BuccaneerBass

Organiser: For the past four years, since the first Calamity Con in '01, the Kerswells of Pandor's Plank & Steak have been running this show.

Description:
The Calamity Convention serves two purposes. A daylong marathons of the newest, hottest, oddest, most exotic, and just plain weird names in music, no matter how bizarre, have a head-to-head. There are five coin prizes, one for the group that makes the crowd cheer the loudest, one to the group whose timeslot brings in the most money for the pub, one each for the first and second runners up, and a big prize for the grand winners.

During the event, it's pretty much anything goes. You can find things from a band of Seekers from Ios taking time off to sing again, to Fell Callers who use their callings to enthral the crowd, to absolutely wild groups with mechanikally enhanced instruments just in from Corvis. The three-year reigning champions were deposed at last year's event, and they want a rematch, but could some upstart upstage them both, literally?

If you play music of any sort, you're welcome to take the stage at Pandor's and give your stuff a shot. Who knows - if you're good enough, the Pandors may sign you up to sing in their pub for a while. This being the second purpose of the Calamity Convention; musician headhunting. It's a poorly kept secret that the best band is going to be offered a job here, and that means steady food, steady housing, and steady money clear until Calamity Con '06.

And what defines the best band? That's easy - an open vote by number. Every patron is given a card with numbers ranging from one to ten. They rate the bands as they play, and put them in the band's box. The boxes are replaced afterwards, and the cards recharged.

Agenda:
6 AM-7 AM. Opening time and the last official songs are played by the previous year's musicians in the pub.
This year it's going to be a warm-up by The Sandcrawlers, an Idrian band of singer-dancers (heavy on the scantily clad, appealing females dancing,) who hail from Ternon Crag.

9: 00 AM. The Wyerd Systers, the hot pick by those going on pure sex appeal for the band to win, are first up. Hailing from Nyss, this small band of Bardettes and Sorceresses will make full use of Bardic and Sorcerous magic (under the crafty guise of Mechanika,) to aid the considerable display of exotic skin and exotic song. Those in the know think their considerable chances at making a huge sex-appeal play may be hurt by the early morning non-peak hours, but they chose the morning when it's nice and cool.

10:30 AM. The Proud Palookas take the stage in what may be the pick for the weirdest group of the day. An unusual mix of musicians and fisticuffs, their music is always inspiring fight music, capable of pumping up anyone's fightin' spirit. The band has their own fighters, but anyone who cares to give it a try can strap on gloves and step into the ring. The lot of them have levels in Bards, and they use their Inspire Courage and their love of the fight to full effect.

12 Noon: Gearheads take the stage. This mixed lot of Arcane Mechaniks, Bodgers and Bards bring outrageous hair, crazy costumes, loud music and scads of (real) Mechanika to the show. Preaching at an almost shrill level the glory of the Mechanikal instrument, they make up in head-banging what they lack in class. The popular pick for the younger crowd.

1:00 PM: The Railroad Men take the stage with their minimalist approach to music. Dressed in their work gear, overalls, caps and boots, brandishing their weapons of choice - harmonicas, banjos and trumpets, this is the heart and soul of the working man. To a man they're card-carrying Steamos, and all workers on the railroads of Cygnar. They have lots of time to practice singing and playing during long train rides when they're not tending things, so they're really very good, singing their songs of the rails and the working man. They're almost certain to get a "10" from every card-carrying Steamo in the bar.

2:30
Bragg's Bellowers, the reigning champions for three years, are back to reclaim their title and use their booming voices to crush the competition. Those who've heard them singing swear up and down that their songs shake you to the bone, stirring your core. All of them have levels in Fell Caller and Bard, a dual combination that's nearly irresistible.

3:30 The current reigning champions, The Sandcrawlers, take the stage to defend their title. Packing nearly as much sex appeal as the Wyerd Systers, they have a year's homefield advantage built up for them, though the influx of travellers such a festival will inevitably draw will dilute their loyal fan base's votes. They've been popular visions in the Plank for the past year, and many a young Corvis lad has gone to stupendous lengths to woo one of their dancer-singer women. Their sound, pipe song and tinkling crystals, heavy on the appealing female vocals, is alluring and hard to deny, strong enough to depose Bragg's Bellowers last year.

4:30 PM. Victor Talbot, a famous singer from Caspia who has even sung in the King's court, popular especially with the ladies, has come to Corvis. Crooning out his songs of romance and love and generally easy listening, he's popular amongst the middle class.

5:30 Open Time. Anyone with a sound to play can step on the stage and give it a go. They have a half-hour to woo the crowd, and four such time slots are scheduled.

6: 30 Trials by fire. Now it's proving time, and the men have been separated from the mice. The three highest-scoring bands or people competing in the last nine and a half hours each have a half hour to try again. Then the prizes are handed out, the winning team is signed, and they take the stage back, to sing long into the wee hours of the morning.

Social Crowd:

Pretty much everyone from every walk of life in Corvis is out and in attendance for this event. The crowd will be partially adjusted for the performers in question - the metal band and the sexy bands will have large concentrations of young people, the easy listenin' singer and the trollkin fellcallers will attract middle-class and upper-class women, the blues singers will attract large numbers of card-carrying Steamos and other hard-working sorts, and the boxer-musicians will get thrill seekers, palookas, and those who like to fight with their fists.