The so-called Tournament is a grand quadrennial event held in Waterdeep, featuring multiple contests where warriors, bards, and mages from across the Sword Coast gather to showcase their talents.
In 1486 DR, the halfling Simon Sack-of-Potatoes sought the help of the Seekers after discovering a cryptic note stating that someone named Felix had to die during the tournament.
Through investigation, the party uncovered a conspiracy orchestrated by the Margasters to manipulate public perception — a plot designed to make Sir Egan appear as a hero of the people and an ideal puppet for the family’s political ambitions.
Felix, it turned out, was not a person but a powerful arcane construct built by the mercenary dwarven clan Hexhammer Clan. It had been programmed to attack the tournament so that Sir Egan, wielding rust monster antenna swords, could theatrically “defeat” it before the crowd.
Tournament Events (1486 DR)
🏹 The Archery Contest
A classic archery competition consisting of an elimination round followed by one-on-one duels to test accuracy and composure.
Winner: Zenvalros
🎵 The Clash of Poets
A musical and performance-based contest featuring:
- A singing elimination round.
- A talent showcase finale.
Winner: Solomon
Notable Incident:
One participant, Connor Lycanmor, was possessed by Ulgyr and proceeded to defile the stage. He was promptly jailed for a day.
🐎 The Horse Race
A sprawling obstacle course with dozens of contestants.
Winner: Red, who ingeniously used Connor (in his bear form) as his mount.
Notable Incident:
Red was nearly deceived by a tiefling named Ammon-Hesh into feeding his “mount” a suspicious speed potion.
✨ The Spellcasting Contest
- Round one: display of raw destructive magical power.
- Round two: one-on-one duels to determine the champion.
Winner: Diz Iberon apprentice of Elminster, who participated solely for the prize money.
He later gifted a mysterious magical cube to Solomon, who placed second after using Suggestion on Willow.
🍳 The Cooking Show
A culinary challenge where two teams were tasked with creating the best dish possible using particularly unpleasant ingredients.
Host: Pierre Fierren, the famed inventor of pizza.
Judges:
- Goredawn Ramsay — ruthless but renowned chef.
- Lerime Essagal — elven culinary critic.
- Gimble Jimblebottom — gnomish gourmand.
Winning Team: Connor, Nog, and Morrigan, who impressed the judges with a soufflé made from a Nothic’s eye.
Losing Team: Solomon, Willow, and Simon Sack-of-Potatoes, whose basilisk-heart dish nearly choked Gimble to death.
🥧 The Pie Eating Contest
A light-hearted (and gluttonous) event where most participants joined for the free food.
Winner: Nog Buzzkiller
🏇 The Joust
The first phase required participants to capture their own mounts from the surrounding fields.
Highlights:
- Both Nog and Connor coincidentally captured camels
- Connor’s camel proved to be a bloodthirsty beast, while Nog’s camel claimed Connor’s had killed its parents.
- The ensuing camel vendetta ended with Connor’s victory, though his mount nearly killed Nog’s
⚔️ The Grand Tournament
A prestigious one-on-one dueling competition concluding the event.
Final Duel: Willow vs Nog
Winner: Willow, by a narrow of margins.
💥 The Battle Royale
An all-out melee featuring nearly a hundred participants.
The match was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of Felix, the arcane construct built by the Hexhammer Clan.
It was “defeated” by Sir Egan in a staged battle — a moment that ultimately led to the revelation of the Margasters’ scheme and their downfall.