Episode 1: Ierendi, The Tournament of Adventurers

"Pipin attacked me!" Anlo yelled back without breaking stride, "And if we can't find the Captain, he's in danger!"

And that's about all Anlo can yell before he's too far away.

Khali rushes to catch up with Anlo.

Anlo and Khali run down the hall into the troupe common room. There is a large hatch on the floor in the back of the room. Anlo pulls it up and both proceed down the steep wooden stairs to a storage area below deck. To the left of the stairs, the storage room also houses a holding cell--that as far as Anlo knows hasn't been used since before he was born and as far as Khali knows hasn't been used since she joined the troupe.

Beyond the cell on the far end of the storage room there is a door that leads to another area under the starboard aft tower. Anlo and Khali know that the area beyond the door is used to store spices, hardtack, salted meats, rum, and wine on shelves in containers and barrels that are designed to keep any critters out.

So...there is no reason why the small window in the door should be glowing an unnatural orange hue like it is!

"Cover me," Anlo will tell Khali as he moves forward, drawing a spike and moving to open the door.

Khali remains at the top of the stairs so that if someone tries to run out she might at least slow that person down and gives her a good position to cover him. If Anlo could see her, he would see a magical set of armor appear on her just below her hooded cape and loose dress. "Careful, Anlo. It could be a distraction!" She should know, she uses the same tactic herself.

Anlo moves to the door at the far end of the room. Khali remains at the top of the stairs in a position to cover him. When he opens the door, Anlo sees the astonishing sight of a fiery portal set into what normally would be a wooden wall in the food storage room under the tower. With the door open, Khali sees the orange glow intensify and cast a fiery light into the cell/storage room.

Through the portal Anlo sees a vast open hall of cold grey stone. Some sort of labyrinth is carved into its floor. And the hin stands at the top of long stairway. He apparently is able to see through the portal too, because when he notices Anlo at the storage room door he darts the remainder of the way up the stairs, throws on his cloak's hood, and vanishes.

Anlo then realizes the portal is gradually closing up. The flaming circle is slowly shrinking and revealing the ordinary wall behind. At the rate is is closing there is probably a minute or so before the portal would be gone.

"Khali, portal!!"

Via the earpiece, Anlo speaks to the others. "Portal in a wall in the food storage room. The hin vanished again, but seems to have gone through. I'm following...

...wish me luck." Anlo's voice has a grim resignation to it.

Anlo will check for blood drops when he reaches the portal, making an educated guess as to if the hin passed through.

Stats
Anlo – Current HP: 48, Temp HP: 0, Superiority Dice: 4/4
Khali – Current HP: 22, Temp HP: 0, Spells Left: (Lvl1 2/4 - Lvl2 2/3), Portent Rolls (4, 10)

Sending Trinkets
Anlo: 3/4
Kahli: 3/4
Khyree: 3/4
Tasya: 4/4
Caspian: 4/4
Ganesh: 4/4
Jin: 3/4

Yes. I just edited the earlier stat post.

Anlo rushes through the portal as it continues to close. He steps out onto a large stone slab. Behind him, the fiery portal sits in the center of a large stone archway. Khali steps through the portal and joins Anlo. In front of them both is a wide stone staircase leading down to a maze of stone platforms. It looks like the receded spaces between the labyrinth of platforms are filled with water. Khali and Anlo are sure they see some creatures swimming there...long serpentine creatures.

Across this large hall is the staircase Anlo saw the hin run up. That staircase as well as the archway it leads to is identical to the one they stand next to now. There is also a similar staircase and arch on the left and the right side of the hall.

The portal continues to diminish.

"Worst decision I've made in years." Anlo notices he has none of his equipmemnt beyond the clothes on his back and a bandolier of throwing spikes (as well as a few extra spikes tucked here and there). With a shake of his head he's on the hin's trail again, running to catch up.

Jin's voice urgently returns, "Another!? There's a portal here in Tasya's dressing room too! She's not here. I'm going in after her!"

"Be careful!" asserts Ringmaster Ganesh. "Caspian, assemble the contestants on our ship!" Stats
Anlo – Current HP: 48, Temp HP: 0, Superiority Dice: 4/4
Khali – Current HP: 22, Temp HP: 0, Spells Left: (Lvl1 2/4 - Lvl2 2/3), Portent Rolls (4, 10)

Sending Trinkets
Anlo: 3/4
Kahli: 3/4
Khyree: 3/4
Tasya: 4/4
Caspian: 4/4
Ganesh: 3/4
Jin: 2/4

Khali watches as Anlo follows the blood trail. She spots an area of the maze, 30 ft away, that seems to be as far from the trail as possible. She focuses on that area and suddenly the sound of a flopping fish becomes quite audible.
'shwap, shwap, shwap!'

Anlo is able to follow the hin's path until he suddenly can't spot any blood droplets because he is attentive to looking for spots of blood to guide his navigation over the maze of stone platforms that rise maybe 4 feet above narrow water-filled canals, in which serpentine creatures swim. (Assuming he did indeed decide to follow the trail of blood.) At some point he cannot spot blood droplets; the hin must’ve stopped and healed himself.

It looks like, to Anlo and Khali, that the stone slabs rising above the water canals are built in segments. This is clearly some sort of elaborate arena challenge. It's likely that choosing to step on a wrong slab would cause shifting or sinking of the stone pathway below the water level.

Khali notices many serpents on the move toward the illusionary sound of the flapping fish.

"Damn it... must have clotted. Or healed. Either way, no blood to follow anymore." Anlo will look behind them, trying to determine anything that might be a pattern or clue to use in hopes of determining the proper path.

"I suspect a potion. The contestants carry all sorts of magical boons. Anyway, my spell only lasts for a minute so we best make haste."