They say I’ve been a grouch since the midwife gave me a smack and I just harrumphed. Unsurprising. My mother, Kynthia, named me Rosalind first after her great grandmother, the original Lady Elversham. She named me Karl after her uncle second, but I am called Magister Petersham by most, and “Child” by my father, though I am now 54 years old. Only a few of the house staff and faculty, and of course the Duchess, remember I was nicknamed “Thorny” as a child. (A rose with a prickly personality. It’s supposed to be endearing or something. I don’t get it.) I was happy early in childhood, but Mother died when I was 9. This meant I was largely cared for and raised by the faculty and serving staff at the school, which is a large Manor home and boarding school in the countryside, and that of Lady Elversham’s Sorcerous Finishing School. It is just on the other hill, not but a blink away, but still a completely segregated entity because my great-grandfather was somehow more obstinate and obstreperous than even my father and would not employ Lady Elversham or her daughters. I had a few friends, but they were mostly the adults at the schools or their children, because the students didn’t have much opportunity for play, or when they did, they didn’t much want to associate with the faculty and staff children. And so, a age 9, I ceased childhood as I became an obligation to Headmaster Eustace Petersham, a now-single father whose priority focus was always on his role as the 4th headmaster at the Petersham School for Magical Boys, a preparatory academy for young nobles, sons of influential merchants, and aspiring wizards. A prodigy who demonstrated mastery of the arcane arts at an early age, I’d sat in all of the courses so often that I could fill in for sick instructors in many of the subjects before I was old enough to be accepted as a student at the academy of magic. I graduated from the school at 13 (5 years early) and began a series of apprenticeships to each of the instructors, well, all except father, who reserved his lessons for the “truly gifted.” That was an excuse to avoid the fractious arguments that invariably occurred whenever I sought to apply to a University or Academy like the Blackstaff’s, and Father insisted the free education I received was sufficient for “your talent levels with any substantial magical arts.” These days, I am Assistant Headmaster, Instructor in Astronomy in the school of knowledge, and head of Abjuration in the Academy Of Magic. I tend to “come out of retirement just this one last time” for an adventure with close friends about once a year just to get away from my overbearing family and grading assignments. 8 Life Events 99 arcane matter - You saw a creature being conjured by magic. This is not uncommon, but I mention it because it happened when I was three and seeing modrons coalesce in that circle is my first memory. 5 tragedy - Mother died, killed in a battle with a summoned demon. No one said this school is safe. 100 weird stuff - A powerful being granted you a wish, but you squandered it by wishing my father would put me on the faculty. He did so, but relegated me to “remedial Magics and academics of little import” 57 - You spent time working in a job related to your background. Start the game with an extra 8 (2d6) gp. 42 - befriended Lady Mary Icesun (Neutral Noble), the daughter of our then Duke, while she was faculty at Elversham. She is a practitioner of some skill, though it was quickly apparent her powers are eldritch and granted by her Faerie godmother, a good deal less academic than my approach. Sound theories, though. She now holds the Duchy herself, and is doing well. 86 - Fought in a small conflict as the school staff and students were besieged by an expelled student’s summoned creatures as he attempted revenge and a coup of the Duchy. I escaped the battle unscathed, though many friends were injured. A few, including the Duke, were lost. 77 - Went on an adventure with the Duchess. I was poisoned by a trap or a monster. I recovered, but the next time you must make a saving throw against poison, you make the saving throw with disadvantage. 79 - 8 years later, I left adventuring retirement again at the Duchess’ insistence. While away, I contracted a disease while clearing a filthy warren. I recovered from the disease with the care of Chef Shadereaver, the wise woman that is in charge Elversham’s herbology, culinary, and medical curriculum, but a persistent, nagging cough remains to this day.

Starting wealth (10g), plus 8g from XGtE's This is Your Life

Uncommon scroll of PHB Spell (COUNTERSPELL 3rd)

2k xp, Add a Common or Uncommon Scroll (Lightning Bolt, 3rd lvl)& a Potion (POTION OF Resistance) from the DMG to one of your characters.

Uncommon scroll of a PH spell (DISPEL MAGIC 3rd lvl)

Uncommon scroll of PHB spell (GLYPH OF WARDING 3rd level)

Uncommon PHB Scroll (Remove Curse 3rd level)

Uncommon Spell Scroll (Nondetection 3rd lvl)

Uncommon scroll of a PH Spell (Protection from Energy 3rd lvl)

Purchased scrolls of: * 1st level: Absorb elements, Alarm, Mage Armor, Shield Copied scrolls of: * 1st level: Absorb elements, Alarm, Mage Armor, Shield * 2nd level: Dragon's Breath (from Fai Chen) * 3rd level: Counterspell, Dispel magic, Glyph of Warding, Lightning Bolt, Nondetection, Protection from energy, and Remove curse.

Common PHB Scroll (Alarm, 1st level)

Purchased scrolls of: * 4th level: Banishment * 5th level: Steel Wind Strike Copied scrolls of: * 4th level: Banishment * 5th level: Steel Wind Strike

1,125 xp / 300 gp or 5,635xp/ 1,000gp or 19.000xp / 4,000gp or 33,000xp/5,000gp One of +3 Wand of the War Mage, +2 Half Plate, Wand of Polymorph, Spellguard Shield, Tome of Clear Thought, or Tome of Leadership & Influence

Walker DMed!

Nick DMed his 8th hour

Scroll Planar Binding + Potion of Invulnerability Add up to a rare (4th or 5th) scroll of a PH spell and up to a rare potion from the DMG to one of your tier appropriate characters

Karl Petersham, along with the other survivors of the Battle of the Second Pass, buried the Duke with full honors. GAIN BLESSING OF HEALTH. Constitution increases by 2 and max increases to 22.

Asst. Headmaster Petersham wed the Duchess Mary Icesun in a secret ceremony. They keep the marriage quiet so that it would not impact her political position. Paid 10g for fine clothes, 23g for a cleric sworn to secrecy, and the ceremony was completed in the chapel in Icesun Keep with only their former adventuring band to witness. GAIN BLESSING OF UNDERSTANDING. +2 Wisdom and maximum increases to 22

One Potion Vitality (T3 Character)

One Potion of Vitality

Purchased Scrolls: Prismatic Wall (9th), Invulnerability (9th), Mind Blank (8th), Antimagic Field (8th) with TCP Purchased Scroll of Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum (4th) with gold (-500) Copied All five scrolls.

Exchanged some surplus adventuring equipment with Sussurra Surgebinder. I found this volume, retrieved from Chult, to be rather interesting. Filed in the Petersham School's library. Perhaps a grandson can read it someday. (Traded for and read the Manual of Bodily Health) Trade with Ethan McDaniel DCI: 4345683746

100gp credit toward spellcasting services; Unlock one magic item awarded by the adventure (Obsidian Steed / Ring of Telekinesis)

Unloaded more surplus with Roen Thorbjon, a Dwarven Cleric of some renown. A nightmare for a Staff of Power? I don't know how I got away with such a steal. (Traded with Bryce C. 8318110732 at the table)

Gained Potion of Speed, one spell scroll (conjuration only, and of 8th level or below), One potion from Magic Item table A-E Bought 1 scroll Death Ward, 4 scrolls Mind Blank, Potion of Necrotic Resist, 20 potions of healing, and 1 potion of Supreme Healing.

Dispatched to the jungles outside of Port Nyanzaru to fight our way into the undead giant tortoise fort of Ras Nsi, now under the control of Valindra Shadow Mantle and Szass Tam's Simulacrum. Story Award: Lich Slayer You helped an alliance of heroes stop Szass Tam and Valindra Shadowmantle from destroying Port Nyanzaru and conquering Chult. Your names spread throughout the necromantic orders, where they are feared forevermore. You have advantage on saving throws made to resist spells cast by necromancers and other undead creatures. Story Award: Blessed of Ubtao Your understanding of the maze of life has pleased the great god Ubtao. To save his people, the god has granted you the ability to forsee your own failures and react accordingly. Once before the end of this event, you can undo any action you take after it has been resolved. This could be an action taken during combat, or a character action you describe to the DM outside of combat. Time literally resets to the moment before the action was taken, yet you remain cognizant of its outcome.

Spending 9 Days (72 Hours) to compare and swap spells from spellbooks with Andreas de Tovenaar in Mulmaster, until Thay attacked. Remove Curse 3, Locate Object 2, Antipathy 8, Tenser's Disc 1, Mislead 5, Arcane Eye 4 , Evard's Tentacles 4, Leomund's Chest 4, Mordenkainen's Sanctum 4, Illusory Dragon 8, Animate objects 5, Crown of Stars 7, Reverse Gravity 7, Disguise Self 1, Power Word: Pain 7

Sent into the Embassy of Thay in Mulmaster to find the warping in the Weave, break it and destroy the Simulacrum of Szass Tam.

borrowed a flying carpet from a nobleman I know. left a Spellguard Shield with him as collateral

1 scroll lesser restoration, +1 Potion of Fire Giant Strength

Favors are called in by Artor Morlin (rumored to be a vampire and a Masked Lord of Waterdeep. I can confirm it.) Morlin tasks a few well-seasoned adventurers to go to the Tower of Ahghairon, enter the tower using the key and explore its chambers looking for a specifc item. Naturally, opening the door to the magic tower triggered latent spells that reached out across the planes and pulled in a number of threats to contend with as part of Ahghairon’s test, mostly slaadi and various star spawn from the Far Realm.

At the top of the tower, it is discovered that Ahghairon is indeed there and alive, though he’s in a form of magical stasis. Several star spawn larva mages have taken advantage of the open door and stand between us and the legendary archmage. After a feverish exchange of magics, the threat was neutralized, we woke Ahghairon and he, agreeing that Artor needed the cubic gate to seal off The Far Realm breach beneath Waterdeep, gave us the cubic gate needed before returning to his stasis slumber.

Magically bound to a Sarcophagus holding the Vampire Lord, , the party is contracted to bear the Masked Lord to a chamber within Undermountain that will become his new desmense. An initial room full of foul creatures from the Shadowfell and Astral planes was quite tiresome to clear, but the party won through with a lot of tenacity and problem solving.

Working through extradimensional spaces that assaulted and damaged the adventurers with psychic and necrotic damage, they assaulted the final chamber and the dozen boneclaws and the dracolich that hovered within. The Masked Lord and vampire lord known as Artor Morlin can begin to take up residence. 15k gold reward, less the cost of casting Simulacrum.

The island isnt that mysterious. It is a remnant of a bessel-construct of another Plane, once belonging to an abolethic empire. Some sauhagin, a leviathan-shaped water elemental, and a dragon turtle are all not-at-all mysterious and perfectly natural, if unique.