Eldon took the newly-assembled crew to meet their Resistance contact, a dwarf named Stumpwater Jack, who told them their first assignment: to enter the Mercyra Tournament, being held in a few days, and make sure that Lord Cedric Pallowhen wins the tournament. It seemed that the first prize for the tournament, aside from a lot of money, was a large plot of land which is rich in farming soil (which is why it would be sought after by natives of Mercyra), but is also rich in minerals and metals needed by the Resistance. Lord Cedric had been contacted by the Resistance, and, if he wins the tournament, has promised to allow them access to the land. The crew of Chrysalis would have to enter his entourage and compete in various matches, gaining Lord Cedric tournament points which will help him win the tournament. Jack also told the group that they needed to make sure that Unglar Stronglance, a half-orc competitor who is Lord Cedric's greatest rival, did not win, no matter what happened. He encouraged them to do whatever they felt necessary to ensure this... but not to let Lord Cedric, a law-abiding fellow, know about it.

The group were introduced to Lord Cedric by his herald, a bard named Alarca Min'eer, an offworlder who had been living on Mercyra for quite some time. Lord Cedric sent them off to the smith to get suited up for the competitions. The smith, an attractive woman named Kaite Strongsmith, gave each member of the group their choice of weapons and armor to participate in the competitions.

The day started with Lord Cedric's first jousting match, which he won with flying colors. Then, Archanis and Falin (who had suddenly changed from an elven monk to a human fighter) headed over to the Lists, a no-holds-barred all day melee, in which participants gained gold for defeating opponents. The two made a sizeable amount of money competing against the local toughs. A few of Unglar's men were in the List as well, but Eldon, disguised as a child, did some quick thinking and managed to get one of them hanged for cheating.

After the two had retired from the List, Eldon, trickster that he is, went to Unglar's tent to propose a challenge: the mighty warrior Falin M'or would challenge Unglar Stronglance to a duel. Unglar accepted, and Falin flipped out when he learned of Eldon's ruse. Forced to participate in the duel, Falin fough bravely but was sorely beaten by his far superior opponent. He was taken to the hospital tent, cursing Eldon's name all the while.

TO BE CONTINUED...