The Trials at Tempala

The Trials at Tempala were a series of competitive trials held at the city of Tempala by request of the gods. The purpose of the trials was to determine a suitable champion of the gods who would be tasked with slaying the serpent demon, Dartavoss. The trials followed the format of a tournament wherein those who failed the first task would be disqualified for the next, the eventual winner being the contestant who could best each trial and outdoes his competitors. The trials were overseen by three gods, Aimo, Jala and Kauppio, who would judge the contestants and design the trials to test the virtues of their ideal champion. The first trial served as the barrier to entry for the further primary trials which was described at The Trial of Burden, in which the contestant would trek across the barren plain to collect a boulder of sufficient weight which they would carry back to Tempala and place in a pool of water. Should the water not be sufficiently displaced to spill the water of the pool, the contestant would have to either forfeit or retrieve yet another rock. The next three trials were designed by the judging gods as according to their affinity, Aimo designed the Trial of Compassion, Jala the Trial of Strength, and Kauppio the Trial of Intellect. The final trial would have only one winner and was termed the Trial of Ascendance wherein the contestants would use have to uncover the beacon which would lead them to Dartavoss. The eventual winner of the trials was a man named Valtuutettu, a strong and brave man of considerable wisdom, he set out across the badlands to find the serpent demon Dartavoss.