Event Name: Late Night Classes Event Thread: https://chronicles-of-esshar.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=5586&pid=28996#pid28996 ------------------- Synopsis: After a few students are pull in for a late night make-up class, the instructor tasked to look after them suddenly disappears. A pool of blood remains upon the floor, and the only information the group is provided is that they are the only souls within the Academy at this hour. It seems that there is a mystery afoot. A sly Nethradin seeking to sow seeds of paranoia has snuck into school and orchestrates the entire debacle. The students' fears are amplified by the creature from Hel, and manifestations of danger appear more dangerous than before. Can the students escape from the creature's corrupting grasps? ------------------- Rewards: NOTE: Those with the (OPTIONAL) tag can be missed by event goers. Those without will be obtained before the end of the event. Sack of Hopes and Dreams A leather pouch that seems to be incredibly heavy despite its size. It occasionally writhes as it emits the faintest sound of laughter. When opened, one will find nothing inside. However, any experienced Spiritmancer can likely sense an incredible amount of joy and happiness from within the sack. [Late Night Classes][Dev Item] Crystal Fragment of Sealing A fragment from the defense mechanism of the Starfall Academy's stairwells. It seems to exude a form of magic similar to that of Barrier Magic, however at a weaker and more diminutive form. Regardless, it feels like it still has juice in it for usage. [Late Night Classes][Dev Item] A Student's Best Friend This looks to be a rock bearing a crudely drawn face upon its surface. It has a winning smile and a friendly demeanor that just draws you in. When holding it upon your person, it seems to whisper words of encouragement within your ears, yet it seems like only you can hear it. Discarding the rock seems to leave behind a curse to its previous owner: one that seems to force the old owner to perpetually feel remorse or guilt no matter how hard they try. [Late Night Classes][Dev Item] Lord Verraden's Calling Card (x6) (OPTIONAL, alternative final reward) An intricate looking calling card made from a posh and lavish piece of card paper. It bears a singular eye with its irises flaunting an intricate letter 'V'. Behind it is a message: "If you need a favor, just give me a ring." There is a small symbol of a bell at the bottom of the card. [Late Night Classes][Dev Item] Nyeshk (x6) (OPTIONAL) 2500c (OPTIONAL) Professor Bumble's Blood (OPTIONAL) An old Achyonian professor's sanguine excretions. It still remains crimson and likely will be if cared for. Though if left unchecked the blood will likely coagulate into a jelly-like consistency. For the sake and purposes of usage, this is human blood. [Late Night Classes][Dev Item] Final Exam Answers [Pendant] (OPTIONAL) The answers to the upcoming Starfall Academy final exam for the year 1822 AC. One can easily get by without failure through this item's help, at the cost of one taking the low route of cheating. You've been warned. Boost: +2 pow, +1 meta [Unique] Unholy Cleanser [Weapon] (OPTIONAL) {Rare +3} An intriguing mop that seems to have been carried by an altered version of the Starfall Academy head sanitarian: Julian Sodynym. The staff seems to bear a cloth focus that amplifies control over water at an unholy pace. It reeks of the magic from Shadowmire as the item seems like it has been dropped and left in there for more than a year. Boost: +30 pow, +1 Water pow, +1 Occult pow [Unique] ------------------- Act 1: The Trigger The group is collected for the class. Here Prof. Bumble will do the lessons and stuff, allow the group to get a round of RP to get started. Here, the fact that the players are the only ones in the Academy right now are tossed in the air. After this, the lights will go out as the older professor's voice screams before being cut off. The players can turn the lights on, but they will find that the professor has been replaced by a pool of blood. Students may collect the blood for whatever reasons they may have, thus give PROFESSOR BUMBLE'S BLOOD as an item. Here, the players will be given the ICly idea that one of them is a cold blooded killer, out to kill the others. Allow interaction RP then move on to the next phase. Act 2: The Investigation The group, likely, will be directed to get out of there, ask for help from an adult, or something along those lines. They cross through the dark halls of the Academy and will soon come upon the doors that lead downward are utterly locked. Here, allow each one of them to do a /random 1 100 and based on what they roll, they get information (I will only use this as a guide and give information necessary if people roll too low). 1-25: They know that the upper floors are typically off-limits this late at night. This class, for some reason, had clearance for the third floor. 26-50: They know that there's three flights of stairs: one on the east, one to the west, and one fire escape. Both wings have some mechanism upon them for locking, meanwhile the fire escape usually doesn't usually open unless they can present a staff member's thumbprint. 51-75: One of the teacher's lounge can be found on this floor. They also heard that the school security found the second floor security defenses broken the other day. 76-100: There is a seal that prevents entry and exit from this floor. Two crystals need to be activated by touch to break the seal for as long as two people touch the crystal. Perhaps once the seal is broken, people present by the door can hold it open for others to pass through? LAYOUT OF THE AREA: https://i.imgur.com/C7ei5Ae.png The players are to navigate the hallways to find two things: One, the stairs are locked by a magical seal and the crystals that need to be activated at the same time to open the seal. The seal is odd and only opens the door when they are activated. However, with enough magical force, two other students can hold the door open for others to go through. In this line of thinking, at least two students needs to press one crystal each to open the door while two others can hold the door for the other two to return and pass through. The group can also brute force themselves through the seal, but I will narrate big warnings in the danger it poses and the potential PERMANENT damage it could leave behind. If they still push through, have them roll. Please make this a last ditch attempt scenario. 1: Perm 2-4: Temp Medium 5-6: Temp Short TEMP: An Attempt DESC: "After attempting to brashly get through a highly powered magical seal, you were successful in your attempts... at a cost. The fabric between your consciousness and physical form rips. Your mental stimulus realizes its physical commands upon your body becomes late. Hand-to-eye coordination becomes abysmal, your reaction time takes a full second to kick in at times, and you inherently feel sluggish physically despite your mind being as sharp as ever." Alternatively, the group can investigate the teacher's lounge for anything of use. Within, they may attempt to be creative in finding a way to mimic a teacher's fingerprint. Depending on the investigation, if things are going too fast, drop a security golem that attacks the group. Security Golem: Earth, Cosmic, Energy Once the Security Golem is defeated, it may drop up to 6 pieces of Nyeshk. If they look around, they won't find anything explicitly, but if they rp looking for thumbprints, I will provide that for them. Along with that, the group can find the FINAL EXAM ANSWERS item here. From here, the group can descend and arrive upon the second floor. Here, the security seems lighter. There doesn't seem to be much involved, yet one thing that does attract their attention is a distant set of footsteps further in the floor. Here, have the students find the same magical seal on the second floor down to the first floor broken. Whoever among the group looks the most suspicious, have hints of magic they use upon the broken seal (Also make the Nethradin have the same magic if they choose to fight it). If the group goes down through the fire escape, have them find a vial of Professor Bumble's Blood if they didn't already get it prior. If the blood was taken, merely have them find a dropped wallet containing 2500c Act 2.5: Footsteps? Here, the group can investigate the footsteps further down the hall on the second floor. There is no inherent need to investigate it, but doing so will provide them with more loot. Going closer, they hear the footsteps come too close. They will come upon a figure stood at the center of the hallway, back turned. If they attempt to contact it or approach, it turns around to reveal Julian Sodynym, the janitor. This, of course, is a manifestation of the Nethradin. It will spaz out and become something inhuman and attack the group. Julian Sodynym, the Furious Sanitarian: [I'm currently asking Julian's player for his build, I will do something similar and use that while making it for EC friendly of a build] Fire, Explosion, Armed Upon his defeat, they will drop the UNHOLY CLEANSER item (a mop staff). Act 3: The Culprit The Nethradin, named Lord Verraden, will ask the players to decide among themselves. He will allow them free passage if they can offer the one who made the pact with them for everyone's lives. He intends not to kill them, but merely take what is owed for their failure to deliver. In reality, the Nethradin has made no pacts with anyone and merely wished to sow distrust. If someone is offered, that person will get the following temp: NAME: Betrayed (THIS INJURY WILL BE UNHEALABLE) DURATION: Medium DESC: "You have suffered at the hands of students that do not trust you. Their words, sharp like daggers, pierce your very soul as the Nethradin embraces you in its wrathful energies as 'payment' for 'your' failures. Trust becomes a luxury you cannot provide to most, if not all. This insured paranoia makes daily work a struggle. Frequent thoughts of betrayal makes any easy a challenge as you grow more distasteful with any social connection to a person." If the group stays tight knit, then the Nethradin attacks. However, if someone IS offered, the offered gets the injury and the rest will be scott-free. Everyone will be free to go by now and the event is over. The Nethradin itself will provide the players a hefty challenge if they end up fighting it. But once defeated, it will drop the following: Sack of Hopes and Dreams, Crystal Fragment of Sealing, A Student's Best Friend. These items seem to have been collected from students all over Starfall and students that wander too far into Shadowmire. If the players point fingers and offer the 'correct' student to the Nethradin (spoilers, there is no correct student), then the Nethradin will provide the following to all players: Lord Verraden's Calling Card (x6)