Quests & Challenges

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43527958] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/435280/43527958_350.png[/img] [/url] [i]Figure Skating[/i][/center] The pastel Pearlcatcher in front of Riun frowned deeply. There was an a stubbornness to her that the Imperial had long since grown familiar with, but she wasn't going to cave this time. "Are you sure, though? There are only consequences if you get caught, and I'm very, very good." Nimue insisted, pausing briefly. "With magic, not morally. But I'm getting there-" "Clearly so, oh beast of fire and fear." Riun teased gently, cutting off the Pearlcatcher before she started on another tangent. She looked down at her best friend, a slight laugh rumbling in her throat. Even though Nimue was trying her hardest, she supposed it was simply a demon's nature to look for loopholes, for ways out. She simply wasn't built to play by the rules. It was an instinct that served her well, usually, but it was unnecessary today. "There is no need to, what was it? [i]Eclipse the minds of mortal dragons as the sun covers the moon, turning them to soulless puppets under her reign.[/i]" "You know I wasn't going to do that." She finally relented, wilting a bit under the Imperial's words, and Riun realized a heartbeat too late that she had gone a bit too far. Her smile faded, and she tucked a wing over Nimue. "Just... give them a bit of bad luck, and you a little good luck. Is that really so bad?" And it was an honest question, not a rhetorical one, she realized as Nimue looked up to her, lost and confused. "No," Riun started. "I know you just want to help me. But it wouldn't be fair to the other competitors. There's nothing about me that is intrinsically more deserving than any of them. It's about honor, I suppose. I want to win by my hand, or not at all." Nimue was quiet for a long moment. "I still don't get dragons, sometimes. You're so alien to me. And- I to you, maybe." She mused, finally meeting Riun's gaze again. "But, okay. I don't need to get it. I won't help you, if that's what you really want." "Thank you, Nimue." The Imperial rumbled, shooting a small smile. "I know it must be difficult to understand, but it means a lot to me." She moved her wing away, turning back towards her skates. She'd managed to find the time to sneak in one last practice session, before the competition. Hopefully it would pay off. She breathed in icy puffs, shoving aside her nerves. Her voice was quieter than it usually was. She was silent for a long moment, surveying the crowd. She was no stranger to being center stage. But the only times she had been in front of a crowd, she had been doing something she'd practiced her entire life for. Sold her soul for. It was ridiculous to be scared, but... she was. "If you wanted to cheer for me," She admittedly quietly, "That would mean a lot." The pastel dragon perked up, then, giving a determined nod. "Yeah. Okay, I can do that." She chimed. It was nice to have something tangible, something she could do. She pressed her nose to Riun's, smiling as brightly as the sun. "You've got this."

[center][b]DAY 1: SKIING[/b][/center] Three dragons moved together down the aisles of the sign-up booths, apparently searching for one booth in particular. They were a mixed lot, though it was clear by their interactions that they knew each other well. It w was also clear that while the Skydancer seemed confident, the Coatl and the Fae were not. Both kept glancing anxiously up the sky, eyeing the moon, which had not yet set. Something about it seemed to worry the Fae in particular, as she moved closer to the Coatl beside her. It was hard to tell what, in particular, alarmed her, as the red light from the [b]Eclipse[/b] had long ago faded. Perhaps she just didn't like the dark? Whatever the reason, the Fae's nervousness seemed to be slowing the three down, as it took them a good half an hour to reach the booth they had been looking for. Once they had arrived however, they quickly filled out the required forms, grabbed their equipment--or in the case of the Skydancer strapped on her own--and headed to their respective starting lines... [center][b][I]Alpine Skiing -- Slalom[/I][/b][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=4860806] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/48609/4860806_350.png[/img] [/url][b]Abracadabra[/b] (Arcane)[/center] [I]Abracadabra finished adjusting her ski boots, and straightened up, eying the [b]Alpine Skiing[/b] course, and the gates. She knew that she was ready for this. She had been practicing all year, even sneaking in some extra time on Full Moon nights, though the [b]Eclipse[/b] a few days ago had interfered a bit with her plans for a final practice run before coming here today. Still, she was certain that she was as prepared as she could be under the circumstances. All she had to do was wait for the starting horn....There! Pushing off, Abra made for the first gate, all her attention focused on the course she would have to run. This was her year. She was sure of it...[/I] [center][b]Cross-Country Skiing[/b][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=4205533] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/42056/4205533_350.png[/img] [/url][b]Quartz[/b] (Arcane)[/center] [I]The elder Coatl winced as he squeezed his feet into the Skis, wondering again why he had let himself get talked into this. Quartz was not an athlete, and didn't even like the snow that much. So what as he doing here? He sighed, eying the sky again. At least the [b]Eclipse[/b] was over. He would never admit it, but the sight of the moon apparently being eaten had frightened him rather badly. He was a mage, not an astronomer. Give him a nice, bright spell explosion any day. Those he could handle. But moons disappearing? No, thank-you. Unfortunately, his nervousness had caught the attention of the Clan Father, and Moondust had decided that what Quartz needed to keep his mind off things was a foray into the Winter Games...and so here he was, staring at a [b]Cross-Country Skiing[/b] course, with absolutely no idea what he was do--What was that noise?! Quartz lurched forward, almost losing his balance, as the starter horn sounded. Frantically, he shoved the long poles that he had been given into the ground, trying to right himself, and in the process managed to move almost expertly through the first turn...[/I] [center][b]Ski Jumping[/b][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=14149058] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/141491/14149058_350.png[/img] [/url][b]Capheira[/b] (Wind)[/center] [i]Capheira hurried through the crowds, heading for the sign that pointed to the [b]Ski Jumping[/b] area. She had never competed in anything before, but she had once been a great Coli fighter, before she retired and moved to her adopted Arcane Clan. Surely jumping beasts in the Coli wasn't that different from this? As she arrived at the correct area, Ira took one last hasty glance at the sky, assuring herself that that awful [b]Eclispe[/b] was over, and everything was as it should be again. She really didn't like the sight of something like the moon turning red and disappearing. It reminded her of some terrible magical experiments that some dragons in the Clan had insisted on conducting. Fortunately, everything was normal now, so she let out a slow breath, adjusted her goggles, and moved to the top of the jump. She could do this. She could. All she had to do was throw herself into the air. She's a Wind dragon. How hard could this be?...[/I]

Yay, I'm happy to see this event make its return! Here we go: ------------------------------------------------------- [center][b]Day 1- Figure Skating[/b] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45611411] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/456115/45611411_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] Clan Twinstar had once again returned to the Southern Icefields for the Sornieth Winter Games. And this time, some newer members of the clan were preparing to show off their skills. Indeed, with the begrudging help of Nerzhul, the clan's sheriff and Ice representative, they'd managed to conjure up a temporary training area outside their citadel to practice some of these events before making their way down south. Miranda would be the first to take up the challenge. The Skydancer had dressed herself up in long, shimmering robes that would flow behind her as she spun and leapt across the ice. As she worked to strap her ice skates on, though, she noticed that things were starting to grow darker, and she glanced up at the sky. She and the rest of her clan had heard that there would be an eclipse to go along with this Gala, and already it promised to be an especially dramatic one. "Hmm.... it's definitely a sign, but is it a good sign?" the Skydancer said to herself before donning her mask and stepping forth onto the ice. From off in the distance the music began to play, and off she went!

[center] [size=4]Slalom Skiing[/size] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47898337] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/478984/47898337_350.png[/img] [/url] Hedwig stretched out his body, being sure to bend and contort himself in every direction as he warmed up for his part in the games. As a slalom skier he would need to be quick, controlled, and able to move his body at a moments notice. So, he had dedicated himself to his training and made sure that he was as prepared as he could possibly be. The sound of a whistle blowing caught the young spirals attention, and he turned his head to face the judges booth. An older looking skydancer was announcing the start of the Winter Games and instructing those participating in the slalom skiing to take their places. It sure would have been easier to see her without the [b]eclipse[/b] blocking out the full moon's light, but thankfully the dragons of the Icefield had provided many fires to provide a bit of glow. Hedwig stretched himself out to his longest length one last time before making his way to the slopes. It was time. Let's get this gala started.

[center] [b]Day 1[/b] [rule] [columns] [color=transparent]_[/color] [nextcol] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=181515][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/1816/181515.png[/img][/url] Fa - Thrower [nextcol] [color=transparent]__[/color] [nextcol] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43361721][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/433618/43361721.png[/img][/url] Moon - Sweeper [nextcol] [color=transparent]__[/color] [nextcol] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43468622][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/434687/43468622.png[/img][/url] Wiildfire - Captain (Skip) [nextcol] [color=transparent]__[/color] [nextcol] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=42995042][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/429951/42995042.png[/img][/url] Kronk - Reserve Player [/columns] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43874451] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/438745/43874451_350.png[/img][/url] Auriel - Sweeper [size=5][b]Curling[/b][/size] In. Out. In. Out. Thats what she was always told during training when she felt that tighting of muscles, but this time, Auriel was not on duty fighting and collecting treasure in the coliseum, this time she was on cleaning duty. Important cleaning duty. The are setting thier plans on playing a bump, knocking a stone out of the house and place thiers instead, the five-stone rule was still in play, so they had to carefully manuever around the guardstones. It will get tricky, but they got an ace. Fa, the greenish fae, began walking with the stone in hand, holding it at the hook, letting it slid over the ice and.... let go! The imperial, with broom in hand, was ready and began sweeping, just like she always cleaned the temple of her clan. The coatl Moon helped, a bit more skittish and inexperienced, tried her best to keep up with the stone while Wildfire, the friendly Wildclaw, yelled directions from his position at the goal. "Go, go go! ....Right off! Right off!!.... Wait!...SWEEP! Sweep! Sweep!....Clean!" Fellowing the yelling, Auriel either cleaned fursiously to make the surface smooth for the stone to glide on, stop to see how the weight affects the speed and how Fa aimed for a potential turn or sweep more slowly to let the rough surface of the ice slow down the stone. They are almost hitting the teeline, the other teams stones block the best spot in the house, a slight extra sweep might help.... Wildfire sees a problem, tries to correct the path with quick sweeps and... Bonk! Stone hits stone, kicking out the others wellplaced stone almost out of house while her teams stone gets repelled a bit too much, missing the buttom (center) they aimed for. Thats a hard game, Auriel is sure her extra sweep was responsible for the miss, she still has to learn to keep herself from cleaning [i]too[/i] much. Maybe Wildfire can come up with a plan for the next stone, he was already a good teacher for them long before the Eclipse. Nothing is lost. [/center] [size=2]Note for me: 1/8 events done | 1/7 daily posts done - Curling with Auriel (This) - [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2596028/9#post_37460937]Figure Skating with Bufura[/url] - [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2596028/11#post_37468265]Luge with Starnight[/url] - [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2596028/16#post_37490481]Ski Jumping with Gecko[/url][/size]

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=2733907] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/27340/2733907_350.png[/img] [/url] [b]Figure Skating - Hoshiko[/b][/center] Hoshiko stood at the edge of the ice and nervously shuffled her claws together. A shiver ran down her spine, and it made her feathercrests stand on end. Not that she was cold- a long time had passed since she last could feel a chill- but because of where she was, what she was preparing to do. A little less time- but not that much less- had passed since she last stood there, the Icewarden's kingdom, the place of her birth. The memory of her grueling, long trip through the Ends crept into her head. She squeezed her eyes shut it to banish it back in the shadows, where it belonged. [i]Everyone is welcome here during the festival,[/i] she reminded herself,[i] The mages take extra precautions to strengthen the ice against heat this week.[/i] She glanced at the sign at the entrance to the competition grounds. Its back was to her, but she remembered what it read. 'No magic.' [i]This is not about magic, or lack thereof. It is about celebrating the beauty of the landscape and how we become part of that landscape.[/i] She peered up at the towering ice mountains. They stood out against a bleak grey sky backlit by a watery, white sun.[i] A little bit of the eclipse will still be visible tonight, right? I hope the clouds clear for it[/i], she thought. Hoshiko came back to the present and shook herself. Now was not the time. Any moment now, the musicians could give her cue, and she would have to go on. [i]I can do this,[/i] she told herself. She heard a viola. [i]I can do this.[/i] She arched her wings, and took a step. Even with very little light in the sky, the polished ice lake reflected back the mountains' perfect doubles, duplicated her figure beneath her feet. [i]There I am,[/i] she thought, looking, [i]Maybe I still belong here.[/i] Maybe later, she would look for her family. Or, maybe not. Maybe she would spend the day with her found family, who she knew were looking on from the crowd, rooting for her. For now, she would glide, and not think about whether or not she left lines of melting ice in her wake.

[center][b][u]ALPINE SKIING[/u][/b] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34532090] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/345321/34532090_350.png[/img] [/url] Swirlyswingtail’s clawed fleet tapped on the floor with anticipation as he prepared for his first ever Olympic event. He carefully put on his gear which consisted of snow goggles, a fuzzy jacket, and some particularly long skis and ski poles. He made his way to the top of the hill where he stuck the skis onto his feet, and took a deep breath as he looked down the tall hill. Hundreds of dragons were watching the event unfold, and his original feelings of joy quickly became feelings of fear. He knew he had to do this regardless, and so he stepped up and pushed himself forward. For a split second, the world stopped, all he could feel was the cold wind on his face and all he could hear was the cheers from below, and then he was shooting down a snowy hill at incredible speeds. He made his way through the gates and around poles, contorting and twisting his body like a spring and releasing to get bursts of speed and push himself forward. He went over a bump, shooting past the sun like the moon during an eclipse, and his heart soared with him. He came to the ground and made his way to the bottom of the hill, whooping and hollering all the way. As he slid to a stop he looked up at the blinking scoreboard expectantly, his eyes wide, and he shouted with joy as he saw himself high on the scoreboard, who knows, maybe he would be the winner of this event?[/center]

[center][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/360871/36087003_350.png[/img] [b]Twoey, Ice Hockey[/b][/center] "This...is different." The oddly plantlike dragon mused, wandering up to the tent with the "NO MAGIC ALLOWED" sign in it. It [i]was[/i] a bit cold, colder than they'd feel comfortable and at full strength with, but it wasn't often that they were allowed out during a festival without supervision. Not that they didn't sneak out, but that's not something that anyone had to know about. Looking at the events, not many of them stood out... [i]Skiing...nah, I'd just get even colder from wind in my face. Luge...same problem. Ice hockey... wait, ice hockey?![/i] The eclipse-born dragon blinked, a bit surprised, and then went up to the dragon running the stand. "I'd like to enter for ice hockey." After a brief lecture on the rules, Twoey stood waiting for the game to begin. Surely with their strength and skill, they'd not only have something to do during this festival, but also take home the gold. ...Right?

[center][b]Speed Skating[/b] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=17723486] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/177235/17723486_350.png[/img] [/url] [i][u]Camilla, Fortuna Incarnate[/u][/i][/center] Carrying a pair of ice skates while dashing through the crowds, Camilla nearly tripped on herself a few times while trying to find the events entry. She could hardly believe it--a chance to show off her skills, a chance to shine in something besides luck or keeping fortunes! Looking around frantically, the Wildclaw was filled with such excitement that it could only eclipse her nerves. Speed skating was among her favorite pasttimes when her clan could find time to take her to a frozen lake--and everyone had to admit, she was pretty good at it. Glaedr suggested taking up figure skating, but she had no patience for that--the rush of wind in her face as she skated along, the sheer power trip she got from dominating such a tough surface...her game wasn't grace on the ice. Her game was speed. Her clan had just barely managed to get settled in time for Camilla and her attendants to make a break for the stands once she heard the Crystalline Gala had started. She knew the Winter Games were a thing, but could never participate because the Sunbeam Ruins were just too far away. Well, now that was different--sure, they lived in the Tsunami Flats now that they decided to move to the Sea of a Thousand Currents, and that was hardly any sort of distance away from her old home, but that was still more than enough distance covered to make a journey to the Southern Icefield in time to make it to the Games. And so, leaving her Guardian Ragner and her guide Tundra Merina behind, she ran up to the sign-ups for Speed Skating. This was it. This was the chance of a lifetime. And so, she opened her mouth, and she spoke... "I'm here to compete. For Speed Skating."