Episode 11: Armaster, Part 4

Fan suggests they spend the early hours of the morning sparring as practice for the Ring of Ruin, and they head to a clearing just outside town. Kika and Ridley bicker. Kika shoots and disables Ridley's arm in one hit. Ridley sits down and sulks. Kika heals him and lets him hit her in return. He shoots a half-hearted, single-bolt *Magic Missile* at her. Fan decides maybe sparring wasn't such a good idea.

The party heads to Blevins Smithy and commissions Arend for a mask based around the *Gold Canaries* name. Arend is excited to be making custom work, and tells them he will try to have it done within the day. Arend also instantly recognises Ridley, but Kika intimidates him into dropping the topic.

The party uses their note from Baldwin to gain access to him at his office, and sign up for the Ring despite sign-ups technically being over. Ridley uses the alias “*Riley Youngwood.”* The party is advised to check the match-up board later in the day for their qualifying match.

The party proceeds to their meeting with Officer Radovan. He takes them to the **Slice of Life** cafe, where he is apparently a regular, and good friends with its owner, **Joan**, a female halfling. He orders “the usual” (a mocha and carrot cake) and recommends the carrot cake, which Fan happily orders. Kika orders chocolate cake, and Ridley orders cheesecake and some sort of ridiculous Starbucks-style drink. Joan fetches all this without a problem. Fan does not like the carrot cake. Ridley notices Fan's expression and switches cakes with her, to her relief.

Radovan exchanges information with Kika, but pauses when he recognizes Ridley. Radovan is not convinced by the “Riley Youngwood” fib. Fan gets half way through telling him the truth - “he's Ridley Eldersto--” - when Ridley and Kika, in unison, exclaim “*noooo!*” and pull her away from the table. She reluctantly agrees not to say anything.

Radovan backs off with the identity questions in exchange for the financial records Kika possesses. Kika also shows him Milla's work, revealing the money laundering. The financial records have the bank name *Focus Financial* on them, and the name of accountant **Melor Trewella**. Kika asks if Radovan could get them a warrant for Focus Financial with this information. Radovan tells her he will try, to meet him at the same location tomorrow, and takes the documents with him as evidence.

Radovan gives them the information in exchange that there is no discrepancy between Firetronics and Goldways in terms of whose teams go missing more often when you go back further than the information the party has. He also gives them the names/addresses of surviving members of teams that only lost one or two members – they were not willing to talk to him, but perhaps the party will have more luck...

The party has a few hours to kill before the Ring matches begin, so they go to talk to the survivors. They go to the residence of **Rhoda Parsons**, the sole survivor of a disappeared team. She seems standoffish, but the party convinces her to talk to them in exchange for their protection. She tells them how the representative of Goldways in charge of communication between their team and the company, **Erika Judd**, came to them and instructed them to throw their next match in exchange for monetary compensation. Her teammates refused, and were disappeared for their disobedience. She was instructed to keep quiet unless she wanted something to happen to her dependent grandfather, with whom she lives. The party expresses confusion as to why throwing a match would help Goldways or Firetronics, but Rhoda explains that interest and enthusiasm really spike when an “underdog” team rises up and becomes the champions – as would sales of the weapons an “underdog” team uses to overcome their disadvantage. Her team were the favorites to win, and certainly not underdogs. She suspects Goldways wanted the opponent, an “underdog” team, to win, despite that team being sponsored by Firetronics.

The party deduces that the two companies are working together to maximize profits using the “underdog” narrative, rigging the tournaments and splitting the profits.

The party checks the match-up board and finds that they are fighting **The Illusions**. They watch a couple matches before their own, one involving the defending champions the **Brazen Bulldogs**, and one involving newcomers the **Night Stalkers**.

The Illusions are a showy team that seems to have spent more time on their costumes than on tactics, and the Canaries make quick work of them. Fan eats up the crowd's cheers: “the Fans!”