Played D&D the other night and I have a story to tell.
Friends all gather around and get their stuff ready and we start playing a new campaign.
Campaign is full of good-aligned characters. A paladin, wizard, fighter and cleric.
Arrive at a town which has a wizard tower, so of course they want to go inside.
They knock on the door and there is no answer however they hear the sound of something heavy fall inside.
Paladin decides he should go in to make sure nobody is hurt.
See wizard sitting on the floor with books and bookcase all over the floor, wizard is not seriously hurt but somewhat dazed.
Wizard looks at the party and says "Where is my arcane?" the party is confused.
"You mean you can't cast any spells?" the player wizard asks.
"The.. The arcane... It is gone!" party is still dumbfounded.
Wizard hurriedly gets up and says "You four! You can find my arcane! Go quickly now!" he then shoos them out of his tower and shuts the door.
Party is confused. Try and gather information around town but nobody has any idea what they are talking about.
A while passes and they come across an adventurer who may know what they are talking about. Tells them to go to the next town to the west and talk to the wizard there.
The party ventures off. Fights some bandits along the road with no problems.
Eventually they get to the town and find the wizard, asking him "What happens when a wizard loses his arcane?" the wizard replies "Oh many horrible things! If he lost his arcane it is tragic indeed! I shall cast a scrying spell to see if I can find it!"
Wizard tells them the arcane is somewhere in a ruinous dungeon to the north.
"But what do we do when we get to the arcane?"
"Pick it up of course!" they get shood out of this tower as well.
Long trek to the ruinous dungeon. Fight after long fight party gets close to dying a couple times but cleric saves them all.
Finally find the room where the arcane is supposed to be.
Literally don't see anything out of the ordinary except for a pedestal with a piece of paper on it.
Paper says "I know what you're looking for. Meet me in the town farther to the north in the snowy wastelands."
Party goes along with it but are visibly annoyed, everyone is having fun though.
Get to the town after some time, find a suspicious woman in a cloak who beckons them to come over.
She speaks as they approach "I hear a wizard has lost his arcane. I know where it truly resides. As the wizard who directed you to the dungeon wants it for himself. I believe that the arcane should go back to its rightful owner"
Party is still confused "What the hell is the arcane? How do we find it?" still no real answers.
"Go to one final place. The volcano to the east holds your arcane you seek." she then leaves.
" **** it fine"
They reach the volcano entrance and go inside.
" **** it's hot"
You guys are supposed to be taking damage each round from how hot it is, but I didn't think you'd get this far so **** it.
They have long battles with fire elementals, they have to jump across a few crevices over lava (Which some of them barely made) and they finally reach the final room where the arcane is supposed to be.
Look around for trace amounts of magical energy. The wizard casts detect magic
No magic is detected.
"Are you ******* serious" the players say.
Look at them and say "You see something bulging out of the ground in the middle of the room."
They go and pick it up
"I inspect it"
"It appears to be a cane"
"a cane? wait is it.."
"Shaped like an R."