A day or so after the visit to the Amphitheatre, the following poster appears in Bar-Alda:
The Great Race
After
the quiet, family time of Counting Eve, and the deep pleasure of Counting Day
itself, when the mists of Orn finally dissipate to open the joys of summer, we
all look forward to the next three days: The Festival of the Tree. Everyone
revels in the music, shows, games and sporting competitions.
This
year, we are pleased to announce that the Great Race will begin at midday on the
third and final day of the Festival, as it is now fifteen years since the race
was last run.
We, the
Race Committee, urge everyone to get involved.
Support your favourite, watch the highlights, and debate the finer
points of technique, strategy and skill.
Of course, sometimes the result is decided as much by luck as by the
winner’s excellence. That is all part of magic and mystery of the Race. If you are brave, fit, lucky, and fancy your
chances, why not enter yourself?
The
Great Race attracts people of all kinds, and there will be many guests and new
friends in our village. We urge everyone
to welcome them, and to provide every possible hospitality to make them feel at
ease, and to further their enjoyment of the Race.
Finally,
the Committee is pleased to announce that this year there will be an especially
interesting and valuable First Prize for the winner. The full details of this Prize, and of the
awards for the Runners-up, will be announced on the night before Counting Eve.
THE GENERAL
RULES
Eligibility
1. The Great Race is a long-distance
running competition for living bipedal humanoids under twelve feet in height.[1]
2. Each competitor must state their
intention (register) to take part in the Race between the beginning of Counting Eve and
the end of the second Festival Day, and must take an Oath to Orn to obey the
rules of the Race.[2]
3. Having stated their intention,
and taken the Oath, there is no formal requirement for candidates to
compete. It is possible to withdraw from
the Race at any subsequent point without penalty.
4. Competitors enter as
individuals. There are no provisions for
team entry.
5. To be eligible, swarm entities,
chameleons, polymorphs, doppelgangers, and amoebae or other creatures temporarily
transformed to bipedal form, must undertake to retain their starting shape for
the duration of the Race.
6. Competitors must not deploy
spells, potions, drugs, objects or equipment which adjusts their natural speed
or which alters their opponents’ speed.
7. Competitors must not deploy
spells, potions, drugs, objects or equipment which modifies the terrain through
which they or their opponents are passing.[3]
8. Competitors with wings, or other
natural capabilities for travelling above or below the surface of Orn must
swear to abjure their use for the duration of the Race.
9. No mounts of any kind are
allowed. This includes all creatures and
beasts, and mechanical and magical devices such as broomsticks and bicycles.
10. Any competitor who dies during
the course of the Race will be deemed to have withdrawn from the competition.
The
Course
11. The Race takes place on Orn, on
the material plane. Use of other planes during
the Race will result in disqualification. [4]
12. The Race takes place across the
surface of Orn, including both land and water surfaces.
13. The Race begins from the shore
of the Blackbird Lake, with the Ringing of the
Bell in the entrance to the Queen’s Hall. Each individual competitor is free to choose the
point on the shore of the Lake from which they will begin.
14. To complete the Race, a
competitor must visit each of the Great Trees, known colloquially as the Great
Oak, Ironwood, Araucaria and the Tree of Peace.
They must physically touch the bark of each Tree as they reach it, and then finally return to Bar-Alda, the elven village.
15. The finish line will be the main
threshold of the Queen’s Hall in Bar-Alda.
16. As all of the Great Trees are
equidistant from each other, there are a number of routes of equal length which
meet the requirements set out above. Each
competitor may therefore choose their own route to navigate the course. There is no requirement to announce a route
before the Race, and, should they desire, competitors may adjust their route
mid-course.
17. The winner will be the first
competitor, having completed the full course and complied with the Rules as set
out herein, and after any time penalties have been applied, to successfully cross
the finish line and enter the Queen’s Hall.
Monitoring
and Penalties
18. Any competitors breaking the
Oath to Orn will be disqualified.
19. In addition to this Oath,
marshals will be appointed to monitor competitors at various points between the
Great Trees.
20. The marshals will be charged
with minimising violence between competitors, wherever possible.
21. Attacks by competitors on other
competitors will be seen as minor infringements, and penalties applied by
marshals according to a sliding scale.
22. Marshals have the authority to
award time penalties of up to two hours for each minor infringement.
23. Marshals will not defend
competitors from attack by other inhabitants of Orn unless they are in clear
mortal danger, and if the marshal can act without risk to their own safety. Any competitor whom a marshal decides to aid
in this way will be automatically withdrawn from the Race.
24. Any competitor found to have attacked
a marshal or any other Race official will receive a three-hour time
penalty.
25. Any competitor whose actions
result in the death of a marshal, or any other Race official, will be
disqualified.
26. The Race will additionally be
monitored through appropriate means by the Great Race Committee, and Race
events will also be viewed by the public in Bar-Alda.
Adjudication
27. The conduct of the Race will be
managed by the Great Race Committee, chaired by Lord Gerion.
28. The Committee has the authority
to apply individual sanctions, up to and including disqualification, and can in
extreme circumstances require that all or part of the Race be re-run.
29. All disputes, including those
arising from previously unforeseen circumstances, will be decided by the Committee.
30. Committee decisions will be by
simple majority. In the event of a tie,
the Chair will have the casting vote.
31. Committee decisions are final,
and are not open to dispute.
The Great Race Committee
Notes
[1] Note, this height limit, introduced two Races ago, will be reviewed before the next running of the competition.
[2]
The Oath will be monitored and enforced through the use of a bespoke token of
fidelity.
[3] Such banned adjustments include flame throwers, paving engines and plant-killers.
[4] Beings
usually resident on other planes are ineligible, and competitors with
plane-travelling abilities must swear to abjure their use for the duration of
the Race.
"Counting Day" seems to be a special, almost sacred day to the villagers. They are unwilling to discuss the meaning of that day, only saying that it must be experienced to fully grasp its full portent. It is a day of quiet reflection, with family or friends.
They will say that Counting Eve is due in only thirteen days, and there is a lot to do in the village before then. Many guests are expected, and arrangements for their stay must be made.
Day 1: (Today) Poster published announcing the Great Race. Preparation begins across Bar-Alda.
Day 15: "Counting Day". Race registration is paused.
What will the player characters do? Will any of them enter the Race? That may depend upon the prizes, of course. There are broadly two routes through this phase, depending upon whether the player characters compete in the Great Race. To help them make that decision, they may of course want to spy out the course. In other words, they may feel the need to explore Orn further.
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