The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 195

Part 27

“Most of us are on multiple teams, if not as many as you are, Father.” Talia told him as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Even the kids here are on nine different teams, including their own and Mark’s, and Mark is on twenty-six.

“What are you doing?” Alilia asked as she detected the Governors casting on themselves.

“We’re casting a modified version of the brain-charging spell we came up with in the brainstorming session.” Val explained. “The one we’ve been using just charges us up enough to figure out whatever we want to figure out at the time. This one keeps us almost fully charged all the time, then goes to full boost when we need it. It’s a little less safe but it’s still pretty good that way, and we won’t take the chance that we’ll fail to realize it when we need to be smarter.”

“Ah.” Alilia smiled, and was distracted by events before she could respond further.

Pakdag appeared on the stage, his archaic armor shining, and spoke as if every word was a grand announcement. “Be welcome, contestants and news-carriers, to the greatest and most momentous tournament ever held on Kellaran; The Tournament of Governors!

“A random drawing has been held to decide the order of the contest. The order number of each team has been added to their entry in the official team listing.

“In fifteen minutes the tournament will begin. The leaders of the first team will step upon the stage within a circle of elder gods. They will allow those gods to cast upon them, and they will begin the scenario. Every team will face exactly the same scenario, and no team leaders will be permitted to disclose what occurred during their play until all the teams have played and the results have been announced. Since some people are serving as supporting team members on more than one team, no supporting team members will remember their experiences as such until after the tournament is concluded, to prevent their play on one team from affecting their play on another.

“As we have done with the recent training exercises, each team’s play will be conducted in a simulated psionic reality, and will only require a few seconds in real time. At the beginning of the scenario the team leaders will believe that they have already won this tournament, and that they now command Kellaran. They will not command The Triax, and will need to co-operate with them as we do now.

“Everything within the orbit of our star’s outermost planet will be simulated in the scenario, as close to reality as we are capable of making it. Each team will face exactly the same foes. The behavior of all the people of Kellaran who are not team members will be simulated based on a Reading of them that will be taken just before the tournament begins, and that same Reading will be used for every team’s play. The behavior of The Triax and most of the behavior of the demons will be simulated by gods of The Triax.

“I swear by my vow on The Truthstone of Falgaroth that we will conduct the tournament with the highest possible fidelity and with absolute impartiality. Almost every god we have will be participating in conducting the tournament or actively monitoring it, including most of the new gods. Our work with them has shown that the contestants who are new gods will be subject to the scenarios in every way exactly the same as mortals are, so long as they are sincerely permitting it. They will believe, as every contestant will, that it is not a tournament, and not an exercise. They will be convinced that what they are experiencing in the scenario is reality. In this way will their true character and abilities be revealed.

“After every team has played there will be a ten minute break, during which the pantheons of The Kellaran-Triax Alliance will review the results and decide upon the twelve teams who led us most effectively. We will then present and announce the twelve best teams in reverse order, with a short Revealing of the highlights of each of their performances.

“We will not announce or even decide upon the placing of the teams that do not place in the top twelve. We know that every team will do their best for Kellaran, and none of them deserve to be ranked last. It will be enough for them to know that they were not in the top twelve.

“After the tournament is over they will all be free to discuss their performances, and will be provided with a detailed Revealing of their play in the tournament. Since such a Revealing may well require several years to review in its entirety in real time, they will be provided with a sub-spell that allows the content to be easily advanced to any reference point the viewer might request.

“Please be ready to take your places in the circle promptly when called.