DEATHMATCH

"DEATHMAAAAAAAAATCH!"
...screamed Nemean, her voice amplified to horrific, near-deafening levels. Her voice rang throughout Orion, reverberating, echoing, the announcement cascading off the Cliffs and resounding through the mouths of even the distant exit tunnels.

Following the sound would bring one to the Forum. The first thing one might notice was the distant heavy metal music thudding and clanging loudly, like falling pots and pans. Then the strong, warm scent of popcorn on the air. And as one drew closer, the full glory of the scene would greet the eyes: the snap and shiver of the massive, hanging banners--violet, with electric green (and glowing!) sigils on them in some unknown text; the small golems patrolling the stands; Nedies with his cart waiting along the worn stone benches. The sand of the pit floor was combed and clean: ready for blood to be spilled! The Collector already sat on a bench, munching popcorn from a striped box, waving idly at anyone who arrived.

"COME ON, FIGHTERS! COME ON, MEDICS!" Nemean shouted, just audible over the scream and thump of music. "GET DOWN BACKSTAGE--COME ON, COME ON--IT'S TIME FOR DEATHMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATCH! TO FUCKIN' START!"

"Backstage" was a secret, hidden room: a huge, dark space beneath the far end of the arena, a stone door from one side (now open) leading to the interior. Strung lights illuminated the darkness, and food and water was already waiting within--fresh meats, whole kills, piles of fruit. Nemean zipped in and out, updating the new arrivals. "NAME? GOT IT! Wait until you're called, then the other door opens and you come running out, all dramatic. Give everyone a show! Remember: NO MAGIC, and we fight TO THE DEATH!" At one end of the dim room, a golem stared at Nemean, its pink apron ruffling in the breeze. Nemean rolled her eyes. "FINE, OR surrender," she said, and huffed.

Tiny hands clapped sharply. "GET READY! We start in TEN! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

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DEATHMATCH! is about to begin! Participants may (but do not need to) post their arrivals into this thread. Specific matchups will be posted here, with tags. Fight threads should be posted as new threads, then GM-tagged, and the titles should be "[DEATHMATCH] Fighter 1 x Fighter 2" for easy reference!

Fighters may arrive backstage and partake of food, drink and make any preparations. New Fighters may turn up within one week real time, but if opponents can't be found, they may be left out... very sad. EACH FIGHTER will be INTRODUCED however they introduced themselves to Nemean, possibly with a silly title tacked on, and are each expected to make a grand entrance from the back room into the arena before their fight!

Medics may also set up below, or in the stands above if preferred.

Audience members may settle themselves in the stands above, and help themselves to any of Nedies' food: popcorn, corn dogs, hot pretzels, sweet fizzy drinks, meat-on-a-stick, cotton candy, and hard liquor. Audience members are free to enter any fight thread to participate IC. Audience may also interfere however they like, but use of magic to disrupt a fight may result in a character's ejection from further participation. Feel free to throw food, garbage, rocks, fabulous bananas, and other items, though! In fact, if you don't, you're a TERRIBLE member of the audience. WRECK SHIT!!!


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DEATHMATCH!
(... OOC INFORMATION!)

Welcome to Deathmatch!!! Below you can find information on Scoring, IC Rules, Judging, Mechanics, Deaths, Rewards, Achievements, Brackets, and more!

Scoring

• Matches are maximum five rounds long.
• Age bonuses will be capped at +5.
• ONLY successful (barely+) attacks will be tallied into the score.

IC Rules

1. No magic is allowed. (If characters attempt to use 'invisible' magic, the NPCs may have detection rolled for them; it's possible to slip it past them! -but a failure to do so will result in elimination.) This includes the audience; those throwing magic into the ring will likely be ejected (unless it's really funny). Enchanted items are allowed.
2. The fights continue until death (see Deaths below), chrysalis, or surrender. (OOC, if characters have not hit this point by the end of Round 5, this will be solved on a case-by-case basis; some may be decided by the judges, or players may decide who surrenders, or a sixth "sudden death" round may be introduced with a deadly hazard, etc.)

Judging Winners

• Fights end early upon KO, submission, chrysalis, or death. In these cases, the match will go to the last combatant standing, and they will be declared a victor, with the other by forfeit. All participants will be awarded 50 magicka, win or lose, regardless of fight length.
• If no serious damage has been inflicted by rounds 4 or 5, arena hazards may be introduced to determine a winner.
• GM-played NPCs and characters will serve as fight judges. If there's a situation where there's no clear winner, or where the numerical winner should not win the fight, they will also serve as OOC mediators.
• In cases where the numerical winner is judged the IC loser (ex. by forfeit or early defeat), the IC winner will be considered the victor for purposes of progression and Activity Logs.
• The last man standing will be considered the Deathmatch winner, and first place. The loser of the final match will be considered Second place, and the losers of the two finalist rounds will be pitted against one another to draw Third.

Other Details

• The Audience members may choose at any time to roll to introduce hazards by way of throwing objects into the ring and so forth. In these cases, the GM may request for double-posts by fighters to address these (these will be clarified on a case-by-case basis).
• Arena hazards may also be introduced at other times, depending on how Nemean's feeling right then.
• In the event that a combatant doesn't turn up, or for odd numbers, Vakornol may step in as an opponent.
• This is an elimination-style tournament. Pairings are random.
• Players should commit to posting every three days to keep the event timely. If a character is not posted in a fight thread for two weeks, they will be disqualified. If a player takes over one week to post in a fight thread three times, that character will be disqualified. (Players will be checked with to ensure there aren't mitigating real life circumstances first!)

Deaths

Character Death will not be forced. However, it's welcomed, and characters dying in DEATHMATCH! will receive an additional achievement for their horribly Deceased account. That being said, characters may aim IC to bring about the deaths of their opponents! This can be solved by simply having the victim enter a chrysalis, to be dragged away, if the player doesn't want that character to die. (In the case of deaths, the dead body and gemstone will go to the winner of the fight!)

Rewards and Achievements

All participants (including audience and medics) will receive a DEATHMATCH! attendance achievement. All COMBAT participants will receive a special, unique Technique.

First, second and third place will be given additional rewards as follows (first and second place winners may choose additional second or third place rewards instead if preferred):

1. First place will be invited to Draco to be forced into a chrysalis beneath the Black Spire and reformed. The character will receive a free Mutation Slot they can design as they see fit, and will awaken fully Corrupted. (First place winners can also turn this down, and choose instead a duplicate of second or third place prizes.)

2. An immediate Corruption-themed mutation with features like spines, extra eyes, acidic/toxic glowing blood/eyes/mucus membranes, and ram's horns. (Players may design these and get them approved by GM.)

3. A GM-designed Valkhound's Oilstone to revive.