The Erovast Codex
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active

Compete in the King’s Tourney#

Status#

Active. Cassian, Aldric, Azrith, and Odine Dunmere competed as Cassian’s Crushing Crusaders, won their first Proving Grounds bout, and then completed the Crown Gauntlet obstacle-course bout (started 2026.06.23, finished 2026.07.14)—the first team to clear it in over seven years, per the tourney’s own bookkeeper. The party has now advanced past the Proving Grounds into The Menagerie, a gladiatorial beast-arena tier judged on spectacle, daring, and mastery. Their Menagerie bracket slot, scheduled 5 PM red tent, was bracketed near Kardis Wulfhelm himself (prince and heir of House Wulfhelm)—but the Menagerie pits contestants against released monsters rather than rival champions directly, and the party’s actual opponent was a manticore, freed rather than killed (see below). Aldric was driven to exhaustion level 6 after the King’s Cup drinking tournament on 2026.08.18, putting the bout at serious risk, but was treated down to exhaustion level 1 by 2026.08.25 (see Cure Aldric's Exhaustion, resolved). Sponsored by Duke Tristan Blackwood (House Blackwood) at 8% of prize money; 750 gp advance, four combat items, and a ~1,500 gp Gauntlet victory reward (with more magic items) already delivered. Source: 2026.05.05, 2026.06.02, 2026.06.11, 2026.07.14, 2026.08.11, 2026.08.18, 2026.08.25.

The Crown Gauntlet#

A ~40-foot obstacle tower rising from a mud pit: sloped mud stairs → spinning balance logs → a guarded wall platform → rotating gear-driven platforms → a final guarded platform and bell, which all four party members must reach and ring together. Scored on Cheer Marks (crowd-pleasing successes) and Mud Marks (embarrassing failures)—10 of either triggers a team-wide boon or bane; no lethal force allowed against the four obstacle guards. The party finished with Cheer Marks maxed at 10/10 (a permanent +1d4 to Gauntlet rolls, stacking with Bless) and low Mud Marks, ringing the bell with six seconds left on the clock. Duke Tristan Blackwood watched the win with only a reserved slow clap. Source: 2026.06.23, 2026.07.14.

The Menagerie#

A gladiatorial “fantasy bullfighting” arena tier above the Proving Grounds: captured monsters are released into the ring for champions to fight in front of thousands of spectators. Past creatures advertised on posters include a steel-plated gorgon-bull, a medusa-type monster, and a griffon. Judged on spectacle, daring, and mastery, not just kills, per Holt. Source: 2026.08.11.

Registration Details#

  • Cassian paid the 25 gold group entry fee.
  • Holt entered the team on the “to be watched” shelf.
  • The Proving Grounds can attract scouts and sponsors; a strong showing could lead toward the Grand Stage.

The Proving Grounds Format#

The Proving Grounds is a multi-phase spectacle:

  • Phase 1: Puzzle-like challenges testing ingenuity and teamwork under pressure.
  • Phase 2: Dangerous beast encounters (bears have been observed; no owlbears). The arena is muddy, packed with sawdust and blood, with cheap banners overhead and active betting rings running alongside.

Strong parties get approached by scouts and sponsors immediately after their bout. Weak parties limp out or leave on stretchers. Source: 2026.05.19.

Current Stakes#

The King’s Cup (Ragged Flagon side event)#

Rory’s weekly drinking tournament: escalating-DC Constitution saves against a large field of contestants, with exhaustion accumulating on failures. Aldric won the whole thing on 2026.08.18, outlasting an unnamed dwarf who died on the tournament’s final round (“King’s Mistake”). Reward: 90 gp and an oversized brass drinking mug—but Aldric ended the night at exhaustion level 6. Treated by Father Caldus Vey and rested down to exhaustion level 1 by 2026.08.25. See Cure Aldric's Exhaustion (resolved).

The Menagerie Bout: Manticore#

The party’s Menagerie bout opponent was a manticore, not a rival champion directly—the arena pits contestants against released monsters. Cassian’s Unseen Servant scouted the previous bracket match (four black knights vs. a manticore) before the party walked out to face a fresh one of their own. Source: 2026.08.25.

Resolved unconventionally on 2026.09.08: rather than killing it, Cassian talked the manticore down mid-fight, learned it was a captive held in check by a trebuchet-and-net failsafe rather than a willing combatant, and freed it—flying it to disable the trebuchet and letting it go. The party won the moral outcome but lost the crowd: the arena’s hidden crowd-approval checks failed repeatedly, officials couldn’t agree on a score (one threw his clipboard), the paying crowd largely booed (one heckler shouted “she’s a witch!” at Odine Dunmere), and Duke Tristan Blackwood was seen quietly leaving the box without meeting anyone’s eyes. Peasants watching for free from a cliffside outside the arena cheered the party as heroes instead. See The Freed Manticore. Source: 2026.09.08.

Aftermath (2026.09.15): Aldric torched the arena’s outer tents/banners as a parting smokescreen on the way out. Holt called it the most disrespectful performance he’d seen and warned it could end the party’s tournament run. At the Ragged Flagon, Rory revealed he’d bet against the party and won, but common folk (a half-orc and a dwarf) hailed them as folk heroes for freeing the beast. Duke Blackwood, once alone with the party, privately called the stunt “fucking genius”—the scandal serves as a useful distraction from his other affairs—but warned that mercy will eventually cost lives. Unable to pay them while recouping his gambling losses, he sent the party to Havenport under Captain Garran’s escort to let tensions cool. The whole party reached level 5 as a milestone reward instead. Source: 2026.09.15.

On hold: the party left Everdale by teleportation circle for Havenport on 2026.09.22 to wait for word from Blackwood. Whether they can return to the tourney after the scandal is unknown.

Major Threats Identified#

  • Confirmed Menagerie opponent: Kardis Wulfhelm — prince and heir of House Wulfhelm; one of the house’s best swordsmen. Source: 2026.08.18.
  • Ser Calder Ross — House Wulfhelm’s prized champion; weaponless pugilist fighting with armored gauntlets; confirmed above the Menagerie bracket’s weight class.
  • House Godrin’s champion — Sir Thorin Cassavar, “the Crow”: a nearly 9–10-foot-tall warrior in arcane relic armor and helm wielding an enchanted axe, spotted at White Feather Tor. Source: 2026.08.25.

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