Trial 3, Day 1: Asgard Team Who: Lucifer and Jophiel to start, then Cuthbert, Eileen, Keele, L, Morana, and Rachel Where: Starting outside Emptiness, and then as described. When: December 9th, early afternoon Ratings: PG, let me know if this needs to be changed Warnings: None, let me know if this needs to be changed Summary: Trial 3 begins.
The participants for trial 3 gathered together in the designated meeting place, an area just outside Emptiness. If any of them had wandered this way before, they would probably swear there hadn't been anything here other than some nondescript patch of grass. There was no denying, though, that there was something here now. Before the group stood a rather impressive stone wall with two doors in it. Above each door was a large plaque; the one to the left read "Asgard" and the one to the right read "Niflheim." In front of the doors, Jophiel and Lucifer stood side by side (if not too close to each other), prepared to explain the trial to its eager participants. It was Lucifer who spoke first.
"For this trial, you'll be going through an obstacle course of sorts. It will be staged in multiple parts over the course of four days, and in between you'll be given time to rest. Each stage will end with a door signifying completion of that event, and the requirement for successfully completing the course will be any member of your team passing through the final of these. You will have until midnight on each day to complete that day's event. If you fail to do so, the event will end, and we will note that you failed to find a way past it. Similarly, you will have until midnight on the last day to get through the final door." He paused, and added with a bit of a sardonic smile, "Both courses are the same, so no complaining about the other team having it easier, hm?"
Jopiel followed, stressing the importance of teamwork in this trial. He pointed out that everyone in your team will need to work together in order to successfully complete the course. Oh, and for those people with magical abilities, you'll find that they don't work here. They've been limited for the sake of making this an even competition, so you will need to work solely with your physical skills. You will, of course, be able to keep any weapons or other items you're carrying with you. [ooc: Will put in actual dialogue if Fey writes some up.]
Lucifer looked the group over, watching their various reactions to the conditions of the trial, and after a moment spoke again.
"Oh yes, and should any of you encounter some issue in this trial that might prove fatal, the team member in question would simply be returned to their room, unharmed. However, I would caution the individual that the circumstances of their 'death' would prove just as painful as if it were entirely real, and I would caution their team against allowing one of their members to be disqualified. I can assure you, you would have quite a difficult time of continuing on without them.
"Keep in mind that the winner will be decided both by how quickly you complete the challenges and how effectively you complete them. We'll be monitoring your progress the whole way through, so do try not to screw up too badly."
Jophiel offered some final words of encouragement, and motioned to the doors, telling the teams that they may begin whenever they're ready.
[Upon crossing through the doorways, the first thing the group will notice is the heat, which is bearable but intense. The floor beneath them is rocky, and they’ll notice that not far in front of them, it cuts into a sheer cliff dropping into a river of molten lava. There is a cliff on the other side, a daunting distance away. There’s no way across save for a thin bridge made of ropes and boards that stretches from one side of the canyon to the other. Stepping on it will prove that it is relatively sturdy and capable of holding weight. It’s strong enough to hold all the members of the group at once, but be careful! Some boards are missing, and others are liable to break under the weight of someone walking across them. It also swings.
At the other end of the bridge, there is a distinct path leading away from the lava. The temperature will rapidly cool to a normal room temperature as the team walks along it. Not far away, they will find that the path ends at an elevator (that looks a bit like this) with a sign next to it reading "One trip only." The ceiling of the elevator is notably higher than any of the team members are tall, but they will quickly discover that the floor space is far less accomodating. Four people would be able to stand in the elevator without too much trouble, and a fifth could probably be squeezed in. Unfortunately, the elevator will only move when all six are safely inside. They'll have to be a little creative to make that happen.
Once they've managed to pile in, the elevator will drop down a couple stories to a small room containing nothing other than a door opposite the elevator and a sign on the wall reading, "Congratulations, you've passed the first challenge! Please relax and enjoy the accommodations while we prepare the next part of the course." The door will open into the apartment described here. Once everyone is inside, the door will lock behind them until the next part of the trial begins. (feel free to post a separate thread for whatever happens after they get to the apartment)]