GM Doug's The Seven Secrets of Dacilane Academy (Inactive)

Game Master Doug Hahn

When Farzin steps into the academy, his demeanor becomes even more arch and patronizing.

"The smell of this place alone is enough to give me nightmares."

He agrees with Biagio.

"Yes, the library sounds like a good place to start. Perhaps we'll see the books sneaking around."

Watch out if you ever leave your projects until the night before—the books in the library sneak around! They like to move between shelves or hide under the desks. When you do find the right one, the insides are blank!

You unlock the door and look around inside the library. Map updated on slide 1.

Scores of books and the smell of paper fills this inviting library, which is furnished with comfortable furniture and a plush carpet. Rolling stools provide a step up for those too short to reach the top shelves. A table is divided into workstations with chalkboard nameplates and stacked books. Two of the workstations are occupied with books for some ongoing project, and their chalkboards are labeled “Ayen” and “Zet”.

At a brief glance, you can see the library’s collection spans a wide range of topics, though the texts tend to be introductions to various fields instead of primary research.

Please let me know what you first do in this room to investigate it — do you move to a workstation to see what the students are researching, look around the shelves, etc?

Berry flops and climbs on top of one of the stools. Once his last vine leaves the ground the stool goes spinning slowly a few feet across the room. Once his world stops spinning Berry scoots himself closer to the workstations to see what the students were researching.

Farzen, curious to see if the workstations are blank, will take a look at the one labeled "Zet".

He will also detect for magic.

"I wonder what dear, little Zet was working on?"

Ayen's station has a book titled A Scholar’s Guide to Unexplained Arcane Mysteries.

Farzin detects the presence of magic in here. Detect magic at your CL tells you nothing else.

The books at Zet's station are completely blank.

Rubeg's lip curls at the books. This is the problem. This is why they can't figure out anything, because they lose their minds in there. I suppose that's why I'm wearing this armor, instead of sweeping their floors still!

"They're better blank," he says with a grunt, then makes his way to the shelves, to see if he can find whatever mechanism must be there to move the cursed collections around. Looking around the shelves, trying not to read any of the tomes, even if my genius does not really require words.

Biago is also curious to see what projects the students are working on.

"has anyone actually sent their children here? It all seems.. ODD to me."

Rubeg and (maybe) Flint inspect the shelves. Someone puts a book down on a table, and it suddenly floats into the air and sails over to the shelf, dropping back into the correct place!

While this doesn't really count as "books stacked in freaky ways," it's still pretty freaky!

You can investigate this place… the magical shelves, the floating books, the blank pages and all the rest…

★

The Blank Books

You can roll Society, Library Lore, Arcana, or Occultism to investigate. This is the same deal as before, so think about how you want to use hero points if you crit fail — and try to sell me on another skill if you want!

Biago
Farzin
Fearful Berry
Flint
Rubeg

Farzin raises an eyebrow at the sight of the floating book.

"So, there is something at play here."

"Ghosts, boss!" squawks Papayo.

Farzin thinks for a moment.

Occultism: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Hero point!

Occultism: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

"I believe what we have here is an unseen servant, re-shelving the books after hours! Perhaps the librarian sent it to the task. Wish I had that kind of help." He throws a look at Papayo who seems to be interested in something in the other direction.

Farzin tests his theory by leaving a few books out and watching if the servant returns them.

He then returns his focus to the blank books.

"I can understand tasking an unseen servant to replace the books, but who or what is erasing the books?"

Occultism: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

"well that's certainly strange. I am not big on thinking things here are haunted. There must be another reason."
arcana: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Society (Untrained): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 13

"Your kind does have strange ways. You take trees from the forest, turn it into this flat sheet you call books, then put them back into another tree you call bookshelves. Berry shakes his head in confusion

Crazy West Coast hours!

Indeed, Flint moves to the shelves. He loves books, but there's something about hauntings and books that puts him ill at ease.

..."Gah! I told you!"

Scribing Lore?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 Flint quickly thinks about all the practice books he's scribed, all the stories the other dwarves would tell at the table by the candle light, and nothing comes to mind.

Scribing lore seems legit to me!

Farzin does a double-take before IDing the unseen servant. He proceeds to investigate the blank books.

Biago looks for mundane explanations, and finds some, while ‘Berry is simply bemused by the opaque purposes of humanoid libraries. Flint tries to think about the books he’s scribed, but his eyes keep going back to the floating books…

★

The Blank Books

You can roll Society, Library Lore, Arcana, or Occultism to investigate. This is the same deal as before, so think about how you want to use hero points if you crit fail — and try to sell me on another skill if you want!

Biago, found mundane evidence
Farzin, found supernatural evidence
Fearful Berry, found mundane evidence
Flint, found mundane evidence
Rubeg

"Perhaps someone realized -- and is trying to make sure others realize -- that true knowledge is in our heads, not in the books," Rubeg theorizes, carefully not looking at the tomes. "After all, if you could truly get knowledge from books, why do wizards constantly need to read them every morning? Why do alchemists not just know their formulas. You don't see me needing to check how to make my armor every morning!"

Society (trained): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14 I guess trying to use this to think about what purpose their might be in having the books erase. Which of course seems perfectly smart to a goblin!

Rubeg muses on the value of the written word, bringing a goblinesque viewpoint to what is ultimately a devastating critique of the magic and metaphysics of the Material Plane. e.g. Vancian magic

Farzin at first suspects there is an entity in here deliberately trying confuse students, but the evidence points to degraded summoning runes behind the shelves. Over time, the rune was smudged and has made the servant overly enthusiastic with its cleaning duties — to the point it erases text from books, too!

You can let J know, later on, that the academy needs to refresh the summoning runes in here.

★

It's time to move on. Where to next?

Options on the map and listed below:

1. Launch Room
2. Ms. Lafornt's classroom
3. Lab
4. Bathrooms
5. Lounge
6. Ms. Hirasara's Classroom
7. Mr. Ngon's Classroom
8. Recess (Unmarked double doors)

"Let's hit the head. To check it out."

flint walks out towards the bathrooms, "Went after breakfast."

"I'll let YOU lead there."

Flint moves over to the nearest bathroom and touches the doorknob. The wooden door bursts open with a booming WHOOOOOSH!

The dwarf is knocked back by the door as it's nearly blown off its hinges! The sudden change in air pressure causes your ears to pop, and your hair (or in some cases, trichomes) flutters in the sudden gale-force wind.

It's over in a split-second, but Flint bears the brunt of the onslaught like a person caught by debris in a tornado. It seems like there was a huge amount of air pressure somehow built up in the bathroom, which Flint just released with explosive results.

Flint, please make a DC 22 reflex save then read the below, You can use a hero point after you see the results.

Berry tumbles off of the spinning stool as he hears the burst of air pressure. He scuttles as quickly as he can to the bathrooms. "What happened?" He asks with a fair bit of shock in his voice.

Biago tries hard to stifle a chuckle, fails, and it turns into a full-on guffaw. He very nearly falls over laughing at Flint's predicament.

He looks at Berry. "Hahahaha. He.... Hahahaha Has a plumbing issue."

"Fascinating, yes, yes, yes," Rubeg says, a goblin grin crossing his face. "Perhaps you should have listened first?"

He shakes his head.

"There would be no reason for the supposed ghost to be mad at you, so logic would dictate it is something other than that, yes?"

Farzin winces as the door bursts open and Papayo squawks in alarm.

"I believe we were supposed to knock first..." Farzin says belatedly.

"Still, that was an awful lot of energy for a ghost, I would think."

Is there any kind of check we can make to try to identify what happened?

Yes. We need a reflex save from Flint then we'll move on to investigate (and likely, some healing)! Weird things are clearly going on here.

REF: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16 "GAH! Never has a loo been THAT bad! What in Torag's Taint WAS that‽"

Flint crashes against the window! Luckily, Flint is still able to stand. Instead of breaking glass, you just hear the dwarf's ire. 26 damage.

You have a medicine-based healer and Lay on Hands at CL 1 to heal 6 HP every 10 min. That's 36 HP/hour before any medicine checks.

All of you might be wondering what the heck happened… it's time to find out!

★

Did you hear? Decades ago, a boy died at the school! His ghost is bound to the northeast bathroom. If you find the door locked and press your ear against it, you can hear him crying for help. Knock three times and promise to help him, then he’ll grant you a wish.

You can listen to the sounds in this bathroom and try to figure out what's happening here! None of the other bathrooms have any issues, so they are revealed on the map.

The Wailing Bathroom

and attempt a Crafting, Occultism or Religion check to investigate this mystery. This is like the other checks. You might be getting the hang of it now.

Biago
Farzin
Fearful Berry
Flint
Rubeg

"It could be a ghost, but ... there may well be a scientific explanation too, yes?" Rubeg mutters largely to himself as he begins looking around for proof of the existence of the normal vs. the paranormal.

Crafting (trained): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

"Exocising the bathroom! Ha, just like when I was a kid and had to use it after me brudder." Flint grunts in pain through the jokes, he'll need to catch his breath before going much further.

Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 "Ugh, hit me harder than I thought."

You can be healing up while investigating; I think it's reasonable to stop here for an hour and heal up while you investigate at the same time.

Farzin runs the faucets, reads some of the graffiti on the stalls.

Occultism: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary to me..."

"This seems highly irregular! I wish mom were here. I think these kinds of things might be more up her alley. Still.... let me see what I can figure out.

crafting: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23

Rubeg finds and excellent lead along with Biago, while Flint and Farzin have a more difficult time understanding this phenomenon. Flint also spends the hour meditating on the teacinggs of his deity (Torag?) to heal himself. (5 Lay on hands to heal 26 damage = 50 min, with another refocus = 60 min. I'm not too worried about time here but we don't want to run up on dawn, either. Fearful may reduce this time needed further.

★

The Wailing Bathroom

and attempt a Crafting, Occultism or Religion check to investigate this mystery. This is like the other checks. You might be getting the hang of it now.

Biago, Found Paranormal evidence
Farzin, found mundane evidnce
Fearful Berry
Flint, found mundane evidnce
Rubeg, Found Paranormal evidence (crit success)

Medicine DC 15: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Berry rests one of his vines over Flints mouth as a thick dark red sap drips slowly in. ”Does that feel better?”

As he is attempting to heal Flints injuries he realizes his methods are very off mark and investigates the bathroom stall.

Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Flint's head is still ringing, and he is too tormented by the bygone bathrooms of his youth (and perhaps distracted by the unsuccessful ministrations of Fearful Berry), to make progress.

Farzin finds some graffiti in a corner that would definitely land the artist in detention.

Biago discovers planar energy infusing the bathroom. Rubeg and Berry, examining the mystical eddies in the air and the echoes of sound among the tiles, find the planar footprints of… something.

An extraplanar entity occupies this bathroom for several hours a week… and it's probably not quiet. They rarely are.

★

As the goblin inventor experiments on the acoustics of the room, he notices a hollow tile! He pries away the grouting (this is old — covered up by the last bathroom remodel). Inside is stash of treasure… a bracelet made of white calcite beads that shimmer in the dark with prismatic resonance.

You can also decide where to go next. (Note that you're in the hallway leading to the Lab, which also has a mystery associated with it.)

"how about we try the lab since it's right here?"

Farzin consults the notes from the students.

"Perhaps we should go one at a time to the lab, so that we can find this secret door along the way?"

He'll head off, keeping an eye out for any extra doors.

Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 "What the hell is this thing? Is this what blew me outa here like a ....like a... like simile I can't think of."

Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Berry loops the bracelet around a vine to bring it closer to his numerous eyes. "This is a planar focus for the Maelstrom. Can't you all feel it?" He continues inspecting the bracelet while someone goes to the Lab to look for a secret passage.

Due to the lab only showing one person should we split off into the Lounge while one goes into the Lab?

Rubeg squints as he examines the focus. "That makes sense. Cause and effect. But what is it doing here?" he wonders. "Then again, it seems to have been here for some time, based on the grout. Wonderful stuff, grout. It can last for ages."

Attention called back to the present, he nods.

"Yes, yes, yes. One at a time. To the lab. Hopefully there will be something more interesting there!"

"Since only one can go in should the rest of us look in another room?" Berry's cheerful and high pitched voice whistles.

Rubeg shakes his head.

"All of us can go in the lab," he says. "We just won't find this supposed door if we don't go one at a time down the hall. Likely a trick of mirrors or something, but we shall see. Perhaps that's related to the door? Whatever's on the other side may well be what's whispering the wrong answers."

Two different mysteries here: The Cheater’s Whisper: If you can’t figure out what to do in lab, just whisper a question under your breath! You’ll hear the answer in your ear. Be careful, though; a lot the answers are wrong.

The Disappearing Door: If you’re walking alone to the lab, a door appears just before it. If you’re walking with anyone else, though, the door doesn’t exist!

"I'm told it's best for us to always stay together. We should all stay together."

Farzin moves down alone while you watch, but nothing seems to happen. You will probably need to search for some stimuli.

If you don't want to split the party you can each just walk down the hallway once. Let me know if that works, and go ahead and roll a perception check! Otherwise I'll move some of you to the Lounge.

Disappointed that a secret door didn't appear, Farzin returns to the party.

"Would someone else like to give it a try? Perhaps this door only appears to children? Who is the youngest among us?"

Interesting theory!

Farzin and Biago move along the hall, but don't see or feel anything out of place. Fearful Berry takes a turn, running his tendrils along the wall, and notices a breeze behind a dusty old Debate Club Championship banner! There's an open door cleverly hidden there! He pushes it open to reveal… the teacher's lounge. Markd with S on map.

Contrary to Farzin's theory about children, the door seems specifically designed to accommodate teachers — after all, they are probably the only ones allowed to roam the halls alone. A truly excellent trick for instructors in dire need of peace and quiet!

You duck in after checking for traps.

★

Compared to the rest of the academy, the Teacher's Lounge seems informal and relaxed. A tufted sofa and armchairs provide comfortable seating, while a few tables offer space to spread out work. Letters and notes are pinned to the wall by the door. It smells of stale pipe smoke in here.

There is a student roster sitting on the desk, and a advanced book of translation (Mahwek). As an advanced copy, it must be for a 300-level course! It looks rather valuable, though the bookplate is stamped with PROPERTY OF DACILANE ACADEMY, IVY DISTRICT, ABSALOM.

You can also investigate this mystery.

If you’re walking alone to the lab, a door appears just before it. If you’re walking with anyone else, though, the door doesn’t exist!

The Disappearing Door

You can examine the enchantments on the door with an Arcana or Occultism check. Alternatively, you might examine the mechanisms that hide the door with a Thievery or Crafting check. Or sell me on an idea. You got the hang of this by now.

Biago
Farzin
Fearful Berry
Flint
Rubeg

Ha! The teachers' room. You'll never find a place full of such adolescent and well deserved venting!

"This isn't really my kind of trickery. If you need me to help I will, but don't get your hopes up."

Occultism: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16

With the red shard stuck in his stalk Berry seems to have a little sense of the occult. Or rather an attraction to it as he seems drawn to the door. While he may not fully understand it there is a sort of connection, but then again he doesn't understand a whole lot about the outside world since he has a mushroom for brains.

"While sometimes things are magical and strange, sometimes ther is a perfectly logical explanation for things. I wouldn't doubt this is one of those times!"

Biago foregoes anything magical at the moment and looks for a more mundane solution.

crafting: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

"Yes, yes, yes, indeed," Rubeg agrees. "I would venture to say most of the time in fact. Simple minds dismiss what they don't understand as magic, but really it's all just a different sort of science, no?"

He looks around, trying to see how it could be camouflaged.

Crafting (trained): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Farzin is at first delighted and impressed with the cleverness of the secret door, but on studying it further he finds himself too lost in thought to focus. Too many memories from his school days!

"It's all very clever, but teachers don't know everything."

Occultism: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13