[EVENT] Tournament!

[zenderael_mods]

Beginning Friday, June 3rd is the annual berserker tournament in the Undertow. Typically only berserkers participate in these, but it is technically open to all comers.

This year's tournament is a particularly popular affair, widely advertised and full of more challengers than usual. It will last one week and has two tiers: the prize-winning tier and the title-winning tier. They're not completely exclusive, and getting eliminated from one tier also eliminates you from the other. The difference between the two is that the top-performer in the prize-tier gets a reward for winning, and the top-performer in the title tier gets to fight the Ahura.

The tournament is double-elimination (one loss is a mark, second loss gets you eliminated).

Typically, the Ahura does not fight in the ranks, but given the circumstances surrounding his ascension to power, Rhys doesn't want to give anyone room to argue foul play or trickery. He's in there fighting.

For prize-tier, the winner will receive a big ol' bag o' gold along with a legendary weapon. The best berserker smiths will put together something for you out of elder dragon bone. Never defeated in battle, this dragon died of old age and its bones can only be shaped using its own teeth. It won't break in battle, and it won't go to dust at the most powerful of enchants.

[Edit] The prize tier winner is Alex!

Sign up here!

Comment to this post with which character(s) will be participating and in which tier!

Current list of competitors:
Rhys (Ahura) [title]
King Aerveas [title]
Acher [title]
Alex [title] [prize] (competing under the name "Jordan")
Chisaki [prize]
Majestica [prize]
Virelai [prize]

King Aerveas will be winning most of his matches, much to the shock and dismay of others. He doesn't even have any guild powers! The old man's just a beast of a fighter, utilizing his weaponry effectively and knowing how to use other people's momentum/skill/whatever against them. Because of what is effectively plot armour, we won't match people up with Aerveas or Rhys except by request.

Matches will be randomly rolled, winners may be decided between the players involved or by mod-roll if the players cannot come to a consensus. If you are deciding between yourselves who wins the match, please comment here to tell us who the winner is. We will be announcing brackets regularly; if you take too long to decide we will probably roll it for you.

Feel free to use this post as general plotting! Spectators are more than welcome and several guild leaders plan to be in attendance on scattered days throughout the week.

Additionally, the tournament is being broadcast online! That's right, on the regular internet. There's even a youtube channel for it set up. It's being covered by a few amateur journalists who made it into Zen with most of their equipment intact. They're pumped to be the first people live-broadcasting from inside the game! They'll also be doing interviews with some of the competitors (and maybe influential figures too), so comment here if you want that to happen for your character.

Friday Brackets:
We are throwing NPCs into the mix for this since there are a lot of people competing in this tournament. Some of them are known and have reputations (you might go up against a heel who gets booed the minute they walk into the ring, or someone very popular who gets you booed yourself), some of them are relative unknowns.

Feel free to define them for yourself, all we'll give is a name, gender, and class, and whatever headcanon you make up for that opponent should be noted in case they show up again in later brackets.

Winners bolded. (We are assuming all player characters win against NPCs unless told otherwise--you are definitely allowed to get eliminated by an NPC if you want to)

Acher vs Rhys
Aerveas vs Bernard Monroe (berserker, m)
Alex vs Herron the White (berserker, m)
Chisaki vs Damara Coldheart (druid, f)
Majestica vs Rufus Wallik (hunter, m)
Virelai vs Penelope Deats (spellsword, f)

Nobody actually expected King Aerveas to compete himself; they all expected him to send a proxy. A wave of surprise goes through the stadium when he steps into the ring, and reactions vary between shock and dismay when he defeats Bernard Monroe before the fight even has a chance to get good. Monroe has been a favourite to win in berserker circles, so his sound defeat against King Aerveas in the first round comes as a huge shock to everyone in the Undertow. People are talking about this fight all day.

Saturday Brackets:
Acher vs Herron the White (berserker, m)
Aerveas vs Felicia Ermax (rogue, f)
Alex vs Virelai
Chisaki vs Majestica
Rhys vs Mordecai (berserker, m)

There is a thread for discussion here, please comment there with your match winners. You may also provide a summary of how the match went down, but this is optional.

Sunday Brackets:
Aerveas vs Bold Teleri (berserker, m)
Rhys vs Beatrice Stone (berserker, f)
Majestica vs Zavrian Thercroz (assassin, m)
Chisaki vs Penelope Deats (spellsword, f)

Acher, Alex, and Virelai have a by (no matches Sunday).

Monday Brackets:
Aerveas vs Karen Flaescher (alchemist, f)
Rhys vs Theron Thunderstrike (mage, m)
Acher vs Virelai (Virelai eliminated)
Alex vs Deadly Nightshade (berserker, f)

Chisaki and Majestica have a by (no matches Sunday).

There is a thread for discussion here. I know there aren't a lot of PC vs PC fights in these brackets, but we've got four more days to fill. While the tournament ICly has a gigantic number of competitors, we do not have a correspondingly gigantic number of PCs.

Tuesday Brackets:
Aerveas vs Nalak Joerr (berserker, m)
Rhys vs Issya Aldos (spellsword, f)
Alex vs Majestica
Acher vs Zavrian Thercroz (assassin, m) (Acher eliminated)
Chisaki vs Felicia Ermax (rogue, f)

There is a thread for discussion here. It's known that the prize tier's final watch will be on Thursday and the title tier's on Friday.

Wednesday Brackets:
Aerveas vs Ellisiel (berserker, f)
Rhys vs Rald Strystor (rogue, m)
Alex vs Chisaki (Chisaki eliminated)

There is a thread for discussion here.

Thursday Brackets:
Aerveas vs Deadly Nightshade (berserker, f)
Rhys vs Bernard Monroe (berserker, m)
Alex vs Majestica (Prize tier champion)

Friday Brackets:
Aerveas vs Rhys (Title tier champion)

There is a thread for discussion here.

Comments

[socarnivorously]

- Jordan will be there to watch. She won't be telling anyone except the Bristols to explain her absence. She will have her cloak by then, but will be wearing a mask in the likeness of a Native American jackal.

- Evelyn will be there to cheer Rhys on. She's not going to last long; the violence will make her uneasy. She'll stick around for results, but will not watch.

- Alexander will participate in both tiers as "Jordan". Of the title tier, he isn't playing to win. Assuming he ascends the ranks he'll withdraw a few matches before the final. Of the prize tier, he'll play to win, just cuz.

He'll be wearing the Christmas dress Jordan bought him oocly for the first day/however long it lasts before getting trashed. After that he'll be in more traditional berserker attire. Single polearm. He'll never fury, but use his molavvas strength under the guise of fury.

- Alessia will be there to observe Alex.

- Noelle will be watching some of the tourney on YouTube (EARTH-ALT PARTY IMO, better than the superbowl)

[senecio]

I think we may need to organize an Earth-alt party for this. >> Because that sounds awesome.

[coolmonsoon]

~Rei will be there to watch Alex, though she will also be watching Rhys
~Ezra will also be there to watch Rhys, though going in plainclothes and probably some means of going otherwise incognito, and he won't be there for too long since, y'know, duties ):
~Tristan will be there to boo Rhys
~Ash could be there but I don't have a reason as to why she would be just yet

[justabard]

If you want Ash there, Rayu can construct a reason. (Come be the Ahura's after match healer plz because do we trust there not to be foul play? Nope.) But he won't explain himself, probably.

Unless Ash yells at him.

[jupiter_bands]

Since players lose access to the game by Friday, Harriet will be watching on the Youtubes.

Nova will come to watch if he learns Alex is participating!

[arsmoriendi]

we can say that he does \o/

[senecio]

- Gabe will be watching the tournament as much as he can stand via YouTube. He may make a party out of it.

- Nayan will be present and bouncing around with bells on (not really). He's mostly there to pick a few pockets and listen to interesting information, but he'll also be running a little betting pool on the side as to the success of the current Ahura. Anyone who wants to say they had some things taken from them or participate in the pool, feel free to say so.

- Anais has a passing interest, especially since she knows the Ahura and the Spenta are on friendly-ish terms, so she might be watching via YouTube. Providing Lynea doesn't try to distract her.

[justabard]

Rayu will be placing a small bet with Nayan in favor of Rhys winning.
You know.
Just. Because.

It's not like it matters or anything.

[bloodonthestones]

- Siegmund is there, ofc. He will probably be hanging out in Rhys's cheering section with Virelai and/or Evelyn.

- Majestica will be competing in the prize tier, just for the fuck of it. It sounded like fun.

- Ravi will be in attendance as part of Ezra's minimal paladin escort, in plainclothes. He will be embarrassed to know Alex until he changes into standard berserker gear

- Marlene wants in on this altparty thing y'all

- Duncan will be watching from home, maybe roping Missie and Gabe into it?

[arsmoriendi]

re marlene -- lera or nadir can be her in?

[missmarionette]

Duncan your sister misses you sobsob. She will definitely hang out.
And routinely cheer for the wrong people early on if anyone gets a nice hit on Rhys.

[firecracker_hopping]

Chisaki will enter!

She is playing for the prize tier, not for the title.

Lera may watch!

[bulldozer]

MISS LERA

COME WATCH THE TOURNAMENT WITH THEM AT THE BAR

[firecracker_hopping]

Oh, yes, Acher will be real by then.

He'll compete for the title!

[brokencrescendo]

- lol Rhys

- Virelai will cheer Rhys on. :> And also join the prize tier. FIGHTING IS THE BEST

- Rayu will go to watch with mixed feelings while pretending he's uninterested in the whole affair. If asked if he will go, he'll probably lie about it.

- Gunnar will want to watch this on YouTube somehow. Either at Theresa's on her laptop if she lets him, unless someone wants to drag him somewhere? (He could go to the altparty, but Awkward.)

- Iravati is going, but not competing, and generally enjoying the atmosphere. She will lament not having the money for snacks and souvenirs.

- Missie will probably hang with Gabe/Duncan, yes.

[paladont]

Gunnar could also watch with gabe/duncan? Or get something going with leilei instead!

[winterwhite]

Theresa will go if gunnar and duncan are both there because that makes sense :|)-/

[albinoalchemist]

- Jamie might Youtube watch, unless CR ends up dragging him out to watch it.

- Ferrus is so spectating. I don't know where he'll be, but he'll be there.

Watching.

Friday/Saturday Brackets Discussion

[zenderael_mods]

Re: Friday/Saturday Brackets Discussion

[firecracker_hopping]

Hey Guin, for Chisaki vs. Majestica, I am game with a roll if you got no other preferences!

Alex vs Virelai

[socarnivorously]

Yoiko, let us discuss.

Alex has killed many a peoples of all shapes and sizes. Against another berserker, he is proficient both in close-range (fists) and long-range (glaive, both ends). On Saturday, he will be in standard gear with anti-enchantments (and also a feathered hat).

Sunday/Monday brackets discussion

[zenderael_mods]

Re: Sunday/Monday brackets discussion

[firecracker_hopping]

Yoiko!

How would you like to handle Acher vs. Virelai?

Tuesday brackets discussion

[zenderael_mods]

Re: Tuesday brackets discussion

[frombelow]

Mini! Do you wanna roll for win and then discuss how it works out?

The dice decided on Majestica. Details forthcoming.

Wednesday brackets discussion

[zenderael_mods]

Re: Wednesday brackets discussion

[firecracker_hopping]

Mini!! How do you wanna do Chisaki vs. Alex? I am good with any outcome.

She is a Hunter, so all the usual bags of tricks with bows. The main change is she decided that she needs something when someone gets up close and personal after fighting a rogue, so she is hiding a French army knife that has a single .22 pistol shot hidden in the handle for if that happens!

So win or lose, PROBABLY GONNA KNOW SHE'S FROM EARTH

Thursday/Friday brackets discussion

[zenderael_mods]

Alex vs Majestica

[socarnivorously]

I want to discuss out the logistics of both sides cuz they fought each other once and now have an idea of the other's strategy.

So Alex would have straight up magic defense stuff in addition to his anti-fire/anti-holy. By virtue of their classes he's still at a natural disadvantage, but she's not the first mage he's fought and I think he has a good chance of winning against her the second time.

He is also going to take this fight a little more seriously because he wants to win the prize for Akhi.