Vahn-Gegal Grand Tournament

Background
Each year, a grand tournament is held within the city of Vahn-Gegal designed to attract the greatest warriors across the Sellederre Empire. In reality, the majority of competitors are foreign adventurers seeking the esteem of tournament victory, or else are skilled Mola-Duj warriors seeking the social prestige required for ascension to Looka-Duj status. The truly great warriors of the Sellederre Empire are, for the most part, already members of the elite Silver Shield's, a fact made all the more evident by Prince Prinae-Vashachi Vahn-Duj's victory rate over nine of the past ten years, the only defeat being to a group of no less than four adventurers towards the end of 1001PR. It is well known that Prince Prinae-Vashachi, although a master of swordplay, has been bested in combat by Silver Shield members in the past, and this fact is used to belittle the success of the tournament in finding the "greatest" warriors across the Sellederre Empire. None the less, it is a huge tournament, attracting thousands of spectators and competitors.

Entry
Although all are free to enter, a week long series of mini-tournaments are used to determine who shall successfully enter the main tournament, unless a competitor is exceptionally well known. Entry is free to any who would wish to participate, and as such, thousands of competitors fight one another every year. Only a small fraction of those who succeed in the mini-tournaments continue on to the main tournament, however, which only hosts around four-dozen competitors who may enter individually or as a team of five.

Mini-Tournaments
The mini-tournaments are a simple knock-out affair. Individuals, or groups of up to five members, compete against randomly assigned opponents until around fifty competitors remain. Particularly noteworthy competitors may receive immediate promotion to the main tournament. Knock-out in the mini-tournament stage is absolute.

Main Tournament
The main tournament consists of five rounds that take place over five days. Round one pits competitors against one-another as groups. Individual competitors are automatically granted a by at this stage, unless they elect to compete. Round two pits two or more groups of competitors against monsters. Round three pits individual competitors against one another with no groups or group support allowed.

Loss in rounds one, two, or three result in automatic entry to "The Pit", a separate event which takes place on day four. All members of The Pit fight one another in a free for all, with up to three last standing individuals moving on to round four of the main tournament.

Alongside The Pit, Round four takes place on day four, and pits the competitors which have not lost against one another in a two-vs-two match. Two groups, or two individuals may be used, and the teams do not have to remain constant throughout the round.

Round five is a free for all event in which all remaining competitors compete against one another in a single battle. By this stage, there are usually less than fifteen competitors, and the event is therefore much easier to follow than that of The Pit. When an individual, or group of individuals, have emerged victorious, they must immediately face the victor of the previous years tournament in battle.