[Quest] [REGIME TRIALS] the Gorgon's challenge—

[Official Day Account]

the Gorgon's challenge

Regime Trials

for regent & emissary

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Thalassa awakes at blue dawn.

Thalassa. That is what the Gorgon is really called—a name, because mortals care so much more for those than they should—yet it was not until he murmured it at her door that Thalassa remembered. 

Priestess Thalassa. Long ago, that was what she had been: something holy.

I have need of you. Ah. Don't they always? His mother had needed her once, too.

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introduction

Welcome to the trials for Solterran Regent and Emissary!

My main goal for choosing IC trials over appointments is that I would like for every interested character to have a chance at the position. And I'll say this right at the start too: even if you're not interested in the position, but wish to participate in Thalassa's challenge for the fun of it, please do! Just note somewhere in your opening post that your character is not seeking a Regime position. <3

Let's get started, shall we?

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how it works

At its core, the trial process has been designed to take into account a character's EXP and a writer's creativity in answering the Gorgon's questions, as well as incorporate an element of randomness. Here is an outline and explanation of how I will be judging it!

1. Every participating character starts off with base points determined by their EXP. (Example: Adonai would start off with 30 points.)
   
2. Thalassa asks her first question. There will be two answers you may choose from; please elaborate on your character's reasoning! There are NO correct answers—however, there will be an IC "right" answer accepted by Thalassa that will be determined via dice roll after a round ends.
   
   • The characters who answered "correctly" will receive +5 points. "Incorrect" answers receive no points.
     
   • To the answer/post I deem to be the most creative, insightful, true to the character, or well-written, I will add a creativity bonus of +3 points.
3. The trial will last 3 rounds. Thalassa will ask a question, your character will have a specified amount of time to respond, and I will roll the dice, tally up points, and post, via Official Day Account, Thalassa's response & ensuing question.
   
4. Round 3 will be a special round. Instead of a question, Thalassa will pose a hypothetical scenario that your character must "solve." There will be no correct or incorrect answers; instead, I will award +5 points to the answer I deem the most creative, insightful, true to the character, or well-written.
   
5. After the final round ends, the winner will be determined via a final dice roll. For example:
   
   • Character A has 40 points; character B has 35 points; character C has 28 points.
     
     • If I roll a number within 1-40, character A will win.
       
     • If I roll a number within 41-75, character B will win.
       
     • If I roll a number within 76-104, character C will win.
   
   The winning character may choose between the Regent position or the Emissary position. I will then roll again, and the next character will take on the remaining position if they wish to! If not, I will roll again.

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notes

• Due to the nature of the trial, I will be strict with posting deadlines. If you do not post your character's response by the date specified, they will unfortunately be eliminated from the trial! This isn't school though (due at 11:59 will be written on my grave)—I will grant a wiggle room of 1-2 hours.
  
  • If the deadline is 2/10 at 9 PM PST & you post at 10 PM PST, don't sweat it! Posting at like, 2 AM PST would be sus ... unfortunately ...

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expectations for regent & emissary

There will be some activity requirements and IC/OOC duties for the holders of these positions. I fully understand that Novus is advertised as a game for busy people, though, so I hope these requirements won't be tyrannically burdensome!

REGENT DUTIES

• The Regent's player should commit to writing up some fun, seasonal IC "quests" for me to refresh Solterra's quest board with! (Mentioned in the Court Rules thread.)
  
• They should also pitch event ideas / share in writing them up with me! It's my hope as Sovereign to release a "smaller" IC event one season and a "bigger" one the next.
  
• The Regent should aim to post at least 5 times a month. 
  
• This is something I'll be experimenting with, but I plan to release lore for a Solterran Royal Guard + Fleet group soon—& to mimic RL power relations, the Regent will be second-in-command of Solterra's armed forces. This means that ICly the Regent should thread with Royal Guard/Fleet members, direct patrols, check on training, etc—and if Solterra ever finds herself provoked ... the Regent will be expected to don their "generalissimo" hat ...

EMISSARY DUTIES

• The Emissary's player will also be expected to contribute to IC event planning / writing! As well as contribute 1-2 quests to the quest board.
  
• The Emissary should aim to post at least 5 times a month.
  
• Again, in accordance with my experiment with giving more IC duties to Regime ranks, the Emissary will be in charge of not only diplomatic/intracourt affairs, but will be official Solterran spymaster. The Emissary will manage a small, elite corps of spies, and will be expected by Adonai to keep this on the way down low. Meaning ideally, no one will know ICly the Emissary has this role ...

Additionally, the players of the Regime are expected to be welcoming, approachable players willing to plot/thread with new and old members. You guys are also reserved the right to bother me (I kid, no one is ever a bother) with event ideas, lore you wish to release, plot relations, anything really—throw them at me! 

Adonai & I can't wait to meet & work with the new Regime members. ♡

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[Official Day Account]

the gorgon

opening call

Her voice drifts like a lute’s song through the sleeping court.

Solterra, she croons, sweet as a southerly wind. It is time to wake. At the edge of her words you catch the beginnings of a hiss—a hiss that tears at the curtains of your window, gullies at the edge of your bed. Wriggles, a siren’s whine, into the supple soft conch of your ear.

By the time you stumble out into the brightening streets, her voice swells the air like an avalanche.

The Court of Day is without Regent, without Emissary. A King, alone! She laughs; it is supersonic. Yet who is worthy? King Adonai, golden darling, cannot seem to make up his mind. There is the sound of an infant wailing somewhere far in the distance.

Wailing, and wailing, and wailing.

So he has awoken me to choose for him.

♢

Are you worthy?

Tell me. Don’t be afraid. Are you worthy?

The Gorgon awaits those who think they are, at the gates of the castle.

You are amongst them, of course, and to your surprise there is already a sizable crowd straining against the castle's outer walls, gossip breathed out one mouth and into another as you push your way through the creaking gates to the limestone pedestal upon which she stands.

You tilt your head, taken aback. The Gorgon does not look like a gorgon. There is a dull red cloth wrapped around her face and neck, an inner embroidered lining casting half of her face in shadow. A string of beads—amber, by the way they are drinking the sun—slips over her wrapped neck, and small strips of paper covered in feverish runes rustle in the wind of late summer.

You step closer.

Her head snaps towards you, and she is already smiling. Even when you have said nothing.

You. Her smile splits her cheeks in two. Come closer, little mortal.

When you obey too slow for her liking, her scream startles a flock of crows into the sky.

Faster!

You have eight days to reply to this thread with your character's response to the Gorgon's call! Upon which you will be officially entered into the Trial, and the real fun can begin.

All those interested in the position of either Regent or Emissary — are you worthy?


Round 0 will close at 9 PM PST, February 7th.

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