Into the War Pit

Following a string of successes, the winning streak suddenly comes to an end under curious circumstances - feeling from our heroes there was cheating favoring the opposing team. The games officials dismiss the accusations, but sometime later, in the quiet corner of a tavern, the monk, barbarian and rogue are approached by a hooded dwarf.

He identifies himself as "a friend from the Moradin Priesthood" - one of those "gamesmiths" who operate the Battle Royale mechanisms and summonings.

In hushed tones and with his eyes scanning for anyone watching the table, he shares that the game has become an obsession of several of Waterdeep's noble houses. So much so, that the gamesmiths have been offered bribes - and some not accepting bribes have even been threatened through terrifying visitations in their dreams, by cruel fiends or underworld enforcers.  This did not happen in the early rounds, but the stakes have been raised as they reached the elimination rounds.

He is simmering with anger that he himself has been the target of intimidation by House Margaster - notorious for having ties to the Drow and even the arch-devil Asmodeus. This led to the results of the game that upset Our Party. What has made this worse is House Margaster has a long-running feud with the dwarf's family (Clan Stoneshaft) over ownership of Thornhold , a strategic fortress and travelers' stopover on the very Southern edge of the Mere of Dead Men.

So he would like to make things right - and to find a way for all to benefit in the process. But this could well put all in grave danger in the process - both in attracting attention from sponsors of the rivals and if cheating is discovered - with the authorities.  But how many times does one stand and allow others to use you as a pawn? What can he do? He is not sure, and fiddling with the game may create odd reality rifts for the players. At very least, he is certain he can reinstate the team at the semi-final level substituting for another team that was masked (and have had to flee the city suddenly due to someone tipping off the Xanathar Thieves' Guild of a serious double-cross).

The party agrees to receiving the assistance of this rogue priest, as it seems everyone is cheating anyway - nobles getting their spoiled kids special feel-good wins and gamblers tipping the odds in whichever favor delivers the gold. 

Re-entering the novice-tier of competition, masked and seeming the team forced to leave the city, the priest's fiddling with the game rules shifts the combat heavily in the party's favor. Starting weapons are high-powered, but even more curiously, some of the skills and abilities of the players themselves have crept into the game - as if more of themselves become part of the minions.  The round is won very quickly, using Mon-Kei's great speed and ice-walls, with Yeet Longshade being able to employ his assassin's sneak attack abilities, and Tallon the Tall's own rage-powered combat.

The Moradin Priest believes the stakes will be raised significantly in the final, but that he can go even further bringing the party’s own abilities into the game itself  to help tip the balance. He introduces himself as h'Rothgar Anvil'bjorn.

With the crucial win, the party readies for the final championship competition (for the novice level players), and is now so confident they have begun to browse the potential prizes on display, from magic items to exotic pets to city real estate.  But this draws deadly attention to themselves. Employing every bit of Yeet's stealth, Tallon's "way with words", and Mon-Kei's mobility, the four (our heroes along with their new priest friend) escape northward on the High Road to join with Belcoria, Willow, and Ujio in Leilon, as forces are gathering for some sort of battle.

(Next: Storms to the North and Death to the South)