Adventuring Academy: Session 0
General Summary
Adventuring Academy: 21-01-2026
In the city of Theras--the magnificent capital of the Kingdom of Theresia--a grand palatial structure stands proudly against the backdrop of the great volcano Dresnor. This is the Adventuring Academy, a place where heroes are not born but trained! This is where our heroes have travelled to find the skills they need to achieve the goals that have set out for. After a few years of attending tedious classes both physical and mental they are finally ready for last great test.
Link to the map of the region: The Scattered Islands
- Tiny - a Halfling strong of body but simple of mind. Bested even her elite teacher in the art of combat.
- Alea - a Half-Elf bard with a great musical talent and endearingly awkward in the ways of speechcraft.
- Oob - a huge and powerful Goliath male Barbarian strong enough to crush rocks like his giant ancestors.
- Branch of the Ancient Tree - a Tabaxi Druid connected to nature and agile. Has a way with all kinds of animals.
After they completed their final lessons they marched to meet Headmaster Pilonius in the Great Hall of Heroes--a high vaulted hall with many marble statues of heroes of old--to undertake the Trial of the Lost Echoes. After they receive a short speech from the Headmaster he opens the way into the depths of the catacombs under the academy where they must spend the night and listen to the old wisdom of the spirits.
They set out, going carefully down the dark steps suspecting surprise tests or trials with Alea checking for traps or dangerous loose steps. Not finding any they make it down to the Hall of Lost Echoes, a dark place with no light filled with ancient statues of the realms lost heroes. Seeing a mysterious door in the corner they try to pry it open but cannot make it through. Branch notices that one of the statues was looking at her and alerts the others. Tiny approaches one of the statues and thinking she was dared to touch it, does so.
Soon they hear a sound like rocks falling in the far distance behind the door. Tiny gets grabbed by one of the statues while other stone statues become animated and approach the party. They defend themselves and smash the statues! However, they see a gathering of shadow creatures with blue piercing eyes on the stairs and Branch believes they must run!
Oob with the help of Tiny and Alea lifts the door and holds it open for others to scramble through and drops it behind him. Shadowy arms claw at them from underneath and Tiny smashes some of their fingers with her greatclub but just more appear from under the doorway. They start running down the dark tunnel while leading their blind compatriots and see a light in the distance.
They come into a dimly lit room and it seems the shadow creatures will not enter it. In the center stands an ancient tomb with an inscription on it: "Hear lies Calixis the Dragon Knight, First Hero of the Academy." Inspecting the room they find another exit into an older looking tunnel with skulls and bones set into the wall. On the bottom of the tomb there is a small hole, dripping with a strange black ichor.
Branch sits down to cast a spell to speak with a nearby rat while the others are investigating. Alea suddenly sees a ghostly head pop up, a Dragonborn, Calixis himself as spirit. He tells them he was guarding a Shadowlord by the name of Umbrion and holding him in the light of the lost God Palea to weaken him. He managed to escape however and is using the darkness to regain his strength further down the tunnels. They must give chase and destroy this creature now that it's weak by exposing it to light.
Branch speaks to the rat but spooks it by asking it to go down the hole in the tomb. They decide to push on and go down the dark tunnel. Moving stealthily, the blinded Tiny stumbles on a skull and makes a loud noise. They get chased by more of the shadow creatures until they reach a circular room with a large round stone door with rotating bands engraved with strange symbols.
They figure out the symbols represent the planes of existence and they seem to be out of alignment. Turning the bands with Celestial planes up and the Elemental Planes aligned correctly the door becomes light as a feather. It rolls out of the way and they get bathed in the divine light of Palea gaining power to confront Umbrion in the darkness of its lair.
Going into the dark chamber with an area of blackness that can't even be seen by those with darkvision. They start lighting the braziers on the edges of the room and the darkness retreats a little. They get hit by bolts of darkness and hear a low growl from the Shadowlord! After lighting enough of the braziers the darkness recedes unveiling the Shadowlord himself in the center of the room. Tiny attacks it with her greatclub after lighting it on fire and Oob flings a burning handaxe that sticks in its body. Every attack leaves cracks in its form from which light seeps. Branch fires a powerful ice attack on the creature hitting Tiny as well but the creature takes a lot of damage. From the corner Alea pulls back her bowstring as it approaches Oob and shoots it through the neck while Oob slices it in half with his greataxe.
The great Shadowlord vanquished a ring of blue runes appear on the floor and a rift in spaces opens. Out steps a surprised Headmaster and he takes the party out of the ancient catacombs. Awarding each with a certificate of completion and thanks them for saving them from being overrun by shadows. Now the Heroes are ready to set out into the world for glory, righteousness or perhaps just gold!
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