The Grand Opening (2)
Why not having another party you asked?
After spending yet another few weeks of unsuccessfully searching for the mysterious “Pearl” the call for celebration was at first surprising. But a closer look at the team revealed that these highly focused researchers and adventurers needed some distraction. Queen Elan and Rhia, who at the time went by Princess Harlequin, introduced a new game to the public of Pearl. This new game was not unlike mini golfing, in terms of difficulty, and it seemed to help with coping with exhaustion from the expeditions into the truly harsh environment of Pearl Island.
In addition to the ‘almost golfing’ game, a dedicated group of actual knights (!) introduced the spectacular art of jousting to the research teams. Training to master wild horses and, simultaneously, manage the heavy lance towards a moving target, while, simultaneously, being a moving target themselves (!), was challenging for most new starters.
On that beautiful day in May, all that cheerful noise woke a pair of grumpy trolls. They probably just felt left out from all the fun that happened on the surface. So they stomped out from their quiet underworld existence to interrupt the activities of peaceful Goblins and their friends. The battles intensified and all hell broke loose once the trolls got cornered in a narrow maze. Many fighters came, and many got hurt. But eventually, under great sacrifices, the two stinky trolls were defeated by dedication, lots of team work and also sheer luck.
Upcoming Goblin War Chief “Neo” competes with legendary Amazonian “Lottie” on Pearl’s brand new jousting list during the Opening Ceremony 2023
The winners of the legendary first Jousting competition on Pearl Island: 1st: Mystic Blackbart from the Land of Celts, 2nd: Rhia Arkin from Pearl Island, 3rd: Lottie from Sanctuary.
Some fighters took a break in the Kraken’s Rest, after their fight with the two ugly trolls. Now, refreshed and rested, they streamed back out again into the humid atmosphere of Pearl Island and re-assembled around the new jousting list at the already famous North shore of Pearl Island. What stirred them up again were rumors of the arrival of some truly royal guests.
Not long ago, the Goblin Queen Elan officially opened diplomatic relations to the Land of the Celts. Both parties found much to like in each other. Indeed, Bhanrigh Mystic Blackbart herself descended from her castle on Dalrocha Islands to join the competition.
The first official jousting competition on Pearl Island successfully completed under thundering applause from a cheerful audience from all over the grid.
The true highlight, at least for the local Harlequin, was the discovery of rare artefacts from earlier settlers. These pieces had strange, but incomplete stories attached to them. The fragments were found in the most unexpected places, some of them were located even under water. These findings were seen as a big step forward in locating the big pearl. New hope lifted the minds of researchers. It took quite some effort and time to solve the puzzle, but eventually visitors were able to put the pieces together to a complete, and fascinating story.
