Round 3 Information

Official BTOCT Round 3 Winners & Match-ups

After EXTREMELY CLOSE scores for the contested brackets, the difficult process of determining the winners of Round 2 has finally ended. We wish everyone could move forward, but we still have important story plot points for those of you that are not. Thank you to everyone who participated and submitted R2s! You can read all of the R2 entries by clicking here.
 

Official BTOCT R2 Winners

Abigail & We

Akhila & Emma

Kasper Reenberg

Delim & Kailios

Round 3 Match-ups

(Match-ups were randomized via a Google Sheets script) 

Folder of portraits: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Lq9dNoPAdPLzXIXx3sAw2kzBKJAFaOVy?usp=drive_link

Current Spectator Leaderboard

1. Izzy da Wizzy (Expedition: Cordelia & Charlie): 72
2. IchirouKiyoshi (Freed: Khorn): 70
3. Tonio (Freed: Sheri & Corey): 60
4. A.L.E.X (Delegated: Val): 53
5. Phazon (Freed: Hell Hound): 41
6. Hiyawoffa (Freed: Jaeger): 40
7. FireCracker101 (Freed: Cecilia & Reuben): 29
8. MsConductor (Expedition: Holy Father Jeroche): 27
9. Mystic-Snail (Expedition: Brian): 26
10. Mister The Captain Dalton (Freed: Jack): 25
11. DragonOwl (Freed: Elmer): 15
12. Elkrauser (Freed: Queen Synthea): 14

The Trapped

Main tournament bracket R3 submission form: [Will be linked at a future date]

The following is R3 information for the 4 competitors who are still in the main tournament roster. There is a required prompt, as well as optional supplementary prompts and official lore for your story-telling needs. 

Canon Event: The Mystery Laid Bare

Thanks to the efforts of others (perhaps completely unbeknownst to you), the power in The Bifrost Terminal remains on and has finally stabilized.

Slowly but surely, you make your way further into the facility. The deeper you go, however, the more aggressive and berserk the spirits become. Even the most agreeable spirits struggle to fight the growing haze of rage. You surmise that the closer you get to whatever is at the center of all of this, deep in the heart of the mountain, the worse it’s going to get.

The Executive Suites have opened up to you the same way you’ve opened the High Security door to get here– or perhaps via another way entirely. Regardless, here you can rifle through documents, access long-forgotten computers, and even locate hidden compartments to find materials that TITAN would rather keep buried. The true face of TITAN’s ambitions with The Bifrost Terminal is revealed and it has a name… PROJECT: AFFINITY BLADE. 

Another area has also opened up to you: the Security Operations Center. It is here another question is answered... who is The Entity?

The mystery is finally unraveling. The Entity learns the truth thanks to you and sends you forth with one mission in mind: to use whatever awaits you in the bowels of the Terminal to finally release all of the "spirits". You're so close. Now all that is left is to delve into the deepest section of the Terminal, the most confidential area, the heart of Mount Panthea.

Required Prompt: The Heart of The Mountain

As the mystery reveals itself to you, you realize you will need to reach the deepest section of the Terminal-- and that means finding a secret passage, elevator, tram, what-have-you that leads to the area housing the highly confidential source of it all, the "Battery". By the end of this round, you must figure out a way to locate a means to the final area despite the dangerous security bots, the more aggressive spirits, and whatever else you may encounter in the [almost] highest security areas of the Terminal. By whatever means, you open a secret passage that will lead you there. Your goal, for one reason or another: to find the “Battery”.

(You do not need to progress past resolving how to get to the final area as what you will find beyond will be revealed to you in Round 4. Remember that this prompt does not have to take up the bulk of your entry and can even just be a side note.) 

Official R1 Lore Drops

Optional Prompt: The Little Guy Himself

Somewhere deep in the C Suites you come across a locked room. After managing the door open, you discover a little dragon inside sleeping-- but not just any little dragon. You locate the living and breathing Trinket. It turns out their species of dragon can hibernate for a century easily, which is exactly what they've been doing ever since being left behind in The Incident. The real Trinket has a sharp wit and a lot of things to say, especially about TITAN.

                                                         

Main Tournament R3 Requirements

• Within your R3 entry, you MUST meet these requirements:

• • Your entry must feature your opponent
  • • The details are up to you and your imagination
  • You must adhere to the required prompt: you must locate a secret passage that leads to the heart of Mount Panthea
  • • This does not have to take up the bulk of your entry and can even just be a side note
    • The last area, with The Battery, will be described in the final round. You just need to find a way to access that area

• Word count maximum limit: approximately 25,000

• • Reminder: This is a MAXIMUM CAP, this is NOT A GOAL
  • • There is NO MINIMUM CAP

• You must submit everything through the official submission form before the deadline: Sunday June 7th 2026 23:59:59 EST

• • Link to main bracket submission form: [will be linked at a later date]

Main Tournament R3 Rules

1. GenAI, in any form at all, is STRICTLY PROHIBITED
2. 1. Anyone caught utilizing generative AI for any portion of their work in BTOCT will be promptly removed and banned from any future ThraelosVerse participation
3. The work must be primarily text-based
4. 1. You can create visual art or non-text supplementary aspects to add to your entries, however the story as a whole must be complete within, and able to be followed within, text format
   2. You will be judged only on the prose/text portion, so be sure to focus on that
   3. Format, is up to you, but keep the text/prose as the focus in mind
5. The R3 entry must be a “complete” work
6. 1. R3 entries with incomplete story will not be accepted– do not turn in WIPs (Works In Progress) as they will be automatically rejected
   2. Story must be able to be followed from beginning to end, even if unpolished (bare bones plot point lists will not be accepted)-- remember: finished, not perfect
7. Must all be submitted via the official submission form before deadline-- June 7th 2026 23:59:59 EST-- or the R3 entry will not be considered
8. 1. Link to main bracket submission form: [will be linked at a later date]
9. Must be your original work

The Delegated

The Delegated R3 submission form: [Will be linked at a future date]

If you participated in Round 1/Round 2 but did not move forward, there is still an important plot for you to participate in. Based on the following plot point, you can still make an impact on the overall story-- actions taken (and NOT taken) WILL affect the overall canon story. You have the unique "The Delegated" plot route open to you. Just as with The Expedition and The Feed, this is a specific "spectator" event for those who participated in R1/R2 but did not move forward. Points will be earned cumulatively alongside The Expedition and The Feed players, but you will start with an average amount of points (40) that the others have earned thus far to make it fair for you. By the end of BTOCT, the top 3 "spectator" players with the most points earned will receive a prize.

Canon Event: The Power Is Saved

Thanks to you, the power has been stabilized. The uncertain fluctuations, and the effects therein, have finally ceased.

Optional Prompt: Getting Ready For The End

Even with his secret now uncovered, Ben doesn’t seem deterred from his mission to get the other spirits freed. In fact, his aggression towards that end only seems to grow. As others get closer to determining the secret hidden within the mountain, he optimistically prepares for the other ethereals’ inevitable rescue. More of your fellow victims are brought forcefully to help. This time, you are all transported to a massive warehouse filled to the brim with cranes, computers, and parts: the portal repair bay. In front of you stands a portal mid-repair. Ben flatly instructs:

“I shouldn’t have to explain why we are here. Let’s get to work.”

From here, you as the writer have a choice to make: to succeed in this task of repairing a portal or fail. Both options have impact on the story overall moving forward. This will be determined by how many of The Delegated write entries in which success occurs versus how many write entries in which failure occurs. If none of The Delegated write an entry, that is an automatic fail state.

FAQ About The Delegated

The Delegated R3 Requirements

• You must submit everything through the official submission forms before the deadline-- Sunday June 7th 2026 23:59:59 EST-- to have your points counted for R3

• • The Delegated submission form: [will be linked at a later date]
  • You will submit via the specific form and you will score your own entry based on the following criteria:
  The Delegated spectator points criteria

  Starting amount of points for The Delegated R3 (based on the average points from R2): 40

  • Make an entry: 5 points per entry
  • Cameo someone else's character: 1 point each cameo
  • • May be fellow players' characters, judge NPCs, etc
  • Feature someone else's character: 3 points each feature
  • • A feature is defined as: if the character was removed from the entry, the story would be incomplete
  • Add to Thraelos worldbuilding: 5 points overall
  • • Can be history, lore, legends, locations, NPCs, etc
  • Do something creative/unique with the entry: 2 points overall
  • • This includes supplemental art, unique formatting of the text, creative presentation, etc
  • Depict success or failure of "Getting Ready For The End" prompt: 2 points overall
  • • This will have impact on the story overall moving forward; both options are viable choices
  • Adhere to the canon framework presented so far: 3 points overall
  • Updated the archive to reflect this entry: 1 point overall
  • • Such as added it to your creator page, made a new page for location, NPC, creature, etc if needed, and so forth

The Delegated R3 Rules

1. GenAI, in any form at all, is STRICTLY PROHIBITED
2. 1. Anyone caught utilizing generative AI for any portion of their work in BTOCT will be promptly removed and banned from any future ThraelosVerse participation
3. The work should be primarily text-based
4. 1. You can create visual art or non-text supplementary aspects to add to your entries, however the story as a whole must be complete within, and able to be followed within, text format if you want it to count for the most points
   2. Format, is up to you, but keep the text/prose as the focus in mind
5. Must all be submitted via an official submission form before deadline-- June 7th 2026 23:59:59 EST-- or the spectator R3 entry will not be considered for points
6. 1. The Delegated submission form: [will be linked at a later date]
7. Must be your original work

The Freed

The Freed R3 submission form: [Will be linked at a future date]

If you auditioned for BTOCT but did not make the roster, fear not. Your audition was not a waste. Based on the following plot point, your character WAS present and you can still make an impact on the overall story-- that's right, actions taken can potentially affect the overall canon story! You have the unique "The Freed" plot route open to you. Just as with The Expedition and The Delegated, this is a specific "spectator" event for those who auditioned but did not make the roster. Points will be earned cumulatively alongside The Expedition and The Delegated players. By the end of BTOCT, the top 3 "spectator" players with the most points earned will receive a prize.

Canon Event: The Power Is Saved

Thanks to you, the utilities department was defended and the power remains on. The groaning of the machines awakening after a century settles into a comfortable hum.

Optional Prompt: From The Fog

A strange unnatural fog quickly fills the area. As you all are engulfed by the haze, one-by-one your numbers dwindle and some go missing, spirited away under the misty veil…

(Image without the fog: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mDIwSyr7SRu3uwmOJq7WEYCGRKbX8o0K/view?usp=sharing)

You find yourself pulled into a dark armored vehicle. A cordial enough TITAN suit shakes your hand and apologizes for the means of having your company. It doesn’t take very long for you to realize what this is: an interrogation to find out why there are so many of you unauthorized individuals here at The Bifrost Terminal, where the rest of you are, and what exactly is going on inside. You can decide to answer truthfully, to lie, or to refuse to answer at all. Regardless, all of your interrogations end the same: sign an NDA and leave the mountain now– you’ll be paid substantially more than Cain will pay you– OR be left on the mountain with no help and no payout. It could mean they will dispose of Cain themselves, guaranteeing no payment from him for you, or they will dispose of you instead. Much like the artificial fog they deployed to cover their approach, it’s unclear.

From here, you as the writer have a choice to make: to assist TITAN or refuse. Both options have impact on the story overall moving forward. This will be determined by how many of The Freed write entries in which working with TITAN occurs versus how many write entries in which defying TITAN occurs. If none of The Freed write an entry, that is an automatic TITAN assistance state.

FAQ About The Freed

The Freed R3 Rules

1. GenAI, in any form at all, is STRICTLY PROHIBITED
2. 1. Anyone caught utilizing generative AI for any portion of their work in BTOCT will be promptly removed and banned from any future ThraelosVerse participation
3. The work should be primarily text-based
4. 1. You can create visual art or non-text supplementary aspects to add to your entries, however the story as a whole must be complete within, and able to be followed within, text format if you want it to count for the most points
   2. Format, is up to you, but keep the text/prose as the focus in mind
5. Must all be submitted via an official submission form before deadline-- June 7th 2026 23:59:59 EST-- or the spectator R3 entry will not be considered for points
6. 1. The Freed submission form: [will be linked at a later date]
7. Must be your original work

The Freed R3 Requirements

• You must submit everything through the official submission forms before the deadline-- Sunday June 7th 2026 23:59:59 EST-- to have your points counted for R3

• • The Freed submission form: [will be linked at a later date]
  • You will submit via the specific form and you will score your own entry based on the following criteria:
  The Freed spectator points criteria

  • Make an entry: 5 points per entry
  • Cameo someone else's character: 1 point each cameo
  • • May be fellow players' characters, judge NPCs, etc
  • Feature someone else's character: 3 points each feature
  • • A feature is defined as: if the character was removed from the entry, the story would be incomplete
  • Utilize a prompt: 3 points per each used
  • • May be used as a springboard as well as combined with other prompts
    • Will continue to receive the points for each future round the prompt is narratively prominent
  • Add to Thraelos worldbuilding: 5 points overall
  • • Can be history, lore, legends, locations, NPCs, etc
  • Do something creative/unique with the entry: 2 points overall
  • • This includes supplemental art, unique formatting of the text, creative presentation, etc
  • Depict success or failure of "From The Fog" prompt: 2 points overall
  • • This will have impact on the story overall moving forward; both options are viable choices
      
  • Adhere to the canon framework presented so far: 3 points overall
  • Updated the archive to reflect this entry: 1 point overall
  • • Such as added it to your creator page, made a new page for location, NPC, creature, etc if needed, and so forth

The Expedition

The Expedition R3 submission form: [Will be linked at a future date]

The following is information for anyone.  The expedition is a form of “spectator” event with a canon starting point and optional prompts, some of which will have an impact on the overall story in later rounds. This will be a cumulative points-earning event in which certain things will garner you a set amount of points each round, such as making an entry, including others' characters, using certain prompts, etc. Anyone can join and hop in during any round until the end of the OCT. As of R3, those who start a spectator entry will begin with the average amount of points accumulated by the others thus far to make it fair (40). By the end of BTOCT, the top 3 "spectator" players with the most points earned will receive a prize, but their scores will be checked by judges for accuracy. Actions taken in The Expedition can potentially affect the overall canon story, especially in later rounds.

Starting Canon Event

It was hard for the village of Origa to not take notice of the sudden influx of visitors flocking in and requesting information about (and rides up to) The Bifrost Terminal. It was harder still to not notice the amount of people that then started heading up Mount Panthea, supposedly trying to reach The Bifrost Terminal. Normally when someone tried to head up the mountain, especially with that destination, they realized how difficult a trek it is and returned to the village a few hours later. But in this case, several people have been traversing up the mountain and not a single one has returned back down. Needless to say, the many denizens of Origa have grown concerned. 

A knight that goes by the name ‘Goose’, and his ex-assassin wife named ‘Crane’, have decided to take up the charge on a rescue expedition. The duo have put out their own call for help: join the expedition up Mount Panthea and assist in potentially rescuing those presumed trapped on the mountain. 

Since it is expected that many, if not all, of those that previously travelled up the mountain are stranded, stuck, trapped, or otherwise in trouble along the way to The Bifrost Terminal, this expedition will be made on foot, meticulously combing the mountainside for any signs of those that went before–as such there will be no flying or teleporting shortcuts made. You are all under the assumption that none of those that headed up to The Bifrost Terminal made it and are instead scattered across Mount Panthea in need of help (although this assumption is entirely incorrect, your character doesn't know this).

You will find Goose and Crane's Archive pages here:

• Goose
• Crane

 

Optional Prompt: The Cave

Along the trek upward, the Exhibition comes across a cavernous man-made hole in the side of the mountain, one that the deep mechanical tracks stop at before moving further up. Upon a quick inspection, you realize there must be something important hidden deep within the cave thanks to the number of traps set along the long dark dangerous rocky system. You will need to follow (and survive) the boobytrapped paths in the cave to discover what is hidden deep within…

(You don’t have to locate what is at the end just yet, just journey through the cave system. The result will be revealed in the final round…)

From here, you as the writer have a choice to make: to enter the cave or ignore it. Both options have impact on the story overall moving forward. This will be determined by how many of The Expedition write entries in which the characters enter the cave (which would trigger a R4 story plot) versus how many write entries in which the cave is ignored. If none of The Expedition write an entry, that is an automatic ignored state.

Optional Prompts: A Vast Array Of Options

FAQ About The Expedition

The Expedition Requirements

• If you did not audition, make a new character to use in The Expedition and create a page for them on the Archives

• • Those that did audition are welcome to create and use new characters for The Expedition as well
  • All new characters (included NPCs) are encouraged to have character pages made for them regardless where they are used in the spectator events

• You must submit everything through the official submission forms before the deadline-- Sunday June 7th 2026 23:59:59 EST-- to have your points counted for R3

• • The Expedition submission form: [will be linked at a later date]
  • You will submit via the specific form and you will score your own entry based on the following criteria:

The Expedition R3 Rules

1. GenAI, in any form at all, is STRICTLY PROHIBITED
2. 1. Anyone caught utilizing generative AI for any portion of their work in BTOCT will be promptly removed and banned from any future ThraelosVerse participation
3. The work should be primarily text-based
4. 1. You can create visual art or non-text supplementary aspects to add to your entries, however the story as a whole must be complete within, and able to be followed within, text format if you want it to count for the most points
   2. Format, is up to you, but keep the text/prose as the focus in mind
5. Must all be submitted via an official submission form before deadline-- June 7th 2026 23:59:59 EST-- or the spectator R3 entry will not be considered for points
6. 1. The Expedition submission form: [will be linked at a later date]
7. Must be your original work