User blog:SatyreyesDM/The Grand Tournament

After returning from Solamnia, Seth tooled around Zaradene for a while, collaborating with Rilla on a magical longsword. His party tracked down a wyvern in order to gather material components for the enchantment ritual, like old times. All seemed well, and Rilla began work on forging the sword. Meanwhile, Seth admired the newly built library annex to his house (thanks to the architectural prowess of Biltz) and began considering whether to join the Alchemists of the Eye or the Alchemists of the Golden Dawn. He also undertook a side quest to his mountain library to retrieve his books, only to find that the mountainside had been reoccupied by an ettin served by a group of kobolds. Seth and the party took out the ettin with the kobolds' help and carted the books and alchemical apparatus back to Zaradene.

At the suggestion of Mayor Chance, Seth then entered the Grand Tournament of Skill, a variant on the Zaradene staple that catered to more experienced adventurers. Seth competed with five other adventurers, of whom the two most memorable were the noble Ergothi barbarian Coronaeus and the reluctantly righteous Morning Dew rogue/cleric Maryam Fulani. Seth was the first to grab the prize at the center but was immediately assailed by a very unimaginary umber hulk. The contestants, their curiosity piqued, followed the umber hulk's tunnel to find a forgotten tomb buried beneath the stone. The brash swordswoman Trina Callas and the silent rogue Gray Wolf disappeared into the tomb ahead of the others.

Upon investigation, Seth learned that this was the tomb of King Clement I, called the Wise. The outer tomb was empty and looted, but the party discovered a secret room full of unexplained human remains. Cautious, they proceeded into a large dark room that could be crossed only by a narrow catwalk. Here they encountered a pit rusalka - the ghost of a concubine of Clement who was buried alive with him. This malevolent ghost led Maryam through a portal that dropped her naked in a prison cell near the entrance. Before the rest of the party could follow, Trina reappeared, clad only in rags, to warn the party about the portal. She had fallen for the trap as well, but fortunately, her prison cell had a hole in the floor that led here. The party quickly rescued Maryam, minus her equipment, and managed to stay one step ahead of the angry pit rusalkas to reach the inner tomb.

In the inner tomb, Seth learned that Clement I was the son of a powerful magic-user of the same name. Seth saw through the fake treasure room left by Clement to deceive robbers and discovered the true tomb, hidden beneath a hatch set into the bottom of a treasure chest. Fighting the pit rusalkas all the way, the party absconded with a trunk of holding full of goodies, then dealt with a reemergent and greedy Gray Wolf; Coronaeus tossed him to the rusalkas, but Seth, wanting to see him brought to justice, fished him out again. The party later returned to the tomb briefly to put the rusalkas to rest by taking their last remains beyond the tomb's gate.

Seth not only won the Grand Tournament but also made an important archaeological find that scholars will study for a generation.