Thunderstruck

Summary
Once the party discussed Norim's invitation, everyone settled down to rest and prepare for the final round of trials, except for Baldrick, who lay awake, waiting for Firali to sleep.

Baldrick decided to have some revenge of his own for his hairless state, he snuck to Firali's door but was unable to pick the lock, not discouraged Baldrick headed to his window. After prying it open, Baldrick began shimmying to Firali's room, he slipped but managed to catch the lip of the windowsill and pulled himself up, prying the pane open.

The first thing Baldrick did was grab Firali's bow and walked to the hallway, attempting to carve "I <3 Baldrick" into the fine wood, not satisfied, he decided to try to remove Firali's hair. Firali managed to wake up and saw Baldrick with a lock of hair in one hand and a handaxe in the other, when asked "What the hell are you doing?" Baldrick replied "nothing, I'm drunk...bye" and ran to his room, finally settling down for a night's rest.

The next morning, the party headed down the stairs of the inn and approached Lippa, asking her to take out the chest and disperse some pocket change among everyone for the day. Baldrick handed 25 gold to each party member but failed to notice that about 100 gold was missing (courtesy of Carter). After returning the chest to Lippa the party directly head down to Blisterbark's, where they were ushered in without any delay.

Once in the foyer, the party noticed many guards wielding various weapons and Norim seated at a table. As Norim greeted the "guests" he gestured to his workers who began to set a meal for him. In between bites Norim informed the party of his problem and what their task was. The party was to free Norim's associate from the town prison within 2 weeks, bring him to Blisterbark's and then accompany him back to his home, bringing a "gift" and receiving one in return. As the party attempted to get more information, Norim only provided a description, saying that the item was of no importance to the party, but needed to be given in order to be freed from his debt.

Once the party was satisfied with their line of questioning, Carter, feeling a bit bold reached out to grab an apple, but as soon as he made a move a dagger struck the fruit in front of him, vibrating as it settled in to the flesh of the fruit. Norim looked on amused, and to the rest of the party's horror, Carter began poking fun at the host and reached again, but this time grabbing the dagger. The guards around the room each aimed a crossbow and along with Baldrick demanded Carter let go of the weapon. Carter instead walked up to the guard who threw the dagger and handed it back with a smirk, feeling pleased with himself.

Baldrick, fearing another altercation and having his identity exposed, apologized for Carter as he stepped forward and attempted to grab him, but he received a punch and managed to avoid Carter's headbutt. The other guards in the room began to approach the group as Baldrick and Carter wrestled with one another but as the guards got close the party decided to leave and Carter let go, telling the guards to calm down as he walked out of his own volition as opposed to being thrown out. Once the party was far enough away and calmed down, they decided to scout out the guard compound, hoping to use the gathered intel to formulate a plan. Carter ended up hanging back from the group and decided to sneak in himself.

The party decided to have Baldrick and Firali act as lookouts while Verathis morphed into a spider. As Verathis scuttled over to the entrance he was able to enter the main tower and head downstairs where he saw one guard sleeping outside of a lone door. As Verathis made his way through an opening he entered the chamber and noticed a row of cells, holding various drunkards, thieves, and ruffians. As he hung from the ceiling and looked into each cell, Verathis found their target and made note of the surroundings, deciding to head back and report to the group.

Meanwhile, Carter having failed at climbing a wall decided that it was better to find something else to do and made his way to the inn, there he saw the familiar sight of Lippa teasing the farmer's son Lodin and decided to strike up a conversation. Carter told Lodin that he required him to make a delivery and promised him 6 gold for the job, with half being paid in advance and the rest being paid upon completion. As Lodin's eyes widened at the thought of earning 2-3 weeks of work in a day (farmer's earn around 2-3 gold per week) he hastily agreed and waited for Carter to give him the package. Carter then headed to his room, took out the map he had stolen from the guard compound and copied it's details down to the best of his abilities, and wrapped the original, sealing it as he head downstairs. Once Lodin received the package, he bolted out, eager to complete his task.

Meanwhile, Verathis made his way back to where Baldrick was sitting, and noticed that Baldrick was talking to another spider, asking why he hadn't moved yet. Verathis, feeling a bit mischievous decided to return to his Half-Elf form in the tree above, and asked Baldrick. As Baldrick sputtered, confused Firali noticed Verathis returned and made his way to them, eager to hear what Verathis found.

Once Verathis explained the layout, they decided to continue spying for a while, hoping to determine some sort of Guard schedule and make a proper plan of action. With that in mind, the party decided to head to the centre of the town and participate in the third and final round of the trials.

As the three competitors (and Carter) made their way to their respective places in the tent, the rules were explained. The mayor stated that a one on one combat tournament was to take place, with the final victor facing the judge's champion. The competitor's had their weapons readied and had any healing items taken away (as the judges didn't want fights to drag on). Once they took their numbers from a hat the 8 competitors were placed in a holding area as the first fighters, Firali and Desara were lowered into the square stage, held in by a forcefield.

Once the fighters were settled, a referee came down and introduced each, reiterating the rules. Carter (who was sitting in the crowd) noticed a couple people making bets, and decided to put 3 gold on the female Bard, feeling confident that she would win.

As the battle started, Firali immediately shot an arrow, which was avoided by the graceful Half Elf. She began to smile and looked to the crowd, applauding Firali's efforts. As she began to clap, Firali felt the beginnings of a spell form and was hit with a loud boom as the bard's clapping was magnified to the point where it caused damage. Shaking his head, Firali shot off another arrow, this time hitting his mark as an arrow sunk into Desara's thigh. Desara, snapping the arrow in half looked at Firali and gave him a smile, which was followed by her stringing various curses together and causing Firali to lose some of his will to fight, surprised by such a creature swearing like the saltiest of sailors. Firali's confusion caused him to miss and Desara took the chance to rush towards him and cast another spell. Firali suddenly felt an urge to double over laughing, but shook his head and dropped his bow, unsheating his sword and preparing for Desara's onslaught. After a few strikes, Firali managed to fell her, and took the first victory of the tournament.

As the crowd roared in approval (with some boos by the crowd) both competitors were healed and returned to the holding area while Kelara and a local guard fought. The fight was short lived as Kelara seemed to be adept and rendered her foe unconscious with a morningstar and shield combination. As she prayed the next set of competitors, Baldrick and Wilkin were lowered.

As Baldrick and Wilkin sized each other up, Baldrick decided to act first, throwing a handaxe towards his opponent. As Wilkin easily dodged the weapon, he laughed, taunting Baldrick and returned the gesture with a handaxe of his own (which also missed). Baldrick wanting to finish the battle quickly, reached into his pants and flicked the end of his member, grunting in pain and feeling the rage wash over him. As Wilkin joked about what he perceived as Baldrick getting a bit too excited, he suddenly saw the dwarf bearing down on him. After various blows (the non sexual kind) Baldrick began savagely attacking, not caring about the fact that his mighty swings left him more open to counter-attacks. As the battle went on, Wilkin starting to feel the pressure, began to tire and made a mighty swing, which was avoided by Baldrick who responded with a mighty horizontal chop, cleaving through Wilkin's blade and sending him toppling over the edge. As the crowd roared Wilkin recieved immediate healing and one of the healers approached Baldrick uneasily, waiting for him to calm down. Once Baldrick went out of his rage, he was healed and returned in time for the last of the first round, a battle between the rogue Ibon and Verathis. In the crowd, Carter cursed his luck as he had put 3 gold on Wilkin winning and lost his second bet of the day.

When the announcer finished his spiel Verathis and Ibon's battle begun. Right out of the gate, Verathis cast faerie fire, enveloping Ibon in purplish flames. Ibon responded with a few daggers thrown at Verathis and managed to draw blood. Seeing Ibon pull out more daggers, Verathis promptly summoned fog and the contestants waded in, blind to the outside as well as invisible to the audience. While Ibon spun in circles trying to disperse the fog Verathis immediately made it disappear by casting Thunderwave. As Ibon was caught unaware he felt a wave of force and was pushed backwards 10 feet, but his quick reflexes allowed him to cast a spell of his own and Verathis was enveloped in flames. While Verathis suddenly felt the heat and pain of his flesh burning, he morphed into a panther and pounced, escaping the flames and launching himself at Ibon. Ibon's eyes widened and he managed to avoid the pounce while Verathis (in panther form) lunged again, this time knocking him down and savagely mauling his abdomen. As Ibon screamed out in pain he went unconscious and was pulled away from Verathis, as a group of clerics administered healing, Verathis was approached by the mayor, who spoke in panther, telling Verathis to shed his form in order to allow the wary clerics to heal him. Verathis obliged and the crowd cheered, while the holding area contestants grew angrier and angrier that only their Dragonborn friend won.

As the second round begun, Carter seeing Kelara's ability decided to bet on her in her battle against Firali. The bookie laughed at Carter's confidence and took the bet, hurrying to others in the crowd as the battle began. As the battle began, Kelara acted first. With no emotion in her voice she stepped forwards comfortably, raised a hand and spoke a single word, ''grovel. ''Firali suddenly felt an immense mental pressure but shook it out of his head, hitting his mark. Kelara, seeming unhappy stepped forwards again, uttering the same word but once again took an arrow as Firali shook off the effect. Seeing the blood dripping down her plate, Kelara raised a hand once again but this time it glowed as she inhaled and healed her wound, no longer bleeding. She then took her morningstar out and rushed Firali, blocking his arrows with her shield and casting a spell, causing her morningstar to glow. As Firali dropped his bow and took out his sword, he took a blow to his side, feeling a burning sensation when the morningstar struck. Gritting his teeth, he struck multiple times and took multiple hits as Kelara and him were stuck in a stalemate. Suddenly, when Kelara became more and more frustrated she took a half step back, looked at Firali and opened her maw, sending a bolt of lightning at his face. Firali saw the charging of energy and managed to twist around, only taking the hit on his shoulder. As he grunted in pain he managed to raise his arm and struck her in the back of the throat, felling her and stepping away to receive healing, knowing that his next battle would be against one of his party members.

In the crowds, Carter groaned and cursed his luck, as the bookie laughed at him. Carter managed to convince him to give him some money, and the bookie feeling bad for him obliged, admitting that he made a note of Carter's bad luck and began to bet on the other side. Carter gained 5 pity gold with which he bet on Baldrick for the next battle (thinking that he would lose).

As Verathis and Baldrick got ready for their bout, Baldrick was all business, he reached up and flicked his ear, wincing and entering a rage-state. Verathis calmly cast Entanglement but Baldrick managed to free himself from the vines and sidestepped the affected area, throwing a javelin. Seeing that the spell had no effect, Verathis threw a handaxe and transformed into a giant wolf spider, the same beast Baldrick fought the day before and pressed the attack. As Baldrick dealt with the gnashing of mandibles, and tangle of legs he managed to get a few blows in and largely resist the poisonous bites due to his Dwarven heritage. He savagely attacked to the point where Verathis had to shed his spider form and hastily cast thunderwave, knocking Baldrick back. Verathis then cast longstrider and moved away, hoping to make the battle a ranged one but Baldrick eventually caught up. As they traded blows, Baldrick with his battleaxe, Verathis with his spells and quarterstaff they were each within an inch of defeat. Verathis hit Baldrick on his jaw with his staff but Baldrick gritted his teeth and fought to stay conscious. Seeing Verathis bring him so close to defeat caused Baldrick to respect his opponent and party member, the savage blows became calculated and Baldrick dropped him with the handle of his battleaxe as opposed to the blade. Both were healed and Baldrick went silent, waiting for his fight with Firali. Carter was also silent as he realized he won the bet, and received 15 gold from the bookie, who looked very unhappy and disappeared into the crowd.

Both Baldrick and Firali eyed each other, the past events leading up to a tension between them, with Baldrick teasing and Firali trying to get him kicked out there were no words left between them and all that was left was seeing who is left standing. Baldrick acting first, without breaking eye contact pulled his eyelid and snapped it back, vibrating with the rising rage and looking to unleash it on Firali. Firali cooly shot one arrow, embedding itself near Baldrick's jugular, and as magical thorns sprouted from the wound, Baldrick flexed and freed himself from the restraints, making his way forward, battleaxe in his hand. Firali shot another arrow, and hit Baldrick's other side of his neck, near the jugular once again. This time blood was pouring profusely and Baldrick knew that he had to give it his all, and rushed forward battleaxe first. Firali responded by bring out his blade and they began to trade blows furiously. Baldrick managed to keep himself from attacking savagely because he knew Firali was dextrous, and Firali managed to avoid fatal blows and systematically cut away at Baldrick. As the crowd watched on in silence blood began to pool in the battleground and the rhythm of each's weapons made a furious tune. Both sides feeling exhausted began to miss more and more blows, Baldrick blocking Firali's attacks and Firali dodging the horizontal chops. Baldrick finally managed to get a very grevious wound which almost brought Firali to his knees, and forced him to miss but Baldrick's next attack didn't make its mark either, feeling light at the loss of blood. Firali took the chance and sunk his blade deep into Baldrick's gut, looking into his eyes as he fell unconcious.

Reveling in his victory the crowd roared in approval, a couple of guards who were still sore about Firali and Verathis' entrance begrudgingly clapped along with their comrades but Firali felt empty. Firali had only entered the competition to get back at Baldrick, and wasn't sure he wanted to go on to face the judges champion, but feeling like one task was fulfilled he gave it a shot and was lowered to the end of a 100 foot hallway. As he adjusted to his surroundings a figure in full armour strode out, and was introduced as Captain Carrado De Shaho, the trainer of guards within the town. The task was to get past Carrado who stood at the middle of the hallway and reach the chest at the end, where 300 gold and the Azure Keep ring lay. This all was to be done as soon as possible as sand would be filling the hallway, making it harder to get by. As soon as Carrado settled in, the final trial had begun.

Firali immediately let loose an arrow, striking Carrado who stood in the centre, showing no response. Unsure of how to process Firali approached slowly and let off a few more arrows, striking with some and causing blood to seep out, but Carrado still showed no response. Firali then attempted to entangle him but Carrado easily ripped the thorns and cast a spell, Firali then found himself surrounded by flames, Carrado had cast faerie fire and looked on, unmoving as Firali drew near. As the sand level rose and Firali approached he dropped his bow and ran with his weapons, thinking that he could slip by. Suddenly with a burst of energy, Carrado cast a globe of darkness and grabbed Firali by the leg attempting to pull him back, fortunately Firali managed to wriggle out and continued, trying to get out of the darkness. Firali suddenly felt his feet leave the ground as he began to float 10 feet into the air, he saw Carrado casting a spell and looked around, completely at the mercy of Carrado's concentration. Firali floated to a wall and got his feet behind him, launching off and attempting to force Carrado to dispel his levitation, Carrado managed to avoid the blow and grabbed Firali, slamming him into another wall. As Firali reoriented himself he launched again, trying the same move he had before but this time Carrado caught him with a sweeping kick and extended his greaves, pinning Firali to the wall and knocking the wind out of him. As Firali scrambled to relieve the pressure on his neck and arm, he grabbed a dagger and plunged it deep into Carrado's shin, causing blood to gust out and congeal once it hit the surface of the sand. Carrado grunted and lost concentration on the spell, restoring gravity to Firali. Taking this chance, Firali slipped out from Carrado's leg and scrambled away slipping out of his opponent's grasp once again. As the crowd watched on in the edge of their seats, they saw Carrado stand upright and click two heels together. Firali was unaware to this but onlookers saw Carrado rush at a blinding speed and catch up to Firali in no time, attempting to grab him. Firali felt a presence. As Carrado attempted to grab him, Firali flipped out of the way and kicked Carrado's helmet off, revealing a surprised looking female with blood covering half her face. Firali landed on the chest and the crowd roared as Carrado looked astonished and let out a sigh while the judges announced the victor.

Firali then received a hefty amount of gold and was handed a ring. After receiving healing he was invited to the banquet and seats to watch the 3rd place fight between Verathis and Kelara. Declining both, he made his way to the inn where he meant to gain non-magical rest after a very very long day. Carter and Baldrick did the same after pocketing their prize (Baldrick earned 150 gold) and made their way out, missing Verathis' victory over Kelara and the prize of 50 gold.

Verathis soon joined after as all of them made their way back on their own, where Firali, Baldrick, and Verathis were patted on the back and cheered on as they made the trek back to their quaint inn rooms. Carter was approached by Lodin when he entered the inn, and confirmed that the package was delivered, giving him the 3 gold that he had promised earlier. As the rest of the inn recounted tales of the various battles, the party members above dozed off into a well deserved rest.

Kills
None, but various members managed to defeat Kelara Vune, Ibon, Desara Whisperwind, Wilkin Desic, and Carrado De Shaho

Loot

 * 300 Gold (For Firali)
 * 1 Azurekeep Ring (For Firali)
 * 150 Gold (For Baldrick)
 * 50 Gold (For Verathis)
 * 2 Gold (For Carter, after many failed bets and paying Lodin to deliver a map)