06: Fight Night

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## Summary

### Making Promises

Back at the docks, the party is preparing to head for the Snakepit when they are approached by a young girl claiming to be the daughter Mujie never knew he had. She tells him that her mother, Palani, has some sort of Ark sickness, and that she’s heard of a scientist in Lhoam that can fix her. Mujie, remembering Palani and recognizing this girl’s strong resemblance to her, makes no promise to “fix” her mother, but promises to do what he can to help once the party has taken care of business in the Wetlands. The unlikely pair seal the deal with a trade: Mujie’s beltbuckle for Pino’s frog-shaped hair tie.

### The Snakepit

As the elusive Teddy escorts Pino back to the bathhouse, the gang takes off in a skiff for the Snakepit, where the prize for the week is a highly-coveted entry token to the Sabre and a not-insubstantial amount of cash. As Keller drives them deeper into the mangrove forests marking the outskirts of Samsara, the water becomes more and more polluted with trash and dead fauna floating to the surface. A narrow waterway outside the city proper takes them to a stilted arena out in the sticks, where the sounds of a crowd baying for blood emanates louder and louder. After Keller secures the skiff to a small pier among other boats, the party makes their way on a driftwood boardwalk lit by torches to the opening of a thick ring of mangroves.

After paying their dues to the doorwoman and her twin, a bookie, the party enters Bran into a three-round gauntlet with just two rules: no magic, and don’t bore the crowd. An announcer hops onto the pontoon in the center of the arena and kicks off round one, in which Bran easily hacks through a Sahuagin. In round two, he (with some help from Tira) takes on a giant water snake.

### Big Wins

Finally, in round three, the emcee announces local celebrity, Krom: the “King of the Ring” himself, and a somewhat familiar face to the party. On their way back to Lhoam, the gang dispatched his brother Krim, from whom they snagged their first lead on the Ark trade in the form of a token to the Sabre. Despite being a bit of a big deal, he’s no match for Bran, much to the announcer and the crowd’s surprise.

Covered in blood and viscera (minus Mujie’s coat of gleaming), the party collects Bran’s reward and heads back to the mainland to make plans to infiltrate the Sabre.

## Quotes

### *AND NO ONE WAS SURPRISED:*

> “My mama’s name is Palani. She used to work at the bathhouse, but since she’s too sick to work anymore, they let me hand out the towels and they give me food. I heard someone at the bathhouse say there’s an Ark scientist in Lhoam. If anyone can help my mama, it’s gotta be him. And since—since you’re my papa, you’ve gotta help me get to Lhoam!”
>
>

*—Pino*

### *A NEW FAN FAVORITE:*

> “I can’t believe what I’m seeing, folks. Bran has routed all his opposition and won the grand prize! Tonight, we lost a legend, but what a performance from this terrifying newcomer! If you’re like me and you lost a shitload of gold betting against him, dry those tears, ‘cause we’ll be back again next week with a new lineup!”
>
>

*—Snakepit Announcer*

### *THAT'S THE JOKE:*

> “Man, Mujie, where the hell did you meet these people? Prison??”
>
>

*—Keller*