Cycle of Millennia 2021 Session 24: The Blind Seer
Here is week 24 of my 2021 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign Cycle of Millennia. Lets go over session 24: The Blind Seer.
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 walked into Scholars Way once more. But since Rose was not with them this time, they were limited in options. They had been unable to enter any of the main buildings on the prior visit and it seemed that was where they needed to go now.
Velkora asked villagers and students about the blind seer. She got information about a professor in the main campus building that fit that description. Though no one really called this woman by that name or title.
The rest of party stayed back. Last time they had visited, the residents of Scholars Way had belittled and insulted their intelligence. Since this town had a barrier that prevented any form of violence, the three had no way to deal with such problems if they happened again.
Grez decided to scout and turned invisible. He was tired of sitting around and not being able to accomplish anything. Though he had a couple close calls, none noticed that there was an invisible man floating through the city.
Barriers to Entry:
He was not being able to enter any of the buildings by normal means. Last time he had been here, the citizens of the city told him that his intellect was lacking and that the walls and doors rejected him. Not caring that he was about to break into an institution of learning the Monk jumped in the river. He had managed to circumvent Innovia’s Magic once before by going under. He planned to try that again.
Velkora called the other two over. She didn’t want to create a commotion. So she claimed they were her bodyguards. But this ended up doing more harm than good.
The residents asked how the three had gotten into Scholars Way in the first place. They had assumed that Velkora had been here all along given her studious nature. But the other two stuck out and were easy to remember. Apparently the city was in lockdown and they shouldn’t have been able to enter at all.
The townsfolk commanded that the three stay where they were. They intended to go find some Charice Faithful to solve this mystery. Naturally the party had no intention of dealing with that group.
Split Missions:
Velkora entered the main university by a side door. Unfortunately, the doors were enchanted to keep those with low intellect and mental aptitude out. Caic and Hadron fell into that category. Even when she held the door open for them, they were unable to enter. The former cultist had no choice but to continue alone.
Hadron and Caic didn’t know where Grez had gone off to. But they knew he could take care of himself. Currently, they were in more trouble. They couldn’t afford a run in with the Charice Faithful. Causing trouble meant they would activate their sleeping gas magic. And none of the party were able to overcome that power.
Not seeing any other options, the two jumped in the river. While it seemed like a good place to hide, both underestimated how deep the water was. And there was an undercurrent that pulled them both in.
Experiments:
Grez ended up in the basement of the main building. But he wasn’t alone. Not willing to try using his invisibility again, instead he decided to cling to the high celling and hope for the best. Luckily they seemed distracted about some topic they were discussing. Grez initially ignored them as he slowly inched across the celling to the staircase at the opposite end of the room.
However, he heard two words that demanded his attention. So instead of fleeing quickly, he found a spot to hide closer to the ground and listened in. He overheard students talking about an experiment involving Nihilinn’s Magic. That concerned him greatly. Especially when they spoke about their professor. Apparently the one they needed permission from was blind. He was certain this was the Blind Seer he was searching for.
Grez managed to hide from them. And soon the group of students ran off towards the nearby staircase. But Hadron and Caic entered the same cellar through the same oddly specific set of circumstances. Since Grez did not expect either of them to appear in that cellar, Hadron tapping him on the shoulder scared the shit out of him.
Kicked Out:
Meanwhile, Velkora entered the University and found where the blind seer was. Unfortunately, all the students around the school told her that the professor was too busy to meet with her. But all she needed was the woman’s current location. And since she was teaching a class right then in this very building, the former Cultist started forming a plan.
Grez, Caic, and Hadron left the basement and ran into multiple Charice Faithful. This wasn’t good and the three had no choice but to do was they were told. The Priestesses remarked that none of them belonged in such an institution of learning.
They were forced to leave. None were able to fight against the Charice Faithful given the enchantments in place in Scholars Way. Worse, Grez remembered being knocked out by their unique gas. He didn’t wish to experience that humiliation again.
The Blind Seer:
Velkora interrupted Blind Seer’s class. She found out her name was Guinevere. by listening to other student’s questions. Although she didn’t belong in this room, the professor allowed her to ask a couple questions since as a teacher working at an establishment of learning, she was just as eager to learn as her students.
Velkora asked important questions trying to figure out if she served Nihilinn. But she didn’t act so direct. Unlike her companions, she understood subtleties and had the intellectual capacity to actually study here. She didn’t learn anything meaningful though. Either Guinevere was an incredible liar or something strange was afoot.
Finally, Velkora dropped her ultimate question, realizing that she only had one chance to speak to this woman. Revealing that she had been severed from Magic, she asked the professor if she knew anything about that. Unfortunately, Guinevere informed the former cultist that she was a history professor and knew little about Magic. However, she told Velkora if the was this desperate to talk to her, that she could come to office hours in two hours.
Kicked Out Again:
When Grez, Hadron, and Caic exited the school, more Charice Faithful appeared and forced them to leave. They once again had no choice to comply. And the three suffered the humiliation of being accused of serving Nihilinn and conspiring to destroy Scholars Way.
The fact that they were accused of being agents of Nihilinn disturbed the party. They wondered if perhaps they were being set up and that an even more sinister plot was happening all around them.
None of this deterred Grez though, who turned invisible and snuck back in. He planned to wait and see if Velkora would appear soon. Hopefully she was fairing better than the three of them.
After two hours passed, Velkora went to the Blind Seer’s office. Before she could talk to the professor, a group of six students entered the room. They asked Guinevere to allow their experiment to continue. Velkora listened intently when the group mentioned they intended to make use of Nihilinn’s Magic to protect Innovia.
Office Hours:
Based on how the professor answered, the former cultist grew suspicious. Maybe she was just a talented liar. Dejected and angry, the students stormed out and informed their professor that they would simply approach the Charice Faithful to ask for help.
Finally Velkora entered and spoke to Guinevere again. Yet her demeanor and how she answered the woman’s questions indicated that something was still amiss. Did Moshe just want the group to kill this woman? Were they being tricked?
Realizing what to ask next, Velkora asked if there was anyone who wanted to kill Guinevere. Apperently she was an important teacher in Scholar’s Way. So she probably had enemies. Next Velkora asked about how the barriers worked. Apparently only Innovian Government Officials could open and close it. However, Moshe happened to be one of those officials. And the pieces started coming together.
Guinevere told Velkora that she needed to prepare for her next class. Feeling frustrated and not sure how to proceed, the former Cultist left the University. And she had many more questions than answers despite sitting in a class, and talking to the professor after the lecture.
Impulsive Plan:
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Grez spotted Velkora emerging from the university building. Given the amount of time he had staked out the building, he had formed a plan. And told her he planned to kidnap the Blind Seer as soon as she emerged.
It took till the sun had gone down, but eventually Grez saw the Blind Seer and snatched her. A good thing that Velkora had been explicit in describing what she looked like. The Monk told her that so long as she stayed quiet she would not be harmed. A lie of course, but he needed to say something to avoid drawing attention.
The Monk took her to the underground cave where the group had fought the Vampires and Lich previously. They interrogated her, but didn’t get any new clues on what was going on here.
Not getting good answers in the current environment, Velkora went to Lord Death and asked if they could bring her there. They understood the risks, but if The Blind Seer somehow was using potent magic to lie this convincingly, they needed extra help. Even Grez using his mind reading amulet found nothing.
Cruelty:
Once they brought Guinevere to the necropolis, Lord Death realized the truth. The Blind Seer had been made a Cultist unknowingly and against her will. Someone or something had enchanted her to serve as a seal. In essence this was an innocent victim!
The Orphanage Matron, Silvina, realized that the Blind Seer was there. Not only was this her teacher growing up, but Guinevere was the one who had helped fund the orphanage in the first place. This put the party in a terrible predicament. Especially Hadron who had been raised as a child in this very orphanage.
Unfortunately, this was a Cultist, willingly or not. If the group was to defeat Nihilinn, then she had to die. Grez moved to kill her in one painless blow, with some other members of the party opposed. Silvina was commanded to leave the room. She screamed and ran off, making sure the orphans were protected against seeing what was about to happen.
Caic however, acted unusually. Perhaps everything happening had finally gotten to him. Proclaiming that there was no time to waste, he apologized to the Blind Seer, hesitated for just a moment, and then smashed her head in with his flails. This was hardly a painless death, and everyone Lord Death included was shocked by this turn of events.
New Problems:
That included and the matron who came running in when she heard the screams. Succumbing to despair, she cursed the party with her words. Demanding that Lord Death send her and the orphans back to Mongress, the group left. Apperently she didn’t mind putting them in danger from Kranaak after witnessing her mentor get slaughtered.
Frustrated that they had been forced to kill the Blind Seer, the party returned to Moshe in Innovia City. He admitted that he knew that Guinevere was an innocent victim. But reminded the group that they wouldn’t have been willing to kill her if they had gone into this knowing that information.
The party was furious at this treachery. Caic specifically demanded to know where the next Cultist was. Moshe said they would have to wait. He told the party that they needed to deal with the Charice Faithful first before they could resume the hunt. After all, they had just killed a well known professor and all evidence pointed to them as the culprits!
Wrap Up:
To lay low and wait this situation out, the party decided to head to Mongress to check on the town and orphans. That is if they ever will be allowed to speak to them again after this cruel chain of events.