Kickflips in the Castle

Our heroes are in Burnfort, but so are 39 other teams of heroes. How will they stand out? Will they make friends, or enemies? How does marble affect the traction of a skateboard? Find out with us.

Summary
Twenty days have passed since the Meats’n’More crew was asked to supply food for Fall Fest. Sixteen days have passed since Troutbeck burned. Ten days have passed since they departed on the boat as Team Langdale, headed to Burnfort to compete in the Heroes Gauntlet. The team already bid their farewells to Phibi, who did not exit the boat with them and instead left to apprentice with Lavinia.

First Arrival
The team is already intimidated by the luxury of a city such as Burnfort, the capital of Caerleon. Their team manager Scottie leads them up cliff through the imperial crest district, the wealthiest part of the city, and into the castle. Zil makes note of the hedge maze that Arthur told them about, alluding to its mystery and potential danger. Scottie hands them some cheat sheets of “Helpful Burnfort Tips” before they go through the castle doors, giving them a rundown of how the beginning of the competition will go. She tells them that the first night will host a dinner for all of the teams, and they will retire later to tents in preparation for the first challenge the next day. Team Langdale is one of 40 teams, representing the 36 Caerleon provinces and four outlying territories. Scottie stresses a bit over their lack of a fourth after Phibi’s departure, but reluctantly offers them a letter with a possible solution which reads: "My Dearest Ladies,""The Earl relayed to me the plight of your team, at the tourney, this afternoon at tea. Of course it was only natural that he approach me first to fill the leadership void, and I immediately volunteered. I am making all haste to Burnfort, where I shall lead us to victory.""Yours in Faith, Strength, and Wisdom,""Ignatious Bellweather"

Meet 'n' Greet
The whole team is unenthusiastic about the prospect of Ignatious joining them in the tournament, and Scottie relays that she is doing her best to find a different replacement before his arrival. She assures them she will find them a substitute soon and gives them a few other pointers and refreshers on proper etiquette before heading off.

The castle is surrounded on all sides by a marble wall that ends at the cliff face. The iridescent marble reflects an ethereal light across the city when the sun hits it. On the nearby neighboring cliffs they can see other districts of the city, including some more distant ruins. In the entry hall they see the other teams milling around a wine mixer to meet their competitors. Griana quietly approaches Sunhome, a group of four gnomes in monks’ garb (whispering “gnomaste”). They are the second team on the list, having won the gauntlet two years prior. One of the Sunhome members offers a bit of advice, saying that 16 of the 40 teams will be going home after the first challenge. Langdale makes their way to grab some wine and meet other teams. A team of elves eye them skeptically as Zil tries to pass off the wine they were offered; Griana retaliates with a loud and pointed sip. A bit bored and nervous in such a prestige setting, Zil tries and tragically fails to do a kickflip. Kai manages to save the wine glasses from shattering on the ground, but unfortunately many nearby teams exchange eye contact and take note of how out-of-place the Langdale team is.

Griana tries to recover by approaching another misfit team, four half-orcs from Septice who seem very uncomfortable. Kai and Zil go up to the Ontillion team, a group of older human women who are entranced by how “unique” Kai looks. They skirt the issue of where their fourth team member is by gabbing about the eight course meal the evening offers. Griana is delighted to meet so many half-orcs, not knowing many in her time growing up in Troutbeck. The team consists of Roshan, Gjina, Marjiani, Xjomari. Griana is flustered both from how little she knows about her half-orc lineage and how cute she thinks Xjomari is. He says Septice does not normally participate in the gauntlet, so he has very little to offer by way of advice, but Griana is hopeful that their teams can remain allies. A bell chimes as Griana re-joins Kai and Zil, summoning the teams to dinner.

Fight Well
In the hall, Zil tries to sit them near whichever team “looks the least like an asshole.” They spot a group of two humans, an elf, and a gnome, all with dreadlocks and bell-bottomed leathers. (Some stoic men, Team Joyside, sit on the other side of them but only quietly eat their dinner without interacting.) One of the humans introduces herself and the other human as Calliope and Lorelei, from Sprouting. Calliope is very complimentary, especially of Kai having never met an earth genasi before. They appreciate but decline the offer to party in Langdale’s tent later. After a few courses, Queen Zoleri and her associated nobility enter the hall. Langdale takes their cue from the rest of the crowd to stand and remove any head coverings, waiting to sit after the Queen takes her seat. The Queen raises her glass in a toast: “To another year of some of the most fantastic people from our great nation. Fight well tomorrow, and if you are wise at all, don’t be afraid to trace your steps. Fight well!” The dinner concludes and they retire to their tent for the evening, at some point in the night being interviewed by some journalists but remembering very little the next morning.

The next morning on their way to the first gauntlet challenge, they find Scottie arguing with Mavis Maymont, who looks much healthier after her almost deadly run-in with snakes on the boat to Burnfort. Mavis is insisting that she will stay in the city and be Team Langdale’s fourth, looking to the rest of the team to lie and say they had agreed upon this beforehand as a surprise. Scottie acquiesces and transitions to telling them about their first challenge, the hedge maze. Teams enter the maze in groups of five; the bottom two in each group of five will be eliminated, leaving only 24 teams left after the first day. Mavis rejoices when Scottie goes off on her way, but the rest of the team tries to keep her in check and keep her focused on the importance of the challenge. They await their turn, and after an elaborate preface from a game announcer, the four of them enter the maze.