[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/w2L3yOy.png[/img][/center][hr][hr]
Almost miraculously, the inclement weather from earlier cleared: rain to sun, heavy clouds to blue skies and a stiff, refreshing breeze that stretched flags out at full flutter and turned the hair of anyone who bothered to keep it long into writhing tangles. Seagulls, visiting from the nearby coast, circled and bleated, diving in at the periphery every so often and squabbling over scraps. It was an hour of mingling and hors d'oeuvres. Senior faculty - the Arch-Zenos Intaba, Latvar, Giarrone, Harrachora, Riu, Tojarra, and Nakamura - sat chatting amongst themselves on stage, beneath a sonic dampening bubble with Zenith Upta and, somewhat belatedly, the Paradigm. Servants and enchanted platters weaved among them and they indulged in all manner of culinary delights, but everybody really knew that it was the calm before the storm. If preparations were not quite frantic, it was perhaps because so many irons had already been placed into the fire and, nonetheless, much of the city bordered on the frantic. Then, there were ten minutes remaining. The Zenith called for silence and the group of over a thousand youths more or less delivered it, the final few stragglers stumbling back to the square from a nearby pub.  

[color=a187be]"You all well know the rules of these Trials,"[/color] Claresse Upta announced, voice booming over the vast space. [color=a187be]"And it has been judged that, perhaps, you know them a little bit [i]too[/i] well."[/color] A hum of uneasy conversation rose within the crowd. [color=a187be]"Many of you also know this city and where your assigned quarters with your masters are. For those who don't..."[/color] She snapped her fingers. All at once, a murder of crows seemed to materialize out of thin air. They swooped down into the crowd to the sounds of yelps and panicked cried, alighting on the arms and shoulders of one student from each group. In their beaks, they held rolled-up parchments. These were dropped either gracefully or unceremoniously, depending on how well they were received, before the animals flew off in a great squawking clattering horde. Once the group had settled down somewhat, she continued. [color=a187be]"You will find personalized maps to the spaces which will serve as your temporary home bases. However..."[/color] and now, a twinkle entered her eye. [color=a187be]"There are some rules that you may be expecting - that you may be used to - and, well, you can throw those out the window. This year, we will be trying something new. To that end,"[/color] she continued, [color=a187be]"the following rule changes will be in effect:
[list][*]All melons of one hundred points or above are protected by the magic of your zenos and are virtually indestructible. Those of two thousand points or above are protected by your arch-zenos and myself.
[*]The destruction of [i]any[/i] melons may only be undertaken by using other melons. Thrown, acidified, packed with something destructive, that is entirely up to you.
[*]To assist in this endeavour, there is a new type of melon this year: one hundred melon grenades are hidden about the school grounds. Upon contact with another melon, these tiny melons will cause its destruction and that of any other melon within a ten foot radius, excepting the five elemelons and the supreme.
[*]Each melon grenade detonated by your team will cost you one hundred points. Each intact one is worth fifty. This is a tactical choice that you will have to make.
[*]Finally, hidden about campus are ten 'Dark Melons'. These are distinct in appearance from all other fruits in today's event and they come from Nonin, Hanien, and Casong. You should be looking for small, purple, and very well-hidden melons, pointed at one end. Upon touching another melon, they will open a melon-destroying portal of twenty feet in radius, capable of eliminating any other fruit, including the five elemelons and the supreme.
[*]You will have a choice to make, however: each Dark Melon is worth five hundred points if kept intact and, like grenades, will cost you one hundred points if destroyed.[/list][/color] She paused. [color=a187be]"Oh yes, one final matter: the rule from years past against entering others' bases has been repealed. Rules against wanton property destruction remain in effect, and any indecent invasion of privacy or theft of all items but melons will be punishable by immediate disqualification. Otherwise, you are free to enter and wreak whatever havoc you please."[/color]

What followed was essentially an uproar, as plans and prep work were thrown into chaos. Less than the majority but more than a few looked - and even sounded - distinctly unhappy. Others cheered. Ruthlessly, the sound of the latter was increased by Arch-Zeno Riu and then all other noise appropriately muffled. [color=a187be]"And on that note,"[/color] the Zenith declared, [color=a187be]"Let me not keep you a moment longer."[/color] The great clock behind her, on the tower of Balthazar Hall, struck two o'clock Oraff and its chimes echoed across the plaza. [color=a187be]"Off with you, then! Off with you!"[/color] Zenith Upta shouted. [color=a187be]"I shall see you all again in five hours!"[/color]

[hider=Dark Melons][img]https://cf.shopee.co.id/file/1e7aa1805ca9abc96d2fff7f1ad037e9[/img][/hider]
[hider=Melon Grenades][img]https://i0.wp.com/homesteadandchill.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-grow-cucamelons-sour-gherkins-homestead-feature.jpeg?fit=1639%2C2048&ssl=1[/img][/hider]
[hr][hr]
It took precisely ten seconds for Benedetto to make an ass of himself. [color=00a99d]"The destruction of any melons may only be undertaken by using other melons,"[/color] he mimicked poorly. [color=00a99d]"Well how 'bout [i]this!?[/i]"[/color] he crowed, spiking a one-pointer he'd grabbed into the ground. Instead of exploding into mush and fragments, however, and spraying his and his teammates' clothes, the fruit rebounded and smacked him in the face. Benny staggered backwards and both Marceline and a couple of the pirates they'd allied with burst out laughing. [color=00a99d]"Something fucking funny?"[/color] Benedetto snarled. [color=00a99d]"It was an experiment."[/color] His face was red and only the very real fear of what he might do if pushed allowed Penny to tamp down on her own laughter.

[color=39b54a]"We should split up,"[/color] announced Anthal, the nominal leader of the group. [color=39b54a]"Four on defense - search n your way back to the house - the rest in pairs, roaming and targeting our best prospects."[/color] Penny was supposed to be with Marci on her way to the house because they were both slow, and the plaza was emptying out quickly - a near-stampede. That was when she got an idea. There was no rule against melons being within the square itself, and she was no more than a dozen feet from the fountain. Reaching out with the Kinetic Gift, she blew wind over the vines that snaked about it, rustling their leaves and pretty purple flowers. [color=f7976a][i]A small melon shape![/i][/color] She felt it or - rather - felt her wind encounter resistance and arc around it. Trying not to dash forward too obviously, she sat on the lip, set her crutches aside, and buried her hands in the leaves. [color=00a99d]"Already sitting down on the job,"[/color] mocked Benny. [color=00a99d]"Typical fucking -"[/color]

[color=f6989d]"She has a melon, you fool,"[/color] hissed Anjeluun, one of the yasoi. The others immediately grouped around Penny and her hand seized upon it. It was small - quite small - and, when she pulled it out, purple! And pointed at one end! [color=f7976a]"It's a dark!"[/color] she exclaimed, voice quiet, holding it tight against her chest. A couple of interlopers were already taking an interest. Then, Marci hobbled towards her, sinking low and enfolding Penny in a hug. [color=598527]"It's okay, you'll do fine, Penny. Don't let their stares get you down."[/color] She flashed angry eyes back at the members of the enemy teams and a couple of them drifted off awkwardly. [color=598527]"Put it up your dress,"[/color] she whispered quickly. [color=598527]"Strap it to your leg. Hurry, while we're hugging."[/color]

The Perrenchwoman's eyes widened. It was something they had discussed: hiding melons in the empty side of her skirts. With all of the fancy magics on display, it was unlikely that people would suspect such a simple deception. Even if they did, would anybody really be so uncouth and indecent as to reach out and grope the apparent 'stump' of some poor amputee girl on the off-chance that they were right? It was awkward and not altogether convincing as a normal 'embrace', but Penny got the melon in place and strapped to her upper thigh. She pretended to wipe away some tears and she stood and grabbed her crutches. [color=f7976a][i]Five hundred points in the bag if I can just get you safely back to Zeno Solstice's. Let's [b]go![/b][/i][/color] The others were already running off to execute the rest of their strategy. Penny did not delay in following.

[hider=Lucky Seven's Strategy]Zeno Born-on-Solstice's team, Lucky Seven, includes Benedetto Corvi, Penny Pellegrin, Marceline Escarra, Marlijn Vaanse, and Owain Vaanse. It is allied with Skull & Crossbones. Their plan includes sending four people searching for melons on their way back to their Zeno's house. One, Penny, has already gotten lucky and found a Dark Melon, so she is temporarily swappin with Owain to return her precious cargo. Marceline will use her tethered range to defend the house, detect the energy signatures of special melons when they're activated, and assist her teammates from afar. Jaxan will coordinate and shore up defenses, and Anjeluun will employ temporal and dark magics to hide and shield their melons where they can't be touched as well as opportuniistically snipin at other teams' temporal finds. The other six will split into pairs and prioritize the Cathedral, the Proving Grounds, and Hedda's Lake, in the Arboretum. They intend to have their stronger member lead, with a stealthy partner - Marlijn, Revan, and Enoxi - following discreetly or stealthed as a secret weapon. The stronger members (Benedetto, Anthal, and Penny), likely able to outpull opponents in a tug of war, will use any elemelons that they find, if fortunate enough, as weapons against opposing players, held telekinetically.[/hider] 
[hr][hr]
[hider=Melon Derby Scoring][h2]Melon Derby Scoring[/h2]
This is a scored and ranked event, with point totals for a good finish being reflected on the leaderboard. These final scores are not the same as in-event scoring. They will be as follows:
[list][*]First Place: 50 points
[*]Second Place: 40 points
[*]Third Place: 35 points
[*]Fourth Place: 30 points
[*]Fifth Place: 25 points
[*]Sixth to Tenth Place: 20 points
[*]Eleventh to Twenty-Fifth Place: 10 points
[*]Twenty-Fifth to Fiftieth: 5 points
[*]All Other Finishers: 2 points
[*]Disqualified: 0 points
[*]Disqualified (Dangerous Play): -5 points[/list]
Allied teams will share rankings. Hence, there are only 128 ranks for this event. In the event of a tie between two alliances (a total of four teams), both will receive the designated point total and the next rank below will be skipped.[/hider]
[hider=Rules & Resources][h2]Rules & Resources[/h2]
Please find a detailed map of the city for the upcoming Melon Derby below. The second map details where your home bbases are located. All of you will begin in the plaza north of Balthazar Hall. Also, take a look at the [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vLI1tbGeSc1QZw_dunf4_ZOgXfDXekhu8WuQBLqmJF8/edit?usp=sharing]Guest Teams Guide[/url] for information on your allied teams, as well as the [url=https://keepthescore.co/board/mbsregmpihe/]Leaderboard[/url] to stay up to date on scoring. You will be responsible for playing out your interactions with allied teams unless I state otherwise.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/QrNIjzX.png[/img][hr][hr]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/RFzDkal.png[/img][hr][hr][center][hr][h3][u]Trial One: The Great Melon Derby[/u][/h3][/center]
With the holiday Melon Day having just ended, thousands of melons flood the city of Ersand'Enise. Most years, the number comes in just north of 20,000. This year, the exact total is 20,716, mostly divided between the five 'elemental' melon types of firemelon, watermelon, thundermelon, terramelon, and cloudmelon. 

Precisely one of each type is special: created through binding magic and seeded with a spell that will trigger only once it is picked up by someone with a RAS of 5.00 or above or magic requiring that threshold is used upon it. Each elemelon's spell will correspond to its elemental type: the firemelon will scald and radiate intense heat, the watermelon will splash and spray water, the thundermelon will visibly zap and shock, the terramelon will rapidly grow long, lashing vines and spray dirt, and the cloudmelon will buffet its bearer and surrounding area with strong gusts of wind. They will continue to do this as long as they are held in hand or directly by magic. One further melon, of a type that matches the element of the deity currently in ascendance, is the 'Melon Supreme'. It is seeded with a temporal magic spell that will freeze time for all but its holder for precisely two minutes. It will also send out a massive beam of energy into sky, marking the position where it was picked up. It is strongly recommended that its bearer use their two free minutes to beat a hasty retreat to somewhere safer. However, every time after this, whenever it is set down or transferred to another player, the beam will shoot upwards again, revealing its position.

Each melon is worth a particular number of points, with the special 'elemelons' being worth the most. Below is a guide to these:

[indent]All [b]standard melons[/b] (there are 20,050) are worth 1 point. These give no special indication. They are, however, noticeably tougher than they should be and... somewhat bouncy. 

Some [b]larger melons[/b] (there are 500) are worth 10 points. These have a bell hidden inside and will jingle. The bells have a specific magic signature and are very hard to counterfeit. They are also rather tough and bouncy.

[b]Melon grenades[/b] (there are 100) are special. They are worth 50 points if preserved, but may also explode upon contact with another melon and cause the destruction of all melons below elemelon level within a ten foot radius. However, destroying a melon grenade will [i]cost[/i] your team 100 points.

A small number of [b]very large melons[/b] (there are 50) are worth 100 points. These have a special magic item bound inside of them that will release a pleasant and pungent aroma whenever they are handled. Also very hard to counterfeit and nearly unbreakable without using melon grenades or dark melons.

Ten rare [b]dark melons[/b] from Callanast are each worth 500 points and appear different from all other melons. More powerful than grenades, they will cause melons within a radius of twenty feet, including elemelons and the supreme, to disappear into a dark portal and [REDACTED]. If destroyed, dark melons will cost your team 100 points.

The five [b]'elemelons'[/b] are each worth 2000 points and are essentially indestructible. These will have the effects described in the previous paragraph, depending on the element that they represent.

The one [b]Melon Supreme[/b] is worth a mighty 10,000 points. For this year, it is virtually indestructible. It is generally considered an all-but automatic win. Only twice in history has a team finished with this melon in its possession and [i]not [/i]won.[/indent]
Teams may acquire melons by all and any means possible, barring direct assault causing serious bodily harm against their opponents or non-participants. They may lie, cheat, steal, bribe, and destroy at will and often do. Targeting opponents' melons to deny them points is a tried and true tactic and the teams' home bases (their Zeno's house) are often temporarily turned into veritable fortresses. All melons acquired by a team must be deposited at their home base by the time the five hours are up and the bells ring in order to count for scoring purposes. 

In general, the rule with regards to cheating is, 'cheat in style.' Counterfeit melons, created either through binding or a mix of chemical and greengrowth abilities need to be able to seamlessly pass as the real thing. Get busted and any fake melons you're caught with will [i]cost[/i] your team five points each. Rough someone up? That's a 25 point penalty, though some teams tactically decide to eat it. As for sneaking into an enemy team's home base? New for this year, you're now allowed to try! However, any severe or life-threatening injuries that you cause that can't be quickly healed through binding will result in immediate disqualification. Just... don't be that edgy. It's not worth it.

As for magic or abilities that move a melon through time and interdimensional space? Every time that an elemelon or he supreme is moved through temporal magic, it will weaken. The first will make it vulnerable to normal melon grenades. The second will render it equal to a one-point melon in durability. The third will leave it equal to a regular melon. A fourth will destroy it. For Melons moved outside of this dimension, they will become heavier and heavier the longer that they remain outside of it, trying to 'pull' themselves back in. Anybody holding one will need to engage in a series of escalating roll checks each posting window in the discord thread. These melons will also need to be constantly held, automatically returning if let go.

When the derby ends and melons are totaled and inspected, they must be in a condition judged to be 'consumable' as part of a healthy meal in order to earn their team points. Destroyed, badly damaged, obvious cheat, or rotten melons will not count, regardless of which type they are (including the elemelons and the supreme). The five teams with the highest point totals will occupy the podium for this event. Allied teams will share the same ranking.[/hider]
[hider=Posting for this Cycle][h2]Posting for this Cycle[/h2]
The great Melon Derby will last for two cycles in total. Each team may post one [b]hidden strategy[/b] of up to 500 words in their group-specific channel on discord, which may contain elements they do not wish to be publicly viewable. Beginning at 12:00 AM GMT-4 on Wednesday, October 12, and ending at 11:59 PM on Sunday October 16, a thread titled "The Great Melon Derby" will be open on our discord. Any player may post their tactics of up to 300 words in the thread up to twice per day, detailing their intended actions. To avoid more active players monopolizing this opportunity, you must wait for at least three other players to post after you (two of whom must not be on your team) before posting again. Exceptions will be allowed if you and an opposing player are interacting directly. Please refer to the map in the hider above and tag your position and/or route at the bottom of these posts. Unless interruptions occur, each tactical post in the discord thread will be assumed to cover roughly half an hour. Try to keep your actions reasonable for this amount of time. Finally, if a player is using an ability that allows for stealth and is reasonably competent with it, they will not need to publicly reveal their coordinates. These should instead be DMed to me. Other characters may roll, as stated in their posts, for stealth detection and I will set a threshold for that if they are near any stealthed characters.[/hider]