Warriors, adventurers, and the fantastical came to life in the kingdom of Najarune during MainQuest Cebu, a live-action role-playing (LARPing) event—the first on the island. Held last October 26, 2024, at D’Family Park Friendship Garden Area, participants experienced a day full of excitement, fun, and riddles that they unraveled with their respective parties and guilds.
A project made possible by Cebu Sabersturm Academy and RECCON in collaboration with Cebu X-Geeks, MainQuest delivered an immersive, high-fantasy world for its participants. The venue was bustling with seekers and questors participating in the ever-evolving storyline.
Some showed off their swordsmanship and combat skills at the arena, while others deciphered puzzles and took on challenges for the glory of their guild at designated camps. The Marketplace was full of merchants and artisans peddling their wares, and the Tavern provided refreshments for the parched and the famished.
LARP veterans and beginners alike dressed in medieval-inspired garb as their original characters, embarked on quests that tested their problem-solving skills, teamwork, and creativity. Every guild and party moved towards victory or ruin depending on their strategy and decisions, determining how they progress within the story.
The adventure starts with three guilds occupying the borderlands of Najarune: The Divine Hand, the Unbroken Chain, and the Eye of the Storm, all of them competing for leadership of the borderlands. To win, the leaders recruit adventurers for their guild and send them in search of relics symbolizing the divine gods.
The adventurers faced challenges and took on many quests in pursuit of the relics, all of them competing and challenging another from an opposing guild.
The contest concluded with the Divine Hand guild claiming victory after gathering the most relics. However, the Vorik’Hel, barbarians that used to occupy the borderlands, returned to challenge the winning guild. Their war chief, Beardrick Frozenmaw, and his champion challenged the representatives of the Divine Hand to a duel where the one who loses concedes. If the Vorik’Hel wins, the borderlands return under their rule. After an intense battle and with the respective parties cheering and motivating their champions, the Divine Hand guild still came out triumphant.
“I enjoyed my role as Altherius, and enticing adventurers to join the Divine Hand,” the leader of the winning guild says. He added that being part of MainQuest was a great opportunity to meet like-minded and unique individuals, each with their own tastes and means of creatively expressing their characters.
From the venue setup, fun mini-quests and games, to the NPCs stepping into their roles, and the straightforward game mechanics that propped up a compelling storyline, MainQuest was a success and everyone who was a part of this first chapter is eager for more.
MainQuest 2024 is just the beginning—a drop that created a ripple for what’s to come. After forging new friendships and creating new memories, the world of high fantasy and roleplaying in Cebu unravels. To be continued….
Photography Kyrra Kho
