Silver Insanity

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:21 pm 
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Prismatic Pangolin

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:50 pm
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It is the year one thousand three hundred seventeen of the Great Clock. The three hundredth year of the reign of the glorious Oberon the First*. And time for the fortieth pente-annual Grand Exhibition. A time of wonders unveiled; a time to show the world the greatest heights that science has yet reached - or the depths to which it has sunk, if that's what floats your boat. There are foot races and parades and vendors hawking strange wares (Genuine Stygian rat-on-a-stick! Get yours now!), but the real meat of the exhibition is the science fair. Anyone can enter; a child's potato clock may stand shoulder to shoulder with an expert engineer's thermionic switch. There are five rounds of judging, each weeding out the inventions that are not worthy of the next level; the final round is judged by Oberon himself. And, of course, there are prizes. Any invention that makes it past the first round is guaranteed to win something - though the exact nature of the prize varies wildly by the whims of the judges.

This exhibition is being held in Irallith; thirteen of the realm's largest airships have been linked together to provide housing and support for the exhibition; the actual event itself will take place on the decks of the HMS Nonsuch, the latest (and largest) vessel in Oberon's air force. The Nonsuch uses an experimental new flight system, about which few details are publicly available. The upshot of which is that, unlike conventional airships, there is no massive volume of void cells, and a simple open deck forms the upper surface of the warship. (For purposes of the exhibition, much of the Nonsuch's upwards facing firepower has been removed - leaving more space open for use.)

Local officials have been quietly panicking for about the last year, now. The exhibition attracts sparks from every realm of the core (and some from further away, as well). And, with that many sparks in one place, something always goes wrong. Last time it was Doctor Orbotnik's plague of mechanical rats - which won second place by the simple expedient of being one of the last two projects still intact. This time, with the black cloud drifting ominously below the exhibition, there is potential for a far worse disaster. Oberon has dispatched a score of medical and emergency rescue frigates from his air force to patrol the area, but seems otherwise unconcerned.

_____
* Quibblers might note that three hundred years ago marks Oberon's discovery of the great clock, not the beginning of any actual ruling per se. They might also note that, as yet, there is no Oberon the Second, nor any sign of a (legitimate) heir of any sort. (Illegitimate heirs are, of course, a dime a dozen. Or, at least, people claiming to be illegitimate heirs. Oberon usually ignores them.)

_____
Also note that this thread is open to general questions about the exhibition, the area around it, and so on; it is not actually an RP thread per se.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:34 pm 
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Lunatic

Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:07 pm
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Theodore Equifals would like to read over the full entrance requirements. There is likely no 'magic' category, but perhaps one of his items (such as the portable hole) will be able to make it in. Similarly, if the item must be completely self-contained (IE: not drawing reality bending aspects from an amulet around his neck), would any of his 'inventions' qualify? He's happy to be there on a technicality, but he needs words for the invite and what's allowed to slip between the cracks.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:16 pm 
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Prismatic Pangolin

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You may enter a project under whatever category you like. The judges will ignore these categories, though, so being the only person to enter under a category of "magic" won't actually help you any.

There are also no guidelines on what constitutes a valid project - though there are some requirements regarding valid displays.

These requirements are two-fold: time and space.

In terms of space, your project must fit within a fifteen foot cube. If it cannot, (for example, an army of giant battle clanks), then you need to instead provide (within that cube) a means of travel to and from the actual location of your project, as well as an appropriate observation area on the far side. Locations outside the core must be clearly marked with distinctive "melted clock" warning signs.

In terms of time, your project must be capable of being on display for no less than six hours each day, and require no more than two hours of warning to get it set up and ready for display on any given day - there is no advance schedule, and many projects get disqualified because the creator slept through a summons. If it cannot, (for example, a moonlight-powered poetry engine), then you need to locate an appropriate demonstration realm and provide accommodations as listed under space, or find some other solution (such as constructing a clockwork moon to provide illumination for your actual project).


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:20 pm 
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Lunatic

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Speaking of that, are entries public in any way before the meeting? Such as the names of people entered, or what they have entered? (Or what category they selected?)


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:41 pm 
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Prismatic Pangolin

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:50 pm
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Yes. There'd be a public list of project title, project category, name of inventor. In addition, there's a week of public display prior to the start of actual judging; this tends to weed out projects that are particularly delicate or susceptible to sabotage.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:23 am 
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Lunatic

Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:07 pm
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Title: Monster Summoning Circle
Category: Magic (No, seriously, you neanderthals.)*
Inventor: Theodore Equifals

Prior to the exhibition, before the week of display starts, the space is completely empty except for the complimentary folding table that most inventors ignore.

during the week of public judging, when Theodore is not there, there's an ornate chalk circle drawn onto the bulkhead. Just sitting there, like it didn't matter. And it seems to be drawn with normal chalk. Generally, someone has smudged some part of the circle.

No one has tried covering the floor in zero friction Teflon to prevent it from being redrawn yet. Probably because no one thinks he'll make it past the first round.
-------------
*: That's the actual full category name. With the part in ()'s. Funny story actually...


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:45 am 
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Missing Some Marbles

Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2008 11:08 pm
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Sounds like a great place to sell small glass bottles of lightning or even one large box at an incredibly inflated price to those who need to purchase energy at the last second. Not to mention just seeing some cool stuff. Eleree is in!!!!!


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