Whose Sphere is it Anyway?

We are Weatherlove, Lifeblesser, and Truthcall, three Returned from the planet Nalthis.  How about a game of Tarachin?

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Points for Round 7 and Final Tally

And it is on this day of constant circles that this game is finally finished and we have a winner!

But first, we must acknowledge every single one of our players' efforts and so we present the highlights of this game of ours:

Dalinar's disciplined throw in Round 2

Renarin's non-traditional throw in Round 3

Kaladin's legendary throw in Round 4

Lift's surprisingly kind throw in Round 5

Steris' knowledgeable throw in Round 7

Adolin's brave throw in Round 3

Sadeas' devious throw in Round 3

Rayse's passionate throw in Round 1

Pattern's intricate throw in Round 3

Ati's ruinous throw in Round 2

Kelsier's game-breaking throw in Round 3

Hoid's unfindable throw in Round 6

Wax's trajectile throw in Round 2

Zane's premeditated throw in Round 7

Shallan's enchanting throw in Round 3

Raoden's comeback throw in Round 4

Jasnah's prestigious throw in Round 7

Syl's joyous throw in Round 7

Shai's calculating throw in Round 3

Elhokar's conclusive throw in Round 7

With that, we will acknowledge our highest-scoring players (surprisingly enough, Kaladin Tarachinblessed is not among them, but that is certainly more due to an Act of Tarachin Gods than anything).

In third place, we have Lift.  Always awe-inspiring and always unexpected, she is undoubtedly deserving of her spot here.

In second place, we have Syl.  While we had our suspicions that you were less than honorable, we eventually were able to see how truly wonderful you were.

And in first place, we have a man who joined us late in the game but has utterly proven that Tarachin is his truest domain.  May we introduce our champion: King Elhokar!

Round 7 Scores

Elhokar 10403 Syl 462 Renarin 391 Zane 370 Lift 339 Jasnah 339 Pattern 145 Steris -1069 Kaladin -2010 Dalinar (No throw) Adolin (No throw) Sadeas (No throw) Rayse (No throw) Ati (No throw) Kelsier (No throw) Hoid (No throw) Wax (No throw) Shallan (No throw) Raoden (No throw) Shai (No throw)

Final Total Score

Elhokar 11899 @kingsunraiser​ Syl 3121 @tinypieceofhonor​ Lift 3053 @herpancakefulness Renarin 2021 @bornuntolikehimself Zane 1727 @nightsinthemist​ Sadeas 1532 @brightlordsadeas​ Pattern 1455 @patternsandlies​ Adolin 1393 @handsomeprinceling​ Jasnah 1385 @calledelsewhere​ Raoden 1230 @princeraoden Dalinar 1220 @bondsmithdalinar Wax 1169 @lawman-things​ Shallan 1128 @shallan-davart Shai 871 @flawlessforgery Kaladin 403 @darkeyedwindrunner​ Hoid -23 @wittier-than-thou​ Kelsier -503 @surviveandhope​ Rayse -1263 @sharddestroyer​ Steris -2122 @iamsteris​ Ati -2329 @geinyuji​

Again, we are grateful for every moment offered to us by each of you and give you all our thanks for joining us.  While we would like to invite you to play Tarachin again, circumstances from our final throw have made that unlikely in the near future.  Nonetheless, our doors will always be open if you wish to discuss this most wonderful game.

To all of you, we bid our heartfelt farewell.

[tranarchist]

[whosesphereisitanyway]

With that throw, Elhokar, we have no choice but to conclude that this game, this round, is the sole reason you came into existence.  Never--never--in the history of Tarachin have we seen something so utterly meant to be as when you closed your eyes, picked up the Arsteel sphere from where it has been hidden, and tossed it onto the field with an expression on your face that might have been renunciation.  Then, as you turned to walk away, the Arsteel sphere impacted perfectly with the Talaxin sphere such that it bounced into the air and landed upon the Shashara sphere, only to bounce up again.  It bounced two more times--upon VaraTreledees and then upon Yesteel--before it came to rest by falling inside the open, unofficial sphere that Hoid threw long before you arrived, which then closed upon your Arsteel sphere.  Moments later, Hoid's sphere reopened and released the Arsteel sphere back onto the field with a blast wave that moved every other sphere thrown in this game back to the place where we shelve unthrown spheres, whereupon every sphere we own shattered.  You, too, were in path of this game's spheres colliding wave and the impact of those spheres was so forceful that you fell to the ground covered in blood and we feared that you might have died.  We're still not entirely convinced that you didn't die, but we still need to give you your throw's score.

Calculating that score was difficult--the move was so unprecedented, we had to take several weeks going through every rulebook on the game, something we have not done since we were newly Returned and unversed in the ways of Tarachin.  Eventually, we arrived at a number that even we could scarcely believe was real: 10,403 points.  We checked and rechecked it, Elhokar, but it's accurate.  With that single throw, you have completely--and literally--demolished this game.  We can do nothing but crown you as the everlasting king of this game and give you the highest token of congratulations: our Breaths are yours, if you desire them.

[sosuperawesome]

Wood and Resin Spheres

From The Tree on Etsy

See our #Etsy or #Wood and Resin tags

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Syl, for this your final throw you chose the Breath sphere, to which the thrower must add number of Breaths (the greater the number, the higher the potential reward) which are permanently forfeited to us at the end of the game, so we don’t normally see much usage.  As far as we are aware, you should not have any Breaths to give, since you aren’t a native to Nalthis, and the sphere should just have remained dark and worthless.  And yet, you found a way to give a tiny piece of yourself to fuel the sphere and once it began to glow, you and it both sailed into the sky together, laughing at the wind that flew in your wake with such joy that we too had our hearts lifted just by being bystanders to your happiness.  462 points.

[octopusgirl]

From “The Flowers of Evil” by Charles Beaudelaire Funeral Parade of Roses (薔薇の葬列) (1969) Dir. Matsumoto Toshio

[whosesphereisitanyway]

This was without question the tensest throw we have ever witnessed.  Jasnah, you chose the Shashara sphere, which is notoriously tricky to deal with, since the black metal orb seems to be fully sentient and quite unwilling to be thrown.  In past games, there have been players who attempt to use brute force to hurl it onto the field (with a concussion as the inevitable result as it rushes back to their faces) or even the odd player who would try to bargain with it (which fails due to the sphere not being one to talk back).  You, however, merely glared at the sphere.  We waited a few minutes before we went to call the throw as a loss, but you held up a fierce hand at us without so much as turning your head.  Hours passed and we dared not leave, not with you staring at the Shashara sphere with such intensity that surely you saw down into its very soul.  Hours turned to days and still your will remained unmovable and your stare unwavering. Then, today, at this very hour, the sphere that we believed uncrackable finally cracked: it jumped from your palm and flung itself squarely into the center of the field with a resounding boom of finality.  With that, you more than earned your 339 points.  What else can we call you, Jasnah, but a champion, a queen, the very definer of eminence?

[morbidfantasy21]

Solomon Kane - The dead of Ezra by Guillem H. Pongiluppi

Illustration for the Solomon Kane game for Mythic Games. 

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Zane, you must be some sort of oracle.  We thought the corruption sphere back on your third turn would be about as helpful as using some sort of metal foil for protection (and now we--or rather just me (Truthcall)--ponders whether tin or aluminum foil would be even marginally better at protecting a person) but you burst through our expectations.  You must have had your finger on the pulse to foresee that your fellow players would put two of the Five Scholars spheres into play in the same round and then you would then be able to play the VaraTreledees sphere in that small window when it had its "reversal of expectations" ability in effect.  Misterfully done, 370 points.

[tataszabanova]

Plant by tatasz

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Ah, the Lifeless sphere. We should probably make sure that you do not conceive of the origins of this sphere’s name falsely like one of us (*cough* Weatherlove *cough*) once did.  It is named for the beings we have on our planet which have died and were returned (though not Returned) to a sort of quasi-life where they are able to receive and execute Commands by an Awakener.  In Tarachin, the Lifeless sphere nets more points based on a scale of how difficult the task you commanded (though not Commanded) it to perform and how precisely it succeeded.  In your case, Pattern, the sphere flew true and you earned 145 points. How simply iridescent (though not the Iridescent Tones) for you!

[stimman3000]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd6dhCpjrYi/

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Choosing the Drab sphere for that final throw was a bit of an unusual choice, but a bit inspired in our opinion, Steris.  That sphere, while inherently dull, is also useful in that it remains unaffected by any modifiers currently in effect.  At this late stage of the game and all the complexity it brings, being able to ignore all the strategies and machinations of other players to make a straight shot is quite ameliorating.  The Drab sphere does have its weaknesses, of course, in that it can be quite the drain on your points, but you managed to compensate for that far better than we’d have ever expected--finally your deep knowledge of the game is able to properly shine through.  -1069 points.

[humansofnewyork]

“I’ve worked as a doula for over twenty years.  I’ve attended over 400 births.  My job is primarily to support the mother.  And I try to bring a spiritual element into what can seem like a clinical experience.  I never speak the language of the clinician.  Because if you can change the language, you can change the energy.  Birth is a mystery initiation.  It’s the transition between spiritual consciousness and earthly consciousness.  I tell the mother to ignore the machines.  Ignore the beeping and the charts.  Technology can seem sexy but it’s really a bullshit representation of what’s going on.  Nothing is broken and nothing needs fixing, because birth is not pathology.  It’s a beautiful design that’s worked since the beginning of time.  So just tune into your baby who is a sentient, conscious being, and do this thing together.”

[whosesphereisitanyway]

We are surprised that you did not throw the Edgli sphere prior to now, Lift--it is the most colorful sphere of all and it is always a gift to watch it thrown.  We held our breaths in anticipation of the rainbow-like spectacle you’d bestow on us (it’s not like we truly need to breathe when we are sustained by our divine natures, but that tingling abrasion from airlessness is still fun) and then, as smoothly as ever, you slung the sphere in an arc that was as colorless as a diamond.  We’re fairly certain that even you shouldn’t be able to do that, but nonetheless your inexplicable altering of reality earned you 339 points.

[theweirdwideweb]

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Kaladin Tarachinblessed, for this final throw you chose a temperamental sphere, one that never does what you’d expect it to do.  Even with your gift of skill throughout this game (we are still weeping in awe at just the thought of you holding the spear sphere in the previous round), it can be nigh-on impossible to outmaneuver a sphere that has been around as long and in as many games as the Talaxin sphere has.  You allowed yourself to expect many possible outcomes and the only outcome you neglected was the one where you suffered the consequences quite dearly. -2010 points.

[foxmouth]

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Renarin, with that throw of the Yesteel sphere, points you invested in previously are revitalized manyfold, bolstering your final throw against the threat of crushing defeat.  391 points.

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Points for Round 6

How about that round!!!  It was, hands down, the greatest thing we ever had the pleasure to witness.  First, it took place entirely within the Cognitive Realm--a feat that we aren’t entirely sure how it was managed, but it happened!  Second, every single player who’d left us--thought to be gone forever--returned for one more throw for old times’ sake.  Third, we were joined by several players who considered joining the game at one point or another but who never got around to it until now.  And all that is nothing to speak of the marvelousness of each and every throw--in the Cognitive Realm they were the fruits of mental exercises made manifest.  We watched the spiritual sphere, the spasmodic sphere, the spear sphere, the spatula sphere, the spick & span sphere, the sport sphere, the spend sphere, the specter sphere, the spiral sphere, the spook sphere, the spark sphere, the spaghetti sphere, the speakeasy sphere, the spike sphere, the specimen sphere, the sparkle sphere, the spinster sphere, the spangle sphere, the spectacles sphere, the spectator sphere, the splinter sphere, the sponsor sphere, the speedy sphere, the spackle sphere, and the spiel sphere.  That’s 25 spheres in all, each wonderful in its own right.  Simply marvelous.

Round 6 Scores

Kaladin 1422 Elhokar 710 Syl 483 Lift 418 Wayne 411 Tien 331 Wax 322 Shai 295 Adolin 278 Dalinar 267 Renarin 253 Raoden 246 Breeze 220 Sadeas 214 Shallan 208 Dilaf 196 Zane 187 Pattern 165 Jasnah 114 Hoid -22 Kelsier -120 Rayse -173 Tanavast -212 Ati -332 Steris -673

Current Total Score

Lift 2714 Syl 2659 Kaladin 2413 Renarin 1630 Sadeas 1532 Elhokar 1496 Zane 1357 Pattern 1310 Raoden 1230 Dalinar 1220 Wax 1169 Adolin 1142 Shallan 1128 Jasnah 1046 Shai 871 Wayne 411 Tien 331 Breeze 220 Dilaf 196 Hoid -23 Tanavast -212 Kelsier -503 Rayse -822 Steris -1053 Ati -2329

Now as we return to the Physical Realm, we are on our final round of Tarachin.  Players, this is where it counts, so give it your all!

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Points for Round 5

Round 5 Scores

Elhokar 786 Syl 457 Lift 371 Renarin 245 Pattern 205 Zane 192 Jasnah 176 Kaladin -293 Steris -385 Ati -490 Dalinar (No throw) Adolin  (No throw) Sadeas  (No throw) Rayse  (No throw) Kelsier  (No throw) Hoid  (No throw) Wax  (No throw) Shallan  (No throw) Raoden  (No throw) Shai  (No throw)

Current Total Score

Lift 2296 Syl 2176 Renarin 1377 Sadeas 1318 Zane 1170 Pattern 1145 Kaladin 991 Raoden 984 Dalinar 953 Jasnah 932 Shallan 920 Adolin 864 Wax 847 Elhokar 786 Shai 576 Hoid -1 Steris -380 Kelsier -383 Rayse -649 Ati -1997

And thus ends Round 5!  We’ve certainly lost many people who were with us since the start of the game, but still the game moves forward and we were able to even gain a player with the addition of Jasnah’s little brother, Elhokar!  Again, welcome.  As always, we encourage everyone to come and throw spheres with us--and since we are only a few rounds from this game’s end, getting some points in will be as important as ever.  Now, let us move forward with Round 6!

[slimeandspice]

https://instagram.com/p/BXqt9oVFma_/

[whosesphereisitanyway]

Ah, Elhokar, is it?  We have no idea how we managed to overlook you for so long--you are a king, are you not?--but we extend unto you the heartiest of welcomes to our game of Tarachin.

And it appears that you are one who will likely end up ruling the field in complete excellence and wisdom.  With the hegemonic sphere, you earned 786 points and are certain to be among the greatest of players, second only to Kaladin Tarachinblessed.

[mayalaran]

🍁🍂🗡🍂🍁

💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

[whosesphereisitanyway]

We were aghast when you decided to throw the flatulent sphere, Syl.  Under most circumstances, that sphere is buoyant and unrestrained only in the first couple rounds of Tarachin, only to quickly lose steam.  Nonetheless, after having Weatherlove pull your finger for luck, the sphere practically burst from you, thundering all the way across the field in tumaceous fashion.  457 points.

[apocryphalstories]

“I am unable to describe exactly what is the matter with me, now and then there are horrible fits of anxiety, apparently without cause, or otherwise a feeling of emptiness and fatigue in the head.”

— Vincent van Gogh, in a letter to his sister, Wil.

[whosesphereisitanyway]

The pervicacious sphere is yet another of our Awakened spheres--it refuses to go where thrown.  Remarkably, however, you managed to persuade it to fall back in line with a single glare, Jasnah.  176 points.

[tooyoungtogotojail]

[whosesphereisitanyway]

The caliginous sphere is one that thrives on solitude in some dark corner of the field.  However, that sphere did not end up quite as alone as one would expect--it is surprisingly close to one thrown by Renarin, actually.  192 points, Zane.

[bornuntolikehimself]

why have I adopted the tiniest stupidest former god in the Cosmere

[geinyuji-blog]

[whosesphereisitanyway]

That throw could have been far more disastrous than it was, but since you used the moiety sphere it divided the points earned (or depleted, in this case) into two halves, the other portion of which will come back to impact your score later on in the game.  -490 points, Ati.