Cycle of Millennia 2021 Session 22: Orabaras’ Trial
Here is week 22 of my 2021 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign Cycle of Millennia. Lets go over session 22: Orabaras’ Trial.
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!!!
The Party was split in two in Orabaras’ Realm. But only Velkora knew how they got there. The group was addressed by Orabaras personally. Not by one of her heralds or Cultists. The Goddess herself had done this.
Claiming that Velkora had caused a grave transgression against her, she intended to punish the entire group. But the only other person who understood things was Rose. Both of the former cultists understood the danger that their companions did not.
The party being split in two was part of Orabras’ fun. Velkora and Rose in one room. Grez Hadron and Caic in the other. She told them that one of the groups would die. The other would walk free. To win, they had to kill enemies faster than the other group. If one party was in combat while the other was resting, the group in combat would have gas flood into their part of the arena.
None of the party were willing to free them all from this trial. Despite Orabaras telling them that all it would take is one group giving themselves completely over. Ironically, the only one willing to make such a deal was Grez. He didn’t see many downsides. Especially since he had already carried the Goddess’ brand once.
Caic however refused. He served the Divine being who stood in complete opposition to this Goddess. He wanted to slay her minions instead.
The Only Choice:
So they fought through multiple rooms of Demons. And Orarabaras added another layer of danger. A massive host of her Cult were watching from afar. She said that any of them were allowed to step into the battle themselves at any time. If Rose or Velkora were slain by their hand, they would take their position within the Cult. If any of the other three were slain by their hand, they would be rewarded immensely.
Whenever one party was out of combat, the one still battling would get hurt by enchanted gas. And this was the only time either group could see each other. Velkora tried her best to fight, but in a weakened state she could barely do anything at all. Rose was doing a lot of the work. At least at first.
Velkora convinced Rose to use her most powerful spell to send aid to the other group. Unfortunately, Grez and Hadron didn’t trust the potions that suddenly appeared in their pockets. Even though their ally had used these items before, both Orabaras and Kranaak were capable of playing heavy handed tricks.
First the parties fought Erinyes, fallen angels turned Devils. The groups had seen them before, especially as guards for Thea. But this was the first time any of them had fought one. Luckily, the group had taken on nastier foes. But Caic killed them a bit too fast and put Velkora and Rose in danger.
More Danger:
Then Chain Devils appeared in the following room. Unlike other Devils, the party had fought these creatures before. However, this time, the Devils had the advantage of extra chains to enchant. If not for clever tactics Grez, Caic, and Hadron might have been overwhelmed. Meanwhile Rose and Velkora no stranger to how these Devils worked made quick work of them.
The next room had true Devils. More powerful creatures than before. But both parties had fought Kranaak’s minions in the Abyss and these were not the elite of Devil kind. But the environmental hazards were the real danger in this trial. The gas continued to weaken them all between fights.
Luckily, none of the observing Cultists decided to join the battle. That threat seemed to have abated since neither group displayed any moments of weakness. Unlike Kranaak and Nihilinn, Orabaras as well as her servants valued their lives. They were smart enough to realize that this group was beyond them.
Wrap Up:
Velkora and Rose know that the worst is yet to come. But the other three have no idea what is in store for them. This trial is just a warm up. Something worse awaits them all if they survive.