Year 1 Adventures

This is just a short list of potential adventures or mini-quests the player might encounter. Some or none of these could happen- this is just a list of interesting suggestions and ideas.

Fall (August - October)

Focus: Adjustment, Rules, Socializing, Minor Mysteries.

  1. The Locker Ward Jam: A student discovers their personal locker/storage cubby in the East Wing Dormitories is mysteriously locked shut. The magical ward securing it is jammed, requiring the group to find a clever, non-destructive way (either brute force, a minor Transmutation hint, or Abjuration theory) to pop the lock without alerting the prefect.

  2. The Library Ghost Story Dare: A group of older students dares the Year 1s to spend the night in the deepest open level of the Great Library after hours. The challenge is surviving the night without panicking, dealing with the unsettling silence, and perhaps hearing faint, unidentifiable noises from the restricted levels below (Illusion or Divination hints).

  3. The Grand Refectory Seating War: The most desirable seats in the Grand Refectory are always magically 'reserved' by fifth-years. The group needs to observe the senior students' patterns and develop a coordinated (non-magical) plan to successfully claim a coveted table during peak dinner hours.

  4. The Lost Professor's Notes: A nervous Junior Instructor (like Corvin Tane) misplaces a critical bundle of ungraded papers on the West Garden Path. The notes are slightly warped by residual mana, and the group must devise a system to track the faint magical signature before the rain permanently ruins the documents.

  5. Halloween: The Campus Scavenger Hunt: The major student organization hosts a holiday scavenger hunt. One clue requires the group to find an oddly shaped (but mundane) pumpkin hidden among the magically enhanced flora in the Grand Conservatory, which often causes minor visual distortions (Illusion hints) for those who stare too long.

Winter (November - January)

Focus: Pressure, Ethical Choices, Preparing for Midterms, Winter Holidays.

  1. Midterm Week Stress Relief: The group needs a way to de-stress before the demanding Midterm Practical. The adventure is successfully sneaking into the underground student Tavern: 'The Leaky Cauldron' after curfew, requiring them to bypass or distract a meticulous night prefect and avoid the Maintenance Tunnels' noisy steam vents.

  2. The Warded Gift: A friendly Conjuration student asks the group to deliver a beautifully wrapped gift to a rival Evocation student in the Faculty Housing Tower. The gift is rigged with a simple, low-level Abjuration ward that makes it extremely slippery and noisy if touched incorrectly, testing the group's teamwork and coordination.

  3. The Accidental Portal Bleed: During a cold snap, a weak, temporary Conjuration spell meant for heating the Maintenance Tunnels briefly opens too close to a cold-weather plane, causing a sudden, localized area of unnatural ice near the dorms. The group must find a way to melt the ice quickly before someone slips (Evocation hint) and gets hurt.

  4. Winter Holiday: Finding the Feast Ingredients: The holiday meal is missing a rare, magically grown spice. The group is tasked with navigating the locked and heavily warded Fieldwork Gear Annex to retrieve the spice, relying on ingenuity and perhaps a harmless Divination or Transmutation technique they overheard in class.

  5. The Duel Challenge: A cocky Year 2 student challenges one of the Year 1 students to an unsanctioned, low-stakes duel at the Training Duelling Circle. The adventure is less about the fight and more about the Year 1 group advising their champion on tactics, defense, and leveraging the environment for an edge against a slightly stronger opponent.

Spring (February - May)

Focus: External Factions, Complex Secrets, Final Assessments.

  1. The Artisan's Debt: A senior student (quietly working for the Free Artisans) approaches the group, desperate. They need the Year 1s to use a basic Enchantment sensor they provide to scan the Obsidian Gate (main entrance) for a specific magical signature—the artifact they need to smuggle out. This introduces the idea of factions and espionage.

  2. The Sunken Crypts Rumor: A terrifying but vague rumor circulates about strange lights coming from the sealed Sunken Crypts. The group decides to investigate, not entering, but using basic Divination or Illusion principles (like enhanced hearing or sight) from a distance to determine if the lights are a genuine magical hazard or just a mundane phenomenon.

  3. Final Practical Preparation (The Ritual): The stress of the upcoming Final Practicals is high. The group decides to secretly attempt a simple, luck-based, non-school-specific Arcane Ritual in the quiet West Garden Path—the adventure is acquiring the obscure ingredients and performing the ritual without the Headmaster's staff discovering their unauthorized spellcasting.

  4. Graduation Night Cleanup: Along with being guests, the Year 1 group is assigned to post-ceremony cleanup detail near the Lecture Hall of Elements. During this, they find a misplaced, semi-classified document detailing the recent activities of the Crimson Judicators, giving them a fleeting, confusing glimpse into the larger war against secret magic.