The Erovast Codex

2026.06.23#

Summary#

Late that night at camp, Azrith slipped back into the tent after being away since the prior evening (“meeting with an old friend”—unelaborated). Odine Dunmere found that her Ring of Scorching Ray from Clover Hill didn’t sit right on her hand and couldn’t be attuned; she unequipped it and gave it to Azrith, who took a liking to it as a “Ring of Fire Breath” (a once-per-long-rest dragon-breath effect—likely a custom/homebrew implementation of the ring rather than its original scorching-ray function; the discrepancy is unresolved). Source: Transcript.

A hooded figure then slipped into the tent: Jevon, using the communication stone arrangement to finally meet in person. He is still hunted by House Godrin’s knights during daylight and must stay hidden. He asked whether the party had learned anything about why Godrin took him; they admitted the tourney had consumed their attention, though Cassian reframed their tournament run as a means to climb the ranks and dig into House Godrin from the inside. Jevon offered to help from his cover as an evening armor-and-weapon repairman for tournament knights—gathering information or lending magical assistance where he can. Asked about Maralynn, Jevon said he hasn’t seen her in years and believes she “returned to her people in the Vale.” He left cautiously after confirming Odine still held the stone. Source: Transcript.

During the party’s long rest, Cassian had another recurring dream (content kept private in a whisper channel and not recorded here). Before sleep, an Insight check (18) surfaced a clearer picture of House Godrin’s motives: they compete in the King’s Tourney every year specifically to harvest arcane components, working closely with a dwarven clan in the Vale to obtain mana crystals—the arcane fuel source powering their armada of weapons, armor, and artifacts, and reinforcing their claim to the throne. It was also reconfirmed that the tourney’s grand prize is the King’s Cup together with a deed to the Vale—the reason Godrin and House Wulfhelm fight so hard for it every year (Corwyn wins occasionally; no other house realistically contends). The party theorized, unconfirmed, that Godrin’s interest in Jevon may tie to ransoming him or using him to locate Maralynn. Source: Transcript.

The next morning, the party tried to pry information about House Godrin out of their sponsor’s camp at Clover Hill. A group Investigation check fell short (41 vs. a target of 50); two House Corwyn knights turned them away since Blackwood is merely a Corwyn vassal and the party bore no crest. Cassian’s Friends spell on one knight failed (he saved, rolling a 17 against DC 13, even after Cassian burned his heroic inspiration to force a reroll), and Odine Dunmere’s fake-crying distraction didn’t land either—the knights nearly drew steel before firmly sending the party back to the fair. A follow-up sneak attempt (Investigation 6) found nothing useful. Cassian’s History check (14) turned up a discreet, invitation-only “pleasure house” tent behind the theater near Slug’s cookhouse, reputedly frequented by nobles like Duke Tristan Blackwood at night—flagged as an unexplored lead, but not open yet, so the party pivoted. Source: Transcript.

Instead, the party had breakfast at Slug’s and sought Tristan near the Proving Grounds. Along the way they visited bookkeeper Ulkaf, who confirmed Rory had planned to bet in the party’s favor but flipped to a 25 gp bet against them once he heard they’d chosen the Crown Gauntlet over straight combat. Cassian took the counter-position; the party pooled a 50 gp wager on themselves (Aldric contributing 20 gp of it), earning underdog odds of a 3× payout if they succeeded. Cassian then had Azrith spend the afternoon promoting “Cassian’s Crushing Crusaders” around the fairgrounds—a three-check montage (12, 18, 23) that generated real buzz and noticeably swelled attendance for that evening’s bout. The party found Tristan (Investigation, natural 20) relaxing among fellow nobles near the Proving Grounds; he showed off the nearly-finished Gauntlet tower and, pressed by Cassian for concrete intelligence on House Godrin’s weaknesses, agreed to dig through his House Corwyn contacts—contingent on the party performing well that night. Source: Transcript.

That evening, the party entered the Crown Gauntlet: a roughly 40-foot obstacle tower rising from a mud pit, requiring all four party members to reach the top platform together and ring the bell. The course (mud stairs → spinning balance logs → a guarded wall platform → rotating gear-driven platforms → a final guarded platform and bell) is scored not just on completion but on style, tracked via Cheer Marks (crowd-pleasing successes) and Mud Marks (embarrassing failures)—10 of either triggers a team-wide boon or bane. No lethal force is allowed against the four obstacle guards. A pre-bout hype check (Cassian, Performance + Thaumaturgy, aided by Aldric) landed a mixed 12 with the crowd. Source: Transcript.

In the opening rounds, Odine’s Tasha’s Hideous Laughter dropped the first guard prone and cackling; Azrith’s Bless buffed the party but he slipped hard (natural 1) into the mud on his own crossing. Aldric fought through a shove attempt to reach the first log. Cassian flew past the third guard, used Mage Hand and flight to bypass him physically (catching an ambiguous warning nod from Tristan about relying too much on magic instead of muscle), then landed Phantasmal Force on him—an illusory collapsing platform that sent the guard into a panicked, genuinely damaging 18-foot fall (bloodied). Mid-fight, Cassian tossed Aldric his Chain of the Unbroken (“Catch, my friend!”). Odine followed with Silent Image, conjuring a screeching illusory owlbear that routed the two remaining base guards in fright; Azrith sold the illusion further with a Thaumaturgy sound effect. Source: Transcript.

The session ended with the countdown paused at 8 (of a starting ~10–12), Cheer Marks at 7, Mud Marks at 1, three of four obstacle guards neutralized (one incapacitated, one fled, one bloodied on the ground), and the party grouped on the first spinning log with Cassian aloft near the wall platform. The Gauntlet resumes next session. Source: Transcript.

Open Threads#

  • Crown Gauntlet: In progress, paused at countdown 8, Cheer Marks 7/10, Mud Marks 1/10. Wall-climb, rotating platforms, and the top guard remain ahead.
  • 50 gp party wager (3× payout via Ulkaf) and Cassian’s counter-bet against Rory’s 25 gp bet both hinge on the Gauntlet’s outcome.
  • Duke Tristan Blackwood’s promised intel on House Godrin’s weaknesses is contingent on a strong Gauntlet showing.
  • The “pleasure house” lead near Slug’s cookhouse (a place nobles like Tristan reputedly frequent) remains unexplored.
  • Whether the routed/fallen Gauntlet guards report the party’s illusion-magic use—and whether that costs crowd favor, as Tristan hinted—is unaddressed.
  • Maralynn’s location is still unknown beyond Jevon’s belief she “returned to her people in the Vale.”
  • Cassian’s recurring dream this session occurred off-page (private whisper channel); its content is unrecorded.
  • Azrith’s unexplained overnight absence (“meeting with an old friend”) was never detailed on-transcript.

Linked mentions 17