The theme "Wake" brought to mind all manner of imagery for the designers of the Basin, who brought their creativity and ingenuity to the Trial of Beauty. Some focused upon the events of Li-varili and the awakened Sea Spirit, while others focused on the events of years gone by, while still others took the theme in other directions entirely. The difficulty the judges panel faced in determining the victor was no small feat, and selecting the list below involved sifting through dozens of outstanding designs. The competition, like the storms that had all too recently gripped Lusternia, was fierce indeed.
In the end, it was the design of Falaine Coldwater of New Celest that emerged victorious - a sea glass lantern of a reawakened warrior heart. This beautiful lantern displayed the events of the Curse of the Sunken Heart as witnessed by an old warrior, valiantly defending the innocent through the storms and floods.
Second place was awarded to Kalaneya Shee-Slaugh of Glomdoring, for an ashwood chest of apocalyptic awakening.
Third place was awarded to Niralahi Coldwater of New Celest, for a sculpted glass easel of awakening love.
Fourth place was awarded to Xiran Stormcrow of Serenwilde, for a black hammock crocheted with dreamcatching mandalas.
Fifth place was awarded to Lilalue Ka'liati of New Celest, for a cascading collar revealing a receding tidal wake.
Though these five designs rose to conquer all others, the following designs merit honourable mention for their craftsmanship and interpretation of the Avenger's theme, in alphabetical order:
o Eritheyl Ryseni of Gaudiguch (a coruscating ring of the Eye awakened)
o Fillirriqili Skydrifter of Hallifax (a piercing needle of dreams)
o Jolanthe Myeras of Serenwilde (dazzling drapes revealing the awakening of Spirit Sun)
o Kailanna n'Kylbar of Magnagora (a crystalline rapier of piercing clarity)
o Majestadt of Magnagora (a stygian gorget-style collar awash in red tide filigree)
o Nepenthe Dahyu of Gaudiguch (a funeral veil of wilting bromeliads and winding roots)
o Zalan Shevat of Hallifax (a Hallifaxian long coat of mourning)
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Comments
I honestly struggled with the theme a lot myself, but once the idea of "sun drapes" came up I couldn't let go of that one, even though I didn't think it'd hit the theme in the way the judges wanted. Still pleased with the end result:
Ingredients: eggs 4 vegetables 4 meat 4 grain 2 milk 2 salt 2 kafe 2 fruit 2 spices 2 sugar 1
poultry 1
Mortal Reviews: Allowed
IMPORTANT: The main noun MUST use one of these: PLATTER
Appearance:
an abundant breakfast platter
Dropped:
Heaped with various breakfast goods, a platter lies here, steaming slightly.
Examined:
An assortment of foods is heaped on almost every available inch of this
platter and the plates, saucers, bowls, and glasses it bears. Central to
the array is a porcelain plate barely visible beneath a veritable
mountain of scrambled eggs that have been dusted freely with shredded
cheddar cheese and salt. To one side of this pile of protein is a plate
stacked with crepes that have been all but smothered in various fillings
and dusted with enough powdered sugar to top a cake. Across from these
is a bowl of shredded and browned potatoes, liberally coated with
sauteed and salted mushrooms, and all but drowned in butter. One corner
houses a bowl stacked with orange slices and a saucer loaded up with
sausages and crispy strips of bacon. Apparently a concession to a more
healthy lifestyle, there is also a bowl of plain porridge with a sprig
of mint right next to a tankard of piping hot kawhe. It almost begs the
question of whether anyone could possibly finish the whole platter
before it cooled.
Consume:
A moment's exploration allows you to discover the forks and spoons
hiding beneath each of the plates, and you take one up to begin
conquering the eggs. Each bite brings a heavily buttery and cheesy taste
with barely a hint of texture, but the more you eat, the more frequently
you discover green and red bell peppers and small pieces of ham that
have been cubed and piled in with the eggs. Toward the bottom of the
pile, you find a stack of three omelettes that each contain chunks of
fried chicken in a delicious irony. You take a swig of the kawhe to wash
the last of the omelettes down before turning to the pork platter,
alternating between crispy bacon that had been smoked over an oak fire
and the juicy sausages that had apparently been grilled over them. Soon
enough all that is left of that saucer is a small puddle of grease,
which you dribble liberally into the oatmeal. After mixing it into some
semblance of edibility, you tuck in, only to find that the apparently
plain dish had been prepared in black strap molasses, which mixes
pleasantly with the savoury flavours from your previous course into
something not unlike a Delportian toast. After more kawhe, you move
laconically onto the potatoes, which have been fried to a pleasant
crisp, then drenched in melted butter and sauteed mushrooms, all of
which seem to be competing for texture on your tongue with each bite
until the entire bowl is emptied. Next are the crepes, of which there
are a half dozen. The first of them was fairly straightforward, with
roasted hazelnut spread and a kafe drizzle, and the next is filled with
strawberry and peach preserves between the flaky layers and topped with
whipped sweet cream. The third contains a savoury paste, likely made
with fond from the chicken and the sausage, and the fourth is a
tooth-achingly sweet blueberry jam. The fifth is filled with a cinnamon
and clove-based spread of some kind, and the sixth with a tiramisu
mousse. All that remains now are the orange slices and the last dregs of
your kawhe, which you sip idly between each slice to give the start of
your meal time to digest.
Smell:
The scent of salt, protein, and butter is nearly overwhelming from this platter, accented by the
bitter tang of black kawhe.
Taste:
You sample some of the fluffy egg scramble pile and find it buttery and tender to the point of
nearly melting in your mouth, with just a hint of some kind of mild pepper fighting against the
sharp cheese.
Comments:
The idea with the imagery was that the embroidery would reveal the images of the things that have been lost by blocking the glow and creating an absence of light in those places. All held together by the promise/command to awaken Seralem.
Commodities: iron 70 ruby 50 gems 10 spices 10 redtint 5 purpletint 4 salt 1
Mortal Reviews: Allowed
IMPORTANT: The main noun MUST use one of these: CROWN
Appearance:
a razor-sharp seaweed crown burgeoning with scarlet bromeliads
Dropped:
Razor-sharp bronze seaweed wrought into a crown lies here, its fiery metal dappled with water spots and salt.
Examined:
Water-dappled and stained with long-dried salt, this crown of fiery bronze seaweed bleeds from vibrant red at its fronds to wine-brushed purple stalks. Their delicate petals sculpted into distinct points, faceted ruby bromeliads thrive between the flowing blades of razor-sharp kelp, each blossom an oasis of beauty amidst promises of grievous pain. Glass ampoules scintillate upon the rubescent flowers like stray droplets of spindrift, redolent with cinnamon perfume as cloying as it is exotic; echoing the ebb and flow of seawater currents, the scent of brine courses beneath the luxuriously heady fragrance, a perilous undertow evoking the persistent stirrings of a bitter memory best forgotten.
Mortal Reviews: Allowed
Space: 25% Furniture Type: Normal Furnishings
Outdoors: No Container: Yes Can Have Lock: Yes
Appearance:
a rosewood desk of dreadful memories
Dropped:
A rosewood desk with open drawers gazes upon its surroundings furiously with a thousand red eyes.
Examined:
This desk is assembled from a group of obscure stained rosewood lumber panels sawed to reveal a myriad of faint spiderwebs in its grain. Lovingly crafted with care and attention, the tops of the thick supports are linked with a pole from which hangs a planter of dried black roses, titillating the senses. The outer sides of both panels are engraved with the depiction of a colossal arachnid. Chiselled with attention to detail, its body is composed of an untold amalgam of leaves, insects, twigs, stones, soil and blackened animal bones. Its eyes are represented by a thousand blood rubies encrusted in a haphazard design upon its form. Forming a stark contrast that draws the eye downwards, four pairs of vicious silver wasps are entwined by the stinger. Situated to the left of the chair's hollow, each was moulded with meticulous attention to detail and attached to provide ease of access to the drawers as handles. Attracting the eye with its saffron-hued surface, the countertop is fitted upon the desk's midsection. It is fabricated with an astonishing relief carving of a shattered woodland frozen beneath a polished pane of translucent amber. The artwork's rendition features such notable landmarks as the broken tower ruins, the great tree's blasted remains, the caved-in underground tunnels, the collapsed musical hall and a massive snake-like creature frozen mid struggle. Forming the rear of the desk is a solid back panel with eight globular eyes cut into the wood itself. Occasional faint shadows skittering behind them, the orbs gaze upon the broken landscape below sealed within a circle of runes. Seized of beauty beyond mortal means, an exquisite statuette of bewitching femininity stands proudly upon the crown moulding's summit. A vicious scythe of amber, grasped in both hands, extended in challenge to all that dare lay eyes upon her.
Closed: (NOTE: Same as dropped, only shows when closed.)
A rosewood desk with eight silver wasps gazes upon its surroundings furiously with a thousand red eyes.
#: 34332 Item: Tapestry Type: Tapestries Org: Public Designer: Tikki
Commodities: steel 50 silver 20 platinum 20 onyx 5 opal 5 ruby 2 gems 4 mammoth 1 palette 1
a spectacular curved tower shield of pelagic scenery
An imposing curved tower shield sits here, ready to defend its wielder at a moment's notice.
Large enough to fully protect the average human in their entirety, this tower shield is a majestic display of oceanic hues and striking platinums. A masterful example of beauty and functionality, a polished steel frame supports the edges and corners of this tower shield, curved slightly inwards at the corners to offer a protective cocoon for the wielder to duck behind. Resembling the tumultuous waves of the sea, ornate filigree has been carved into the entirety of the steel frame from its apex to its base. Dividing either half of the tower shield in half is a stark line of gleaming platinum that has been molded and chiseled to resemble the tumultuous crest of a wave, though the direction the wave is moving is entirely reliant on the way the shield is held. To the left of the wave, deep indigo and burgundy hues resemble blood-stained waters dotted with countless infinitesimal specks of crimson and white. Upon closer examination, the shapes are revealed to be tiny figurines, the scarlet heads of intricate little nereids seeming to cling to the ivory-white skeletal remains of just as many corpses. Flakes of ruby and powdered onyx add a reflective sheen to the darker waters, further enhancing the figures within when held towards the light. To the right of the cresting wave, bright cerulean and aquamarine hues swirl with sunny whorls of citrine to resemble warm ocean shallows dotted with a myriad of rainbow hues. As one leans closer, the dots of color reveal themselves to be numerous tropical fish swimming alongside auburn-haired kelpies, their tiny arms outstretched within the waters as if dancing joyfully. Crushed opal and peridot sprinkled upon the water's surface give life to the already vibrant surface. At the center of the tower shield sits a replica of a compass, its silvery needle pointing up along the tumultuous divide. In lieu of an 'n', a tiny stylized heart denotes the standard for north, cradling the compass's point between either half of the shape.
Edit: wtf formatting
It’s easy to be cruel without meaning to be. There’s nothing you can do about that. But you can choose to be kind. Be kind.’
Appearance:
a coruscating ring of the Eye awakened
Dropped:
Broken sandstone and scintillating gems compose this fighting ring, depicting battle between the
Enigmatic and Kethuru Almighty.
Examined:
Sustained upon a base of lacquered palm wood, this artfully-sundered
display takes shape from jagged chunks of sandstone and clouded quartz,
culminating in a circular arena nearing three feet in height. As the
warring of miniatures is carried out within, another war is perpetually
fought amongst the broken peaks that form this boundary. Fused onyx shot
through with polluting veins of viridian and carmine rises as though
questing to utterly consume the dioramic scene, claiming three-quarters
of the mountainous circle in a salvo of tentacular grotesquery. Where
the dozen and more mirror-slick appendages meet stone, angry fissures
blossom, the web of splinters inlaid with pallid citrine that radiates
from within a haunting portent of corrupting power. Only one figure is
shown in defiance of this onslaught, held aloft on a rod of glass that
elevates them from the crags and aims them straight toward the epicenter
of destruction: enshrouded in tattered wisps of silk, the valiant and
enigmatic being soars among a shower of prismatic bicone beads speckled
along nigh invisible wires. This veiled one could only be the Vernal
Tzaraziko, her identity made all too clear by the blackened, skeletal
arm she raises to threaten the hungering extensions of Kethuru, that
wretched orb that is the Eye of Illith itself reproduced as well in its
grasp. For long spans of moments the Eye alights with amethystine hues,
and the quartz that breaks the mountains' facade responds in kind, at
once illustrating the fleeting turn of the tides as the Enigmatic makes
war against the Almighty over the barren desert.
Great job all around, everybody
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