Quests & Challenges

[center][size=7][b]The Trials of the Gods[/b][/size] [i]A Pinkerlocke Tale from the Zephyrim[/i] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29048397] [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/290484/29048397.png[/img] [/url][/center] Delphine wasn't afraid. She was the one chosen by the last Dancer of the clan, the Lord Thalius, to take his place on the stone altar Siri had created to signal the return of her former deity, the primordial sea god Leviathan. Her mother, the Lady Gale, and her father, the Lord Aeolus, had all advised her against this path. She understood of course. No parent was ready to accept their child becoming the source of the sealing power that kept an evil force away from Sornieth. And yet, Delphine was determined. Lord Thalius was still alive - but barely - using his very life force to keep the Leviathan chained to the Limbo. There wasn't much time left until he would die, yet... she wasn't ready. Delphine finally had worked up the courage to run away from the Zephyrim, her birth clan, and now she was on the move, determined to take the dreaded Trials of the Gods, in which each of the eleven deities on Sornieth imposed one trial each to the one who wished to become the Dancer. The young Skydancer was so absorbed in her thoughts that she did not notice two Nocturnes landing nearby. It was only when one of them spoke that she turned around. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50415249][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/504153/50415249.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50348703][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/503488/50348703.png[/img][/url][/center] "Lady Delphine!" Delphine turned around to see who had spoken, and saw that her bodyguard, Orianna, and the apprentice seer, Sabel, had followed her. Groaning under her breath, the young Skydancer asked in her most haughty voice, "What are you two doing here?" Orianna replied, glancing at her companion, "We could ask you the same thing, but we've already suspected." Sabel nodded, his Arcane-colored cloak bobbing up and down alongside his head, "You are going to face the Trials of the Gods, aren't you?" --------------- This is the story of Delphine, her duty to uphold the vow the leaders of the Zephyrim made to the gods of Sornieth years ago to keep the Leviathan from ever returning, and the story of those who accompany her along the journey they make to take on the Trials of the Gods.

[center][b][size=5]Rules[/size][/b] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/1904162/1]Pinkerlocke Hub[/url][/center] [b]Basic Rules[/b] [LIST] [*]A death in the coliseum = that dragon must be exalted. This is the most essential rule of a nuzlocke. [*]All loot obtained in the coliseum is irrelevant, as is the loot obtained from gathering. [*]There are no restrictions about applying apparel to your dragons. Do whatever makes sense to you. Same goes for familiars. [*]And, most crucially, all nuzlocke activity corresponds with the loot you obtain daily from Pinkerton's plundered pile! [/LIST] [size=4][b]Drops of Fate[/b][/size] [b]Food:[/b] Coliseum time! [center][b]Plants:[/b] 10-20 matches [b]Insects:[/b] 20-30 matches [b]Seafood:[/b] 30-40 matches [b]Meat:[/b] 40-50 matches[/center] [i]Hardmode:[/i] You must select coliseum challengers in your lair using a random number generator. Then, select the coliseum arena that corresponds to the highest level dragon of that group (For a 'medium' mode, select the venue that is one tier down from that of highest level dragon). If your dragons level up while in an area, you can still stay there for the whole day. You can quit your battle streak at any time to regen health, and flee from battles if it is appropriate. Don't try do 50 matches in a row unless you want a wiped-out dragon! OR [i]Easymode:[/i] Choose whichever team and venue you want and go for it. Running from battles, using health pots, and ending the battle streak is fine, as I explained above. - [b]Current mode[/b] [u]Materials and trinkets:[/u] Flex your creative muscles! [i]Note that there is currently a glitch in which Pinkerton mislabels materials as trinkets. If you obtain a "trinket" from Pinkerton, double check to make sure its not actually a material![/i] [b]Materials:[/b] Do some writing for your nuzlocke. How does your new nuzlocke clan change and develop? What are your dragons like personality-wise? How do they get along? How do they die? Is there an antagonist in this nuzlocke, or are they merely struggling against the forces of nature? Write dragon bios! Make a blog, or a thread for your challenge in the creative forums! Write short stories or paragraphs, or add to one big one adventure! [b]Trinkets:[/b] Do some art for your nuzlocke! Digital or traditional, use whatever medium feels best for you. Draw deaths. Draw dragons. Draw humanized versions of your dragons (if that's your sort of thing). Draw familiars and dragons together. It doesn't have to be that good or elaborate. If you make a nuzlocke thread, post your art there. - [b]Due to my lack of artistic talent, I will be writing worldbuilding scenes (that is, flashbacks, what the other clan dragons are thinking right then, etc.) for trinkets.[/b] [u]Rare drops:[/u] Wildcards [b]Familiars:[/b] Buy the cheapest dragon in the auction house of a specific breed. Use a random number generator (between 1-14) to determine which breed you will get! (Optionally: attach the familiar to the new dragon.) [br] [list]1. Fae 2. Guardian 3. Mirror 4. Pearlcatcher 5. Ridgeback 6. Tundra 7. Spiral 8. Imperial 9. Snapper 10. Wildclaw 11. Nocturne 12. Coatl 13. Skydancer 14. Bogsneak[/list] [b]Apparel:[/b] Breed two of your dragons. The dragons you pick are up to you. You can also change one of the genes on a dragon, or use a scatterscroll if you are rich and crazy. Note: You must flip a coin for each hatchling once they hatch. If tails, the dragon is dead and you must exalt it. This is in keeping with the origional Nuzlocke thread's rule, because I really like it. [b]Battle items: [/b]Uh-oh!!! Flip a coin. Heads = DEATH STREAK Tails = Nothing happens DEATH STREAK rules: Randomly select three dragons using a random number generator. Fight in the coliseum using the "food" rules 10 rounds consecutively (ie. you cannot leave that arena), quitting midway if a dragon dies. If you are using the easymode rules, switch to the hardmode rules for battlestones.

[center][b][size=7]The Cast[/size][/b][/center] [b]The Maiden of Noble Blood[/b] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29048397] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/290484/29048397_350.png[/img] [/url][nextcol][b]Delphine[/b] is the youngest child of the Zephyrim's matriarch, [i]Gale[/i], and her mate, [i]Aeolus[/i], Lord Commander of the Order of the Aether. Being chosen to become the next Dancer - one who used his or her life force to prevent the Leviathan from returning - she is determined to take on the Trial of the Gods and earn the title.[/columns] [b]The Appointed Knight[/b] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50415249] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/504153/50415249_350.png[/img] [/url][nextcol][b]Orianna[/b] is the silent, stonefaced warrior that stays ever by Delphine's side. She has protected Delphine ever since she was nought but a small hatchling, and she is determined to protect her lady to the end of the trials. Orianna wields her trusty cleaver she has affectionately nicknamed Shadebane, and she will not stop until her enemies are dead.[/columns] [b]The Seer[/b] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50348703] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/503488/50348703_350.png[/img] [/url][nextcol][b]Sabel[/b] thought it was his destiny to help predict the future for the good of the Zephyrim. But after receiving an ominous vision about a possible future where Delphine's true abilities manifest too late, and where the Leviathan returns to lay waste to all of Sornieth, he knew he had a new purpose - to aid Delphine on her sacred quest, in whatever way he could.[/columns] [b]The Spirit-Watcher[/b] [columns][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=52304228] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/523043/52304228_350.png[/img] [/url][nextcol][b]Mistle[/b] is not your average Coatl, by any means. Born paler and duller than the rest of his family - even by Shadow's standards - they all thought he was going to grow sick and die young. However, contrary to their beliefs, he not only survived past his childhood, but also survived past his own Clan's demise. Forced to relocate to the lightning-filled deserts of the Shifting Expanse, he began to see the spirits of dragons who cannot move onto the afterlife.[/columns] [b]The Scatterbrained Scholar[/b] [columns][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40744643] [img]https://flightrising.com/rendern/350/407447/40744643_350.png[/img] [/url][nextcol][b]June[/b] is the kindhearted, smart, yet scatterbrained tundra hailing from the Sunbeam Ruins. She claims that, when she wandered out of her clan to look for "strange phenomena" near the border between the Shifting Expanse and the Sunbeam Ruins, she didn't [i]mean[/i] to come all the way down [i]into[/i] Lightning territory. But as it were, she has lost her way back, and perhaps it seems that the Sunbeam Ruins is where the dragons will go next, thanks to this lovely dragon?[/columns]

@/RadientAngel @/mcchicken

[center][size=7][b]Day 1[/b][/size] [item=Iguanaskin Cloth] [size=2][i]Material = Lore[/i][/size][/center] [size=5][b]Enter the Pilgrims[/b][/size] [i]The journey begins...[/i] Delphine sighed. Neither Orianna nor Sabel wanted to leave, and nothing she said deterred them. Hearing her sigh, Sabel, the apprentice seer, piped up cheerfully, "It's settled, m'Lady. We are staying with you, and nothing will make us change our minds." Orianna, who had become much more reserved about her words over the years, merely nodded in agreement. Delphine sighed again, but gave a nod in acknowledgement. The plum, robin, beige-colored Skydancer maiden had to admit it, they were welcome company. She'd never traveled away from her home of the Zephyrim. This strange world was less-scary thanks to them. The world outside the tunnels of the Zephyrim was also dark. Not as dark as the lantern-lit corridors of her home clan, of course, but ominously dark. And the noise! Well, the lack of noise, rather. The silence, as the blind witch Siri had told her, was deafening. The endless cream-colored sands were restless, shifting ever so slightly in response to the breeze blowing around the three lonely travelers. The only noise came from the occasional rumbling of the dark, gray clouds above, and eerie electric-blue hues of cloud-to-cloud lightning flashed some time following the thunder. Falling silent once more, Delphine let her mind wander as she pressed forward toward the Tempest Spire, where the Stormcatcher made his home. There, she would begin the first of eleven Trials. [i]A wind-green male Skydancer stood atop a massive stone altar, his entire body quivering with exhaustion. Gale, Delphine's mother and matriarch of the Zephyrim, asked, concern stamped on her brow, "Are you all right, Thalius?" The Dancer turned to face the matriarch and dipped his head in greeting. When he spoke, his voice quavered, as if he was too tired even to speak, "Lady Gale, forgive me. I am fine, but my strength is not what it used to be." The sky-colored leader of the Zephyrim replied quietly, nodding toward the silent gathering of Skydancers, "Thalius, perhaps it is time for you to pick your successor." The wind-colored Dancer bowed his head in agreement and turned his gaze to the waiting Skydancers, his lightning-blue eyes scrutinizing each and every one of them. After some time, Thalius shook his head, and turned to face Gale. It was then that his eyes widened in wonder. He looked past Gale, and straight at Delphine. As Gale and Aeolus turned toward their daughter, Thalius declared, "My successor shall be Delphine! Her faith in the Eleven is so strong that she will be the perfect candidate!" Gasps filled the air as Aeolus turned to Thalius, anger in his large wind-green eyes. The Lord Commander of the Order of the Aether hissed, his body twisting into knots in response to his agitation, "What did you say?" The Dancer met the Spiral's eyes unflinchingly as he replied, "The great Stormcatcher himself foretold of Delphine's destiny as a Dancer, Sire. You cannot change that for the sake of all creation."[/i] Orianna's warning jolted Delphine into reality: "Take shelter!" The Skydancer lifted her head to see that a large sandstorm had whipped up out of nowhere, and was looming over the three. Orianna had already picked out a pile of boulders and was waiting for Sabel and her to join, and Delphine gratefully flew over to where her faithful bodyguard was waiting. As the sandstorm raged overhead, the three pilgrims crouched under a rocky ledge and clung onto each other for support, covering their eyes, noses, and mouths with any kind of clothing they had on them.

[center][b][size=7]Day 2[/size][/b] [item=Amber Goby] [size=2][i]Seafood = 30-40 matches[/i][/size][/center] Commentary: Oh gods, Delphine came close a few times, but thank the Eleven I hoard potions ;A; I lost count of how many battles I went through, probably 50-something? but Delphine, Orianna, and Sabel are lv5. Lorewise I mention the Serthis of Sandswept Delta, as it fits more with the desert theme of the Lightning Flight; however, I trained in Training Fields for the Coli matches. Note to self: actually count better next time ------------------- [size=5][b]A Hard-Fought Battle[/b][/size] [i]The travelers are ambushed by seemingly-hostile Beastclan...[/i] The three travelers poked their heads out of their hiding place, glad to see the sandstorm dissipated. Delphine let out a small sigh and said quietly, "Let's get moving. I know for a fact that Lord Thalius's health is failing, and we can't reverse that." Quickly becoming somber, her companions nodded and followed behind the Slydancer maiden as she made her weary track toward the Tempest Spire. ----------------- As the three traveled closer and closer to the Spire, more and more desert vegetation - such as cacti - dotted the landscape, adding much-needed splash of colors to the barren surroundings. Orianna knew something was wrong. The air became heavy with silence, as if something nearby was holding its breath. The warrior's sword paw clasped the hilt of her trusty weapon, the cleaver she nicknamed Shadebane, Serthis mages came into view, some of them already preparing to cast their spells. Orianna cried, "For the Zephyrim! Yooolaaaayhooooo!" and charged ahead, her cleaver swinging above her head. Delphine, while taken aback for a moment, recovered and took out her Wind Tome, searching for spells to cast against the hostile Beastclan. Sabel, too, seemed determined to help out. Having no weapon, the usually-calm seer let out the Zephyrim's warcry and charged, opting to resort to tooth and claw, "Yoolayhoooo!" -------------- Panting, Delphine looked about her. There were dead, dying, and unconscious Serthis laying about, and those who were still conscious were already huddling together, deep in conversation. As the Dancer-to-be used her healing spell to tend to Sabel and Orianna's scratches, one of the Serthis - who seemed to be their leader - came slithering closer. Orianna, being the protector that she was, immediately stood in front of Delphine protectively, her paw clutching Shadebane's hilt. The Serthis mage raised both his hands up into the air in a sign of peace as he came. Once he was close to the dragons, the snake-man dropped his spellbook in a further sign of truce. Delphine said softly, "Orianna, stand down please." The warrior glanced back at her lady and asked, skeptical, "Are you sure about this?" "I'm positive," the maiden replied, "I believe he just wants to talk." Orianna hesitated a little more before standing aside, allowing her weapon to rest in its makeshift scabbard she'd made herself. The Serthis bowed his head deeply in gratefulness and spoke in Common Draconic, his voice heavily accent due to his nondraconic origin, "Thank you so much. We are sorry to have caused you trouble. We thought you were going to attack, maybe scouting party from clan. But I see you are but travelers. Are you bound for the Spire structure of your kind?" He asked; Delphine nodded and replied, "And I apologize for the deaths we have caused your clan, sir. I am Delphine, daughter of Lady Gale and Lord Aeolus of the Zephyrim, a Clan belonging to the Lightning Flight. This-" she indicated toward Orianna, "- is my personal bodyguard, the Dame Orianna, and this-" she continued, indicating toward Sabel, "-is Sabel, a dragon gifted with the rare Sight." She took a deep breath and said quietly, "I am the next of line to become the Dancer, the one to make sure the seal placed on the Leviathan does not break. I am journeying to start the first of the Trials of the Gods." The Serthis mage thought for a moment before he rummaged through a pouch on his belt, coming up with a dragon-sized pair of earrings. He explained, laying the intricate topaz jewelry in front for the dragons to examine, "These protect you from lightning. You may want some protection." Without waiting for a reply, the old snake-man retreated, taking his spellbook with him. He said something to the rest of his clan, and the Serthis dispersed, leaving their dead and dying behind them. Sabel stuided the earrings and declared, "They are safe for use, m'Lady." Orianna grunted, "I still don't think any of us should use it, Delphine." The Skydancer maiden told her bodyguard gently, "We'll test them out soon, but for now, they can be stored inside Sabel's pouch." The apprentice seer nodded and quickly stored the jewelry inside.

[center][b][size=7]Day 3[/size][/b] [item=Bluelight Chipskink Tail] [size=2]Material = Lore[/size][/center] [b][size=5]Trial of the Gods - Trial 1[/size][/b] [i]The Prelude[/i] The Tempest Spire was a monument erected to signify the technological advancements of the entirety of the Lightning Flight. The impossibly-tall structure soared over the gray, brown, and cream landscape, providing shade to the few clans lucky enough to have staked their claims so close to the building. Delphine could not hemp but let out a soft gasp as she, Orianna, and Sabel gazed at it. The Spire was still a long was off, of course, but it being so tall, the keen-eyed dragons of the Zephyrim were able to spot it, even among the angry, gray clouds surrounding the majestic spires. Delphine breathed, staring at the Spire, "So that's the fame Tempest Spire, where the Stormcather himself makes his dwelling." Orianna nodded, awed, "Sure is. I heard Lady Gale telling Sir Arthur all about what is inside, and it seems to me that the Spire is home not just to the Lord of Lightning, but to many dragon clans as well." Sabel glanced at the two as he added, excitement evident in his voice, "Aye. And I heard that those dragons who are trained to be exalted to the gods... some of them are stationed at the Spire, attending to the Lord Stormcatcher's needs." Delphine took a deep breath before replying, "Let's not get too excited. We didn't come this far just to sightsee. We are here so that I can ask the Lord Stormcatcher to start on my Trials." Orianna and Sabel sombered up at once at this and nodded, replying, "Right." The rest of the journey to the Spire was spent in silence, with Delphine going over possible scenarios of the trial in her mind.

[center][b][size=7]Day 4[/size][/b] [item=Hainu Collar] [size=2][i]Trinket = Worldbuilding Scene[/i][/size][/center] [size=5][b]Belated Discovery[/b][/size] [i]What the Zephyrim is doing during the three's journey[/i] "What do you mean, she's gone?" The distinct boom of her mate reached the ears of a slender Skydancer as she stood up. Dressed in silks and a blue dress, she could be dismissed as a posh, spoiled royal by any outsider. However, this soft look, coupled with the sky-colored scales that covered the Skydancer, hid inside a quiet flame of determination, a fierce desire to rule her Clan with fairness and justice. Gale, matriarch of the Zephyrim, called out to no one in particular, her voice booming imperiously through the tunnels. "Anyone here?" A blue green-colored female Coatl came rushing in, her deep blue eyes giving away her panicking state. "Lady Gale," the Coatl spoke, glancing back toward the tunnel she'd come through, "we have a problem." Gale sighed. She knew it was going to happen eventually. "She's gone," the sky-colored matriarch asked quietly, "isn't she?" The Coatl, whose name was Breeze, nodded, looking downward at her feet, "I'm afraid so, my Lady." The secretary to the Themis Council added hastily, "Lord Aeolus has called for a meeting of the Order of the Aether, and Iris has called for a meeting of the Themis Council." Gale huffed, glancing toward the tunnel, "I suppose I should go quell this situation myself." Turning back to the Water Coatl, the Skydancer instructed, "Tell Iris to call the meeting off. Delphine is not a young hatchling she used to be." Gulping, Breeze bowed and left hurriedly, allowing Gale to sweep her wind-green eyes across the full size of her chamber. 'Be safe,' Gale thought as she readied for her meeting with the knights of the Order of the Aether, 'my sweet flower.'

[center][b][size=7]Day 5[/size][/b] [item=Grouse Basilisk] [size=2][i]Familiar = New Dragon[/i][/size] [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/419779776438468609/590384745796599838/Screenshot_20190618-123757_Chrome.jpg]Screenshot of rng[/url] [size=2][i]12 = Coatl[/i][/size][/center] [size=5][b]Trial of the Gods - Trial 1[/b][/size] [i]Part 1: The Spire / Alternative Title: An Unedpected Guide[/i] Delphine gasped at the sight of the Tempest Spire as the three pilgrims from the Zephyrim came to its vicinity. The spires, for which the structute was named for, were gignatic, reaching high into the skies. The rumor was that the Stormcatcher liked to perch on the very top of the Tempest Spire, near the tallest spire, and inspect what his dragons were doing down below; however, there was no glimpse of the deity anywhere about the premises today. Sabel said quietly, "Lady Delphine, what shall we do? Shall we go and ask for an audience with the Lord Stormcatcher?" Orianna snorted, "Do you really think he'd just casually stroll in to say yes, Sabel?" The blue armor-clad Nocturne turned to her charge and suggested, "Perhaps today, we should relax a little. Rest our weary muscles and prepare for tomorrow." Delphine didn't like the idea of delaying the meeting, but the knight was right. She did feel very tired all of a sudden. She asked, "Do you know of anywhere we can stay for the night?" A strange voice came from nearby, "I do." Orianna quickly stood in front of her charge as she declared, her blade paw resting on the hilt of her cleaver, "Show yourself!" A pale male Coatl seemingly melted out of the shadows in front of the trio as he bowed, ethereal pink-flamed candles hovering around his body. The Coatl spoke, "I know where you can get cheap lodging for tonight. Follow me!" The strange dragon floated away, and the trio was left standing in his wake, blinking in confusion at his strange antics. "What should we do?" Delphine asked, as Sabel continued to stare at the path the strange Coatl had taken; Orianna responded, shaking her head, "Didn't your mum tell you 'Stranger danger'? Lady Delphine, we shouldn't just blindly trust this,stranger-" Sabel interrupted, gaze fixed on the road the dragon had taken, "[i]Follow the spirit watcher to safety.[/i]" Delphine blinked for a moment before saying, shrugging her shoulders, "See? Even our seer tells us to trust him. Come on, Orianna." Delphine led the slightly-dazed Nocturne seer away, toward the Coatl, and Orianna was left alone. "Wait for me!" The Nocturne knight shouted, following her charge and her companion, all the while grumbling under her breath.