Grand Tournament - Practice

Sporting Event / Competition

The party wakes up the next morning, feeling refreshed after the events of the previous day. However, there is still one final obligation to fulfill before they can finally relax.

They make their way to the church, where they are the last group required to be present.

As they approach, they are greeted by Bella, a sentient undead familiar of Pope Simon. The moment they near her, they are enveloped by a calming aura. However, for River, this calming presence only intensifies his anxiety, making him feel uneasy.

The group is then led into a courtyard, where rows of neatly arranged corpses await them. These bodies are laid out in front of two young apostles—students of Bella.

Bella introduces her students to the gathering and asks, “Is anyone unfamiliar with the ritual we’re about to perform?” (Given the nature of the event, this should be common knowledge.) When no clear response comes, she decides to explain their obligation.

“Today, we ask only one thing of you: remain calm and observe.”

“My students will attempt to raise the corpses of those you’ve slain. This is a test of their control over the undead rage that festers within these bodies—a rage directed at the living, and their killers.”

“We will do our best to ensure your safety, though we can’t guarantee it.”

She turns to her first student, a young man named Marcus. “You may begin.”

With a curt nod, Marcus steps forward and starts the ritual. He speaks a soft chant, raises his hand, and channels his faith.

A powerful, ancient presence fills the air—neutral but brimming with a desire for justice and calm. These emotions ripple through the crowd, momentarily overshadowing the serene aura Bella exudes.

For Marcus, it is a sign of assurance as the spell takes hold. Shadows twist and congeal into a dark, viscous substance. The substance spreads from Marcus’ feet like a spider’s web, creeping into the corpses through their wounds and openings.

It spreads, filling gaps, covering wounds, or reforming missing limbs. As the undead rise, the substance hardens, taking on the quality of flexible stone.

The last corpse stands—a massive figure, once the right-hand of the pirate captain. Now, it is a cold undead creature, its face obscured by a slate-like mask of hardened substance.

His gaze shifts from Marcus, his master, to Torgil, the source of his rage. A surge of intense fury emanates from the undead.

Marcus struggles to maintain control, his grip on the creature slipping as it threatens to break free of his influence.

Bella watches closely and offers a quiet word of advice. He listens carefully, then slowly begins to regain his composure, calming the undead and quelling its rage.

Once Marcus had led his undead away, Bella signaled for Zara to take her place and begin her test.

Zara nearly skipped to her position, her excitement evident as she gazed at the corpses that awaited her.

She began the ritual, repeating the steps Marcus had taken, though the effects were noticeably different.

As the spell took hold, flames erupted from Zara’s eyes, burning with an intense, vibrant glow. Flames poured from her hands, surging toward the corpses on the ground.

The flames consumed the bodies, and when they rose, their eyes glowed with a deep crimson fire, distinct from the flames that still enveloped their forms.

The undead exhibited powerful emotional outbursts, their fury and agitation radiating clearly. However, despite their inner turmoil, they remained under Zara's control. Bella, watching closely, offered a few quiet words of advice. Zara, focused, took a steadying breath, gradually calming her undead and regaining full control over them.

Unlike most of the other attendants, Vin was fascinated by the display and the otherworldly sensation he was experiencing. Unable to contain his curiosity, he voiced his thoughts to Bella. In response, she offered him a cryptic hint.

“You will have to make a choice about this feeling soon,” she said, her gaze steady, as if knowing more than she let on.

With the event now complete, the attendants were given leave to depart, their duty fulfilled. They were free to go, their obligations to the ritual now at an end.

With a full day ahead of them, the party agreed that this was the perfect time to strategize and plan their next steps.

They decided to attend the Grand Tournament, set to take place in a week’s time. It would provide an excellent opportunity to practice with their newly acquired weapons, magical items, and spells. The event would also serve as a good test of their growth and readiness for the challenges ahead.

River and Lilly, in particular, chose to focus on honing their combat spells at the tournament arena. River, who would register as the combat mage for the three potential contestants—Lilly, Torgil, and Vin—was eager to put her newfound abilities to the test.

River quickly mastered her new spells—Message, Identify, and Fireball—each of which proved invaluable in various scenarios. However, Remove Curse proved more difficult to grasp. She found herself struggling with the demonic texts and the intricacies of the demonic dictionary that were essential for casting the spell. Realizing she wasn’t yet ready to cast it, she knew she would need to invest more time studying and deciphering the texts before she could effectively wield its power.

While practicing Identify, River made a startling discovery. The Periapt of Wound Closure, a magical item they had secured from an enemy pirate, revealed an unexpected truth: the pirate was still alive.

The spell uncovered that the periapt's magic had saved him, and he had been pretending to be dead. The realization hit River like a cold wave—he had faked his death, and now he was still out there.

Startled, the party quickly regrouped and rushed back to the church to investigate further.

Upon returning, they checked the number of corpses they had received and compared it with those present at the ceremony. To their shock, the count didn’t match—one body was missing.

The pirate had escaped.

Tiamat, piecing the puzzle together, immediately linked this discovery to the note they had received from James.