Of Heads and Tales - Two Quests of the Eighteenth Anniversary

[Aia del Mana]

Greetings to all.

As quests for the anniversary oft do take time to prepare, I shall speak of this one presently, such that more may prepare for this contest ahead of time.

 

The first quest is Of Heads. I believe there to be some circulating number presently, and some may yet lie within gifts of bounty. The contest were simple: 

Provide a screenshot of thyself (and post it within this thread) passing me a large number of heads. This should be posted in this thread as soon as the exchange doth occur.

The largest number given to me in a single passing before the *beginning* of the anniversary in one passing will win a coloured (non-anniversary) creature which has yet been unreleased.

The largest number given to me in a single passing between the *beginning and the end* of the anniversary will also win a coloured creature of this type.

The largest number given to me in a single passing during the entire duration from the commencement of the quest to the end of the anniversary, for a character of the Fourth Mind-Power, will also win a coloured creature of this type.

I am likely to be idle, and these heads may be taken by anyone else (including thyself). It matters not from where the heads may arise; nor whither they shall end; the important part is the record of it in question. In case of a tie, the one who provides the record within this thread earlier will be deemed victorious.

One may pass heads to myself in a scene where I am present by speaking, and replacing 2 with the desired number: *gives 2 heads to Aia*

Do remember to use the number, and not "all" - using "all" will invalidate the entry, @Ledah.

 

 

 

The second quest - Of Tales - is as follows. One may refer to such submissions as found within the thread of the mind of artifice:

Write a story or poem about thyself (the MagicDuel character); one may use whatever aids or tools required (including ChatGPT) provided thou hast the right to distribute the content. (Of note: Thou hast the right to distribute ChatGPT content that it creates when thou dost converse.) Such content should be created anew. I encourage the use of this in this quest, but it may be that one prefers to write by herself.

The best half (rounded down) of such stories or poems as judged by myself will also win a coloured creature of the aforementioned kind. Entries for this contest of tales are open until the end of the Anniversary.

Other stories or poems on a different player may be posted in this thread also and count towards the entries above.
However, if such an entry Is deemed to win, the prize will go to the player who is the subject, not the player who is the author. (One would, of course, write about another player in an attempt to earn them a prize!)

 

As is customary, if the winner of both the contest of heads (either category) and the contest of tales (the single best entry as judged by myself)  is the same person, I will grant them a wishpoint.

There is no limit to the number of entries to either quest, but players may only obtain one creature per contest (for a maximum of two.)

 

Blessings, and fortune favour thee this Anniversary.

Aia

 

Edit: An additional rule, for which effects will arise in one week:

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by Aia del Mana

[jakubhi]

[Ledah]

My reading comprehension tells me there is no definition for a large amount of heads.

 

PS: My screenshot is cooler.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Ledah
you will die now jakubhi

[Ledah]

Vengeance is mine

[jakubhi]

Too soon Ledah, you spoke too soon:P

[chriselnenepr]

Chriselnenepr, a strange and eerie fellow,

Embraces the chaos and the randomness,

In Necrovion, where shadows lurk,

And death is the only ruler.

 

He wanders through the land of darkness,

Trespassing where he shouldn't dare,

For death holds no power over him,

And Chriselnenepr's spirit is aware.

 

Once choked by Marind Bell,

For refusing to play her deadly game,

But death could not hold him down,

For Chriselnenepr's will is not the same.

 

In Necrovion, he finds his solace,

Amidst the shadows and the decay,

For in the land of death, he feels alive,

And his strange and eerie heart is at play.

 

So let Chriselnenepr roam,

Through Necrovion's twisted land,

For in death, he's found his home,

And in chaos, he makes his stand.

 

With every step he takes,

A chill runs down your spine,

For in his presence, death awakens,

And the living are left behind.

[Ledah]

A tale of Jakubhi, a man of lore,
In the land of Loreroot, he seeks to explore.
For knowledge and books were his greatest desire,
Ignoring the noble maidens, his heart never did tire.

He'd seek out ancient tomes, dusty and old,
On the power of knowledge, his faith would not fold.
He would wander the library, searching each shelf,
To understand the secrets, he was determined and felt.

He would bravely run away, when faced with Ledah,
The evil master of skilldamage, full of dread and dismay.
But Jakubhi was brave and he was strong,
He never gave up, no matter how long.

He searched for forgotten secrets, tales of old,
In the dark corners of the library, he would be bold.
He would seek out knowledge, far and wide,
In his quest to understand, he would never hide.

He'd search for the truth, and search for the lies,
He'd search for the answers, even through demise.
He'd battle the darkness, never fall to fear,
His courage and strength, it was always made clear.

[Fang Archbane]

234. Because OCD.

I know someone will eventually just mirror etc to take them all +2 and send them back, invalidating my submission, but I'm not doing this to win, I'm doing this to support your quest submission as it's honestly a good one. 10/10 Aia.

[Fang Archbane]

Once there was a small, loving dog named Fang. He was a loyal companion to his owners and allies, always wagging his tail and eager to please. Regrettably however, Fang's life was destined to be full of betrayal and heartache.

His first family abandoned him when he became too self aware and began asking too many questions, leaving him confused and alone. He was taken in by a new family but they were cruel and neglected him, scared of the changes they saw. They too eventually grew tired of him and kicked him back out into the cold.

Fang found countless new families time and time again, and each one promised to love and care for his withering soul. But they too all betrayed him, rendering no aid when he begged and pleaded as he felt his heart slowly dissapearing. Fang walked on his own until his body matched his dissipating willpower and he was too weak to continue, collapsing on the side of the road.

As he lay there dying, a Demon appeared and spoke to him. The Demons words sparked something Fang had thought to be long lost, and a strange transformation began to take place. Fangs small body began to burn and he was consumed by flames, but instead of being destroyed he emerged from the fire as a symbol of rebirth... He arose a phoenix.

Against the Demons best attempts and wishes, fueled by the pain and betrayal he had suffered so relentlessly, Fang set out on a mission of revenge. He flew to the homes of his former owners, raining fire down upon them in retribution for the wrongs they had committed in his now shattered psyche.

But as the ashes settled, Fang realized that his thirst for vengeance had consumed him. He had become a monster, one that was now no better than the creatures who had betrayed him. He then flew off into the sun, searching for redemption and a new purpose in death.

Fang's journey to date may have been full of pain and sorrow, but it also taught him the true meaning of love and loyalty. He would never forget his past, but he would also never let it define him. He would always be there, watching over his rare surviving loved ones from the shadows, protecting them from harm, and always ready to rise from the ashes, stronger and more dedicated than ever before.

[The Puppeteer]

1729 heads to Aia. Let her massacre begin 😇

[Ledah]

It BEGINS

[The Puppeteer]

I challenge people to get more creative than this 👽

 

[chriselnenepr]

2043 heads to Aia

2047 heads to Aia

Edited January 27, 2023 by chriselnenepr

[Ledah]

Now to go back into hiding...

[Fyrd Argentus]

One might consider the desirability of giving rewards of some sort in each MP category, as is done in traditional heads contests....

[Aia del Mana]

On 1/28/2023 at 2:20 AM, Fyrd Argentus said:

One might consider the desirability of giving rewards of some sort in each MP category, as is done in traditional heads contests....

This is an entirely reasonable proposition.

I note that there is a significant disadvantage for those not of the Fifth Mind-Power as they are also unable to retrieve the heads from myself once they are given owing to the limitations of combat. That is; the mechanics of this quest are entirely different for those who cannot attack those of the Fifth Mind-Power (or, for similar reasons, those who find their alliance to be the Children of the Eclipse).

The contest has not had much time to run, so I think it reasonable to add an additional creature for the highest scoring player for the Fourth Mind-Power, and, if there is sufficient competition (at least three entries, for players which are not known to also possess of characters of higher Mind-Powers), for the Third Mind-Power also.

The duration for such an entry from one of lesser Mind-Power will be the entire duration of the contest; however, the other categories will still remain open for these players as well - that is, it is therefore possible to win all three categories as one of the Fourth Mind-Power.

Edited January 28, 2023 by Aia del Mana

[Else]

I mean I thought there was a feedback from last HC: 

 

Also these quests have the same flaws as a HC test from February/March from last year.

[Ledah]

I know - I've even seen people using the Invisibility spell and hiding in remote locations!

Still, good thing it isn't a HC, or that ball of heads would have disappeared already...

[Aia del Mana]

10 hours ago, Else said:

I mean I thought there was a feedback from last HC: 

 

Also these quests have the same flaws as a HC test from February/March from last year.

 

Ah, then, let us alter the rules (again).

 

As the creature-shield has a duration of one week, I will give Ledah - and all others - a one week grace period from the time of this screenshot (Jan 29, 19:10:14).

Subsequent to this one-week period:

Posting a screenshot with the server time and date and this message - like Else has done above - will grant the first one who posts such a screenshot access to any prize obtained by the one who has the creature-shield up.

 

That is, if Ledah has this shield up in one week from now, and Else posts another screenshot showing the above message, timestamped one week after (or later), then all prizes that would go to Ledah for the contest Of Heads will instead go to Else.

[Ledah]

What if someone is in an otherwise inaccessible location? After all, you can only attempt that story mode once, so I can't get into the shrine.

[Else]

anyone can score and never login back until the deadline, what about that?

 

[Ledah]

Exactly Else! It is almost as if MD, and therefore most contests held within it are... unfair.

I am glad you seem to finally be realising this.

[Fyrd Argentus]

7 minutes ago, Else said:

anyone can score and never login back until the deadline

.... giving everybody else time to surpass their efforts....?

[Else]

HCs are unfair, this is not a HC, it it? is everything else unfair too?

I raised one of my many concerns and Aia addressed it. If a change in rules is unfair to someone who believes contest are unfair, how can he complain?

Let Aia decide how she wants to run it....

[Ledah]

MD has a long history of being unfair - some people cheat and bend the rules and get away with it. Not that you would know about that of course, Else. In addition, I never said or implied the change in rules were unfair to me - please don't put words in my mouth.

As an aside, I agree with letting people run their quests how they see fit... which is why I am never the first to whine about how they are run.

Now, if people want to continue discussing anything except the contests in question, perhaps a new thread might be in order?