The Teapot Transfiguration Trials are a time-honored magical tradition in the hamlet of Boggy Bottom, which typically attracts a modest group of competitors from Hertfordshire and neighboring counties. This year, sponsorship from Excalibur has enabled them to bring the Trials to Hogsmeade, allowing for a larger and more complex competition and drawing competitors from all of magical Britain. The Trials will be held on March 13th.
There is not usually any prize awarded for style, but Excalibur is sponsoring this year and they're dandies, so there will be.
There are some opportunities for betting in the stands/the crowd but not in the sky boxes. Sky boxes have complimentary light snacks and drinks, the stands have some concessions-type things available for purchase, the floor space has nothing official but may have some unofficial street food vendors mucking about.
PS: It's set on a Hogsmeade weekend, so students can attend (though they may not compete).
WC: In order to ensure the best possible show, Excalibur is willing to sponsor a handful of WC entrants, for whom the education requirement is waived. Male-presenting characters only. There will be try-outs held on March 5th. (A modest crowd of primarily-WC spectators will be on hand on March 5th, although it's not an official event — just in case there's any carnage to be observed
)
The course itself will be available for anyone who wishes to practice between March 6th and March 13th, but you must bring your own teapot. MA&C staff and mediwitches are provided during the try-outs and the trials themselves, but anything you break during the practice week is on you :P
OOC things: Just indicate if you're interested in completing the race and/or winning in the sign-up form. If no players volunteer to win, an NPC will. If one person volunteers, it's yours. If multiple people volunteer, I'll roll some dice and use your transfiguration score as a modifier.
Want to compete? Fill out this:
So — use this thread to sign up to compete, plan out your seating arrangements, find thread partners for mishaps, etc. ^^
THE TRIALS
Wizards are issued one standard ceramic teapot and are expected to bring their own wand. When the race begins, they will transfigure the teapot into a vessel large enough to transport them through a series of obstacles. Adjusting the vessel as you go is allowed. The first wizard to cross the finish line with both themselves and their teapot intact are declared the winners. Typically, only about half of the competitors have a qualifying finish — breaking the teapot, losing limbs, or accidentally fusing yourself and the teapot into one being are not uncommon outcomes. Occasionally, people also try to transfigure the teapot into animals which then run/fly away without them. There is not usually any prize awarded for style, but Excalibur is sponsoring this year and they're dandies, so there will be.
THE COURSE
The start and finish line are at the northern edge of Padmore Park. The first leg involves a series of on-the-ground obstacles such as a steep, slippery hill, a mud pit, and a series of tight turns through a hedge maze infested with doxies. The second leg will see contestants take to the air over the eastern edge of Pennyworth and the Slums, traveling through a series of rings while contending with various types of weather such as rain, snow, hail, a sandstorm, heavy fog, and balls of fire (all of which are supposed to stay safely in the air and away from the buildings below, but... you know). The third leg traverses the forest beyond Hogsmeade station and involves on-ground obstacles while being plunged into either blinding light or pitch dark, alternatively. The final leg crosses the Black Lake and has both an on-water and under-water component. SPECTATORS
Three areas are available to view the race: the sky boxes (UC), the stands (M/UC), and standing room only (MC/WC). Sky boxes seat 5-6 per box and are strung together in caravans pulled by pegasi, so will move above the race and provide a view of the entire event. Once you get in a sky box, you're stuck there until they land again. Stands are elevated and will allow you to see 2-3 segments of the race, and you can come and go as you please (anyone in the stands will be able to view the Finish Line). The crowd is free of charge, but you only get a good view of one small portion of the race and could be close enough to be collateral damage from any catastrophes on course. There are some opportunities for betting in the stands/the crowd but not in the sky boxes. Sky boxes have complimentary light snacks and drinks, the stands have some concessions-type things available for purchase, the floor space has nothing official but may have some unofficial street food vendors mucking about.
PS: It's set on a Hogsmeade weekend, so students can attend (though they may not compete).
COMPETITORS
MC/UC: Competitors pay a small entry fee, which contributes to a prize pot the winner will be able to take home or donate as they please. Entrants must have a working wand, be of a legal age to do magic, and have a passing OWL in Transfiguration (NEWT recommended). Women are not barred from entering, but it's not the sort of thing a respectable lady would do (OOC, feel free to enter a female-presenting character if you already have or are willing a acquire a rep ding for being unconventional and/or eccentric).WC: In order to ensure the best possible show, Excalibur is willing to sponsor a handful of WC entrants, for whom the education requirement is waived. Male-presenting characters only. There will be try-outs held on March 5th. (A modest crowd of primarily-WC spectators will be on hand on March 5th, although it's not an official event — just in case there's any carnage to be observed
)The course itself will be available for anyone who wishes to practice between March 6th and March 13th, but you must bring your own teapot. MA&C staff and mediwitches are provided during the try-outs and the trials themselves, but anything you break during the practice week is on you :P
OOC things: Just indicate if you're interested in completing the race and/or winning in the sign-up form. If no players volunteer to win, an NPC will. If one person volunteers, it's yours. If multiple people volunteer, I'll roll some dice and use your transfiguration score as a modifier.
Code:
[b]Character Name[/b]:
[b]Transfiguration Level & Score[/b]:
[b]Will they finish?[/b] (If not, feel free to elaborate on when/how they will go astray)
[b]Are you interested in winning the race?[/b]
[b]Are you interested in winning the style award?[/b]So — use this thread to sign up to compete, plan out your seating arrangements, find thread partners for mishaps, etc. ^^
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![[Image: TrSGeWR.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/TrSGeWR.jpg)
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