Under the shadow of Strixhaven’s towering spires, a group of intrepid students embarked on a mission that would test their mettle and wits in equal measure. Their destination was the enigmatic Captain Dapplewing’s Manor, a place shrouded in mystery and rumored to house powerful artifacts and secrets. At the heart of their quest was the retrieval of Sassy Sally Jane, an enchanted doll whose legend whispered through the hallowed halls of Strixhaven.

The manor loomed before them, its imposing facade casting long shadows across the path. The adventurers had previously gained entry through a combination of stealth and magic, finding themselves within a dimly lit corridor lined with foreboding doors. The air was thick with tension, and the scent of musty parchment and aged wood lingered heavily. As they cautiously advanced, curiosity led them to a room filled with crates, where an unsettling sight awaited.

Krenn attempted to dip a quill into a pool of ink that leaked from a nearby crate. A sizzling sound filled the air, and the quill’s tip disintegrated upon contact, revealing the ink to be an acid-like ooze. The realization struck hard—this was no ordinary ink but a creature born of magic and malice. The ooze began to writhe and pulse with a malevolent energy, prompting the adventurers to action.

Ophelia unleashed a torrent of fire upon the ooze, her spell illuminating the room in a blaze of light. The flames licked at the creature, inflicting damage but not the conflagration she had hoped for. Luna, in her formidable bear form, lunged forward, her claws rending the ooze as her senses recoiled from the acrid stench of acid. Her ferocity was met with resistance, the ooze retaliating with a forceful strike that left her momentarily staggered.

Krenn summoned a fiery bolt, his aim true as the magic seared through the ooze, causing it to shudder and retreat. Yet, even as victory seemed within grasp, the ooze lashed out with a viciousness that caught Krenn off guard, sending him sprawling to the ground, unconscious. In the chaos, Ophelia dragged him to safety, while the others rallied to his aid, administering a healing potion that revived him with a gasp of breath.

With renewed vigor, Luna and Bob pressed the attack, their combined might overwhelming the ooze until it was nothing more than a puddle of inert slime. As the dust settled, the adventurers took stock of their surroundings, their eyes drawn to the shattered remnants of the crate. Among the debris lay jars labeled with Professor Winterstar’s name, hinting at a sinister purpose for the oozes’ presence. It seemed more than coincidence that these creatures had guarded the path to their prize.

Determined to unravel the manor’s secrets, the party continued their exploration, delving deeper into the labyrinthine halls. Their search led them to a room filled with curiosities—a faculty office, its desk littered with papers detailing student transgressions and academic standings. The name Grayson caught their attention, a student whose struggles hinted at the pressures and intrigues of campus life.

Beyond the office, they uncovered a lounge adorned with the remnants of past grandeur—paintings, insect collections, and three pterodon models suspended in mid-air. Their curiosity sparked the models into motion, revealing their enchanted nature as they attacked with an unexpected ferocity. The battle that ensued was fierce, yet the adventurers prevailed, dismantling the constructs with a mixture of steel and sorcery.

As the echoes of combat faded, they discovered a hidden staircase leading to the manor’s attic. Ascending into the cramped space, they found themselves surrounded by the detritus of forgotten treasures and oddities. Among the clutter, they spied Sassy Sally Jane, her vibrant pink hair and patchwork dress unmistakable. A Mage Hand confirmed her identity with a cheeky retort, much to their amusement and relief.

Their mission accomplished, the adventurers plotted their escape. With Krenn’s Feather Fall spell, they leaped from the attic window, descending gracefully to the grounds below. Cheers greeted their landing as fellow students, including Rosie and Melwythorne, praised their daring feat. Yet, amid the celebration, Melwythorne voiced concerns over the faculty’s awareness of their intrusion, sparking a discussion on the ethical implications of their actions.

Despite the potential repercussions, the adventurers were buoyed by their success and the promise of discretion from their peers. Their reputation blossomed alongside their newfound powers, each member unlocking abilities that would serve them well in the trials to come. As they turned their eyes to the future, the specter of their deeds at Captain Dapplewing’s Manor lingered—a reminder of the fine line they walked between heroism and hubris.

Session Notes
  • The session begins with players experiencing technical issues with their computers. Bill comments on another player’s background, thinking it resembles Montana, leading to further discussion about connection problems and microphones not working.
  • After resolving technical difficulties, the group recaps the previous session. The DM recounts how students approached the adventurers to retrieve a legendary doll, Sassy Sally Jane, from Captain Dapplewing’s Manor, offering a month of free lunches as a reward.
  • The party had previously sneaked up to the manor’s front door, destroyed a statue, and teleported inside, ending up in a long hallway with many doors. They discovered a room filled with boxes, where they noticed ink-like liquid leaking from some crates.
  • As the session progresses, the party continues their exploration from where they left off. Bob attempts to dip a quill into the ink, but hears a sizzling sound and notices the quill’s tip is burnt. Bob and the party observe the ink starting to move and realize it is an ooze creature.
  • The DM instructs the players to roll for initiative. Luna and Ophelia respond quickly, with Ophelia attacking the ooze with a fire spell, causing some damage but not setting it on fire.
  • Luna, currently in bear form, smells the ooze’s acidic nature and decides to attack it physically as her primary skill set allows. She claws at the ooze, feeling resistance and experiencing a slight burn from the acid, but successfully injures it.
  • The ooze responds by attacking Luna, but it misses. Krenn uses a fire bolt to attack the ooze, causing chunks of it to splatter, but the creature remains active.
  • The ooze retaliates and critically hits Krenn, knocking him unconscious. Ophelia attempts to use a mage hand to move Krenn to safety but realizes it’s not strong enough. Instead, she physically drags him away from danger.
  • The party administers a healing potion to Krenn, reviving him with nine hit points. Luna uses her multi-attack to bite and claw the ooze, destroying one and damaging the other.
  • The surviving ooze attacks Luna, hitting her with acid-laden force that causes additional damage. Krenn, now conscious, casts magic missile at the ooze, destroying it by splattering it across the room.
  • After defeating the oozes, the party investigates the origin of the creatures. Luna and Krenn deduce that the ooze is a magical creature akin to gelatinous cubes, not intelligent and typically not aggressive unless provoked or lured by nearby living beings.
  • The party inspects the broken crate from which the ooze originated and finds jars labeled as containing “gray ooze for lab purposes” by Professor Winterstar. They speculate whether the crate was intentionally knocked over to create a trap.
  • A successful investigation check suggests the crate was likely knocked over days ago, as the acid hasn’t caused significant damage to the surroundings, indicating it wasn’t a very recent event.
  • Despite the lack of concrete evidence, the players suspect someone might have set the ooze as an obstacle intentionally. Determined to uncover more, they decide to continue opening other crates in the room to search for further clues or items.
  • The party explores a room filled with crates containing mostly mundane school supplies, such as textbooks and lab components. Amidst moving crates, they discover a secret door leading to a smaller, dusty room filled with more crates.
  • In this hidden room, they find a pouch containing two potions of mind reading.
  • The DM explains that the potions allow the drinker to read thoughts for one minute.
  • The party discusses the usefulness of these potions for gathering clues or detecting others’ intentions.
  • After ensuring they have thoroughly searched the crates, they confirm that the enchanted doll, Sassy Sally Jane, is not present.
  • The group recalls that the doll was believed to be in the attic, and realizes they are on the second floor, not the attic.
  • They note that they haven’t found stairs leading to the attic yet and decide to explore further.
  • Ophelia confirms the presence of stairs leading up from the first floor, but they have not yet found additional stairwells.
  • The party decides to explore the hallway on the second floor, noting the presence of multiple doors.
  • They choose to open a door to the north, revealing a room with delicate tea sets and kneeling rugs arranged on the floor.
  • The tea sets are empty, and the room is notably clean, suggesting regular maintenance despite the lack of recent use.
  • Investigating the cabinets in the room, they find dry tea and an additional potion of mind reading, bringing their total to three.
  • The party decides to explore another door, leading to a large office that serves as both a parlor and a study, with antique furnishings and sculpted magical creature heads.
  • As they approach the desk, two dragon heads on the walls turn towards the party and shoot a blast of fire, narrowly missing them.
  • The party engages in combat, with one member successfully destroying the dragon head statue.
  • After the combat, the party examines paperwork on the desk, finding documents about student behavior and academic performance, including a mention of Grayson, a student struggling academically.
  • They deduce that they are in an active office used by faculty, likely a professor or dean’s office.
  • The party finds another door leading to a smaller office, suggesting a faculty or administrative area.
  • Upon exiting the room, they notice nameplates on the doors of the south wall, confirming their location in a faculty office area.
  • They decide to continue their search for stairs to the attic, suspecting a curved area might conceal a stairwell.
  • The party opens another door, entering a large lounge adorned with paintings and mounted collections of insects and reptiles.
  • Suspended in the room are three pterodons, which appear as if flying but remain stationary, with no visible support.
  • Luna attempts to interact with the pterodons, which triggers them to attack, resulting in another combat encounter.
  • During combat, the pterodons are revealed to be animated models rather than real creatures.
  • The party successfully defeats the pterodons through a combination of attacks, with Bob delivering the final blow using his Warhammer.
  • Throughout the combat, the players experience technical difficulties with their visual dice module, which is not displaying rolls properly.
  • The session begins with the party exploring a room that appears to be a faculty lounge, where they encounter models of pterodons that seem to have been enchanted for an unclear purpose. After a brief discussion, they determine there is nothing of interest left in the room.
  • The party exits the room, returning to the hallway. They discover a hidden door on a pillar, which leads to a spiral staircase going upwards. They decide to ascend the staircase.
  • Upon reaching the attic, the party finds themselves in a cramped space filled with peculiar items considered too unusual for display on the manor’s main floors. Items include an adult-sized rocking toy resembling a rock, a dress with bone-made wings, and a display shelf with numerous dolls.
  • The party identifies Sassy Sally Jane among the dolls by her distinctive pink hair and patchwork tartan dress, matching the description they were given.
  • They discuss the possibility of verifying if the doll is enchanted as described. Luna suggests using Mage Hand to interact with the doll. When the Mage Hand squeezes the doll’s hand, it responds with a rude phrase, confirming its identity as Sassy Sally Jane.
  • Sassy Sally Jane continues to make rude comments as the party decides to take her off the shelf and store her in a bag.
  • The group debates whether they have retrieved the genuine doll, but they conclude that it matches the description and behaves as expected, satisfying their mission requirements.
  • The party plans their exit strategy and considers using Feather Fall to make a dramatic escape from the attic window. They agree on the plan and prepare to jump out with the doll.
  • As they leap from the window, Luna uses Feather Fall to ensure a safe descent, adding a touch of drama to their escape.
  • Upon landing, they are greeted by several students, including Rosie and Melwythorne, who express excitement and admiration for the party’s success in retrieving the doll.
  • The students, aware of the need for discretion, promise not to reveal the party’s methods but will spread the word of their success, enhancing the party’s reputation on campus.
  • Melwythorne expresses concern about the potential discovery of their break-in by the faculty, prompting a conversation about the ethical implications and possible consequences.
  • The party considers using mending spells to repair any damage caused during their mission, with Melwythorne offering assistance to mend the front door.
  • They acknowledge that some magical entities, like the pterodons, cannot be fully restored to their enchanted state.
  • Despite their concerns, the party decides to leave the manor, relying on the students’ promise of secrecy, and they are rewarded with a month of free lunches as their reputation grows.
  • The session closes with the party reflecting on their newfound notoriety and the potential risks of their actions being discovered by the faculty. They speculate on the faculty’s awareness of Sassy Sally Jane’s disappearance but note that no official confrontation has occurred.
  • The players are prompted to make wisdom or intelligence checks, likely to assess their understanding of the situation and future implications.
  • The session continues with a reflection on the aftermath of the group’s actions at Captain Dapplewing’s Manor. Luna and Bob start to feel uneasy about the faculty potentially knowing about their break-in to retrieve the enchanted doll, Sassy Sally Jane. They suspect that the faculty might be aware but lack concrete evidence to confront them.
  • Ophelia and Krenn, however, feel a sense of accomplishment and relief over their successful retrieval of Sassy Sally Jane, seemingly without immediate consequences.
  • The players receive confirmation from the DM that their characters have reached level three, marking a significant milestone in their development. The DM highlights the new abilities and spells available to each character as a result of leveling up.
    • Luna, as a fairy druid, will have access to more spells.
    • Krenn Smith, the half-elf wizard, will gain second-level spells, with a choice of four from the provided list.
    • Bob, as a dwarf fighter, will choose a subclass, deciding on the Eldritch Knight, which allows him to use cantrips and spells. He will select two cantrips and three first-level spells from the given list.
  • The DM provides links in the chat for the players to review their new spell options, encouraging them to make their selections before the next session.
  • A discussion ensues about the scheduling of the next session due to upcoming travel plans, leading to a decision to skip a week and reconvene in two weeks.
  • The conversation shifts to a personal discussion among players, sharing anecdotes and concerns about health issues, including hospital visits and medical conditions.
  • Players exchange stories about recent fires in their area, the impact on air quality, and community responses, providing a backdrop of real-world events influencing their gaming environment.
  • The session concludes with a focus on practical arrangements for the next gathering, considering logistics and safety given the local environmental conditions.
  • The session begins with a conversation about a character named Wendy, who had a challenging experience at a hospital. Wendy was admitted to the hospital but due to a lack of available rooms, she remained in the emergency area. This situation is described as uncomfortable and humiliating due to the lack of privacy and the crowded conditions.
  • The dialogue touches on the issue of inadequate hospital capacity in a tourist town, where the influx of visitors exacerbates the strain on medical facilities.
  • The conversation is lighthearted despite the serious subject matter, with players expressing empathy for the situation and sharing personal anecdotes.
  • There is an expression of gratitude towards Brian, the DM, indicating appreciation for his efforts in the game.
  • The session concludes with farewells exchanged between the players, suggesting camaraderie and a positive atmosphere among the group.