Tournament of Heroes

It was created nearly directly after the end of the Great War, as a way to alleviate the despair of the Cold month, and now they could due to not being stopped by the tradition of the Empire of #Belahir. At first it was very informal, the first few years extravagance without much content, but over time the tournament broadened into a 10 day long event of merriment and fighting, one round each day, with the victor crowned at sunset on the last day. Suthphor and the Kingdom of Belahir were originally the only two kingdoms allowed to have competitors in it, but over a few decades the door opened to anybody. At first there was focus on only the fighting at the time, and heroes from across the lands would come to compete, but none would train specifically for it, but over time it got more competitive, heroes being sponsored by companies, corporations and countries that wanted to achieve a greater standing, and some wars were settled over outcomes in the games. Gradually people started to cheat, and the tournament got to be as involving information manipulation and cheating as actual fighting.

The tournament truly starts another 3 days before the festivities.  On the 47th of Cold all applicants must be in the capital and sign up.  For the next three days they may not leave the capital.  For the next three days each applicant undergoes a basic set of tests to determine whether or not they get to attend.  The exact nature of the test is unknown as they are refined each year, but only a fraction of the applicants pass the initial exams.  These who pass are now contestants, and may not leave the capital for a further 10 days and take part in the 10 rounds, which begin at some point during the day.  Rules stipulate that each contestant is allowed a maximum of three magic items in the arena, and outside help is not allowed.  Failure to follow either rule results in disqualification, however the second rule is considerably harder to prove, partially due to the ways the procedures are made, so a feeling of "it's not cheating if they can't prove it" has arisen.  The 10 rounds of the tournament are largely unknown, however there are a number of certainties.  The first is that the first nine rounds will be scored on points, which will be awarded by a panel of judges, who have detailed guidelines to grant points along.  The second is that the first eight rounds will have everybody who crosses a certain threshold pass to the next.  The third is that the ninth round will only have five contestants who pass onto the tenth and final round, which will be the ones with the highest points.  The fourth is that the first nine challenges will increase in difficulty.  The fifth is that the tenth and final round will be a brutal free for all brawl with the last one standing crowned the victor.  Another certainty, although it has less to do with the tournament and more to do with the fanfare surrounding it, is that the parties and celebration ramp up until they reach a climax at the tenth round, then continue through the next two days.

Most rounds of the tournament take place in Gartos's arena, and each contestant is allowed three magical items.

The most important participants are either the contestants, powerful warriors and casters from across the worlds who compete in the tournament, and the judges, which are three people, who are usually Dragonborn, Human, or Elvish, but can be any sentient being.  The more under appreciated participants are the architects, skilled inventors, architects, and builders who both engineer the rounds and area of the tournament, but are sometimes called on to do emergency repairs to systems after or during a round, salesmen, who keep the public happy with quality goods, and innkeepers, who provide housing for many of the contestants and keep them from being mobbed by fans.  Many people, both rich and poor, come to see the games.  The games themselves are free to see, although there is a great tax on the goods sold during the tournament.

The tournament officially takes place annually on the 50th of Cold, the exact center of winter.