VOTE for the Summer Organization Contest

[Gorbash Kazdar]

That time has come again - it's time to vote! Please take the time to look over all the entries before you do so.

Please send your selections to the VOTE account, here (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=;action=imsend;to=VOTE). Take a moment to review the guidelines on how to vote found in this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11247707 71). Good luck, everyone!

Voting begins, oh, now, and will continue until midnight Thursday, September 7th (Eastern US Time; GMT is 4am).

Judging Categories
Best Overall
Best Articulation of the Theme
Funniest Organization
Best PC Organization (must be open to PCs joining up easily)
Best Ally Organization
Best Adversary Organization
Best Adventure Hooks
Best Spell or Spells
Best Item
Best Prestige Class
Best Affiliation Stats

Item
The /B/rotherhood (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11550690 66;start=0#1) by The Demented One
The Ones-With-Trees (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11556342 46) by adriankas
The Steamscorch Guild (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11557886 89) by Draz74
The Vintners (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11568889 56) by AKA_Bait
The Order of the Rusty Kettle (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11550149 25) by Vaynor, High Priest of TOOTRK
Children of the Burning River (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11563504 95) by Elvaris
The Catalysts (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11558923 33) by Mike_Lemmer
Defenders of the Flame (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11570185 23;start=0#0) by Rimx

Class
Mindfire Knights (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11550048 94;start=0#0) by The Demented One
Order of the Eternal Summer (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11552544 29;start=0#0) by Fax Celestis
Doom the Daystar (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11554891 66) by Gnudro
The Callers of the Summer Rain (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11553251 73) by Mephibosheth
The Soulfire Knights (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11555744 92;start=0#0) by Lord Iames, the CoP
The Fireballers’ League (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11550523 36) by Elvaris
The Pyrotransitionists (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11552924 23) by DEMONhunter
Loatuo Firewalkers (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11551462 95) by RobbieOC
The Cinderborn Sentinels (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11551227 51;start=0#0) by The_Glyphstone
The Cult of the SummerKin (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11569739 36) by Cayzle
The Bluescale Order (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11569559 43) by Sucros
Order of the Desert Orchid (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11550767 39) by Tarkahn

Spell(s)
The Order of the Hidden Flame (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11551522 73) by Mephibosheth
Sect of the Burning Feast (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11550847 48) by Carmichael
Keepers of the Fevered Mount (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11559418 07) by The Vorpal Tribble
Flame Speaker Academy (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11558837 24) by Moon Called

Affiliation
Mindfire Knights (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11550048 94;start=0#0) by The Demented One
Order of the Eternal Summer (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11552544 29;start=0#0) by Fax Celestis
Doom the Daystar (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11554891 66) by Gnudro
The Soulfire Knights (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11555744 92;start=0#0) by Lord Iames, the CoP
Keepers of the Fevered Mount (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11559418 07) by The Vorpal Tribble

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Heyas, how about making a mention of this contest and the voting period in at least the Homebrew thread? Get a few folk interested in taking a peak and gather a few more votes.

[Roland St. Jude]

Heyas, how about making a mention of this contest and the voting period in at least the Homebrew thread? Get a few folk interested in taking a peak and gather a few more votes.

Sure, why not? (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=homebrew;action=display;num=11573300 70;start=0#0)

[The Demented One]

Could we get it in the Gaming forum, just so more people can see it?

[Mike_Lemmer]

I am hereby stumping for the Callers of the Summer Rain (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11553251 73) for the Most Humorous Group award.

I was looking through the PrC entries, nursing my disappointment that the Fireballers' League (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Contests;action=display;num=11550523 36) didn't actually involve fireballs, when I stumbled upon the brilliant premise of the Summer Rain.

They choose a giant cat (like a tiger) for a ritual sacrifice, bathe it for a week, and then release it and follow it around for a year to ensure no one touches or kills it. Is it a necessary religious ritual or the greatest prank ever? The sheer delight I had in the absurdity of the situation was magnified by their utter, grave seriousness in fulfilling the task.

I give you a taste of its potential:

--SCENE 1--

Mage: "The bloody thing ate my familiar!"
*Guards shrug.*
Guard: "If it makes you feel better, we'll kill it eventually."
Mage: "It's rummaging through my rations!"
Guard: "Can't do anything about it. Please calm down, sir. You should be honored the sacred cat is consuming your wares."
Mage: "It's lunging at my horse!"
Guard: "We'll buy you a new horse, sir."
Mage: "I want this fleabag out of my camp now!"
Guard: "Sir, you might want to rethink your tone on that. We'll have to kill you if you touch the cat."
Mage: "Oh, really?"
*One brutal takedown later, the mage is unconscious and tied up. The cat is sleeping in his tent.*
Guard A: "Gee, I wish that cat had been this calm when we were capturing him."
Guard B: "That's just his sacred compassion towards mankind taking over."

--SCENE 2--

Tiger: "ROWWWWwwwallll" *thump*
Guard A: "The sacred cat's fallen in a pit trap!"
Guard B: "Oh, great. What do we do, lift him out?"
Guard A: "Uhhh, no touchie, remember?"
Guard B: "What are we supposed to do? Toss it a rope so it can climb out?"
Guard A: "I'd suggest a lift connected to a pulley system. We improvise an elevator out of tree branches and vine, drop it into the pit, let the tiger walk onto it, then hoist him out."
Guard B: "The pit's too small. We'd drop it on him."
Guard A: "Okay, so we fashion a giant mechanical claw instead..."

--SCENE 3--

Guard A: "You got him! Hoist him up!"
Guard B: "Good. I thought we'd never get him out of there."
*Tiger comes up in an unpleasant mood. It growls and pounces towards Guard B.*
Guard B: "Aaaaaaaagh!" *drops the rope and runs off with the tiger in hot pursuit*
Guard A: "Don't let him touch you! Don't let him touch you!"

--FINISH--

[HealytheHealslime]

Dangit Mike, I have Callers of the Summer up for the Best Articulation of Theme award. Now I can't think about it without giggling.

[Lord Iames Osari]

--SCENE 1--

Mage: "The bloody thing ate my familiar!"
*Guards shrug.*
Guard: "If it makes you feel better, we'll kill it eventually."
Mage: "It's rummaging through my rations!"
Guard: "Can't do anything about it. Please calm down, sir. You should be honored the sacred cat is consuming your wares."
Mage: "It's lunging at my horse!"
Guard: "We'll buy you a new horse, sir."
Mage: "I want this fleabag out of my camp now!"
Guard: "Sir, you might want to rethink your tone on that. We'll have to kill you if you touch the cat."
Mage: "Oh, really?"
*One brutal takedown later, the mage is unconscious and tied up. The cat is sleeping in his tent.*
Guard A: "Gee, I wish that cat had been this calm when we were capturing him."
Guard B: "That's just his sacred compassion towards mankind taking over."

--SCENE 2--

Tiger: "ROWWWWwwwallll" *thump*
Guard A: "The sacred cat's fallen in a pit trap!"
Guard B: "Oh, great. What do we do, lift him out?"
Guard A: "Uhhh, no touchie, remember?"
Guard B: "What are we supposed to do? Toss it a rope so it can climb out?"
Guard A: "I'd suggest a lift connected to a pulley system. We improvise an elevator out of tree branches and vine, drop it into the pit, let the tiger walk onto it, then hoist him out."
Guard B: "The pit's too small. We'd drop it on him."
Guard A: "Okay, so we fashion a giant mechanical claw instead..."

--SCENE 3--

Guard A: "You got him! Hoist him up!"
Guard B: "Good. I thought we'd never get him out of there."
*Tiger comes up in an unpleasant mood. It growls and pounces towards Guard B.*
Guard B: "Aaaaaaaagh!" *drops the rope and runs off with the tiger in hot pursuit*
Guard A: "Don't let him touch you! Don't let him touch you!"

--FINISH--

That is SO Terry Pratchett.

[Mephibosheth]

Wow, I'm glad you people like the Callers of the Summer Rain. I have to admit that I didn't see it as a humerous group, but Mike_Lemmer, you've really opened my eyes to its humerous potential. Those do sound like some funny scenes.

Just by way of being informative, the ritual that the Callers conduct is actually very closely based on a real-life ritual that was conducted in ancient India. In this ritual, a horse was purified by the priests and left to roam the land for a whole year before it was caught and sacrificed. This was scene as the most auspicious ritual that a person could conduct, and was usually sponsored by kings. This is the kind of ritual that you would sponsor if you were a king and you didn't have any sons, and you were worried that your line would die out after your death. It was saved for very serious stuff because it was so hard to complete.

So there. Just a history factoid that you'll never need to know.

Again, I'm glad people like the Callers of the Summer Rain.

Mephibosheth

[Roland St. Jude]

Could we get it in the Gaming forum, just so more people can see it?

Greedy, greedy. (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=gaming;action=display;num=1157400592 )

Oh and get your votes in soon - only a few days left!

P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for the next contest starting Friday! 8)

[Sucros]

Oooh! Can we get a hint as to the subject or theme?

Dang, I need to vote. This voting thing is hard with no internet, except for when I procrastinate in class.

[Mike_Lemmer]

I'll agree there. It took me four hours to go through all the entries, and that was mostly skimming.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

EDIT: Nevermind, I need to fix my watch.

[Mike_Lemmer]

Umm, aren't you jumping the gun a bit?


Voting begins, oh, now, and will continue until midnight Thursday, September 7th (Eastern US Time; GMT is 4am).

[Cayzle]

If anyone is interested, I blogged my comments on all the entries (with my own votes) here:

Cayzle's Wemic Site (http://www.cayzle.com)

[Roland St. Jude]

Oooh! Can we get a hint as to the subject or theme?...

Give a hint? That harrdly seems appropriate. But maybe I could give you just enough to get you hooked. Check back here later. I'll think about it and we'll sea.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Check back here later. I'll think about it and we'll sea.
Gnarley.... 8)

[The Vorpal Tribble]

7 minutes! Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun...

[The Demented One]

7 minutes! Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun...
Needs more Sadako.

[Fax Celestis]

Needs more Sadako.
It needs a Japanese puzzle game? No, that's Su Doku.

I need more sake.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

I need more sake.
So do I. Voting is closed and the tallying is under way!