Dansdel Information

The Dansdel

The Dansdel is the foremost (and only) battle arena in all of Underwood. Warriors, mages, and far stranger come here to test their mettle against one another from all of Concordia. It is run by a mysterious sect of Elven Druids with unknown goals or origins. The Druids will heal the combatants to full strength after each fight, so there are no holds barred when battling here, and the competition is fierce. Winners in the Dansdel, as with any Althanas battle, will gain experience and gold—and the losers will gain much less of the same.

On Althanas, a battle is when two players compete against one another to prove their roleplaying skills are the greatest and learn something in the process. Here are some tips for players new to the concept of battles:

• Most important to remember is that the winner of a battle is the player who receives a higher score on the Althanas Rubric—not the player who wins “in character.” It’s possible that your character could lose every match, but that you, the the player could win every one. Battles are a competition of writing skill, so therefore powergaming and the like is not allowed. That brings me to two things especially that are frowned upon in the Dansdel (and in all battles):
• Powergaming is when someone uses abilities beyond those found in their character’s profile. Players will be penalized harshly for this!
• Bunnying is when someone controls the other player’s character in their posts without that player’s permission. This is also penalized harshly.
• If an Underwood Mod sees you powergaming or bunnying in the Dansdel, they will post a friendly reminder of the rules in the thread.
• Keep in mind that battles are a competition, but a friendly one. Be as polite and courteous as you would on any part of the site—no unfriendly “trash talk.”
• Frequently the best battles are ones in which the competitors worked together over PM to create something fun for the reader as well as themselves. Battles, therefore, are both competitive and collaborative. Work together!
• Battles are a risky way to try and go up levels. Someone who wins all their battles will go up levels much faster than someone who only does quests, but someone who loses their battles will go up levels quite slowly.
• For characters who aren’t combat oriented: don’t worry! The Dansdel is open to competition of any sort, beyond just plain fighting. Singing, riddling, storytelling, any and more are possible—Althanas once even had a chess playing battle! The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and what your battling partner agrees to.

Area Description:
The Dansdel consists of a number of buildings and areas. There is a secretive lodging house where the Druids live, a main hall where warriors may lay down challenges, and an infirmary where characters are restored from the brink of death after a battle. There are also several interactive venues which are only available to active Dansdel warriors. For descriptions of these locales, visit the Challenges forum.

Perhaps most importantly, there is the primary dueling ring. It is a large circular arena with a hard dirt floor surrounded by bleachers for fans of the duels to cheer on their favorite contestant. Characters with a high Underwood Rank will likely attract more spectators than foreigners, so keep that in mind. The arena itself is somewhat variable and up to you to decide. The Druids may frequently change things up by using their magic to add obstacles or traps, water, animals or beasts that can be ridden—you name it. For non combat-oriented battles, the Druids might rig up something especially unique. It’s up to you to decide what special features the arena has today, just make sure to describe anything special about the arena in your first post—don’t surprise your battling partner with it halfway through the thread!