Riddle Me This

[highseasmods]

Who: The Contestants!
Where: A certain villa on an undisclosed island
When: May 30th-June 1st
What: Contests and Schmoozing with a chance at a prize or two
Warnings: Your usual
Status: Closed



Contestants will be able to use the Nav (regardless of when they last used it) to port over to the villa early in the morning on the 30th, though the contest won't start until mid-afternoon and carry into the evening until it's cut off for a formal dinner.

On the 31st, the schedule is much the same, mixed with a leisurely morning breakfast. Midafternoon the contest will recommence and that evening there will be a celebratory dinner out near the reflecting pool.

On the 1st, participants will be given another breakfast and will be able to wrap up what they've got going on, but will be shuffled off the island by mid-afternoon.

Contestants are able to have the run of the house and the grounds, but if they persist in trying to go beyond the terracotta walls that surround the estate, they will be disqualified and sent back to their ship.

Comments

Riddle Contest

[scurveydog]

[the man who presents the riddles is on the slender side with broad shoulders. He has a quiet but nervous manner and after a few aborted attempts to speak the riddles in his soft, stuttering baritone, he will write them down.

He will resist any kind of personal talk, muttering little platitudes to get out of the situation as quick as he can and after the contest round is over will hurry his way outside of the villa. His goggles will remain on through the duration and any attempt to remove them will result in the perpetrator being knocked unconscious and subsequently disqualified.]


[remember that you have two OOC days to answer the riddle. If extenuating circumstances warrant more time, let the mods know ahead of time. Otherwise you will be disqualified.]

Round 1: Islands

[scurveydog]

Kyouya Otori

[scurveydog]

Laws and lawless, together entwined.
From dusky desert to sheltered pine.
Navy Captain makes home here.
Meet him and you'll become well aired.

Haruhi Fujioka

[scurveydog]

Say a curse, or catch a scare.
Those who stumble here beware.
Brown hair to gold, saint to liar.
But, if lucky, heart's desire.

Jade Curtiss

[scurveydog]

Not a home or place to stay.
A patch of haven after disarray.
Food to be eaten, water to drink.
A lucky harbor when you sink.

Hubert Lhant

[scurveydog]

Was once lost to raging fire.
Now recovered from that pyre.
Natives polite though mad as hell.
Staying too long will not end well.

Luka

[scurveydog]

A place is here, so unique.
With soft wind smelling sweet.
Shouldn't exist, these minty shores.
But sing a song and fill your stores.

Link

[scurveydog]

This odd island, quiet, still.
Not a voice, but a strange thrill.
Watching the sea may get you down.
So better instead to watch the ground.

Nico Robin

[scurveydog]

An island of great innovation.
Round ringed with decoration.
Running on the hissing heat.
Take a bath if you get beat.

Bepo

[scurveydog]

Clear blue skies make you tarry.
Those who stay must be wary.
Go to close to a place of fate.
And you'll be changed til later date.

Round 2: People

[scurveydog]

[on the same day as round one, but a little later in the afternoon]


[ooc: Mostly done now for the sake of moving things along. But I will add people as they win]

Round 3: Grab Bag

[scurveydog]

[answers can come in the form of a person (no PC), place or thing.

This round takes place in the mid-afternoon on the 31st. On an atmospheric note, it's started to drizzle slightly and the air smells of lemon]

[ooc: much as before, I'll add winners as they come]

Round 4

[scurveydog]

Answers to the Unanswered

[scurveydog]

[for anyone who cares to check, on the morning of the final day, a large book will be placed somewhere conspicuous, with the answers and explanations of all those riddles that were gotten wrong.]

General Villa Time

[highseasmods]

[it would probably be a good idea to date your thread but it's up to you.
Locations of note in the villa are:

The Grand Library located on the second floor. Full of dusty books, encyclopedias and maps, as well as a sedate piano.

The gardens in the back, abundant with all sorts of flowers, lemon and lime trees and a hedge maze. There are a plethora of benches as well.

The reflecting pool in the west terrace. Plenty of places to lounge or order drinks from one of the waiters always lurking nearby. The pool itself is set into the the terracotta floor and has a mosaic on the inside with blue, white and gold dolphins and shells. Swimming is frowned on but no one will stop you.

The Eastern Sun Room. Perfect for catching the morning sun while sipping on coffee or playing a game of chess, checkers, or a complex game involving marbles.

Everyone will have their own room, shipmates side by side and linked by a bathroom.

Feel free to roam around if you wish.]

[anelegantmyth]

[ 5/30
So after the first round of riddles, there's a nice formal dinner. Haven't had one of those in a while. She'll probably be casually sipping wine and chit chatting with whoever feels like making conversation. She doesn't really know anyone here besides her team mate.

5/31
She'll be spending her whole day in the library. Well before and after riddle time anyway. Getting one right answer wasn't enough, and she wanted to prove she could actually be useful to her crew. Plus it's a library. Even if she doesn't get the second riddle, she'd still like to study up before leaving this wonderful place. Maybe even try her hand at the piano there. Feel free to bother her, she wouldn't mind a study buddy...or a silly distraction.

6/1
This being the last day here, she might as well make the most of it. Cynthia will be wandering around the gardens and not stress out her injury by doing something stupid. It was the most beautiful place in the villa, and much calmer than the rest of the area.

But every night while she's there, without fail, she will sneak into the sun room during lights out to look at the moon and the stars. It was her nightly ritual after all. ]

5/30 - 6/1

[madeofswords]

[Archer would stay throughout all three days, otherwise not speaking to a soul unless prompted. His story would remain the same as the lie he told the rest of his crew and his own purpose for coming to the contest would be the same.

He concealed his anger well. He realized that this sort of game trivialized the struggles and sacrifices made by those trying to prevent the movement of the shards. The fact that he appeared as calm as he did had simply been because he was used to maintaining his composure in the worst of situations.

Archer would be found in the library almost exclusively, never leaving it unless necessary. He didn't need to eat or sleep, but that wouldn't have seemed weird in the first place, he imagined. Not wanting to touch food or drink provided by unknown entities seemed just fair enough. There wasn't an ounce of trust in that man's body and he didn't feel obliged to give anyone else a reason to trust him, either. If anything, his stoic disposition fit the profile of the hardened soldier he was aiming to look like.]

[thetruehistorian]

5/30

Robin will be poking around the villa some, content to obey the rules about not snooping outside of the villa- at least for the first day. She can be found pretty much everywhere, possibly sometimes seeming to be in two places at once! Mostly this first day will be dedicated to browsing as much of the library as she can, and perhaps getting to know her opponents a little better.

5/31

A far more leisurely day, as she'll have gotten as settled as possible in her room and have staked out the books she wants to prioritize. She can be found lounging by the reflecting pool in a bikini with a waist wrap, sunglasses, and at least one of the books.

6/1

After the end of the competition is where the trouble starts. The walls can have eyes, after all. She won't technically leave the compound, but then, she doesn't have to in order to get a look at the outside world.

[the_dancing_dork]

[5/30]

[For the first day, Leo will just be wandering around the villa, checking out the place and getting himself familiar with the territory. He may mingle a bit, but at the same time he may be a bit wary since... well, man-sized talking turtle and all. But otherwise he won't be ding much except once the contest starts he'll be at the library, digging up whatever he needs to get the job done.]

[5/31]

[He'll do some quick early morning training before spending the majority of his day within the library. He will step out on occasion when he needs to eat, needs some air, or needs to sleep, but otherwise he'll be in the library most of the time. Still, while he's in there or when he does step out, feel free to approach him.]

[6/1]

[The final day, finally! Leo may still be in the library some, but he'll mostly be wandering about, checking out the villa and stepping outside to train and/or meditate when he has the chance. He may also be looking around for his teammate since she was still wounded and all so he'll be asking around about if anyone's seen her if he hasn't seen her about. But still, feel free to approach the talking turtle, he won't bite... swing a katana at you maybe,if you provoke him enough. But not likely, you can take your chances though]

closed evenings 30th, 31st

[scurveydog]

[anyone who happens to be in the library from about 8 to 10 in the evening on these nights will see him playing at the piano. Mostly deep reflective tunes in variations of this. He won't talk to anyone and, indeed, may not even hear inquiries. Disturb him too much and he will just scuttle back into the darkness of the villa. Regardless, he seems to be at home here.]

5/30 - 6/1

[haruhi_fujioka]

[Is it a surprise that Haruhi spends most of her time in the Grand Library? Probably not. She even keeps a spare journal on hand so that she can take copious notes. For the first two days, you can find her at one shelf or another - or stuck between two with a frown on her face as she concentrates on a new map.

However on the third day, she decides to get some fresh air. With her journals pocketed, she visits the garden and admires the pretty flowers. As much as she wants to pick some lemons and limes, she is well aware that all is not as it seems in this world. The last thing she wants is a tree eating her.

So, instead, she sits under the trees and accidentally dozes off. What? Studying for two days is hard.]

[jadethenecromancer]

[5/30

On the first day, Jade spends the morning exploring the villa. Although he's curious about the outside, there is little to gain by annoying their hosts immediately, so for the moment he'll make do with learning the layout. This is quite a luxurious house -- makes you wonder what kind of background Meep comes from, doesn't it?

5/31

Competing for shards is well and good, but Jade isn't all that concerned about getting one until he knows they're actually worth the effort. He's far more interested in the library. Any knowledge about this world is better than what they have now.

The colonel barely leaves the library today, working through as many books as possible while he has the chance. This information would have been helpful during the competition, but such is life.

6/1

After a long night of taking notes, Jade allows his mind a moment of rest by spending some time in the Eastern Sun Room early in the morning, enjoying some coffee... and playing chess. If no opponents happen to come in, he'll play against himself, moving the pieces with absentminded familiarity.

Care for a game before it's time to leave?]

[hostclubshadowking]

[May 30th

Kyouya Otori tries to study as soon as he gets to the island. Really, he does. He has the books, a table, a journal to take notes with...

But it's early in the morning.

Which means that before even half an hour's gone, he's fallen asleep at the table, his head on his arms. He doesn't sleep well at sea, and Tamaki likes to be up with the sun. Usually, he's dragged into it, too. So away from Tamaki, enjoying the relative peace...

Well. His mind and body take more advantage of it than he wanted to.

At dinner, he plays the part of the Host, all smiles and warm conversation with just the edge of the Cool Type. It's easy, comfortable.

May 31st

Kyouya seems quite at home in the library, usually surrounded by books. Once he's awake. Which isn't until late morning.

Until the contest resumes, he'll be trying to study as best he can.

June 1st

The vacation is at an end, but it's been nice getting away from the others for a bit. Just he and Haruhi, in a fairly calm place. It's let him rest up and without having to worry too much about the others.

At breakfast, he's calm, a little more withdrawn.]

Awards Ceremony

[the_grey_lady]

[ On the evening after the celebratory dinner, servants will clear the table away and bring in two more as well as a raised dais of some white stone veined with blue.

After a moment, a woman swathed in shimmering gray and wearing a mask will step up on it, folding her hands in front of her]

Well done, everyone. It seems as if there are more intelligent people than I realized strung among the riffraff. I would say I was proud of you, but I'm afraid that would be a lie. So let's just say I'm satisfied and leave it at that.

[she waits a beat for reaction, and regardless of whether there is one or not--or the nature of it, she will continue]

Those that made it to the third round, but did not qualify for the fourth, will receive treasure equaling 10,000 Dubloons. You may have to exchange it, I reccomend Mrs. Margie, though if you must ask who she is or where she is located I'm afraid I would be much inclined to plant my foot in your posterior.

[she smiles as the servants carry bags out, and she will call out the names one by one.

Cyntiha will receive a bag of pearls, loose and stringed, of various colors and sizes from white to pink to black and a singe green bead of jade.

Mitsunari Ishida will receive various rings and bangles, and will find a ceder box, contained within a dagger with the name Tokugawa Iyesu freshly engraved on the blade.

Bepo will receive a bag of various trinkets, mostly rings, as well as a bear statue carved of some black wood with inset crystal eyes]


As for those who have surpassed... Anji Mito, please step forward.

[ridingtheclouds]

-For Anji, this was his first time meeting the enchanting, mysterious, and apparently barb-tongued Cynthia. To say she captivated his ever present curiosity was an understatement. And after hearing his name called, Anji did what he always did... and made an entrance.

Stepping forward was command, but Anji seemed to float his way there, creating a trail of petals as he did so, carried from the outside on a breeze that had not been there previously. It all came to an end when he snapped his fans closed once more, giving a deep bow to the woman before him.-

This humble Mito Anji-san is honored to stand in your presence, my lady...