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[color=C59B5C][h3][b]Velles 6th[/b][/h3]

[sup][b]Locations:[/b] 
Ersand’Enise - Perrence - Belzagg - Eskand Loft
Ersand’Enise - Virang - Eskand - Mudville
[b]Day of the week:[/b] Pandes
[b]Time:[/b] All Day
[b]Characters:[/b] Too many people[/sup]

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Zarina woke up to claws digging into her itchy scalp. What was once an irritated eye migrated to her head. At first she thought nothing of it, it was very early in the morning still - even for her - but as she got a tad more lucid, the pain awakened with her. What she was scratching wasn’t just her scalp but a very unusual lump that was mirrored on the other hemisphere of her skull. Not only did just touching that tender mass make her want to scream, but the ‘scratching’ was more like clawing with dried blood leaking all over her face and hair. It was gross, it was atrociously painful and it was terrifying.

She rushed to the restroom in pants of pain and drool oozing from her lips. The nearby, half-melted candles were immediately turned ablaze in an intensity she didn’t realise was far too much. The mirror reflected a stained face and a very red eye. Although if she focused, she could see that her pupils were cloudier than usual, yet her sight was completely unaffected. Not that the details would matter much to someone in as much pain as Zarina was. Just a minute of panic later and her sink was shattered from the enormous physical might she was ‘blessed’ with. The ceramic shards lodged into her hands brought attention to them, and there she noticed the claws along with the black, little scales running through her fingers and the back of her palms. Easy to miss, looking like little pricks were actually thick scales of obsidian that tugged on her skin like infected growths. Her whole body was inspected throughout the hours of Ipte, with only her feet and chest looking to be the most affected. The thickest of the scales were near her breasts, and the sight made her vomit. Well that and the unending soreness that came with her transformation.

The why of it all was very secondary in the agonising mind of the Virangish half-dragon. All that mattered was getting rid of this pain. With a quick cleanup and fixing of her visage, she didn’t bother to do her hair or even pick out proper attires - she just had to GO. And the best place was where she had gotten shit-faced last time: The Hegelans. When she sniffed them out, the jovial party was to come to an end between Vyshta’s Favoured, Shortlisted and the guests. She gobbled up what she could find.

[color=C78A2C]“More.”[/color] she demanded, [color=C78A2C]“MOAR!”[/color] she bellowed.

The patrons too exception to her behaviour and were preparing for violence as the furious beast that had downed three mana shots was now threatening to bring down anyone who denied her the drinks. They did little to help, but that didn’t matter, they at least did [i]something[/i]. The day would be saved by Penny, who extended an empathetic hand toward Zarina despite their history. Their gazes met, and the afflicted Zaz recoiled from her overly aggressive state and hoped only for some sort of salvation when Penelope appeared to at least understand. The offer of putting her to sleep was eagerly accepted with rapid nods before Zarina was brought to a slumber and a tragedy was thankfully avoided.

What happened during the ten minutes of slumber was very much a blur to her. Flashes of Penny explaining things to Ingrid, Mister Secto making an appearance and collaborating with Penny to get Zarina on her feet and her ingesting a cocktail that, while it didn’t remedy her of anything, dulled her senses enough to make existing somewhat bearable. For now, it seemed there weren’t too many eyes on Zarina’s new predicament, to her great fortune.

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The matches were without incident, for the most part. Both Teams Afraval and Colloy made it to the final brackets, where they would be facing the usual rivals. While Colloy simply fell short in terms of points, Afraval would end up succumbing to a different problem: Itself. The favourites by a considerable margin, it’d be a shock for many to find out they would be disqualified in their final game, costing them the necessary points to qualify to the five-way finals. A tremendous shock to the betting rings, many clamoured foul and a recount was necessary. However, neither team Solstice nor team Afraval had a desire to revisit this issue. 

For now, though, the treasures for each of their arenas had to be addressed! Abdel himself had a relatively mundane morning and started off with a Zeno Bucks Breakfast and immediately got to hurling Neskals with his magnetic talents. And then of course, he too would hoard a few riches during the event.

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[hider=Abdel’s Treasure]His first destination would be Perrence, in a cool evening near forests and cabins. He would end up venturing toward one of these old sheds where he’d end up investigating a well. Growls and screeches of nearby fauna prompted him to be quick in drawing in the bucket at the bottom of it, only to find it filled with just a whole lot of mud and rocks. 

[color=9e0039][b]“Darn.”[/b][/color] he sighed, only to notice something metallic deep within the muck thanks to his refined sensing for anything metal. A little digging later and he found at least some compensation for his search!

[indent][i][b]Very Small Reward:[/b] A small sack with a few coins. Inside is a set of five neskals, one of each type, from ... 650 years ago. It appears that a collector stashed this treasure here and ... forgot it?[/i][/indent]
Next was Belzagg, where he’d visit a market. Naturally, he’d be attracted toward the textiles given his job as Isabella’s helper and he himself acquired a taste for the stuff. He ended up striking a decent bargain with a shopkeeper he helped extinguish a fire from his stand.

[indent][i][b]Minor Find:[/b] A sheet of pearlcloth. Very rare and made of Lumina Moth silk, it is renowned for its durable crossweave and natural swirling pattern. As well as 3 lustrous puff-lion pelts.[/i][/indent]

Finally, the final stop before a return to Ersand’Enise would be in Eskand Loft. More forests, although this time he was accompanied by Isabella in a more cooperative endeavour. They end up finding a log house with a family of bears inside. Narrowly avoiding them and finding a treasure hidden under the floorboards, they both end up with a pretty remarkable item. For now, they’re keeping it at Izzy’s.

[indent][i][b]Spoils acquired:[/b] Lost scepter of Inga I, Empress of Eskand. It is actually a runically-imbued stiletto and has never been taken out of its sheath since lost.  +2% casting power.  Found in a spooky dilapidated cabin in the woods (clearing sub-path), buried/well-hidden.[/i][/indent][/hider]

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[hider=Zarina’s Treasure]First stop: Virang! A familiar place for her, and she would need familiarity given how bad her affliction was making her impatient. Though as the day went by, the pain dulled out. Left to explore, she climbed around the cliffside toward a large branch, only to find a recently attacked nest of some kind. Noticing a clutch of eggs, she acquired both the nest and the eggs themselves, as they would likely die with the parents clearly killed by the signs of struggle and stains of blood left around.

[indent][i][b]Minor Treasure:[/b] A clutch of monkeybird eggs. The limbs of these mostly-flightless birds have become long and spindly and they are known for spending their whole lives on the overgrown cliffsides, amid the vines, roots, and crevasses.[/i][/indent]


Next Stop: Eskand Ath, and what a cold place it was even in the middle of the year. It got to Zarina more than usual, too, prompting her to recoil into a more reserved state and giving off very inapproachable vibes. She went for a long trek until she found a shack of sorts, one that would be in the way of a Kaempe Ko stampede! The Monsigneus chasing them is stared down and distracted long enough for the herd to scatter into the forest. She felt … Compelled to assert herself before it, as if the small creature that she was could show off against more mass and power than the biggest dragon known to the modern world. 

Power asserted, to an extent, she would end up retreating to the forest for now, only to be licked to the face by a calf! Endeared, she forgoes the potential mysteries the shack may have had to help the little one find its mother. This ended up consuming all of her free time, but she did get a second lick from the baby cow.

[indent][i][b]Massive Treasure:[/b] Lick of the Kaempe Ko calf x2. Very precious. Worth the greaves that stabilise Wildblood transformation a little. Absolutely.[/i][/indent]

Finally, the last stop was none other than Ersand’Enise, or rather Mudville. Not the most charming of spots, but at least the carnies were around for some entertainment. Zarina enjoyed the experience with Zymachias, who was probably more of a burden than anything else. The first visit was with none other than Dog Man. A … Very hairy man. And oddly enough he got along decently with Zazzy’s own odd behaviour, likely induced from the changes and pain-addled brain of her’s. His recommendations end up guiding Zaz and Zym to three of his associates.

The First was the beard lady, who gossiped and mentioned ‘The Boss’, being the Toad that held the ‘best’ events and how legit hee was. Although she didn’t say much, she did remark that the ‘blonde boy’ that came out of the half-woman’s tent came from time to time. That boy being Benedetto, although Zarina made a point of not expanding on her knowledge about him.

The Second was the half-lady after she had finished her show. It was clear that Zaz was never one to be with a silver tongue, and her current state made things all the more gauche. But, in her awkwardness and half-honesties about in reality being Benny’s opponent, she manages to discover the following:
[indent]- Benedetto is her brother. Adopted brother, but they were raised together with him gaining his attitude after acquiring magic. He is naturally powerful.
He was found in odd clothing that seemed far too old for this era yet noble/regal.
He comes to visit from time to time, but not too often.
The location of one of the treasures, as well as indication that The Toad would be the most valuable encounter to find anything else of value.[/indent]

So far, the Bearded Lady, Dog Man and Selena the Half-woman were all somewhat uncomfortable to discuss the Toad. This motivated Zaz to explore further. And upon arriving, she was presented with four options after paying a fee to get private visits: The Snake-woman, the Mermaid, the Ape-man and the two-headed woman. The poster showed the snake-woman to resemble Sirrahi, naturally intriguing the teen that had encountered them just yesterday - and coincidentally started to become somewhat reptilian afterward.

The snake-woman was a disappointment - some lady that danced with a snake. The next, however, was a mermaid. And this one looked a LOT like a Sirrahi, but far more fish-like in some ways. A saucy girl named Tiph, who tried to swindle Zarina for some cash, but none of that happened. She, like all other carnies, noticed she was what they called a ‘Wildblood’. At least there was a term for it. A deal was made between fish and monkey: The secret treasure for a favour, being relaying a message to her lost sister should she be found. Zarina agreed, and walked away with a few goodies!

[indent][i][b]Treasures:[/b]
[b]Fireblood Greaves:[/b] made of fire resistant materials and imbued with fire resistant manas, these hegelan-crafted boots allow one to walk on burning ground and even wade through lava for short periods.
[b]Dragon Spurs:[/b] guaranteed to help you prod your dragon to move faster (without breaking the skin).
[b]Bubble-marker:[/b] A strange machine that makes bubbles. Also has some documents hidden inside.
[b]Spratz Dress:[/b] A very heavy dress with spratz bags hidden all over inside of it. Cha-ching![/i][/indent][/hider]

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The battle between Team Afraval and Team Solstice was going as expected. Both were powerhouse teams that would need to chip at one-another before dealing any sort of heavy damage. For all the flashiness going on, it was relatively uneventful overall with roses being displaced and rarely even damaged. The monsters at the front of both teams were simply ushering a stalemate that bored even the most fervent followers in the audience. They didn’t have the courage to boo them, however. Eventually, a break is taken, and in that time the Ice King had gone missing the entire period, but re-appeared just as the match started again.

Something had changed about the Godly behemoth that defined their team’s power. They could all feel it - the unnerving cold that stagnated in the air rather than being brought in by a swift gust. The Ice King locked his shining eyes toward one in particular: Brother Ash. The Sanguinaire stared back, a tad confused and probably not in the mood to rumble with a monster like him. But nobody was asking for his opinions.

[center][b][color=B0E0E6]"Justice.”[/color][/b][/center]

He uttered as steam escaped his wide grin. He had moved so fast, none had realised the Clanger he was holding was hurled. The shockwave was delayed and repulsed all those around and nearly flung the audience away too. Ash, being the powerful being that he was, mustered just enough strength to survive and take it, and his regeneration would allow him to get back up after a moment downed. A clear foul that baffled the referees and ignited the fans into cheers for more.

Benedetto was getting none of it and immediately charged for the Ice King with his ‘hero of the people’ zeal at full swing (plus a bit of booze in his system). Zarina denied him that and went for her own smack, [color=C78A2C]“Get off my lane, jagoff.”[/color] she growled.

And then it became a downright brawl. Brother Ash rose back from his ‘slumber’ and duked it out with the Ice King who had abandoned any half-hearted attempt to keep it confined to the game. He had a bone to pick with this man. Obvious team Covenant wasn’t going to let this slide and were doing their best to control the situation, but they would have to then handle a second Sanguinaire seeking to get some revenge on the one that had done her wrong twice now. 

It was a mess, and a very dangerous one at that. Jomurr in particular would be targeted by the Mudville audience, prompting him to fume up and threaten to lash out at them. Marci and Benny were not going to have it and went at him whilst Zarina attempted to shrug off Cadence’s and Marly’s illusions. Given her pain and current state, she was much harder to pacify than expected, nor did illusions particularly help in stopping a rampage.

Augusto pulled Penny back, warning her that this wasn’t worth getting involved with, while the rest of CUBED somewhat retreated back with Kaspar, avoiding the clash of the titans going at the front. Eventually, Covenant would manage to put a stop to it without Wolf’s drastic measures, which came with separating Ash from the Ice King whilst the Trials Staff urged all those involved to get out of the field.

In the end, Team Afraval had thrown the first clanger that led to this mess, essentially disqualifying them. They’d take 6th place, but Solstice would gain the final spot in the finals.

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[hider=Treasure In the Colosseum]There was a silver lining to this loss: More Treasure! Before and during the game, Zarina and Abdel would have more time to get to sleuthing. So why not go together? A ragtag team of Virangish pushovers looking for treasure. What could possibly go wrong? 

With the staff preparing the arena and audiences gathering at the stands, Zarina thought it’d be a good idea to investigate the arena itself and the fancy statues there. Surely, things these exquisitely carved had to hide some treasure. Surely. Well, it seemed Evander had the same idea, leading what was expected to be a rivalry would end up being some odd cooperative measure with mild banter. Well, mostly thanks to Abdel, who carried most of the answers to the riddles found upon the statues of the four Emperors of old. 

With the right offerings and puzzles solved, as well as mockery from Benny, they would figure out the secret, and acquire a book after the final riddle: [b]”What is Blood Magic, yet not Blood Magic?”[/b]

[indent][i][b]Treasure:[/b] A small booklet containing the secret Magnetic School spell Bloodwarping.

[b]Bloodwarping:[/b] allows the caster to manipulate the iron content in blood and metallic content in the body to cause deficiencies, weaponize it, or even exert subtle control. (Offense/Defense: tiered 4-6, Magnetic School) [/i][/indent]

An agreement is made between the three knuckleheads, Zarina being the biggest one, on how they would collaborate on learning it and keep it between them. Overall, pretty smooth.

Then came the finals, and Abdel opted to simply spectate and hang out with his friend, Isabella, and cheer on Solstice that had Marceline. Zarina, on the other hand, once she was content with the effects of her device on Team Mozaru and Good Guy Team, went on to get a drink and take a breather outside. There, she would find an odd brazier among the bones of the colosseum that hadn’t been fully renewed yet. A rather perilous mass of passages if one didn’t have magic, and it was hard to see.

Lighting up the brazier revealed a system of wooden planks that appeared to lead somewhere, which piqued the Virangish’s interest. As she stepped on one, she realised that it was beginning to dissipate, so she retreated, until the plank vanished into nothing. The brazier was fed some more fuel after a quick investigation, revealing another set of planks she approached, only to remark that they began to dissipate as she made contact with them. This time, she sprinted forward, as the dark made it impossible to know where they led. 

After some cool parkour, she ends up at the end of the disintegrating maze with a ball of wood floating about near a pillar connected to a broken buttress. Without thinking, Zarina touched it with her sweaty fingers, causing the wood to dissipate and reveal a metallic box inside, with the answer to this puzzling situation.


[indent][i][b]Treasure:[/b] A small booklet containing the secret Chemical School spell Coldfire 

[b]Coldfire:[/b] Creates invisible flames that do not require combustion and can near-instantly be turned into a raging inferno with minor chemical manipulation. Under the right conditions, they can produce powerful directional shockwaves for a hybrid Kinetic spell. (Offense/Utility: tiered 3-5, Chemical School)[/i][/indent][/hider][/color]