[EVENT | TALENT TOURNEY] LET THE GAMES BEGIN

[khuimods]

Characters: All
Date: June 5-20
Location: Aifaran Fairgrounds
Situation: The Talent Tourney is finally here! Whether you're there as a participant or a spectator, it's a city-wide event that has everyone's spirits high.
Warnings/Rating: TBA if needed


The fifth of June dawns, and the city is abuzz with excitement, even at the small hours of the morning. Tourists have come from all over the remaining civilizations of Konryu to watch the Dreamfolk compete in this renowned magic tourney. Vendors have invaded the streets and are selling merchandise and fried things on sticks at exorbitant prices, and some of them could generously be termed as exotic and, perhaps less charitably, really freaking weird and only possibly intended to be edible.

The Talent Tourney opens with a vibrant display of the mundane and the magical, as both Dreamfolk and representatives of the Alliance races gather together to celebrate the most ephemeral group of its citizens. The opening ceremonies feature a parade route through the streets of Aifaran that starts near the Dreaming Bridge and culminates at the temporary tournament grounds by the old piers. Whether or not a Dreamfolk has opted to participate in the Tourney itself, this is a great opportunity to see demonstrations of dance and music by other cultures. If they're out on the streets as the parade begins, they may find themselves roped into it if they're recognized.

The competitive portion of the Tourney begins on the 6th. The events are divided not only by skill level but by school, in order to keep the competition fair and enjoyable - it would be difficult to properly compare an artistic Illusionist and a Conjurer of imps, for example. There are also open contests, where individuals of any Talent school may participate, and these are geared towards those with more flexible Talents or simply those who like taking on a good challenge.

And even though the Tourney is intended to be a fun, no-pressure (aside from friendly competition) event, like any city with an underside, there are still people who want to capitalize on it. Which is why people, both Dreamfolk and non, may find themselves approached by some shady characters who intimate that for just a small fee, they can get in on some underground betting with great odds.

('Great' being a relative term, depending on the potential of wins or losses, but isn't that the same with any gambling?)

---

OOC Notes: This event log is for all characters, whether participants or as attendees of the Tourney! If the pre-made starters don't suit your needs, toss in your own, these are just ideas for getting started. Regarding challenge participants, we are leaving the characters' wins/losses to player discretion, and only ask that they be kept realistic. If you have any questions, please ask them here. Have fun!

Comments

ALTERATION

[khuimods]

Many Alteration Talents are based in the elements, so challenges are similarly structured and often focus on endurance or other ways to push the limits of skill and strength. The element or material that a given participant works with will be provided by the tournament officials, in order to keep things fair. At skill levels 1 and 2, some trials will test how much of a given material someone can Alter, with increasingly large weights or volumes until the participant reaches their limit. Other trials are about mimicking shapes as accurately as possible, with each shape slightly more complex than the last. At higher skill levels, these trials can produce enormous and intricate works, and are sometimes more art-in-action than a traditional competition. In order to make the Alterations comparable, specific aspects of the challenge are set, such as minimum height and weight, or include a time limit.

Many Dreamfolk with Alteration Talents opt to go a different route that allows them to express their creativity without the confines of a particular challenge. Throughout the Tourney, there is an Artist Expo. Dreamfolk use their Talents to create works in categories usually based on their medium (wood, stone, water, etc.). Participants are provided with their medium of choice by the tournament officials and given time limits to work in, from periods of hours to days. A panel of judges decides the winner of each of these. There's also a Viewer's Choice winner in each category and one overall winner, voted on by attendees of the Tourney. This is a great way to get more exposure in the artistic world, so let those creative juices flow!

[ninjainviolet]

A

Now, how had she been talked into doing this again? Sheena couldn't remember, but there she was, joining the rest of those bearing the Alteration mark and listening to the instructions for the first trial.

"Mimicking Shapes?" Sheena hadn't thought she could do that, but what the hell? Why not give it a try? Which she did, making a rather unusual-shaped sphere of light appear above her hand, until her face became one of concentration before relaxing in almost-defeat. And then...did that one actually look like a glowing sun with a center and rays and everything? Because that's what she had been going for!

She wondered what the judges and spectators would think about that.

B

Increasing the volume of her element? Oh she had this! Thanks to her training, it was only natural for her to push herself harder and increase the power of her abilities. So, a series of balls of light that were bigger and denser than the last one wasn't anything new for her and at first came pretty easily.

However, eventually, things started to get tougher for her as she approached her limit during the final test. Would she do it? Well, she came this far, so she wasn't about to give up. Concentrating as hard as she could, she pushed herself, gathering as much light as possible, until she felt a surge of something and suddenly had not one, not two, but five balls of light in front of her.

"Well...that's new," she remarked dryly in a stunned voice.

A

[eyeinfusion]

Judai originally wasn't going to enter, but then the activities didn't look too bad... Actually, they looked really fun! So here he is, making shapes with wind. Or, more accurately, blowing leaves into shapes, since it's pretty hard to see wind!

After making a series of little stars, he takes a break to call across the way when notices what Sheena's doing. "Looking good, Sheena!" He's waving excitedly and everything. Possibly it's against the rules for competitors to talk to each other, but no one told him that! "Is that a sun?"

[ninjainviolet]

Maybe the activities looking fun was what drew Sheena in--but it was the difficulty that made her stay. Or to be precise, her stubbornness in not wanting to quit once she started.

Hearing the familiar voice, Sheena turns, her eyes wide. "Judai! I thought you weren't going to enter!" A pox on the rules if they say they can't talk to each other. "And yes, it is a sun!" she says with more than a hint of surprise that he figured it out.

She looks at his display and grins widely.

"It'll go good with yours! Stars, right? Nice job!"

CONJURATION

[khuimods]

Conjurers will encounter two main types of challenges: pitting their summoned creations against one another, or directing them to accomplish increasingly difficult tasks. At skill levels 1 and 2, contests against other Conjurers are often more about endurance than anything else - rounds are timed (and eventually limited, if necessary) and creations are not allowed to attack the opposite Conjurer, but almost anything else goes.

At lower skill levels, the distinctions between these summons are not as significant, but they widen as Dreamfolk advance their skills. A battle royale between a flame-oriented summon and an electricity-oriented one can be truly spectacular displays. These events are among the most popular of the Tourney and thus the ones that see the most illegal betting. It’s far from uncommon to have someone approach you about taking a bet or, if you’re a participant that much of the smart money is on, bribe you to throw the match.

The tasks - which are essentially obstacle courses - are more unique. Not only must Conjurers come up with innovative ways to, say, get an imp to traverse a labyrinthine path in as short a time as possible, they have to get the imp to listen to them. Experience has demonstrated in occasionally hilarious fashion that summons are sometimes as stubborn as their masters, and what do you mean you want me to leap through a ring of fire? Sounds dangerous, maybe you should do it, boss.

For less combat oriented summons, there are trials and contests showcasing their domestic or crafting prowess such as herding kirin or domestic curamija.

DESTRUCTION

[khuimods]

Since Destruction is often one of the most straightforward Talents, the challenges for this school have two distinct components. First, based on the ability to take down a target (whether by means of actually destroying it or simply knocking it off it's place, depending on the function of each person's ability). However secondly, and arguably the more important aspect depending on whom you speak to, is the style element.

In this way, Destruction Talents are turned from something that's purely about inflicting damages to an elevated level of showmanship. It's not uncommon for Dreamfolk participants in this category to participate in full, homemade costumes, often in motifs mimicking their Talent's elemental specialization or attribute. These challenges quite frequently draw large crowds, and can sometimes get rowdy (who doesn't appreciate a good show of things exploding, after all?)

Like gladiatorial bouts of old, the winners of these challenges are decided by public support; be prepared to cheer loud and long for your favourites!

ILLUSION

[khuimods]

The Illusion competitions are geared towards those who like to perform. As this Talent centers on the ability to fool the senses, it has naturally developed into what some Dreamfolk may recognize as magic shows. While tricky to judge, even participants at lower skill levels find that Illusionists are crowd-pleasers. The most popular structure for trials is for a Dreamfolk to create their most convincing illusion of a set object, creature, or scene. The higher the skill level, the more dynamic and detailed these are required to become. Illusionists are judged by a panel, one of whom is a master Illusionist themselves, and the others are members of races with widely varied biology to maximize the sensory challenge.

Accuracy and precision is important, but so is showmanship. These illusions are, in fact, magic, so there is no secret mechanism behind the red curtain. Mastery over illusion is all about convincing the audience of something - this has to do with sense, but also with the mind. The best Illusionists can fool both, and make it very hard to tell which is which.

RESTORATION

[khuimods]

At first glance, Restoration seems like it should be a straightforward Talent, but the truth is that there are so many variations that the Tourney organizers had to come up with several iterations of challenges before they settled on one that seemed fair to the widest swatch of Restoration users.

In that vein, it's not necessarily "can you fix this broken thing" that Dreamfolk will be facing, but a test of fine control and endurance. Sets of multiple targets under timed restrictions are the most frequent trials that participants are likely to be up against, often pitting them head to head in individual or small team matches that are formed on-site. This prevents challengers from having unfair advantages over one another, and keeps the audience entertained with surprise match-ups and potential personality clashes on teams.

FREE FOR ALL

[khuimods]

This part of the tourney pits any talent user of any skill level against each other. There is a large, multi-level maze set up. Throughout the maze there are several challenges, all with multiple solutions, though some are clearly more tailored to some sorts of talents versus others. One must traverse the branching narrow corridors to reach the center and ascend to the hovering platforms to encounter further challenges.

Throughout, one must be wary of other individuals and teams - the rules are few beyond teams not being able to be greater than five and, well, no actually killing your opponents. One can expect to find hidden passages, magically enhanced locks, various traps, tricks and puzzles.

[eyeinfusion]

A. fried things on sticks
[So Judai wouldn't actually try anything that labeled itself food, but after the Dreaming was kind enough to provide him with some of his favorite bread, not to mention the place near the Dreaming Bridge that serves something that tastes really similar to his favorite food. He doesn't need much encouragement to go for it.]

[Unfortunately.] Blech.

[Quick where's the nearest garbage can??]


B. a small fee
How small a fee are we talking?

[Instead of his usual happy or pleased expression that most people who know him might be familiar with, Judai's expression is entirely closed as he addresses the Shady Character.]

[He is also eighteen and a bit short for his age, so...]

A

[powertotearer]

[Eiji currently does not have a sense of taste, not that he's been particularly open about sharing that little fact. So he's been relying on how things look and smell just to gauge if it's safe to eat.

The bread looked and smelled good, so he took a few bites out of it before realizing Judai wasn't far away, looking disgusted after eating the exact same thing.

Eiji stares for a while, not exactly sure how he should react.]

[eyeinfusion]

[Judai turns, and doesn't seem to have noticed anything about Eiji other than that he's right there.]

Cab Ah bowwor yur nappin?

[Quick Eiji, can he borrow a napkin???]

[powertotearer]

Uh...here.

[Eiji hands it to him, trying to keep his own bread out of sight. Okay, so is it just that it's bad? Not that it'll make him sick?

He kind of has to know if he's going to try to fake it here.]

A

[ninjainviolet]

[ Sheena's reaching for a piece of the bread herself when she hears the negative reaction nearby. Turning, she sees Judai and what he's holding and quickly snatches her hand away it.

Just because it smells good doesn't mean it'll taste good, right?

She approaches the young man, her eyes flashing concern as she draws closer. ]

Judai? Are you okay?

[eyeinfusion]

Yah...

[Just...give him a second. To grab the napkin that came with the confection and spit out his mouthful.]

Whew!

[The person who gave it to him is giving him the side-eye. They did say it was a delicacy...]

Eh heh... Maybe someone else will like it! [He doesn't want to throw Sheena into the fire like that, though, so he turns around and waves at Sheena like he only just noticed her.]

Hey! There you are! [He fastwalks over to her. Quick Sheena run away]

[necrocabbage]

A.
While Trahearne hadn't been very interested in competing, he was still quite interested in any sort of displays of magic, and the Talent Tourney was no exception. On the day of the parade, he's in the crowd watching the merriment - but unfortunately, standing out as much as he does lead to a couple of attempts to goad him into joining the parade, ones that he firmly refuses. Whether or not you happen to help him escape from a more persistent attempt, spotting his head of leaves among the rest of the observers is not particularly difficult.

B.
It's the day of the Tourney itself, and Trahearne has discovered the joy of cheering for a team. And buying the merchandise - he's wearing some pastel examples of Restoration-themed gear, in particular a baseball cap and a light scarf that both sport the Restoration Talent symbol. When he's not watching the competitions, he can be found wandering around the Tourney grounds with a sugary fruit drink in hand, and in a cheery mood.

A

[afoolsgold]

Today, Trahearne has a rescuer. Not one particularly adept at fending off attackers of the usual variety, but absconding with Trahearne from a mob of well-intentioned but annoying locals was something he could do.

"There you are!"

The Fool's voice carries loudly enough over Trahearne's crowd of admirers that many of them turn to look back at him quizzically, thus making it quite easy for him to swan through them towards his friend with a delighted smile on his face. (He's decked out dramatically for the tourney of course, all shades of teal and turquoise; the Fool does not ascribe to the 'less is more' school of thought regarding one's wardrobe choices. Less is not more. More is more.) He slides up to his friend's side and links arms with him, meeting his eyes long enough to communicate a general sense of 'roll with me here.'

"I've been looking all over the place for you. Did you forget about our reservation?" An artless gesture with one hand, and he's already strolling along the walkway, leading Trahearne away as he does so. "No matter--I am well acquainted with the head chef now, you see, I am certain I shall be able to arrange for something."

[necrocabbage]

Trahearne looked much like a deer facing down a hunter with this particular crowd. By the time the Fool arrived at his side, they had already draped Trahearne's neck and shoulders with glass beads and paper streamers, in preparation for pushing him out into the parade. As mild as the sylvari's expressions tend to be, he still has to struggle to not look utterly relieved as the Fool leads him away. It's not difficult to match his pace, not when he was just as eager to get out of there. "That's good of you. I was starting to get hungry."

Once they're a little further away, Trahearne lowers his voice as much as he dares to with the noise of all the people around them. "I'll have to thank whichever god sent you my way at the right time. I'm starting to look like a Wintersday tree." He tugged away a section of a yellow streamer that had gotten wound around his arm, the thin paper tearing easily. "Half of them were already a little nectared, I think. I know I saw a bottle change hands."

[ninjainviolet]

Sheena's actually close by to Trahearne and has heard every attempt to get him into the parade. Since he's been doing okay getting rid of them, she hasn't had to intervene and has been able to focus on the dancers as they pass by.

But, there is always that one person who just won't give up, crossing the line from determined to annoying in one swift move.

Sighing, the ninja comes up next to Trahearne, and pretending that she knows him, smiles widely.

"Found you! This is a great place to watch the parade! Did you see the dancers? Excuse me." The last is directed towards the one bothering Trahearne, as she points excitedly at the group in front of them, talking a mile-a-minute and making it impossible for the persistent one to get a word in edgewise.

[necrocabbage]

Trahearne really had his hands full with this pushy arybar. He didn't like having to move past a polite refusal, but even being brusque just wasn't working this time, and he had no idea how to even explain himself to a complete stranger. It was just as he was considering just taking off running that Sheena came over to interrupt him.

For the first few seconds, Trahearne looked a bit overwhelmed, until he could remember just why she looked so familiar. He'd gotten glimpses of her around the Bridge, so she had to be another of the Dreamfolk. That made him relax considerably. Perhaps he couldn't get many words in edgewise either, but he was at least trying to play along by making hums of agreement and throwing in comments about how impressive the show was.

When the now-frustrated arybar finally turned away and left, Trahearne breathed a sigh of relief. "You have my gratitude. Some people simply don't like taking 'no' for an answer."

B

[corundrum]

"Is that the symbol you hold, little one?"

Padparadscha has declined to enter the tourney itself, considering their power doesn't really fit the consummate show business the Destruction part of the tourney seems to be employing. They have, however, taken the opportunity to see other Dreamfolk and their talents in action, to get an idea of the true scope and scale of the available powers.

As it is, they seem in a typically relaxed mood, with a touch of faint curiosity regarding Trahearne's show of "team spirit". They know due to the merchandise now that that's the symbol of Restoration, and their own Destruction, but they still know much less than they would like to about how these talents work.

[necrocabbage]

"Why hello, Padparadscha. Was that a lucky guess?" Trahearne asked with a small smile and a joking tone. It hadn't been difficult to see the Gem among the crowd, and he was always happy to greet a familiar face.

"I do have a Restoration ability, yes, though I can't claim that it's quite as impressive as what I've seen being used today." It was difficult to really show off with an ability like making rocks that heal people. That hadn't been the biggest reason he had decided not to compete, but it was one of the many contributing factors. "Besides that, I found it quite interesting to see the Dreamfolk symbols used to sell goods. It makes our marks feel more like badges of merit than a random quirk of the Dreaming."

"At any rate, what do you think of the festivities?"

[godkingoftrickery]

A.

The parade was raring, the sounds echoing throughout the city, bold colors and designs of participants costumes and larger displays breathing life into everything. Loki craved to join in, but he'd signed up for a job on the sidelines, where he'd had a good view of the passing action and faces while also putting a nice scheme into motion. Why? Partly because he was still trying not to catch attention until he knew there weren't old faces lurking in wait to imprison or kill him, but... mainly because it was so insufferably hot he felt like he was going to sweat his own shape away. Stupid, wretched, cursed frost giant blood!

Loki had a stand among the rest of the vendors, nestled into a nice spot later in the parade route where he knew other people would be hungry and thirsty after all the walking around and in this heat. The food here wasn't for the weak of heart and bland of tongue. And Loki wasn't selling it! Loki was selling a wide range of dipping sauces to drown out shocking tastes, mild candies to suck on and rid your mouth of those tastes, and heavily iced drinks to help swallow the food with and cool down. He was fully ready to take advantage of other's regrets.

He had several fans pointed at him, was wearing a crop top and shorts, had a big sun hat, and was using a bag of ice as a head-pillow as he half laid back in a lounge chair. There was an extra option among the other product listings (most of them high in cost) that simply offered an extra seat and a chance to sit in his fan-zone for ten minutes to escape the summer weather.

[powertotearer]

Eiji was trying to be careful about the food and drink, if only to avoid odd stares when he didn't react to any flavors, odd or not. It was a relief, really, to see something that looked normal, but he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at some of the prices on Loki's list.

"Isn't that a bit much?"

[godkingoftrickery]

Loki briefly pretended he hadn't heard Eiji, taking a long slurp of a drink in with a straw and idly looking at passerby. When no other customers showed up, he sighed and sat up. "If you insist upon slandering my business model, I suppose I'll be forced to explain. Look at the weather, look at the other vendors. Demand increases prices. If I don't heighten my price, I'd be bought out in mere seconds as a crowd descended like locusts upon my humble stand-- after all the time I spent hauling my goods out here in the heat."

"And look here, you're questioning my quality before testing it! Unfair, I say, unfair!" Loki gestured extravagantly at a popsicle selection. "These could be the most delicious popsicles in the city. You don't know that. You haven't tried them... would you like to? Buy your right to critique. Or continue bullying an innocent-until-proven-guilty shopkeep."