Drifting Pollen

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

The first of the brave few looked upon the paths, some already beginning the climb. Whether driven by deep desires, or simply a thirst for battle, they all had the strength and the tenacity within them to begin the long and arduous ascent.

For hours, they would take their roads alone. Over sharp crags, through dense woods, past fearsome volcanic vents that belched steam like the maws of some terrible beast. Much of nature's beauty and ferocity was on display here, plain to see- but there was little sign of life. A few stray notes of birdsong, perhaps, or the sight of a small furred creature darting away into a hole, but only rarely, and only if one were watching for such things. The animals were hiding, perhaps sensing what now crawled up past their homes. The very air, cool and still, seemed to be holding its breath in anticipation.

The paths wound and turned, bringing the climbers higher and higher, and drawing them closer and closer. Then, just as they'd be getting used to the quiet, perhaps thinking that there would be no challenge after all, the paths would veer sharply, crashing into each other like blind snakes, forcing the climbers together.

The dragon-slayer Sigurd Stoneheart would be greeted by the fearsome sight of Iolanthe Adastreia,

even as the elite specialist Gigue Lagace found his path crossed with that of the swift Shen Chung Gong,

while a vile stench filled the nostrils of Guzman Galliard III, as his mighty footsteps drew closer to the smelly Gonad Yakspitter,

and deft-footed Nicoli D'Angelo's winding way guided him straight towards the hunter of monsters, Trixi Hex.

By magic or stone or iron, the ways were shut to them, and would not open for either pair. Only one could pass each barrier- and there was no doubt as to how this one might be decided. High on the slopes, the climbers would clash, the chorus of their power and their pain awakening the sleeping power deep within the Mountain.

Begin.

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

Yeaaaaahhh... on behalf of everyone here, I'm adding a new rule:

-Anyone writing their characters urinating, defacating, or performing similarly disgusting acts 'on-screen' automatically forfeits their next match. Anyone who attempts to exploit loopholes in this rule will suffer the same penalty.

Also, it seems that Fallenreaper's character will be joining the contestants. First matchups coming soon :)

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

Perhaps it's an intimidation tactic? He's hoping to eliminate the other contestants by scaring them off with the smell :D

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

I'm really working hot and heavy on my PC, I'm still interested but as I told Rilla... balance when it comes to arena isn't my best skill. She is about 75% complete but I'm having real issues, namely as I'm debating on if she fits the acceptable tier range. If too much needs altered than I can't really enter this tourney as I'm not sure if I would have the edits up and ready in time. Apologies for taking so long.

@Fallenreaper

No worries, I understand. Making character sheets takes me ages sometimes... Unfortunately, I am pushing this forwards on a pretty tight schedule. Nothing kills an RP like too much waiting, and this is especially true for tournaments.

However, I would definitely prefer for you to have the opportunity to participate if possible. It sounds like most of the issues you're having are with balance, so how about this: you can PM me your character sheet (what you have of it right now), and I can advise you as to what works, and discuss whether changes might be needed to fit her into the power tier and thus get her quickly approved. Sound good?

EDIT: as Scarifar said, you could even just post it here. I haven't totally rejected any of the characters submitted, only asked for a few changes in some cases. So if you just submitted it as is, we could probably work out any issues over the next day or so.

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

Now, that ithink of it, there's one last question i must pester you with: do one's xupplies get replenished after battle? Or must i be conservative with whatever finite tools my character has, such as the smokebombs and knives on Gigue?

@Vordak

Just as characters are healed, supplies are replenished, and broken equipment repaired... so you only need to worry about ammunition within a battle. I'll probably sneak an IC explanation for all this in the next Shrine.

If anyone wants to go 'endurance mode' and forgo the heals/repairs, that is allowed. However, I can imagine the fights will be tricky enough already, without having to worry about conserving strength and ammo.

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

All right, time to start rolling things out! I've made the first IC post, and the following now goes into effect.

- All approved participants can now post their character sheets in the Characters tab. Technically not required, if you don't do it I'll just do it myself.

- The IC is currently set at the First Shrine, at the base of the Mountain, before any major confrontations occur. Players may RP their characters here, but this is optional. No matches will occur just yet.

- The IC will move to higher Shrines as we progress through the tourney rounds.

- Battles will take place in their own threads. The first matchups will likely be posted around this time tomorrow, and will begin shortly thereafter. Characters might be accepted for a short while after this deadline, but likelihood of late acceptance will rapidly decrease once battles get started.

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

It is time.

The winds whispered it, carrying the words down from the Mountain's peak, through the jagged crags of rock which dominated the heights. The trees whispered it, their leaves rustling and shuffling on the lower slopes as they passed on the message. The stones whispered it, grinding and turning when nobody was there to watch, opening paths that had lain shut for centuries.

It reached the ears of the monks, and they readied themselves to receive guests.

The first shrine lay at the very base of the Black Mountain, hidden in its titanic shadow. This was the largest of them, resembling wide-roofed temple, complete with pillars hewn of rough grey stone, an evident contrast to the black rock upon which they rested. Carvings adorned the walls, some made colorful with dyes. Depictions of heroes, warriors, assassins and magi, those who had challenged the Mountain in the past. The centerpiece, however, was no mortal monument. The Shrine itself dominated the temple: a pair of vast winged statues, rendered in pure white marble, eternally locked in combat.

The monks wove back and forth, hurrying about, sometimes quietly muttering to each other. All wore robes, but many bore different colors: red, brown, grey, white, all were present in some quantity or other. They were solemn, and certainly not rambunctious, but their movements betrayed a certain excitement. Finally, the hour had come.

Food and supplies were brought in from a nearby village, and laid out to be taken freely. Though hardly luxurious, these were plentiful, for it would not do to have a challenger starve or freeze on the climb, however unlikely it might seem. The Mountain demanded blood, and the monks were to help ensure it.

Sooner or later, those brave enough to make the ascent would pass through here. Some might pass straight through, intent on their goal, while others might stay awhile, to make final preparations for their journey... or size up those who might oppose it. The monks were on guard, ready to break up any physical altercation- though perhaps not as skilled or strong as those who would soon arrive, they had the numbers to do so.

At the far end of the structure, beyond the great angel statues, lay the first path. A simple dirt road, it was wide and welcoming- but quickly split off into dozens of narrower routes. These were the roads to be taken by those making the climb, each just wide enough to one person. Some might try to follow others, but they would soon find themselves on a different road- for once one reached those sheer and dangerous slopes, no path remained the same for long. It was a well-known rule: climbers always ended up alone.

Until two paths crossed, and two of those ascending had the misfortune to come face-to-face with one another. It was then that the Mountain would demand its blood.

For those brave enough to face this challenge, it was time.

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

Nice drawing! And fairly minor changes, which I am okay with :)

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

@Drifting Pollen During the calm before the storm, I decided to make a few sketches of Iolanthe, and... There are some things left too vague about her equipment. Is it too late to make a couple changes to her equipment, before the battles kick off?

@Chimera

Depends on what changes. I'd rather you didn't give her new weapons or magical items, and if you did I would have to approve them... however, if you're just adding detail to her armor for more descriptive purposes, it should be no problem. Regardless, though, please let us know what the changes would be.

BTW, in the third arena, the pit with magma, how long/wide/heavy and hot are the iron bridges exactly, and can they be picked up? It'd be a delight to smack someone across the face with.

@Vordak

They're about a foot and a half wide (45 cm), eight feet long (around 2.5 meters), and four centimeters thick, so basically thin slabs of rough metal. They're nailed to the ground, but not particularly well, so they could be pulled up by someone sufficiently strong. Their weight is about 351 kg based on some rough calculations, which should be manageable for the physical powerhouses among the contestants. The tricky part is heat... not going to offer a precise number for that (depends on a whole bunch of things), so I'm just going to say that they're hot enough to be painful to touch, and will burn skin in prolonged contact (more than a couple seconds).

The Black Mountain (open tournament)

Time for the opening post?

@Doc Doctor

Going to give it a little bit longer, since eight is an easy number to work with and Fallenreaper seemed to have a character almost ready.