them. Maybe his opponent was just as tired. Keith could only hope as he faintly picked up the sound of footsteps coming around one side the wall... the same side he'd been hit on. Of course. Take advantage of it. He didn't fault the tactic, that was for sure.

He flipped his Marmora sword around in his hand again to a normal grip, rotating as Hijikata emerged from around the edge of the wall to put his right side back and away, and start fighting mostly left-handed. He caught the katana with his sword by crossing over and pushed against it, working to deflect it back the way it came from and up as he tried to create an opening for himself to push through the motion and use his elbow to strike.

It was time to get a little more physical beyond just the weapons...]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata really enjoys seeing Keith's maneuvers. He has solid techniques and is quick on the uptake, that's something he can appreciate. As their blades clash again and Keith uses the brief opportunity for an elbow jab Hijikata decides to take the risk after all: he evades the strike by letting himself drop down and swinging his leg, hoping to knock Keith off his feet.

It's a risky move, but Hijikata simply hopes that he'll have to moment of surprise on his side and be able to pin him before he can turn the tables on him - if Keith gets swept down in the first place.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith really should have seen that coming. It was move he had used often in his fights back home. Then again, he was usually fighting against people a lot taller than him. Galra tended to average between seven and eight feet tall, so sweeping their legs was a solid technique for him to use, considering he was only around six feet himself. He was used to attacking low.

However, Hijikata was more along the same size as Keith, and this was an interesting challenge for him in that regard. He felt his legs kick out from under him before he landed flat on his back with a grunt. His first instinct was to bring his swords up and cross them over himself to block any potential incoming attack that might come down on top of him.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[That was the perfect response, really, because Hijikata's blade, aimed to ram into the ground next the Keith's neck, instead collides with the crossed swords and gets deflected aside. He simultaneously curses internally and enjoys how damn hard his opponent is making this for him. If this were a friendly spar he'd call it a draw now, given how they still match up with each other despite both being exhausted, but alas, it's a competition, and a draw would hinder the elimination progress.

He stays where he is above Keith, not yielding an inch of ground and taking advantage of his position and trying to find any kind of opening, delivering fierce strikes and mean stabs, only to find them blocked and parried. By now his breath is seriously ragged, and he can feel his vision start to get slightly tunnel-like from the magical exertion... he has the upper hand physically, but he won't be able to muster any fancy elemental tricks anymore.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith was out of magical solutions, too. If he could, a strong updraft of wind would have likely given him the opening he needed to get out from under the barrage of strikes. He wasn't sure if he could outlast Hijikata by just defending against them, as it took a bit out of him each time their swords hit. It was tiring to endure those impacts through his arms. He was going to have to do something at some point...

.....

Keith felt something akin to panic encroaching from the back of his mind as a very sudden traumatic sense of déjà vu hit him. It almost froze him in place, and he was late to deflect, yelping slightly instead as he twisted his head away from a strike that did finally hit the ground next to his face. But it brought Hijikata closer and Keith swung hard in desperation, his fist aiming to connect with his opponent's side and knock him off so he could get up off his back and out of the dirt.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Just as Hijikata finally manages to get his blade in between Keith's he's met by that unexpected response. The punch hits him right under the ribs with full force and draws a pained grunt from him, but he manages to withstand the momentum, grabs Keith's wrist and forcefully pins it to the ground at his side, keeping his other sword at bay by interlocking his own with it. He's properly on top of Keith now, holding his legs down with his own, arms shaking from the effort of keeping Keith's in place. They're once again in a stalemate situation.]

You should've cut me, not punched me!

[The strain in his voice shows that it hurt good and well, though. Honestly, he's not feeling fresh at all anymore. By now everyone watching is slowly but surely getting a bit restless. Are these guys just going to pass out on top of each other at this rate? They're also about to exceed the time limit... the referee decides to step in and make a loudspeaker announcement.]

Guys, you've been giving us a very honourable and tense fight! However we're approaching the allocated end of this round, so while I'm sure you'd be able to keep going even while injured we'll have to call the winner at first blood!

[It's a miracle that they've been avoiding making each other bleed so far - to be fair, in the one situation the credit for that has goes to Keith's armour, and on the other side of things it's largely due to Keith's deliberate avoidance of comparable strikes against Hijikata -, but now that the rules have been changed Hijikata won't hold back.

Since Keith's face is pretty much the only part of him not covered in armour (assuming he still doesn't have the visor activated) he'll simply make a fast, sharp move - and given the current position of his sword on Keith's right he's likely to cut right along the old scar already on his face. That is, of course, if Keith won't first make his own move, be it by likewise breaking their swords' interlock or by freeing his pinned arm.]

[tempredmental]

[It wasn't even the referee's interruption that gets Keith's attention. It's the strange statement from Hijikata. Not his tone, not the exact wording, but how it just fit the scenario flashing through his head that touched a nerve deep in Keith's memories. It was something he'd been avoiding for a while, honestly, especially since Shiro had shown up, but the current situation was bringing it back hard and flustering Keith something fierce.

He did move, trying to break free from being pinned like this. He pushed hard against their blades, forcing them to slide apart and then bring it back across again with another swing towards his opponent, hopefully deflecting that shot at his face if he didn't actually connect with Hijikata himself.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[If Hijikata were able to tell that Keith is going through an intense flashback he'd have gone easier on him in these last few moments - if nothing else he'd have given him a chance to get back on his feet rather than pinning him more closely. But alas, he didn't catch the subtle cues. He really only chided him for squandering what could have been a single-hit win - but even then Hijikata might well have kept going even after taking a sword to the waist.

Keith's swing now redirects Hijikata's sword away from his face, and in one swift motion the duel is over. Hijikata's offence was a miss, and Keith defensive move was a hit, leaving his opponent with a clean cut up his cheek from the jaw. For a moment Hijikata remains in place, still breathing heavily, gaze locked on Keith to see if he won't start bleeding from the cut he meant to deliver... but no, it's only him who was hit. He closes his eyes for a second and gets up, finally releasing Keith's other arm.The crowd is silent for a moment, unable to properly see what's going on, but once Hijikata turns around the monitors (or whatever more magical means of amplifying the duels there are) clearly show his injury. He gestures at Keith.]

He won!

[The audience erupts into applause at that. It feels good to see the guy who was pinned to the ground win after all! Hijikata needs another moment to blink away the dizziness - the damn magic really took it out of him, ugh -, then he'll offer Keith a hand if he wants it.]

[tempredmental]

[The sudden stillness from Hijikata pushed through to Keith's consciousness and brought him back to the moment. He blinked a couple of times, breathing hard and unsteadily as he stared at the cut he'd created in something akin to mild shock. As the other man stood, Keith collapsed back on the dirt for a moment, just breathing, his eyes closed as he tried to sort through his thoughts. He focused on the crowd noise, amplified now that they knew the fight was over, and let it guide him through his panic and out of that memory. Then, with a bit of effort and fatigue, he eased himself back to his feet.

He didn't notice the outstretched hand at first, but then... looking between that and the owner, he seemed momentarily unsure before he finally took it in good faith as a post-contest sportsmanship gesture.]

Good fight...

[He was definitely out of breath, and probably should head over to the medical tent to get his shoulder looked at before the next fight on his schedule...]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata meant to help Keith up, but since he manages on his own he simply gives his hand a hearty squeeze. He's just as worn out, but still musters a faint grin.]

It was. Well done.

[They both need to get themselves healed up, and a couple of aides comes beelining towards them to ensure neither of them collapses on the way to the healers. Hijikata doesn't mind the separation; in their current state he and Keith likely wouldn't have been able to hold much of a conversation anyway. Still, he's impressed with Keith's prowess. He hopes they'll get to fight again one of these days, be it against each other or against a common threat.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith nodded, managing to shake off the last remnants of his bad memories as the healers came running over to check on them. Keith wasn't a talkative guy normally, so add in post-fight exhaustion, especially after having to fight off a bad flashback, he was most definitely in even less talkative than normal.

He gave a nod instead.] You, too.

[And then they were maneuvered away from each other for post-battle care...]