The early morning sun filtered through the ancient stained-glass windows of the Biblioplex, casting fragmented colors across the shelves laden with tomes of arcane knowledge. The atmosphere was thick with the scent of parchment and the faint hum of magical wards. As our adventurers exited the labyrinthine stacks, the remnants of their recent scavenger hunt still fresh in their minds, a sudden shout broke the scholarly silence.

“Help! A trunk with teeth!”

Instinct surged through the group as they turned to see a wooden trunk, its lid snapping like a voracious maw, leaping from the shadows. The mimic’s grotesque form glistened with a viscous, oily substance, its malevolent eyes fixed on the adventurers.

Luna, her wings fluttering in agitation, was the first to react. She lifted her banner high, its green light bathing the mimic in a soothing glow—a druidic attempt to pacify the creature. But the mimic, driven by its predatory instincts, remained undeterred.

Ophelia, her mind a whirlwind of arcane potential, raised her hand and summoned a bolt of fire. The flames spiraled from her fingers, but her aim faltered, and the Fire Bolt missed its mark, scorching the floor instead.

Bob, ever the stalwart warrior, hefted his great axe with a grunt. His first swing connected, the blade biting deep into the mimic’s wooden exterior, splintering its hide and eliciting a screech of pain. The mimic retaliated with a savage bite, but Bob’s armor held firm.

Krenn, calm amidst the chaos, stepped forward with his quarterstaff. Channeling the disciplined precision of his magical studies, he struck the mimic, adding to its growing list of injuries. Yet, the creature’s resolve remained unbroken.

Luna, ever adaptable, attempted to commune with the mimic, casting “Speak with Animals.” Realizing her error—mimics were far from natural creatures—she quickly shifted tactics and cast “Entangle,” vines erupting from the floor to ensnare the beast. But the mimic’s strength was formidable, and it broke free with a furious roar.

Ophelia, undeterred by her earlier failure, considered her options. She dismissed the idea of using “Catapult”—the mimic was far too heavy—and instead hurled a nearby chair. The makeshift missile missed, but Ophelia’s wild magic surged in response, causing a feathered beard to sprout from her face, much to her surprise and the group’s amusement.

The battle raged on, Bob switching to his Warhammer and delivering a less effective, but still solid, blow. The mimic, with a growl of fury, lunged and sank its teeth into Bob, its corrosive saliva searing through his armor and burning his leg. Bob grimaced as his hit points dwindled, the pain sharp and immediate.

Ophelia, her focus renewed, launched another Firebolt. This time, the spell hit true, scorching the mimic’s hide. The creature, now visibly weakened, continued its assault, but the adventurers pressed on.

Luna rushed to Bob’s side, offering him a potion of healing. The restorative magic surged through him, mending his wounds and restoring his vitality. Bob, ever the joker, thanked Luna with a playful proposal of marriage, eliciting a chuckle from the group even in the heat of battle.

Ophelia’s feathered explosion distracted her momentarily, causing another Firebolt to go astray. But Bob, fueled by newfound strength and determination, switched back to his Great Axe. With a mighty swing, he cleaved the mimic in two, the creature’s body reverting to an ordinary trunk as books and papers spilled onto the floor.

As the dust settled, the group took a moment to catch their breath. They examined the remains of the trunk, noting the black, oily smears on its surface—an ominous sign that the mimic had been magically animated. Their suspicions were confirmed by Bob’s keen insights.

Their musings were interrupted by the arrival of Professor Sharpbeak, an Owlin faculty member of the Silverquill College. Her sharp eyes took in the scene, and she commended the adventurers for their bravery, offering each a reward of ten gold pieces. She suggested they visit the Firejolt Café, a popular student hangout, to relax and celebrate their victory.

Intrigued by the mysterious oily substance, Luna carefully collected a sample using her herbalism kit. The group speculated on its origins, debating whether it was simply leather oil or something more sinister. After showing it to Professor Sharpbeak, who performed a quick examination and declared it non-magical, they decided to head to the café.

The Firejolt Café was a bustling hub of activity, its walls adorned with animated scenes of students performing various magical acts. The adventurers were immediately drawn to a commotion in the lounge area, where a group of students had set up a frog race. Four frogs, each glowing a different color and dressed in tiny costumes, were ready to race.

Luna chose the violet frog with a bow tie, establishing a telepathic link to encourage it. Bob decided to heckle the other students, causing one to falter. Ophelia, ever resourceful, enlisted her familiar, a hairless cat named Fluffy Face, to carry her frog across the finish line.

The race began with a flurry of activity. Luna’s frog darted forward, guided by her telepathic encouragement. Ophelia’s cat, Fluffy Face, successfully snagged her frog and raced down the track. Krenn used his Mage Hand spell to lift his frog by its suspenders, moving it forward with ease.

The session ended on a high note, with the adventurers poised for victory in the whimsical frog race. The promise of future adventures at Strixhaven University loomed large as they prepared to face whatever challenges and mysteries awaited them next.

Session Notes
  • The session begins with the players exchanging Father’s Day greetings.
  • The DM, Brian, recaps the previous session where the adventurers attended orientation at Strixhaven University, entered the Biblioplex, and received a scavenger hunt from a mysterious disembodied voice.
  • The players completed the scavenger hunt and were exiting the area when they heard someone shouting about a trunk with teeth.
  • The trunk, identified as a mimic, hops out of the stacks, prompting the DM to call for initiative rolls.
  • The players discuss how to roll for initiative and adjust their dice settings.
  • Luna (Barbara) is up first and waves her banner at the mimic, emitting a green light, but the mimic remains undeterred.
  • Ophelia (Shannon) attempts to figure out her abilities and ends up casting Fire Bolt, but misses the mimic.
  • Bob (Bill) decides to use his battleaxe but encounters issues with the character sheet interface. He eventually uses his great axe, dealing 11 damage to the mimic.
  • The mimic attacks Bob but fails to penetrate his armor.
  • Krenn Smith (Seward) uses his quarterstaff to strike the mimic, dealing 4 damage.
  • Luna attempts to cast “Speak with Animals” but realizes the mimic is not an animal. She then casts “Entangle,” but the mimic breaks free.
  • Ophelia considers using “Catapult” but realizes the mimic is too heavy. She instead throws a chair at the mimic, which misses.
  • Ophelia’s wild magic causes her to grow a long beard of feathers, resembling Bob.
  • The session ends with the mimic still active and the players preparing for their next moves.
  • Bob decides to use his Warhammer to attack the mimic, aiming to break it into splinters.
  • Bob confirms his proficiency with the Warhammer, which gives him a bonus to his attack.
  • Bob rolls a 14, which hits the mimic, but the blow is more glancing than he hoped.
  • The mimic retaliates, biting Bob and rolling an 18, which hits and deals 9 damage.
  • Bob’s hit points drop from 13 to 4 after the attack.
  • Bob realizes the mimic’s saliva is burning his leg.
  • Bob notes he has a potion of healing but it’s not his turn to use it.
  • Ophelia uses a Firebolt spell, hitting the mimic for 6 damage.
  • The mimic is looking bad but is still standing and attacking Bob.
  • Luna runs up to Bob and gives him a potion of healing, restoring 10 hit points, bringing him back to his maximum of 13.
  • Bob thanks Luna and jokes about marrying her.
  • Ophelia sneezes, causing feathers to explode from her face due to a magical effect.
  • Ophelia attempts another Firebolt but is distracted by the feathers, causing her to miss.
  • Bob switches to his Great Axe and attacks the mimic, rolling a 20 and dealing 15 damage, cleaving the mimic in two and killing it.
  • The mimic’s body reverts to a normal trunk, split in two, with papers and books falling out.
  • The group makes Arcana checks to understand the situation.
  • Bob realizes the trunk was magically animated to attack them, not a real mimic.
  • The group concludes someone must have cast a spell to animate the trunk.
  • The fight in the library lasted less than 30 seconds, causing people to run away.
  • An Owlin professor named Professor Sharpbeak, dressed in college robes, approaches the group and commends their bravery.
  • Professor Sharpbeak mentions she will speak with the equipment manager about the incident.
  • She introduces herself as a member of the Silverquill faculty and asks if anyone is hurt.
  • Professor Sharpbeak praises the group for their quick action and gives each member 10 gold as a reward.
  • She suggests the group visit the Firejolt Cafe, a popular student hangout, now that they have extra spending money.
  • The group considers going to the Firejolt Cafe to relax and spend their reward.
  • Brian, the DM, clarifies the name “Zolt” and welcomes the players to the university, noting that most professors are mean as official policy.
  • Luna takes a final look at the trunk, noticing black, oily smears on its brown wooden surface.
  • The group discusses the possibility of examining the trunk further, noting that it is split in two and filled with papers and books.
  • The black smears appear deliberate and unevenly applied, suggesting someone or something rubbed the oily substance on the trunk.
  • The players consider taking a sample of the oily substance for testing, mentioning the use of magic forensics.
  • Luna uses her herbalism kit to scrape some of the oily substance into a vial.
  • The substance is viscous and oily, not flaking off, and has a consistency similar to heavy motor oil.
  • The substance has a faint, earthy smell reminiscent of a bog, but the odor is very weak.
  • The group speculates that the oily substance might have been left by someone trying to open the trunk.
  • They examine the contents of the trunk, finding mostly mundane administrative papers and books with historical data about the university.
  • The papers include tallies of student admissions and orders for restocking the cafe, all dated from many years ago.
  • The group theorizes that the trunk might have come from an administrative office and that someone might have put a spell on it to protect its contents.
  • They decide to seek more information from someone knowledgeable about such occurrences, possibly the librarian.
  • The group catches up with the professor who initially spoke to them, asking for more information about the trunk and the oily substance.
  • The professor explains that magical mishaps are rare but do happen, often due to students’ mistakes or magical creatures attracted to the campus.
  • She reassures them that the contents of the trunk are just boring administrative papers and compliance records.
  • The group remains skeptical and decides to make insight checks to determine if the professor is hiding anything.
  • Bob, being skeptical, determines that the professor is not hiding anything specific about the incident but might be downplaying the frequency and danger of such occurrences.
  • The group shows the oily substance to the professor, who examines it and suggests it might be a leather oil or something similar.
  • The professor performs some gestures and whispers, concluding that there is nothing magical about the substance.
  • The group decides to head to the Firejolt Cafe.
  • As they approach the cafe, a student runs out, laughing and inviting them to join a frog race in the lounge, mentioning that it might be stopped by professors soon.
  • The session begins with the characters inside the Firejolt Café.
  • The café interior is described as clean and well-lit, with walls decorated with animated cartoonish scenes of students performing various magical acts.
  • The café is bustling with students eating, talking, and occasionally having books on their tables.
  • The central area of the café has a barista station, and at the far north end, there is a large lounge area.
  • The lounge area has couches and chairs, some of which have been pushed aside to make space for a group of students and four unusual-looking frogs.
  • Each frog is glowing a different color: red, blue, violet, and orange, and each is wearing a tiny costume: a cape, suspenders, a bow tie, and a top hat, respectively.
  • The students have drawn lanes on the floor with chalk, marking a raceway for the frogs.
  • The group of students invites the adventurers to join the frog race, explaining that it costs five gold pieces to enter as a coach.
  • The winner of the race will receive 30 gold pieces based on the bets placed.
  • The adventurers have the option to coach a frog, cheer for a coach, or heckle a coach.
  • Luna decides to coach the violet frog, which is wearing a bow tie.
  • Bob decides to heckle one of the other students.
  • Ophelia and Bob discuss their gold amounts and decide to participate in the race.
  • The race track is described as 125 feet long, shaped like a horseshoe.
  • The basic move for coaching the frog involves an animal handling check, with successful checks moving the frog 20 feet.
  • Bob starts by heckling another student, causing the student to argue back and fail his animal handling check.
  • Luna establishes a telepathic link with her frog and encourages it to chase an imaginary fly, successfully moving the frog forward.
  • Ophelia decides to use her familiar, a hairless cat named Fluffy Face, to gently carry her frog across the finish line.
  • The session ends with the adventurers preparing their frogs for the race, with Luna’s frog starting to move in the right direction and Ophelia’s cat ready to assist her frog.
  • The DM mentions that the cat is going to eat the frog and asks Shannon to roll for the cat’s dexterity.
  • Shannon rolls for the cat’s dexterity to see if it manages to grab the frog.
  • The frog tries to jump out of the way but fails.
  • Fluffy Face, the cat, successfully snags the frog and starts running down the racetrack with it.
  • The DM asks Krenn (played by Seward) what he would like to do to encourage his frog to victory.
  • Krenn decides to use his Mage Hand spell to move his frog forward.
  • Krenn uses Mage Hand to lift the frog by its suspenders and move it 30 feet forward.
  • The frog is carried forward 30 feet by the Mage Hand, hanging from its suspenders.
  • The DM notes that it is a good place to stop the session as Wendy had 230.
  • The session ends with the players agreeing to pick up the next round next week.
  • The players exchange Father’s Day wishes before ending the session.