Death Game Season 2 -- Conclusion (and Rewards)

[The Man in Red]

From within the central seat of his 'lair', the Man in Red sat with steepled fingers and stared impassively at the large bank of monitors. He was rarely displeased or upset about things, but this turn of events had left him extremely disgruntled. He might have been able to make this little slice of the stars his personal stage and do as he wished with it, but just like an actual stage...some things were just out of his hands. Little errors and mistakes behind the scenes by the rest of his crew and cohorts could lead to disastrous outcomes.

Like the genius idea of the engineers for this event to use the power sources and infrastructure of the town itself for monitoring the event. When a particularly spicy run-in between two of the monsters had knocked out the town's power, it had also taken their monitoring offline, and the Man in Red could not overstate how immensely he was frustrated. It had only taken a few days to get a backup running and get the connections working again with outside sources, but even so...there was so much content lost forever.

Just flushed away out a proverbial airlock.

Briefly, his masked gaze flitted to the opposite wall, a full length window, where the engineer in charge of the power and monitoring decision went listlessly floating by in the vacuum of space outside. It was far more generous than he deserved.

"Sir. We've managed to get our tracking back aligned for all the remaining contestants. Or...the remaining contestant."

"Only one is left?" This came as a genuine surprise to the Man in Red, who leaned forward in his seat.

"Yes, sir. The others...they've all died, or managed to find your secret escape routes."

"Ah, excellent... Show me the results, and who our winner is, won't you?" The scarlet-clad showman leaned back in his seat, returning his attention to the bank of monitors.

"Yes, sir."

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #001 — Klarion the Witch Boy | WINNER
Participation Reward: 398 | Coin Prize: 5,000 | Winner's Trophy | Additional Relic Prize
Managing to evade the worst of the town's horrors and dangers, the witch boy squirreled himself into victory by destroying the altars empowering the Operator, and making the entity vulnerable to its eventual defeat. It took long enough that the event had all but come to a close, leaving him the last one standing, figuratively as well as literally.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #002 —Aquarius | DRIVEN INSANE/DECEASED
Participation Reward: 141 | Coin Prize: 2,000
In the end, Aquarius deciphered the strange book he had been given, at the cost of sanity. He used the rituals within it to leash and control one of the monsters plaguing the town, and thin out the competition, before his unraveling mind lead to his death as he began to forget who he was or what his purpose was, and became a danger to everything around him, being eventually put down by his allies.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #003 — Sand Hawk | KILLED
Participation Reward: 158 | Coin Prize: 2,000
Doing his best to keep the mood light and assist his other two allies, Sand Hawk eventually scarified himself to let the other two get away, holding off the agents of the Operator until it could be made vulnerable. In a last-ditch effort, he used the virus capsules he had been given, and the results were...not pretty. The mutated abomination that resulted fought the eldritch horror to a virtual standstill until the last altar was destroyed, and he dealt the killing blow to destroy its body, as his own was literally falling apart.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #004 — Mid-Boss [NPC] | KILLED
Mid-Boss died in ignominy, in a cutscene.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #005 — Doctor Caustic | ESCAPED [SECOND PLACE]
Participation Reward: 147 | Coin Prize: 4,000 | Runner-up Trophy | Additional Relic Prize
Eventually managing to copy the data around Project Viridian and the process to create it, the 'good' doctor made his escape from the prison island via a network of secret emergency tunnels belowground. It was several days of aimless wandering through near complete darkness, but eventually he emerged at an old, decrepit teleportation station and was whisked away to safety.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #006 — Shallan Davar | ESCAPED [THIRD PLACE]
Participation Reward: 335 | Coin Prize: 3,000 | Third-place Trophy | Additional Relic Prize
When the Operator was destroyed, the gloomy pall hanging over the hiding townsfolk was lifted, and a mechanic remembered he still had a working car, that just needed gas to get running. The trek to fuel the escape vehicle was not an easy one, and it ended with only two of the group Shallan was with managing to escape.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #007 — Karl Jak | KILLED
Participation Reward: 95 | Coin Prize: 2,000
Marked as the second target of the Rider, after its first had been slain. He put up a tremendous fight, and severely injured the fae creature, but was ultimately slain after a several hour long fighting retreat.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #008 — Nezuko | ESCAPED
Participation Reward: 187 | Coin Prize: 2,000
Throwing herself at the fae abomination that came after her traveling partner, Nezuko managed to wound and stall the fae assassin, but was only a minor stumbling block for it. Knocked aside and left for dead, she eventually awoke and crawled aimlessly away, eventually slipping into unconsciousness again as she tumbled into a river, which carried her away and beyond the town's borders to relative safety.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #009 — Nico Cinder | KILLED
Participation Reward: 83 | Coin Prize: 2,000
When the Rider managed to catch Nico and his ally again, he did all he could to buy time for her to book it. But as she de-assed the combat area with as much quickness as she could, the Rider was quick to make Nico's head de-ass his body area.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #0010 — Sari al-Waheed | KILLED
Participation Reward: 187 | Coin Prize: 2,000
Sacrificed himself to ensure Shallan and Lan could get away, holding off a small horde of crazed cultists and rampaging undead while Shallan and Lan got the escape vehicle running and made good their retreat.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #0011 — Quincy [NPC] | KILLED
Participation Reward: | Coin Prize:
Quincy gave his life trying to save Amalia and Nico from the Rider, only serving to delay the inevitable.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #0012 — Amalia Eckern | KILLED
Participation Reward: 158 | Coin Prize: 2,000
Eventually found by the Rider again, and this time the armor didn't completely absorb the blow. She lived long enough to see the fae menace whip her to death with her own spine.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #0013 — Bloodhound | KILLED
Participation Reward: 76 | Coin Prize: 2,000
The hunter's tracking proved fruitful in the end, as they tracked down not only the Operator, but also the Rider. Stalking and fighting them both, they dealt them damage and injuries but ultimately it was the hunted rather than the hunter that emerged alive in the end.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #0014 — Mirooge | KILLED
Participation Reward: 77 | Coin Prize: 2,000
The grievous damage sustained in its fights against the Operator finally caught up to it, and an encounter with another competitor spelled its end.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #0015 — Adam Gaite [NPC] | he just left
Once the Operator was destroyed, Adam simply ceased caring about the progress of the event, as "it's already fuckin' over, go do whatever" and he floated off into the water, disappearing from tracking.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #0016 — Lilith | KILLED
Participation Reward: 267 | Coin Prize: 2,000
Met up with Aquarius in her search for Caustic. Together, the two of them managed to slay the Hunter, before they were reunited with the doctor. The mutation ravaging the Hunter re-animated it as something far more deadly, skin dyed a deep crimson and its muscles and bones ripping through its skin, and the frenzied beast tore Lilith apart, buying time for Caustic to make his escape into the tunnels.​

 

[The Man in Red]

CONTESTANT RESULTS
Contestant #0017 — Lan Cameo | ESCAPED
Participation Reward: 82 | Coin Prize: 2,000
Got to live out his dream of being the getaway driver rather than the one needing a getaway driver. Good thing he knew how to drive, as corpses don't make for very good traction.​

 

[The Man in Red]

HOST RESULTS
Contestant #000 — The Man in Red
Participation Reward: 725 | Coin Prize: 3,500

The man behind the mask managed to get over the worst of the immediate stress and anxiety induced from trying to do too much at once. He cracked a little, but didn't break. All is well.​

EDIT: 4/4/2022, 4:36 PM EST, essence/coin zeroed out and transferred to Altanis

 

[The Man in Red]

"Interesting...very interesting..." The Man in Red slowly reached up to remove his hat, placing it on the table beside him. His fingers drifted down to his masked chin, lightly tapping as he 'hmm'ed and 'hum'ed in thought, staring at the darkened monitors.

"In the end, some of them were able to work together, after all...how fortuitous. And how hopeful." He chuckled quietly, the sound echoing bitter amusement. "All that is needed is a very clear, present and obvious danger and suddenly the teamwork and grudging alliances come swarming out of the woodwork like so many little cockroaches."

"Sir?"

The host looked over to his underling, his gold eyes gleaming in the near dark of his office.

"There's still the matter of the prizes to hand out..."

"Ah. Yes. Yes, of course." And the scarlet showman heaved an overly dramatic sigh, rising from his chair. "I shall go and prepare a letter of thanks to all our contestants, then. Prepare a selection of our most amusing trinkets and trophies to be sent out to them, won't you?" And without waiting for an answer, he was off.

* * *​

Some time later, after the events of the Death Game conclude...

Every participant will receive a small package. Inside is a handwritten letter, along with a small pin of a mask in the exact style of the Man in Red's. It curiously changes its expression to match that of the wearer, but is otherwise unremarkable. Also included is a listing of the final results of the event, along with a copy of the recovered recordings and footage, and some additional prizes (one of which you may choose, as below).

The letter reads as follows:
"To all those who participated in my little game, I thank you, from the bottom of my shriveled and bloodless little heart. It was a most enlightening experience, and served my purposes more than adequately. There were some mistakes and hiccups along the way, and unfortunately some of the footage from the event was lost. But here is a copy of what we have managed to recover, for your enjoyment, along with a few other little trinkets and oddities to thank you for your participation and assistance. I do look forward to seeing you all again, and you are, of course. always welcome to return to my little abode, whenever you wish.

Sincerely,
The Man in Red​

PRIZE LISTINGS​

Everyone who participated will receive the mask pin as noted above, as well as a commemorative posted depicting themselves, the equipment/items they acquired during the games, as well as their eventual fate in the game. It is frustratingly durable and hard to destroy, should anyone try, but otherwise nothing special. On top of that, everyone who participated can choose from one of the following items, which function as Trinkets for your character to use or dispose of:

Operator Symbol

Spoiler

Damage 3 (200)
-- Ranged (150)
Move Object 2 (200)
-- Ranged (100)
-- Ongoing (200)

A well-fashioned, cold iron copy of the Operator's symbol. Can be fashioned into a necklace, belt buckle, or other similar things. While on your person, can be used to sprout a number of tentacles from your back, which can reach up to 30 feet. They can be used for clubbing and smashing attacks with surprising force, and their prehensile nature allows for grabbing and manipulating heavy objects with great dexterity.

Silver Sword

Spoiler

Damage 4 (400)
Debuff (Worn Armor) 4 (400)
Protection 2 (200)

A replica of the silvery blade used by the Rider. Can be fashioned into a sword or bladed weapon of your choice. Remarkably adept at cutting through armor and worn protections, it is also quite durable and can be used to ward off and deflect even powerful blows to lessen their impact.

Hunter's Hoodie

Spoiler

Concealment (Sight & Sound) 2 (400)
-- Ongoing (200)
-- Limited (Only while moving slowly) (-100)
Flight 2 (400)
-- Limited (Only when jumping from all fours) (-100)
Movement (Wall Crawling) (200)

Based on the tattered hoodie worn by the Hunter, this replica has been altered and enchanted to afford some minor imitations of its stalking and movement capabilities. It masks and blankets the wearer's physical shape and sound while they slowly creep along, only breaking the stealthy nature when they pounce! It also affords tremendous jumping and leaping ability from a crouched standpoint, and enables spectacular parkour-like crawling and scaling of walls.

Final notes from Adam:
Thank you to everyone for participating. I'm sorry the event couldn't run to its full course naturally, but I hope it was still fun for what I was able to manage. Hopefully next time (whenever that is) I'll be able to manage something better.

As of this post, I have handed out everyone's participation essence and coin rewards, and will be contacting the top three for their extra rewards shortly.

Until next time, stay frosty.