Duel of the Roses:
Tournament of Dreamers
| Location | Dynamis DC, Maduin, LavBeds, Ward 14, Plot 36 |
| Event Run Time | May 30th, 2026 8:00PM to 12:00AM Eastern |
About this event
If you could have anything your heart desired;
What would you ask for?
This story, like many good stories, starts with two people in love. In a time before time, before gods, and most certainly before the moon fell and everyone had a really miserable time about it, there were two great magicians whom were bound by heart, soul, oath, bureacracy, and likely the knowledge that they knew too much about each other to let the other out of their sight.The pair constantly sought to outdo and amaze the other: a field of rolanberries that remained fragrant year-round, a constellation in the night sky leading home, a cooking pot that never emptied. Eventually, the competition came to a head when the younger of the pair thought of something brilliant -- they would always win if they could make something to answer to their lover's every want and need. They worked tirelessly, without end, but just as they finished their greatest creation -- the time before time ended, the star's first seconds ticked on, and the lovers and their inventions were both left behind with the exception of that one last gift.The Rose of a Thousand Dreams, as its current caretakers refer to it, is a large crystal carefully cut into the shape of a rose, imbued with ages-old creation magicks. The lady of the house, Naid, refuses to reveal how she obtained this item, and while she's eager to be rid of it, it's not something she wants to just set out at a yard sale. In the interest of finding a worthwhile inheritor (and also an unhealthy adoration of terrible violence), she made the decision to host a tournament. But it's seen better days -- and it has just enough magick left in it for one last wish. Will yours be the one it grants?
Okay but really
Out of Character Explanation
The Rose of a Thousand Dreams is, effectively, meant to be a Deus ex Machina for those who desperately want an in character reason for something to happen -- or something to unhappen. While Naid will describe this wish as a responsibility rather than a prize, what the winner wishes for, whether it backfires, and what happens to them after is entirely in the hands of their writer. Want your character's wealth to match your in-game wealth? Wrote yourself into a corner, and haven't been able to figure a way out without retconning a LOT of character development? Maybe you just, I dunno, want your character to go mad with power. This is meant to act as an option to make (major or minor!) changes to your character for people who don't want to or are nervous about just handwaving choices, or want it to be something public.
Other Offerings
We're suggesting wearing a flower corsage that corresponds to the challenger of your choice! However, if you've forgotten to or couldn't get one, certain volunteers will have flower corsages available in the colors assigned to the challengers. These will be free of charge, but please send a tell and wait for the volunteer to start the trade.
Food
Please note that food and drink for this event will be NPC-manned.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Buscaroon’s Pretzel Braids | The Undergrowth’s signature buttered pretzel recipe. Braided into rods and served with cheese or mustard. |
| Miq'abob | Roasted meat and/or veggies on a skewer. Pick either Keeper classic (mushrooms, tomatoes, aloe) or meat (dodo, tomatoes, pepper) |
| Baumstriezel | Sweet yeast bread twirled around a spit, dusted with cinnamon sugar and ground walnuts, and filled with whipped maple cream. |
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Roasted Dodo Leg | A full-sized dodo leg, roasted with the skin on and seasoned with salt, garlic, onion, and at least 3 different kinds of peppers. |
| Diremite Roll | Tender baked diremite meat with chives, onions, shroud butter, and a drizzle of lemon juice. Served in a toasted, short baguette. |
| Sourplums | A package of various fruit preserves covered in a hard candy coating and dusted with powdered sugar and sour dust. If the fight doesn't make you wince, this will. |
Drinks
Non-alcoholic and other options available upon request.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Shadedark Black Cherry Cider | Alcoholic. A full-bodied, dark cider with that classic apple taste, followed with a sweet and surprising cherry finish. |
| Black Barghest Porter | Alcoholic. A heavy-bodied ale with notes of heavy-roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, and caramel, finishing with a slightly fruity note of raisin and molasses. Comes in a black tinted glass. |
| Memory of a Summer's Eve | Alcoholic. A sweet, dry mead with heavy orange blossom notes, light citrus fruit notes, and a hint of Zinfandel wine. Summer is on its way, after all. |
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Liquid Courage | Alcoholic. Odin's Full Moon Moonshine mixed with cold brew espresso - a sharp, bitter drink meant to distract from any impending near-death expriences. |
| First Blood | Alcoholic. A glass of bourbon shaken with Shroud blood currant liqueur and black cherry puree, resulting in a gruesome looking beverage. |
| Lady's Favor | Alcoholic. Apple brandy made with pixie apples, limoncello, orange juice, and club soda, served in a glass with an apple slice on the rim. Sorry, gentlemen - lady's choice. |
The Challengers
Check back later for our challengers!
Rules & Guidelines
General Rules and Guidelines
No physical altercations outside of the arena.
No bigoted (racist, transphobic, homophobic, misogynistic, similar) behavior will be tolerated in or out of character.
This will be held outdoors to allow the use of striking dummies - please note that while The Undergrowth does not prohibit non-sexually explicit adult language, other players in the neighborhood might and it is a reportable offense.
Please keep your pants on and stow weapons unless in use.
If you want to show your support for a specific challenger, staff will have different colored flower corsages available, matching the challengers' respective rose color. Leave the trash-talking to the challengers.
Fight Rules - One on One
We are using a modified Grindstone ruleset.
One-on-one fights have a 25 minute time limit.
Who goes first is determined by initiative.
All rolls are to be done in party. Announcers will not react to results until the defense posts.
Challengers can also choose to bypass rolls as feels narratively appropriate, but should mention as such and still keep in mind the time limit.
Win is determined by first to 3 hits OR most hits at time.
Attack rolls over 950 will be considered a one-hit KO if the defending roll cannot beat it.
If an attack roll is higher than a defense roll but is under 100, this is considered a failure.
If tied at time, a sudden death roll will be used to determine the winner - highest roll wins.
No restriction on fight style.
The first 4 fights will be one on one to determine semi-finalists - semi-finalists will then fight in a battle royale following the intermission.
Fight Rules - Battle Royale
All four challengers will be in the ring at one time.
The Battle Royale has a 1 hour time limit.
As on one-on-ones, all rolls should be done in party chat. A pair may choose to forgo a roll and agree on a hit or fail, but be mindful of the time limit.
Immediately preceding the fight, challengers will roll for initiative to determine turn order.
Instead of wins being determined by hits dealt, hits received will determine who is out.
Once a challenger receives 3 hits, they are out.
Challengers will need to communicate who they are aiming for in party chat -- no more than 2 challengers can attack another challenger at any given time.
As above, rolls over 950 will result in a one-hit KO if the defending party does not beat the roll, and attack rolls under 100 will be considered a failure.
If two challengers are still standing at time, a sudden death roll will be initiated.
If three or more challengers are still standing at time, a limit break roll will be initiated - the highest roll wins, and all others are knocked out.
Sign-Ups
So now you're interested -
The columns below have the different volunteer positions we're accepting, including position specific guidelines. This does include our challengers! Please read these guidelines carefully to ensure your consideration.
Healer
Healers will assist with removing challengers from the arena and administering first-aid.
Healers can sign up for either the first half or second half of the tournament.
Healers can both act as aetheric healers (healing through casting) or as physical healers (like a chirugeon or a nurse).
Challengers will be asked what kind of healing they prefer - if they prefer any at all.
Avoid pushing healing on characters who insist they don't want it - if your character wouldn't, consider it an order from Naid on the basis of legal liability.
Healers will be notified of selection by Sunday, May 24th.
Challenger
For this specific event, you will need to have a sponsor.
Sponsors are qualified as roleplay communities, free companies, or venues that are currently active and open.
No actual monetary exchange is required for an entity to count as a sponsor. The purpose of sponsors IC is for a character witness and OOC is to encourage collaboration.
There will be at least 4 general public slots subject to approval and randomized - this is not first come first serve.
Other slots are subject to reservation for VIPs of The Undergrowth.
Challengers will be notified if they were selected or not on Sunday, May 17th.
Announcer
Announcers can sign up for either the first half or second half of the tournament.
Announcers should be able to both read, type, and react quickly to different posts.
While announcers will be in a party chat and privvy to any actual rolls between challengers, they should wait until the defending challenger has their post out before sending a shout for the results.
Challengers and announcers will all make use of /yell chat.
We ask that any announcers avoid commentary on delays in hits - these can be dismissive of the actual action going on.
Announcers will be notified of selection by Sunday, May 24th.
Special Thanks
Thank you to Da Family Feud and Martin Freepaw for allowing us to use and slightly abuse their fight rules.Thank you to The Still and Strings for use of their distillery.More to come!