Tavern Brawls S03W05

Abacus examined their leather-bound Book of Profits and surveyed the calculations gleefully.  The clever Abacus then spoke, “We are winning, just like two enchanted garrotes across the throats of Thandar.  But still, winning and profiteering isn’t everything.”

Arwen froze.  He had never heard his friend speak in such a blasphemous manner before. Uncertain where this conversation was headed, he softly mouthed the words “go on,” then waited for the explanation of the inscrutable.

Abacus realized he had gone too far and course-corrected, “I meant to say, winning and profiteering without control isn’t the professional manner for a Silent Syndicate operation.  Even if we strike it rich and make a go of it on our own, become true crimelords of Thandar, we will never get the chance if we don’t unravel the mysteries around the Tavern Brawls.” 

Abacus let the power of his words ring out for a moment, then he returned to his messaging, “Last week, I got lucky and discovered the true identity of the BrawlMaster.  It was a close call, but let’s just say in exchange for my silence, the BrawlMaster and the Barkeeper made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  Going forward,  we should keep all communications routed through their assistant Gerard. It looks like Wishard the Protector and his son are planning on keeping a low profile until the season end of Tavern Brawls. We will keep his identity secret as long as it suits our plans.”

Arwen paused a beat, then interjected, “Speaking of Gerard, he came to me a few days ago with a curious report.  It seems he spotted a back alley deal between the rogue Jaemyra and the mysterious ranger known as Van Helsing.  Curiously, she traded a set of used Ranger adventuring gear for a treasure map. I took matters into my own hands and decided to neutralize Jaemyra.  I put her in touch with the Chronic Witch.  A few magical trips and some mushrooms courtesy of the Stoned Alchemists will turn her brain into a heavy fog; she won’t be snooping around the Turtle much longer. Unfortunately, our agents haven’t been able to get close to Van Helsing.  He brags about raiding vampiric mausoleums. Either he is a brilliant hunter or as mad as a hatter.”

Abacus smiled, then looked to his friend, “Well played, neutralizing one of the wild cards. I will call in some favors tomorrow from the local street thugs and prepare a kidnapping or robbery of Van Helsing. We need to see what is inside the pack of Sterling’s Ranger gear in case there is some connection between Van Helsing and the series of accidents we keep having at the Tipsy Turtle. Don’t forget, before Sterling went missing, she was attempting to sell materials and documents she pilfered from an ad hoc raid on the Commissar’s compound. We need to know who is plotting against the BrawlMaster and the Commissar. Time is getting short.”

At the end of the regular season, the Rangers are within a few percentage points of the class-leading Fighters, who are now hovering just under 60% win rates. As we enter the Semi-Finals week, Division A has a special all-Hero face-off, with the upstart Hero Cool battling the Season 2 runner-up, Heroes of the Damned.  While in Division B, it is Tropic Thandar battling the mysterious Guess Congress. Stay tuned, Brawl fans, since we are just a week away from crowing a new team champion!