Yog'Moi sees how Esh gets done dirty and moves closer to him. Try as he might, the Magambyaan spell keeps him from getting much closer to Esh. Still, the elf is within range, and Yog'Moi has to sacrifice plenty of quality booze to get Hei Feng to fix Esh up.
Hotcha will move and zap three or four enemies at once!
Xin calls out opportunities for his team!
Ice and wind and lightning all slam into me, and then the next thing I know I'm on the ground, with the radiance of a healing spell soaking into my body. That hurt. That hurt way worse than anything I'd felt since... since that f@&%ing dragon. Ugh. I groan and pull myself to my feet, hoping to catch the mage by surprise.
Yog'Moi's healing restores Esh to consciousness. Xin begins shouting orders and inspiring his allies to do great things!
Esh stands up and strikes at Mafika twice, scoring a critical hit and a normal one! The Magaambyan professor conjures a protective shield to blunt some of the damage, but even so, he is badly injured again.
Hotcha moves into the midst of the opposing team and unleashes the wronged monk's wrath! While Hummingbird, Surjit, and Umbasi avoid the worst of it, Mafika is too slow to dodge the full force of the blast. The professor is knocked out cold!
With the team leader down, Umbasi changes their inspiration from defense to offense, giving their teammates a heroic surge of courage! They then cast blink on themself and move away from Hotcha.
Hummingbird casts slow on Hotcha, trying to reduce the sprite's effectivness. Meanwhile, Phuthi casts enlarge on Akila, causing the leopard to grow to an enormous size!
The huge cat attack Esh, scoring a normal hit and a critical one with her claws. The gnome Surjit fires on Esh with his bow, taking him back down with two arrows! He shifts aim to Hotcha, hitting her once.
Hotcha is still at full speed! But she need not move at all.
“I think my light show deserves an encore!”
While Akila and Surjit both fully avoid Hotcha's blast, Boundless Hummingbird takes the full force of it! The gnoll staggers, badly wounded but still standing!
Xin disengages from the giant leopard (possibly drawing an AoO?) and charges at Green.
Stuck inside the tempest, Yog'Moi's screams fail to reach the ears of those who anger him so. He weaves together a spiritual weapon through sheer force of will (and anger) and strikes.
As Boundless Hummingbird reels from Hotcha's blast, Xin rushes in, feints, and drives his blade deep into her gut! The gnoll whimpers and falls to the floor, eliciting a fresh round of cheers from the crowd!
Yog'Moi conjures a spiritual weapon that strikes at Surjit, scoring two critical hits on the gnome! He is badly wounded but still standing.
Without Mafika sustaining them, the punishing winds dissipate. This leaves Yog'Moi free to move, but also open to attack!
Umbasi inspires heroic courage again, then draws their bow to shoot at Yog'Moi, scoring a hit.
Phuthi howls as she changes shape into an whirling air elemental! She darts around behind Yog'Moi and blasts him with a gust of wind!
Akila leaps over Esh and pounces on Yog, but the hobgoblin fends off the giant leopard's strikes!
Finally, Surjit grits his teeth as he darts away from Hotcha and Xin, then fires on Yog'Moi, hitting with a single arrow.
Hotcha activates her wings, flies over ‘Purple’s’ head, and rapidly kicks!
Hotcha's foot connects heavily with Surjit's face, and the gnome falls to the arena floor, unconscious!
"Ha! You'll have to break me before I bend!" The hobgoblin, as ever, spits in the face of adversity and does so with manic fervor. He weaves spell and wrath to heal, protect, and smite.
Xin rushes up to attack the giant cat, not incidentally moving to where his voice can be heard by each of his team mates.
Xin moves in to strike at Akila from behind, scoring a critical hit on the polymorphed halfling. Yog'Moi heals himself and directs his spiritual weapon to strike Akila as well, also landing a critical hit!
Umbasi continues their inspiring chant as they, Phuthi, and Akila all focus on trying to hit Yog'Moi. But it seems like their steam is starting to run out, as none of them are able to hit the hobgoblin!
Thanks to Xin encouraging Hotcha to move, she has the opportunity to show off her restyled outfit. Her handwraps are now long gloves extending to that muscle-bump she’s still working on. Her scarves form a tight wrap over her breasts, layered by a loose wrap. Same with her hip scarf, but with seven loose strands—each ending in a single translucent color. Her resistance earrings are ruby and jade studs, and her swimming ring is a turquoise bellybutton ring!
Hotcha’s loose scarves dangle, making her resemble a rainbow jellyfish. She hopes Yan Fei—being a warrior herself—gets a good look. The moment does not last. She stops her wings and free-falls, scarves lifting, whipping wildly!
“Why did the fairy get the drop on the leopard?”
She lands between Yog’Moi’s feet.
“’Cause the leopard didn’t change her spot!”
With the leopard down, Hotcha looks up to Yog’Moi. “Can you wake up Esh? They can’t beat us with two invisible fighters.”
⏩ The Invisible Trickster disappears!
Akila falls under the might of Hotcha's flurry, coupled with a backstab from Xin! The giant leopard shrinks back to her normal size and reverts to her halfling form as she loses consciousness. Only the gnoll-turned-air elemental Phuthi and the elf Umbasi remain standing!
Somehow Yog'Moi manages to avoid everything and anything the Magambyaans throw at him. He barks out a laugh and weaves together a spell thread that both curses and harms their foe.
Success The target is sickened 1, but if it spends an action to end the condition, it succeeds automatically.
Failure The target is sickened 1.
Critical Failure The target is sickened 2.
A target sickened by this spell takes a –10-foot status penalty to its Speed until it's no longer sickened.
Yog'Moi overstuffs Phuthi before casting her down with negative energy! Xin moves to flank, but fails to capitalize on her predicament, his attack going wide.
Phuthi gets to her feet, attacking Yog'Moi again while Umbasi continues to fire upon him. Both miss with all of their attacks!
The fight continues for a short while longer, but the outcome is inevitable. Soon enough, both Phuthi and Umbasi have been knocked out! The crowd goes wild as Tagada Emmi soars above the arena. "Three Men and a Fairy wins!" she declares.
The arena's healers resuscitate Esh and the Magaambyans. The Speakers to the Winds offer bows and handshakes on a match well fought. "It seems we still have much to learn," Mafika says.
Both teams earn 3,000 gp for fighting in today’s match. The winner of the match earns a high‑grade darkwood shield (either a buckler, shield, or tower shield [winners’ choice]).
You have a little bit of time to rest and recover before the day's exhibition match--the drake race!
Yellow -23, Blue -42
Hotcha flies up and curtsies to Yan Fei. ”Your Majesty, I spent a day working for the Shelynite temple. After our dance, I wanted to again embrace the goddess whose followers raised me.
“They cast magic on my clothing so I bear the seven colors.” Hotcha lands and does a slow twirl for Yan Fei and Lady Qiu, not caring that her wings will lose flight if she takes too long.
She says to the halfling she KO’d, “I too learned the hard way: never transform into a huge animal. Us short girls are much better off fighting in our own petite bodies—underestimated and way better at dodging than a giant leopard or fat pig!”
I wake up gasping, as who I assume are the Abadaran priests finish healing me and back away. I take a minute to focus myself before standing up and looking for my teammates.
"Did we win?" I whisper to the others, before Mafika comes over and answers my question for them. Well good for us.
Physically I feel great, but emotionally I'm not best pleased. I did not expect them to see through my invisibility so easily. I suppose I somewhat did my job, since it doesn't look like the others got too roughed up, but I wish I wouldn't have gone down so quickly.
Wu Xin is standing by as the priests restore Esh. "We did. Did that hurt? It looked like it hurt," Xin teases.
"Come on. Let's go get you some dumplings and beer."
Hotcha says, “Blueberries and blueberry merlot for me! But I’ll drink later. I gotta make up for lost time with Shelyn.”
* * *
After the M.C. ends the day’s events, Hotcha refocuses her Ki by putting on a half-hour street performance!
“Ladies and gents, my one-fairy improv show can’t really compare to the tournament, but I gotta do my nun thing and pay homage to Shelyn, and how boring a Shelynite would I be if I can’t draw an audience? If you play an instrument, feel free to whip it out and make some joyful noise!”
For now, the ‘coins’ on her magically altered dance scarves will start the rhythm, and the melody opens with a jazzy Sylvan praise to Shelyn—
I’m crawling back on my hands and knees
Eager to please
She can read me like a book
Dressed my old habit
With a new look
Heaven knows
I’m a thorn on the side of the Eternal Rose
Hotcha colors her glow red as she refers to Shelyn as the Eternal Rose. Every five minutes, her glow will fade to the next of the seven colors, ending with the fade from indigo to violet. She’ll dance along streets, window sills, tables of outdoor markets and restaurants, and any outstretched arms or permitted laps.
Hotcha’s tribute to Shelyn is to share her talent with as many people as she can!
Hotcha flies up and curtsies to Yan Fei. ”Your Majesty, I spent a day working for the Shelynite temple. After our dance, I wanted to again embrace the goddess whose followers raised me.
“They cast magic on my clothing so I bear the seven colors.” Hotcha lands and does a slow twirl for Yan Fei and Lady Qiu, not caring that her wings will lose flight if she takes too long.
"It is quite the exquisite outfit," Yan Fei says, hiding her grin behind her fan. "Thank you for allowing us to get a closer look at it, Lady Fairy."
***
After recovering from the battle with beer and dancing, you head to Icefang Aerie for the great drake race! The race consists of two heats, with four teams racing in each heat. For your heat, your opponents are the Steps of the Sun, Tino’s Toughest, and the Lightkeepers.
Each team’s goal is to complete a circuit around Goka’s large harbor, starting at Icefang Aerie, circling north around the Guillotine and Heads and then the Isle of Endless Fortune, skirting west around the Xielan Island, then along Shelyn’s Comb and the statues at Xu Hong Bay before returning to the Aerie. The team whose chariot completes the circuit and returns to the finish line first wins. The competitors are free to attack one another, but can’t purposefully harm the drakes (catching a drake in a fireball or similar area spell, for example, is fine, but targeting only the drakes with the fireball is not).
Lady Qiu gives all the teams a brief presentation on how to pilot their chariots, but she assures the competitors that their highly trained drakes will take care of most of the work. Since none of the teams have any experience piloting sky chariots, no one is at a particular advantage or disadvantage.
As you board your chariots and prepare to depart, Tino waves at you from his team's chariot. The Lightkeepers fix you with angry glares.
"It's a beautiful day for a race, folks!" Tagada Emmi shouts, her voice magically amplified to echo across the city. Throngs of people occupy the streets and rooftops to watch the race. "Ready? Three! Two! One! GO!!!"
A character can cast haste or any other spell that quickens the drake or increases their fly Speed to automatically gain 1 Chase Point against any obstacle. Effects that confer the slowed condition, stunned condition, or a Speed penalty cost the affected team 1 Chase Point. A team can gain or lose a maximum of 1 Chase Point from either such effects (meaning that one type of effect essentially cancels out the other). Ranged effects used on other teams generally can’t reach beyond the same obstacle unless they have a range of 1,000 feet or more. Close-range effects, including melee attacks, can be used only against a team at the same obstacle.
Damage: Rather than tracking each racer’s Hit Points, record the amount of damage the player characters deal to each team per turn. For every 50 points of damage a team takes in a single turn, that team loses 1 Chase Point on their next turn (so, for example, a team that takes 70 points of damage on the same turn gains only 1d4+1 Chase Points on their turn, but if they took 100 points of damage they’d gain only 1d4 Chase Points on their next turn, and so on).
Other Teams’ Actions: Each opposing team automatically earns 1d4+2 Chase Points on their turn.
Creatures: Each sky chariot is pulled by four or six drake coursers. Tournament emissaries stationed at each obstacle ensure none of the teams cheat, and Grand Judge Hao Jin waits at the finish line to declare the match’s winner. Crowds of spectators have gathered along Goka’s shoreline to watch the race.
Obstacles: This chase consists of six obstacles. Each obstacle takes place over Goka’s harbor. A team must clear all of the obstacles in order to reach the finish line and win.
SEVEN DRAGONS: Huge metal hoops have been hung along the towers of the Seven Dragons Bridge, through which each team must pass through in order to proceed. Although the hoops have been arranged in a straight line, there is little room for error, and the wind moves the hoops unpredictably.
To my great regret, I am not much in the way of a driver. I make a mental note to apologize to this particular drake and tip it's handler afterwards.
Hotcha’s nimble little arms wrap around the reigns, but… “Drakes are really hard to steer!”
Xin seizes the reins, but remains loose and relaxed as the aerial chariot whizzes through the hoops.
"It's about giving the drake its head," says Xin, "And just a touch of guidance."
Not unlike teammates, he reflects.
While Esh and Hotcha struggle to guide the drakes, Xin has no problems steering the chariot through the first few hoops. Yog'Moi is able to protect the hoops movements based on the wind patterns, and you make more progress through the obstacle.
The Steps of the Sun are neck-and-neck with you. Tino's Toughest are slightly ahead, while the Lightkeepers manage to whiz through the rings and pull ahead to the next obstacle.
Hotcha jumps up and down on one the rail of the chariot, tilting it just enough to get past another hoop!
I sigh in relief as I manage to make it past the first obstacle, praying the whole time that this poor drake isn't too traumatized by my rough handling.
Esh and Hotch guide the drakes through the last few hoops, allowing the chariot to race forward to the next obstacle!
WATERSPOUT GAUNTLET
Magical funnels of water dance around the Heads, the tiny islands along Goka’s northern coast, which the racers must carefully thread in order to proceed.
Yog'Moi tries as he might to get the drake to ride the outer winds. He tugs and pulls at the reigns, hoping to get the drake on the same wave length.
Xin holds the reins loosely, letting the drake get the feel of the wind, but at the precise moment, heels the reins over hard, getting the drake to execute an outside roll, riding the edge of the winds!
Xin helps to steer the chariot as you start to navigate the waterspouts.
Unfortunately, the other teams all pull ahead, blazing through the waterfalls and on toward the next obstacle. You have some catching up to do!
Xin works hard to perfect his timing and give his team an edge!
Hotcha’s little fairy muscle can’t help here.
“To dodge the water, we gotta think small…!”
You quickly work your way past the waterspouts, closing the distance with your opponents.
FIREWORKS DISPLAY
Fireworks explode in mid-air over the extravagant casinos and pleasure palaces on the Isle of Endless Fortunes. The racers must take care to look away from the blinding flares and explosions as they soar over the island.
Yog’Moi helps to anticipate the size of the fireworks to steer clear of them.
The other teams continue their breakneck pace through the fireworks. The Steps of the Sun pull neck and neck with the Lightkeepers, and Tino’s Toughest are right behind them!
Listening carefully to the fireworks, gauging their distance and direction, Xin narrowly threads the obstacle course in the sky.
Hotcha knows how shows work. “Ya gotta spread out the starbursts so they don’t overlap. Aim for that cluster. AAAH! What is this—a grand finale—hurry up and fizzle!”
Hotcha’s guidance helps, but her slight miscalculation halves the drake’s progress.
I hate this. I hate this so much. But a few decades is nothing to an elf, and so my instincts remain reliable. Fireworks in Goka, goblin bombs in Isger, it turns out they're not so different, and I steer the drake through the chaos with a quivering ear and white-knuckled grip.
You deftly dodge the fireworks and continue along the race path!
LEAPING MEGALODONS
The hoops perched on floating platforms are large and easy to fly through, but many of the leaping wild porpoises, whales, and sharks around Xielan Island menace the drakes and their tasty-looking riders.