Centrum Glacies 2022 Session 25: Fracture
Week 25 in 2022 of this Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party sufferers from a powerful fracture.
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!!!
Moving further into the Cult of Obsidian’s base alerted some of the trainees as well as their Demon dogs. The party had fought much worse creatures on their way here though and quickly fought their way through the nearby hall.
Unfortunately, the group once more realized a horrific truth. The trainees were all teenage Dark Elves. This wasn’t unique to the guards near the door. Could they continue killing kids? This wasn’t at all what they had come here to do.
Naturally the group fought over these issues. There were problems brewing between them. Issue that had started when Volun had fallen. A proper representation that not everyone was ready for power.
Faustus who was at the center of most of the current problems did not care in the slightest. He focused on his singular goal of finding Apephe. Everything else was a distraction. The fracture only grew larger as they continued through the training grounds and found more enemies.
New Problems:
A Red Dragon appeared after hearing both their loud footsteps it had a couple cultist initiates with it too. But there was something different about these ones. They had collars around their necks and were screaming just moments before they were forced out to battle.
Deciding not to harm any more (mostly) innocent Party killed the Dragon. They intended to remove the collars and tell these misguided Dark Elves to flee if they wanted to live. But as the Dragon died, it had the last words. Laughing about how futile these noble actions were, it disintegrated with laughter on the wind.
It didn’t take long for the party to figure out why the Dragon thought the situation was hilarious. Its death triggered something in the collars. The Cultists screamed as their bodies were set ablaze and once more the four plus Adrene had to contend with the Cult of Obsidian’s favorite trick: turning their members into Fire Elementals.
New Failures:
Sadly there was no way to save those teens now. All the group could do was put the fires out and end their misery. Now they knew that those collars needed to be removed immediately.
Jyona grew pissed and overwhelmed at the situation. She had a mental meltdown that raised her anxiety and rage to levels comparable to when she was tortured in prison. As her emotions surged, she had several thoughts race through her head.
Cheif among those thoughts was taking the Mind Law from Faustus in hopes that he would return to his earlier self. But would she be able to do that? Not alone at least. That was the answer. She knew how to solve this problem.
The party asked her what she was upset about. She reached for her Platinum Adventurer Badge and screamed about how since getting it, everything had been ruined. Faustus had changed and the world had become worse for all of them.
She tried to remove her badge, but couldn’t. Much to not only her shock but to the others as well. The item clung to her like an external organ. It wasn’t even painful when she tried to remove it. The item just wouldn’t budge.
Now more furious than ever, Jyona charged in the opposite direction. As she bolted towards the entrance, the rest of the group exchanged glances and wondered what to do.
Faustus grew bored and forced the rest of the group to press ahead. Hopefully their missing companion can fend for herself in the meantime.
Wrap Up:
What the traps failed to do, it seems the group is doing on its own. Their group continues to fracture. If this continues, they might be too weak when another Platinum Adventurer appears.