The champion, hat included.
MAPLEWOOD — The 1604 Championship of Maplewood was decided this past Harvest Fest by a combatant whose name this press has been unable to confirm.
The tournament ran twelve entrants through three elimination rounds and a championship bout. The mystery combatant opened by defeating Ferdias, a fighter well known to readers of this paper and its sister publication, then met Valdunar in the semi-final. Valdunar had by then defeated X’Nor, Ferdias in a substitution rematch, and Adroy in succession, and was widely expected to advance. Though Valdunar fought valiantly, he did not reach the final round.
The championship bout paired the newcomer against Janos, who had defeated Albite, Cordon, and Stan on the way to the final. Janos did not prevail. One resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the champion as having “a spunk I haven’t seen in Maplewood in a long time.”
Though the newcomer is listed as “Torbik” in the bracket, Special Investigative Press investigators have found no record of a Torbik in the rolls of any Freelands town, guild, or adventuring party.
The champion wore a hat throughout his stay, which several spectators mentioned unprompted and variously called “fabulous” and “ostentatious.”
Special Investigative will continue to report as information becomes available. Anyone with knowledge of the champion’s identity or origin may contact the paper directly.
The full bracket appears in the sidebar to the right. This press notes that Adroy does not appear in the opening round and that Valdunar fought twice in the quarter-final. The tournament marshal, also Adroy, was not available to explain the bracket’s construction at the time of writing.