ORIGIN

The cleanest uncharred branches she could salvage from Eridanus? Check.

Harvested vines her claws could expertly tie in order to join together the aforementioned? Also fully accounted for.

Anything else she could conceive of, Monoceros as well as her magic could surely provide. Though Miriam did not view this cave overly fondly, more annoyed by how its regular gusts flapped her cloak about than charmed, she also couldn't deny this setting harbored far more promise than the ruins of Orion. While genuine danger wasn't the object she was pursuing here, rather a convincing simulation of one to engage the crowd's interest, setting any course so close to wild, swirling winds was guaranteed to bring such concerns to mind. A brilliant canvas to begin with; it'd be up to her to make the best possible use of this resource.

"Over here, dears." Avoiding her lackeys being blown away was the first thing demanding her address. While made of stone as well as bone, none of their parts were heavy enough to resist the air's shoves, even at the furthest edge of the great twister. With a lazy gesture of her paw, the golems were directed to huddle in one of the trenches worn into the ground. The safest part of the cave's landscape, it made sense for competitors to spend a portion of their run within this. That didn't mean, however, that this stretch shouldn't have its own difficulties.

"The branches here. And our vines there." The instance the words left her lips and she pointed out the spots she preferred the items to be dropped, the golems obeyed. They carefully arranged them on the floor of the carved out stone and stepped back, prepared to receive their next batch of instructions. Quite fortunately, they would be able to take a break for the moment since neither possessed the dexterity necessary in order to complete this bit of Miriam's scheme.

An obstacle course required at least one section dedicated to jumping, yes? Constructing a hurdle wouldn't require too much effort, and she only intended to build one, as that was all she'd likely need.

Though the vines proved somewhat stubborn to bend, none of that obstinacy mattered when pitted against Miriam's claws. Their strength wavered under the sheer immensity of her own, and a certain amount of pliability managed to be coaxed out of their tough fibers, enough to twist and knot them around branches until a simple hurdle was tied into existence. Designed with a wide span, this she intended to be the main obstacle placed inside this trench. It'd likely appear rather basic to the contestants, but that was the intent. The fun would begin once she employed her little minions.

Fingers snapped together, and she clicked her tongue before pointing directly at the spot in front of her. "Over here."

The golems hurried to their objective. Next she instructed them to rock onto their hind legs and cup their paws in preparation to receive an object to grasp.

"Now you shall take this end," came her explanation, forcing one end of the hurdle into a bony grip and placing the other into a duplicate set. "And you this one."

"Splendid," Miriam remarked once satisfied they held their respective sides well. "Once the victims arrive, you'll traverse the length of this channel here. Back and forth, over and over. Raise and lower the hurdle at random so they cannot judge the jumping height well. Demonstrate your understanding?"

In perfect tandem, the golems raised the hurdle above their heads, took a step forward and back, and then lowered it.

"That'll do. Now remember: always moving, always raising and lowering."

Simple enough of a task. Sterling products of her own magic, surely they'd be competent enough to follow orders when the time came. Their job given, work continued solely on her side of this relationship now. The hurdle introduced as the main obstacle, she could pivot to putting in place unexpected pitfalls to success—quite literal ones, positioned in no discernible pattern throughout the trench, their placement known to her and no one else. Any runners confident in their stride would find themselves inconvenienced at the worst moments, what could have been a successful jump destroyed by a misplaced foot. The devilish idea drew out a chuckle from Miriam in anticipation of the amusing sight certain to occur from this.

She laid a paw onto the ground and envisioned a hollow forming beneath its sturdy surface. A tap of her claw against the top would've surely confirmed its formation at expense of losing the minor obstacle. Thankfully, the sensation of her magic leeching into the soil prevented the need for this, the drain upon her internal wellspring felt and acknowledged.

It wouldn't be ideal to forget where she placed these little surprises. Miriam kept careful track of the first of her pitfalls as she slithered around it, already preparing herself for registering the next location as she headed toward it. A realization occurred to her while doing so. Had she placed these well outside of the path which the golems treaded?

Yes, she had. Cool relief burst through her chest upon reviewing so, and a reassuring hand pressed against her heartbeat for a moment or two. What a humiliation it would've been if her golems had eliminated an entire complication for the competitors long before they had the chance to stumble upon it for themselves. She'd have to remember to place the other pitfalls similarly outside of their path of her hurdle bearers.

Yet again she placed a paw upon solid earth and willed instability to grow.

Another success, evident in how magic tugged free from the confines of her rib cage. Smugness radiated from Miriam as she proceeded onward to another spot to tamper with. The steps were repeated: touch the soil and hollow it out. Not predisposed to heavy labor, already the tedium wore at her, magic not nearly as keen to respond this time as with the previous two. Nevertheless, to make this course a true challenge, she'd have to muster on against boredom and the beginning flickers of exhaustion. By the time she finished, there would be a full field of these annoyances waiting to trip up the unsuspecting soul. That all depended on her continuing without too many pauses for rest.