Hail, Sapience.

Amidst strident accusations of plotted annihilation and defiant declarations of ambition pursued, which from experience will likely continue for some time, allow myself to provide a momentary tangent by introducing a different sort of spectacle.

In anticipation of the upcoming second Sanguine Series finals, it is my pleasure to announce the first Carmine Trials. The inaugural edition of these Trials is designed to spread the practice of ritual duelling as well as to encourage even more creativity in the tradition.

You DO NOT require to be a member of the Carmine Circle (CLHELP TCCIRCLE) to participate in these Trials. However, the Circle is open to all, regardless of faith and creed, who wish to join us.

If you are unfamiliar with ritual duelling, reach out to myself or any carmine scarf-wearing Circle duelist you can see, and most will be pleased to instruct you. Otherwise, seek out the book 'the Art of Ritual Duelling' in any city library.

Trials
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There are seven Trials to undertake. Unless otherwise stated, the location is your choice. Sabarian Hall (map coordinates 39666) is always open as a potential duelling stage.

1. Trial of the Beast

Your loyal companions can be invaluable in your combat strategy - including for ritual duelling. Fight a ritual duel with actions that centre around the use of your mount or pet.

2. Trial of the Spectacle

Part of the excitement of a ritual duel is the spectacle it provides. Fight a ritual duel at or one step away from any one of these public locations:

- At the foot of the Vashnar mountains
- North of New Thera
- Atop the Great Rock
- On the Delosian Bridge
- Canyon of jagged spikes in the Siroccian Mountains
- A sandy stretch of beach at Sea Lion Cove

3. Trial of the Chameleon

A true ritual duelist leverages their environment to add flourish to their battle. Fight a ritual duel in one of Sabarian Hall's three special duelling stages (forest, lava or geyser). Be sure to account for the environment in your strategy.

4. Trial of High Stakes

Friendly bets are part and parcel of the ritual duelling tradition. Before your ritual duel, decide upon a wager with your opponent. The loser must honour the terms of the wager, so do not agree to what you cannot grant. The Circle will take no responsibility for the fulfillment of these terms.

5. Trial of Utility

Must one lean on the skills of their profession to do ritual battle? Not at all. Fight a ritual duel using no class skills. Everything else is permitted.

6. Trial of the Stranger

As a global practice, ritual duelling offers the chance to engage in creative conflict with those that you may never ordinarily meet. Fight a ritual duel for the first time with someone not of your faction or your organisation.

7. Trial of Speed

While creativity is important in a ritual duel, so is speed. In a ritual duel, take no longer than five minutes to complete an action when it is your turn. Your time begins when the Arbiter informs you to begin your turn. The Arbiter should also be responsible for timekeeping.

Eligibility
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1) These Trials must be completed independently. For instance, you could fight a ritual duel with a pet-focused strategy in one of the special stages with a stranger. However, that single duel would only qualify for one of the Trials, not all three.

2) At least three people are required for a duel: the two duelists and one Arbiter, or at least one witness if the duelists are experienced enough to self-arbitrate. I will not entertain any disputes brought to myself over results, so duel at your own risk.

3) Once your duel is complete, have one party send the record or recollection of your duel to myself - with names and roles of participants included - to verify that you have completed a Trial.

4) Ordinarily, ritual duels should be arbitrated by a Circle-accredited Arbiter. However, since there are only a handful presently, any member of the Carmine Circle should be able to act as an Arbiter if none can be found. The guidelines can be found in CLHELP ARBITER in the Circle.

5) You cannot duel the same person for every Trial. I will grant three duplicates that you can credit at your will, but that is all. So, to complete all seven Trials, you will need to duel at least four different people - though all new is preferred.

6) To qualify for a Trial, the duel must be conducted according to Circle tournament-style rules. At a basic level, this means having the ritual sayings, using the best-of-three format, and so on. The rules are found in CLHELP TOURNAMENTSTYLE in the Circle, or in the Art of Ritual Duelling book.

Completion
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1) Anyone who completes at least one of the Trials will receive a Circle token. The token will vary in appearance depending on the Trial(s) you complete.

2) You must send a recollection of the duel to myself via letter to qualify as completing a Trial.

3) From these, I may choose to preserve memories of particularly creative duels in Sabarian Hall at my discretion.

4) I may, also at my discretion, award additional prizes for categories such as most duels fought, most creative duelist, most unique location, so on and so forth.

Timing
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You have from now until 1 Sarapin 988 AF to complete these Trials. Seek myself out for more information if required.

I look forward to watching a new generation of ritual duelists arise. Whether you wish to challenge your duelling abilities or try your hand at the practice, now is the time.

Even if you do not duel yourself, I encourage you to attend and watch duels where you are able, for the Trials serve as a precursor to the coming Series.

The public board warfare may now resume.

Regards,

Jurixe S. Nithilar
Nexus of the Carmine Circle


Penned by my hand on the 3rd of Scarlatan, in the year 986 AF.