26.27 Rules of any currently active Divine Quest.

The Quest of the Battle-Isle
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PRIZE: choice of one of three legendary artifacts, plus a medal 'the first of great commander-Avalonian' and, indeed, the experience level of AVALONIAN. See below for artifact info.

PHASE ONE was won by Orinoko, with Tazius in support role. Last standing opponent was ELminster, with Bifrous and Lothar supporting. These individuals will gain - for their respective phase two teams - advantage according to their positions in the first phase.

PHASE TWO will be contended between three or four distinct team/city groups representing MERCINAE, THAKRIA, PARRIUS and SPRINGDALE. More details will follow but the current team leaders are INDIA (for Mercinae), LOTHAR (for Parrius) and ELMINSTER (for Springdale) and SONJA (for Thakria). In this phase, each town will have a range of legions and a total military size. It will be up to each leader and his/her high command to allocate resources, legionnaires and organise everything from that point.

Everyone will begin phase two with equal standing. Bonuses will have been applied from the phase one results at the outset. Points will be gained for slays on the field of battle and for surviving other legions (i.e. longevity). Slays on the filed of batle will have a basic worth (one point per main slain) PLUS points for the number of past-victories (thus the reputation) of the slain legionnaire. Thus if you slay a virgin legion of 250 you gain only 250 points, but if you slay an experience battle-hardened legion with numerous past battles won, the worth will be higher.

See COMMANDERS to review battle-isle quest phase one results plus addedum of others gaining experience on the isle. When the quest is restarted, COMMANDERS will show the positions and worth of the various competitors/towns.

Here are the few rules/necessary information:
1. All competitors may begin with either one division (500 men) or two brigades (250 men each). These legions will all be equally skilled, and high-skilled across the board. These will be general skills. No guild-specialist skills will be involved.

2. All competitors will be able to choose/gain allocation of the general equipment that will be made available in their battleisle hometown. The equipment will be presented to each before the start of the quest.

3. Everyone will start the battlequest in the town square of their designated home village. The Gods will declare the contest 'BEGUN' and from that point on it will be free movement, free action, no restrictions 'til the end.

4. The winning town will be the last commander with soldiers still in the field. The object of the quest is as simple as can be: to defeat every other legion on the island until none are left.

5. There are no safe zones. There will be no player vs player combat - this is a contest of military commanders, not personal skillsets. Commanders will be allowed to use dispatches, or direct commandpost, or a mixture of both.

6. There will be no exploitation of cheat loopholes. All such will be reported to the Gods or risk disqualification.

7. Full real-world battle attrition will be live. This means damage between legions will be as it is in Avalon itself rather than the low-level handful of fatalities per attackround when the battle-isle is a practice only environment.

8. If the battle continues to rage for too long, areas of the battle-isle will be closed off to contract that battlefield (starting with the three cities). This will only happen in the event of stalemates occurring, to force conflict.

9. The prizes are one of three artifacts. The winner gets first choice, the runner-up second choice, the third-last-standing receives the remainining artifact.

The artifacts are:
1. THE STAFF OF THE WANDERER - "The staff of the wanderer allows its bearer to access an almost inviolate teleportation around various points in Avalon, some secret and faraway, some public, etc. It has played a very significant role in many a gemquest and ordination"

2. THE STAVE OF DISASTER - "Point it, raise it, flail it and wave it: the stave of disaster holds four extremely destructive powers and will discharge them, unlimited uses, when called upon by its owner"

3. THE SPECTACLES OF BATTLESIGHT - "Wear these recently-fashioned spectacles (wrought in the workshop of the Gods) and see the battlefield through the eyes of a God"