Centrum Glacies 2021 Session 16: Orcs
Week 16 in 2021 of this Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies finally is taking the party to the Abyssal Continent. They found Orcs there.
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 continued through the frozen canyon worried about the fate of the Humans recently captured. They had just heard calls for a sacrifice. It didn’t take much brain power to deduce how the guests of honor would be.
The way forward split into multiple routes. Though they all led to the same destination, there were different perils and dangers to each one. The closest and fastest path took them right through a plague swarm. Given that many enemies probably still lurked nearby, that seemed risky. Another route was a little longer,. but the way path itself seemed light and might not support their weight. The farthest path was also the safest. Assuming of course that nothing attacked them from the cliffs that stood near this option.
They deliberated which of the multiple paths to take. Faustus decided to send his new friend through the insects. After all, Demons were immune to the plague. While he thought he was being sneaky, this wasn’t a video game. Stealthy actions only worked when employed using actual stealth.
Unfortunately, there were enemies waiting up on the nearby cliffs. But just as before, the party had no trouble with a couple flying Demons. Indeed, these ones also didn’t expect a creature much more powerful than them to serve the group.
Choices:
In fact, the one Demon they spared was so outmatched, that Faustus and Malcolm convinced it to flee. Clearly the Warlock was on a power trip. The Paladin was just annoyed. He had to watch his companions closely, Persephine had let him in on a little secret that he knew they would be happening on soon.
Up ahead the group heard more fighting. But because of the layout of the frozen canyon, they couldn’t see what this clash entailed. However, when they heard a loud bang that echoed through the area, they threw haste away and rushed towards it to sate their curiosity.
Malcolm managed to get through the cave first. And when he did, he realized that the group had gone the right way after all. He had seen one member of this enigmatic race before. The Paladin now stood in the presence of Orcs. They eyed him warily at first, but then saw his Mythril Adventurer pin proudly displayed and nodded in acknowledgement. And soon after slayed the remaining Demons as if they were nothing more than vermin.
Advanced Technology:
Once the rest of the group made it through the caves, they too saw the Orcs. The Orcs possessed weapons the party had never seen before. And as such, they attracted unwanted attention. Attention that Malcolm had been prewarned to do everything in his power to deal with.
After they talked to the Orcs and stopped Jyona from breaking major laws, they introduced themselves. The Half Elf felt defeated as she was dragged away from the unusual weapons. No matter how much she pleaded to be allowed to study them, Malcolm would not allow her to.
The Orcs requested that the party hunt down the rest of the Demons in the canyon. They wanted to see if the newly promoted Adventurers were up to stuff. Not anyone could be a Platinum or Mythril Adventurer after all.
When Faustus asked what the point of this was, they pointed out that the son of Volun needed to be smarter than that. Forced to do what they asked, but willing to prove that his new Demon friend was an ally, he followed the rest back the way they came.
Wrap Up:
There are still threats of Human Sacrifice. Given that all the Demons in the canyon need to die, its likely the party will come in conflict with the loud one and its minions soon enough.