The Proving of Gereth Shor

Gereth Shor, the Labyrinth, once it was used by the Etrebean civilisation to entertain the masses, now it stands as another Necropolis, a tomb for their dead civilisation. The Wolvesh look to it as a testing ground for their best warriors and now the Lady of the Moon, the spiritual leader of the Wolvesh, has decided that this years Proving shall be open to outsiders. If you believe you have the cunning, strength, combat prowess and courage then you may sign up at your own risk. This year's proving shall be televised across the region, each nation may send at most two Runners, the rules are simple:

1: Any duels must be settled with first blood, all participants are monitored and will be recovered by the Paladins should it prove necessary.
2: The proving will take place over five days, there are hidden food caches located throughout along with any wildlife you may find.
3: Runners will be permitted to chose one weapon to carry with them, you may find additional weaponry within the Labyrinth.
4: Once the Proving is complete an alarm will be sounded, all Runners still within the structure are to remain in position and await recovery. Any Runner who breaks into the recovery tunnels is automatically disqualified.

The objective of the Proving is the recovery of the eight gems held at the heart of the Labyrinth, whereupon the Runner will be allowed to leave. Once the eight Runners are gathered they will be taken to the Necropolis of Ozar Midrashim to receive the blessing of Marwolaeth and will be taken to a grand banquet with the Tribal leaders of Wolfsea, the Lady of the Moon and the Khan within the great throne room of Crescentmaw Palace.



Participants may enter by filling out the following form, please note firearms are prohibited.

EntryForm:

Name:
Nationality:
Weapon of Choice:[/quote]

Click to expand...

Sounds... Fun?
Here:

Name: Katniss Eden Renegade
Nationality: SAA Kanadian
Weapon of Choice: Duel Daggers

EntryForm


Name: LT. Mikhail Jurten
Nationality: Cogorian
Weapon of Choice: Lupagrad Musket with bayonet. No ammunition.

Name: Emily Akerman
Nationality: Guslant
Weapon of Choice: Unarmed

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Name: Scarlet Medina
Nationality: Guslant
Weapon of Choice: B?

Name: SSgt. Andrew Nvallder
Armed/Special Forces DivisionEx-)BBG
Nationality: Andrennian
Weapon of Choice: Platt-Tränop (Heater) Shield and Longsword

Name: Scarface
Nationality: Scallendovia
Weapon of Choice: Sword only

Name: Arin Polani
Nationality: Nebulan
Weapon of Choice: 1W handheld laser

Name: Eritho Binidians
Nationality: Galactan/Nebulan
Weapon of Choice: Scythe

Name: Akash Rawal
Nationality: Syrixian
Armed Forces Division: Black Doom
Rank: Sergeant Major
Weapon of Choice: Mandakatri Mace

It had taken less than a week for the Runners to gather from across the North Pacific. All had travelled to Crescentmaw by sea and air, from whence they were taken via airship to the great Necropolis of Gereth Shor. The ruined city, long ago a bustling metropolis, was awash with colour from the banners and flags of the Runners, the Wolvesh, along with many interested in seeing the Proving firsthand, filled the ancient streets, almost reviving it from it's usual gravelike silence like a phoenix. The Airhsip landed at the outskirts, allowing the Runners to disembark and walk towards the great Labyrinth at the heart of the city. On a raised plinth sat the Lady of the Moon, the spiritual leader of Wolfsea, resplendant in her silvery robes, around her were her personal bodyguard, some of Wolfsea's most skilled women-warriors. Set aside form them were the white-armoured Paladins, protectors of the Temples and holy sites of the Wolvesh, warrior monks who, like the black-clad Templars, did not serve the Khan but instead the Lady and the Marledi church.
It didn't take long for the Runners to take their places before the Lady. The Templar Captain stood awaiting their arrival opened the scroll containing the names of the Runners as they were presented "From Clan Coelean, Ariane Corvel. Fom Clan Enrith, Gunnar Ro and Feyn Roban. From Clan Reville, Artur and Kolyn Skye. From Clan Garvin, Reed Garvin. From Clan Garomea, Irdis and Karin Garomea. From the nation of SAA Kanada, Eden Renegade. From the nation of Ceretis, Adis Lo. From Cogoria, LT. Mikhail Jurten. From Gulantis, Emily Akerman and Scarlet Medina. From Andrenne, Andrew Nvallder. From Scallendovia, Scarface. From Nebula, Arin Polani & Eritho Binidians. From Syrixia, Sergeant Major Akash Rawal." each stepping forth as the Lady got to her feet, approaching them "I welcome you all to Gereth Shor. There are many who are unsure as to why we have opened these provings to outsiders, if we are to remain strong, and build strong alliances, it is essential that we test ourselves and our allies in the same crucible and this crucible recognises the strangth of a warrior, whether they be wolvesh or no." as two Paladins appearred at the shoulders of each Runner she continued "At the heart of the labyrinth there lies 8 gemstones, these stones represent the eight dead gods. Amser, Feykro, Gar, Hahnu, Immerens, Meldn, Widdyn &Yssbryd. Each of you whom recovers these stones will recieve their blessing, you will be permitted to bear their totem upon your banners. I look forward to seeing whom will emerge once the five days are up. The Paladins will escort you to your gate, once you are all in position and the horn sounds, you will be allowed in. May Marwolaeth guide you." she smiled, prompting the Paladins to lead away the Runners to the gates round the Labyrinth's perimeter. It was not long before all were in position, a great bellowing note sounded and the gates rose, alowing the Runners inside.

After Scarface had enter the gate with his other runners, he shake his head repeatedly think of what is going to hapoen " is this place not going to be my last breath on earth" he thought in his mind. Later he raise up his head and make up his mind, that whatever happens here am going to serve my country till the end.

Eden drew her blades from her belt and ran in, taking multiple, random turns. After a while, she looked around to make sure there were no people around. She then kept walking, more carefully.

The pair from Nebula had stood silently throughout the Lady's speech, their aides bearing their banners and their weapons standing behind. Both had gone through a strenuous training process together, designed to train them in their preferred weapons and in survival skills, teamwork, and anything else the team of elite Nebulan veteran commandos had decided would come in handy.

Arin Polani shivered slightly as he stood in front of the gate. He was, as might be expected, nervous. How the hell had he gone from being on track for a well-planned college path in military engineering and weapons design to a Wolvesh tournament? Passing the combat auditions had been a miracle- his martial arts training had always been limited when he had been younger and he lacked the heavy frame of most of the wrestlers and weightlifters who had been his competition. It must have been, he decided, the fact that he was reasonably clever. After all, most of the others had been all brawn, no brain types, and the Nebulan organizers had no real interest in putting a fool in a major competition between nations. Nebula's pride was at stake. But why him?
The aide who stood behind him handed him his laser. A device about the size of a large flashlight, he had had it for years, ever since his sixteenth birthday, when his odd cousin had given it to him. It had become one of his most prized possessions in the interim period and with the aid of his advanced physics and optics classes he had made several tweaks in the training period to make it a suitable weapon, although it would certainly be incapable of serious harm. Arin hoped to be able to stop any foes with words or tricks before entering into direct combat and his choice of weapon would aid in this.
Unbeknownst to him, the Nebulan organizers had selected him for many of these feats. His 'cleverness' had been, through various psychological tests embedded within the higher level auditions, revealed to be astounding, and his preference to cunning over combat had created hopes that he would both become a role model for Nebulan youth and simultaneously redefine the Nebulan stereotype as thinkers, not fighters (a slight miscalculation considering that Nebulan meddling had created the stereotype as manipulative, self-interested people who would use any means necessary to achieve their goals). His willingness and ability to play the long game would also come in handy, they thought.
Whether stereotypes were to be broken or reinforced was an open question that would be answered soon enough.

Eritho Binidians stood straight-backed and anticipatory- not eager or fearless in any way, merely awaiting the gate's opening. Her scythe, as tall as her and not quite as sharp (though the blade glittered with a razor's edge), stood beside her, held carelessly in one hand. She had forged it herself at the age of sixteen, spending a week off school to perfect its construction and polish it to a bright shine. Her tendency to keep to herself had already earned her rumors within the crowded Galactan high school she had been attending at the time; the whispers that spread after a friend mentioned her masterwork were as wildfire in a dry field, both in their rate of travel and in their tendency to wipe out any green in their way. Few people had been willing to associate with her after that and her college applications process had been cut short when she passed the first round of combat auditions for the Proving and made herself eligible for financial aid. Surprisingly, she had managed to get through the more selective rounds afterwards as well. Probably, she suspected, because she had everything the organizers had looked for- physical strength and endurance, intelligence (especially in combat situations), and probably most importantly, willingness to work with others and simultaneous ability to work independently.
In fact, the Nebulan organizers had selected her for much more than that. The planners had made the decision that she would be the best option for a pairing with Polani, on the grounds that their intelligence and planning skills would make them a formidable pair. Another reason for the choice, one that few of the planners were willing to admit to anyone else, was that in the event that Polani became unable to complete the Proving, she would be one of the most capable candidates to complete the challenge on her own.

The gates opened and the pair entered, weapons at the ready.

Jurten had been picked, not because he was the best soldier in his unit, or because he was the most skille. But because he had an unusual ability to come through any situation with a grim and unwavering determination. He had started at the bottom, first a conscript, then a guardsmen. He crawled up to the rank of Colour sergeant for his regiment, before being transferred to the Special Training and Construction Battalion number 400. At first he thought he was being punished for something, the STCB was well known in the army as a unit for the unwanted, the underachievers. Upon arriving at his posting however he was put straight. In his new position in what turned out to be the very elite and covert unit in Cogoria, his talents shone even brighter, pulling a unit through the hell that was Jacksonville.
Now he stood before a great gate, representing his nation. As he waited for the trumpet he fidgeted with the straps on his cuirass, and shook his gauntlet into a slightly more comfortable position. As the brassy note rang across the arena, he shouldered his trusty musket and charged in. Taking a few turns at full speed before slowing to a marching pace that he could keep up for hours with little rest.

Andrew stood throughout the whole speech with his heater shield on one arm; attached with a strap and held by the handle, and his longsword sheathed on his left hip. Unlike a few of the other candidates Andrew had not been specifically chosen by anyone to represent his nation. He had left the BBG a few months ago; after the Jacksonville Civil War, because it had been too dangerous- But he missed the rush of adrenaline he got from being in danger. When he heard about this event he had to come. The last time he had done something dangerous was during a BBG operation in the Jacksonville Civil War. They had been charged with clearing out and securing the various power plants around Jacksonville. Anyways, he had chosen his weapons; a heater shield and a longsword, because he had been the pointman during breaches, and had been charged with carrying a riot shield. This heater shield felt practically weightless to him, he could hold it for hours.

He waited for the trumpet to sound, looking at the other runners. Did he know any of them? No, he didn't. As the trumpet blew, Andrew charged forward, taking a right turn, then a left, then another right, and a straight. He tried as hard as he could to keep those turns in his memory, so he could make an internal map in his brain. He looked at his clothing, putting his hands on his knees to rest for a few seconds and make sure he remembered the directions. His clothes were nothing too special. His old BBG uniform, some combat boots, two steel gauntlets, and a light chest rig. He looked back up, and walked at a somewhat quick pace.

The Paladins entered the service tunnels, two following each Runner. Each runner had been tagged upon their embarkation of the airship and were being watched cautiously via the broadcast cameras.

The Nebulan pair walked briskly through the Labyrinth, Eritho in the lead using her unsheathed scythe as a walking stick, and Arin walking behind and on the right with his laser casually holstered. Neither of them spoke- there was nothing to say. Their words had been exchanged before and both had gotten to know each other well over the training period- one of the most intense times of their lives, and one of the most important- anything that might help them survive or give them an edge in the maze had been taught in the school of hard knocks by a team of Nebulan commandos.

Still, they were going up against professional soldiers, and both of them were acutely aware that they were likely going to become lost before reaching the center, and the compass each of them had would do little in such a maze.

The 20 year old Eden walked through the maze, humming Canadian songs, sharpening her daggers against each other. She was bored out of her mind. She knew she should probably be quiet, but she had been told that she had ADHD. Besides, if someone found her, she wouldn't die. She knew perfectly well that she had people watching her that would pull her out of the games if she was injured. So she kept walking, quietly singing and looking around the maze. Amazing piece of archetecture, really, and she knew every pressure point. The labyrinth was old, and had its weak points. She noticed loose bricks, sagging roofs. She maybe had less physical training then the other's, but before her year in training, she had studied architecture. If she wanted too, she could collapse the ceiling onto someone if needed. Though, that would probably anger some people, so she decided against using that move as a first option. Without paying attention, she dropped her dagger onto the cold, stone floor, where it clattered VERY LOUDLY and echoed throught the maze. She took a few seconds to look around before picking her dagger back up and continuing her "journey".