Cycle of Millennia 2021 Session 16: A String of Schemes
Here is week 16 of my 2021 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign Cycle of Millennia. Lets go over session 16 : A String of Schemes. The group is still split up and their enemies are exploiting it.
Don’t forget that this campaign has been ongoing for over three years. There is a lot of story to cover and I’m writing a book series to document it all. I am adapting this adventure into a book series. The first three are on Amazon.
!!!Trigger Warnings Abound!!!
This campaign takes place in an incredibly unpleasant setting. The party has dealt with Human Traffickers, Sex Slavery, Child Sacrifice, The Apocalypse, Genocide, Wicked Cults, and other related topics.
There is a God of Madness that is fond of causing auditory and visual hallucinations, makes use of psychic gaslighting, commands the literal legions of hell, and all around causes untold suffering in the setting.
Essentially, nothing is off the table in this campaign. If the above ideas are not ones you want to think about, I do not think this blog series is for you. That is not a problem and does not indicate any failings on your part. I am a storyteller that does not shy away from the darkest topics. It would be horrible for me to not warn my audiences of this in advance.
!!!Final Trigger Warning. Past this point there be dark topics!!!
After killing the Nihilinn Cult member, and rescuing the pregnant women who’s babies he had intended to sacrifice Party searched the nearby altar for more clues. But they found none. He had already dropped documents that would hopefully help them find more members. And the most important thing they had learned from this encounter was any who prayed to Nihilinn would be unlikely to like what happened.
Eager to plan their next move, something that none of them could come to an agreement on, the party returned to Lord Death. They brought all the women with them. They were too traumatized from their ordeal and didn’t react or resist.
After making sure the former captives were cared for, the group asked the former Nihilinn enforcer what he thought they should do next. Hadron wanted to search for Caic. Rose agreed that this was their best option. Unfortunately, Grez did not. Velkora surprisingly wanted to rescue him. A move that did not inspire confidence in the Barbarian.
Secret Deals:
Hadron waited till everyone left the main Necropolis room before asking Lord Death to keep an eye on Velkora. Given her sudden interest in saving the Paladin, he only grew more suspicious. The master of the Necropolis reminded the Barbarian that every breath she took was a scheme. Orabaras, the Goddess she served intended to rule the world after all. And her servant’s main weapons were cunning minds, sex appeal, and overwhelming knowledge.
Lord Death mentioned that he always was keeping a close eye on Velkora. She was a principal servant of a dangerous Goddess after all. A little relieved, Hadron got some rest. He chose not to visit the orphans. Those horrific visions he fended off in battle against Caethia left him too scared to see them. Said nightmares had shown him those children dying horribly.
Sinister Plots:
The next day, the party returned to Mongress. Grez helped build the arena. He was eager to prove his strength in combat. This was despite the fact that no one disputed his claim.
Velkora entered the tavern and made sure none of her “allies” were watching. Inside she found her targets: the pregnant women. She intended to hand them over to the Cult. Both they and their soon to be born children would serve Orabaras.
Unfortunately, a group of rowdy Orcs was in the tavern and she couldn’t act while they were nearby. But an important tool was also present in the room. The nearby barmaid was a member of the Cult. Denessa by name. She immediately came when Velkora called her.
Asking her minion to cause a ruckus upstairs, the woman jumped to obey. Doing anything Velkora asked would be seen as getting closer to their Goddess. It didn’t take her long, and the Orcs swiftly ran upstairs to investigate the noise.
Mysteries:
Unfortunately, the bartender stayed behind. Despite being a grizzled Orc, he told Velkora he knew what she was up to. He revealed that he was a Mage and called himself Raghat. He didn’t like that she intended to capture these women, citing that they had suffered enough already.
Asking Velkora why after being turned into a sex slave as a child and suffering for it, why she was willing to do the same thing to others. Velkora countered that this was their best option at living. Nihilinn would kill them. Kranaak would do worse.
The Orc did have one thing to say that gave Velkora pause though. He mentioned that he had met Thia years ago and that she hadn’t aged at all in that time. That fact rattled her since she had never thought to ask her own leader about her past.
Still, she refused to relent. And after a bit of talking, and some promises she might or might not have intended to keep, Velkora convinced the Orc to let her take the pregnant women to the Cult. He lacked the power to stop her, but the Cult of Orabaras didn’t normally use violence as their first method.
Seeking Answers:
Meanwhile, unaware of what Velkora had just done Rose and Hadron decided to go find Antionette and Thia. They didn’t know where Caethia was, but knew that she was likely to pay both of them a visit. The two prepared to set out, but Velkora asked to come with. The three decided to leave Grez in Mongress to defend the town. Hadron especially had a feeling that something bad was about to happen here.
That sense of danger only increased for the rest of the group when they asked Lord Death to find Thia. He couldn’t find her at all. She was either in another plane, such as Kranaaks, or worse. The group rushed to the front lines to meet with the Vampiress instead.
When they reached the command camp, the group found Antoinette. Acting as if she was expecting them, she brought them to the front lines and they saw just the sheer number of enemies they faced.
Across the middle of the battlefield, the allied armies had erected a wall of fire. Even then, enough of the restless dead were able to breach and attack the amass host. This army included soldiers from Spatia, Berserker Knights, and Knights of Exscutchon Paladins. Even with a force majority filled with soldiers trained to kill Undead they looked exhausted.
But an enemy far more dangerous appeared as Caethia appeared as if on cue and attacked Antoinette. The Vampiress fought the Demoness and goaded her into not using her destructive magic. Telling her instead that if she was the first Berserker Knight, she should act like it.
Titanic Clash:
Unfortunately, this seemed to be a bit more than the Vampire had anticipated. Copying her same fighting style with spears, it was Carthia’s turn to taunt when she pointed out that Antoinette’s very fighting style was one she created. Still, the Vampire made sure Hadron paid close attention to how they made use of ranged attacks. This wasn’t how he had planned to learn this technique but it would have to do.
Their battle was quite a spectacle and Hadron, Rose, and Velkora all reflected on how Grez would wish he had seen this titanic clash. Especially since both fighters were their enemy. Grez especially would love to see both die.
However, even though she was much more adept with Magic, Caethia demonstrated that she had earned every right to call herself first among Berserker Knights. She forced Antoinette into a vulnerable position and stabbed her right through the heart with an enchanted spear. A fatal blow for the Vampire.
Except it wasn’t. The Vampiress reminded the Demoness that she had made the mistake of fighting her during the day. She might be a Vampire, but she was still a Berserker Knight. That meant the holy energy of the sun healed her. With a lot of effort, Antoinette pulled the spear out of her chest and the wound healed soon after.
This put Caethia on her back foot and got her frustrated. Reminding the Vampire to learn her place, she cast a spell to erase Antoinette from reality: present, past, and future. And given how much Magic she had thrown around fighting the party earlier they knew she was capable of such a feat. Yet the triumphant look on Caethia’s face vanished when the spell failed. Now she felt cornered. An emotion she had not felt in centuries.
Outgambited:
The cause of this sudden twist appeared soon after. Thia revealed that she had disabled her powers. Apperently Antoinette had taught her how to enter people’s souls. She had separated Caethia from the Demon she used to draw Magic from.
Caethia screamed about how that was impossible. Only someone from her bloodline could pull off such a feat. Of course that allowed the Leader of Orabaras’ Cult to point out that she happened to fit that description. After all, what sort of person would be strong enough to attract a Goddess’ attention?
Stunning Revelations:
Revealing that she was a Half Elf and thus a proper descendant of the first Berserk Knight. She teamed up with Antoinette to send her packing back to Kranaak’s Demon Realm. With parting words that she shouldn’t have slept with so many people centuries ago, Thia bested her ancestor and even pointed out that her own Divine Blessing was more potent. After all Orabaras actually valued her minions unlike the Chaotic Evil God that Caethia served.
As Caethia faded away, Antoinette quickly grabbed Hadron and the two followed her through the portal back to the Demon Realm. Even if Caic was not there, in her weakened state, the two could probably get the Demoness to reveal his location. The others didn’t act fast enough and Rose and Velkora remained behind.
Velkora spoke to Thia back at the camp and expressed admiration for such a tactic. After all, her boss had used the fact that Caethia was spying on the party against her. Playing close to the chase, this was a huge victory for them. She commanded her subordinate to return to Mongress and deal with new problems. After all, now that the Demoness was gone, the city was now unprotected from other threats.
Not wanting to even waste time at Lord Death’s Necropolis, Velkora demanded that Rose transform and take her back to the city immediately. The Sorceress grumbled but said just this once she would comply. A good thing they rushed back, because trouble came knocking even sooner than expected.
Charice Priest:
The moment that Caethia was banished a mysterious force that included exotic dancers appeared in Mongress. Grez turned to intervene and potentially fight whoever these invaders were. They refused to speak to him which angered his pride. But the mysterious leader of this group didn’t want to fight.
Imstead, the group revealed their allegiance by using the Charice statue at the center of town to cast a powerful spell. Magic that put the town, Grez included to sleep. Even with his powerful mind, he couldn’t stave off the powerful effects.
Rose and Velkora arrived and dispelled the mist. And unlike Grez they recognized this force within moments. Velkora used threats to make the Charice Priest to leave. He questioned why they should leave. Poitniong out that Innovia was devoted to their Goddess and it would be easier to recruit more citizens that way.
But Velkora had no interest in an enemy God getting a stronghold here, especially one with followers so similar to her own. Reminding the Dragon and Cultist that the followers of Charice did not fight, he promised to leave. But since he didn’t want Grez to come after him in rage the next time they met, he erased Grez’s memory of the encounter.
Plotting Revenge:
Grez awoke soon after and didn’t remember why he had taken a nap. Unfortunately, the Charice Priest didn’t know about the sheer number of items that Monk possessed. He read Velkora’s mind for onl;y a few moments and got back his missing memories.
Enraged that he had been the target of such Magic, he vowed to kill Charice Priest next time they met. Despite Rose reminding him that doing so would create lots of enemies in Innovia.
He attacked the Charice statue in rage, but it accomplished nothing. If the Tarrasque couldn’t destroy it, the Monk despite his great power had no chance of doing so.
Wrap Up:
The party is even more split up than before. And a new danger has appeared in the Charice Priests. Its a miracle it took them this long to take notice of the party given how important they are in Innovia. The group needs to reunite before they can free the country from Nihilinn’s deathly grip.