The Name of the Game

## **Synopsis**

In Chapter 53: The Name of the Game, the door to the hidden room in the Bokori house slid open to reveal a small closet of treasures – which prompted a pleased and relieved response from Arzu himself.  He was willing and ready to hand out our reward, which included a Gentle Void favor in lieu of the horse armor (because you never know when you might need to wiggle your way out of a tight spot).

With this matter put to rest, we returned to Crespo's – but when Erland noticed the potion merchant Neelam had tied up his horse and wagon around back, he had the overwhelming urge to try and get a peek at his wares.  Believing it was possible there were Myconid products in play here, Safira agreed to join him – but with the chests tied down tight it was a tall order to remove them without making noise.  A guard who had been paid to keep watch caught her in the act, and though we were able to defuse the situation – we didn't gain any additional knowledge about the contents of Neelam's tinctures.

The inside of the tavern was uncharacteristically quiet, and the owner informed us that the reason was due to an event being held at Bobby Tierney's farm – a kind of tournament that was both a drinking game and a test of strength.  That in and of itself piqued the interest of Orba and Beezaura, but the cherry on top was hearing the name of the reigning champion – a name that seemed frequently in the background of our travels but never fully revealing itself: Booraj.

Graven preached caution, but it was settled that we would check in on the festivities as we had no concrete plans for the evening.  With just one foot out the door, however, a city guard of Tuktu arrived escorting a man that Erland believed to be the healer Ja Haughten – so he vowed to catch up after learning what he could.

There were a few tense moments as Erland stalled for time and pleaded for privacy – knowing that there was no patient to direct them to nor an obvious person to trust.  Deciding that the only move left to make was a bold one, Erland tried to slam the door to the rented shed and reveal his condition through the use of one of his more subtle septic powers.  The guard thwarted the attempt to lock her out, but Mr. Haughten's demeanor changed and it was obvious he had something he wanted to say.

After dropping Vaclav Foyle's name, Ja feigned knowledge of his whereabouts and led the group on a wild goose chase through the streets of the 4th precinct.  After a few tights turns and back alleys, Ja was able to speak to Erland one on one – and he raised his concerns about the fate of those with certain symptoms who had popped up in Tuktu.  He also taught Erland a series of breathing exercises that he believed – combined with Erland's discipline of mind and body – would give him better control over his unusual powers.

Over at the Tierney property, the main event was just beginning – and we arrived just in time to throw our hats in the ring for a chance at winning the Tankard's Cup.  A course had been laid out with a series of reinforced barrels – and the object was to throw a heavy stone into each barrel while downing a full ale following each success.  In our first matchup, Graven prevailed by the skin of his teeth over the impressive Hertha Cropper – perhaps aided by some unsportsmanlike behavior that went mostly unnoticed.  The next group was barely a contest as Beezaura cruised to victory with a number of outstanding throws, setting up a promising finale where Booraj would defend his crown.

As far as he could tell, this older man with a stomach of steel was not someone Graven recognized – but there had to be more to the story of this name.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: three natural ones were rolled in this Chapter. 1 each by John, Jordan, and Riley.