winter games, y11

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bard competition
Rumors had begun to circulate throughout Amaryllis, whispering promises of a grand competition that would soon be gracing the lands. It was a break from their often calamity and chaos – and though it would still spark the competitive nature that many of the peninsula’s inhabitants already possessed, this would be more-so the healthy kind. At least they hoped.

A trio had found their way here, unannounced and slipping, at first, within the comfort of the shadows. They were cross-country scouts, some would say, with a pulse for adrenaline and a wanton desire to find the most skilled and formidable trade masters among them. They had traversed many territories, seen many lands – and now, their next stop had brought them to Amaryllis, curious to see who would rise to the top. Not to mention that the winning team - the one who would prove themselves to have a strong and diverse arsenal of members to partake in these competitions - would get some of the best bragging rights of all time.


Let the games begin.

She knew that this was the perfect place for performers to gather — the chasm was basically begging for use as night trickled in, with moonbeams cascading down from the sky-window and creating the perfect center-stage for any would-be participants. And while the caverns would protect them from the harshest parts of the newfound winter weather, there was still a crispness that overtook the air, whistling through the cracks in the makeshift theatre. No matter — it would do.

"Bards, I’m looking for some thrills - so come show me your skills!” A summons that she hoped all of them would heed, chuffing out to initiate the next bout of competition. This one was going to be fun; she could feel it.



rules & instructions

This is the thread for the bard trade competition. Your character must have this as their master or sub-master trade, and their team is based on their usergroup (pride, band, rogue). The goal is for your team to amass the most amount of points and win the competition. Read all of the information here.

Sign-ups for this competition are open until December 12; you must post here before then to participate. On December 13, the competition will start and the first round of match-ups will be posted.

• Only post your character here if they intend to participate. There are no observers to the competitions.
• Your character must be at least 1 year old. There are separate events for cubs.
  
• You can post 1 character PER team to participate.
• If you have 2 lions in Caladan Cove that want to participate in the Ranger Competition, you can only post 1. If you have 1 lion in Caladan Cove and 1 lion in Firnen Rainforest that want to participate, you can post them both.
• Every round will feature and play off of a different, associated trade task.

Round 1 Match-Up: On December 13, every participant will be randomly matched with someone else and the NPC will explain the first task. An NPC will be used if there are uneven participant numbers.

You have one week to post again to your match-up. In your reply, respond to the prompt and insert the following dice roll at the bottom of your post. Whoever rolls the highest number out of each pair will win that round and move onto the next.

Code:

[roll=1d20]

Round 1 Match-Up Results: On December 20, the winners of the Round 1 Match-Up will be re-matched and the cycle will continue every week, with the new match-ups being posted on Wednesday.

Failure to post to a given round on time will result in disqualification.

In the case of a tie being rolled between match-ups, Staff will do a tie-breaker.

You can earn the following points towards the Winter Games in this thread. Make sure to submit your points via Discord or DM to @Squid!

• +1 - Participate in a posted trade competition (claimable once per thread, per character)
• +1 - Win a match-up in a posted trade competition (claimable for each match-ups that won)
• +3 - Be one of the last ones standing in a posted trade competition (win the final round match-up, results posted on January 10)

Well that was a good rhyme. Alvena wasn't sure how well she would do at this competition, but she was going to try anyway. If nothing else, it might be a chance to learn new songs and stories for her roll as Lead Storyteller. Actually, she could use the experience as a story! Presuming she didn't do absolutely terribly and wasn't knocked out the first round, anyway.

She was the first one there, and she had to hope that it was just because she was familiar with the lands it was held in and not because there were just that few bards within Amaryllis. At least the chasm had good acoustics if they were going to have a singing competition. She had it on good authority that she had a nice voice (though little did she know it had been a wolf in sheep's clothing that had told her as much).

See I'm a young soul in this very strange world

art & code

Bard! Yes! They were a bard! This was for them! And this competition wasn't out by the flamingos, so it was already going better, they thought.

They still almost got lost on their way to the gathering, almost taking several wrong turns before realizing just in time, and eventually noticing they could just follow the scent of a Summit lioness directly there.

It was going to be a fast competition if it was just the two of them, but Spiritus had faith there would be others. Not that they minded a small gathering, but they were hoping to pick up some tricks from some more experienced bards here and they stood more of a chance if there were several there.

All of these winter events had Mavis practically exploding with excitement! She loved a good competition and the very moment she heard a new voice call out her ears were swiveling, eagerly perked to listen. "BARDS, I’M LOOKING FOR SOME THRILLS - SO COME SHOW ME YOUR SKILLS!" She leaped to her feet with enthusiasm, she was a bard! She was the best of bards. Partying was a skill and she certainly had that! She was good at singing and dancing and overall having a grand time and spreading happiness and cheer to all that were near. She would have been the best elf for santa had he been recruiting more. Mavis would bound across the snow, careening to a halt alongside @Spiritus whom she bumped with her nose playfully, inhaling their scent to introduce herself. "Hi I'm Mavis, we are now friends. OH OH, PICK ME!" She raised her paw excitedly as high in the air as possible, in hopes that the stranger would allow her to go first.

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+1 - Participate in a posted trade competition (claimable once per thread, per character/Gold Crows)

code; art by drifter

There were rumours of a strange happening in Amaryllis, and the summoning call piqued Aria's curiosity. It is a welcome deviation from the usual to receive an invitation to participate in a competition of intelligence instead of physical power and domination. The bard proceeded towards the source of the voice with excitement, and it filled him with increasing happiness when he recognised that it was taking place in the Moonlit Chasm. Aria had always held a particular fondness for this section of the island, and was excited to imagine its caverns filled with joy and merriment.

Aria grinned as he saw felines already gathered, all silvery beneath the moonlight. “Hello everyone. I am Aria.” They chirp, scanning each face in turn. They chuckle at the sight of a woman with a spotted coat (@Mavis), eager to be chosen first to perform.

“I'm thrilled to see what you can do, darling,” Aria purred as they awaited the summoner's response.

+1 - Participate in a posted trade competition (claimable once per thread, per character/Caladan Cove)

bg x art x code

Caligula might not be the most traditional of bards as his stories had always revolved around the stars. But he did have a habit of collecting random bits of information when and where he could. So what better way to learn more about how others represented the trade than to heed the call for a competition.

The bronze male had expected a gathering, though there ended up being more there than anticipated. The gift of gab was one that many seemed to ignore for the strength of claws and teeth instead. So to have just a handful that had turned out was an interesting sight.

And an even more heart warming one was to find their child there. The maneless male moved over to Spiritus and sought to rub against them in greeting. "You came home." The elder lion breathed out the words.

@Spiritus

A group seemed to be gathered to offer entertainment in the form of music. Blue had spent many months perfecting the songs played on her hollowed bone panpipe, which had taken longer still to latch together and smooth out. Having never seen anyone else use an instrument, she was not sure if they would be welcomed here or not. She wasn't confident that she could sing instead, hesitant to approach in case it was required.

She did not like the idea of being laughed at or mocked in her attempt, which was enough to almost cause her to just turn around and go home. She would press forward anyway, deciding to try was the very least she could do. Nearing the others, she would take a seat some yards away, touching her large paw to the smooth instrument hung loosely around her neck.

winter games, y11

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bard competition

The woman was excited for this one – and how could she not be? Bards were (typically) far less serious than some of the other trades, which meant that she should be in for some fun in today’s competition. The scene was right, the mood was good, and she, in high spirits, was looking forward to getting things started.

Naturally, a smile found its way to her features as a variety of figures began to filter into the chasm, filling up the space with eager eyes, curious expressions, and a few bubbling voices, to boot. And though she wished to join in on their enthusiasm, the tradeswoman also knew that she had some ground-rules to set, first and foremost, and that they all deserved a little more of an explanation for what was going on today. “Hello, and thank you for joining me. My partners and I are looking for not only the best tradesmen and women of these lands, but also the strongest and most able pride. Glory and recognition will come to those that succeed in today’s competition, and once we’re finished with all of our tests – we will see which pride or band stands above the rest. Unless the rogues outmatch them all, that is. I won’t give away all of our secrets, but I assure you, winning is the best option.” She explained once a moment of silence had fallen across the cave, flickering her gaze across the participants curiously, before continuing with her monologue.

“Bards — I’m looking to see which one of you shines as the most entertaining and well-rounded performer, and who can impress me in all of the ways of your trade. In rounds, I will be pairing you off with another to compete head-to-head with in a test of my choosing. The one out of the pair that succeeds or impresses me the most will move onto the next round, and we will keep going until a winner, or winners, are evident.” Another smile, then, as she hoped to gear the group up for their tournament and see who was the most hungry for the title of winner. “Your first task will be a story-telling competition. Weave me the most beautiful tale of heroes, or villains, or anything in between. Fantastical or rooted in reality, I don’t have a preference – but please, woo me with a good story!”

Given that she was now finished explaining all the rules and technicalities, the woman would then use her paw to gesture the pairs together. Once she was sure that they all understood and settled comfortably in her match-up, she would simply wait for them all to begin – eager to see what sorts of things their imaginations would create, and who would be first to step onto center stage and kick things off.



match-ups & instructions

@Mavis vs. @Caligula @Spiritus vs. @Blue @Alvena vs. @Aria

• Round 1 Match-Up: Your character has been randomly matched with someone else and the NPC has explained the first task. An NPC will be used if there are uneven participant numbers.
• You have until December 20 to post again to your match-up. In your reply, respond to the prompt and insert the following dice roll at the bottom of your post. Whoever rolls the highest number out of each pair will win that round and move onto the next.
Code:
[roll=1d20]


• Round 1 Match-Up Results: On December 20, the winners of the Round 1 Match-Up (the ones out of each pair with the highest roll) will be re-matched and the cycle will continue every week, with new match-ups being posted on Wednesdays.
• Failure to post to a given round on time will result in disqualification.
• In the case of a tie being rolled between match-ups, Staff will do a tie-breaker.

You can earn the following points towards the Winter Games in this thread. Make sure to submit your points via Discord or DM to @Squid!

• +1 - Participate in a posted trade competition (claimable once per thread, per character)
• +1 - Win a match-up in a posted trade competition (claimable for each match-up that’s won)
• +3 - Be one of the last ones standing in a posted trade competition (win the final round match-up, results posted on January 10)

+5 Tell a story or poem

It seemed these competitions pulled all sorts out of hiding, for she noticed here too was not one but two beings that were not a lion, come to participate. They both seemed quite friendly, and she couldn't help but smile. There was also the male from the Brook who had been at the Pathfinder competition, though she looked away to avoid encroaching on a family reunion. The last to approach was a pale woman like herself and her mother, which was already interesting enough without including the fact that she had some odd bone instrument with her that made Alvena quite curious. There wasn't time to ask what it was, though, and there was something odd about the woman that the yearling couldn't place that set her off just a bit from approaching anyway, despite her feeling bad about that.

Oh goodness, they were to be telling stories? Well, she could handle that. Her mother had told her all sorts of tales from her tribe when she was younger, so she bet that none of those gathered here would have heard them before.

Well, up in the far north, well away from here, there was once a tribe of lions who lived at the base of a mountain, all covered in snow. Their lives were hard, but peaceful enough, except sometimes they would find odd tracks in the snow in the morning around their dens, and a weird smell. Eventually, their scouts started to tell tales of seeing a huge, white-furred creature roaming high up on the mountain, as big as the elephants we hunt here! It walked on two legs... she began, weaving a spooky story her mother had mentioned once.

Rolling 1d20: 20

See I'm a young soul in this very strange world

art & code

Stories were simple enough. Caligula could manage this one. Of course his stories focused on the heavens above, regaling tales as old as time itself. Would these be the same stories that his child chose to tell as well? After all these were the stories that Spiritus had grown up on. But then maybe his child had some other fanciful tale from the trip that they had just been on.

The bronze lion got paired with the excitable leopardess whom had seemed quite eager for the competition. He was glad not to be paired against his child at least. He hoped that Spiritus would do well enough on their own.

"I will speak of the tale of Ursa Major, and in turn that of Ursa Minor as well." Who could resist a two for one story? "Zeus, king of the gods, fell in love with a beautiful nymph named Callisto. But Zeus already had a wife, Hera, And she was quite a jealous goddess. I don't really blame her because in the stories Zeus has had many infidelities. Hera, in her jealousy, ended up turning Callisto into a bear. While trapped as a bear Callisto comes across her son Arcas. Arcas had no idea that his mother was a bear and attempted to shoot her. Zeus intervened and turned Arcas into a bear as well. Both mother and son, in bear form, were placed in the night sky as the stars that make up Ursa Major and Ursa Minor."

Mavis vs. Caligula

Rolling 1d20: 10

@Mavis