The Board of Academics
Side Quests for Scholars
Apps close on 30 October 2025 until 1 February 2026!
Side Quests for Scholars
You are deep in your book one day, when you spot a handwritten note sticking out of the pages. You pull the note out and read it.Â
âEsteemed academics, seekers of truth, and architects of learning,
By decree of the Board of Academics, you are hereby summoned to a most illustrious convocation of minds, to be held within the hallowed halls of Orbost University in the Winter Duchy.
This assembly is not merely a gathering, but a forum of enlightenment, where the learned and the inquisitive alike shall engage in the exchange, refinement, and pursuit of knowledge - for wisdom, as ever, is the inheritance of all who dare to seek it.
Please visit the archives in the basement of your local university or library, and find the âDarbins Theory of Fae-velutionâ book and pull it from the shelf. A teleportation spell will take you to the archives of Orbost University.
Your presence is anticipated with great eagerness, and your contributions - be they discourse, discovery, or debate - shall undoubtedly enrich the annals of academia.
With scholarly regards,
Levinia Wordsworth
Doctorateâs Assistant
Board of Academicsâ
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Scholar Side Quest One
Scientia Potentia Est
The greatest minds of the realm are gathering in the Winter Duchy for a prestigious academic conference. Present yourself in attire befitting a true intellectual.
Design a formal conference outfit for your character.
Rewards:
100 fairy gold
10 crystals
Rainbow ink pot
Hobgoblin dung pulp paper
You materialize within the basement archives of a vast library, its towering shelves laden with hundreds of kilograms of scrolls, books, tomes, maps, artwork and journals. It seems that all university archives are interconnected, a safeguard designed to facilitate the easy exchange of knowledge - and, should disaster strike, to evacuate precious texts quickly in the event of an attack or fire.
As you emerge from between the rows of shelves, you try to pretend you donât hear the whispering shadows and faintly glowing eyes peering at you from the dark.
You ascend into the heart of Orbost University, a grand, stately and ornate building currently lit with candles, scones, and chandeliers. In the centre of the grand hall, an immense frost covered pine tree twinkles with glass ornaments and fairy lights.
Snow falls heavily outside, but inside the University is quiet and warm. The candles and fairy lights that line the building create a cozy atmosphere.
There is quiet talking in a long hall ahead, filled with scholars already locked in quiet debate. The conference is underway.
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Scholar Side Quest Two
Cogito, Ergo Sum
â ď¸Characters must be level 2 to complete this mission!â ď¸
The professors who lead the specialized classes at the universities are lecturing at this conference. Attend a lecture and learn as much as you can!
Arithmancers can attend Pythagorusâ [Satyr] class
Linguamancers can attend Taliesinâs [dog wilding] class
Astronomers can attend Mabâs [high fae] class
Meteorologists can attend Cailleachâs [storm hag] classÂ
Botanists can attend Lughâs [craith] class
Historians can attend Bran the Blessedâs [giant] class
Draw or write about your character attending a lecture by your academic hero.
Rewards:
100 fairy gold
10 crystals
Lecture Notes
Peacock feather quill
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Scholar Side Quest Three
Methodus Socratica
The debate team of Orbost University are holding an open debate on "The temporal dissonance caused by the semi-annual alignment of the crystal rivers of Dinn and their adverse effect on the sibilant language of the Thistlekin, as well as the ramifications on their seasonal trade agreements with the Spring Court". Delegates from the Thistlekin are in attendance as well as nobility from the Spring Court. Itâs going to be an interesting debate. Wait a second, theyâve called on you to share your opinion⌠do your best! Roll a d6 dice to see how you do!
If you rolled a 1: Caught off guard, your fumbling and lack of knowledge on the subject has made you look like a buffoon. You mumble something and flee from the room.
If you rolled a 2-3: Youâve managed to bluster your way into a completely nonsensical response so complex and convoluted that the delegate believe you to be an expert on the subject! Youâve been asked to sit in on the technical working group later, as a subject matter expert. Oh dear, what have you got yourself intoâŚ
If you rolled a 4-5: You keep it general, and throw to another debate member as quickly as you can. Your response flies under the radar, and youâre safe.
If you rolled a 6: You just read an article on this yesterday! You wow the room with your knowledge of Thistlekin linguistic culture and moon phases, and no one realises youâre just reciting the research paper you read yesterday. You receive a bunch of respectful nods from the people in the room, and you receive an extra +25 fairy gold and a Thistlekin root from an impressed delegate.
Draw or write about your character participating in the debate. How do they do? Do they appear well-read and intelligent or make a complete fool of themselves?
Rewards:
100 fairy gold
10 crystals
Vial of crystal river water
Thistleskin paper
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Scholar Side Quest Four
Carpe Librum
After the conference, you take a wander in the vast libraries of the Orbost Library. The shelves are endless, with multiple levels and books upon books upon books all around you. Magical ladders are available to give you access to the top shelves, and forbidden sections are constrained by chains and guarded by winter goblins.
As you wander deeper and deeper into the library, you lose track of time and realise youâre lost. You swear the bookshelves are moving around you and rearranging when you turn your back (revealed by a little giggle when it happens a few times). Uh oh. Try to find your way out!
Draw or write about your character getting lost in the library. What do they encounter? How do they find their way out?
Rewards:
100 fairy gold
10 crystals
Tome of Ancient History
Quick drying ink
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Scholar Side Quest Five
Lusus Verborum
Scholars just love complex, logic-based puzzles. A notice has been posted on the board in your university, calling for challengers to answer a complicated puzzle about the six magical properties of magic. Can you find the answer, impress your fellow academics, and claim the prize?
Determine the correct sequence of the following words: Chaos, Growth, Change, Perception, Harmony, Essence.
The clues to arrange them in the proper order are as follows:
Essence comes before Growth.
Harmony follows Chaos but precedes Change.
Perception is placed directly after Change.
Growth is neither first nor last.
Change is positioned exactly between Harmony and Perception.
DM the founder Isi (isi.a) on discord with your guess. You have 3 tries per character.
Alternatively, draw or write about your character attempting to solve the puzzle.
If you have already solved the puzzle, roll 1d6:
If you rolled a 1: You canât figure it outÂ
If you rolled a 2-3: You succeed but at a high cost (or only partially succeed)
If you rolled a 4-5: You succeedÂ
If you rolled a 6: You succeed wildly!
Rewards:
100 fairy gold (200 if solved)
10 crystals
âThe six properties of magicâ tome
Arcane ink stone
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Scholar Side Quest Six
Expeditio Scientifica
â ď¸This is a partner quest! Recruit another scholar and include them in your quest submission or do a collab.â ď¸
As part of your research for your thesis, you are going on a field trip to a magical site. What do you find there? Temporal anomalies? Strange weather patterns? Ancient runes? Never before seen flowers or plants? Bones or other archaeological phenomenon?
Itâs dangerous to go on expeditions alone, so take a fellow academic. Perhaps it will help their research too.
Draw or write about your character and their partner investigating a magical site. What do they find there?
Rewards (for each character, not shared):
200 fairy gold
20 crystals
Research specimen
Field study journal
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Scholar Side Quest Seven
Undecima Hora
Youâre up late, working on an assignment.You really need to get this done, but youâre getting very sleepy. What do you do to keep yourself focused? Drink a whole bucket of bean juice? Pay a goblin to smack you with a book every time your head nods (â10 fairy gold for an hour, plus 5 fairy gold if I have to jab you more than twice per minuteâ), do you take a magic potion, or do you give up and go to bed?
Draw or write about your character trying to finish an assignment at the eleventh hour.
Rewards:
100 fairy gold
10 crystals
Potion of minor speed
Potion of wakefulness
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Scholar Side Quest Eight
Vox Fae
As part of your scholarly pursuit, it is time to gather first-hand evidence from a primary source. Prepare your interview notes carefullyâyou're about to speak with a fae creature who holds crucial knowledge. Whether you are meeting with a territorial Bridge Troll, an isolated Strzyga who keeps eyeing your neck, or a Water Spirit that insists on splashing you with every word, you must practice professionalism and academic rigour. Will you charm, persuade, or outwit them to gather information?
Draw or write about your character interviewing a fae creature for their research.
Rewards:
100 fairy gold
10 crystals
Intervieweeâs Memento
Phoenix feather quill
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Scholar Side Quest Nine
Tempus Examinis
â ď¸Characters must be level 2 to complete this mission!â ď¸
Itâs exam period, and the usually bustling halls of your university have fallen into a strained quiet. Fae are cranky and frazzled, frantically cramming last minute for tests. Study halls have filled with the sound of shuffling papers, frustrated sighs, and quiet sobs from doomed students. The librarian has been kicking people out with gusto (the last unfortunate victim made the fatal mistake of sneezing too loudly).
Draw or write about your character studying for their final exams or taking them.
Rewards:
100 fairy gold
10 crystals
Invisible ink
Bottomless inkwell
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Scholar Side Quest Ten
Magna Cum Laude
â ď¸Character must be level 8 to complete this mission!â ď¸
In order to become a professor, you must hand in your thesis you have been working so hard on. Go and present your topic to the Senior Professors of the Board of Academics. What is your thesis on? If you succeed, you will get to teach your own class at a university of your choice.
Draw or write about your characterâs academic pursuit and what they present in order to graduate and become a professor. It should be a unique field of study they are passionate about and have spent their academic career researching.
Rewards:
300 fairy gold
30 crystals
Title: Professor
Self-writing Quill
Neverending Parchment
Professorâs Office & Nameplate
Research assistant [you design them]
The Board of Academics - Gallery