The Age of Worms / The Champion's Belt pt. 8 / Von the 16th, 3593 CE / 4-3-22

General Summary

On the bloody grounds of the Free City Arena, Not By Choice prepares for a confrontation with the last remaining opponent from today's match, the janni Korush, leader of Sapphire Squad and a person of whom Hush has grown fond. Korush has used his magical abilities to go invisible, but Hush, hoping to stop the battle before things get out of hand, calls on the powers of a dark relic he wears around his neck, the mummified hand of an elf that has been imbued with necromantic powers. Letting the artifact guide him, Hush fires a fateful shot from his pelletbow. But he underestimates both the power of his weapon and the bloodlust of the magical hand. The bullet finds its mark, shattering Korush's leg but also the artery that runs through it. As Hush grabs hold of his fallen friend, the janni smiles admiringly at his worthy opponent. At that moment, a great wind kicks up in the arena, blowing away the mist which Nari's companion Idra had spread to give them an advantage on the field. The true carnage of the battle is revealed for the first time to a gasping audience. At the center of the windstorm, a portal opens, and a genie, a being from the elemental plane, emerges. He is Rabbam, Korush's father, and he retrieves the body of the fallen warrior, taking him through the portal. As the crowd roars, Efraym Smallcask, Not By Choice's manager, collects their winnings, and then they are deposited back into the Coenoby. There they meet with Efraym, who reveals his secret to them: he only entered the team into the Champion's Games in order to gain information on a girl named Lahaka, who disapeared in Loris Raknian's service last year. He asks Not By Choice to investigate, and they agree, seeing that it aligns with their own mission to discover more about Loris's plot to turn the Games into a sacrificial bloodbath. After Efraym leaves, the party busies themselves with various tasks, waiting for the last match of the day to end, and hopefully some of the guards to depart. Hush is devastated by being forced to slay someone he considered a friend, and descends into drinking and brooding, but soon begins to pen an ode to the fallen Korush. Nari and Idra help where they can in Palemon Nodor's clinic. Nari is horrified to discover that all but one of Chuko's Ravens, who come from her native Pell, have been eaten by their opponents, The Gutluggers, and that Chuko himself lost a hand. River observes with suspicion Captain Okoral, head of Loris Raknian's personal guard, is conferring with the dwarven barbarians known as Pitch Blade. She attempts to discover more but is shooed away by a guard. Lulu tries to warn her friend Auric, leader of the Leatherworks, of the plot to subvert the games. After a while, Hush receives a package. It is the fiddle he requested Efraym find for him. With his new song in hand, the Boltonite regales the assembled gladiators with a mournful tune, and for just a little while, everyone assembled forgets the own troubles to remember the fallen.

Character(s) interacted with

Lulu Victry, Nari Ashida, Moth, Hush, River, Idra Brisby, Jozu, Korush, Rabbam, Talabir Welik, Loris Raknian, Efraym Smallcask, Captain Okoral, Rennida & Krinasa (Arcane Auriga), Palemon Nodor, Auric, Chuko, Pitch Blade, Drunken Devilry, The Gutluggers, Badlands Revenge survivors, Sapphire Squad survivor, The Snow Leopards, Coenoby guards, Loris's bodyguards

Report Date

17 Apr 2022