Telbron Stevedore

Character art by Brahahaga

Telbron Stevedore comes from a Warlock family of Silverquill Alumni. The Stevedore name is well known throughout the planes and Telbron is the next heir to take over the family business. Most of Telbron’s life has been dictated by his father, but he hopes that while attending Strixhaven he will be able to forge his own path in life.

## Character Biography

### Acceptance

In a perfectly adorned study, Telbron was carefully reading through a ledger of business figures when his finger hit an envelope that mysteriously appeared.  After assuming it was yet another experiment from his uncle Gio, he opened it to find an acceptance letter to Strixhaven University School of Mages.  Telbron decided to find his mother, as he assumed his father had used his influence to buy his son’s acceptance.  He found his mother on a terrace going through another ledger and various mail and told her he got accepted into Strixhaven—a statement that immediately got her attention.  Telbron asked her who his father paid off, but his mother claimed he got in on his own merit.  Telbron remained skeptical, considering he had some kind of reputation, and could tell she was as well.  His lack of enthusiasm extended to his future, as Telbron had been forced into an arranged marriage in order to fill his deceased brother’s obligations.  After finishing their discussion, they walked through the house to find Telbron's father, Ezekiel. Along the way, Telbron passed his family servant and friend Levtari, who exchanged knowing looks with him.  Telbron found his father in a study, going over more ledgers with two other men.  When Telbron told him he got accepted into Strixhaven, his father gave a rather boisterous approval and began making packing plans.

Telbron’s parents would ultimately be too busy to attend the Strixhaven parent mixer session.

### Arrival and Orientation

Telbron traveled with his family, arriving in the Archway Commons .  His father was furious that Universal Planar Sendings, also known as Universal Planar Services, had failed to handle their correspondence with Strixhaven in a timely fashion. Nonplussed, Telbron lined up behind an owlin just as one of her books, a particularly racy manga, fell open. Telbron assured her he didn’t see anything and positioned himself so she could retrieve her book with some modicum of privacy, after which the two introduced themselves.  Nora apologized that not all the paperwork had arrived in time and his uniform wasn’t ready. They commiserated over the costs of various delivery services and Telbron apologized for his father’s behaviour, past or future, before Nora gave him his welcome packet.  While his father was busy with his sending stone, Telbron’s mother gave him an impersonal farewell.

After he had settled in, Telbron left for the mandatory orientation, walking across Archway Commons into the Biblioplex--the grand library at the heart of Strixhaven University. He saw a small eladrin with a big book speaking to a large minotaur with a small book.  Seeing him approach, the minotaur asked if he was here for the orientation and gave directions to the Hall of Oracles.

Arlynn and Telbron saw a Snarl within. The two of them entered the Hall. Telbron recognized Arlynn was nervous and tried to put her at ease.  He admitted he was used to attending meetings and charity events from his youth.  He added that father owned 204 businesses (to date) and that his family wasn’t the nicest but asked that she keep that a secret. Arlynn studiously noted that down. Their discussion when Nell and two other students entered the Hall.

Telbron recognized Kai from a charity event they had attended two months ago.  After they exchanged names, Telbron recalled that Kai almost got kicked *out* of the charity event, after the two got in a fight, and approved of how thoroughly Kai irritated Telbron’s father.  He later confided that his father made him start working out after the altercation. It was at that point that Nell realized Kai was *the* Kai-El, recognizing him from his StonelyFans account.  She promised to show a confused Celdryn later.

The students were then greeted by the Snarl, who welcomed them to Strixhaven and told them that the orientation consisted of a scavenger hunt.  As a list appeared, the Snarl told them the list had clues leading to various places throughout the Biblioplex.  They had the rest of the day to solve as many as possible, with the opportunity to win prizes for each riddle they successfully completed.

Arlynn and Kai guessed the first clue referred to the Snarl itself.  They said ‘Snarl’ aloud.  Nelloris noticed pool underneath Snarl and ran towards it, with the others following.  When Nell stuck her hand in the pool, she retrieved a Potion of Healing.  The list automatically checked off the first clue, signaling they successfully solved the riddle.

The students consulted the map for the second clue.  Arlynn, using her knowledge of Strixhaven, guessed it referred to either the Art Gallery or the Student Activities Complex.  Nell then introduced herself to Arlynn and thanked Telbron for his assistance earlier. After some discussion, Arlynn excitedly led students to the Student and Alumni Art Gallery.  Reading the clue again and noting a reference to inspiration, they found a portrait whose placard included that reference.  Telbron felt around the portrait and found a switch that popped open a hidden compartment in the nameplate.  He retrieved five Strixhaven pennants and handed them out to each of the students.  When another team of first-year students came in, Kai pretended it took them a long time to solve the riddle.  Celdryn took a moment to catch on.  Arlynn was completely oblivious to Kai’s deception.  Nell excitedly thought this was like one of her mangas.  Celdryn used Prestidigitation to further conceal the hidden compartment, triggering a Wild Magic Surge that turned him invisible.  Everyone but Telbron noticed Celdryn had disappeared and called out for him.  Celdryn waved a hand in front of Kai before poking his cheek, prompting Kai to flail wildly and almost hit him.  He then gently shook Arlynn by her shoulders.  While Arlynn thought the gallery was haunted, Nell guessed Celdryn was trying to communicate. After Celdryn’s invisibility wore off, Arlynn stiffly introduced herself to the sorcerer.  Telbron distracted the other students with Thaumaturgy (specifically, the sound of crows cawing) so they could continue.

Looking at the next clue, students guessed it referred to the Biblioplex Café and headed over there. There was a gnome barista and a long lineup.  Nell grabbed the list and flew to the front of the line.  The customers protested, prompting Nell to try and elicit sympathy until Arlynn cast Sleep, knocking out twelve of them.  One of the students who’d remained awake yelled at them until Celdryn cast Friends.  Kai scolded the remaining two students for raising their voices in the library. Telbron Intimidated them with Thaumaturgy while Kai loomed over them, scaring the two away.  Now free, Nell and Arlynn presented the list to the gnome barista, who looked at the customers and silently handed goodie bags over to Arlynn. Arlynn took bags and pulled Nell away. Nell thanked Kai and Telbron for coming to her aid.  Kai bought coffees for the remaining thirteen students, while Telbron added a silver coin as tip.  They ran away as the customers woke up (or shook off the Friends spell).  Once they were safe, Arlynn handed out the goodie bags. Each held a scone, artisan mints and a 10% off coupon for the café.

The next clue led the students to the Book Garden.  All the flora reminded Nell of home, prompting her to sit down between some bushes. To her surprise, the bushes took turns poking Nell and waving hello.  At Kai’s prompt, Nell showed letter.  Nell suggested Kai and Telbron wade into the bushes, who promptly patted the two men.  When they returned the gesture, the bushes gave them stuffies (Kai got an art elemental stuffie (mascot of Prismari), while Telbron got inkling stuffie (mascot of Silverquill)).    Celdryn waded into bush and gave it a pat, receiving an inkling mascot as well.  Nell waded into the bushes, dragging a reluctant Arlynn after her.  After they patted the bushes, Nell got a pest mascot (mascot of Witherbloom), while Arlynn patted the bush and got a spirit statue (mascot of Lorehold)

Looking at the list, the students saw there was one final clue that made a reference to stars. After some quick brainstorming, the students headed to the amphitheatre.  Various other students were nearby, some of whom appeared to be part of a LARP club.  Kai-El and Telbron hopped up onto the stage, while Arlynn, Celdryn and Nelloris stayed behind, though they did not know what they were supposed to do.  At Nell’s request (echoed loudly by Arlynn), Kai-El took off his shirt.  Arlynn, Telbron and Nelloris cast Prestidigitation, Thaumaturgy and Druidcraft, respectively, to enhance the performance.  Kai gyrated for a moment before ripping Telbron’s shirt open. Remembering that a similar event occurred at the aforementioned charity event, Telbron punched Kai.   As Kai fell to the stage, some hooded lanterns popped out of the stage.  Seeing that, Arlynn assumed everyone else had to get on stage and remove their shirts. Getting up, Kai hit Telbron back. Nell was so overwhelmed by the drama that she fainted, though Celdryn caught her before she hit the floor. Coming to her senses, Nell reached out to Kai and Telbron, touched their abs and cast Cure Wounds.  Arlynn then climbed onto the stage and began to remove her shirt.  Celdryn saw her, experienced another Wild Magic Surge and sneezed a Fireball at the LARP club which exploded one of their chests.  While magical safeguards put out most of the fire, one of the flaming bits woke up a disguised mimic that began lashing out at anyone nearby.

Most of the students began attacking the mimic with various spells and cantrips. Arlynn was initially oblivious, focusing on removing her shirt as no more hooded lanterns popped up, but eventually joined the fight (with her bra protecting her modesty). Nell suffered a serious wound when the mimic bit her, but managed to avoid getting eaten. In the end, Arlynn killed the creature by using Catapult to hurl a book at it. Exhausted and grievously wounded, Nell sought permission to drink the Potion of Healing. Arlynn checked on Nell, unaware of her current state of undress. Nell admitted she was not prepared for university to be so eventful (episode 1).

### First Year

Arlynn helped Nell drink the healing potion, inadvertently revealing how well-endowed she was.  Nell seemed overwhelmed, either from the recent combat or the number of shirtless students.  Telbron and Kai also noted her confused state.  Arlynn offered to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before Kai reminded her about the lanterns.  After Arlynn summarily dropped Nell to the ground to retrieve the lantern she’d won, Telbron helped the stunned owlin up.

Other students began to congregate, drawn to the conflict, while the LARP club doused any remaining flames.  An owlin flew down and asked if everyone was all right.  Celdryn asked if it was common for the university to house mimics on the school grounds.  The owlin asked if that was the source of the commotion, prompting Kai to question her knowledge and competency.  She introduced herself as Professor Mavinda Sharpbeak and explained she had been sent to handle an incident at the café involving students using illegal enchantment magic, adding that could be an expellable offence, before being drawn to the ruckus at the amphitheatre.  Nell explained they were attacked by a mimic and defended themselves.  Celdryn added they were also protecting their fellow students, while Kai emphasized that they saved them.  Professor Sharpbeak asked the students to introduce themselves. Telbron apologized for his state of undress and gave a bow, prompting the professor to assure him that such formalities were unnecessary.

Seeing how Telbron’s shirt was torn, she cast a Mending cantrip.  Sharpbeak then urged Kai and Arlynn to put their shirts on, reminding them Strixhaven was a prestigious institution.  Arlynn complied, but accidentally mixed up her shirt with Kai’s, causing some confusion before Nell corrected them. Once they were clothed, Professor Sharpbeak repeated her earlier statements that casting enchantments on fellow students would normally be an expellable offence.  However, given their actions against the mimic, she was willing to overlook that incident.  She did instruct them to read over their welcome packet and school rules, as they did cover the use of unauthorized magic.  Sharpbeak also corrected their mistaken impression that the scavenger hunt was a form of competition.  When Nell realized she hadn’t gotten a lantern and asked if she had to take her shirt off, Sharpbeak hastily explained that she simply had to give some kind of performance.  A gnome girl from the LARP club came over and explained that the students had given a performance when removing their shirts, one that included dancing and fireworks, which the professor conceded would meet the requirements.  Sharpbeak also suggested they visit the Student Activities Centre and channel their energy into the clubs and extracurricular activities that were available at Strixhaven, requesting that they refrain from getting into any more trouble.  Kai was particularly interested in the Iron Lifters’ Club and urged Telbron to join him.  Kai also asked if Professor Sharpbeak was in charge of Prismari College, but was told that that privilege fell to the Deans.  Arlynn was embarrassed at the realization that she’d gotten into trouble with a professor.  Sharpbeak then bid them farewell and began casting more Mending cantrips on anything that needed it.

The gnome girl ran up to Arlynn, gushed over how she’d defeated the mimic and introduced herself as Rosie.  When Celdryn asked, Rosie explained she was also a first-year student, but knew people who had attended Strixhaven before and joined the LARP club as well.  Rosie asked Celdryn how he recognized the mimic before, thinking he must be a powerful mage to be able to cast something as powerful as a Fireball spell.  Kai made some boastful claims on Celdryn’s behalf, much to his embarrassment. Rosie urged them to join the LARP club and ran away, before returning to give them pamphlets.

Kai threw away Celdryn’s LARP club pamphlet before he could read it, dismissing it as too nerdy.  Nell commented on Kai’s attitude towards anything nerdy, told him she was a nerd herself, and asked if that made her bad.  Kai said she wasn’t bad, but she shouldn’t become nerdier, citing pornography as a perfectly acceptable pastime.  A confused Arlynn asked what pornography was.  The conversation went on to include the merits of different kinds of relationships, how everyone was feeling and Kai’s desire to check out the Iron Lifters’ Club and see if it could help him maintain his fitness regimen.

After being reminded that she hadn’t gotten her lantern, Nell got up and tried to take off her shirt.  Celdryn reminded her that Professor Sharpbeak had told them such measures were unnecessary, then, seeing that she was unconvinced, tried to stand between Nell and the professor.  Nell revealed to her friends that she was also well-endowed.  Celdryn chose to recite a poem about knowing who you were and being true to yourself, rather than take his shirt off, and was embarrassed by the resulting praise.  Spotting the crumpled LARP club pamphlet, he retrieved it and put it away.

The friends went to the Student Activities Club and found it was fairly empty.  While there were rows of tables, only a few of them were staffed with club members. Telbron checked out the Silkball table and saw a large, dishevelled owlin trying to organize the pamphlets.  The owlin was excited to hear Telbron was interested in joining, given the number of players they’d lost due to graduation.  Telbron told him he had a cousin who used to play. The owlin recognized his cousin as an asshole, albeit a skilled player, then hastily apologized for his comments. Telbron reassured him that he took no offence, citing his cousin’s unpleasantness at family gatherings. Kai, who had tagged along, became enthusiastic when Telbron told him players could hit each other.  His enthusiasm increased when he learned they lifted weights with the Iron Lifters’ Club on Wednesdays, but trained on Mondays and Thursdays.  The owlin, whose name was Javenesh Stoutclaw, added that they had tryouts on Monday after sixth bell.  Kai wanted to visit the Mage Tower table, but was told that their representative had left. Javenesh encouraged Kai to pick up a pamphlet as the game was highly enjoyable (even if the two clubs sometimes had conflicts over game times).
Nell wondered what Celdryn was up to and gathered her friends.  Arlynn told them that Celdryn was taking Nora to the amphitheatre where some of them had taken their shirts off (and, also, fought the mimic).  Kai was notably disinterested, as he was looking forward to the mixer.  After Telbron pointed out that would take place later in the evening, Nell suggested a round of ‘pre-drinks,’ which earned her Kai’s enthusiastic approval.  Arlynn revealed her limited experience with alcohol outside of a glass of wine she’d drank at the age of thirteen.  Kai told her she had a lot of catching up to do. Nell warned them that she could get a little crazy when she was drunk.  Shortly after, they decided to follow Celdryn, Nora and Mak.

The friends met up with Celdryn, Nora and Mak. Nora said hello to the other students. Mak then told the others that he had discovered the mimic corpse had some black goo that was not typically found in such creatures and that he would have to experiment on the sample to learn more. Celdryn asked if he could help.  Mak agreed, inviting him and Nell to join him the next day.  Nora thanked the group for showing her the mimic.  She also asked Arlynn if she could borrow a book from her, as she had (also) fallen afoul of Universal Planar Services.  After giving Arlynn some suggestions on what kind of reading material she was looking for, she commiserated with Telbron on their shared experiences with Universal Planar Services.  Kai offered his opinion on the rival Goblin Postal Service.  Nora then returned to her club table.

Nell then noted that Kai wasn’t looking well.  Kai admitted he was hungry, but what he really wanted was beer.  Celdryn was told about the party and, when asked, admitted he had never been to any parties.  A stunned Kai had to sit down and hyperventilated into a bag.  A helpful Nell told Celdryn it was like a particular issue of a manga they read before urging her friends to get their drink on.  Kai misheard her and wondered if Celdryn would have a carnal encounter before he would. Telbron rolled his eyes.  A worried Celdryn asked Nell if they had to pay for drinks.  Telbron assured them they could put it on his father’s tab, so long as they did not overdo it.

They made their way to the Bow’s End Tavern.  Nell walked up to the bar and asked for a Goblin Grenade, Kai ordered three Kinky Kenkus and a Genie and Tonic.  Telbron asked that the drinks be put on the Stevedore tab.  After they all finished, Kai ordered another round. Telbron decided to slow down while Nell resolved to keep up with Kai.  Celdryn nursed his first drink until Kai encouraged him to ‘open his throat’. Taking him literally, Celdryn enlarged his throat and poured the rest of his drink down.  Kai looked at his drink and wondered if he was seeing things in his inebriation while the other students expressed varying degrees of surprise. When a second round of drinks arrived, Celdryn downed his glass in a similar fashion.  Impressed, Kai wondered if Celdryn was the Chosen One.  Celdryn then grabbed another drink from a passing waitress and, in an uncharacteristically confident manner, finished it in one go and told the others they were two drinks behind. Shaking his head, Telbron declared he would not even try to keep up.  Kai eagerly chugged another drink while Nell asked for a Slippery Nipple. Celdryn needed a moment to compose himself, but assured the others he was fine.  He and Nell declared their appreciation of each other before agreeing to have more drinks.  Arlynn decided she wanted to join them and finished her drink.

Kai revealed that he saw Arlynn by the Cheer Table and told her she would look great in a cheerleader uniform.  By sheer coincidence, four cheerleaders came in and the friends took a moment to admire them.  Emboldened, Celdryn decided to walk over and asked the cheerleaders to help them navigate the various drinks available on campus.  As one of them began recommending the Strixhaven Strut, Celdryn interrupted her and invited them to join his friends, volunteering Telbron to buy their drinks.  Celdryn led the cheerleaders back and introduced them to his friends as J’dell (a halfling), Jeta Stream (a water genasi), Jetam (an elf) and Joy (a tiefling). Telbron wondered if this was the same Celdryn they had met at the beginning of the day.  Nell sidled over to Telbron and asked if he would be okay buying all these drinks.  Telbron reassured her that his father had encouraged him to make connections, but had not provided any limitations on how.

The cheerleaders bought some Strixhaven Struts and demonstrated how to drink them. Celdryn’s attempts to flirt with one of them failed as he became momentarily, and visibly, ill.  Telbron abstained, deciding to ‘babysit’ the others and cut Celdryn off from any more drinks.  Seeing this, Kai and Celdryn tried to encourage him to continue drinking. Kai also cast a Resistance cantrip on Celdryn so he could keep partying.  Telbron reluctantly agreed to join them in another round, only to regret it as the room began spinning.  Nell noticed his vertigo and apologized for all the peer pressure.  Arlynn declared she had a perfect performance and asked Joy the tiefling if she got a prize.  Joy agreed and suggested another drink, but Celdryn suggested a kiss instead. A drunk Arlynn agreed and kissed Joy. As the two began making out, Nell declared she had gained so much material for fan fiction, Celdryn was shocked at this latest development and Kai broadcast the whole thing to his StonelyFans with his sending stone.

More students began trickling in.  A well-dressed first-year student strode up to the bar and ordered a round of drinks for his companions like Telbron had done.  Celdryn then struck up a conversation with J’dell, suggesting Kai was already poised to become the next silkball captain.  Kai played along, asking her about Mage Tower before asking her opinion on various ales.  J’dell recommended the Witherbloom ales, explaining that students guilty of infractions often had to perform unpleasant tasks in Witherbloom’s Detention Bog, whose conditions were ideal for brewing ales.  Hearing about the creatures that roamed freely in the bog, Kai wondered if that was where the mimic came from.  He then summarized their mimic fight to the halfling, playing up Arlynn’s role with Celdryn’s help.  Arlynn mistakenly thought someone had mentioned more shots.  Celdryn obliged and asked for more shots with Thaumaturgy, only to be chastised by a bartender’s louder use of the same cantrip. When the drinks arrived, Celdryn used Mage Hand to drink his shot.

Nell sat in Kai’s lap, much to his surprise, and gave him a kiss.  Celdryn noticed.  Kai waved Bageira over and introduced everyone.  As Bageira sat down, an increasingly inebriated Celdryn commented on her height.  She explained how she just met Kai and asked whether he would also join the Iron Lifters. Celdryn tried to impress her by shapeshifting some extra muscle, but she easily discovered his deception and ordered water for everyone.  After Celdryn asked how she could help Kai, Bageira offered some tips… and suggested food would be a good idea considering how early it was and how drunk they were. She ordered a round of chicken wings after Nell was assured they wouldn’t eat *her* wings.

A group of musicians came in, led by a stunning elven singer who drew Celdryn’s attention.  The well-dressed student and his group cast judgemental looks at the friends’ table. More students were coming into the tavern.  Arlynn finally registered the order of food and agreed she could eat.  Kai and Bageira debated the merits of carbohydrates before he challenged her to an arm-wrestling match.  They exchanged some trash talk before Kai lost decisively. Kai good-naturedly agreed to have some fries.  Arlynn asked if she could have some and offered them to Joy, who declined as she was on a diet.  The cheerleaders said their goodbyes and left.

Nell and Kai sensed that the well-dressed student and  his group recognized Telbron.  Celdryn noticed they were looking at someone, but was so inebriated that Nell was worried about him.  Kai asked Telbron if he recognized the people looking at their table.  After turning his head, he recognized him as someone he had met at one of his father’s events, but he could not remember, or care to remember, his name.  Celdryn waited until that student went to the washroom, found a secluded hallway, morphed his face into a distorted version of the student, went to his friends’ table, faced the other table, wandered into the crowd, returned to his normal features and returned to his friends.  He bowed to Telbron before face-planting on the table.  The friends, clearly worried, tried to find the other student, who they called out Grayson, and queried him when he returned from the washroom.

After helping Celdryn up, Bageira revealed she was in Lorehold College and asked the group which college they hoped to enter.  Kai admitted his family had a legacy in Prismari and felt he had no choice but to go there.  Telbron revealed his famiy had a legacy in Silverquill.  Nell hoped to get into Witherbloom.  Arlynn gave her response through a mouthful of fries.  Celdryn mumbled ‘Goldfeather,’ but some of the students guessed he meant Silverquill.  Nell told Kai and Telbron they should go to whichever college they wanted to enter.  Kai claimed he wanted to go to Prismari because it was the best.  Telbron admitted he hadn’t really decided for himself yet, but wanted to stay on his father’s good side so he would be left alone while he was attending Strixhaven.  The others guessed Telbron might have some father issues.  Nell added he was surprised how many people seemed to resemble the characters she’d read about in her manga.

Celdryn kept admiring the elven singer, which Kai noticed.  A moment later, he saw the singer enthusiastically wave to a blonde elven first-year student.  To his shock, he recognized the other elf as Elowyn, one of his first friends and one of the few people who knew about him, his family and his life.  The others noticed him keeping his head down.  When Nell asked, Celdryn asked her to keep it down, insisted things were fine and claimed he was just drunk.  He asked that if they met the student talking to the elven singer (who he was clearly infatuated with), that they not trust anything she said. After some questions over how they knew each other (and some queries from Kai on whether it was sexual (which Telbron translated)), Celdryn reluctantly admitted they knew each other as children but she had since made his life miserable.

With that settled, Kai challenged Bageira to another arm-wrestling match while Arlynn sent a surprisingly legible text to Larine and asked if she was coming to the Bow’s End Tavern party.  After Larine confirmed she was coming in an hour, though, Arlynn responded with an incoherent series of emojis before dropping and cracking her stone.

Celdryn debated whether to confront Elowyn.  Arlynn offered to give her a piece of her mind.  Nell offered to cast a Chill Touch cantrip to spoil her beer, but Telbron advised it, considering her drunken state and the likelihood of getting the group into trouble again.  Celdryn was open to exploring other spells if they did not require a target.  Arlynn suggested another Sleep spell, which Kai and Telbron quickly discouraged.  Nell listed other spell options before Telbron distracted her with a question about manga characters.  Kai tried reading a manga for himself, only to read it backwards and bend the spine (much to Nell’s and Celdryn’s horror).  He then challenged Bageira again to an arm-wrestling match and won (due partly to Celdryn’s Silvery Barbs).

Kai and Bageira left just as Larine walked in.  Spotting Arlynn, she walked over and joined the group.  Arlynn apologized for not responding to any texts as she’d dropped her stone.  Larine noticed the lipstick on Arlynn’s face from her makeout session with Joy. Arlynn’s claims of having trouble applying lipstick failed miserably.  Celdryn’s attempts to wipe it off only made matters worse.  Laureen claimed to want to see her friends and said her goodbyes, but the group noticed she sat at an empty table before some other students eventually joined her.

Celdryn looked up again, only to meet Elowyn’s eyes and hurriedly turned his gaze back to the table.  He asked whether Elowyn was looking their way.  Arlynn declared that she was traditionally attractive, well put together and had a ‘resting bitch face’.  Upon further examination, she amended the last description to ‘active bitch face’ (to which Nell and Telbron agreed) as Elowyn was staring daggers their way.  When Nell asked, Celdryn admitted their relationship had shattered after he revealed who he was.  He then took a few deep breaths before looking at Elowyn.  After they exchanged glances, the elf looked in various directions before heading to the bar.  Celdryn declared he’d just made the worst decision of his life.  Nell tried to start a bet over how Elowyn would react. Telbron guessed she did not have enough gold, to which Nell replied she did… given the net cost of her manga collection.  Ultimately, Elowyn sat down with her drink at another table.  Celdryn concluded that first year would be more interesting than he thought before suggesting another round of drinks.  Telbron asked if Celdryn wanted to leave, but he declined as he thought Kai would return.  Nell corrected him, saying he had left with Bageira, prompting Celdryn to ask if they should look after him.  Celdryn tried to stand up, only to be forced back down by Telbron, who insisted everyone drink water as he could not carry the rest of them back to the dorm.  Nell tried to fly, only to fail mid-flutter. Expecting this outcome, Telbron was already in position to catch her as she fell, noting she seemed to enjoy being saved.  Celdryn commented on how light she was, due in part to her hollow bones.  Telbron responded that it was her eyes that caught his attention.  Celdryn whispered to Arlynn that they should give Nell and Telbron some privacy and led her away to find Kai.

Nell was thoroughly embarrassed but eventually asked if Telbron really liked her eyes.  After he confirmed his earlier statement, she complimented his eyes, causing him to be similarly embarrassed.  Seeing that she couldn’t find anything else to stay, Telbron concluded she had enough to drink and carried her out of the pub and back to their dorm.  Nell saw Celdryn drag Arlynn behind a building and drew certain conclusions for herself.  Deciding not to say anything, Nell talked Telbron’s ear off about anime as he brought her back to her room and tucked her into bed, which he allowed as his reading material was considerably less interesting.  She eventually dozed off against his shoulder (episode 2).

Telbron woke up to find Nell asleep on his shoulder.  He decided he had a good time and tried to go back to sleep, only to realize something and cursed under his breath.  Hearing that, Nell asked Telbron if he was awake and the two exchanged greetings.  Seeing all the manga lying around, Nell asked if they’d talked about anime all night.  Telbron confirmed her theory and assured her he had a good time.  Nell then asked if he wanted coffee as she needed some to help her hangover.   Telbron offered her an alternative he had in his dorm and, after she agreed, carried her back to his dorm.

Arlynn, Nell and Telbron bumped into each other in the hallway.  Arlynn greeted them and observed Telbron had a ‘parcel’.  Telbron smoothly replied that it was an unexpected, but welcome, package.  Nell was visibly flattered, while Arlynn was clearly taken aback and asked if they had performed ‘shipping activities’.  While Telbron blushed, Nell explained they’d spent the night talking about anime.  She began reciting a list of anime, one of which Arlynn recognized.

They were interrupted by Kai, who was walking down the hallway carrying a bag and wearing nothing but a towel. Arlynn and Nell observed he had forgotten his shirt and pants, respectively.  Kai explained the only clothing he had was soiled.  At that point, they were joined by Celdryn. Hearing Kai, Celdryn offered to clean his clothes.  A confused Kai thought he was going to do his laundry for him, only to see him cast Prestidigitation and belatedly realize he could have cast the same cantrip himself.  Telbron told them he was going to leave and departed with Nell in his arms.  Nell shouted her goodbyes over his shoulder.

By the time Telbron returned to his room with Nell, he was so embarrassed that he accidentally kicked a package waiting outside his room.  After noting it was damaged and cluttered with stamps, he opened the door, kicked the package inside, entered his room and gently put Nell on his bed.  While Nell looked around curiously, Telbron noticed there was another package sitting on his desk.  He set that aside and made Nell some herbal tea that had helped him recover from hangovers in the past.  Nell drank the tea and immediately felt better.  Telbron was not surprised, admitting he didn’t handle alcohol well and had learned how effective the tea could be.  They agreed that the previous night was more exciting than any parties they’d had before.

Nell observed he finally got his uniform and voiced her hope that whoever had shipped it would get a refund.  Telbron looked at the stamps on the first package and agreed, marveling it had gone through twenty different planes.  When Nell examined the package for herself, she realized one of the stamps indicated the package had been sent to the Abyss.  Neither of them knew why his uniform had been sent there, but Telbron hoped it didn’t pick up any curses… or imps.

After a few seconds, Nell noticed the second package.  Telbron grabbed it and carefully opened it, as he realized someone had brought it into his room while he was out.   The package contained a ring box and a note that read “Watch your back.  This will put a target on it. –E.”  He recognized it was his brother’s writing and realized, with some shock, that he was alive.  Nell was confused until Telbron told her the package was from his brother… who had disappeared twelve years ago from Strixhaven.  Telbron told her they had much to discuss before opening the ring box.  Wind blew through their hair and feathers, respectively, accompanied by a crackle.  When things settled down, the two peered at the open box to see a golden ring, with three stylized air currents curling around a diamond.  Seeing a latch on the ring, he opened it and disappeared.

Telbron landed on a plush couch in a room filled with books.  The ceiling consisted of nothing but undulating storm clouds.  Another note lay on the table, which read (in his brother’s handwriting): “Telbron, this should help you get a little space.  But make sure nobody at home sees it.  Just reach out here when you need a little magic, instead of your family ties. –E”

Gathering magical energy, Telbron saw a miniature storm cloud coalesce in his hand. He noted that was different from anything he’d experienced before.  He called out if anyone was there then, seeing no response, asked how he could get out.  In a flash, he returned to the room with the ring on his finger (and Nell holding both the ring and his hand). When Nell asked what happened, Telbron guessed he had gone inside the ring.  After realizing what had happened, Nell declared the ring could help them sneak in so many places.

Telbron asked Nell if she realized everyone thought they had had sex.  When Nell immediately agreed, Telbron guessed she knew very little about his family.  She promptly confirmed his suspicions, excited at the thought of being part of a torrid family affair like some of the anime she’d watched.  Telbron asked if any of the anime involved arranged marriages, much to Nell’s shock.  He begged Nell to keep his secret, expressing surprise Kai didn’t know, before going onto explain his brother was in an arranged marriage before disappearing twelve years ago.  Telbron was now expected to marry his brother’s intended fiancée and sought a way out of this arrangement like his brother had.  He was concerned that he’d now put a target on Nell’s back.  Nell surprised him with her willingness to be his ‘fake pretend girlfriend’ or ‘real girlfriend’ in order to disrupt any plots from his family.

They were then interrupted by Arlynn, who called out through the door to say Celdryn wanted to know if they had ‘anime’d’ each other last night.  Kai then repeated the question.  Telbron was embarrassed and turned beet red.  Nell pretended to look all disheveled before opening the door.  While Kai was fooled, Arlynn and Celdryn saw she was a little too unkempt and Telbron was not in a similar state of undress.  Arlynn then repeated her suggestion of breakfast and the five of them left the dorm. Telbron leaned over and quietly told Nell that he wouldn’t mind if they actually had sex, shocking and embarrassing her.

The students made their way to the Firejolt Café, only to hear someone call out Arlynn’s name excitedly.  Turning around, they saw Rosie the gnome charge up and ask if they were doing anything.  After asking if they were going to Firejolt, she urged them to follow, telling Nell she’d enjoy it.  When they arrived, Rosie told them she would go in first, and that the others should casually make their way to the back room later.

Heading inside, they quickly saw Larine sitting at a table with Grayson and a distinguished-looking girl.  There were several other students in the café including an owlin sitting by himself, Greta, an earth genasi, Nora and the elven singer.  At the coffee bar, Javanesh could be seen chatting with a barista.

Celdryn’s eyes were drawn to the singer, but the friends recalled he was fixated on the other elf who had talked to her.  They also wondered how he was able to drink so much without a hangover.  Kai was still confused as to why they had followed Rosie inside.  Nell told him the gnome had something cool to show them.  Arlynn decided to apologize to Larine, despite the fact that she was with friends, explained things had escalated faster than expected with the person who’d given Arlynn lipstick, and expressed hopes that they could hang out.  Larine’s friends gave Arlynn judgemental looks.  Grayson also glanced at Telbron.  Arlynn rushed away before Larine could say anything more.

Seeing the friends, Nora greeted them.  Telbron took the opportunity to tell her his uniform had finally arrived, after travelling through twenty different planes (including the Abyss).  Nora admitted she knew someone who had something similar happen and the incident ended with an imp hitching a ride in the package.  Telbron admitted he was not sure if there were any imps in his package as he had not opened it yet.  Nora assured him he probably did not have to take any precautions.  When Telbron asked if there would be any repercussions for attacking any imps, Nora suggested he make sure the devils were not actually university employees.

Nora then introduced Aurora Winterstar, who recognized him as she had performed at some of his family’s events.  Nell complimented Aurora on her voice.  Aurora recalled seeing them at the Bow’s End Tavern enjoying themselves.  Celdryn looked away awkwardly.  Aurora recognized Kai as well, through the messages they had apparently exchanged on StonelyFans.  After swapping compliments, Kai and Aurora agreed to meet up for drinks (and maybe more) some time.

Kai asked if anyone wanted coffee.  Nora and Aurora declined, indicating they already had some.  Heading over to the coffee bar, he ordered coffees for everyone (white chocolate mocha with extra caramel sauce and an extra shot of espresso for Nell; espresso deep roast with a long shot of espresso for Telbron (per his request for the strongest thing they had); espresso macchiato for Celdryn (despite his request for the cheapest thing they had and black coffee for Arlynn.  He paid for the coffees and added a tip.  Arlynn grabbed her coffee from the bar, having followed Kai without his knowing.  Kai brought the other coffees back and told Celdryn he’d made his drink a little more expensive as thanks for the soap.  After they got their coffees, they noticed Rosie trying to get their attention and trundled over to the back room.

They saw Rosie sitting with a blond elf who had a small crate.  There were many other people, including a dryad, Mak and a loxodon in military garb with a wealth of gold piercings.  Rosie waved them over and introduced them to the elf, whose name was Cadoras.  Cadoras whispered to Rosie that she thought they were inviting one person over, not five, but was assured it was fine.  Nell piped up that they were all as smart as one person, rendering Telbron speechless and offending Arlynn.  Telbron told Cadoras that Nell was still waking up.  Rosie told Cadoras that Nell looked like the kind of person who would know about certain things and urged him to open the box.  He slowly complied, revealing four glowing frogs.  Cadoras told them she’d found the frogs in a creek behind the café, but had never seen any creatures like them before and wondered if they were native to this plane.  Nell offered to cast Speak With Animals, picked one up and greeted them.  To her surprise, they belched and grew in size until they were the size of large dogs.

The students swung into action, casting various spells. Arlynn hid behind Rosie and asked why the frogs grew in size, but Rosie did not know. Kai scored the first frog with a Guiding Bolt from his eyes. Nell hid behind Telbron, who went down after two frogs latched on his arms. While unconscious, he thought of the night he'd spent with Nell.

Arlynn killed two frogs with a flaming log that she launched with Catapult, while an injured frog died after botching an attack against Kai. Nell cast Spare the Dying by kissing Telbron, then kissed him again to regurgitate a healing potion into his mouth. Arlynn belatedly pointed out that pouring the healing potion into his mouth would also work.

Celdryn and Telbron were distracted for their own reasons.  The others noted the frogs shrinking back to normal size, leaving behind a oily black substance that Nell recognized was similar to the ooze from the mimic.  Arlynn investigated the black substance, going so far as to lick it, and concluded it was sweet to the taste.  Mak overheard, came over and took a sample.  He also looked at Nell and Telbron before suggesting that they put off any scientific experiments until the next day.  Nell assured him they did not need time to recover, so Mak decided they should begin his investigation at once.  Nell and Mak then wandered off.

The loxodon in military garb asked the others if they were all right and whether they needed to see the nurse.  Telbron wearily agreed.  Celdryn agreed as well after learning it wouldn’t cost anything.  The loxodon introduced himself as Rampart and led them to the nurse’s office, having assured them that he’d memorized the campus map and knew where to go (episode 3).

Kai asked Telbron if was okay.  Telbron assured him that the healing potion Nell had fed him cured most of the damage, but agreed he should go to the infirmary to make sure nothing else was amiss. Kai wondered if the frogs would give Telbron warts.  When Arlynn stepped away, Kai wondered if fey could get warts.  After a one-sided conversation from Kai about the transmissibility of the virus that caused warts and the necessity of vaccines, the three of them went to the infirmary.  The nurse confirmed Telbron had been wounded, but was not cursed or poisoned.  Telbron assured Kai that his father had made sure that his vaccinations were up to date.

On the way out, Kai swiped some free condoms.  He offered one to Arlynn, who refused to take it.  Telbron tried to surreptiously take some as well and was mortified when he knocked over the bowl.  He warned Kai against making any remarks.  Kai insisted he would have given him some, as he did not intend to use them all… that week.  Telbron eventually took the ‘Orc’ brand, a regular-sized condom that claimed to have extra durability.

Classes began the following day.  While the students had chosen their own electives, they all were expected to take Magical Physiology, a course scheduled for the end of the day (last class of day).  Kai showed up early in disguise (wearing glasses) and went to the front row.  Nell showed up with Telbron and dragged him to the front.  Arlynn joined them in the front door.   They failed to see Kai, not recognizing him in his glasses.  Meanwhile, Celdryn sat in one of the back corners, secretly practicing his magic and trying to cast levelled spells.

Nell spent the time before class reading manga, before Telbron asked her what she’d discovered during her experiments.  She brought Telbron up to speed and mentioned Mak would bring her a Find Familiar scroll later that evening.  She hoped she could use it to summon a mushroom familiar.  Telbron accepted her invitation to help cast the spell, adding he might have some of the ingredients she’d need.

Before long, the teacher arrived and went to the front of the lecture hall.  She introduced herself as Professor (Veralda) Lang and welcomed them to Magical Physiology. After taking attendance, she gave an overview and class outline, explaining that the focus this year would be on slaadi, owlbears and otyughs. Celdryn asked for the correct spelling of those creatures. Nell wanted to know Lang’s favourite mushrooms. Telbron asked which of the creatures she was teaching was her favourite.  Lang admitted she had never been asked that question but picked owlbears.  She thanked him for his question by name, which drew the attention of several students.

After class, Nell asked her friends if they wanted to go out for ice cream, wondering where Kai was. As if on cue, Kai walked behind a dryad, took off his glasses and joined them.  Nell wondered where Kai had been all day, but invited him to join them for ice cream.  Before they left, one of the condoms Telbron grabbed from the infirmary fell out of his pocket.  Celdryn retrieved it and, after Kai identified the brand, returned it to Telbron. Nell’s eyes widened before she flushed and hurried her friends to the ice cream shop.

At the ice cream shop, Kai tried samples.  He did not like the first few options (frankenberry, razberry (that was somehow spicy). Eventually, Telbron chose cookies and cream.

Over the next month or so, the students would take their classes.  They spent some of their free time on extracurricular activities or picking up jobs around campus, with Telbron signing up for Silkball. On his first Silkball practice, Telbron struck up a conversation with a dryad player while stretching and waiting for the team captain.  The dryad asked if Telbron was a first-year student, expressed interest in all the things at Strixhaven that could not be found in the forest, and introduced himself as Melwythorne.  He then asked if Telbron was a divine caster, was fascinated to learn Telbron was a warlock and wondered if he had experienced any stigma for his kind of spellcasting.  Telbron explained that any prejudice he’d faced stemmed from the reputation of his family, most of whom were also warlocks.  He added that some of his relatives had left his family, abandoning their magical heritage, and seemed to be better off for it.  Telbron also went on to explain the nature of warlock patrons. Melwythorne suggested Telbron visit the Interfaith Chapel as it saw many students from a variety of magical backgrounds. Telbron expressed some willingness as he hoped to gain more insight into his recently discovered patron.  They were interrupted by the arrival of the captain, who greeted them and led them into running laps.

Mak set aside a room for Nell to practice her spellcasting, having carefully made a copy of his Find Familiar scroll.  Once she received word from Mak that everything was ready, Nell went to find Telbron.  He was disappointed to find that he did not have any ingredients on hand as he’d promised, but Nell assured him that she and Mak could probably find the necessary spell components and mainly wanted him for his support, given that they were dating.  Telbron admitted he was amazed at how Nell was still okay with his family, prompting a meandering response from Nell about wanting to experience life before assuming her responsibilities as a princess.  When pressed by a surprised Telbron, Nell admitted she was supposed to become the leader of her (Spore) druid circle, but effectively abandoned her duties to attend Strixhaven instead.  The two commiserated on how they both had complicated families before leaving the dorm.

Mak happily received Nell and assured her that he had all the necessary components, including a second-hand brazier he’d inherited.  Telbron sensed that Mak was uncomfortable by his presence and disappointed that Nell had not come alone.  Nell, for her part, spent the next hour casting the spell as a ritual.  Mak took copious notes while Telbron, true to his word, provided moral support (and read a book).

At the end, Nell successfully summoned a large sentient mushroom and excitedly greeted her new familiar.  Mak congratulated her on her success and asked to hold the mushroom.  Telbron looked in awe, marvelling that he didn’t know such a thing was possible.  Mak lowered the mushroom so Telbron could get a better look and chuckled as they turned their back to the warlock.  He complimented Nell’s skills again before realizing he had a class to attend and quickly excused himself.  Mak complimented Nell’s skills before excusing himself and going to class.

Nell asked Telbron what he wanted to name the familiar.  Telbron began thinking of various names in Abyssal.  In the end, Nell decided to name it Shae-Taki.

At some point, the friends went to the Firejolt Café for coffee. When Nell and Telbron arrived, Celdryn was already there, finishing his shift with the help of his notes and cue cards. As he had slowly improved his barista skills, Mina allowed him to make the occasional drink for his friends in order to gain more experience. Kai and Arlynn were already there, though the owlin was covered in soot from head to toe.

After Nell let Arlynn and Kai assume she was pregnant with Telbron's child, she presented her new mushroom familiar, Shae Taki. Arlynn was confused until Nell explained she had cast a Find Familiar spell. Kai was confused that Nell and Telbron were actually dating. Shae greeted the friends with burbling comments and happily accepted Arlynn's offer of coffee. Nell began taking notes as her familiar drank the coffee, becoming covered in Arlynn's soot, and greeted all of Nell's friends... with the notable exception of Telbron. Telbron wondered if Shae's aloofness was because they sensed he was a warlock.

Nell asked Celdryn how his barista job was going. He told her it was going well, but became overwhelmed with shock when remembering his attempts to make latte art. Celdryn did bring one of his attempts over, which seemed to depict a horrified face mouthing 'Please kill me'. Seconds later, he experienced a Wild Magic Surge that transformed the latte into a unicorn with an equally horrified face. The friends—and Mina—were shocked and confused. Nell and Telbron wondered if there was something hallucinatory in their coffee. Kai tried to wipe his soot-covered hand on the unicorn and saw that its hide remained pristine. Arlynn offered the unicorn her coffee just as Kai slapped the unicorn's rear. The unicorn reared up, spilling Arlynn's coffee, and bolted out of the café, breaking down the door in the process. Celdryn offered to clean things up and have the costs of repairs taken out of his paycheck. Mina assured him the latter offer was unnecessary as they had insurance to fix the door, adding it was not the first unicorn to mysteriously appear on campus. Telbron insisted he help Celdryn clean, a gesture that was much appreciated (episode 4).

As he got used to his classes, Telbron found himself conflicted about Basic Magical Auras.  While he liked the subject, he was struggling with it.  He persevered, though, desiring to improve his defensive magics after his fight with the giant frogs.  He was doing well in Beginning Computational Magic, but lacked interest as his father forced him to take it.  He often studied the course with Celdryn, who he saw enjoyed it more.  Telbron occasionally studied History of Magic and Art with Kai, though he sometimes had doubts on whether they were actually studying given Kai’s focus on sexual organs and nudity.

Celdryn, Kai and Telbron also prepared for their Magical Physiology course.  Given Professor Lang’s scientific slant, they found her approach to creatures such as slaadi to focus on the technical side of things. As exams approached, Telbron tried to organize study groups as he wanted to do well enough in his courses to keep in his father’s good graces.

When Telbron approached Celdryn and Kai to arrange a study group for Magical Physiology, Kai thought it would be fun to invite twenty or thirty people at a time.  While Celdryn was stunned at the size of this ‘study group,’ Telbron recognized that Kai actually wanted to party.  Telbron, on the other hand, really wanted to pass his classes, particularly Beginning Computational Magic.  Kai eventually decided to ‘study’ on his own.

Telbron decided to invite Melwythorne to join his Magical Physiology study group with Celdryn.  They found him studying various religious texts simultaneously in one of Strixhaven’s lab buildings.  After Melwythorne and Celdryn exchanged names, Telbron explained he was trying to organize a Magical Physiology study group.  Melwythorne was surprised Telbron wasn’t studying with Nell until he remembered Owlidays.  Telbron asked if he had any books about that because he didn’t know anything about those holidays and was grateful when Melwythorne handed him one that he wrote himself.  The three of them agreed to study together.

Telbron only saw someone at the door and that Celdryn had waved at that person when they were clearly greeting Melwythorne. Melwythorne noticed Celdryn’s behaviour and asked if he’d met Aurora and Elowyn.  When he asked if Celdryn wanted Aurora and Elowyn to study with them, Celdryn reluctantly agreed.  Telbron realized who Celdryn saw and how uncomfortable he looked.  Leaping to his friend’s aid, he suggested to Melwythorne that they should keep the study group at its current size.  Celdryn whispered his thanks to Telbron when Melwythorne was not looking.

Telbron found his study groups served him well and gave him as much preparation as he could hope for.  He arrived on time for his Magical Physiology exam, but worried that Celdryn and Kai would miss them.  As the papers were being passed out, he finally recognized Kai in his ‘casual disguise’. Celdryn was late for his Magical Physiology exam, stumbling into the exam room at the last second like a dead man.  Everyone noticed him; partly because his uniform buttons were askew, partly because he was faintly glowing.  His face drooped, revealing his changeling nature, as he received exam from Lang.  Concerned, she wondered if he needed to see a nurse.  Lang quickly recognized he was exhausted as Celdryn called her ‘sir’.

Professor Lang told them the exam would consist of two portions: a multiple-choice section on red, blue, green, grey and death slaadi and a short essay question on common ways to calm slaadi in order to avoid dangerous encounters.  They later got magical missives informing them that they passed.

The next few days’ worth of classes were fairly relaxing.  As the Owlidays were still going on, Arlynn and Nell were still off campus.  They heard rumours of an event taking place at the Bow’s End Tavern, which were confirmed when Javanesh waved to Kai.  Javanesh explained he had a shift at the Bow’s End Tavern and admitted some Wizard Gizzard machines were being retired.  Kai revealed he had never heard of them.  Realizing he had not encountered them yet in his Evocation courses, Javanesh explained they shot out magical orbs for target practice.  After a few semesters, though, their magic dwindled and they became less reliable.  The Bow’s End Tavern had a longstanding practice of inheriting them to entertain the customers.  Javanesh invited Kai and his friends to come, revealing he was donating a prize.  Kai and Telbron eagerly accepted.  Celdryn quietly agreed to come as well.

The four of them went to the Bow’s End Tavern.  As Javanesh split off to start work, Kai offered to buy drinks.  However, Celdryn insisted on buying the first round of ales (after the kindness they’d showed him in the past).  The three of them clinked ales and drank, spotting the machines Javanesh was talking about.  Curious, Celdryn finished his drink and went over to try the machine.  Kai and Telbron followed.

As another student turned away, after failing to hit the magical mote, Celdryn stepped up and scored on the first try.  He was so excited, he released another Wild Magic Surge as he threw his hands up.  Kai and Telbron joined him for a bro hug… then all three of them started floating up into the air.  Kai launched Celdryn forward, causing him to float over the crowd… and crashed into the wall.  Telbron struggled to control his flight, wondering how Nell made it look so easy.

Telbron floated over to Javanesh and asked him to help him down.  He eventually floated over to Celdryn and Kai when the latter called him over.

After Kai returned, Celdryn wondered if he knew Aurora.  Kai admitted he might come to know her well as they were going to have drinks together.  He then realized Celdryn was interested in Aurora and offered to introduce them to each other.  Kai gave Celdryn a pep talk, complimenting his appearance and encouraging him to have more confidence in himself.  Celdryn felt he needed more drinks.  Kai agreed, though he recognized Celdryn should not consume too much alcohol, and flagged down a bartender for shots of duergar vodka.

Kai called Telbron to join them.  Telbron struggled, as he was still floating, but eventually cartwheeled over. When he arrived, Kai told Telbron they had to do everything in their power to get Celdryn and Aurora together.  When asked for details, Kai declared that Telbron was ‘swakward’ (suave but awkward) and they needed to elevate Celdryn to Telbron’s level in the hopes of getting him to Kai’s level.  Kai gave him some cologne via Prestidigitation, while Telbron established mood lighting with Thaumaturgy.

When Aurora finished singing and joined them, Kai quickly introduced his friends and manoeuvred her towards Celdryn.  Aurora side-eyed Kai, guessing he was setting her up with Celdryn.  As a distraction, Kai remembered she was trying to get into Witherbloom and mentioned Telbron’s girlfriend had the same hopes.  Aurora admitted Witherbloom’s focus on the duality of life and death complimented her dhampir nature, then asked what colleges they were going in.  Recalling Kai’s online history, she knew he was going into Prismari.

Celdryn expressed hopes of entering Silverquill.   Aurora was slightly surprised as his studious nature made her think of Quandrix, but admitted it made sense based on comments from a mutual friend who didn’t have the highest opinion of him.  Celdryn suggested she should not believe everything that their mutual friend said, as they had not seen each other in some time.  A skeptical Aurora revealed she had met that acquaintance/Elowyn a couple years ago at an event for her parents, that they had become friends and that she/Elowyn planned to go into Lorehold. As the conversation progressed, Telbron side-eyed Celdryn, wondering what kind of reputation Celdryn had in the past that would give this mutual friend such a bad impression.

Kai tried defusing the tension by asking if anyone wanted drinks.  When Aurora requested a glass of dhampir red wine, admitting it was somewhat stereotypical of her, Kai lied that Celdryn liked it as well.  At his prompting, Celdryn agreed to buy drinks for everyone. When he paused to calculate the price, Aurora assured him that she had a small tab from the bar and offered to cover the drinks.  She got three glasses of wine (and a root beer for Telbron, who requested something without alcohol).

After their drinks arrived, Aurora asked Telbron what college he would enter.  Telbron admitted he was expected to go into Silverquill like the rest of his family, but felt an increasing desire to be his own man rather than fulfill a family legacy.  Aurora admired that sentiment, remembering she’d sang at one of his family’s events.  She found the experience of seeing Telbron’s and Elowyn’s world of privilege interesting, as she herself came from a more common background.  She guessed Celdryn must have come from a family of some importance if he knew Elowyn.  He admitted they met through their parents, vaguely implying his family were influencers of some sort.

Kai remembered he and Aurora were talking about collaborating for their followers.  He suggested Celdryn do some script writing, as he aspired to enter Silverquill, and Telbron act as their producer, using his family wealth.  Telbron warned that if his famiy got involved, they would expect a cut of the profits.  Aurora expressed an interest to turn one of her songs into a music video.

Just as Celdryn agreed, the group suddenly heard a clamour, with pots and pans crashing and bowls breaking.  As people started running to the exits, a dwarf cook stumbled out of the kitchen.  She cried out that the steam was trying to kill them and begged for help before crumpling to the floor.  Javanesh and Aurora tried to make his way to the kitchen but was blocked by the crowd.  Celdryn, Kai and Telbron decided to investigate on their own.

Entering the kitchen, they saw several young employees passed out in the kitchen.  Above them, four steam mephits were flying around, regularly hovering over and dipping themselves into a certain cauldron. Telbron decided to blast the cauldron.  Some dark-coloured stew splashed out.  He then summoned an Armor of Shadows. Celdryn cast Mage Armor, then opened his new Bag of Tricks, pulled out a badger and told it to attack.  It tried to attack the steam mephit, only to get blinded by stew. Kai cast Chromatic Orb and killed a mephit. One of the mephits exhaled a breath of steam.   Kai and Celdryn barely took any damage, but Telbron was seriously hurt.  The other mephits attacked Kai, one of whom hit.

Telbron Hexed the mephit that attacked him, then Eldritch Blasted it. Celdryn tried the Bag of Tricks again and summoned a Giant Elk.  As it grew, its antlers broke through the ceiling.  Celdryn commanded the elk to attack, and watched it hit a mephit. Kai cast Thunderwave, hitting all three mephitis… and Telbron.  Telbron would have been knocked out the door, but Celdryn cast Silvery Barbs, effectively rewinding time to curse the mephit that succeeded and increase Telbron’s luck. Several mephits attacked Kai, but only one of them hit.

Turning around, Telbron killed another mephit with his Eldritch Blast. Celdryn tried the Bag of Tricks for a third time and summoned a dire wolf.  He had the elk attack a mephit and killed it. Then he had the wolf attack the last mephit. Kai cast another Chromatic Orb and killed the last mephit.

Celdryn asked Kai and Telbron if they could destroy the elk and wolf before anyone else came in.  After Kai balked, Celdryn had the animals try to hide.  Javanesh burst in, saw what happened and wondered aloud what happened.  Kai blamed the mephits.  Celdryn, Kai and Telbron then checked on the employees and found they were okay.

Seeing the cauldron was still bubbling, Celdryn grabbed a bucket of water and put out the fire.  Telbron looked at the cauldron’s contents and saw it was black and oozy, but wasn’t sure if it was the same goo they’d seen before.  Celdryn took a look for himself and thought it did look similar to the goo.  At that, Telbron began looking for a way to get a sample.  Kai tried to find his hat.

Celdryn and Kai saw Mac walking towards them, only to casually walk away quickly.  Celdryn tried to call him back, but Mac just kept going.  Hearing that, Telbron cast Thaumaturgy and called after Mac.  Mac just kept going around the corner.  Celdryn and Telbron found that suspicious.  Kai wondered if they had found their villain… (episode 5).

Telbron felt the need to return home, lest he incur his father’s wrath.  He met his friend and servant, a tiefling named Levtari, who quickly picked up on his uneasiness.  Telbron asked if he’d seen his father and learned he’d been more on edge than usual.  After finding out why Telbron was home, Levtari helped him take his bags to his room and waited while Telbron went to his father’s study.

He told his father that there was a minor slip-up at school and, after some prodding, admitted some friends might have seen him.  His father took notes of their names before saying Hastur had not felt any energy draw from Telbron consistent with warlock magic and asked why he was not casting magic at a magic school.  Telbron insisted he had been casting magic and speculated that Strixhaven might have interfered with any connection.  Telbron’s father was pleased to hear his son was doing well at Strixhaven, as having a son drop out of the institution, particularly after the disappearance of another son, would be bad for the family reputation and business.  After learning Telbron planned to spend the week at home to ensure everything was under control before classes resumed, he told him to make an appearance at a family event in two days.  Telbron was told Yeshala would also be there and that they were expected to play nice.

Leftari was waiting for him, having clearly been trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.  Telbron told him his father did not seem in that bad of a mood.  In return, Leftari told him Telbron’s mother had recently lost a favoured, and expensive necklace, that his father seemed a little too pleased, but he (literally) could not say any more.  The two went to the kitchen for food.

Telbron spent the next few days were spent in solitude, as neither of his parents was around.  He did receive a mechanical bird from his uncle Gio, congratulating him on his exams (amidst an explosion of glitter).

On the night of the family ball, Levtari helped Telbron prepare before he went to the grand ballroom on the family estate.  He was about to take a second glass of champagne when he saw Yeshala, a half-elf woman do the same.  After exchanging looks, she downed her glass, plastered on a remarkably genuine smile and greeted him with a kiss on each cheek.  They exchanged pleasantries before mingling through the crowd, enduring comments about their inevitable wedding and children, maintaining their façade until the end of the ball.  Telbron bid Yeshala a pleasant farewell before retiring to his room.  He told Levtari that the event went better than expected and asked him to keep him apprised of anything interesting in general, particularly who his father had sent to spy on him at Strixhaven.

The remainder of Telbron’s time at home passed without incident or further interaction with his father.  When the time came, he teleported back to Strixhaven. Celdryn and Telbron returned to the university campus next to each other and exchanged greetings.  Telbron told Celdryn his trip home went as well as could be expected, explaining that his family was all business and, as such, were not the most pleasant people to be around.  Celdryn simply said his trip home was nice and offered to buy Telbron coffee after they dropped their belongings off in their rooms.

Arlynn heard Celdryn and Telbron walking down the hallway and popped out of her room, startling the two of them.  She accepted their invitation to join them for coffee. Upon entering the Firejolt Café, Celdryn greeted Mina and asked for three coffees.  Arlynn and Telbron overheard Shae burbling about coffee and saw Kai and Nell sitting side by side.  Arlynn came over and, noting some empty chairs at their table, wondered if anyone was coming back to occupy them.  Nell realized Telbron had returned, dragged a chair over and launched herself into his arms.  Telbron asked how she was doing, sensing she had not enjoyed her time home based on her letters.  Nell confirmed things only improved after she left her family and returned to Strixhaven.  She explained she’d passed the time hanging out with Kai.  Despite Kai’s efforts to silence her, Nell told the group she’d gotten him hooked on manga.  Kai then made some comments that offended Arlynn.

Nell reassured Telbron that she had kept his ring safe.  Telbron asked if anything weird had happened, as he was currently drawing his magic from the ring and his family did not know that yet.  Kai wondered if they were engaged.  Arlynn admitted she had not noticed as she was still processing Kai’s comments.  Celdryn hastily brought over the coffees in an effort to pacify the situation.  Kai added some ‘water’ (actually vodka) to Arlynn’s coffee as a (successful) peace offering.  As Celdryn handed out the rest of the coffees, Nell offered Shae to Telbron, only to be dismayed at the lack of enthusiasm her familiar expressed to her boyfriend.  Nell then admitted they’d been there for three hours, though she’d spent the time reading manga.  Kai had apparently spent the time coming up with names.  Celdryn recognized Kai and Nell were talking about manga, silently observed the chemistry between them, then asked how they had done on their exams.

After a pause, Celdryn asked how everyone had done on their exams.  Kai and Nell said they did well.  Celdryn admitted he couldn’t remember.  Arlynn asked Kai for some ‘spicy water’.  After he accidentally spilled some on himself, he left to clean himself up—but not before leaving the vodka at Arlynn’s request.  Nell recalled that Arlynn had spent a surprising amount of time in the exam room.  Arlynn made it clear she did not want to discuss it and asked about their vacations.  Celdryn replied he had an enjoyable vacation with his sister, as his parents were not around.

At that point, Rosie ran up to Arlynn.  She handed her a letter, only to stop and ask where Kai was.  The students gave various responses laden with innuendo until Kai came back.  He forgot who Rosie was, but eventually remembered she was the ‘LARP nerd.’  As a joke, he offered her vodka, which she took three times.  He then relented and gave her a bottle that actually contained water.  Rosie drank some before Alynn smacked the water bottle to the ground and cracked it.  Celdryn gave in to Kai’s indignation and Mended the bottle back together.  Arlynn cast Prestidigitation on the bottle and Nell cast Druidcraft on Kai.

The letter was addressed to the ‘big heroes on campus,’ challenging them to recover ‘the legendary Sassy Sally Jane’.  While the note was not signed, it told them to meet the sender outside Captain Dapplewing’s Manor at midnight.  Arlynn thought it sounded like a spooky caper, while Nell thought it might be fun.  Telbron, to Kai’s question, only knew it had nothing to do with his family as his father did not believe in fun.  Nell asked Kai if it came from his family, but he did not recognize the handwriting.  Nell and Telbron agreed that they were more disaster magnets than heroes.

Recalling what he read from the Strixhaven brochures, Telbron told the students that Captain Raymous Dapplewing was a military veteran and owlin mage who was one of Strixhaven’s first professors, holding faculty appointments in Lorehold and Silverquill.  Dapplewing had built the manor using his military pension, where he could retire in the evening and hold lavish dinner parties or seminars.  Upon his death, he bequeathed the manor to the university, who named it in his honour and preserved most of the original furnishings.  The upper floor libraries were converted to offices for esteemed dual-college faculty members, who met with students during the day.  The manor also hosted dinner parties and cocktail hours for those faculty members, their most promising students and visiting alumni.  As no one lived there permanently, the manor was locked overnight and security measures were in place.

The students guessed that breaking into the manor to retrieve the doll was against the rules, and might even be a form of hazing.  While Celdryn expressed some reservations, they ultimately decided to attend the meeting at midnight. Kai thought they should prepare by having frequent small meals to get enough nutrients and protein.  Arlynn and Nell agreed that they should eat, mostly because they were hungry.  Celdryn cast Mage Armor, followed by Arlynn, Kai and Telbron (through the ring that Nell was still wearing).

Telbron changed into black slacks and a black dress shirt to better blend into the dark.  At some point, he retrieved his ring from Nell.

They easily found their way to Captain Dapplewing’s Manor and saw a small group of students waiting underneath a massive oak tree in the front yard.  Rosie demanded Mina pay up, as she’d successfully bet that they would come.  Mina and Kai exchanged insults before Grayson emerged from the shadows.  Celdryn began asking questions, to which Grayson replied that he had Rosie transcribe the note and this challenge had nothing to do with the LARP club.  He observed that Celdryn was interested in joining the Entrepreneur’s Society but Telbron had not, to which the latter replied he was trying to step out on his own and follow his own interests.  Celdryn observed Grayson seemed to know a lot about them, to which Grayson replied that: a) he and Telbron moved in the same circles and b) the students had made a name for themselves.  Kai, after conferring with Celdryn, wondered aloud if that was a good thing, prompting Grayson to get to the point: if the students were successful, they stood to make a great deal of profit.

Grayson told them that Sassy Sally Jane was a talking doll with a proprietary animating intelligence magic that let it learn new things.  If the ‘AI’ could be reverse-engineered, it could be used for a great many things.  As such, Grayson offered gold and shares in a theoretical future company if the students retrieved the doll. Telbron finally recognized Grayson: his father looked down on Grayson’s family and insulted during galas because they were known to pay tuition for various students over the years and were genuinely philanthropic.

The students quickly had a huddle.  Celdryn suggested keeping the doll for themselves.  Telbron assured them that Grayson was trustworthy.  Arlynn proposed giving a noncommittal response to Grayson’s proposal.  They ultimately agreed to break into the manor, though Celdryn added that they could negotiate arrangements once they acquired the doll.  Grayson agreed and provided the following information:

* Watch out for the Earl, an automaton that might offer hostilities to anyone caught after hours who was not a professor.
* The stairwells could adjust themselves to the strides of different people.
* They could ignore any glowing runes they might see.
* Sometimes the doll was on display, sometimes it was not.
* The doll was known to say some really inappropriate things, especially at the wrong time.
* There was a student storage area on the second floor.
* Some display cases could be found on the first and second floors.

The students began debating how to get in when Kai asked what stopped past efforts to acquire the doll.  Grayson admitted the Earl tended to catch most students in the act and alert the faculty.  Hearing that, Celdryn decided to shift his shape to resemble Professor Brenneth Blackstone, a dhampir Scriptology professor from Silverquill College.  He tried the front door, only to find it was locked.  Nell saw a key glinting from a nearby potted plant.  Pulling it out, she saw the inscription Prof. Eudora.  With Celdryn’s help, she opened the door.  Celdryn went in first to test any security measures while Telbron cast Light on his ring.  Seeing no reaction, the other students went in.

They saw coatracks carved into statues of various people.  Kai and Nell noticed nothing else as they were strangely distracted.  Arlynn, Celdryn and Telbron recognized them as Captain Dapplewing’s favourite military compatriots, some of whom were professors, while others were frequent visitors to the campus.  They also saw the dwarf statues were so lifelike that they seemed to be breathing.

As Celdryn approached one of the dwarves, it turned towards him, greeted him as ‘Professor Brenneth’ and offered to take his coat.  He declined, pretending he and his companions would not be long.  Celdryn tried to ask about any security measures and learned the Earl was online.  He tried to ask the dwarf to have the Earl make tea, only to learn the automaton was behind him.

Turning around, the students saw a clockwork butler setting a table.  Seeing that it had not noticed them, the students silently discussed where the doll might be.  Celdryn had the idea of approaching the Earl under the guise of the Professor.  Unfortunately, the Earl saw through his disguise, sounded the alarm and reached for Celdryn.

Arlynn tried to cast Sleep to no avail. Nell cast Shillelagh and awakened her Halo of Spores, which dealt necrotic damage to the Earl. The Earl then charmed Arlynn, who suddenly wanted to approach the Earl. Kai tried to punch the Earl, but slipped on the carpet. He hit Nell in the jaw instead on the way down. Celdryn Commanded the Earl to reset, but it resisted his spell. Shae glared at Kai, dealing him psychic damage in the process. Telbron cast Witch Bolt. Seeing it fail, he Hexed the Earl instead.

A Charmed Arlynn walked towards the Earl and hugged it. Nell hit the Earl with her Shillelagh'd quarterstaff. The Earl grabbed Celdryn and Kai and clanged them together like a set of cymbals. In the process, Celdryn clipped Arlynn and broke the Earl's charm. Celdryn then experienced a Wild Magic Surge that caused him to cast Fog Cloud on himself. Kai knocked the Earl's legs out from under it and destroyed it with one punch. The party found themselves trapped in the Fog Cloud... (episode 7).

The Fog Cloud proved to be somewhat problematic for the students.  Nell fumbled around and gripped Celdryn’s… parts.  Celdryn yelped and warned the others that there was a threat with them, causing Kai to hurt himself while trying to engage the ‘enemy’. Arlynn fell down near Celdryn while Nell tripped over the Earl and fell between Celdryn and Kai.  Celdryn fumbled around and bumped into Kai.  Realizing the fog was causing too many problems, Kai cast Gust and blew the fog away.  Telbron walked past Arlynn to help Nell up.  Kai helped Arlynn up after repeatedly asking if she needed help, then decided to carry her until she could walk again.

Looking around, Celdryn looked around and found a small velvet purse underneath a nearby chair. He opened it, only to close it after discovering it contained fifteen gold pieces rather than the doll they were looking for.  Telbron and Arlynn noticed his discovery but were not inclined to take it for themselves. Celdryn also found a poker with a silver tip and mentioned his unusual find to the group.

Meanwhile, Nell wandered off on her own, going to the second floor via the magical stairs, which magically grew and shrank depending on who was climbing.  Celdryn went behind her, followed by Kai, who was carrying Arlynn. Telbron used the runes to teleport to the top.  He chatted with Nell before Kai hollered for them to stop blocking the stairs.

Once everyone was on the second floor, they looked around. Nell entered one of the rooms after failing to hear anything through the door, discovering it was a storage room full of bankers’ boxes, filing cabinets and shelving.  She and Telbron began searching, though they soon abandoned their efforts in favour of making out in the back corner.  In the process, they bumped the wall and opened a hidden panel.  Nell saw something shiny within and looked closer. She saw a ring with an inscription said ‘V Lang’.  Telbron realized it belonged to their Magical Physiology professor.  They debated whether they should take it before Nell picked it up with the intent to return it.

Nell and Telbron returned to the others.  Celdryn noticed Nell’s lipstick was smudged and pointed it out.  Nell quickly cleaned herself and Telbron up. The students compared notes and realized they were in an interdepartmental office area for professors like Professor Lang that taught in more than one college.  Nell looked for Professor Lang’s desk and put her ring on it.  Telbron looked around and saw random coins here and there, but left the money alone as he felt he didn’t need it.

Panicked, Celdryn let loose a Wild Magic surge that serendipitously gave him resistance to everything. Arlynn sensed something was happening, launched herself from Kai’s arms, took cover by a doorway and held her action. Telbron entered the room, moved his Hex to the pteradon closest to Celdryn and Eldritch Blasted it. Shae got close to Nell and helped her. Nell flew into the room, came to a hovering halt near the pteradon attacking Celdryn and cast Poison Spray, then used her Halo of Spores to kill the pteradon. Arlynn realized the pteradon went down so easily that Sleep would likely affect one hostile. Casting the spell, she did indeed bring one pteradon down, though the other one came very close to succumbing. Kai pushed his way into the room, saw what was happening and tried to circle kick the pteradon, only to miss as it was falling asleep. Celdryn got up and cast Firebolt. A lone pteradon attacked Kai. Arlynn Phase Stepped in between two of the pteradons, Charming them in the process, and told Telbron to open the window as she had a plan. Telbron walked over, opened a window and ducked out of the way.  Arlynn encouraged one pteradon to fly out, then woke up the remaining live pteradon and shooed it out the window.

The students then noticed Celdryn looked shiny. Kai tried to stuff the dead pteradon into the couch.  Nell grabbed a bottle of alcohol and Celdryn put a book over its head to make it look like it passed out.  The students then split up to continue their search.

Nell invited Telbron to help her investigate another room.  Arlynn tried to follow them, only to be dissuaded by Nell who suggested she accompany Kai.  Arlynn wondered if Nell was trying to set her up with Kai and told her she wasn’t interested. Arlynn then followed Celdryn, who wondered what was going on.  Arlynn told him what Nell tried to do.  Arlynn and Celdryn wondered if Nell and Telbron wanted privacy to make out or something. Nell told Telbron to stop checking out her ass. Telbron protested that he couldn’t help it when she was in that dress.  Nell rummaged and found a Potion of Mind Reading, which she tried to sneak into her bag.  Telbron didn’t notice anything, nor did Arlynn and Celdryn, who walked into the room at that point.

Telbron walked into a large office, heard Kai say he was trying to make the dragons kiss and calmly moved his Hex over. The red dragon head spit fire into the black dragon head.  The black dragon head spit acid into the red dragon head.  The heads fell to the floor in a heap of molten metal. Telbron put out the fire with Thaumaturgy.  Nell came in and asked what had happened.  Kai’s explanations only added to Nell’s confusion.

Meanwhile, another battle began in the next room. Hearing noise, Nell ran into another room, saw the oozes and cast Inflict Wounds, enhanced with her Halo of Spores. Arlynn attacked an ooze with a book. Shae ran away from Nell, waddled to Telbron (who had come in) and Helped him (by acknowledging he existed). Telbron made his way past Nell and Celdryn, moved his Hex to one of the oozes and cast Eldritch Blast. Celdryn cast Vicious Mockery, but got covered in ink. Kai came in, wondered what was going on, cast Guiding Bolt from his eyes and killed both oozes (though he was slightly blinded by the shot).

Celdryn was clearly in rough shape, so Nell cast Cure Wounds.  He thanked her and cast Prestidigitation to clean himself. However, he noticed there was one splotch that did not come off.  Looking closer, he thought it looked like the goo they’d encountered on and off during school.  Nell wondered where the package came from, only to discover it was mostly burned with radiant light.  Celdryn cast Mending to reform the package label.  He saw it was addressed to the Strixhaven campus, but the label was ripped beforehand.  All he could see of the sender were the initials “U.M.”

The students wondered where the doll was.  Arlynn, however, happened to be closest to the window and heard movement outside. Looking outside, she saw a group of professors opening one of the back patio doors.  Arlynn warned the others.  Nell advised they should find a place to hide.  The students began running up and down the hallway, frantically looking around for hiding places… and Nell noticed a crack in the centre pillar. She also noticed an open door leading into the pillar.  They saw a stairway inside the pillar leading up and quickly ascended.  Kai was the last student in and closed the pillar behind him.

They found themselves in a cramped attic with boarded windows with various oddities including dozens of dolls, a dress with wings made of bone and a rocking animal shaped like a roc.  Celdryn investigated the dolls while Nell rode the roc, finding a pink-haired doll dressed in tartan.  He asked the doll if it was Sassy Sally Jane and it gave a cheerful, if vague, response. Celdryn told his friends he’d found the doll, put it in a cloak pocket and began examining the windows.

Meanwhile, Arlynn noticed the doll underneath was a white-haired leonin wearing a suit, sporting an impressive mustache and gripping a coin purse.  Arlynn promptly claimed the second doll and named it Issacah. She then reached for the dress, which suddenly fired bone spurs at her. Kai cast Guiding Bolt, then moved near Arlynn to offer himself as a distraction. Celdryn cast Catapult to throw the creepiest doll he could find at the dress and shattered the wings that were attached to it.

Arlynn grabbed the dress, still intent on having it.  Nell desired it until she realized it was fitted for someone much, much taller than her. Celdryn told them he could Mend it later.  He then opened one of the windows facing the front, as the professors were entering through the rear door and carefully climbed out the window.  He only made it a short way along the roof before suddenly falling.  Nell and Arlynn both tried, and failed, to catch him, and watched helplessly as he slid down the roof and fell to the ground below.  Nell flew down and cast Spare the Dying on Celdryn.  Celdryn assured her he was (barely) fine, and deliberately fell on his back to cushion the impact to the doll.  Hearing Kai, she flew back up.

Meanwhile, Kai got impatient and jumped out.  He asked if Arlynn needed help.  When Nell came back up, Telbron asked her to hold on his ring and popped into it. Shae, who was perched on him, fell on the ground and looked unimpressed.  Nell flew down with Shae and the ring… but locked eyes with one of the professors. As the professors ran down the stairs, Nell urged the students to run.  Arlynn slid part of the way down with Kai’s help and Phase Stepped to the ground.  A stunned Kai began arguing with Arlynn about why she did not use that ability earlier, then cast Thunderclap on the roof as a distraction and jumped off the roof.  Arlynn caught his hand and helped him land safely.  Celdryn tried to compliment Arlynn.  Kai grabbed them and ran.  Celdryn offered to help her study.  Nell flew with the ring in her talons.

Unfortunately, Celdryn was so smitten that he tripped and fell.  The doll fell out of his robes and insulted him.  Celdryn cast Catapult on the doll to shoot it towards the students. The other students saw the doll land in front of them.  Looking back, they saw Celdryn surrounded by professors.  The students kept on running, with Nell scooping up the doll.

They returned to the campus and waited. Eventually, they saw Grayson emerge, escorted by another professor, who left after reminding him to report to the Witherbloom campus first thing in the morning.  The other students came out of the nearby bushes to join him once the coast was clear.

Arlynn declared Celdryn to be a fucking legend, while Nell thought the real Grayson would be very confused. Celdryn asked Telbron what might happen, who suggested telling the real Grayson what they did or continue pretending he was Grayson for now.  While Arlynn thought they should give up Grayson, Nell felt the best option was to masquerade as Telbron for a little longer, as fingering Grayson could backfire on them.  Kai asked whose description Celdryn would give if he met the professor.  Celdryn wondered if he could get away with a vague description.  Kai half-jokingly asked if Celdryn was planning on making some enemies to use as scapegoats.

As the students talked, a group of Mage Tower athletes shoved Celdryn aside and tried to get inside. Kai came to Celdryn’s defence, but his attempts to punch one of them wound up shattering the door glass instead. He then proceeded to confront the athletes until another professor called him out by name.  Kai realized she was Professor Uvilda Mistcoiler, the Prismari Dean of Perfection.  She told him he would be cleaning up the campus for a month as punishment for his actions, and to report to her office in the morning.  As the athletes went in, Kai glared at them until the Dean warned him to get his anger in check, pointedly telling him that his father’s status as a prominent donor would not shield him from the consequences of his actions.  Kai asked how much she saw and observed bullying was a serious problem on the campus. Dean assured him she had witnessed enough of the altercation and would report the athletes to their coach, who could closely watch them as well.

Once the students were inside, Arlynn took some of the ooze from Celdryn’s clothes and threw it at one of the athletes.  The athlete caught her in the act and went to the washroom to clean their attire.  Celdryn asked Arlynn for one of the mind reading potions.  He apologized to Kai for indirectly getting him into trouble and thanked him for his support.  A concerned Kai asked if Celdryn was okay as he could have been hurt.  Celdryn simply followed the athlete into the washroom.

Nell went back to Telbron’s room and wondered why Celdryn and Kai had snapped like that.  Telbron asked if Nell was okay after Kai accidentally hit her when fighting the Earl.  Nell wondered if things were going too far as she did not want anyone to get expelled. Telbron reminded her that Grayson had started the prank.  More importantly, they needed to be careful considering they were around for all the ooze incidents.  Nell then thought of something else: the Prismari dean who confronted Kai had the same initials as the ones on the package containing the ooze.  Telbron wryly observed they should be careful of the professors too.  The two then cuddled on the bed until they fell asleep (episode 8).

Telbron was woken up by Celdryn, who asked him to occupy the real Grayson should he see him.  He promised he would if he saw him. Celdryn later reported back to Telbron and suggested they should keep an eye out for Grayson, as he could be expelled through no fault of his own.  Telbron agreed, though he felt they had little to worry about once Grayson had the doll.  He asked if Celdryn was okay, looking pointedly at his bandaged hand, but Celdryn assured him he was fine.

Nell tried to organize a study session for their upcoming exams through a group chat.  Arlynn replied that she was not feeling well and was at her mothers’ place.  The sheer number of emojis confused Nell, who thought Arlynn might be having sex for some reason.  Telbron confirmed he could make it via the group chat… while sitting next to her.  Kai initially said he did not see the need to study, but later explained he had been distracted sending lewd photos of himself.  He then sent the same picture to the group chat. Telbron caught Nell saving Kai’s photo. It was clear that Celdryn saw the chat, but he did not give any response.  Kai asked Celdryn whether he wanted to do a double photoshoot.  Celdryn remained silent.  Nell told anyone interested in studying to meet in fifteen minutes.

After talking some more about how the previous night ended, and the behaviour Celdryn displayed, Nell and Telbron decided to swing by his room and see if he was okay.  Along the way, they passed Kai’s room and saw, through the open door, that he was doing exercises.  Nell and Telbron eventually made it to Celdryn’s room and knocked on his door.   To their surprise, Celdryn appeared to have a pale colourless complexion with sunken eyes.  He assured them he would be fine but just needed some time alone.  Nell suggested he visit the nurse, which prompted him to concentrate and transform into a more normal appearance.  Celdryn partially confirmed Nell’s guess that his current state had something to do with his powers, adding he had a lot on his mind and promised to join them next time.  A concerned Nell reminded him that he had friends who were willing to listen if he wanted to talk.  Celdryn then started experienced a Wild Magic Surge that made the door flare with a blinding light.  Telbron tried to dim the light with Prestidigitation, only to add the sound of actual fire.  Seeing there was nothing they could to, Celdryn wrote a sign on the door to explain the situation to any passersby while Nell and Telbron left.

Nell and Telbron picked up Kai and they wandered around campus looking for a place to study.  They eventually wound up at the Firejolt Café.  Nell and Kai noticed Mac, who clearly saw the group and was doing a poor job of hiding it.  After hearing Kai call him out on his previous suspicious behaviour at the Bow’s End Tavern, Mac hastily gathered his things and left.  Nell felt Mac was not a bad guy, while Kai disagreed and Telbron felt he knew more about the ooze situation than they did.  The conversation devolved from Kai’s note-taking (or lack thereof) into questions about druidic beastiality, during which Mina was drawn into their talk and Nell Wild Shaped into an octopus.  Mina found this development hysterical but tried to maintain a straight face.  She took their order and left, but not before having another talk with Kai, who became convinced Mina was attracted to him.

Telbron spent some time before exams to try and contact his new patron.  At some point, he told Nell he was trying to contact his new patron.  As he knew nothing except for the fact that it was probably a genie, she checked out every genie-related book out of the library.  Based on those books, and the wind and thunder observed when they first went in and out of Telbron’s ring, they became fairly confident that Telbron’s patron was a djinn. Telbron wondered why his patron had not tried to contact him yet.  Nell confessed she was not sure as she had little knowledge of how non-druidic spellcasters accessed their magic—which was partly why she found Telbron’s pact so fascinating.  She speculated that Telbron’s patron was either testing him or was preoccupied by other warlocks.  Telbron proceeded to experiment with minor elemental magics and found it was easier to cast spells involving wind, thunder or lightning, which seemed to fit his theory.

The students continued studying until it was finally time for exams.  They entered the lecture hall, where Professor Lang had exam packets laid out.  The first half was a multiple-choice section on owlbear hunting, eating, mating, fighting and living habits. The long form section was on owlbear companions—taming, training and handling owlbears.

After exams, the students went for coffee.  When they returned to their dorm, they all received papers.  Kai was surprised to discover he passed with the highest marks out of all the students.  Nell passed with flying colours, though she did better on the multiple choice section than the long form.  Celdryn saw a bit of red on the multiple choice, but made up for it by deducing how to answer the long form section.  Unfortunately, Telbron barely passed the multiple choice section and failed the long form—ultimately failing the exam as a whole.  When the students compared results, Kai’s delight contrasted with Telbron’s silence.  When asked, Telbron curtly told them he failed and slammed the door shut in frustration.  Kai wondered if Telbron’s spirits would be lifted if he saw Kai’s monkey.  Nell was confused, while Celdryn was very concerned until receiving confirmation that the monkey was a pet (sort of) rather than a euphemism.  Kai abruptly asked whether Celdryn got his text and what his shapeshifting could do.  In response, Celdryn shapeshifted an extra set of abs, which Nell found titillating.  This made Kai consider the possibilities of Celdryn using his abilities as a personal trainer.

Celdryn turned the conversation to more serious matters, wondering if Telbron thought he could retake the test.  While Telbron knew there were tutoring services available, he was more worried about his father, who expected his son to maintain a certain reputation.  The students saw Telbron was shaking in fear.  Nell held his hand and tried to reassure him.  After some thought, Celdryn expressed his gratitude to Telbron for all the kindness—and drinks—he provided and asked for the opportunity to return the favour.  Telbron allowed him to buy one drink.  Kai and Nell wordlessly agreed to follow and the students went to the Bow’s End Tavern.  As they entered, they saw Javanesh working—though he paused to wave at them—and Aurora’s band playing.

Once they had found a table, Celdryn went to buy the first round.  The bartender understood his request of ‘bad exams’ and began making dwarven drinks.   While waiting, he was joined by Elowyn, who declared it was time they talked.  Not looking at each other.  Celdryn wished things were different and offered apologies.  Elowyn returned the apology, acknowledging her hurt feelings and childish overreaction cost his parents their jobs.  It was implied that that incident forced them into a life of crime.  He reluctantly explained that his family was still struggling and barely managed to scrape enough funds together so he could attend Strixhaven.  Elowyn started to leave when Celdryn asked if she knew who he was.  She replied that he appeared to be a kind, generous and fun individual, but she did not know whether that was genuine or a façade that might hopefully become reality.  Celdryn commented that there were times where he felt she was the only one who truly knew him.  Elowyn told him that the ability to change his appearance did not mean he could change who he was.  The two said their goodbyes and returned to their respective tables.

After Celdryn passed around the drinks he ordered, Nell proposed a toast to friends and the support they offered each other regardless of their fathers.  After drinking, Kai voiced his opinion that they should do something fun.  Celdryn quickly became intoxicated.  Telbron tersely told Kai he did not have the luxury of enjoying the same activities as he had to help run the family business while at school.  Kai retorted that they were here for education and wondered if Telbron’s hair had gone prematurely white from stress.  Nell found those remarks rather insensitive while Celdryn tried to smooth things over.  After commenting that Telbron seemed tightly wound up, Kai got confirmation that the Stevedore family was paying for his schooling and he was the sole remaining heir.  Kai suggested he could turn the situation to his advantage as his family needed him more than he realized.  Telbron told him there were fates worse than death, thanked Celdryn for the drinks and stormed off.  Nell ran off after him.

As Nell ran after Telbron, she drank the Potion of Mind Reading.  She caught up with him as he entered the dorm and asked what was going on, trying to read his surface thoughts under the (mistaken) impression that he would not sense anything.  Telbron replied aloud that his family business was stressful, but secretly thought his father would beat the shit out of him.  Nell asked for more information so she could help.  Telbron said there was nothing Nell could do, but thought that he could not tell her as that knowledge would put her in danger—specifically, from his family.  Based on what she’d gleaned, Nell asked what was the worst thing the Stevedore family could do, Telbron replied his father had incredibly dark magic and specialized in mind manipulation.  Silently, he remembered an attempt on his life and how his father psychically tortured and broke the assassin, who was now a family servant.  Nell was so shocked at the visions she glimpsed that she swore out loud.

Telbron’s confusion turned to shock as he recognized Nell’s uncharacteristically slow responses as an amateur’s attempt at mind reading.  He asked how she was reading his mind and accused her of acting like her mother.  She admitted she found a Potion of Mind Reading at Captain Dapplewing’s Manor, accused him of lying about having spectrepox based on Kai’s description and revealed Kai had seen how his eyes changed during the mephit fight.  Telbron demanded to know what she saw in his mind.  Nell told him she only saw their present conversation.  She then saw Telbron remembering a conversation he had with his father when he was eighteen, where he learned he had to prove himself and set up his arranged marriage by killing someone.  This was followed by a vision of Telbron killing an assassin, who was hired by the Stevedore family to take out his former fiancée, before seeing everything burst into flames and passing out.

Nell voiced her disbelief that Telbron had taken a life.  He replied that his family was nothing like the stories she’d read, his father had taken everything from him and he felt lost under the masks and facades he’d been forced to maintain.  Telbron was so agitated, he lost control of his powers and revealed his true form.  As Nell watched, his eyes grew pitch black, his skin turned pale, his body became suffused in a necrotic shroud and skeletal, ghostly, burned wings emerge from his shoulders.  Nell was shocked at the sight but rallied at how it reminded her of her anime.  She cried out that he could have given her an explanation earlier.  Telbron stated his family would kill her if they found out she knew the truth, and that her death would devastate him.  Nell retorted that their relationship could not survive based on lies and half-truths and wondered if the person she’d fallen in love with was another façade.  Telbron admitted he did not know.

Nell told him his family should not torture him.  Telbron admitted he did not know how to escape and he did not want to see anyone hurt.  Nell asked him to let her make an informed decision and respect her choices.  He finally apologized for lying, explaining that his deceptions and facades were the only things that let him survive.  She quietly asked him to take down ‘one or two’ walls for her.  Telbron paused before covering his true form and taking off his shirt, revealing a heavily scarred back.  He implied that his father would beat him for failing his exam.  Nell began casting Druidcraft and placing mushrooms on his scars, while telling him broken things could be fixed.  Telbron tentatively asked if Nell would still stay and fix him.  Nell agreed, so long as he was honest with her, and apologized for using the potion when his father knew mind magic.  Telbron gave his own apology before breaking down in tears.

As she comforted her boyfriend, Nell saw that Shae was terrified.  Telbron saw the same thing, realized the familiar had sensed his true nature, but asked them to keep Nell safe.  Shae mimed that they would protect Nell by helping her escape, then tried to pull the owlin away.  Nell insisted they had to stay.  They commiserated on how they both came from dysfunctional families and tentatively agreed to run away after their schooling ended.  Nell began brainstorming aliases.  An amused Telbron observed that they would need to work harder.  They were pleasantly surprised when Shae began burbling one of the fake names Nell proposed for Telbron.

Telbron told Nell she did not have to stay overnight as Shae looked uncomfortable.  Nell agreed they needed some time alone and thanked him for opening up to her.  In return, he thanked her for staying and lending her support.  The two kissed, ignoring Shae’s dramatic expressions of disgust, before eventually parting ways.

Shortly after Nell left, Telbron received a letter from his father, demanding his return back home that weekend.  He burned the letter to a crisp (episode 9).

At some point, he was given permission to retake the exam.  Seeking something to distract him, he focused on his studies.  By mutual consent, he and Nell left each other alone. Unfortunately, he did not get much sleep the night before the makeup exam.  Despite his ragged appearance, he arrived at the designated room and redid the exam with a few other students—including Arlynn.  Again, the first half was a multiple-choice section on owlbear hunting, eating, mating, fighting and living habits. The long form section was on owlbear companions—taming, training and handling owlbears.

Arlynn and Telbron walked out of the classroom together.  He noticed she had a white streak in her hair.  Arlynn asked how he did on the exam.  Telbron thought he had done better. He then asked Arlynn how she did.  Arlynn replied with some comments on her emotional state, but felt she was slowly learning to overcome her exam fright.  She added that it was comforting to have a familiar face in the room and thanked Telbron, much to his surprise.  Telbron chose that moment to ask about the white streak, but Arlynn claimed it had always been there.  He did not argue with her as he was exhausted.  They eventually decided to go for coffee, as Telbron hoped the caffeine might wake him up and did not want to risk consuming alcohol.  Arlynn’s only stipulation was that they could not go to the library, as they still would not serve her there after the mayhem she and her friends had caused during Orientation.  Telbron sympathized, citing the dirty looks he received when trying to check out books.  They eventually decided to visit the Firejolt Café, where they found Kai arguing with Mina over definitions of coffee drinks and sizes.

Eventually, a visibly frustrated Mina determined that Kai wanted a caramel macchiato and agreed to make it.  Arlynn asked for the same.  Kai tried to ask more questions to clear up some of his misunderstandings but Mina deliberately worked the espresso machine to drown him out.  Arlynn helpfully told him that Mina did not want to continue the conversation, which Telbron confirmed.  Mina brought over a beautifully decorated caramel macchiato, a caramel macchiato whose foam artwork was in the form of an extended middle finger and a black coffee for Arlynn, Kai and Telbron, respectively.  Kai paid for the coffee with enough for a generous tip and asked why the Skyfire Coffee definition of a macchiato differed from other cafes.  Mina gamely tried to explain until she saw Kai sipping his drink in such a way that it—or he—was giving her the finger and stormed away.

Kai asked whether his friends passed the exam.  By coincidence, flying creatures delivered the exam results.  Telbron opened his envelope and, much to his relief, saw he did better on the long form section.  Ultimately, he barely passed the exam.  Arlynn was too nervous and asked Kai to open the envelope for her. Kai was confused at how Arlynn got 102% on the multiple choice section.  He also saw she got 99% on the long form, losing some marks due to grammar mistakes.  After trying to interpret the grades, Arlynn took the exam results, read them for herself, declared they were terrible and threw the paper to the floor.  Kai and Telbron were confused.

A sudden clatter drew their attention to Rosie, who had gotten herself tangled in a chair and fell over after hearing the sexual innuendo that occasionally crept into their discussion.  After Kai helped extricate her, Rosie claimed she had LARP practice and ran away. Arlynn took notes on her grammatical mistakes while Kai tried to help.  To her surprise, Kai’s suggestions—based mostly on what he saw on his social media feeds—were rather insightful.  Arlynn invited him to study with her for the next exam, which would be covering otyughs.  They agreed to study outside by the reflecting pool.  Telbron decided to take a break from studying and considered checking on Nell once he’d recovered from the exam experience.

Once Arlynn and Kai left, Telbron noted a large loxodon at the back of the Firejolt Café who sported several piercings and was dressed in a first-year uniform adorned with military medals.  Curious at why they were playing dragonchess against themselves, he took his coffee and walked over. The loxodon recognized Telbron as one of the students who fought the giant frogs a few months ago and congratulated him for his bravery.  Telbron recalled he spent much of that fight on the ground, but gave his thanks.  He learned the loxodon went by the name Rampart—as their loxodon name was too difficult for others to say.

Rampart asked if Telbron played dragonchess.  Telbron admitted it had been roughly twelve years since he played, hesitantly revealing that he stopped playing around the time his brother disappeared. Nonplussed, Rampart invited him to play, promising to go easy on him and lamenting the fact that no one seemed interested in such an old-fashioned game.  After some thought, Telbron agreed that dragonchess might be the distraction he was looking for.  Rampart won the coin toss and chose black, allowing Telbron to go first.  They identified his opening move and recalled the history and strategy associated with it, asking if his brother had taught him. Telbron confirmed it, saying his brother was quite skilled.  He added that neither of them were allowed to enter any dragonchess tournaments as his father forced them to deal with family affairs.  Telbron danced around his brother’s disappearance, instead explaining that, after his brother went to Strixhaven, he had no one else to play with and life got too busy for either of them to continue.

When asked, Rampart explained their grandfather was a champion player and had won many games with the opening move they had just made, but they had no one to play with at Strixhaven as most students were more interested in sports.  Telbron confessed he played some sports himself, going so far as to join the Silkball Club, but honestly preferred dragonchess.  To his surprise, Rampart revealed that Strixhaven had a Dragonchess Club.  Unfortunately, most of the club members were fourth-year students who were usually busy with graduation matters—though Rampart suspected some of them were too intimidated to play against him after their unexpected victories.  As a result, they spent more time with the Dragonsguard Historical Society, an organization that studied the history of the school and the Founder Dragons.

Telbron and Rampart were so engaged in their conversation that they temporarily stopped playing.  When they eventually resumed their match, Rampart pointed out the numerous mistakes Telbron had unintentionally made throughout the game.  A stunned Telbron was taken aback, prompting Rampart to ask if he wanted a sympathetic ear.  Telbron phrased his predicament with chess terminology, suggesting his rival had successfully isolated him from all means of support.  However, he also admitted that he was not willing to sacrifice anyone other than himself.  This led Rampart to conclude that Telbron had actually isolated himself.  Telbron slowly agreed, suggesting the game was rigged from the start and wondered how he could win under those circumstances.  Rampart counselled him to adopt a similar strategy to his opponent, who seemed to be operating under different rules of engagement. They also suggested that Telbron’s fear of seeing others get hurt might be a crippling handicap.  Their final piece of advice, demonstrated through dragonchess pieces, was that the risk of losing people was greatly reduced when they were part of a group—be it a group of friends or loved ones.  Telbron picked up the queen piece and thoughtfully considered everything Rampart said, before deciding there was somewhere else he had to be. The two shook hands and agreed to play again soon before parting ways.  He then went off to find Nell.

Telbron arrived at Nell’s room and knocked, but received no response.  After a second knock led to the same outcome, he called out that he was coming in.  Finding Nell was not there; he snooped around, but did not uncover anything.  He decided to go find Mak in the Arcanobiology labs and see if Nell was there.

Mak was clearly startled when Telbron greeted him and seemed very nervous and on edge.  However, he became more serious—and imposing—when Telbron revealed he had not seen her since last night.  Mak asked if something happened last night.  Telbron replied that he did not know, though he admitted he had been having a rough time with exams.  After learning that Mak had not seen Nell in weeks, Telbron asked him to keep an eye out and let her know he was searching for her.

Telbron ran back to his room to grab his Sending Stone.  On the way, he passed Kai’s room—whose door was open—and saw Kai and Arlynn very close together.  He paused long enough to close the door for them and continued on his way.  Once Telbron found his Stone, he messaged Nell and asked where she was.  He became alarmed as he saw the message was received, but had not been read.  Further messages were sent with the same response. Had Telbron searched Nell’s room more thoroughly, he might have seen a scrap of paper in the trash can with a mostly intact wax seal bearing the Stevedore family crest…  (episode 10).

Telbron planned to attend the day’s classes, even though they would be focused on reviewing exams, as he wanted to improve his grades—and avoid his father’s ‘invitation’ to return home.  While worrying about Nell’s whereabouts, he noticed his ring had a miniature cloud floating above it.  Curious, he picked it up and, after seeing the cloud grow larger, was abruptly pulled into the ring.  He found himself back in the well-adorned chamber he’d seen before.  Unlike the last time, there was a door that was slightly ajar.

He knocked on the door and called out.  After receiving an enthusiastic invitation to come in, Telbron went through the door and entered another lavish room filled with platters of food and furnishings made of coloured clouds.  In the centre, he saw a small pagoda with an androgynous person lying on a swinging couch. They popped a grape in their mouth and said they were pleased to finally meet Telbron.  Telbron returned the pleasantries and guessed they were the one giving him powers.  They admitted that they knew Telbron’s brother and claimed he was intact and fully functional when last they met.  The patron also revealed they studied at Strixhaven a long time ago, when the Founder Dragons were still teaching.  After confirming the dragons were no longer professors, the patron asked what Telbron desired.  When Telbron admitted he needed help dealing with his family, the patron became apprehensive, as the Stevedores had connections throughout the multiverse.  They admitted they could not combat Telbron’s family directly, but they could help him acquire the power to deal with his family on his own.  Telbron found the counteroffer acceptable and accepted the patron’s offer of baklava.

The patron told Telbron he was meant to do things.  Telbron wondered if they were talking about their form or their intentions towards their family.  They said they heard things, but preferred the term ‘affliction’ to ‘form’ as it was more broody and dark.  They also admitted they knew much more, but were limited by edicts from higher powers.  Telbron decided he was content with a certain degree of ignorance given his father’s aptitude for mind magic.  The patron agreed, though they opined Telbron’s father was ignorant in his own way, encouraged him to continue his present course and promised to send what support they could.  In the meantime, Telbron asked for more knowledge, as it would improve the odds against his father.  The patron granted his request.

The genie promised he’d be around and introduced himself as Ozone.  Telbron asked how to hide the ring from his father, who had wondered why Telbron was not channeling any magic from Hastur.  He also asked what might happen if he as father starting to pry into why he didn’t channel anything from Hastur, wondering what might happen if he drew magic from Hastur at home.  Ozone had no firm answers, but clarified that they had not severed Telbron’s connection from his family patron.  As such, they recommended that Telbron adjust his school spells to channel from Hastur in order to lower suspicions.  They also revealed that Telbron’s brother did a good job of warding the ring, which explained why his father had not found it.  Ozone suggested removing the ring and hiding it when it was not needed, as wearing the ring would establish a connection that Hastur could detect.  They gave Telbron some more baklava before sending Telbron back to the first chamber.  Telbron eventually popped out of the ring.

Telbron prepared to go to class when he saw a small package outside his door.  He took it in and read the note attached.  He grew pale, immediately burned the note and decided to teleport back home at once.

He arrived on the front lawn of the family estate.  Levtari happened to pass a window, saw Telbron and immediately ran down to meet him.  During the frantic conversation that followed, they established that Telbron had been summoned back home, Nell had recently visited the family estate and had passed along Levtari’s greetings in a note.  Levtari asked why Telbron was here when his father had a meeting.  Telbron explained he did not really have classes.  A frustrated Levtari declared he would hide under a lead sheet to avoid the impending ‘apocalypse’ and stormed off.

Nonplussed, Telbron decided to visit his mother as if nothing happened and found her reading a book in one of the back gardens.  After exchanging greetings, she asked what brought him home.  Telbron told her classes had finished early and thought he would deal with his father once he was available.  His mother told Telbron that his father was in a meeting with the board and realized there would be more work to do at this time of year.  Telbron admitted he thought he would work on the family books and added that he passed his exams.  His mother replied that his father would be pleased before returning to his reading.

Seeing his mother had concluded the conversation, Telbron went to his office to work on the books—which had been linked to the books he kept at Strixhaven, thus allowing work in one set to be transferred to the other.  His family had long since tasked him with the responsibility of divvying expenditures and hiding expenses, through shady means such as shell companies, draconic tax havens, goblin-run fronts and transactions running through the Hells.  A series of payments caught his eye, as they added up to a remarkably large sum.  To his surprise, they were made out to the name ‘El,’ which he recognized as the name of Kai, and addressed to the nondescript location of Superia.  Intrigued, Telbron began sifting through the other books.  While he didn’t see El or Superia, he did see several other payments that he suspected were linked due to the large sums and annotations on where to hide them.  Grabbing a blank book, he copied the information down—wondering under his breath why Kai was tied to his family—in between his family work.

Hearing the doors of his father’s office open, Telbron stepped out and saw several well-dressed figures of various races leave, followed by a figure in a very tall cloak with tendrils of smoke billowing out and alarge set of curled horns.  Everyone bowed their head to this being.  The figure looked at Telbron before leaving the house.  Telbron did not recognize the figure, but assumed they were an ambassador to his family’s patron.

Telbron’s father stepped out behind them.  Once his guests had left, he dropped his jovial demeanour.  Seeing Telbron, he silently returned to his office.  Telbron understood the unspoken command to follow him.  Once inside, Telbron’s father told him how disappointed he was.  Telbron assured him he had addressed the matter.  His father then moved on to some rumours he’d heard about Telbron having a girlfriend.  Telbron admitted he may have been overly friendly at times, but assured him he was simply practicing his charm and manipulation skills in anticipation of furthering the family business.  Hearing that, his father leaned back in his chair and looked slightly more relaxed.  He told Telbron he was fine with his son having a mistress but asked him not to be so obvious about it.  Telbron apologized for his lack of subtlety, citing his lack of prior experience.  Telbron’s father ordered him to finish his classes, spend the summer with his fiancée and pointedly make public appearances with her when she started attending Strixhaven.  Telbron assured him that his classes had largely concluded and he’d already resumed his work on the books.  Pleased that they had an understanding, his father dismissed Telbron—who retired to his chambers.

Telbron later returned to Strixhaven.  He found his friends at the Firejolt Café, arriving in time to hear Celdryn say Kai was going into everyone and seeing Nell make sexually suggestive motions and innuendos.

Seeing Telbron, Celdryn offered his congratulations, as he mistakenly thought Kai had slept with everyone.  Telbron observed that the conversation topics had not changed.  A distressed Nora explained to Telbron that she was handing out flyers for the Rose Stage Festival next week.  Celdryn took one of her flyers and showed it to the others.  Kai encouraged Nora to go on stage and perform, but she explained that she was too busy working behind the scenes on projects like painting a very lifelike owlbear.  After Nora left, the friends agreed that they would like to participate in the festival.

A few days later, Telbron arranged to meet Kai alone by the Firejolt Café.  He found him half-asleep at a table, woke him up and told him they had to talk about their families.  Kai thought Telbron was trying to proposition him.  For privacy, Telbron tried to see what non-Common languages Kai spoke, eventually settling on Celestial.  Telbron asked what Kai’s father did for a living.  Kai said he killed things, saved worlds, went on adventures and made a great deal of money.  Kai did not notice Telbron growing pale, as he had recently stopped taking him seriously.   Telbron confirmed that Kai’s father made money helping people and that Kai believed his father was a hero.  He then took out a book and directed Kai’s attention to the largest sum, which was addressed to ‘El—Superia’.

Kai guessed it was someone from his family, probably his father.  Telbron told Kai the figures were copied from his family’s business records, which strongly indicated that his father was paying Kai’s father to kill people.  As such, Kai’s father might not be the honourable role model Kai thought him to be.  Kai accused Telbron of having daddy issues and projecting his problems on other people.  Telbron tried to tell Kai that his father hired Kai’s father to keep his hands clean and set up a suspect to take the fall, but Kai denied that was possible.  Trying again, Telbron admitted he would not mind if the Stevedores fell, but he was concerned that Kai might get hurt as their families appeared to be inextricably linked and asked if Kai was willing to be a hero if the villain was his own father.  Uncharacteristically serious and upset, Kai warned Telbron against prying into his personal affairs or making accusations against his family, and told him to sort out his own problems.  He then tossed a coin on the table for Telbron’s coffee, as he did not want to be in debt to Telbron, and stormed out.

The following week, the friends went to the titular Rose Stage where the Festival took place.  They viewed the outdoor performing space, which consisted of a main stage—decorated with a huge rose—benches packed with spectators, an orchestra pit and an enclosed annex building behind the main stage.  Looking down, they saw Aurora and one of her bandmates, Rubina, in the orchestra pit.  They saw a few students in costume improvising an amusing, bawdy conversation on stage, with various props standing by for use near the stage’s edge.  In the shadows, they also saw Quentillius Antiphiun Melentor III, a member of the Playactors Drama Guild, directing the performance and sending new actors on stage from behind the scenes.

Kai and Celdryn wanted to go on stage.  Arlynn agreed to join them, but was leery at the prospect of going on stage.  When Kai reminded her she’d gone on stage at the beginning of the year, Arlynn admitted she had been uncharacteristically brave at the time.  She ultimately decided to watch from backstage and take things from there.  Nell decided to sit in the audience, as she had participated in enough drama recently, but promised to provide special effects if needed.  Telbron decided to give Nell her space and go backstage to provide sound effects with Thaumaturgy.

Looking down at the front rows, Telbron saw Grayson.  As they exchanged looks, Grayson assumed an exasperated face.  Realizing that they had not kept their end of the deal from their adventure in Captain Dapplewing’s Manor, Telbron sat down beside him.  After politely greeting each other, Grayson hinted he was waiting for Sassy Sally Jane.  Telbron explained that they had been forced to keep the doll under wraps as they had been under close scrutiny by the professors.  However, the faculty had since shifted their attention and they could hand the doll over at any time.

Seeing that Grayson was somewhat mollified, Telbron moved to another topic of conversation: having heard rumours that Grayson was good at getting information, Telbron wanted to know what his parents had been hiding from him.  Grayson allowed that it might be a fun summer project, but asked what was in it for him.  Telbron asked Grayson what he wanted and learned his fellow student wanted information.  After some discussion on the Founder Dragons and various alumni whose money had been donated to Strixhaven, Telbron steered the conversation to the revelation that the House of El had an assassin on the Stevedore payroll.  Seeing that Grayson was intrigued, Telbron candidly admitted that he wanted to tear down the family legacies around him, but conceded that that goal could get him killed.    Grayson agreed to start investigating, provided he could get the doll.  Telbron agreed to give it to him by the following week and shook Grayson’s hand to seal the deal.  Having done so, Telbron went backstage.

Arlynn, Celdryn, Kai and Telbron went backstage, where they were greeted by Quentillius.  When asked what he could do, Kai proclaimed he was the CEO of improv.  Quentillius approved his attitude and had the students pick names out of a box.  Arlynn repeated her request to stay behind, and was assured by Quentillius that she could help out with other matters like handling props.  Telbron volunteered his services with Thaumaturgy.  Kai then realized that Nell was not with them.  Telbron explained she was sitting this activity out.

Reaching into the hat, Kai picked the swashbuckling servant while Celdryn picked the bawdy noble.  When Arlynn asked if she could be an owlbear, Quentillius assigned her the role of a very hungry monster.  Kai and Celdryn grabbed whatever costumes and props they thought were appropriate.

The performers on stage—a furious-looking ship captain and a cat in a business suit—continued acting until Quentillius grabbed Kai and pushed him into the scene.  As the cat ran off stage, Kai began improvising with the captain.  They exchanged a few words—punctuated by Telbron’s Thaumaturgy—before the captain traded places with Celdryn.  Kai and Celdryn put on a performance that grew increasingly bawdy and laden with innuendo as Celdryn opened up his shirt and bared his chest, Nell cast Gust and Telbron cast Thaumaturgy.  The audience found Kai and Celdryn hilarious.

Quentillius then pushed Arlynn onto the stage.  Amidst Telbron’s sound effects, she announced that she was an owlbear… and appointed insurance adjuster for the ship.  Kai called out for an owlbear, prompting Nell to Wild Shape into the creature and join them on stage.  Quentillius ran out on stage and showed Nell a note, telling her she was to play an adult in a toddler’s body.  Nell adjusted her Wild Shape into a baby owlbear, while Arlynn claimed she was her senior colleague.  One of the other students wheeled the giant owlbear prop on stage, prompting Telbron to cast more applications of Thaumaturgy.  The audience seemed slightly disappointed by the change in pace, but still found the performance highly entertaining.

However, things took an unexpected turn.  Telbron had problem seeing from the backstage, but the other students saw something weird from the owlbear prop.  The roars of laughter from the audience turned to sounds of confusion and fear as monstrous shrieks began to come from the prop.  As the friends watched, the owlbear prop turned into an actual, enraged owlbear that charged towards them… (episode 11).

The students looked at the owlbear, who had just come to life.  Meanwhile, they saw paper birds transform into real birds that attacked the audience and people backstage.  Furthermore, they saw prop swords become real swords and started attacking students.  After wondering if any of the students behind him made that noise, Telbron got out from behind the stage.  He Hex’d the owlbear before casting Shatter.  The owlbear shook visibly and almost turned back to wood and paint for a moment before recovering and shrieking at Telbron. Kai ran to the bottom of the stage, shouted at the owlbear to draw its attention, then fired a Guiding Bolt.  The owlbear exploded into bits of wood that rained down on the students. Remembering her classes, Arlynn had obtained a muffin from her backpack.  She expressed dismay that Kai had destroyed the owlbear before she had had a chance to apply her lessons.  Nell, still in her owlbear form, gnawed on a piece of wood.  They watched as several professors entered the Rose Stage and began dispatching the remaining hostile props.

Nell saw the bottom of the platform was covered in black goo.  Dropping her Wild Shape, she motioned her friends over.  Arlynn came over to investigate, sullenly eating her muffin.  She gave Kai half a muffin at his request.  As they looked, a professor hopped up behind them and asked what had occurred.  Nell explained the various props came to life.  Telbron said he didn’t see anything backstage.  The professor noticed the black goo and asked what it was.  Nell explained that they’d encountered the goo throughout their year.  Celdryn scooped some of the goo with a dagger, which he handed to the professor at her request.  The students cited various encounters with the black goo, causing the professor to realize they were the ‘underclassmen’ that the other faculty had referred to.  As the students watched, she pulled out a flask and poured some of its contents on the goo, causing it to bubble.  The black hue turned to smoke and vanished, leaving behind a semi-opaque mucus-yellow substance.  She rubbed the substance between her fingers, tasted it and declared it was what they expected. Celdryn, Telbron and Nell recognized the professor as Professor Johenne Totsky of Silverquill.

The professor asked why the students had never brought the ooze to the attention of the faculty.  Nell explained that Mak, from the Fantastical Horticulture Club, had been investigating the ooze.  She and her friends had assumed he had informed the other professors.   Totsky darkly guessed the Witherbloom professors had kept it under wraps for fear that others would learn their supply had been tainted.  She told the students that the substance was eldritch balm, which originated from an underground spring in the Sedgemoor swamp and was used to magically treat and strengthen a wide variety of objects.  The black ooze that the students had found throughout the year was actually eldritch balm that had been tainted in some way.  Totsky suspected that the spring had been tainted in some way and wanted the students to investigate, but realized they had no reason to enter Sedgemoor on their own as they were only first-year students.  Instead, she suggested they offer to collect magical ingredients and samples from Sedgemoor for Professor Lang, as she commonly assigned such tasks to first-year students who showed promise.  Totsky gave the students the flask she had used and directed them to find the spring, which was in the northwest area of the swamp.  If the spring looked unnatural in any way, she told them to empty the flask’s contents—holy water—into the spring.  Arlynn would end up carrying the holy water for safekeeping.

The professor decided to consult with the other professors and help the students calm down.  Before she left, she gave them her Cloak of Protection in case the students needed it.  Nell eventually accepted as she could not cast Mage Armour.  After some discussion, the friends decided to put off their next adventure in favour of studying, as their final exam was the next day. Telbron went back to his room to study, wondering where Nell had gone to.  Before he started, he sent a Message cantrip to Nell.  He told Nell he knew she needed her space, he could not help her if he did not know what was bothering her, he would be waiting when she wanted to talk, and that he loved her.  Nell replied she was busy studying, asked to talk after the exams and said she loved him too.  Telbron then went to see if Celdryn was willing to study with him, as he desperately did not want to fail again.  The two of them spent the rest of the night studying together.

The next day, the students took their final exam, which focused on otyughs. As this was their final exam, Professor Lang marked them then and there.  Once she had finished, she had the students line up to receive their paper. Telbron received compliments for improving the most and learned he passed the exam.

Professor Lang told Arlynn and Nell they would have to retake the exam.   She also offered them the opportunity of retrieving magical samples from Sedgemoor instead, explaining she normally granted this task to her most promising students.  After Arlynn and Nell chose to visit Sedgemoor, Professor Lang wrote passes for Arlynn, Nell and their friends.  Nell apologized and promised she’d do better… or prove her parents right.  Lang expressed her belief that Nell would prove everyone who doubted her wrong.  While Lang wrote the passes, Arlynn squeezed Nell’s hand and gave her some words of encouragement.

Lang warned them that they might need galoshes and directed them to a shed that contained tools suitable for harvesting magical ingredients.  Nell took the passes and handed them to her friends.  Kai was confused as he had little sleep the night before, but eventually remembered why they wanted to go to Sedgemoor.  Telbron made a remark about Kai’s memory, to which Kai cruelly made a reference to his previous failures.   Celdryn asked how everyone did on their exams.  Arlynn and Nell claimed they did okay. Telbron took them at their word.

After gathering whatever supplies they thought they might need, the students made their way to Sedgemoor.  Celdryn cast Mage Armour.  They got a guidebook of things to look out for.  Once they got to the swamp, Celdryn pulled a giant elk from his Bag of Tricks.  After some thought, he named the elk Antony.  Kai and Arlynn thought it was pronounced Anthony.  The students saw two broken-down docks and many islets to the north.  Celdryn, Telbron and Arlynn climbed on top of the giant elk while Nell flew above.  Kai decided to scout ahead and jumped to the central island, before Nell could cast Pass Without Trace.

The central islet had two wooden research sheds with a tree stump between them.  Kai landed and turned around in triumph, only to here a noise behind him.  Turning back, he saw two wargs emerge from behind the tree stump, their skin peeling off their faces.  They began stalking Kai.  The other students on the elk (or flying) took advantage of the distraction.

Celdryn moved up on the elk and Twinned Dragon’s Breath, casting the spell on himself and Antony.  They breathed fire on the wargs. Arlynn cast Chromatic Orb gainst a warg, poisoning the monstrosity.  Her familiar, Oozac, blinded the warg with ink. Nell flew over the wargs, activated her Symbiotic Entity and summoned her Halo of Spores, which had no effect.  She then cast Shillelagh on her quarterstaff. Kai rushed up and punched the unpoisoned, blinded warg twice.  It crumpled down into a heap.  Seeing its comrade collapse, the warg began talking.  As he spoke Undercommon, Telbron understood a few words ‘Power… evil… mine.”  The warg then Disengaged and dove into the swampy waters. Thinking the warg was going for reinforcements, Telbron blindly fired an Eldritch Blast.

Shortly after, Celdryn experienced a Wild Magic surge as the cold of the swamp hit him.  His clothes shrank to half their size.  Celdryn was embarrassed.  Kai thought he saw a previously hidden piercing.  The giant elk ran after the submerged warg.  After Celdryn and the elk breathed fire on it, the warg died and sank to the bottom. Nell admonished her friends to be quiet.  Telbron pointed out the warg might have been trying to summon reinforcements.  Due to her lifetime growing up in Strixhaven, Arlynn knew the swamp was generally safe.  The fact that wargs were here, though, meant something was seriously wrong. The party then split up.  Arlynn and Nell investigated the northernmost research building, while Kai and Celdryn investigated the southern one.

The students reconvened.  Nell cautioned the others to be quiet after Celdryn was loud.  Speculating about thing and Nell thought swamp was tainted.  Telbron finally revealed what he’d gleaned from the warg.  Celdryn then asked if anyone was good collecting plant samples, explaining he had a sample kit that might help.  Nell offered to trade the Potion of Healing for the kit, but Celdryn encouraged her to keep the potion as he felt she would need it more.  Celdryn then pointed to some plants and wondered if that was what they were looking for.  Kai and Nell realized it was, based on the artwork and Fantastical Horticulture club meetings, respectively.

Seeing a few more islets, Arlynn, Celdryn and Telbron rode Arlynn over to the northeast islet.  Kai followed by jumping, while Nell flew over.  As soon as the elk landed, though, several snakes darted out from underneath a rock and bit Antony, ignoring Nell’s Halo of Spores.

Nell expressed her irritation over the snakes.  Kai, having just arrived, had no idea what she was talking about.  Looking at the dirt released by the vines, she found a root that her guidebook said was quite useful and took a sample.  Kai was confused at why they were gathering samples.  Arlynn or Nell vaguely said they had reasons.

The students decided to go to the southernmost island.  This time, Kai chose to join the others on the elk.  However, as soon as the elk touched a hoof down, it began sinking.  The elk hastily reared back, sending Celdryn flying into the nearby water.  He clambered back on, lamenting that things should have been better considering he’d lost his pants and was now wet.  An oblivious Kai gave him a pep talk, which Celdryn rewarded with a muddy pat on the back.  Telbron and Nell found that very amusing.  Seeing that Kai did not appreciate the humour, Celdryn cleaned him off with Prestidigitation.  Telbron still seemed to find the situation amusing, even after an irritated Kai shoved him off Antony and into the mud.  Nell responded by using Druidcraft to put nice flowers over Telbron and stinky flowers over Kai.  Arlynn and Celdryn felt Kai had gone a little too far, with Celdryn pulling Telbron back on the giant elk and cleaning him off with another application of Prestidigitation.

After enjoying a short rest, the students (and Antony) then moved north.  As they travelled, they noticed the water getting darker and thicker.  Seeing a steady burbling in between two islets, they guessed that was the spring they were looking for.  The elk was visibly hesitant, slowing to a stop before they reached the spring.  The students hopped off and continued on foot, but failed to notice anything.  To make matters worse, Celdryn experienced another Wild Magic Surge, causing rocks and random things to bounce around him.  Kai noticed a waterlogged notebook with a green jewel on the cover bouncing towards him and his friend, and felt weaker and weaker as it approached.  Suddenly afraid, Kai backed up into the water.

Meanwhile, Arlynn felt the spring was being obstructed by something in the water.  A giant scorpion emerged, dripping black ooze, and advanced towards them. Nell activated Symbiotic Entity and cast Shillelagh on her quarterstaff. The elk charged the scorpion and landed a solid hit, flipping it on its back. Celdryn cast Dragon’s Breath on himself and Antony before breathing lightning on the scorpion. Telbron Hexed the scorpion, but missed with Eldritch Blast. The scorpion righted itself, seriously wounding and grappling Celdryn with its pincers, but failed to pierce him with its stinger. Arlynn cast Chromatic Orb, hitting the scorpion with acid.  She then Phase Stepped back next to Kai and charmed the scorpion.  She then had Oozac hand a Potion of Healing to Kai. Kai did not feel well, but gathered his strength and cast Rime’s Binding Ice, aiming carefully to avoid Nell.  Nell cast Wither and Bloom, hurting the scorpion and healing Celdryn. Antony tried to breathe fire on the scorpion, but it dodged most of the damage.  Celdryn breathed fire as well, dealing the killing blow.  He cursed as he fell from the dying scorpion’s grasp into the swampy water (again).

Nell urged Arlynn to pour the holy water into the spring before anything else showed up.  Celdryn asked Kai what was wrong.  A haggard looking Kai asked where the book was.  Hearing his mumbled reply, Celdryn grabbed the book and threw it as far away as he could.  Kai faintly thanked him, claiming the book must have had an evil aura or something.

Kai managed to stand up, despite Celdryn’s continued concerns over his wellbeing.  He slapped himself back into a more alert state, only to realize to his dismay that he’d splashed himself with swamp water.  Nell tried to help by dropping scorpion goo on his head, prompting Telbron to start laughing again.  Arlynn ignored–or missed–Nell’s jibe about Kai putting goop in Arlynn’s hair and used Mage Hand to pour the holy water into the spring.  They could see the radiance cleanse the spring and clear the water.  As they looked around, the edges of the surrounding islets exuding the balm that Totsky was talking about.  Celdryn tried to investigate the source of the ooze and found an empty leather satchel.  He also saw various books and items bounce around him.  More importantly, the cursed book began bouncing towards Celdryn, as if caught in a current.  As soon as Kai saw the book coming near, he began wading through the water away from it.  Telbron grabbed the book and opened it, noting it was bound in soft leather and filled with waxed, waterproof paper.  He saw that many words were washed away, but the remainder was written in some kind of language he could not read.  Given that he could read most languages, he guessed it was some kind of cipher.  His only clue was an ‘M’ on the front page.

Celdryn, Nell and Telbron thought the ‘M’ looked the same as the package they found in the teacher’s offices of Captain Dapplewing’s Manor.  They found that suspicious, especially when Telbron recalled the chest also had some of the black ooze.  Celdryn asked Kai if he was feeling any better, then took the book from Telbron.  He put the book away in a bag, after remembering that his shirt was now too tight to fit anything else underneath, and asked if that made Kai feel better.  Kai’s evasive response indicated he was still unwell.  Celdryn admitted he thought the book might be important, but did not want to take it if it made Kai feel unwell.  Nell wondered why the book affected Kai but not anyone else.  Kai was forced to admit that he was allergic to emeralds and they made him weak.  Celdryn pulled the emerald off and sought clarification that putting it in the bag still affected him.  Kai confirmed that he would notice if any emeralds came within fifteen or twenty feet of him.  Celdryn then threw the emerald away and returned the book to Telbron.

Nell declared that they had accomplished what they set out to do and that Arlynn and Nell could return the magical ingredients to Professor Lang without anyone else accompanying them.  Celdryn, Kai and Telbron saw no reason to question her motives.  Celdryn made Antony spit out the swamp flora it was eating and had the giant elk give the students a ride back to campus.

Telbron waited outside Nell’s room.  After some time, she met him outside. Nell admitted she had been a bit flaky lately and understood why he was waiting outside her room.  She invited him inside, ignoring the bits of torn paper still strewn throughout the room.  Nell admitted she met Telbron’s mom, who had offered veiled threats throughout their conversation.  Telbron’s mother instructed Nell to make sure Telbron did well at school, revealed she knew where Nell came from and who her parents were, and allowed for the possibility of Nell being Telbron’s mistress.  However, Nell did not want to be hidden or the other woman, despite her earlier remarks.  She also apologized for reading his mind, while admitting she had been scared by the visions she saw.

Nell told Telbron that she loved him, but did not want to be trapped in his family drama as it was scarier than any manga she had read.  She also observed that he had done better on his exams without her, which made her question whether he needed her.  In the end, she could not deny the fact that he was engaged.

Telbron replied that he was not engaged by choice, and would rather be engaged to Nell instead.  He apologized as he had kept his secrets with the intention of keeping her safe, a tactic that had backfired.  Telbron disagreed with the idea that he was better off without Nell as she was the first person who treated Telbron as a person, not an object or a means to an end.  He felt he would likely die after gaining control of the family.  However, he was surprised to discover his father was unaware of Nell’s visit, which led him to suspect his parents had their own separate agendas.  He proposed that they fall in line with the family agenda or bringing his family down.  Nell suggested running away.  Telbron felt that even if he could run away, Nell would have to run away as well for her own safety and he guessed she didn’t want that.  Nell confirmed that, as she had something to prove to her own family.  Telbron assured Nell she wasn’t second place, said he wanted to escape, but admitted he couldn’t do it alone.  However, he would understand if Nell wanted to get out.

Nell reminded Telbron that they had a summer break and wanted to spend some of it with him.  Telbron had reservations about visiting Nell, as he sensed her parents would not approve.  Nell welcomed the prospect of Telbron visiting her, mouthing off to her mother and generally stirring up trouble.  Telbron agreed, as he knew his father was planning his summer for him and he might feel the need to sneak away.

Telbron warned Nell that he’d learned, through his father, that his fiancée was also coming to Strixhaven.  However, he sensed his fiancée did not want the arranged marriage either and wondered if they could turn her against his family.  He also wondered what his mother was up to.  Telbron assuredNell that his mother was terrifying in her own way, but she had also been kinder to him than anyone else who was still affiliated with his family, noting that there were several former members who had cut ties.  Nell and Telbron agreed to stay in touch over the summer before exchanging kisses.  As Telbron asked Nell for the doll they had retrieved from Captain Dapplewing’s Manor, Shae hopped off Nell’s shoulder, shuffled over and deigned to touch their foot to Telbron’s.

When Telbron eventually left, he was surprised to see Arlynn waiting outside with alcohol.  Telbron asked Nell if she ordered alcohol.  Nell told Arlynn their conversation went better than expected but they could still drink.  Arlynn said they had to drink as she’d prepared for the worst, apologizing to Telbron, and rolled the keg she bought into Nell’s room.

Telbron dealt with the mouthy doll he promised to give to Grayson, while seeing some photos Arlynn and Nell posted to their group chat.  He eventually returned to Nell’s room to join the party, wondering why he had not been allowed to stay in the first place.  An unexpectedly curvy and feminine Celdryn and Kai joined them and they all enjoyed the rest of the night together. The next morning, the friends received an invitation to dinner at Captain Dapplewing’s Manor.  That evening, they met various professors, received several gifts   feted as heroes of the Strixhaven campus (episode 12).

## Appearance

Telbron is a 6'1" tall human with silver hair and blue eyes.

## Character Build

* Eldritch Invocations: Armour of Shadows, Eye of the Rune Keeper
* Pact Boon: Pact of the Tome
* Known ASIs/Feats: Strixhaven Initiate (Silverquill), +2 Cha
* Known Spells:
	+ Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Light\*\*, Message\*\*\*, Mind Sliver, Prestidigitation, Shocking Grasp\*\*\*, Spare the Dying\*\*\*, Thaumaturgy\*, Vicious Mockery\*
	+ 1st Level: Hex, Illusory Script\*, Thunderwave, Witch Bolt
	+ 2nd Level: Shatter, Thought Shield

*\* = Strixhaven Initiate spells*
*\*\* = Aasimar spells*
*\*\*\* = Pact of the Tome spells*

## Trivia

* Family extremely wealthy and influential due to their numerous business dealings
* His side story of having problems with Universal Planar Sendings (occasionally called Universal Planar Services) was based on the real-life difficulties Christa experienced mailing a Strixhaven costume and assorted supplies to Trazelta via UPS (as FedEx was deemed too expensive).
* Accidentally became involved in Nell's harem anime in episode 1
* Took Magical Physiology, Basic Magical Auras, Beginning Computational Magic, and History of Magic and Art in first year.
* In episode 9, it became explicitly clear that Telbron's Genie patron was a djinn.
* In episode 9, it was revealed that Telbron was actually a fallen aasimar.