Centrum Glacies 2021 Session 9: Volun
Week 9 in 2021 of this Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies changed everything story wise again. Let’s take a look at what happened in this session. Volun is their opponent at long last.
Like my other campaign, I’m turning this one into a book series. However I’m still working on that project. Give it some time.
Anyway, just like my other campaign, there is a whole lot going on and I don’t want to elaborate on every moving piece in the story. You can see the whole thing once the book series starts hitting virtual and real shelves.
!!!Trigger Warning!!!
This story deals with a cruel world with some horrific twists. So far, this campaign has featured: Animals getting killed, Genocide, lots of body horror, evil cults, brainwashing, torture.
Most recently one of the party members had an eye gouged out and lost an arm. Not exactly the way it happens in Berserk, but that might have been the inspiration for it. The group at large is currently succumbing to magical wounds that appear to be turning them into Demons.
!!!Final Trigger Warning!!!
The party entered Volun’s private chambers. They watched every shadow, fearful after their encounter with Hassan. No monster from their adventures was quite like it. Faustus claimed that Volun had always come out of this room. He had to be nearby.
Faustus shouted and demanded that Volun show himself. He managed to yell loud enough to reveal secret staircase. What was the true nature of his seemingly random luck? Assuming any of it was random of course. Was this just Volun manipulating events again?
Down the stairs took the party to a secret basement. They found Volun and near machine channeling the Mental Law of Magic. But he wasn’t alone. Dei-Hiy was there. And the group wasn’t surprised that Volun had captured her. More worrisome was the second person who stood next to her. Aldin was here too. The group had not heard from him in quite some time. This explained why.
The group tried to ask the two questions. But they were unresponsive. Volun pointed out that they were now empty shells. There would be no communicating with them at all. Twisting the knife further, he stated that Dei-Hiy had never had free will at all. Every interaction with the party had been him controlling her body.
This made the group furious. Faustus most of all. He demanded to know why Volun thought it was right to toy with people’s lives. The Mythril Adventurer stated that the world was a terrible place. Monsters existed that threatened everyone. And only be taking free will away would people be saved.
Refusal:
Faustus denied that statement. He claimed that Volun was making that up and just liked controlling others. The Mythril Adventurer sighed and commanded the group to show that free will could triumph over his ideals. If they truely were right, they needed to prove that they could protect the world. No matter what.
He asked them if they were willing to do what was needed to protect the world. Volun told them that in the case of the many, a few sometimes needed to die. He instructed the party to strike down Dei-Hiy and Aldin to show their resolve. Faustus refused. Malcolm didn’t understand the situation, but based on how everyone else was acting, he was reluctant to be the first to attack.
Joyna instead rushed at the shield to try and break it. Faustus also tried to get to Volun. Neither succeeded. His defenses were too strong. Even using the wand that he found earlier, the Warlock could find no weakness in the barrier. Volun reminded him that he was the one to grant him such an item. It never could have been used to foil his plans.
Raising the Stakes:
Faustus refused to obey and instead looked ready to withdraw mentally once more. But Volun stated he had no time for Faustus to be weak anymore. To force him to respond, Volun caused Apephe to start bleeding from every crevice. The Young Dragon’s screams haunted the party. He made sure they knew that he would kill her if they didn’t kill the other two first.
The Dragon’s screams only became worse as seconds drew out. And Malcolm, not fully understanding the implications, saw two empty shells, and a screaming teenager on the verge of dying in a most horrible way. He made his choice, and attacked Dei-Hiy.
Jyona tried to convince Faustus to fight. Even she realized there was only one way out of this. She cast slowing time on Apesphe to try and buy time.
The Only Choice:
Trent was confronted by a horrible choice. Let Apephe die? She might be an evil Dragon, but she was a still a child and showing that she was capable of being a better person. Kill Dei-Hiy and Aldin? Those two were his friends. Not to mention Faustus would be absolutely devastated if that happened. The Warlock had been pushed far past his mental limit already too.
Realizing they were empty husks, Trent chose to attack Dei-Hiy and Aldin to free them from their misery. He didn’t like either choice. But this seemed like the best one given the circumstances.
Faustus decided to play along. He refused to give in to Volun’s demands. But he realized that he needed to end this or he would lose people he cared about. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and cast offensive spells at Dei-Hiy.
Volun’s cruelty was full on displace when combat was joined. Neither Dei-Hiy or Aldin even so much as flinched when cold steel met their flesh. The Law of Magic had such a firm grasp on their minds that they didn’t show the ability to feel pain.
However, they were still mortal and alive. That meant their muscles would eventually give out. Dei Hiy fell to the ground and Faustus rushed to her. But he realized that there was only one thing he could do now. Screaming skyward, he finished her off. He made her death quick and painless.
Cruel Lies:
Unfortunately, she opened her eyes in her death throes and revealed that she was still in there. She called to Faustus as she died. The fact that she called his name in her final moments sent a knife into his already fragile psyche.
Aldin came too and asked where he was. The party realized to their horror that Volun had lied. Neither of them had truly been gone and left as empty shells. The Mythril adventurer admitted that he needed to create a situation where the party would act. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to see their resolve.
Faustus managed to fight grief just long enough to charge at Volun. But the Mythril Adventurer didn’t seem concerned by this. Instead he seemed satisfied. Volun told them they had passed his first test. But there was more. Of course there was.
A Realm Within:
The world faded around them and the party lost their bearings. Volun manipulated their perception of reality with the Law of Magic and brought them to a cloudy sky. They found themselves without Apephe and standing on the one spot of firm ground.
Volun appeared before them. Except he appeared in multiple spots simultaneously and spoke to the group through each body. First he explained that in this realm, the common rules of reality did not apply. He challenged the party to make use of the free will they cherished so much to defeat him here in a world of his creation.
He let them know that he was fully prepared to die if they could best him. And that meant he would be passing on his title of Mythril Adventurer to whoever accomplished the deed.
Trent turned into an eagle. His Druidic Magic gave him an idea and he tried to bring the common rules to this unnatural realm. However Volun transformed the wings into feet. This disoriented the Druid and caused Jyona to hype focus on this unusual phenomenon.
Speaking of Jyona, she was completely caught up in this realm of imagination. The clouds in front of her face were so real and yet not. And she noticed a strange band of grey clouds unlike the others. Unafraid of walking on thin air, she moved as if it was a common thing and tried to touch the clouds themselves.
Volun cautioned her against such a thing. A good thing she listened. A moment later she might have lost her hand or worse. At least that is what she felt when crackling energy threatened to harm her as she approached.
Fighting a Phantom:
Malcolm Faustus and Trent wanted to strike at the heart of the matter The party rushed at a nearby image of Volun. It was no mere illusion. It fought like the real deal, unleashing sword beams from an enchanted blade. Such skill proved that he had earned his title of Mythril Adventurer. But as this was only a phantom, it eventually was subdued. It faded after enough strikes.
A bridge appeared to cross the dangerous clouds moments later. Volun started explaining his reasons for everything Mentioning that creatures like Hassan threatened the entire world. Free will was a tool that such monsters used to harm everyone. The party didn’t respond well to his reasoning. Faustus even brought up that none of that justified harming innocent people.
They continued crossing light bridges and Volun continued explaining his reasons for all his actions. Though it was clear that there were things he refused to elaborate on. When Malcolm asked him about such things, he mentioned the Abyssal Continent and that if they got the chance to travel there, they might learn the truth.
Eventually the party reached him a second time. Feeling that he was no less guilty than before, the group attacked him a second time. Instead of sword attacks, Volun started making use of magic. Spawning dark void zones that the party needed to avoid to reach him properly.
A second time they defeated the phantom. And just like before another light bridge formed. The party was ready to proceed once more.
Wrap Up:
But that will have to wait till next time. Their battle with Volun isn’t over. And who knows how much time has passed. Will Apephe still be alive when this is all said and done? More importantly, can the group defeat a Mythril Adventurer? One of the four most powerful members of the Adventurers Guild and above the law itself?