Once upon a time a Boss was rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. While it might have seemed like typical glam and glitz, the Boss was interested in much more than mere socialites. It was rumored that a rare gem would soon be exchanging hands… and he was interested in making sure it was exchanged into HIS hands.
They were well prepared this time. He had the company of his good friend Xan at his side. His other friends were waiting for him on the floors below, ready to act, and his hands were swift and ready to swipe the gem at the first opportunity.
With a slow squeak, elevator doors opened to reveal a group led by a hooded figure who was presumably the buyer. The hood dropped to reveal Devin, the mysterious man who had helped them in the past, but whose true motives had yet to be determined. Next to him was a pale woman, and next to her was… The Governor!
The party goers once again heard a small squeak, but none would deduce that this was not the elevator again, but the sound of a sphincter aggressively tightening as the Boss recognized their one-time enemy, believed to have died in a fire months prior.
Devin and the Governor took note of the Boss, but there was a more important matter at hand: the Eye of the Beholder. The unlikely trio approached the host, Melinda Escalante, and locked eyes with her. Their body language told her everything. They would take the gem now. The host slowly produced the large gem from her vest pocket and began to approach Devin.
The Eye! Whatever the motives of the players in this game, this was what the Boss was here for! With a mighty lunge he shot towards the gem as it neared Devin’s outstretched hand… and missed entirely.
The Boss awkwardly looked at Devin as the last of his courage ran down his leg and pooled around his feet.
But Devin did not murderize the Boss on the spot. Instead, he produced an identical gem of his own and held it next to Melinda’s. With one gem in each hand, the entire crowd watched as a strange light began to shine from Devin’s personal gem.
The light was gone as quickly as it had arrived and Devin seemed to be satisfied with this outcome. With deliberate slowness, he turned to the Boss, who was expecting many things. His finger nails removed? A broken neck? His internet history sent to his mom?!
The one thing he did not expect was for Devin to approach him… and toss him the Eye of the Beholder. Was this a trick? Had Devin already used it for its intended purpose? These answers would have to wait because Devin had offered the gem, and the Boss did not feel refusing was an option.
The Boss quickly left the Tippy Top and reunited with his companions to tell them the tale of his adventure. News of the Governor shook them to their cores, but they had ultimately obtained what they had come here for. They knew not what to do with the Eye, nor how it related to the ongoing battles with the evil cult fiends, but if they needed answers they knew the place to get them. The Academy was a world-renowned institution founded by dragons long ago and famous for its collection of artifacts, spells, and historical scrolls. If any place had answers to the questions surrounding the gem and the cultists, the group would find them there.
The Boss agreed with this plan. His friend Karl McGregor was reportedly studying there but was difficult to contact, so visiting the Academy would give them a chance to track him down. Finally, the Boss added one last incentive for traveling there: “Devin said he would help us understand what’s been happening if we meet him in the mountains north of the Academy in 3 months. He didn’t give any more information, but it seemed… ominous.”
In the past, some of the group had annoyed an old man enough for him to teleport them to the Academy. He could be their ticket there again! (Though, for good measure, they also bought him a meteorite as a gift in case he needed to be bribed this time.)
They found the old man sleeping in Xan’s home (where he lived) and he was happy to banish these people once again, perhaps for good this time, but left them with one last piece of knowledge. It was interesting they were meeting an acquaintance in 3 months, as that was about the same time the planets would align in a pattern that had not been seen in a thousand years. The hearts of the heroes quickened. What exactly was approaching?
In a flash they found themselves in the heart of the Academy, but after a few hours discovered that this would not be as easy as they hoped. Karl was nowhere to be found. He was rumored to be studying the recovery of lost knowledge, but he had not been seen for 3 weeks after an argument with a colleague, would not respond to messages even from his wife, and actively resisted attempts to divine his location.
What’s more, the scholars at the Academy valued intellectual self-reliance. Here, favors were unlikely and handouts unheard of! Simply asking for the information they needed would not be enough. If they wanted to learn more about the world and its secrets they would have to invest in learning them themselves.
So, one by one, they each enrolled in the Academy. They had 3 months until their rendezvous with Devin and the planetary alignment. Even if they could not unravel the cultists’ motivations or Devin’s machinations in that time, they would likely learn other skills that could assist them in the days to come. Each was committed to their own task but also aware that their crucial meeting with Devin loomed closer each day. Some studied the mysteries of the occult, some learned divination, and some made a point to mention “footballs” as often as possible. It was fortuitous that they had this time to hone their skills at the Academy, as they would certainly need them in the weeks to come…