Tournament of Abishot - A Duel of Magic

## Summary:

It's a reprieve from adventure—a Mage's Duel amongst those gifted in the Threads of magic. Contestants prepared to counter their opponents' spells, entering the tournament against up-and-coming Threadtouched to determine who possessed the greatest skills in Abishot.

In this non-adventure, the party utilized their abilities in unusual ways, cast flashy magics, and engaged in epic battles of spellweaving to claim victory.

## Mercenaries:

* Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" - Lizardfolk Wizard (Sponsor: House Stefarni)
* Cornelius Braxton - Gnome Artificer (Sponsor: House Hudson)
* Gobin Glowstep - Halfling Druid
* Jawn Seana - Human Monk
* Roake Okoh - Aarakocra Fighter (Sponsor: House Zattari)
* Xilon Harkus Starrati - Half-Elf Wizard (Sponsor: House Stars)

## Adventure:

### Overview

In a publicity stunt to continue dispelling anti-mage sentiment, Abishot's Tournament featured a duel of mages. Besides those Threadtouched who were naturally gifted in harnessing spells, rare wands were granted to those with a more martial bent in order, allowing them to access spells for the duration of the duels. Magic-replenishing sigils embedded in the tourney grounds restored the spell energy of the mages and wands between bouts so duelists could always fight near their peak-performance; that said, aspects of Talent that weren't spells did not regenerate, requiring another layer of strategy as some contestants chose whether to use such abilities immediately or to save them for future rounds.

The goal of the duel was flair over function: Hurting an opponent wasn't a consideration, but affecting them with a spell or breaking their concentration would grant the attacker a point. Duelists would play to the crowd, packing as little power into their spells as possible to prevent damage but boosting the artistic nature of their craft, utilizing unusual spells and tactics in order to create the most spectacular victories.

After the preliminary fights, a single-elimination structure of three rounds would determine the victor, who would win a coveted Pearl of Power. The first of these rounds required a duelist to claim three points to win; the second and third rounds, four points.

### Duelists

While a few mages and other hopeful Threadtouched gathered for the preliminaries, the running boiled down to eight duelists who drew lots to determine their opponents in the final rounds.

First to draw was Asher "Whiffle-Tongue," a Lizardfolk wizard from Ilsum. The man had been a secret student at Mowen's Crystal Academy and was in his first year's summer trip, having gone with a teacher and students to the Sorrow Woods for a reagent-gathering project. Desiring to visit his loved ones in Abishot, he attempted to steer the group there for a brief respite when the project was completed. His gentle pestering was unnecessary; the Crystal Academy knew about Abishot's Tournament, and if the school's students placed well, there would be great prestige gained amongst the elite few who knew about the school. Plus, the students might knock out other hopeful contestants, making them look bad in front of Vanguard spotters and subtly influencing them towards other educational choices. Asher's request was granted on the condition that the students would join the Tournament, a condition met with enthusiasm. Asher himself had grown much during his year of schooling, and though he didn't have much confidence in winning, he relished the opportunity to test out his refined knowledge. He drew the first brown lot and stepped back to await his match.

Jawn Seana drew next. The Human Jawn was a native of the kingdom of Oldirin, a mercenary of the Whispering Cutlass company, and a monk still getting used to the ways of cities. While spells were not in his repertoire, he took to the tourney's wands with near-intuitive ease, excited to stretch his Talent in unexpected ways. He drew the first green lot.

Next was Roake Okoh, an Aarakocra archer who had recently joined the Whispering Cutlass. He had participated in the Tournament's archery competition and did well, though he did not place. Curious to see how he would do with spells, he threw his conical hat into the ring for the mage duel. He drew the second brown lot, setting him against Asher in the fourth match of the first round.

Gobin Glowstep then stepped up to draw, using an arm that had a thorny vine wrapped around it. The Halfling druid was another secret student of the Crystal Academy and had been on the summer project in the Sorrow Woods, working with Professor Polster to gather and catalogue dozens of plant samples, from roots to seeds to stalks. He and Asher were in the same dormitory group, Squad Tourmaline, and had become fond friends over the last year. A native child of Abishot's farmlands, Gobin was glad to be home, and while he had some issues with his memory, he had learned much druidic magic that would aid him in the coming duels. He grabbed the first blue lot.

Following soon after was Xilon Harkus Starrati, a Half-Elf wizard and former noble of Abishot's House Stars. Another secret student of the Crystal Academy Squad Tourmaline, he had been on a summer project with Professor Daxon and had also maneuvered his group to Abishot. He and Asher had formerly worked as Whispering Cutlass mercenaries before joining the school and bonded even before then through their passion for studying magic. In Abishot, Xilon was most eager to be reunited with his beloved cat, Pearl, though he was also excited to test his power in the duels. He drew the first red lot.

An old Gnome artificer tottered up next. Cornelius Braxton had been a travelling merchant and plied his trade in Inzet, though he considered the booming city overrated and relocated to Abishot, where he joined the Whispering Cutlass. Spry for his age, he carried a massive pack filled with gadgets. He was ready to cut the young ones down to size and prove what he could do. The second red lot came to his hand, placing him in the third match with Xilon.

The final two duelists were Oniya Bulë and Ozmir the Great. Both were young, up-and-coming Threadtouched who weren't yet involved with structured companies, though both were interested in joining the Vanguard when they came of age. Oniya drew the second green lot while Ozmir drew blue, placing them against Jawn in the first match and Gobin in the second match, respectively.

### The First Round

#### Match One: Jawn vs. Oniya

The crowd was already in an uproar, ready to watch a spectacle of magic the likes of which they had never seen. Jawn entered the ring from the west, Oniya from the east.

As a pre-match buff, Jawn waved his wand. His body shimmered, and suddenly there were four Jawns standing next to each other, all mirroring the moves of each other. The monks crouched low and beckoned Oniya to make the first move.

Oniya darted forward. Her hands began to swell into a ring of fire which extended outward in a cone. Jawn tried to backflip away, but the sparkling flames grazed his bodies. Point one for Oniya.

The moment the Jawns landed, they thrust their wands forward. Crackling energy whips reached out and grabbed Oniya's arm, yanking her close. Point one for Jawn. Before their opponent could blink, the Jawns lunged close with index fingers outstretched. Oniya tried to dodge, but a single Jawn poked her shoulder. The woman's clothes immediately flushed with purple light, a garish clash compared to the colors of her outfit. Point two for Jawn.

Frustrated, Oniya whipped her hands around, forming a smoldering green fog which she sprayed out towards the Jawns. Jawn coughed, but steeled his will. The magic failed to affect him. Electricity sprung from Oniya's palms as she grasped one of the Jawns, which popped into mist and wisped away. Some of the crowd booed, disappointed at Oniya's miss, but others started a rolling cheer for Jawn. Jawn tried to light Oniya up again, but in a critical maneuver, Oniya twirled out of the way just in time.

At that moment, Jawn heard the hiss of a snake behind him. With a critical measure of observation, he instantly realized it was merely an illusion. As a show for the crowd, he backflipped over the illusory snake, then crushed its head with the heel of one mirror image. Jawn then leapt forward faster than Oniya could react and tapped her forehead. The mage burst into an orange glow.

That was point three for Jawn, securing him the first win. The crowd roared, Oniya screamed in exasperation, and Jawn tried to dance, though it was an awkward set of motions.

#### Match Two: Gobin vs. Ozmir

After the arena was cleared and reset, Ozmir the Great entered from the east with his opponent Gobin Glowstep trotting in from the west.

Gobin made the first move, charging towards Ozmir while letting out a small cry. The thorny vine on his arm slid into his hand, and he whipped it at Ozmir. It was a critical hit, snagging the Hobgoblin by the neck and yanking him closer. Point one for Gobin.

Ozmir began to chant, then blew rose petals towards Gobin. The cloying scent choked the Halfling, leaving him loopy from the fumes. Point One for Ozmir. Ozmir then held out his holy symbol and commanded doom upon Gobin. Gobin sank to the ground, a curse enervating him. Point two for Ozmir.

The druid glared and squeezed the earth. The ground rippled in a tremor around him. Ozmir tried to summon a Sacred Flame to redirect the tremors, but it was too late—He lost his footing and crashed to his hip, though he maintained his concentration. Point two for Gobin.

Ozmir flashed his holy symbol once more. Invisible arms reached up and tried to hold Gobin in place, but Gobin shook them off and hopped away. He slapped his hands together and drew them apart, summoning a frozen knife that launched at Ozmir. In a split second, Ozmir tried to evaporate the knife with Create and Destroy Water, but though some of the knife sublimated, the core remained intact.

It seemed unnecessary when the knife sailed straight past Ozmir. He laughed at Gobin's miss; but Gobin grinned and said, "Wasn't aiming at you."

The ice exploded, sending a chunk rocketing into the back of Ozmir's head, dropping him unconscious.

Gobin jumped and cheered, basking in the roar of the crowd as he won the match.

#### Match Three: Xilon vs. Cornelius

In the third match, Cornelius Braxton entered from the east while Xilon Starrati entered from the west. As a pre-match buff, Xilon wove his fingers in a threading motion. Magic strands of armor merged into his fancy outfit, from his wide-hooded cloak to his tall boots.

With a glint in his eye, Cornelius winked at Xilon. "Okay, let's give this a shot. I'll best you, whippersnapper." He pulled a string on his pack. A massive flare burst from the top and shot into the sky.

Xilon refused to let the flare distract him. He cast a Mind Sliver to boggle Cornelius. The splinter, elongated for visual effect, drove into Cornelius' head, raising a gasp from the crowd. Point one for Xilon.

Not to be dissuaded, Cornelius whipped out a smoking green vial that he threw at Xilon. Though Xilon tried to dodge, the smoke splashed over his body. Point one for Cornelius.

Xilon launched another spike into Cornelius' skull, granting the Half-Elf his second point. In turn, Cornelius pulled another string on his pack, causing a trebuchet to pop out and fling a rock at Xilon, beaning him. Point two for Cornelius.

Xilon sent out another Mind Sliver, but Cornelius steeled his mind; the spike bounced off of his scalp and shattered into dust. The old Gnome chucked a vial of acid. Xilon tried to counter it with an acid-based Chromatic Orb, but the evocation spell merely wrapped around the conjured vial. The acid splashed on Xilon's cloak, too weak to damage it, but the flashy splash granted Cornelius his third and final point. He cackled in victory, accompanied by the crowd's cheers.

After the match was over, Gobin gave Xilon a hug. Xilon quickly left the tournament grounds; but before the next match began, he returned and headed to the stands, cuddling Pearl. He sat next to a black-furred, fluffy Tabaxi named Ebony. Nearby was the mercenary Ro'Keer, rooting especially for his fellow mercenaries as he clutched a Nwalmë plush.

#### Match Four: Roake vs. Asher

For the fourth match, Roake Okoh entered the stadium from the west, tipping his hat low over his eyes and shivering his black-feathered wings. Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" came in from the east, dressed in his classic harem pants with silver prayer belt and a simple cloak. Asher's eyes glowed, and he seemed to move with great initiative, affected by his pre-match buff of Gift of Alacrity. This helped him make the first strike as he cast a Ray of Frost at Roake. The excellent aim crashed the beam right into Roake's chest, enveloping the Aarakocra in a cloud of mist.

But Roake puffed out his pecs, the mist dissipating and the magic glancing off of his hardened body without effect. In response, the man swirled his wand and launched a gush of fire. Asher tried to block it with his own ice beam, but the fire burst through it, coating Asher's hand and shoulder in the embers. Point one to Roake.

Asher jumped back and flared his cloak. Three purple streaks of force launched from him, Magic Missiles whistling across the field to bump against Roake. Point one to Asher.

Roake ran through the missiles, skidding along the dirt before somersaulting and brandishing his wand with a flair. A cloud of rose-scented gas enveloped his opponent. Sensing an enchantment, Asher created a Mind Whip and tried to slice the cloud apart. Unfortunately for him, it was an epic failure that merely cut the cloud in half. The gas made him drowsy and granted Roake his second point.

Though Asher stumbled on his feet, he sent out another barrage of Magic Missiles. Roake tried to fly backwards to dodge them, but the missiles soared unerringly, netting Asher his second point.

Roake swirled his wand in a spiral, blasting a cyclone towards Asher. Asher gritted his teeth and took a braced stance, his scales glowing as a crystalline shell formed over his body. The Gust pushed against Asher, but failed to rock or topple him. The announcer cried, "No matter how the wind roars, the mountain will not bow to it."

The moment the gale faded, Asher's shell receded and he sent out a final flair of Magic Missiles. They bumped against Roake, the match point. As the crowd clapped, Asher let out his breath, winded from the hard-won victory. He congratulated Roake on an excellent bout, surprised at victory and realizing that he actually stood a shot at winning the tournament. Roake nodded, disappointed at his inability to continue, but acknowledging the prowess of a worthy opponent.

### The Second Round

With half of the competition eliminated, the second round consisted of two matches. The first would be between Jawn and Gobin, the second between Cornelius and Asher.

#### Match One: Jawn vs. Gobin

From the eastern gate came Gobin, waving to the crowd, where Asher and Xilon cheered him on. Jawn entered from the west, along with his three mirror copies. Jawn took the initiative and ran forward immediately, sending out tinkling music to put Gobin to sleep. Gobin staggered, yawning. Point one to Jawn.

Rubbing his eyes, Gobin summoned motes of Faerie Fire, but Jawn ducked and weaved, the lights exploding around the mirror images. With a flourishing swing, Jawn launched a crackling whip of lightning at the Halfling. Gobin reached out one hand to grab the lightning and touched the floor with the other; when the electricity wrapped around his wrist, it travelled up his arm and flowed down his body, dissipating into the earth. "I'm grounded," Gobin said.

The moss on Gobin's cloak plunged into the dirt, coming up as thorny vines around Jawn. While they tried to lash the monk, he slashed them away without issue. The Jawns darted around Gobin, one hand on each Jawn illuminated. Gobin tried to dodge, but the number of Jawns overwhelmed him, patting his shoulders and head. The druid glowed hot pink. Point two to Jawn.

Sensing an opportunity, Gobin dropped to the floor, pushing his fists into the soil. The ground around him trembled in an Earth Tremor, but Jawn flipped backwards and out of range, unaffected. Gobin used Mold Earth to open a hole under one of the Jawns, who fell in; but the other monks continued to flip, spicing the movement with dancer-like grace. The illusion in the hole winked at Gobin, then shuffled back to the surface. All the Jawns went for the assault once more, attempting to boop Gobin, but the Halfling was prepared this time. He ducked low and rolled to the side.

It was for naught: Jawn whipped another lightning rope, this one snagging Gobin and sweeping him into his own hole. Point three to Jawn.

Gobin muscled himself out, wiped the mud off his cheek, and whipped his thorny vine at Jawn, but the vine fell short. As Jawn launched more electricity, Gobin tried to form another hole. Too late! The lightning grabbed the young man and pulled him into the ditch once more.

That was the match point, the first victory of the second round going to Jawn. He pulled Gobin out of the hole, holding him up like a trophy. His duplicates dispelled as he told Gobin that it was an excellent match.

#### Match Two: Cornelius vs. Asher

Gobin whistled from the stands, shouting, "Go! Mister Asher! Go!" Asher entered the ring from the east while Cornelius hobbled in from the west, body hunched beneath the weight of his massive pack. The two nodded to each other, Cornelius bouncing his brows before shooting off his distracting flare. Asher winced and covered his eyes, unable to focus directly on Cornelius. Instead, he aimed for the ground beneath the Gnome, conjuring a large wad of grease.

Cornelius yelped and slid, but he used his cane to keep himself from falling. "Well that's not annoying at all!" He gingerly moved out of the grease, then launched a rock from his mini catapult. The rock soared towards the Lizardfolk, but Asher slammed his hands together, countering with an Enlarge/Reduce spell. As he pulled his hands apart, the rock grew to massive size and skidded to a dead stop in front of him, a move that pushed the crowd to a fervor.

Cornelius' agility won him the initiative as he threw a vial of acid over the boulder. Asher shot a Ray of Frost at the vial, but it merely made the acid cold. However, the acid fell short and landed on the rock, Asher only needing to take a step back to avoid the splash. As he walked, he swirled a hand, three glowing pebbles appearing at his fingertips. He flung the missiles at Cornelius, and though the Gnome released luminous fireflies to act as chaff, the missiles hit. Point one to Asher.

Cornelius hopped around the boulder, tossing another vial. Asher whispered a prayer as he somersaulted, but his dexterity was lacking; the vial cracked on his shoulder and dripped down his cloak. The audience whooped. Point one to Cornelius.

Not slowing down, Asher continued to run, though there was little room to escape Cornelius' vials in the arena. He shot out more Magic Missiles, but Cornelius yelled, "Release the fireflies!" This time the magical bugs took the brunt of the missiles, neutralizing Asher's attack. As Cornelius chased after Asher, the wizard attempted another Grease spell. Cornelius flipped onto his pack, falling prone. Point two for Asher.

Cornelius wobbled to his feet and chucked another vial, but he seized as the pain in his back overwhelmed him for a second, altering his aim. The vial missed; but the man recovered quickly, throwing a second vial that splashed on Asher, gaining Cornelius his second point.

Still backing away, Asher shot a Ray of Frost, but it went wide to the left; his eyes flashed white momentarily, and the ray seemed to blink, now missing wide to the right. He winced, embarrassed. With a shake of his head and a centering breath, he concluded the chase by running up to Cornelius and performing an underhand throw. A Lightning Lure flew from his hand and grabbed Cornelius around the chest, wrenching him towards Asher. Point three to Asher. Hoping to catch Cornelius off guard and claim the victory, Asher pooled his spell power and launched four Magic Missiles at once; but Cornelius popped open a firefly jar, the bugs flitting out and negating the attack.

Asher grunted and lowered his stance, electricity crackling as he flexed his knuckles. "You are quite good."

Cornelius grinned and readied a jar of fireflies in one hand, a vial of acid in the other. Before the man could launch them, however, Asher's lightning arced around the Gnome. Cornelius yelled as the leash lifted him off his feet, landing him face-first in the dirt. He flailed, trapped beneath his pack, looking like a turtle. "Uncle, uncle!" he cried.

Asher pulled the lightning, bringing Cornelius to his feet and into the Lizardfolk's arms. As the crowd hollered and clapped, excited for a match lasting nearly a minute, Asher hugged his opponent and complimented the artificer's skill.

### Competitor Interviews

While the arena got cleaned up and restructured for the final round, a brief intermission began. Jawn Seana and Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" took a rest, accepting interviews from Skip Steamwhizzle.

Jawn complimented all the fighters, especially the youth. It was good to see young ones reaching for their dreams. He wished his Thread was a bit more developed because then he could really show everyone what a monk could do; still, he was ready for the final fight, prepared to give his all and take the title. "Strap yourself in, it's gonna be an exciting match."

For Asher's interview, Skip led by telling Asher he'd been in the ring for a whole minute and eighteen seconds. Asher stuttered, saying he was honored to be in the arena against such powerful opponents. "We are a … a credit to Mowen, showing how … well-versed we are. In magic, that is." He dipped his head and apologized for his speech, having got stuck in his head overthinking answers. However, when Skip mentioned how the Vanguard had a lacking presence lately, Asher became more at ease; he considered the Vanguard to be the most elite Threadtouched, the first line of defense, and while he had tried to join them and failed, he regarded them well. He rambled about the Vanguard and how unfortunate it was that they were scarce until Steamwhizzle cut him off and ended the interview.

### The Final Round: Jawn vs. Asher

The audience hushed for the final bout, awaiting the entrance of the duelists. The previous contestants sat in the same row, some betting that the young wizard would win, others assured that Jawn and his duplicates would claim the victory.

The western gate opened. Jawn walked in, his mirror selves already summoned. He didn't look at the crowd, his gaze reserved for the eastern gate's opening. Asher entered and eyed the murmuring spectators, his former opponents in particular. Cornelius was trying to get Jawn's attention to give him a thumbs up, then directed it at Asher as well. Gobin trembled in his seat, hardly containing his excitement. Xilon leaned forward with Pearl in his lap, a thought strand acting as a fidget toy in his fingers.

The duelists sized each other up. The Jawns smiled and bowed in tandem. Asher bowed back. The crowd held a collective breath.

Asher twitched, and suddenly his cloak rustled around him as glowing darts whistled across the arena. They passed right by Jawn's doubles and nailed the real monk, the first point gained. The crowd's hush broke with a bellow.

Though surprised, Jawn was unperturbed. The Jawns darted forward quick as a flash, fingertips glowing as they surrounded Asher and reached out to touch him.

Asher's eyes never left the Jawn targeted by missiles. As Jawn reached out, Asher reached as well, palm leaking mist with a barely-contained Ray of Frost. Jawn felt the frostbite and pulled back. Asher didn't wait, windmilling his arm while three more missiles sprung into existence and shot into Jawn. The second point.

Jawn cartwheeled, then bounced off the ground and lunged to the side, moving too fast to track. A gas wafted from his wands, the sickly sweet scent all too familiar to Asher. The Lizardfolk pulled a Mind Whip from his temple, and instead of slicing the cloud, he whirled the whip to mimic Roake's Gust spell, sucking up the cloud and directing it away. He ran towards a grate in the center of the arena, launching more missiles as he went. The glittering streaks of force pushed against Jawn, the third point.

Rather than give chase, the four Jawns whipped their wands, cracking out four beams of lightning that latched to Asher's wrist. Rather than wince, however, Asher dipped his head, met Jawn's eye, and quirked a brow. Before Jawn could pull Asher close, the wizard squeezed a fist—The lightning pooled into his grip, electricity arcing back to seize the Jawns' wrists instead.

Neither duelist backed down, a tug-of-war that raised the hairs of spectators. They strained, neither budging as the lightning started popping and sizzling, flashes streaking in random directions. It seemed a stalemate, but then Jawn gave a great heave—He yanked the lightning right out of Asher's hold, launching it high into the sky where it dissipated with a burst of thunder. Half the crowd leapt to their feet in excitement.

In the ring, this didn't register; the two men were deaf to the cheer as they gave their all.

Wary of another stalemate, Jawn charged forward, another cloud of Sleep seeping from him. He thought it was a risk, knowing Asher had countered it once before; yet Asher's spell power was running dangerously low and he couldn't afford another Mind Whip. The Lizardfolk ineffectually ripped his cloak off to use as a mask and backpedaled, scrambling for a plan. Casting Encode Thoughts, he pulled a thought strand memory of late-night study cramming, hoping to feed the stress and adrenaline back to himself as the cloud fully engulfed him.

But on instinct, he whipped the strand at Jawn instead. The ribbon unspooled and pierced the Human's brain, sending the anxiety crashing into Jawn's thoughts and causing the Sleep spell to fizzle.

As Jawn shook his head to clear his mind, Asher's jaw dropped, his cloak slumping to the floor while his thought strand fluttered down to it, intact. Since childhood, he had yearned to forgo clunky speech and share the richness of thoughts with others, but so few could utilize his thought strands. How and why he had now succeeded, and whether or not he could replicate such an event, he had no idea.

Nor did he have time to contemplate the bizarre occurrence: Jawn charged, fingers glowing. Asher gritted his teeth, drew deep on his spell power, and sent out four Magic Missiles at once, hoping to end the duel there. Jawn, however, had no intention of letting that happen. Channeling his ki, Jawn and his clones leapt into the air as light as a breeze, rushing about faster than the missiles could keep up. The missiles collided with each other, dying in a shower of sparks.

Still moving at a breakneck pace, the monk reached out to touch his opponent. Asher created a loop of lightning and attempted to catch Jawn's wrist and redirect him, but Jawn was far too fast for that, already having pressed palm to Asher's cheek and retracted before Asher could tighten the rope. The Lizardfolk swelled in a bright blue glow, causing the crowd to go wild. First point to Jawn.

Asher found the light rather flattering, since blue was his favourite color. As thanks for the treat, he redirected his lightning, attempting to snag Jawn on the retreat. Instead, the whip cut through a mirror image, popping it.

Asher's reserves were drained, holding power for nothing more than cantrips, but he could taste victory and refused to give in. Similarly, Jawn dripped sweat, his ki-fueled speed dissipated; but he was far from finished. The three Jawns launched themselves over Asher's head in a spectacular backflip, hoping to disorient the mage.

Asher tracked Jawn the whole way, unphased. Jawn cracked his knuckles and danced around the Lizardfolk, fingers glowing and reaching for one more touch, but Asher took a wide stance with claws flared, shooting beams of ice from each hand and flitting them around as a shield to hedge Jawn out.

With gritted teeth, Asher stomped a foot and swung his body in a circle, switching from ice to lightning. The electric whip elongated with the force of the spin as he launched it at the monk.

Jawn immediately broke off his attack and tried to back away out of range, but it was too late—The whip slashed through one Jawn copy and popped it, pierced the second into smoke, and then wrapped around the real Jawn's ankle. Asher bellowed and yanked.

The monk slid forward, skidding across the dirt.

An uproar flooded the arena as the match point was made. Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" had won.

Jawn clicked his tongue and straightened, shaking his foot to dissipate the lightning. Asher gasped for breath, hyperventilating from both exhaustion and the shock of defeating Jawn. They bowed to each other, then came close for a handshake, gushing over the skill, technique, and raw power they had witnessed in that fight.

## Outcome:

While the tournament was designed to have another duel to decide who would place third, Cornelius feigned a senile moment and left early, conceding the match to Gobin.

After the final round, Gobin ran up to Asher, hopping. "I'm so proud of you," he said, "and so happy, and, and—"

Suddenly, the Halfling morphed into a chittering gopher, the druid's Wildshape activating due to his affection for his friend. Asher chuckled and picked up Gobin, nuzzling him and accepting head bonks.

A few minutes later, the three duelists reentered the arena and stood on the podium. They basked in the adulation and awaited the announcements of their standings and prizes.

In third place, Gobin Glowstep won a pouch containing twenty-five silver, an enviable sum. He cheered and declared it was time to go shopping.

In second place, Jawn Seana received a silver cloak clasp set with an oval, milky-blue stone. He was told that the stone would change colors to milky-green to predict imminent rain, anywhere up to three hours before the downpour.

In first place, Asher was granted a rare Pearl of Power, an extremely useful implement for a mage. He clutched it to his chest and glowed cyan, his crystal shell threatening to emerge with his swelling emotions. He didn't mind, however, beaming up to the stands where his patron, teachers, coworkers, and friends cheered.

The announcer wound up the event and the duelists stepped away. Before leaving, Jawn told Asher that he hoped they would fight again. Asher grinned and said that Jawn was his favourite rival; it would be his honor to spar with such a powerful opponent once more.

## Adventure Rewards:

Pearl of Power for Asher.

Rain-predicting cloak clasp for Jawn.

25 sp for Gobin.