Timeline

Prologue:
The Reisian city of Herwald has fallen to the fourth Contarian Legion, led by Centurion Sérgio Moniz, as the divisions of the sixth Reisian Army, led by Lieutenant General Basil Verplancke, cannot defend the region without the promised reinforcements from Gallia.

Once Herwald has fallen, the surrounding towns begin to surrender, including the nearby town of Benheron. There, Moniz begins taking the surrendered soldiers prisoner, and the “impure” are given a choice between the labor camp at Yeba, or becoming a gladiator in Lady Albin’s arena in Dambeek, the newly appointed capital of the province of West Reisland.

Abibo attempts to injure himself to cause a distraction by using his crowbar, but messes up and loses his crowbar.

Egnacio Wistan believes his chances of survival are greater in Dambeek than Yeba, and chooses to become a gladiator, knowing that the only two endings are championship or death.

A Reisian soldier who has not yet surrendered covers the town hall in oil from lamps and sets it ablaze, killing some Contarian soldiers and causing a moment of panic.

Abibo and Flynn Silver use this time to escape, while Egnacio decides not to, after watching a dragonborn attempt escape and get shot down.

While Flynn hides in a barrel and ditches his Reisian uniform, Abibo gets caught ascending a house, and gets in a brief shootout with two Contarian soldiers, one of which becomes gravely injured.

The fire gets put out and Egnacio is taken into a carriage car to be taken to Dambeek, while Flynn and Abibo blend in with the civilians. Soon after, two unsurrendered Reisian soldiers rescue them and tell them that the Reisian army is setting up a defense at the city of Tennedeux to the east.

Session 1:
Dorborn Yumecan, a rich separatist who supported the Contarian annexation of Reisland, arrives at the city of Tennedeux in elegance, knowing that the gladiatorial combat could increase his wealth greatly. He enters the city, being taken to a hotel room to stay in during the games. He stops in at a pub and gets rather drunk on wine.

Egnacio hears voices telling him to scream while in the carriage cart. He complies, only to realize that it is another strange voice from within his head.

As the retreating soldiers from the Herwald region make it to Tennedeux, dragonborn mercenary Thargar Ixu shares a cigar on the hills with a halfling soldier named Sebastian Deramaut. The two share their stories about how the Contarians had ruined their families and their lives. Thargar tells Sebastian that he will be the one to avenge all the deaths the empire has caused. During the night, General Christoph De Wolf lays out the battle plans for the battle in the city. The Reisians will draw the Contarians into the southwestern corner of the city, and then pull them towards the open center of the city, where the Reisians will rain barrage after barrage of cannonballs upon them.

When day breaks, the Reisians meet the Contarians in the streets of the southwest corner, as planned. After participating in a drawn out fight, Thargar helps in the capture of a Contarian soldier, who begs for mercy. As the battle continues, Thargar manages to acquire a musket and ammunition after attacking two musketeers with acid, but does not know how to correctly use firearms. Thargar eventually notices that the Contarians are attempting to outflank the Reisian main line from the west, and tells the officers at the Reisian front. The Reisians go into a false retreat, leading the Contarians into the middle of the city, where the cannon barrages on the nearby hills begin to rain hell down upon the battle. Thargar attempts to help in the newly formed gunfight in the city center, but realizes he is being rather useless. After gaining a thrown handaxe and getting covered in a fallen soldier’s blood, he retreats up to the hills to see what became of the captured Contarian soldier.

Meanwhile...

A tiefling begins moaning and banging on the walls on the trip to Dambeek. Egnacio begins doing the same, believing her to have a plan. Soon, many of the prisoners are copying her. When the guards pull over and open the door to yell at the prisoners, a dragonborn blasts a guard’s face with fire and attempts to escape. As the burned guard writhes in pain, the prisoners are forced to watch the dragonborn get executed in front of them and his body tossed into a ditch.

Egnacio questions the tiefling and why she began moaning. She claims that she believes that if she tricks the guards into thinking she is sick, she won’t get picked for gladiatorial combat, giving her a chance to escape. Egnacio calls her selfish for getting the dragonborn killed. She does not argue, claiming that everyone in the car is selfish, for they all wish to kill each other for the championship. Another tiefling agrees with Egnacio, and introduces himself as Valdur.

Meanwhile, a hung-over Dorborn is called down to the old auditorium for a meeting with the other rich and powerful gamblers. On his way there, he finds a magical tree that generates mobile light that one can take with them wherever they choose, left over from the magical age. At the tree, he meets fellow gambler Harri Barnetche, a charismatic half elf who promises Dorborn great things for those who gain the respect of Lady Albin.

At the presentation, Dorborn is given bread by an enslaved halfling, whom he dubs ‘small one.’

Lady Albin comes out and gives a speech about the glory of the arena, and the wealth that awaits those who place their bets well. Dorborn finds her very beautiful, yet is scared by her at the same time.

Albin introduces her one current champion, a tiefling named Friedrich, who Dorborn notes looks very dead inside.

The meeting concludes and Dorborn leaves to explore the city.

Later, the carts of prisoners arrive at Dambeek, and they are chained together at the legs and led into the arena, where Lady Albin has allowed the gamblers to get a good look at the gladiators. Dorborn notes a muscular half-orc, a small, scarred tiefling, and a silver dragonborn (Egnacio), who attempts to make himself look better, but only trips on the chains and falls.

The prisoners are brought to cells that border the arena itself and given stale bread and water, while the gamblers are brought inside the city hall for dinner. There, Dorborn makes a toast to Lady Albin and the glory of Reisland joining Contaria, which is met by the other gamblers.

Dorborn asks to go out and look at the prisoners again. Albin grants him this, and Dorborn and a guard go out to see the prisoners.

Dorborn approaches the muscular half-orc, who wants nothing to do with him. The half-orc spits at his feet and says he’s winning for himself and only himself, regardless on who bets on him.

Dorborn has better luck with the scarred tiefling, who is meditating. He introduces himself as Glen and tells Dorborn that no matter what happens, he will survive. Dorborn gives Glen a small bit of bread he smuggled out.

Next, Dorborn meets Egnacio, who changes his mind about Egnacio’s ability to win. Dorborn says he may bet on Egnacio due to his courage, and also gives him bread.

The moaning tiefling from earlier then gets Dorborn and the guard’s attention. Egnacio tells them that she is a fake and got a fellow prisoner killed. The guard questions the tiefling, who tells her captors that she is pregnant. While Dorborn seems a little taken aback by this, the guard laughs her off and says that even if she isn’t lying, she won’t live to give birth.

Dorborn leaves with the guard, and the session ends.

Session 2:
Thargar makes his way up the hill to the cannons firing down upon the city beneath. There, he intends to interrogate the captured Contarian soldier. When the soldier does not tell him what he wants to hear, Thargar kills him with his handaxe, prompting the other prisoners to become hostile to him.

A Reisian lieutenant orders Thargar to be arrested for insubordination and killing a POW, but before Thargar can be arrested, a right flank of the Contarian army rushes the cannons from the forest, creating chaos. Thargar escapes the Reisian officer and participates in the battle, fighting alongside an elven soldier. After losing his musket but gaining a pistol, Thargar is captured after barely escaping a cavalryman.

Thargar is given the option to become a gladiator in Lady Albin’s arena, or be sent to a labor camp. He choses gladiatorial combat, and is tied up and stripped of his weapons. As two Contarian soldiers (one of which is named Tullio) tease and torment the captured Thargar, the Reisian line of cannons fires upon the crowd, creating an opportunity for Thargar to escape. Tullio chases Thargar, who runs towards the forest, avoiding enemies and cannonfire.

Upon reaching the forest, Thargar is still chased by Tullio and a musketeer, who pursue him deep into the forest, nearly catching him. Thargar manages to lose them by sinking into a small bog and hiding in the mud. There, he passes out.

Meanwhile…

While Dorborn leaves the arena and gets drunk on fine wine, Egnacio attempts to get a good night’s rest. However, a voice calls out his name from within the cell. Egnacio then finds himself in a strange hedge maze with a well at the end of a path. A bony hand reaches out of the well and his name is called out again. He awakes in the morning suddenly, not even remembering falling asleep.

The next day, the fights are announced. Dorborn awakes without a hangover and prepares to gamble on the fighters. He places his bets and attempts to suck up to Lady Albin with a gift of wine, but she declines for some reason. Dorborn, insulted, returns to the stands and sits next to Harri, wondering why she declined the gift.

The first fight is between Romeo and Elmer. Romeo wins, killing Elmer.

The second fight is between Ivar (the rude half orc) and Jef. Ivar brutally kills Jef.

The third fight is between Egnacio and two fiendish giant spiders. Egnacio kills the first one with ease but nearly dies to the second one.

The fourth and final fight pits Olivia (the moaning tiefling) and Jeanne against four Hyenas. Olivia nearly dies but Jeanne saves her at every turn.

Dorborn wins every bet but the fourth, gaining 125 Contarian gold. Egnacio returns to his cell, barely alive.

Session 3:
After gaining his winnings, Dorborn retires with Harri to the hall, where the rich are partying once again. While the guests party, Lady Albin sits at the front of the room, not engaging, with Friedrich by her side.

Harri spots someone he knows, and introduces Dorborn to him. The man’s name is Rubèn Sedo, an old businessman with many ties. Rubèn tells Dorborn he knew his father, and hopes that the same fate does not befall Dorborn.

He offhandedly mentions that Lady Albin is acting strange, and suspects she may be up to something. She did not accept many gifts that were given to her, such as a very expensive cheese given by another guest, an elven woman named Cécilia Allemand.

When Dorborn tells Rubèn and Harri about how Lady Albin turned down his gift as well, and seems to have her own agenda in mind, Rubèn lets the two in on a theory of his.

Rubèn knows that Albin is smart, and it was her intelligence that got her the position of Lady of West Riesland through the Contarian Senate and the Emperor.

He then recounts a story of a man who was going to be imprisoned for fraud in the San Terramia region of Contaria, but he wished for a trial by combat, which was allowed under San Terramia law. The judges, who wanted him dead, gave him an opponent who was very hard to beat. The man won his freedom, and then disappeared. He reappeared two years later as the owner of a Contarian-backed bank in a far-Western region of former Halkish lands that Contaria had annexed.

Rubèn then reveals that Lady Albin, while new to politics, was involved in the case, and was the one who had given the man the idea to try to fight for his combat.

Rubèn then concludes that the Game of Champions is a front, and the gamblers are the real gladiators, and that she is looking for someone to fill a position she has open. Whoever can win the most money, is the one that will gain this position. The refusal of gifts and other such strange behavior, is all part of a test.

Dorborn later pays a string quartet to play a song he has, and proposes a toast to good health and luck to all the other competitors. He is met with a mix of friendly faces and glares.

A male prostitute then approaches the three guests and attempts to seduce them. Harri notes that while his face is dirty, his clothes are clean, and suspects that someone dressed him up for this. The table refuses his offer and tells him to leave. The prostitute leaves in a huff, and Dorborn throws a cup of wine at the back of his head, telling him to go back to whoever paid him to come there.

The doors to the hall are then opened from the halfling servant Dorbon once dubbed “small one,” and three mysterious well-dressed men enter the room. They go directly to Lady Albin, and talk in hushed whispers. She then follows them out of the room, Friedrich in tow.

Dorborn calls the halfling over, and Rubèn trips him while he walks over, spilling the platter of grapes the servant was carrying. The room laughs at the servant, including Dorborn, who then slides him a gold piece for his troubles and tells him to get a new job. The halfling thanks him and begins explaining how he has no freedom as an indentured servant, but Dorborn shuts him down with a blunt “I don’t care” and shoos the halfling away.

Meanwhile…

The gladiators are let out of their cells and taken to a nearby courtyard to train. They are told not to touch each other, or they will be shot by the many armed guards on the courtyard walls. Egnacio meets up with Valdur again, and while training with an axe, tells Valdur he thinks Olivia is faking her pregnancy to try and get sympathy. Valdur does not agree nor disagree with this, and says that it makes sense if someone were to do that, as anything could be worth trying if you really wanted to escape.

The two see Jeanne teaching Olivia how to protect herself with a shield, and Egnacio flips off Olivia, who returns the gesture.

After finishing up his training with the axe, Egnacio sees Ivar meditating, and recalls his brutality in the arena earlier that day. He concocts an idea to remove Ivar entirely by provoking Ivar into touching him, so that the guards would shoot him.

The plan nearly succeeds after Egnacio insults Ivar very disrespectfully, but Ivar stays his hand. He explains not to interrupt his meditation again, or he will hold nothing back in the arena if they are to fight. He says his meditation keeps him in tune with the heartbeat of the world and nature, and lets him control his rage and pulverize his enemies.

Egnacio, now even more determined that Ivar is a threat and needs to be killed, asks Valdur if he knows if any of the other fighters would be as dangerous as Ivar. Valdur says that the scarred tiefling, Glen, was captured along with him during the Battle of Lenderijk, yet fought using martial arts. Valdur says Glen is obviously very well trained and is just as dangerous as Ivar.

Egnacio attempts to convince Glen to attack Ivar in order to remove him from the competition. However, Glen sees right through this and says that if Egnacio is so worried, that he should kill Ivar himself.

Returning to Valdur, Egnacio discovers that Valdur is talking to Jeanne about why she helps Olivia. Egnacio overhears Jeanne’s story.

Jeanne’s mother was made a servant when she was younger, and she and the other female servants were horribly abused both physically and sexually. When Jeanne’s mother was made pregnant by one of the slavers, she initially did not want the child. However, after seeing a woman who was also with child get killed by a slaver dropping a heavy rock on her body, killing the baby, she decided to protect the child within her.

Jeanne says that if she let Olivia’s child die, she would never be able to live it down, knowing her mother watched her from above, disappointed.

Egnacio pipes up, saying that if Jeanne keeps protecting Olivia but wants any chance of surviving the arena, she would eventually have to kill her. Jeanne tells him that not all problems must be solved with blood.

Valdur and Egnacio then have a conversation about if Jeanne is getting tricked by Olivia or not. Valdur says that he hopes Jeanne is right and not all problems must be solved with blood, or perhaps he and Egnacio would end up as opponents.

As the prisoners begin to get filed out of the courtyard by the guards, two of the well-dressed men from earlier escort a bronze dragonborn out of the line, who seems relieved to be free of Dambeek Arena, and taunts the still-imprisoned gladiators.

Later that night, Dorborn returns to his hotel room. As he turns the corner into the dark hallway, he sees one of the lights from the magic tree quickly vanish. Dorborn goes to investigate, but cannot find anything. He returns to his room, and attempts to build a weapon out of a wine bottle. A voice from within the room then says his name, causing him to throw the wine bottle against the dresser.

He then is transported to the same hedge maze dimension as Egnacio was earlier. He finds a body hanging from a tree. He attempts to cut the body down, but the body dissolves into ash upon hitting the ground. He then sees a young boy down one of the paths run away, and a pale creature begins crawling out of the ash pile.

A voice then calls out Egnacio’s name, and then Dorborn’s. It then calls Dorborn Capricorn, and then tells Dorborn to find Egnacio and others like him, and then to find her.

Dorborn awakes in his bed.