Royal Trials

The first step to becoming the next Ascended Demon King.

History

After wishing for the creation of the Thousand Caves of Torment, Demon King Lavven was disgusted by the loss of life that occurred when he fought with others wishing to Ascend. So at the next Hundred Years Ball, he wished for the Royal Trials - a non-lethal tournament that would allow individuals to vie for the right to enter the Caves. 
It was set to take place in the Grand Arena in the city of Gnomesaroy, and overseen by the Deity of Combat, Aeganes. The need for divine intervention was to prevent ambushes after the tournament, and to temporarily suspend the power boost granted by Ascension so that the current Demon King did not have an undue advantage. 
In the early years, the Royal Trials were equally intense every century - but as millennia passed, any Trials after the initial appointment of a new Demon King came to be seen as an exhibition of the strongest warriors in the realm rather than a true competition to force the current King to step down. This change largely occurred due to the realm becoming accustomed to stability in their leadership, and the benefits that stability brings. 
A second change was to the format - originally, the Trials were a single battle royale producing one winner. As time went on and the Trials gained a significant audience, pre-royale tournaments were added to extend entertainment for the spectators and ensure only the strongest warriors competed in the final royale.

Execution

There are only two stages to the Trials - the first is a series of small tournaments where fighters from the same region compete to select a Champion. Regions are broken up as thus:

• Northwest - featuring the cities of Noskanar, Mavasnier, Engapoylao, and Mesescima
• Northeast - featuring the cities of Naengaquena, Lajaonar, and Mesmavas
• Southwest - featuring the cities of Gaevoyga and Massaonars
• Southeast - featuring the cities of Mesgaesculs, Naovojo, and Scagesmaes
• Central - featuring the cities of Gnomesaroy, Coujieul, and Ae°calikaslavven

The winners of each of these smaller tournaments then compete in a battle royale, with the winner earning the right to enter the Thousand Caves of Torment.
In the case of Trials held after a King has Ascended, the current King does not go through the Caves again - they simply retain their Ascension. Also during these Trials, the Demon King typically ends the Trials with a match against Aeganes themself using the full might of the Ascended power.

Participants

The Demon King and the Petty Kings of each city all attend the Trials, with the King acting as a participant until they are ready to pass their position on. 
Aeganes acts as judge of the tournament, though the rules are very lax - mainly, participants must stay in the ring and all moves against opponents must occur during the Trials. While demons see poisoning an opponent as a viable strategy in general, threats such as the human Champions mean the Demon King may not always have the ability to use such advanced methods. With their divine senses, none could fool Aeganes.

Observance

The Trials take place two weeks after the Hundred Years Ball - giving participants and leaders time to travel from the nearest Realm Gate to Gnomesaroy and get settled in accomodations provided by the city.

Primary Related Location

Demon Realm

Related Organizations

• United Demon Realm