The Royal Academy of Bards

In association with BardCon2004

is proud to present

The Challenge is to take a character on a journey from an assigned place to a specified destination. The destination: Orlandopolis, Greece.

There are two categories of competition.

Category 1: Best Story (Bards attending BardCon2004)

Category 2: Best Story (Bards NOT attending BardCon2004)

ROOOL #1a: ALL entries must be classic X&G ‘Verse, no time travel allowed.

ROOOL #1b: You may take your journey along any type of storyline, so long as you end up at the final destination.

ROOOL #1c: There is no such thing as a dead Amazon…Ephiny, Solari, Amarice and Yakut LIVE!

ROOOL #2: Participants are limited to only one entry. Participants may write with a partner or solo, the choice is yours.

ROOOL #3: The writing entries will be posted anonymously and voted upon by the readers at large. If you wish to participate without actually competing...let us know. We can do that. Your entry will be posted with your identifying info on it and will not have a voting link attached. The choice to compete or not to compete is yours. <.g.>

Of course, the prize packets in the BardCon/Academy Combo Challenges are always really, really nice. :o).

ROOOL #4: Story length is a maximum of 25 pages, normal margins and minimum of 11 font. (I promised Steph)

ROOOL #5a: Please do not reveal your participation to anyone who has the potential for being a voter…the only exception being…

ROOOL #5b: You may use a beta reader, but please keep the number of beta readers to a reasonable limit…anything more than three will be considered a violation of…

ROOOL #5c: Posting any of your entries on any other sites or lists (private or public) before the end of the contest is a BIG NO NO.

ROOOL #6: There is no number six.

ROOOL #7: Please do not stuff the ballot box or lobby for votes...we at the Academy have gotten very good at identifying this behavior. We won't publicly embarrass you but we will quietly eliminate you from the contest. The Academy folks are everywhere and know everything…we will find out.

ROOOL #8a:

The "Roools Committee":

Steph (Ms Mighty Munchkin),

Cadryn, Ruth, and I, the great OZ™

reserve the final say on everything and anything concerning this challenge.

It's our sandbox <.Nyah.>

Now unfortunately Roools #8b and #8c had to be added recently because of a

nasty trend that seemed to be developing. Granted it only really applied to a couple of bad bardie types...not you...I mean, most people don't do this to us...but...

ROOOL #8b:

The entries become the property of the Academy and will live forever on the contest page. They become ours…Ours…OURS! Got it? Good.

Do not ask that they be taken down. If you want your contact info removed, we can do that…but the story entry stays. Don't like this Roool…don't enter.

Your submitted entry means that you understand the Academy's position and agree to abide by it. This in no way means we are claiming your characters or rights to your story. They are yours. We are just refusing to remove it from the Academy. Steph really, really. really hates putting up those "removed from the web" messages on the Challenge pages.

And if da boss ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Got it? <.g.>

ROOOL #8c:

Please turn in your best copy of your story. In past challenges, as a courtesy, we have allowed revisions so long as they were sent before the deadline. Although Steph and Ruth are very good about it…I am not. The Munchkins should not be expected to have to recode your story 10 times because you keep sending in revision after revision. You will be allowed ONE revision, however the revised file will not be posted until the end of the voting period when the identifying information is added back. Please turn in your best copy of your story the first time. If you want a beta, we can help find you one.

Winners (top in each category) will get a special prize package from the Academy Treasure Chest of Goodies as well as some other sources. The winner in Category 1 (attending BardCon), will also receive a Disney Park Day Ticket as part of their prize packet.

Time stamps will determine whether or not your first choice is granted. In addition, we are limited to 25 total participants. Please note this challenge is a Joxer/Eve/Eli free zone, no 25 year nap, no Xena pregnancy, and absolutely, positively NO Japan. No applause is necessary. <.bg.>

Characters and starting locations:

Ephiny…Amazonia(Northwestern Chalcidice)

Eponin…Macedonia

Solari…Lesbos

Amarice…Larissa

Auto…Delphi

Salmoneus…Messena

Iolaus…Corinth

Palaemon…Sparta

Meleager…Mt. Parnassus

Kaleipus…Centaur Village(Southern Chalcidice)

Miss Artiphys…Athens

Lila…Poteidaia

Cyrene…Amphipolis

Toris…Pella

Flora…Argos

Minya…Megara

Diana…Thebes

Leah…Cape Artenisium

Meg…Marathon

Talia…Pindus

Your chosen character receives the following scroll message:

TO: Character Name at Starting Location

FROM: The Committee

Your presence is required in the city of Orlandopolis. Please begin your journey immediately and make your best possible speed to join us.

Sincerely,

The Committee

The CATCH: You cannot run into any other Xenaverse characters named in the above list, nor can you include Xena or Gabrielle (or Argo, for that matter) in your journey. You may refer to them (X & G) in flashback from a past encounter, but please make it a PAST encounter….not anytime in the recent past (like last week). Okay?

You may "invent" any other characters you so desire to help, aid, abet, disrupt, or otherwise annoy your assigned character along the way. Oh and feel free to have Gods and Goddesses pop in and out on ya…like you could stop them anyway. <.bg.>. Your journey must take you from your assigned starting point to Orlandopolis…how you get there and what happens along the way (so long as it happens in less than the max page limit) is entirely up to your creativity. Don't worry what happens when you get to Orlandoplis…we already have rooms reserved at the best inn (THE Waldorfus Astorian) in town for you. <.bg.> Just get your characters there.