winter games, y11

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barbarian 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.

Though the sun was beginning to set out across the horizon, this competition was just about to get underway. It would go all night if it had to — whatever it took to weed out the weak and showcase the best of the best that Amaryllis had to offer. The game-maker was already perched on the edge of the pit, hunkered over like a vulture waiting for the kill. Soon, this place would be filled with bodies, all vying for the same thing — he was sure of it.

Rearing back his skull, the lion let out a resounding roar before his voice promptly followed suite: “Barbarians, sharpen your weapons!” It was both a command and a summons, the air vibrating with the intensity of the man’s words and the unspoken promise that it held. And he meant it, too – this was going to get dirty, and bloody, and probably a little bit personal. As were the ways of a warrior.



rules & instructions

This is the thread for the barbarian 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)

She had heard the call from the pit, and something stirred within her. She was itching for a proper fight, where she could be evenly matched with someone worthy of her skills. Her tail flicked as the Vermedian Queen stalked her way into the Pit. A nod would be given to the red lion who seemed to be standing as the one who had called to organize something, a competition of sorts. A grin would spread across her muzzle as she realized she was one of the first few lions to arrive here.

"I am ready, and willing to participate in whatever it is you have organized here today." Cassandra said, unsheathing her claws and digging them into the ground. She was ready for a nice fight, one where the stakes weren’t as high as they had been in recent memory. Just some fun sparring would be nice for her to engage in and keep her skills sharp.

[Do let me know if I need to remove this and I posted too soon!]

actions. "speech."

Art & Table code by Zodiac

Now she understood what all the whispering was about! Competition was the absolute backbone of the dragonling, who enjoyed nothing more than pitting herself against the biggest opponent she could find just to see what damage she could cause. Of course, there was a solid consequence of being battered around a lot, but perhaps Calcifer was a glutton for pain because she came back for more every time. And she wouldn't be left behind this time either - when the roaring rolled out she moved with swift footsteps towards The Pit. Of course it was to be hosted in the Pit - that made perfect sense to her. She shot the host a grin once again, before glancing towards the feline already assembled. "Aye, ah'm with gorgeous over here, coun' me in!" She gave a cheery wink to @Cassandra before turning her attention to their games master.

code by scorpixia ♡︎ art by irish

She came eagerly to the summons, ignoring the doubt in the back of her mind that reminded her she had yet to win a fight in her short life. Perhaps she could turn that around here, or at the very least learn something to take with her for her next match.

As it turned out, she was wise to come and see this, as she immediately spotted a lioness who was about the same size as her, perhaps even smaller if she went to stand next to her. She didn't, but she kept stealing glances at her, making a mental note to watch the woman fight if she could. There had to be something she could learn from her, some trick or move that would help her gain an advantage over her opponents who were always much, much bigger than her.

Ooh, and excuse to throw his weight around and show off? Yes please. Say less, even. Angelo was more than willing to accept the challenge, especially when he showed up and there were already two lovely ladies there (three, technically, but that last one was a bit young and judging by the look on her face, very much not interested in being spoken to).

Hello ladies! A pleasure, I'm sure, he said with a polite bow of his head and a crooked grin (it wasn't his fault his jaw was fucked up but he liked to think it gave him a bit of charm and didn't just make him look wonky, thank you very much). He was eager to get started, and he looked around curiously to see if any of the other Savante would come to try their luck.

A competition seemed interesting, something to do and a way to keep her skills sharp. She still had much to learn about fighting, she knew, and perhaps she could gather some information about the others at the competition along the way. This would be a peaceful (ish) gathering, she knew, so it would be the perfect opportunity to observe others without having to worry about politics or getting claws in her butt as someone took offense to her presence.

The one poor male there was vastly outnumbered, she noticed with amusement. So was the yearling, but she wasn't going to discount anyone because they were young. Judging by how she was already scarred, the youth had some experience. No doubt this would be interesting, she thought as she took a seat to await instruction.

code by corvus

There was no secret that something strange had been happening in Amaryllis, at least it was something that Keelia had never seen before. She wasn't sure if this was something that had happened before her time, or if this was new for everyone. But when a strange voice would call out, demanding barbarians to sharpen their weapons, Keelia could not help her curiosity that drove her forwards. She was a warrior, through and through. It didn't matter that she was younger, she had witnessed plenty of fights to get the gist of things. She would stroll towards the group that had already gathered, floppy ears preened forward curiously as she spoke, "I'm ready." She informed the stranger, her lilac gaze filled with anticipation and excitement.

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

code

there was no more questioning it. this was more her style, and she loosed a call for any of the bluffs warriors before heading for the pit herself. there were many of them in wolfbron and she would expect to see all of the fighters, here.

for now she is the first from their pride, moving to stand comfortably on her own, staring at the beast that had summoned them. she takes the time to really study him and his unique markings -- he was not known to her from any point in time and thus she cannot help but wonder what, exactly, he was.

ART BY LIZA, CODE BY LARS, MODIFIED BY GUNNER

The Pit was calling for her today, and as always, she wished for some training. And so on this fine day, there was something out of place. It was late spring, and the warmth and green should already be adorning the bast lands of Amaryllis, yet she was seeing snow. A lot of it, as if Winter had decided to come back for more. Either way she was not letting it stop her from her desired workout. But upon arriving, she spotted a red lion and a few others around him. "Barbarians, sharpen your weapons!" So was this a sort of event for warriors? It sounded very nice for her. Quickly, she sharpened her claws against the walls, then approached the group. Glancing at those around her. +1 - Participate in a posted trade competition (claimable once per thread, per character) +5 Sharpen your claws

ART AND CODE BY SHAZ

he follows a little distance behind angelo, summoned forth from the hollows by the challenging call. already there are others present, the mix of pride scents overwhelming as the yearling slips into the pit, pressing against his papa's side with a grin. "hello there, everyone." as with all things in amaryllis, karsa is expecting this to be a tough challenge to beat, whatever it is. the valley was, in fact, full of some very impressive fighters and being as young as he was, karsa had yet to become proficient himself - evidenced by the way he'd almost broken his ankle a month ago trying to test a pride mate. "how many people you think will show up, papa?" he questions @Angelo as they all wait for the event to begin.

coding by daanyen | art by fildgvey566