The Erovast Codex

2026.09.15#

Summary#

Picking up mid-scene in the Menagerie, Aldric capped off the party’s chaotic manticore bout by casting Firebolt into the arena’s outer tents and banners as a parting smokescreen, and the party fled through the tunnel amid the judges’ confusion. At the contenders’ tent, Holt was aghast—calling it “the most disrespectful performance” he’d seen in the games and warning that the game makers and noble houses would be furious enough to end the party’s tournament run outright, urging them to leave quickly before anyone could react. Source: Transcript.

At the Ragged Flagon, Rory revealed he’d bet against the party and won, but still poured free drinks (two per head, with Aldric’s new brass King’s Cup mug filled specially) and warned them to watch their backs—“those nobles, they like to play dirty.” Two patrons, a half-orc and a dwarf, praised the spectacle as legendary, singling out the burning banners; the dwarf—revealed to be kin to “Old Ironhide,” the dwarf who died in the King’s Cup—declared the party was becoming folk heroes among the common crowd, even as the nobility fumed. Source: Transcript.

Mid-celebration, Renny Blackwood arrived breathless with an urgent summons from Duke Tristan Blackwood. En route, the party met two new figures: Captain Garran, Blackwood’s stern captain of the guard, who cryptically warned “you wagered and lost, but the duke is wagering his name” and told them to be careful “what you’ve set off”; and Lady Elwyn Blackwood, the duke’s wife, who brushed off Garan’s tension and told them she found the change of pace refreshing. Odine’s Insight check (13) read her as a sharp social operator, distinct from her husband’s more strategic style. Source: Transcript.

Alone with the party, Duke Blackwood’s stern silence broke into open delight: “That was fucking genius.” He admonished them for spending so much of his money but admitted their outcome—“the creature lives, my people live”—served him better than anything he could have planned: the scandal makes the party a perfect distraction, drawing every noble eye away from his other dealings. He warned soberly that mercy will eventually cost lives, and that he expects the party to own the consequences whenever their judgment overrides orders like his. Unable to reward them financially while he recoups his gambling losses, he instead arranged for Captain Garran to escort the party out of the fairgrounds to a town called Havenport to let tensions cool. As they left, Aldric reacted oddly to the name—it’s his own surname, one he’s only ever known from family bedtime stories—prompting a private, undisclosed aside between the GM and Aldric’s player. Source: Transcript.

Back at camp, Odine—newly wary of the camp’s unfamiliar faces after the day’s events—suggested the party start keeping watches or find more secure lodging. Before turning in, Odine reached out to Jevon via her sending stone to let him know where the party was heading; the party recalled that Jevon had since left Everdale for an outpost on the western fringe of the Thornwood Vale, hoping to help distract or mislead the House Godrin scouting party now chasing Odine’s decoy lead. Odine kept first watch herself (Perception 19, a safe night), taking on an extra point of exhaustion for it. The session closed with the whole party reaching level 5—a narrative milestone rather than a loot reward—with Azrith and Aldric both gaining Extra Attack, and Odine advancing to Sorcerer 3 / Warlock 2. Source: Transcript.

Open Threads#

  • Aldric’s surname and Havenport: Duke Blackwood is sending the party to a town called Havenport—the same name as Aldric’s own surname, which he only knows from family bedtime stories. A private GM/player aside was held off-page; the connection is unresolved and likely significant to Aldric’s backstory.
  • Duke Blackwood’s warning: “there will come a day when mercy costs lives”—an implicit test of the party’s judgment going forward.
  • Camp security: Odine’s suggestion to start night watches or relocate to safer lodging was raised but not yet acted on.
  • House Godrin’s scouting party is actively chasing Odine’s decoy lead toward the western Thornwood Vale, where Jevon has gone to help misdirect them—outcome unresolved.
  • The freed manticore’s whereabouts: idly speculated on by the party (mountains?) but unknown; Cassian believes it will find them again if it wants to.
  • Political fallout from the Menagerie stunt: Captain Garran’s warning that the party doesn’t know “what they’ve set off” remains unexplained.

Linked mentions 18