Evelais (Saint's Day), Malarous 13th, 838 ID
The PCs continue on throughout the Grazelands, following the Great Westermarch Road to the city of Tarair, where they arrive in the evening. The gatehouses of the city's various districts each blaze with a tall fire, casting a great deal of light over the nightscape. Langston approaches the guards, asking for the location of Commander Vhelok, who he is told might be in a meeting currently for his fighting tournament (scheduled the following day). Langston takes Darkahn with him to find the Commander and pass on the Floivin writ, while the others travel outside the city to the Tarair Chantry of the Wizards Elite. En route, a barbarian woman from the Long North, one Ryit Silverhand takes an interest in the presence of the half-orcs, and decides to tail them. Meanwhile, Doorjamb and Mistlethroe have arrived at the Chantry's Transit room, where they are met by chancellor Prepostero, a local wizard. They decide to go in search of Mudgol at once.
It doesn't take long...as Mudgol, Slab, Luz and Odd Jon are arriving at the Chantry just as Doorjamb the pair are leaving! Odd Jon and Doorjamb embrace, old friends, and the group decides to go speak in one of the local inns, at greater length. Ryit follows the curious group, bored as she waits for the tournament the following day. She is confronted by soldiers who mock her and make unwanted advances upon the barbarian, and a duel erupts. But Ryit quickly makes short work of her oppressor's blade, and is granted access to the city. She follows the group to the Winking Barrel, in the NE district of Tarair. Langston and Darkahn have been told to wait at the Brass Archer Tap, in the SW district, when Commander Vhelok finally comes to greet them. He takes their writ, offers them the hospitality of the city and Fourth Eidolorn, but says he will need some time to think it over (at least until morning), as the tournament is taking up most of his evening plans. Langston sends for a courier boy.
Odd Jon notices Ryit enter the Winking Barrel, and nervously decides to get his 'mack' on, at the encouragement of Slab and Doorjamb, neither of whom are highly interested in the plain and admittedly fearsome looks of the barbarian. She agrees to join Odd Jon for dinner, and the PCs discuss their plans. Mistlethroe will need the PCs assistance in re-securing the Flabbergast Manor, which is currently somewhere on the Astral Plane and taken over by members of the score, including one 'Flaming' Fack and a Red Wizard, plus several mercenaries from the Astral. It is agreed that they will reconvene the day after the tournament to begin their planning and assault, once the gnome can pinpoint the castle's exact location on the other plane. The PCs all seem rather confused about what the hell he's talking about...until the courier arrives, and they all pack up to find Langston. Most of the PCs decide to stay either at the barracks or the Winking Barrel.
Aric, Malarous 14th, 838 ID
Our heroes scatter about the city on errands before meeting with Vhelok at around 10am. The Commander had asked if two of the PCs could partake in the tournament, since there are two slots open and no Last Eidolorn representatives fighting. It is agreed that Luz and Darkahn will give it their best shot. Slab visits a local jewel, Randolf, brother of 'Glimmerin' Timm' to procure a stylish alloy beard-comb and some beard-jewelry. Doorjamb tries Smallsword Abbey for curative potions, meeting Prelate Akstra. But the cost is too high. Mudgol and Mistlethroe head back to the Tarair Chantry, so Mudgol can buy some components (and a dispel magic scroll) off 'Breather' Bem. Ryit and Slab take baths. Hell, it's about time! The PCs then meet with Vhelok who informs them he will arrange a force of 600 men (archers, infantry, cavalry, and a handful of wizards and clergy) to march on Floivin Keep two days hence, as per the writ. He can spare no more. The PCs are invited to join the march, but they must decline, since Mistlethroe requires their assistance the following day.
The PCs head off to the 5th Annual Tarair Commander's Cup tournament where they will fight and bet. Several of them, including Slab, Doorjamb and Langston come out with quite a bit of extra coin in their pockets. Darkahn makes it to the second round after killing a half-ogre Treeg by accident, while Luz makes it to the third round, losing at last to one Doughboy the Dreaded, who continues to beat on the half-orc after Luz surrenders, until stopped by the Wizards Elite referees. Doughboy goes on to win the entire tournament, defeating Baxter the Mighty in the final round. Luz, Darkahn, and Doughboy will not be invited again (Luz also accidentally slew an opponent, Lt. Vapri Thel of Melethesz). The complete results are listed below:
The Fifth Annual Tarair Commander's Cup
Round the 1st:
Lt. Bergothe the Boar > Linsey Cutforth (surrender)
Ryit Silverhand > Sgt. Wim Skithers (surrender)
Darkahn Gradak > Cpt. Treeg (slain)
Baxter the Mighty > Cpt. Dash Lagarr (surrender)
Luz > Lt. Vapri Thel (slain)
Pvt. Puj > Pvt. Rigley (knockout)
Lt. Strenna Knelrave > Lt. Harmon Shast (surrender)
Doughboy the Dreaded > Smote Nightling (knockout)
Round the 2nd:
Lt. Bergothe the Boar > Ryit Silverhand (surrender)
Baxter the Mighty > Darkahn Gradak (knockout)
Luz > Pvt. Puj (knockout)
Doughboy the Dreaded > Lt. Strenna Knelrave (surrender)
Round the 3rd:
Baxter the Mighty > Lt. Bergothe the Boar (knockout)
Doughboy the Dreaded > Luz (surrender)
Final:
Doughboy the Dreaded > Baxter the Mighty (surrender)
PCs: Darkahn, Doorjamb, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ryit, Slab
NPCs
'Breather' Bem (human male): A hunched figure with a ghastly presence, he has severe facial damage from what appears to be acidic burns. These have caused him to blind in his left eye, skin to stretch, hair to be sparse in graying wisps, and several holes in the sides of his jaws. He constantly gasps for air through these additional orifices, while his unkempt, long nails clutch at a necklace of bone beads, and a gnarled walking stick with the head of a ram. Bem belongs to the Wizards Elite of Tarair, and specializes in trading spells and components to interested peers and students (Wizards Elite, Arkana Arkiva, and other Eidolorn magic institutions).
Captain Dash Lagarr (human male): A handsome man in his late 20s, with a perfectly kempt mane of sandy blonde hair tucked beneath his helmet, a broad smile and greenish, watery eyes. His longsword is of immense quality, with a copperish tint to the blade and an ornate pommel. He bears the symbol of Eleste both on his shield and tunic, and walks with a humble but deliberate swagger. The popular paladin, from the Second Eidolorn in Rothe, surrenders to Baxter the Mighty in the first round of the Tarair tournament.
Captain Treeg (half-ogre male): A towering brute of roughly 8 feet, this ruddy skinned titan had a series of ornate earrings and piercings dangling from his face, and a carefully oiled and braided beard which hung below his neck. His eyes were reddish-brown, and his face pocked with a large number of scars and whiskers. The greatclub he wielded is carved of fine wood and engraved with scenes of battle, and his bulk nearly bristled forth from his scale armor. Treeg was an officer of the Fourth Eidolorn, slain unintentionally by Darkahn Gradak in the first round of Vhelok's tournament.
Commander Vhelok (human male): A tall and narrow man deep in his middle years, Vhelok has a well-oiled, enormous moustache that is braided half-way down his chest. His graying-black hair is also tied back in a top-knot and an array of rings hang from it, jangling when he turns. A scar runs from his left ear up his cheek to across his forehead, and his brows appear to have been singed off, with some burn residue. He wears a suit of spiked splint mail with a regular issue halberd, scimitar and crossbow. Vhelok leads the Fourth Eidolorn out of the city of Tarair, and agrees to lead an army of 600 to help retake Floivin Province, after being approached by Lt. Langston with the official writ.
Doughboy the Dreaded (human male): Clad in the thickest suite of full plate you’ve ever seen, nicked with a number of dents, this tall and broad-shouldered man doesn’t seem as if he wants to take any chances. His helmet remains shut, and he wears a tunic with the emblem of a hearth. He carries a heavy shield and a massive, block-headed warhammer of stone and steel. His introduction to the Tarair tournament read that he was the son of a poor baker, out to prove that even the most common man can wage heroic battle. Not once throughout the tournament did he show his face, not even after defeating the other finalist Baxter the Mighty. He defeated Smote Nightling and the Violet Whisper before facing Luz in the third round, but would not accept the half-orc's surrender, taking some cheap shots at him before the Wizards Elite restrained the armored clod. He was thus disqualified (along with Luz and Darkahn) from future entry to the tournament, but regardless he went on to defeat Baxter the Mighty in the final round, and claim the 5k gold prize and key to the city.
Kliko Moss (human female): A full-figured, middle aged woman whose hair is tied back in braids, her gray-green eyes seem sad, though she bears a near constant, nagging smile. She dresses in deep olive green robes over a leather corset, and has a scar on the right side of her neck from her shoulder to ear. The same ear seems to have been mildly gnawed upon. Kliko is the barkeep and part-owner of the Brass Archer Tap in the Tarair military district. A somewhat charming woman, she is nonetheless hesitant to allow the half-orc PCs into her establishment, but relents after Luz threatens to burn it to the ground.
Linsey Cutforth (half-elf male): A girlish waif with refined, brittle elfin features, he wears a suit of fanciful leather armor worked in floral patterns, and carries a daisy between his teeth. His pale blonde hair waves in even the slightest of breezes, and he gestures with his rapier as he speaks and bows. Somewhat of a local hero in Nobbish, Cutforth is a swashbuckler and the twin brother of a renowned officer (Leanne Cutforth) in the Third Eidolorn. He travels with his bard companion Smote Nightling, dancing and entertaining. Linsey entered the Tarair tournament but was made quick work of by Lt. Bergothe 'The Boar' in the first round.
Lt. Bergothe 'The Boar' (human male): A middle-aged man of enormous jowls and bristling mutton chops, he is only barely contained by the suit of black stained half-plate he sports. Well over 300 lbs. His right eye is covered with a dark cloth patch, and his ample brown hair tied off in a series of top knots. His teeth are browning but filed off, and the threatening heavy flail he carries has a reptilian appearance with a clawed pommel. 'The Boar', an officer in the Fourth Eidolorn, fought well in the Tarair tournament, defeating Linsey Cutforth and Ryit Silverhand before suffering defeat at the hands of Baxter the Mighty.
Lt. Harmon Shast (human male): A short and sturdy middle-aged man with a bald scalp and blocky face, his splint mail is adorned with studs and ribbons of commendations for his militia service. He carries a heavy pick in his left hand, and a shield in his right with a band of cheap jewels around its border. A local officer of the Fourth Eidolorn, Shast was defeated in the first round of the Tarair tournament, by The Violet Whisper.
Lt. Strenna Knelrave (human female): A woman of 30 something summers. She draws her name from both her unusual, natural eye tint and the hair she dyes up in a fanciful bun, but there is no doubt that her cool and appraising features are strong and attractive. She wields a pair of cruel morning stars with their hafts wrapped in leather bands, and a suit of gleaming chain. Strenna is a Third Eidolorn officer of some repute from Nobbish. She defeats Lt. Harmon Shast in the first round of the Tarair tournament, but surrenders to Doughboy in the second.
Lt. Vapri Thel (human female): Wrapped in deep blue garments which cover a shapely but lithe figure, this bronze woman’s eyes glinted out from beneath her turban with a playful and seductive lightness. A pair of scimitars with jeweled hilts were slung across her back, and a water-horn by her side. Thel was an officer in the Sixth Eidlorn of Melethesz, who entered the Tarair tournament. The dervish was unfortunately slain (though not intentionally) by Luz in the first round.
Prelate Akstra (human male): A tall, spindly man knotted with wiry muscles, he wears a white shift and cloak each bearing the symbols of the clergy of Eleste. He seems rather young, perhaps in his late 20s, with blondish hair and thick, brown eyebrows above his hawk-like visage. A silver-hilted longsword hangs at either side of his belt, and he carries a basket and horn slung over his shoulder. Akstra is in charge of the Smallsword Abbey of Tarair while his superior, Bishop Blaun is off fighting in Wintersbreath with the 4th/5th/Last Eidolorn host.
Prepostero (human male): An elderly man with an excess of long, snow-white hair, and a lengthy beard braided to resemble a ladder. Through this ‘ladder’, a mottled tan and silver tamarin swings and plays. The stone faced man seems not to pay any attention, often wiping his chalky hands upon his violet and brass-trimmed robes, or adjusting his mirror-faced spectacles. Prepostero is chancellor to the Tarair Chantry of the Wizards Elite, and also responsible for the comings and goings of the local Transit Chamber (which each Wizards Elite compound maintains for fast access to their peers).
Pvt. Puj (human male): Though he sports the tunic and emblem of a Fourth Eidolorn soldier, this young man is complete unarmed, wearing little more than a peasant’s attire and a lopsided cloth hat, though he appears otherwise to be in good shape. He grins cheerfully, with a muss of brown hair that hasn’t been clipped in many months, and some stubble forming on his cheeks and chin. Puj managed to defeat his fellow solider Private Rigley in the first round of Vhelok's tournament, but was taken down instantly in the following round by Luz.
Pvt. Rigley (human male): A young man in his late teens, sporting woodsmanlike colors above his studded leather armor. His dark blonde hair is tied back in several braids that hang below the neck, and he has a number of silver piercings in his ears and brow, which accent his green eyes. He carries a finely carved longbow and a short sword tucked into his belt. Rigley is a Scout of the Fourth Eidolorn, and entered the Tarair tournament, only to be defeated by his fellow solider (and monk), Private Puj in the first round.
Sgt. Wim Skithers (human male): A seasoned veteran in his 50s, wearing a heavily abused chain shirt and a glaive with several silvered goblin skulls adorning its haft. What remains of his hair is a graying black, his skin is reddish tinted from days of training out in the sun, and his nose is scarred and broken a few times over. His left eye is slightly milky, the right a piercing greenish-brown. Skithers hails from the First Eidolorn in Carbadi. He surrenders in the first round of the Tarair tournament, surrendering to Ryit Silverhand.
Smote Nightling (halfling male): A handsome halfling with amazingly prim sideburns and greased black hair, and a ruddy face of character upon which a pug nose and glimmering brown eyes shine. He wears a decorated chain shirt and carries a skillfully worked ranseur, with a dagger tucked into his belt. Smote is an orator and singer of considerable skill, and a kindly fellow, but probably had no right entering the Tarair fighting tournament, in which he was easily brushed aside by Doughboy the Dreaded in the first round. Smote hails from Nobbish, and is known to travel with the half-elf Linsey Cutforth.
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