Cycle of Millennia 2021 Session 17 Interlude: No Longer Alone
Here is week 17 Interlude of my 2021 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign Cycle of Millennia. Lets go over session 17 Interlude : No Longer Alone. Caic continues to search for a way out. But Antoinette dragged Hadron to this place in search of the Paladin.
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!!!
Caic fought off a couple Demons that had chased him from his ancestral home. Not sure what to do next, he went towards the former Dwarven Royal Library. A powerful Demon had guarded that building prior. He figured something important must be hidden there.
Meanwhile not far away, Antoinette and Hadron appeared in the vortex void within the same Demon realm. On their last visit, Hadron had faced Caethia and her two fallen Berserk Knight allies. This time, he worried there would be no way out.
The Vampire assured her ally that she had countermeasures ready in case the two truly got stuck. But she didn’t want to use those countermeasures yet. Instead, she found the invisible barrier that kept them in this place. Stepping through, she found the path forward. Hadron followed her before he realized it was safe.
The Barbarian and Vampire found themselves in the Runebrewer Estate. Neither one wanted to be there. Antoinette lamented that the party had made everything worse by simply not trusting her. Hadron countered that Fodrin had seemed much kinder than she. The Vampire scoffed and reminded him that those who showed kindness almost always had ulterior motives.
On the way out, Kranaak tried to torment the pair. But both knew what they were dealing with and ignored the Chaotic Evil God. Wanting to have the last laugh, the Lord of Demons summoned two Mariliths for the pair to fight. Given the nature of this chaotic realm, Antoinette was herself one of these creatures at the moment. The two had little trouble dispatching them.
A Book:
At the same time Caic wandered into the ruins of the former Dwarven Royal Library. While the entire place was completely destroyed after the group’s last visit, he found one corner untouched by fire. Lamenting the amount of knowledge lost from a Balor’s explosion, the Paladin looked over the book he found, untouched by destruction.
Unfortunately, Demons jumped out of the book. Kranaak’s realm did not follow any rules after all. But Caic had mastered killing Demons by this point. The creatures lasted only as few breaths before the Paladin was once again alone.
The God of Madness himself tried to have a conversation with the Paladin, but he knew better than to indulge. Kranaak wanted to drive the Dwarf completely insane. He wouldn’t allow the wicked God to have his way.
Antoinette and Hadron arrive back at the Royal Quarter of the Dwarven City. Being deep in the Demon Realm did not diminish its majesty. They didn’t know where to find Caic though, so decided to try looking in his ancestral home.
Caic did one final sweep of the library before he left. He needed to find someone who understood Abyssal. When he stepped back outside into the Royal Quarter, he didn’t realize he had missed two of his allies by mere moments.
Inside the Trollbreaker Manor, Antoinette and Hadron once again got jumped while wandering around the halls. But like before, this horde of Demons was no match for two trained Berserker Knights. Like their Paladin ally, they were quite adept at fighting the creatures that served Kranaak. Realizing that Caic wasn’t here either, they stepped back outside.
Reunited:
At long last the three were reunited. Caic almost doubted what he saw when Antoinette and Hadron appeared. But he was so happy to no longer be alone that he pushed away the very real threat that this whole thing was an illusion of Kranaak’s doing.
The Paladin handed the book over to Antoinette before she could use the fact that she was his Queen to make him do so. Despite what Caic hoped, the book didn’t give any clues on how to escape. In fact, it was just a book on the Berserker Knights and their history. Yet it was written in the Demonic language. Something that Antoinette found troubling.
Informing both Hadron and Caic that the only way out was to go back to the room where the party had fought Fodrin and the Demon possessing Lune, the three set out for the palace. They knew something sinister was waiting. Too few monsters had attacked them so far.
Wrap Up:
Caic may no longer be alone, but it is doubtful that Kranaak will let him or his allies escape easily. What is waiting for them at the palace?