The Great Game Aurieleteer

The Great Game Aurieleteer, often called simply "the Game", is a magical contest, the prize becoming the Lord Magus of a world. The Game was created by the Enemy, who broke open the Abyss.

Rules of the Game
1. The challenge itself is binding: to refuse to play is to lose the forfeit. 2. With the exception of those things necessary to the continuance of the universe, all else is subordinate to the Game. 3. For neither the first nor the last week of the Game shall any moves be made, including attempted finesses; between those dates there shall be at least one move made by each Aurielete during each year of the phoenix of Ysthar. 4. Subordinate challenges may not require the opponent to die or to kill, nor be worth more than one-fifth the value of the Great Forfeit. 5. Whether by finesse or accident or final victory, the Game is won with the death of one of the players.

Most Recent Game
The most recent Game was begin by Circe of Aiaia, challenging Raphael, the current Lord of Ysthar. The Game lasted five thousand years, or nine years of the Phoenix.

There were many subordinate challenges made over the course of the Game. Raphael had to spend five years as a Hollywood actor, and previously spent time as a beggar. Circe spent time as an anchorite and hedgewitch.

Past Games
In the days when Agrinalaine defeated Ghizhaur of Kaphyrn in the Game that was played in the third age of Ysthar the Garden of Kaph was laid waste, and it has never grown again aught but arsenic and dragons, and is called the Great Desert that has never been crossed by mortals save once, and that by the Red Company whose name even dragons know. On Eahh when the Game between Urm and Swallow ended with the death of both Aurielete the world broke asunder and three continents were lost to the sea. Five great worms of my kindred were killed in that destruction. - Fulgor Goldhladen, a dragon Back when my grandfather was first shaping Fairyland, two great magi were playing the Game Aurieleteer in the Borderlands between Arvath and Zunidh, trying to gain control over one of Aurelius Magnus’ island worlds. I think the idea was to create a base from which to challenge Astandalas. Anyway, the end of that game had the usual run of insane magic, but it ended with a Pyrrhic victory—that’s to say that while the Moss Mage won in the end, it was at such a cost that she died shortly after, so it was no true victory at all. Their final duel turned the island world into a region of ice volcanoes. I saw one once, from a distance—they form one of the borders of my mother’s Kingdom. Extraordinary things. Rather beautiful, but deadly, of course. And my father said there were whole cities and the best beer in all the nine worlds and the border countries there, once. - Robin, Prince of the Fairies (This battle was fought between the Moss Mage and the Kilkannany Cobbler)