Post by Cloudbat (they/them) on Feb 14, 2024 4:59:14 GMT
The day after all the competitors had made it safely to the Endgrove’s sanctuary, Blanca stood on a wooden podium wreathed in flowering vines. It rose several feet above even the tallest of the assembled group, allowing her a clear view of them and vice versa.
The gazelle woman looked over her assembled competitors and tried to smile. She badly wanted to.
“Hello, everyone.” She said in a soft voice, but then swallowed and spoke louder. “Thank you all for your help.”
"Calling it 'help' might be offering too much praise to them," Blanca's gardener replied with a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear.
Her expression hardened at that, but she didn’t comment, her tail swishing slowly back and forth as she spoke again.
“The tasks I need you to complete can be very dangerous. Those of you who fail may try to leave the grove if you like, but it might be impossible now…I advise you to return to the sanctuary and wait out the competition in safety. I can’t guarantee you’ll make it out of the Endgrove in one piece while the corruption still runs rampant.”
Then Hurvy piped up. "You'll be safe here! I think? Yeah! I'm sure we can figure out a way to fight it if we all work together!"
Blanca closed her eyes a moment, then opened them, her lime green irises gleaming with resolve.
“Speaking of…I think I now know how to cure the corruption. But I can’t risk myself to gather ingredients. If I die, there will be no one who can make the medicine.”
Blanca looked over everyone.
“First, I need fern roots from the cenotes. Some have become partially or entirely stone…the minerals in the cave water do that.” She explained. “They are strong. Anchored, just as I need the corrupted to be again…to remember what they are.” She said with a sigh.
“You’ll find them deeper in…and be wary. Some may be corrupted, and there will be natural hazards as well. While you are competing against one another, you may want to cooperate somewhat against the things that wish to hurt you all. Please refrain from attacking one another down there, no matter how desperate you feel.”
She pressed her hands together, ears flicking slightly.
“We’ll escort you back to the sanctuary when you return from the caves. Don’t go too deep, or…we might not be able to retrieve you.” She said with a shudder. “There will be lanterns provided for those who can’t see as well.”
"You guys can do it! We have full confidence in you!" Hurvy chipped in cheerfully.
A distant howl came from the direction of the cave system the competitors would soon enter.
Blanca’s eyes narrowed.
“Caesarion. Fetch your scythe.”
RULES:
Round Requirements:
- Show your competitor finding the calcified fern roots within the cenotes (a cave system with low water levels). They must locate an uncorrupted one and detach it to take back with them. Then, they must successfully exit the cave system and bring it back to Blanca intact to complete the round.
- Competitors may be assisted by or assist other competitors if they so choose. They may also choose to hinder them. They may not participate in direct combat; intentionally wounding another character is forbidden.
General Rules:
1. Competitors will start the round at the same time, all entering the cave system at once, though they may choose to do so from different openings. The cenotes have various hazards - corrupted plants and wildlife, stalagmites and stalactites, shallow water, and unstable terrain - but all other aspects of the caves are up to your interpretation.
2. Your character may take a lantern with them if they wish to help light their way, provided by Blanca’s helpers. Lanterns vary in size and may be magical or mundane in nature; it is up to you how bright they are and how long they last.
3. Roots are found a decent ways down in the cenotes; the ferns they are attached to may be partially stone-like in nature, just like their roots, but they are alive and thrive off the natural luminescence of the cave’s stones and wildlife.
4. After your character returns from the caves, they will be taken back to the sanctuary. Any characters who struggle to return will be aided by the staff and Blanca’s helpers, so long as they are close enough to the surface (the exact range is left up to you).
5. Cave obstacles are currently nonlethal in nature, though your character may still receive wounds or other inconveniences. They can be natural to the environment, or they may be corrupted plants or wildlife.
6. You are welcome (and encouraged!) to show your character interacting with others - but as this round is not paired, you may not depict characters besides your own getting wounded. However, you may show them getting inconvenienced in other ways, though any depictions of character death are forbidden.
7. Showing other characters passing (making it out of the cave system with a root) or failing (getting stuck or lost in the cenotes) is also forbidden.
8. This is an elimination round; we will be judging the quality of entries on who depicts the process of finding a root, detaching one, and getting it back safely in the way that best displays the skills, plotline, and personality of their character(s). Interactions with other characters that enhance those qualities will improve your entry!
