Basics:
A large number of people have been “Selected” to test the strength and worthiness of mortal souls by a mysterious creature simply known as the “Benefactor”. These chosen few find themselves whisked away from their normal lives whenever they sleep and dream to a strange world with even stranger rules to battle against one another and the monsters that inhabit it for prizes promised by “Benefactor” to whichever pleases him the most. Given strange powers and their own domains based on the strength or weaknesses of their souls the competitors must learn to use these new abilities, press forward and survive from night to night. This is the “Tournament of Realms”.
Players:
The players are randomly selected based upon the “Attributes” of their soul and how they’d fit into “Benefactor’s” grand experiment. While in this world any magical abilities are nullified leaving them with only their physical attributes and forcing them to use the powers he grants them. They also arrive in the world with only the clothes he chooses for them, which usually amounts to a kind of costume referencing their powers if not wholly reflecting them. All players are explained the “Rules” of the world and promised a prize depending upon their own unique desires should they actually “Win” the game. They are also given a brief description and name to the powers he bestows upon them (preventing them from naming it themselves).
Powers:
Every competitor in this tournament receives two powers from the “Benefactor” the moment they are selected to compete. These powers are referred to as “Realms” and “Territories” and are tied to their user’s souls and thus unique for each person. Neither of these get any stronger from when they’re first given but the user can learn how to use their power in different and unexpected ways as they master them more. They can also be augmented with “Boons” granted by the “Benefactor” when certain goals are met to his satisfaction.
“Realms” are the, for lack of a better word, superpowers everyone receives in this tournament and are tied directly to the user meaning they can be utilized where and whenever they’re needed. They can take any form from standard powers such as “Creating a sharp sword” to “Super Strength” all the way to unusual abilities like “The power to rotate objects around yourself” or “Being indestructible so long as your holding your breath”, but all “Realms” are tied with the soul of the user and usually take the form of some kind of issue the person has with themselves or a strength they feel they have depending on what has the strongest emotion attached to it. They also take shape depending on personality traits of the user such as whether they’re aggressive, passive, controlling, bratty, etc. Past this there are almost no rules for how “Realms” can manifest.
“Territories” are the equivalent to “Home Bases” in this world and manifest with similar form to a person’s “Realm”. Meaning if somebody has a “Realm” to create weapons their “Territory” could be anything from a blacksmith shop, to an armory, or even a weapon littered battlefield. While in their own “Territory” a person’s “Realm” receives a power boost and they heal & recover faster. “Territories” are also equipped with any supplies a person might need to survive while in them. A person can open a door to their “Territory” (doors take form depending on the individual ranging from actual doors, to holes, or even zippers) anytime and anywhere they want… but once created the door remains there for all to use until it is recreated elsewhere meaning other people can get into a person’s “Territory” to chase or even ambush them. Another odd quirk is that all “Territories” have a phone of some kind in them.
World:
The actual world of Tournament of Realms takes place on what amounts to a giant floating island… floating in a void to be specific. Looking like some odd amalgamation of different cultures the island has cities, towns, and random outcroppings of buildings. All of these places are connected by various paved paths making travel between them and around the island quick and easy. The rest of the island ranges from forests, fields, rivers, and lakes with a single large mountain dominating the center of it. While all natural flora and fauna on the island is colored normally all the buildings and man-made structures are a drab, uniform grey color creating an eerie feeling whenever moving through them. Also phone booths and payphones are scattered all over the island.
Enemies:
Besides other players there are actual enemies in this world, created by the “Benefactor” to further test the players as well as for his own sick amusement. They are called “Million” due to being soulless, lifeless constructs made in vast quantities for “Benefactors” use. Being basically advanced and possibly biologically based robots all “Million” work similarly. They are always hostile to players, always appear in groups ranging from 2 to 5, and will attempt to pursue a fleeing player till they are no longer able to do so, they encounter another player, or they lose track of the first one. There are several classes of “Million” and each class has a different strategy when it comes to attacking players. Luckily there is rarely more than two to three groups of “Million” in any given area of the island at any given time if any at all… unless “Benefactor” decides to increase their spawn rate as part of a challenge.
Rules:
From the moment the players find themselves in this world to the time they wake up the actual set rules of the world are very simple… don’t be defeated. Defeated is defined here as “Unable to continue a fight and unable to run away from it” because due to setting killing another player isn’t actually possible. They’ll simply wake up in the real world with a start. This is because “Benefactor” needs all the souls he selects for his experiment and isn’t willing to lose what may be the vital component due to luck and chance. Past this the actual rules seem to change at the “Benefactors” will. When he does so he contacts all the players on the nearest phone to them and lets them know what the new challenge is which can range from “defeat another player” to “Find this object on the island first” to even “Keep from being defeated as I crank the “Million” population through the roof”. Whenever a player wins a challenge they are rewarded “Boons”. Players also naturally receive “Boons” when they defeat another player whether it was part of a challenge or not.
Boons:
“Boons” are the form of rewards in this world, given out when a player defeats another player or wins a challenge. They can take the form of many things ranging from an augmentation to a players “Realm” granting them an additional ability or effect (which can be anything from making the items you summon stronger, explode, or even summoning more of them to having the range and strength of your ability increased), to an item to add to your “Territory” (which can be guards, traps, or other things to keep other people out), or even an item or ability just to make the challenges easier (the power to sense other players, a vehicle to get around the island easier, or a way to hide your “Territory” door). These stack up on each other and make a player more effective the more he has… but should a player be defeated he risks losing a “Boon”, having a “Boon” weakened, or even having it given to the one who defeated him. Players without “Boons” who are defeated end up earning a penalty ranging from humiliating to crippling. A player with a penalty can only get rid of it by defeating another or winning a challenge and they lose the penalty in place of earning a boon.
Benefactor:
The mysterious host of the tournament nobody has ever seen the “Benefactor” before, some doubt he even has a physical form, and his voice seems to be different depending on the individual person listening to it. The actual truth is the “Benefactor” is about the equivalent to an outer god, completely alien in all shape and form to mortal’s perceptions. Having no soul of his own he is infinity curious about what powers they have and what their limits are… which is why he used a fraction of his powers to create this tournament. He has no concept of good or evil as well as no grasp of mortal morals so he has no qualms about what he’s doing… but what he does have a grasp of is “Wasting Resources” and the fact every soul is a unique entity unto itself. This is why he makes it a point to prevent any killing of the contestants in his tournament. If every soul is unique losing even one could ruin his experiment.
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