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Summary
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For the mages of the Traditions at UC: Prospect, the discovery of the long-lost House of Keys marks the beginning of a major turning point. The Chantry—once a thriving center of learning, cooperation, and magical strength—fell silent decades ago, sealed behind wards and forgotten passages beneath the university. Only scattered rumors, old journal entries, and half-remembered stories hinted that it ever existed. But now strange activity across campus—moving books, flickering lights, spontaneous manifestations, and the ghostly presence of a former librarian—suggests that the House is stirring again. The Traditions realize that something within the old Chantry is trying to wake up, and that it may be calling out to them for the first time in years.
As groups of students and mentors explore the hidden spaces, they uncover fragments of the Chantry’s past: a massive oak tree that once served as the heart of the House, journals from the 1920s and 1930s describing a thriving magical community, and dormant spirits that still linger in the halls. Their investigations show that the House of Keys wasn’t just a place to gather—it was a protective anchor, built atop converging ley lines and sustained by a network of rituals, agreements, and a powerful slumbering presence. The Traditions begin to understand that reawakening the House is not as simple as opening a door. The Chantry is alive in a way, and it responds to their actions, pulsing with old magic and reacting whenever they disturb the wrong artifact or activate an old mechanism.
However, restoring the Chantry also brings complications. Fear-feeding spirits, leftover wards, missing journals, and warnings from the ghostly librarian Agatha suggest that the House closed for a reason. Something beneath the atrium—the sealed “Vault”—remains locked behind a carved owl mechanism, and even Agatha insists it should stay that way until the mages are ready. As strange events escalate, the Traditions must decide how to stabilize the House, protect the campus from the consequences of waking dormant magic, and confront whatever history lies buried inside its foundation. The plot follows the mages as a collective discovering their inheritance, rebuilding a sanctuary that once united their predecessors, and facing the responsibility of bringing the House of Keys back to life.
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Updates
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February 3, 2026
The events of this session trace a long, difficult path toward mercy rather than destruction. Drawn once again into the hidden grove through the House of Keys, Sark, Lavender, Dan, and Storm confronted the full reality of Veridrax’s imprisonment: a young dragon bound by fear, pain, and stolen power, slowly burning himself alive under the weight of magic he never chose. Early attempts to approach were complicated by lingering illusions and emotional pressure, forcing the group to first dismantle the captors’ fear-based safeguards before they could even speak to the dragon clearly.
The group wrestled openly with impossible choices. Releasing the dragon outright would kill him in a catastrophic surge of power, while leaving him bound would condemn him to endless suffering. Ultimately, they rejected the violent failsafe left by the original mages and chose the Rite of the Dreaming Heart—a slower, kinder solution that required trust, patience, and consent. Sark explained the cost clearly: Veridrax would be freed from his chains, but only by staying within the grove while he healed. Leaving too soon would still mean death.
After hours of focused ritual work, exhaustion, and quiet determination, the icy, spiked chains that had held Veridrax for decades finally dissolved. The dragon was freed—not without pain, as old wounds reopened and decades of damage became clear—but for the first time, his suffering was no longer being enforced by magic. Veridrax collapsed into true rest, breathing freely at last, while the cabal paid the cost in fatigue and strain. Though nothing is truly “fixed” yet, the outcome is clear: the dragon lives, the prison is broken, and the path to healing—earned through empathy, restraint, and hard choices—has finally begun.
Jannuary 27, 2026
| Grove of the Green Warden
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Drawn through the golden tree in the House of Keys, Sark, Lavender, Dan, and Storm emerge into a secluded forest grove that feels neither fully Umbra nor wholly physical—a pocket domain shaped by intention and age. A narrow fieldstone path leads them toward a low mound crowned by a radiant golden oak, its presence immediately resonant with the magic they touched before. As they orient themselves, Lavender senses the place’s liminal nature, Dan offers gallows humor, and Storm struggles with lingering sensory disorientation. Sark, however, grows solemn. Pausing midway along the path, he speaks a single name in the tongue of dragons—Veridrax—and the grove answers. The forest stills, and a strained, half-awake voice presses up through soil and root, confirming that something vast and bound lies beneath the mound.
As the group advances cautiously, Sark translates and speaks for them, revealing that the dragon has been imprisoned and abused by mages who left behind dangerous contingencies. Lavender shares what the recovered texts foretold: two rituals, both ending the dragon’s existence—one violently, one gently—and neither acceptable unless chosen freely. The discussion turns to agency, mercy, and alternatives, even as Storm suggests rebuilding the node rather than sacrificing the dragon. Before Sark can fully negotiate, Storm senses hostile presences approaching. Sark warns Veridrax of “enchanted men,” then transforms into his true golden dragon form to shield the others, roaring defiance toward the perceived threat. In response, the grove violently shifts—trees burn, the land chars, and the golden oak becomes a crown of living flame—revealing a terrifying vision of devastation.
The group quickly realizes the inferno and attackers are not real but a powerful fear-based illusion left behind by Veridrax’s captors, triggered when one steps off the path. Working together, the cabal focuses on unweaving the effect rather than merely resisting it. Lavender leads the effort, her magic dissolving the layered hallucination as Sark holds position and Storm steadies himself and her. The scorched vision fades, restoring the grove to its serene beauty. With the security measure dismantled and Veridrax seemingly undisturbed by its collapse, the group resumes their approach. Circling the mound, they finally reach the far side and glimpse the cave itself, where the steady, ancient breathing of the sleeping green dragon confirms the truth of what waits beneath the golden tree—and the gravity of the choice still to come.
Jannuary 13, 2026
The session centers on a deliberate and dangerous attempt to clear the Fear Moths blocking access to the House of Keys archives. Storm intentionally uses fear as bait, lowering his mental safeguards and immersing himself in a carefully chosen horror film while under the influence of psychedelics to heighten his emotional output. This successfully draws the moths into the open, where they swarm him in overwhelming numbers, feeding on his terror and pushing him to the edge of collapse. While Sark, Dan, and the others stand ready in case things go wrong, Lavender performs a prepared working to open a spiritual “window,” channeling the moths out of the chapter house and banishing the bulk of them to a distant graveyard. The plan works, but only barely—Storm is left physically and emotionally wrecked, requiring Lavender’s follow-up magic to neutralize the drugs and stabilize him before the group can move on.
With the path to the archives temporarily clear, the group moves quickly, aware they are now on a metaphorical clock. As they descend, attention turns to an old lantern suspected of being the true source drawing the moths across the Gauntlet. Despite warnings, Storm touches the lantern, triggering a sudden and terrifying possession-like event. An inhuman voice speaks through him, delivering a cryptic warning before the connection is forcibly broken. To all present, the lantern’s strange blue flame extinguishes, leaving it inert—but Storm collapses, shaken and frostbitten, suggesting the encounter did not end cleanly. Though the immediate threat is contained and the group remains standing, it is clear that something fundamental has shifted, and that whatever was bound to the lantern may not be gone at all.
What was the entity bound to the lantern, and was it a containment or a lure?
Who created the lantern, and for what original purpose?
Why did the Guardian react the way he did when a Correspondence Window was opened to evacuate the moths from the house?
Why did the Guardian react when the Lantern was touched?
Jannuary 6, 2026
The session begins with the group regrouping at the House of Keys after a long break, trying to get everyone caught up on recent events and decide what to tackle next. New and returning members are brought up to speed on the major threats: the reassembled Red Journal, the sleeping dragon-like entity beneath the Great Tree, the possibility that the Tree itself is a dormant Node, and the involvement of vampires who may have been seeking the book as a weapon. Discussion focuses on priorities, with most agreeing that whatever is stirring beneath the House is the most immediate danger. Concerns are also raised about who else might know about the House, the book, and the hidden power below, especially given Carver’s role in stealing the journal and the unexplained interest shown by multiple supernatural factions.
The group then moves into the library to investigate the mysterious Fear Moths that have cut off access to the deeper archives. Those able to see into the Shadowlands confirm the moths are ghostly in nature and do not belong there, suggesting a breach or disturbance that allowed them through. Lavender attempts to communicate with them and learns that they feed on thoughts and emotions, specifically fear, answering in a chilling unified voice that only she can hear. This revelation raises new questions about their origin, purpose, and connection to the dragon or the House itself. The session ends with the group realizing that the moths are not simply obstacles but symptoms of a deeper problem, and that understanding or relocating them may be the key to safely accessing the archives and uncovering what lies beneath the Great Tree.
Jannuary 5, 2026
Hey folks, since it's been a while since the last session (12/16/25), I thought I'd send out a quick summary of what happened so we're all up to speed for tonight.
The session opens the night after the motel incident, with the group regrouping at the House of Keys over a simple, low-key dinner meant to calm nerves and re-establish normalcy. Tension quickly resurfaces as Storm arrives exhausted and shaken, accompanied by Lavender and carrying new information from the site. Lavender shares a vision revealing that a vampire dancer and her ghoul were involved in the destruction of the book and the attack on the sorcerer Randyl Wallace, whose ID Storm recovered during cleanup. Discussion turns to vampires, their powers, and the danger they pose, especially after Tyler admits he was briefly enthralled and fed upon by a vampire outside the lounge. The group acknowledges that multiple vampires are active, that they underestimated the threat, and that the book itself may be the true target or weapon at the center of these events. Trust, transparency, and better planning become key themes as they confront the risks they narrowly survived.
The second half of the session moves to the library, where the group focuses on reassembling the torn journal, revealed to be a House of Keys historical record from the 1950s tied to a failed last-resort weapon involving a “sleeping dragon.” Lavender successfully uses magic to reconstruct the book, while Sark’s song helps calm whatever latent presence stirs in the space. Dan confirms that the book details an abandoned defensive project rather than civil defense plans, suggesting the danger was intentionally sealed away. Emotional fallout follows: Ashe, disturbed by the moral compromises and escalating supernatural threats, abruptly withdraws from the group and leaves the House entirely. The session ends with the book restored but clearly dangerous, the group shaken yet more informed, and the sense that deeper protections and harder choices will be required going forward.
Questions that still need answered:
- The Fear Moths — What created them, and what is the true source of the presence stirring in the archives beneath the House of Keys?
- The Sleeping Dragon — Is the entity bound within the Great Tree’s roots truly a guardian meant to protect the House, or a weapon waiting to be unleashed with catastrophic consequences? Do we wake it up before the Node? What happens when it wakes up and discovers there's nothing to protect?
- The Great Tree as a Node — If the Tree is a dormant or suppressed Node, what happens if it is awakened, and who originally decided it should remain sealed? The prevailing theory is that it will take three traditions to wake it up but how?
- The Red Book’s Theft — Who hired Carver to steal the Red Book in the first place, and were they acting out of knowledge, desperation, or as part of a larger plan?
December 16, 2025
The group meets back at the House of Keys the night after the motel incident, sharing a simple dinner while talking through what happened and checking in on each other. Storm arrives late, clearly exhausted but confirms the situation at the motel is fully handled, while Lavender explains what she saw using time magic and confirms that vampires were responsible for the attack on Randyl Wallace. Tyler admits that he was briefly entranced by a vampire behind the lounge, which leads to a serious discussion about vampire powers, trust, and the need for better planning going forward.
The group agrees the torn book is the key mystery and moves to the library, where Lavender uses magic to reassemble it while Sark senses the “sleeping” supernatural presence reacting. The restored journal reveals that the House of Keys once worked on a dangerous dragon-based weapon during the 1950s, later attempting to turn it into a controlled guardian instead. Tensions rise as Ashe decides she wants no part of what this knowledge represents and leaves, while the others realize they are dealing with something extremely powerful that will require caution, protection, and further study.
December 9, 2025
The Chapter headed down towards the Moonlite Motel off of the highway to the south of the city. There they were looking for a Red covered journal stolen from the library of the House of Keys in the hopes of discovering some ritual to quell the slumbering beast that threatens to awaken beneath the Chantry and potentially destroy everything. Things... did not go as planned.
December 1, 2025
The team regroups inside the chapter's library, where Agatha’s unseen activity and the chaotic scattering of books suggest that an intruder searched the room months ago for something specific. As Lavender’s psychometry confirms, a magically-concealed figure rummaged through the shelves, failed to find what they wanted, and fixated on the sealed fireplace—likely seeking access to the hidden chamber below where something massive and ancient slumbers. Discussion of missing journals reveals that the 1950s volume was stolen, its absence pointing toward Cold War–era Tradition weapons research, and Sark’s bloodline intuition confirms that a powerful, slowly “grown” magical weapon lies dormant under the roots.
Ashe uncovers a torn journal page that draws Agatha’s mournful attention, while Lavender’s divination traces the missing book or its thief to a neon-lit dive on the outskirts of town—the Moonlite Motel—raising the possibility of vampires being involved. With the danger of awakening whatever sleeps below, the group resolves to gather more power and allies before attempting further investigation.
November 21, 2025
Tyler meets Lavender and Steele at the House of Keys after Lavender asks for help figuring out the strange frost moth spirits that showed up during the last investigation. As they look around, the House continues acting up—paintings fall, books move by themselves, and the air feels charged. Steele, who knows a lot about spirits, checks the place out and immediately notices that the moths aren’t normal Umbra spirits but Shadowlands creatures that feed on fear and leftover emotions. They seem harmless but are gathering in two specific spots: by the fireplace and by a cabinet, which suggests something much bigger is happening behind the walls. Lavender and Tyler explain what they learned previously about the ghost librarian Agatha and the warning not to touch the owl button that opens the Vault below.
Steele investigates deeper and realizes that something down there is definitely waking up, and that a huge number of fear moths are swarming around it. Lavender finds an old journal saying a Tradition called the Ahl-i-Batin used to work in the House in the 1930s before mysteriously disappearing, which might be connected. Steele says he can clear out the moths but not without preparation, backup, and people who understand spirit magic. By the end, the group agrees to gather a proper team—probably including Archimedes and Storm—and return the next day to handle the infestation safely before even thinking about opening the Vault.
November 17, 2025
During the group’s latest visit to the House of Keys library, everyone shows up to help Tyler figure out why books keep jumping off the shelves and why the building seems more alive than usual. Once people start using magic to check things out, Lavender and Archimedes spot the ghost of the old librarian, Agatha Vale. She isn’t dangerous, but she definitely wants people to respect the library, and she asks Lavender to help return lost journals to their proper places. Meanwhile, Sark gets swarmed by cold “frost moth” spirits that like feeding on fear, but they turn out to be annoying rather than harmful. Things get tense when Ashe and Zoe notice an owl carving with a hidden button, and Agatha immediately warns everyone not to touch it because it controls something dangerous beneath the House.
As the group reads through the journals they can find, they learn that the House was built on top of three converging ley lines, grew a lot in the 1930s, and was revived again in the 1960s. Sark accidentally blurts out weird clues—like portraits watching them and something scary living in the vents—which Ashe somehow interprets out loud. With so many mysteries piling up, the group decides to split responsibilities: Ashe will check the portraits, Lavender will research spirit creatures in the vents, and others will continue digging into the House’s history. By the end of the night, Tyler admits he keeps hearing a strange double heartbeat inside the walls, suggesting that the House is waking up more and more each time they explore it.
November 10, 2025
Tyler, Lavender, Lan, and Dan gather at the House of Keys to help figure out what’s going on with the huge oak tree growing in the center of the atrium. The House has been showing strange activity lately, so everyone suspects the tree might be connected. Lavender examines it first using Life magic and discovers that the tree is alive but sleeping, almost like it’s hibernating, and waiting for the right moment to wake up. Lan uses his own spiritual senses and realizes there’s more than one presence in the room: the oak itself, which feels steady and ancient, and another restless spirit watching from the shadows. Things get tense when Dan accidentally spills mercury, which causes the lights to flicker and the temperature to drop. Lan’s magic ends up calling the ghostly librarian, who appears, shushes him, and disappears back into the library.
After Lavender tries another spell, the tree suddenly reacts—its leaves brighten, the air shakes, and a heartbeat-like pulse moves through the trunk. It seems like the tree briefly woke up for the first time in decades. The doors of the House slam as if the building itself is responding. In the end, the group realizes the tree is a dormant node planted by three mages in 1927, and although it stirred, it isn’t fully awakening yet. They leave with a deeper understanding that the House is alive, the tree remembers, and something powerful is slowly returning.
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Information
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| Plot:
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Let Sleeping Dragons Lie
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| Risk:
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Level 2
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| Storyteller:
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Tyler
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| Spheres:
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Mage, Traditions, Sorcerer, Bygones
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| Timeframe:
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Continuous
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| Status:
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Active
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Involvement
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On-Camera vs. Off-Camera Plot Participation
In this plot, players can participate in two different ways depending on their schedule and preferred play style:
On-Camera Participation
This refers to scenes that happen live on the grid — Run-ins, investigations, meet-ups, confrontations, and similar RP moments. These scenes involve dialogue, interaction, and dramatic action. If something requires real-time IC choices or visible character involvement, it happens on-camera. These scenes will either be scheduled or arise naturally when multiple characters pursue the same lead.
Off-Camera Participation
Off-camera actions are handled through +mail and rolls instead of live RP. Players can investigate, use Influences or magic, activate Backgrounds, research clues, question contacts, or send spirits/allies to gather intel — all without needing to attend a scene. These actions still uncover information and meaningfully affect the plot; they’re simply resolved asynchronously.
Both types of participation are equally valid and both contribute to the outcome of the plot. Off-camera participation is especially useful for players with limited availability or for follow-up progress between larger on-camera events.
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Plot Schedule
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Off-Camera Participation
Mostly just catch Tyler (or his alt Gaunt) on line or feel free to @mail him with your ideas for initiating an Influence check (to affect the plot), do some research, etc. This can be at any time.
On-Camera Participation
I will try and do some on-camera scenes for folks either Monday - Tuesday night so that there's plenty to discuss and investigate throughout the week.
On-Camera sessions usually start around 7 pm Eastern and will go until 10-11 pm with me logging everything so we know who did / said what and people can get their xp for their efforts.
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NPCs
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Agatha Vale
Agatha Vale was a Verbena scholar who worked as the librarian and archivist of the House of Keys during its busiest years in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Known for her silver hair and calm, steady presence, she treated the Chantry’s archives like a living garden—repairing books, blessing them, and keeping the whole collection spiritually balanced. Apprentices often remembered her as strict but kind, and her work helped organize the flood of magical texts brought back by returning mages after World War II. Agatha died in 1954, but her spirit never fully left the House. Today she appears as the ghostly librarian who still protects the shelves, corrects misplaced books, and warns modern mages away from parts of the Chantry she believes they aren’t ready to handle.
Charlie Carver
Charlie Carver is a working-class hedge mage who runs Carver’s Collectables, a small shop dealing in “found” items, occult scraps, and things he technically isn’t supposed to have. He isn’t a formally trained Tradition mage—he learned magic the hard way, pulling pieces together from rituals his late wife kept in old notebooks. Grieving, angry, and desperate, he taught himself just enough sorcery to get into trouble, which eventually led him to the House of Keys. Charlie broke into the Chantry’s outer library months ago and stole several books on behalf of an unnamed buyer, not realizing the House was beginning to wake. Although he’s not evil, he’s unpredictable and driven by personal motives, making him a wildcard in the ongoing attempts to restore the Chantry.
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