The Tri-Kingdom Games

     THE TRI-KINGDOM GAMES!

     Meridell in red and blue,

     Brightvale in yellow and green,

     Purple and black are Darigan Citadel’s hue,

     Which colors will fly in victory?

     The rules:

     * 1. EVENTS: Each kingdom chooses three events which best represents them. These events are split into three categories: Action, Strategy, and Skill.

     * 2. ADVANTAGE: Each kingdom has an advantage in one of the categories: Meridell in Action, Brightvale in Strategy, and Darigan Citadel in Skill.

     * 3. SCORING: The kingdom which wins an event gets 2 points. The runner-up kingdom gets 1 point. The kingdom coming in last gets 0 points.

     * 4. BONUS: If a kingdom wins first in an event that they have an advantage in, they earn a whole bonus point. If a kingdom gets runner-up in an event, they have an advantage in they get half a bonus point.

     DAY 1 - Meridell Events:

     The tournament begins with the events from the hosting land, which this year is Meridell.

     * ACTION EVENT: Jousting

     Each kingdom has chosen their best knight and Uni steed in jousting, having the pair go up against the other kingdom’s best in a total of 3 matches. It should be no surprise that Meridell won this event handily. What is a surprise was who won second: Darigan Citadel. Many thought Brightvale would be winning second as, though not as well known for jousting like Meridell is, Brigthvale at least had a few knights with expertise in jousting. Darigan Citadel, meanwhile, never showed any interest in the sport. Yet Darigan Citadel came prepared, a bulky Darigan Grarrl atop a Darigan Uni clad in thick armour. They didn’t go fast, but they didn’t need to. Even Meridell’s duo had a hard time knocking them down, almost being knocked down by a single strong counter hit themselves, but experience won out in the end. Not so for Brightvale’s duo, whose knight was knocked off his Uni in the first charge. Meridell 3, Darigan Citadel 1, Brightvale 0.

     * STRATEGY EVENT: Potato Counter

     This isn’t your normal Potato Counting (and no, it’s not Xtreme Potato Counting either)! Each kingdom having a team of five of their best counters, three large piles of potatoes have been made, and each team has to figure out how much is in each pile. Darigan Citadel was the first one to hit a snag when they were told they couldn’t do their main strategy: having the five Darigan Skeiths that made up their team eat the potatoes. As they severely lagged behind, both Meridell and Brightvale were neck-to-neck. Meridell counters were a team of farmers who had a good eye and were able to keep track of what potatoes were counted or not. Brightvale had a team of mathematicians who, instead of directly counting potatoes, were measuring the radius and height of the pile, average size of the potatoes, and checking to see if there were anything that could throw their math off (as it turns out, a batch of carrots, turnips, and even a few Marrows were added to each pile as obstacles). The obstacles proved to be a setback for the farmers who had to adjust their rough estimates, but the Brightvale mathematicians had no problem factoring them in and claimed first place earning themselves 3 points. Meridell 4, Brightvale 3, Darigan Citadel 1.

     * SKILL EVENT: Cheeseroller

     A competitive Cheeseroller where the first roller to get their cheese down the hill wins! Meridell’s roller was a youthful Quiggle scout who chose Stinky Zebie Cheese. Brightvale’s roller was a Cybunny physicist who chose Brick Cheese. Darigan Citadel’s roller was a Darigan Mynci who chose Mutant Cheese. When things got rolling is when the strategies of each roller became clear and who picked the right cheese for the job. Meridell’s roller dived right and left, using the Stinky Zebie’s nearly round shape to keep a steady roll but also bounce over any rocks, speeding down the hill. Brightvale’s roller thought that a cheese as hard as brick would easily roll over any rock in its way; however, many of the rocks had flat edges, which caused the Brick Cheese to either stop or fall over (also not helping was the weight making it difficult to pick back up). Darigan Citadel’s roller had the odd plan of trying to bounce over every rock they saw. A bit unorthodox but was able to trail behind Meridell’s roller, who came down first with Darigan Citadel’s roller a close second. Meridell 6, Brightvale 3, Darigan Citadel 2.5.

     DAY 2 - Brightvale Events:

     After a quick discussion between Brightvale and Darigan Citadel the day before, it was agreed Brightvale events would be held today.

     * ACTION EVENT: Archery

     10 rounds of shooting arrows at a bullseye target. No Turtums with an arrow catapult, no power-ups, no sudden target replacement of an apple balanced on the head of Punchingbag Bob. Just the best archer from each land, their bow (all compliant to regulation, so each archer was "fair" to one another), and a quill filled with 10 arrows. After a game of rock-parchment-blade, the turn order was Brightvale first, next Meridell, and Darigan Citadel last. Brightvale’s archer, the best in all the land and a proud graduate of Brightvale University, took no time scoring a bullseye first shot. Meridell’s archer, a long-time rival of Brightvale’s archer, took a bit longer to aim his shot but too scored a bullseye. The competition was a heated match between the rival archers, cheers whenever a bullseye was scored and gasps when they missed. By the end, though, there could only be one world-class archer, and it was Brightvale’s! Meridell’s archer begrudgingly took second place, meanwhile, Darigan Citadel’s archer took a quiet third place (which isn’t a surprise as their archer was more known not for his accuracy but as a bounty hunter who uses poisonous arrows to paralyse his quarry, which was not allowed or would have helped much). Meridell 7.5, Brightvale 5, Darigan Citadel 2.5.

     * STRATEGY EVENT: Chess

     Three games of chess will be taking place all at the same time: Meridell vs Brightvale, Brightvale vs Darigan Citadel, and Darigan Citadel vs Meridell. Representing each land is their best chess players. Brightvale’s players were once again proud graduates of Brightvale University, one who became part of King Hagan’s court and another who became a professor at their alma mater. Meridell’s players were a retired knight general who at one point been Jeran’s mentor and a major strategist during the first Meridll-Darigan war; the second was a princess who had also attended Brightvale University at the same time as Brightvale’s players... she was the third best. Finally, Darigan Citadel’s players are a surprising pair: Master Vex and The Yellow Knight! The pairs were thus: The Meridell Princess vs the Brightvale professor, the Brightvale court member vs Master Vex, and finally, The Yellow Knight vs the retired Meridell general. The first game to end was the Brightvale court member vs Master Vex; while Master Vex was no slouch in his chess skills, too many years playing Cellblock had him making some mistakes out of reflex that he wasn’t able to recover from. The same fate fell upon The Yellow Knight, however, he was good friends with the retired Meridell general, so between them, it was less of a competition and more two old friends catching up with one another. Former rivals, the match between the princess and the professor was the most fierce and took the longest, each carefully making their move as if their life depended on it. With Brightvale and Meridell each having a win, it was their game that would decide the winner. As they slowly had their pieces move across the board and took the other’s pieces off, the princess made a risky move, purposely letting her Queen get captured to set up a sneaky checkmate using a Rook and Knight. However, the professor had a surprise of her own, as the princess was too busy preparing her trap, she hadn’t noticed the professor setting up her own using her Queen and a Pawn! One turn before the princess could spring her trap, the professor called checkmate. Meridell 8.5, Brightvale 8, Darigan Citadel 2.5.

     * SKILL EVENT: Spellcasting Duel

     A three-way duel between spellcasters, each land had a pair working together using a list of approved spells to try and knock the other land’s spellcasters off their pedestal. Brightvale surprised everyone as their spellcasters were Princess Roberta and her mentor High Court Sorcerer Seradar, a truly powerful duo. Meridell was no slouch either, the Meridell Champions Lisha and Kayla having volunteered, being two of the best magic users in all of Meridell. In comparison, Darigan Citadel sent seemingly no names, both purpled-robed hooded figures. The match began with Seradar, Lisha, and one of Darigan Citadel’s spellcasters putting up a barrier. Kayla took out an approved potion and was about to use it when it suddenly shattered; Roberta had used a shatter spell which, when used on an object, is unaffected by the barriers. Trying to protect herself from the glass shards, Lisha walked far enough away to leave Kayla exposed, an opportunity the idle Darigan Citadel spellcaster took and knocked her off Meridell’s pedestal with a quick Nova.

     Roberta focused on the Darigan Citadel spellcasters and summoned a swarm of Motes; though they could not get past the barrier, it did lock them down. Not having to worry about them, Seradar used the barrier he made to make a barrier-breaking spell, breaking Lisha’s barrier. But, though Kayla’s potion was shattered, enough of it had spilt onto Lisha, giving her the effects of it: the ability to cast two spells at once. Lisha had enchanted her barrier with a counterspell, and when Seradar’s spell broke it, a shockwave was sent his way knocking him off Brightvale’s pedestal.

     As Roberta prepared a counter-attack, suddenly she was surrounded by the Motes she had summoned; the Darigan Citadel spellcasters had teleported their barrier and the Motes around it over to Roberta, putting a shield around her but also trapping her with her own Motes. Lisha, seeing Roberta protected but stunned and the Darigan Citadel spellcasters freed but unprotected, summoned a blinding rainbow flare into the sky and sent an Ultra Nova toward the Darigan Citadel spellcasters. However, the Darigan Citadel spellcasters seemingly were not affected by the rainbow flare; one used a gravity spell around their pedestal, causing the Ultra Nova to orbit about them, while the other sent a freezing wind at Lisha. Lisha used the remaining power of the potion to quickly place up a barrier, not seeing that the freezing wind had frozen some of the spilt potion still on it. Roberta sends away her Motes as the Darigan Citadel spellcasters undo their gravity spell, causing the Ultra Nova to fly back at Lisha. Since Lisha was still holding up her barrier, the Ultra Nova was instead aimed directly at the Meridell pedestal, causing it to tilt and shake. Lisha tried to steady her footing but stepped onto a patch of the frozen potion, slipping and tumbling off Meridell's pedestal and making them the first to lose.

     Roberta, up next, weighed her options: She had a barrier, Darigan Citadel’s spellcaster’s didn’t, and one shot before they focused on her. Not wanting to take any chances after seeing what they did, Roberta sent a Nova toward one of the Darigan Citadel spellcasters to try making it a one-on-one match. However, without even looking toward Robert’s direction, one of the Darigan Citadel spellcasters re-casted a barrier around them... and causing the one around Roberta to vanish; Roberta had forgotten the barrier around her was from the Darigan Citadel spellcasters and re-casting the spell caused it to reset. Unprotected and seeing the other Darigan Citadel spellcaster preparing a Nova spell, Roberta sighed and sat down on the Brigthvale pedestal, signalling she forfeited making Darigan Citadel the surprise winners! Meridell 8.5, Brightvale 9, Darigan Citadel 5.5.

     DAY 3 - Darigan Citadel Events:

     The final day so time for the final events from the final land: Darigan Citadel!

     * ACTION EVENT: Skydiving

     Special thanks to Illusion for providing enchanted beans which quickly grew into three giant beanstalks that go up as high as Meridell Castle. From atop the beanstalk, each land has a team of three members who are expected to jump off, perform a midair stunt together, and finally activate their parachutes (an invention brought over from Tyrannia) for a synchronised landing. With a team of flying Neopets ready to swoop in at the first sign of trouble, all the teams break from their huddle and make the jump! Meridell’s skydivers are a team of farmers who took it upon themselves to fight off a group of sky pirates that were attacking their farms. Their performance is a quick recreation of their battles in the skies over Meridell, all of them wearing boxes made to look like gliders as one zips by and pretends to knock down the other two playing the role of the sky pirates. The "sky pirates" are the first to land with the "hero", then parachuting down to join them. Brightvale’s skydivers are a team of alchemists who have prepared a spectacle of lights and smoke. They jumped down with smoking potions in hand, however, problems arise as they had not taken into account how the wind would act around the beanstalk, causing the smoke to spread out and hiding them in it. The flying Neopets dash into the smoke cloud and are able to grab all three alchemists, safely flying them back onto the ground. Darigan Citadel’s skydivers are a group of thrill-seeking Darigans who normally skydive off the Citadel for kicks! Giving each other fist bumps, the three jump off the beanstalk with planks of wood strapped to their feet and begin performing a series of extreme acrobatics, as if they were surfing in the air! There were some worries they were getting too low, but they activated their parachutes at the very last second, all of them touching down at the same time and striking a pose. The decision was unanimous; Darigan Citadel wins first, with Meridell a respectable second and Brightvale a distant third. Meridell 10, Brightvale 9, Darigan Citadel 7.5.

     * STRATEGY EVENT: Cellblock

     A similar setup as the chess tournament yesterday, three games taking place all at the same time: Meridell vs Brightvale, Brightvale vs Darigan Citadel, and Darigan Citadel vs Meridell. Meridell’s players are two dignitaries of King Skarl’s court who are part of the Meridell-Darigan Peace Coalition and have spent a lot of time in Darigan Citadel. Brightvale’s players are two geometric engineers who graduated top of their class. Finally, Darigan Citadel pulls a surprising yet not surprising choice of having Master Vex and The Yellow Knight return after their chess loss. It was only a few minutes in when the first game was decided: Master Vex handily winning against a Meridell dignitary. There were some surprises when Master Vex chose to play against the dignitary instead of the Brightvale engineer, but turns out Master Vex and the dignitary had a score to settle. However, the decision might have cost them as soon after the other two games came to a close with both Brightvale engineers coming out on top, getting them first and Darigan Citadel second (while some expected Master Vex to be angry, he looked rather pleased with himself, satisfied with having defeated the dignitary). Meridell 10, Brightvale 12, Darigan Citadel 8.5.

     * SKILL EVENT: Petpet Battle

     After talks with the Petpet Protection League, for the sake of Petpets it was decided to make this a three-way battle so that the Petpets weren’t battling longer than they needed to. Each kingdom’s royal Petpet raiser picked a Petpet to best represent their kingdom. Meridell sends in a Turtum, a species which has loyally served Meridell, especially during the second Meridell-Darigan War (albeit after being temporarily enlarged via a potion made by Kayla). Brightvale has picked a Cyodrake, some questioning the choice as they seemed to have picked it purely because of its strength and not that it represented Brightvale. Finally, Darigan Citadel unsurprisingly sends in a Drackonack, a Petpet native to the Darigan Citadel and a cultural symbol. With the Petpet raisers and their team ready to jump in when their Petpet can no longer battle or if things get too rough, the Petpet Battle begins!

     The Turtum immediately bunkers itself down as the Cyodrake and Drackonack meet in the centre of the arena. The Drackonack tries to go in for a big bite, but the Cyodrake grabs its upper and lower jaw and tosses it back over to the defending Turtum. The Drackonack corrects itself in the air and lands jaw first over the top part of the Turtum’s shell, gnawing on it as the Turtum looks at it with annoyance. Not to be left out, the Cyodrake charges once again and lifts up the Turtum, giving it a toss. As the Turtum hurdles more than halfway across the arena, the Drackonack stops chewing and leaps off the Turtum’s shell right at the Cyodrake with claws extended and mouth open. The Cyodrake once again grabs the jaws, but the Drackonack’s claws grab the Cyodrake’s wings, forcing the Drackonack’s momentum onto it and causing the Cyodrake to fall backwards. While the Cyodrake is able to hold back the Drackonack’s teeth, it's unable to do anything about its slimy tongue, which licks the Cyodrake right in the eye. The Cyodrake gives out a panicked cry and pushes the Drackonack toward the Turtum so it can have time to clean its eye. Flipped on its shell, the Turtum, this entire time, has been trying to rock itself back onto its feet. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on who you’re rooting for, the Drackonack isn’t going to give it the chance. Walking right up to the Turtum, the Draconack begins smacking the side of the shell until the Turtum is spinning like a top! The Drackonack then guides the spinning Turtum in the direction of the Cyodrake; it finished cleaning its eye just in time to see a spinning Turtum smack into it. They spun around a bit, and when they stopped spinning, both Turtum and Cyodrake are too dizzy to continue battling, the Drackonack wins by double knockout! After some discussion, it’s decided that only Darigan Citadel will be awarded points, ending The Tri-Kingdom Games with a final score of Meridell 10, Brightvale 12, and Darigan Citadel 11.5.

     THE WINNER: BRIGHTVALE!

     Despite the double knockout only awarding Darigan Citadel points, Brightvale was too far in the lead to catch-up (though the points did allow Darigan Citadel to pass Meridell to claim a close second place). While all teams did well in their events, Brightvale played things a bit smarter by making sure they always won their advantage event to earn those extra bonus points and tried to get second place in the other competitions on Meridell’s and Darigan Citadel’s days. Not everything went according to plan, losing the Spellcasting Duel and their Skydiving team getting disqualified almost put everything at risk. However, Meridell’s and Darigan Citadel’s "all-or-nothing" strategies, which either landed them in first or last place, netted Brightvale enough second place wins to have the math work in their favour.

     And so another Tri-Kingdom Games comes to a close, this year the kingdom of knowledge going home with the bragging rights. Darigan Citadel ended on a more humble note, though they did not win first, they showed that their tenacity was nothing to underestimate. Of course, Lord Darigan doesn’t have a brother who will now bring up their victory during major family gatherings, and with Meridell coming last, King Skarl will be taunted about that by King Hagan too. This will only drive Meridell to work harder next year, and Darigan Citadel, too, will work to make the next games not go so much Brightvale’s way, or they’ll at least try. But until that time, I wish thee a merry Discovery of Meridell Day, Discovery of Brightvale Day, and Darigan Day!