Candlekeep: Mysteries of Forgotten Lore

About the adventure

Many years have passed since what the people of Diaspora consider myth and legend was reality. Whether through cataclysmic apocalypse, cosmic war between unfathomable powers, or simply the inevitable passage of time from one age into the next, the world has changed. The cast-off ruins of ancient civilizations and strange creatures roaming the lands speak to an endless cycle of destruction and rebirth. But among all the remains of the former world, one city has weathered the storm beyond any other - Candlekeep. The City of Tomes houses the only surviving records of the past age as well as being the greatest library on the continent of The Expanse. As the nearby academy of Strixhaven reaches greater and greater heights of magical and scientific discovery, Candlekeep is the tree rooting what remains of the world firmly in the wisdom of the past. Though guarded by an army of acolytes and mages of Mystra, the city is not without adversaries. Many look upon the forbidden lore kept locked within its depths with unquenchable avarice or burn with jealousy over the stringent, some would say draconian, measures put in place to keep out unwanted guests. Even the mightiest of rulers would hardly hesitate to arrest, and promptly execute, anyone the Council of Candlekeep had convicted of damaging or stealing one of their precious tomes, lest they themselves be banned from its archives. Seeking to become a student at the fabled Strixhaven school of magic, you know that only those with a letter of recommendation from a former professor will have any hope of admittance. While none are less than remarkable individuals, it is believed that the most highly prized endorsements come from the exceptionally brilliant, and often cloistered and enigmatic, instructors. Recommendations are given out only once a year and even the most gregarious professors rarely hand out more than a few. Rumor has it that a former professor and world-renowned arcanist named Vistandia resides in Candlekeep and has not given out any recommendations in over a decade. Securing a letter from such a prestigious scholar would almost certainly earn an applicant a spot, possibly even an exclusive invite to one of the five specialized colleges within Strixhaven University.

Additional Details

How to prepare

Players will need a decent-quality microphone and a computer able to meet the Foundry minimum system requirements (two-button mouse strongly recommended) (https://foundryvtt.com/article/requirements/). There are several special effects and amazing modules that will be functioning in the background but many settings can be adjusted for less powerful machines or graphics cards. Characters can either be created, imported, or selected from a list of pre-mades.

What I provide

Physical copies of all official 5e sourcebooks, custom animations, beautiful maps, character and NPC hi-res tokens, and music playlists for the entire campaign.

Gameplay details

Sessions will be built around the general campaign framework of the search for knowledge and delving into the lore of Candlekeep as well as the surrounding regions. While a somewhat episodic aspect is taken with this adventure, an overarching plot is developed from a combination of character actions, their backstory, and the thread of the framework woven around these themes. Combat and Roleplaying will be prominently featured, dictated by the actions of the party, and there is much to learn and uncover about this world which is based loosely on the Forgotten Realms but thrust into a somewhat apocalyptic landscape. This game contains typical fantasy themes of high magic, tense drama, some violence (as there will be combat, of course) but is tailored to player comfort levels, forbidden knowledge, and some horror but utilizes basic, informal safety tools for all. Players are given a general rundown of the campaign's theme but are encouraged to privately alert the DM of any topics that they find uncomfortable (soft pass) or disturbing (hard pass) both ahead of time and during the campaign as they come up. Themes such as anything of a sexual nature, torture, extreme violence or profanity, and contentious real-world topics (religion, politics, etc.) are hard passed. In general, this is a PG-13 rated game.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Session 0

How will character creation work

Characters will start at the party level (currently level 5). Character sheets can either be filled out on D&D Beyond and imported into Foundry or directly in the Foundry journal prior to the next session. Any assistance needed can be scheduled with the DM who can walk through anything that isn't clear or needs further explanation.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.