Campaign: Astrodia
DM: Tommy
Date: March 8 2026
Players: Jim, Kat, Roy, Kenyaita, Yemko, Emily
Morning at the Village
The party woke up in the small no-name village from last session. Sleeping arrangements were the same: guys in one room, Drolta and Aren in another, Asha solo.
- Úlfr investigated whether anyone snuck into the guys’ room overnight. Rolled terribly (again) and became more convinced that Drolta snuck in to see Leif. He put a hand on Leif’s shoulder and shook his head in disappointment. This is now a two-session streak of Úlfr misreading this situation.
- Leif mentioned feeling “a bit weird” from the night before — quieter and less enthusiastic than usual.
- Aren and Drolta had a brief private conversation. Aren apologized for dragging Drolta into this group, but acknowledged safety in numbers and a connection to the Academy through the party. Drolta offered to kill Aren if her curse ever takes over, and Aren responded: “You can try.” Aren expressed understanding of being burdened by unwanted curses and promised to help.
- Asha woke up feeling great (she slept alone and had no issues). She walked around the village looking for signs of her mother — rolled an 18 investigation. No signs of her mother, but she noticed the town was preparing for some kind of festival or marketplace (stalls being set up).
Travel: Village → Thornvale
Asha took the lead navigating. The next major settlement is Thornvale, about a day and a half’s walk west. Tommy offered the option to double-time it and arrive before nightfall but at the cost of a level of exhaustion. The party chose to travel at normal pace and camp one night on the road.
Úlfr’s Road Knowledge
Úlfr arrived in the region a couple weeks ago and did some exploring around Bay Haven. He shared with the group:
- There used to be a major goblin presence on Artmegía’s roads and highways
- Around the time of the “forest curse” (a significant event Úlfr has heard about but doesn’t understand), the goblins disappeared
- Roads are now relatively safe — occasional bandits, but commonly traveled enough that a group with protection should be fine
- Úlfr advised the group to be ready to camp out and set watches
Camp Setup
The party found a passable campsite (Red rolled a nature check — decent but not luxurious ground).
- Úlfr and Aren stayed at camp. Úlfr used his giant strength to bend trees and drape tarps, creating two makeshift tents — one for the women, one for the men. He pointed and said: “For you. Leif, for us. You will go that way.” (Still operating under his misguided theory about Drolta and Leif.)
- Red, Drolta, Leif, and Asha went hunting/foraging. Red and Drolta succeeded on survival checks and brought back deer and vegetables. Leif struggled (open clearing isn’t his terrain) but foraged mushrooms instead. Asha served as guide.
Campfire Conversations
The group gathered around the fire for stories and got to know each other better.
Úlfr asked for stories. He told the group: “Life is a story. Everything we do is a story.”
- Red told the story of a student from the Academy who years ago tried to enter the “old forest” near his village. Red got the student drunk at a party so he’d forget about going in, potentially saving his life. Red hopes to find the student at the Academy someday.
- Úlfr told the story of Thyra Halfhand, a warrior from his people’s legends who lost half her hand yet became one of the bravest fighters — using a shield strapped to her arm instead of a sword after losing the ability to grip one. He told it from a book he carries, reading the story aloud. Performance check: 12. Well-received, told in a nice three-act structure. Red complimented him: “You have the best stories, man.” Úlfr corrected: “Not my stories. These are the stories I collect, sir.” He closed his little book.
- Aren told a story about the Phoenix Queen — rising from the ashes. She revealed she was a high priestess at the Phoenix Queen’s temple and that she and the Queen still have a relationship. She hopes to learn from the Queen’s story and “arise from the ashes” herself, in a way that feels one with nature.
- Red shared his recurring dream: Running with a pack of animals under a full moon (on all fours this time). The animals all stopped and stared up at the moon, where he saw three spheres — purple, blue, and red — making strange twists and turns around it. He asked the group if anyone could interpret it. Asha took interest but couldn’t fully decipher it (Tommy gave her a private DM message with partial info).
- Leif was shy about sharing stories, saying his experiences felt like “memories, not stories.” Úlfr encouraged him: “You’re young yet. Once you travel around, you’ll make some stories.” Leif mentioned having an uncle who is a traveler and tells wonderful stories when he returns for winter.
Religion Discussion
A group conversation about faith emerged:
- Leif follows Neptune — the “Agent of Life” and god of nature. His clan honors Neptune through their actions.
- Asha learned (and explained to the group) that in the Solemn and Beyond cosmology, the Agents are like “the hands of God” — each managing a domain and ensuring things go as they should. Believing in one Agent essentially means believing in all of them.
- Úlfr realized he’s technically religious by that definition.
- Aren stated her belief that the gods exist and hold sway over life, and it’s important to recognize when they act through others.
- Úlfr noted: “That’s wise.”
Asha’s Discovery
Before bed, Asha searched her mother’s notebook (prompted by Red’s dream about the spheres). Rolled a Nat 20 on investigation. She found:
- A triangle of orbs drawn in the notebook, colored red, blue, and purple
- The word “Venus” written next to it
This connects to Red’s dream but the full meaning is unknown.
Leif and Drolta’s Private Talk
Leif pulled Drolta aside (away from earshot of others but within Aren’s line of sight — Aren was watching body language).
- Leif clarified he wasn’t romantically interested — he was worried about her fangs
- Drolta teased him, circling him and pinching his cheeks: “You are so close”
- She revealed she’s a dhampir — not a full vampire, “something in between”
- That explains why she can walk in sunlight
- Leif apologized for exposing his neck/shoulder area the night before (now realizing why that was a bad idea)
- Drolta said it wouldn’t be a problem anymore and asked Leif to keep it between them for now
- They agreed to let the guys keep their wrong assumptions
- Drolta called Leif “little one” and patted his head before walking away
Meanwhile, Úlfr and Asha were watching from the fire:
- Úlfr rolled a 5 on perception and gestured suggestively toward Leif and Drolta, thoroughly convinced of a romance
- Asha (who is book-smart but perhaps not street-smart) didn’t fully grasp what Úlfr was implying
- Úlfr gave up trying to explain and looked down at his staff in silence
Night Watch & Rest
- Watch rotation: Úlfr and Asha took first watch; Aren took second
- During first watch, Úlfr sat by the fire carving something into his quarterstaff
- Asha sat with him since she was already rested and had the information from her mother’s notebook on her mind
- Drolta snuck out and communed with her Phoenix Queen (private DM conversation)
- Wisdom saves before bed: Everyone passed. Uneventful night.
Arrival at Thornvale
After another half-day of travel, the party arrived at Thornvale — a proper town, much bigger than the previous village, with a bustling market, though not as large as Bay Haven.
Asha told the group to split up and meet back in 20 minutes.
Shopping: The Copper Cauldron (Potion Shop)
Available inventory:
- Potions of Healing
- Potions of Greater Healing
- Potion of Climbing
- Antitoxins (30 gold each)
- Alchemist’s Fire
Red looked at prices and left (too expensive). Leif spoke with the shopkeeper — a former Academy student who studied potions:
- Leif explained he’s looking for a rare potion to heal a “specific type of disease” that normal healing potions haven’t helped
- The shopkeeper recommended Professor Lang at Witherbloom College (a satellite campus to the south, not the main campus)
- The shopkeeper noted that teleportation would be much quicker than walking to Witherbloom
- Asha overheard this conversation from the background
The Quest Board
The group reconvened at the quest board. Available postings:
| Job | Details | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenter needed | Fix a leaky roof | ~2 gold |
| Escort wanted | Travel escort to the Academy | 10 gold |
| Wolf hunt | Someone’s livestock being killed | A few gold |
| Magical Items Wanted | Official Academy decree — bring any magical item to the main campus for gold compensation (like a “buyback program”) | Varies |
| Misc. odd jobs | Various mundane tasks | Small amounts |
- Red tried to fix the roof — rolled poorly with carpenter’s tools. The fancy artisanal tiles were beyond his expertise. He refused to accept payment for a job not done.
- The party decided to take the escort job and headed to the Silver Tankard tavern to meet the contact.
The Silver Tankard — Meeting Lucian Cugg
The party found a man with his head down at a table in the back corner. Red approached.
Lucian Cugg — an explorer and former Academy student (studied there briefly but left because he didn’t like academia). He’s been exploring the world, particularly interested in higher beings and ancient history.
His story:
- He was in Caelwyrm, exploring the Great Ravine — thought to have been carved by dragons in ancient times
- He found a golden chalice with apparent magical properties in an excavated temple
- He hired two women to escort him to the Academy to sell it
- The escorts — Vonet (orc woman) and Dilly (human woman) — double-crossed him a couple miles outside Thornvale, stole the chalice, and fled north
- This happened yesterday
Party response:
- Red offered to track them down. “I don’t like thievery. People work hard enough as it is.”
- Úlfr approved: “A job is a job.”
- The party agreed to a communal gold fund for group expenses
- Úlfr intimidated Lucian (rolled 19) when Lucian questioned whether Úlfr was really a fighter: “I said I don’t like to fight. Doesn’t mean I’m not a fighter.”
- Asha rolled insight on Lucian — he seems genuine about what happened, but she suspects he’s understating how valuable the chalice actually is
The Cave Dungeon
Tracking the Bandits
The party, with Lucian in tow, traveled about 2 hours north to where Lucian was ambushed. Red and Leif tracked footprints heading north (Red almost followed the wrong trail but Leif caught it at the last second).
Leif sent Howl (his owl) ahead to scout — the trail led to a cave a couple miles north. The party decided to pursue immediately, hoping to catch the bandits resting overnight.
Cave Exploration
Lighting situation:
- Asha, Drolta, and Leif have natural darkvision (Leif has 120 ft)
- Aren cast Light on her mace (20 ft bright / 20 ft dim)
- Red had torches; Úlfr had a lamp
Room 1 — Spider Den:
- Ceiling covered in webs; a human-sized boot on the floor
- Red identified them as wolf spider webs (nature check)
- Úlfr spotted two wolf spiders on the ceiling (perception check)
- Aren grabbed and cast Sacred Flame before anyone could stop her — both Úlfr and Leif tried to restrain her (contested strength) but she rolled a Nat 20 and broke free
- Turned out the spiders were already dead — riddled with crossbow bolts. Aren’s sacred flame was a moot point but dramatic.
Navigating deeper:
- Red spotted a trip wire that would have released boulders onto Leif (perception check saved the group)
- The party found a bizarrely flat section of cave wall — Asha investigated (19) and found a hidden lever for a secret door
- Leif’s owl scouted and found the two bandits further in the cave, hiding and looking north at something — they appeared to be scoping out the goblin lair
Confronting the Bandits
The party climbed down a 30-foot cliff (Drolta used spider climb; everyone else used ropes). They set up an ambush position. Leif called Howl back to lure the bandits.
Combat — Bandits (2 enemies):
- Drolta opened with Eldritch Blast (3 damage) and demanded: “We’re missing a chalice. You wouldn’t happen to know where one is?”
- Asha smacked Bandit B (the human, already limping and missing a boot) with her quarterstaff
- Red hit Bandit A with Poison Spray (6 damage)
- Leif hit Bandit A with Starry Wisp — she fell unconscious
- Úlfr raged and declared: “They thought us prey. Let us teach them what prey looks like.” He attempted to grapple Bandit B but she escaped
After combat:
- The conscious bandit (Dilly) surrendered and revealed they sold the chalice to goblins in the cave for 50 gold. They had been planning to steal it back from the goblins to sell again at the Academy for even more money.
- The party took the 50 gold
- Debate over what to do with the bandits — Drolta knocked them both out (non-lethally). Red stole one of Dilly’s remaining boots.
- The party left them unconscious and moved on to find the goblins
The Goblin Lair
The party pulled the hidden lever and opened the secret stone door, revealing:
- Two connected rooms with a makeshift forge stoked to white-hot heat
- Four goblin warriors and a goblin leader wearing topaz jewelry, holding a leash attached to a giant centipede
- The leader shouted: “Kill the intruders!”
Combat — Goblins (5 enemies + giant centipede):
Key moments:
- Red (Nat 20 initiative) went first
- Leif cast Fairy Fire — affected 4 of the 5 goblins (giving advantage on attacks against them)
- Drolta used her Hexblade pact weapon (Phoenix Queen’s feather — bladed claws) and Hex, shredding a goblin
- Úlfr raged and used his greataxe to bisect one goblin, then used Cleave to severely wound another on the backswing
- Asha max-damage firebolt charred a goblin to death instantly
- Aren healed Red (who had taken 6 damage from a goblin arrow) with Healing Word, then contributed Sacred Flame damage
- Leif finished off the last goblin and the centipede with a life-draining vine spell — vines grabbed the enemies, sucked the life from them, and bloomed flowers around Drolta to heal her. “I didn’t know you had that in you,” someone remarked. Leif’s ring glowed during the casting.
- Howl (the owl) was killed by a bandit scimitar in a later fight — Leif can re-summon her but was sad about it
The Chalice
The party found the chalice in the forge — completely unmelted despite the white-hot fire. The goblins had been trying to smelt it down for gold but it was indestructible.
Drolta cast Detect Magic + Arcana check:
- The chalice is definitely magical
- Its magic is all types at once — it doesn’t fit neatly into any single school of magic
- This is very unusual and powerful
Lucian was surprised it hadn’t melted. He didn’t know what it does either.
Party debate:
- Drolta was nervous about giving it back to Lucian, sensing its power
- Asha pointed out that neither the goblins nor the bandits knew what they had
- The party decided to hold the chalice themselves until they reach the Academy, with Lucian accompanying them
- Lucian agreed (after some persuasion/intimidation) — he wants the gold from the Academy buyback program and to learn the chalice’s history
- He acknowledged the party would get a cut of whatever the Academy pays
Road Ambush
On the final stretch to the Academy, the party was ambushed by 5 bandits on the road.
Combat highlights:
- Úlfr scored a critical hit with his greataxe, bisecting a bandit, then used Cleave to severely wound another
- Red’s Poison Spray, Aren’s Sacred Flame, and Asha’s Firebolt all contributed kills
- The last bandit tried to flee — Úlfr got an opportunity attack and left it at 1 HP, limping away on pure adrenaline. Drolta let it go: “Mercy.”
- Loot: 15 gold, assorted weapons (scimitars/short swords)
Arrival at the Acropolis
After the ambush, the party finally arrived at the Acropolis — the main campus of the Academy of Arcane Arts.
The city is massive and impressive, with a detailed map Tommy revealed. Asha is familiar with the place, but for everyone else, it’s their first time seeing anything this grand. The party — a ragtag group of adventurers — sticks out among preppy uniformed students.
Notable locations visible on the map: Archway Commons (entry point), various college buildings, a café, and much more to explore.
Night in the Cave (Before Departing)
The party spent one night in the cleared goblin lair before heading out:
- Úlfr dragged the dead goblin and centipede bodies outside
- The bandits were gone by morning (woke up and left on their own)
- Wisdom saves: Everyone passed — peaceful sleep
- Drolta went outside privately to commune with her Phoenix Queen (details kept secret via DM channel)
Loot & Resources Gained
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 50 gold | Taken from the bandits (chalice sale money) |
| 15 gold | Looted from road ambush bandits |
| [[Golden Chalice | Magical Chalice]] |
| Flame Stick | A stick with permanent Continual Flame — glows forever (found on goblins) |
| Topaz Jewelry | Worth ~50 gold total (found on goblin leader) |
| Assorted Weapons | Scimitars, short swords from bandits |
| Edible Mushrooms | Leif collected some from the cave |
| One Boot | Red stole Dilly’s remaining boot |
Party Secrets & Knowledge Update
| Secret / Info | Who Knows |
|---|---|
| Drolta is a dhampir (not full vampire) | Aren, Leif (confirmed this session), Drolta |
| Úlfr thinks Drolta and Leif are romantically involved | Úlfr (completely wrong, two sessions running) |
| Asha’s mother’s notebook contains a triangle of red/blue/purple orbs labeled “Venus” | Asha only |
| Red’s dream of three spheres (purple, blue, red) around the moon | Whole party heard the dream; Asha found a connection in the notebook but hasn’t shared it |
| The chalice has all-school magic and is indestructible | Drolta (detected it), whole party witnessed the forge |
| Lucian may be understating the chalice’s value | Asha (insight check) |
| Professor Lang at Witherbloom College may help with Leif’s sister | Leif, Asha (overheard) |
| Aren was a high priestess of the Phoenix Queen | Shared with the group at campfire |
| Drolta communed with the Phoenix Queen overnight | Only Drolta and Tommy |
| Red doesn’t follow any organized religion — “nature is my thing” | Shared with the group |
| Forest curse caused goblins to disappear from Artmegía’s roads | Úlfr shared with the group |
Character Moments (Úlfr-Specific)
- Told the story of Thyra Halfhand from his book — performance roll of 12, well-received
- Revealed he collects stories, not creates them — “Not my stories. These are the stories I collect, sir.”
- Encouraged Leif to share stories and assured him he’d find his voice with time
- Built the camp shelters using his strength — practical and protective
- Carved something into his quarterstaff during first watch
- Raged twice in combat (goblin lair + road ambush)
- Used Cleave effectively both times — bisecting enemies with the greataxe
- Intimidated Lucian when his honor as a fighter was questioned
- Continued his comedic misreading of the Drolta/Leif situation
- Said “There’s no better story than the heroes of the local area” when looking at the quest board
Open Threads
- The Chalice — What is it? Why is it all-school magic? What will the Academy offer for it?
- Venus + the Three Spheres — Asha found the orbs in her mother’s notebook. Red is dreaming about them. Connection?
- Asha’s Mother — Still missing. No leads yet.
- Leif’s Sister — Professor Lang at Witherbloom may help, but that’s a satellite campus to the south
- The Forest Curse — Drove the goblins away. What was it? Is it connected to anything?
- Drolta’s Secret — Leif knows, the rest don’t. How long until it comes out?
- Úlfr’s Romantic Theory — How long until he figures out the truth?
- The Academy — The party has arrived. What’s next?
Next Session
The party is now at the Acropolis, the main campus of the Academy of Arcane Arts. They have Lucian and the chalice in tow, and each character has their own reasons for being here. Time to explore, sell/investigate the chalice, and pursue individual goals.