Imperial City Arc

## The Pageant of Champions

The Pageant of Champions is a huge, pompous ordeal. It is a multi-staged tournament of both social and martial talent. All the big nobles from The Upper Ring come down for it, all the best merchants from the Middle Ring go to it, but because of that it’s LOADED with security. Imperial staff everywhere, golems posted all over, etc. It happens once a year to parade around the continent’s champions.

The prize is a gold trophy (worth about 1k) and the sheer glory/reputation of winning. Additionally, winners of the Pageant achieve a great level of societal renowned. Fan clubs quickly form in deference to the winners , epic ballads are written in their honor, they never have to worry about finding work again.

The judges are usually the most important public figures in attendance. This year the judges are Kevin Dandleton (beloved and famous zoologist/botanist, and one of the only legally immigrated foreigners), Noriko (nation’s most famous singer singer, sort of an opera singer), The Ma’al Twins (owners of the Red Thread Trading Company), and the emperor’s son (about 14 years old, seems a polite and kinda fragile dude).

### Battle Phase

In this phase, champions must physically fight each other with whatever resources they bring into the ring with them.

**Round 1: Kai'El (Quora in disguise) vs. Cass'theer**

Quora opened the match by quickly slashing Cass'theer, a plain and uncharismatic man despite being a powerful spellcaster, with her rapier and doing a fair bit of damage. Cass'theer, shocked by the sudden and impressive amount of damage, summoned a Wall of Fire to create some space between them and trap his oppenent on the edge of the stage. Secretly using Absorb Elements on herself, Quora jumped through the wall and aggressively forced Cass'theer into the opposite corner with another attack. Cass'theer then attempted to summon Bigby's Hand in attempts to slap Quora out of the ring, but having experience fighting mages, Quora was able to pull of an attack of opportunity as he began casting and swiftly knocked him out, winning the match.

**Round 2: Art Dench v. Torot**

With an amazing opening, Torot, a formidable mountain dwarf berserker, critically wounds Art with her great sword. Changing tactics, Art attempts to grapple but fails. Desperately, he envokes Menacing Attack and Torot becomes frightened and trapped in the corner of the elevated stage. Art grapples her again and flings his opponent off the stage and winning by ring out.

**Round 3: Tinat vs. Dragma (Dagmar's stage name)**

After several turns of artfully dodging and landing a few punches on Tinat, a human paladin, Dagmar eventually takes a fair amount of damage from their opponent's attacks. As Tinat raises her sword yet again, she asks, "Do you yield?" Dagmar responds enthusiastically, "Yep!" and the audience erupts in laughter at Dagmar's cheery defeat. The two contestants high five each other and the match ends.

**Round 4: Gigs vs. Venn**

After attempting a dastardly trick to evoke mercy from Gigs by using a baby snake, Venn falls to Gigs druidic powers.

**Subsequent Brackets**

After several nail-biting and very close battle, Quora emerges victorious. Gigs nearly reveals Quora's disguise and their deception but decides against it at the last second. Quora quickly switches places with the real Kai'El and converses with the party, revealing that she simply needed the funds and doesn't care about the trophy.

### After the Pageant

Letting Sleeve "win" the trophy from her in an arm wrestling contest, she gives him the trophy and Gigs donates 1500gp to her. They all return to the inn the party was staying in and, after bumping into Kirik Ma'al, the party turns in for the night. Shesra appears to them and chastises them for their tricks but ultimately says they can try again next year.

## The Search for Magdar

The next morning, the gang accompanies Gigs to the First Company infirmary in the sewers where she proceeds to help those she can with her healing magic. They then visit T'Noorat, the information broker who works out of the Blind Man's Whale, and he informs them of a Company plot to catch Magdar. The party learns that the Adder has set in motion a plot to assassinate Magdar. The entry funds from the Pageant of Campions will be transferred from the Dome of Delights vault to a bank in the Upper Ring. The Company leaked this information into the Lower Ring to lure Magdar out, ambush, and capture or kill Magdar.

Later that night, the party hatches a plan to find Magdar. Gigs transforms herself and Dagmar into ravens and Quora joins them through Chainsaw. They fly through the city, following Dagmar's whims, and eventually encounter two alley cats running around in the Lower Ring. After conversing with them, they realize the cats know Magdar and they follow them back to a ramshackle inn.

After befriending the proprietor of the deteriorating inn, an elderly woman named Dolores Fruit, and the approximately thirty cats that live there, Dagmar, Gigs, and Quora finally meet Magdar. They learn that Magdar is an exact copy of Dagmar and they share all the same memories up until Magdar woke up on a beach (presumably at the same time Dagmar did).

Dagmar has a very enlightening conversation with the clone, who appears to be made out of pure magic, about trouble, shenanigans, and the consequences of actions. Magdar resolves to stop stealing because it causes trouble for others.