Centrum Glacies 2022 Session 29: Rocks Fall
Week 29 in 2022 of this Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party’s anger reaches its apex. Rocks fall.
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 was trapped in a valley due to the plague. Night had come and the only path involved traveling through the Cult of Obsidian’s training grounds. Instead, the group tried to camp out here and wait.
Unfortunately, Fury had been building between different party members and now that they had nothing to distract them, it boiled over. Jyona whispered to her golem, attack when the rocks fall. She then cast a spell and the ground near her feet started glowing.
However, Adrenne who stood between Faustus and the Half Elf due to open hostility between them heard this and acted swiftly. Rocks flew to the air and then they dropped. All but one that is. The Vampire held one up with telekinesis.
Her initial plan foiled, Jyona used her blink dagger and attacked Faustus. Declaring that she would take the Mental Law by force, she dropped the other rocks around the two like a wall.
Malcolm and Trent also sprang into action. The Druid sent his tiger friends to restrain Jyona. And so Dashing Claw and Hidden Fang learned what the rocks did. They exploded when someone walked over them.
Internal Conflict:
Furious that her plans were foiled, Jyona now completely overwhelmed with rage commanded her construct to attack the Vampire. Adrenne essentially ignored it. Even as Jyona cast haste on it to try and increase its threat level.
Instead, the Vampire released the floating rock and unleashed the Half Elf’s own spell against her. Naturally the frail girl was no match for the rest of the party. But still she fought. A warning sign that something was horribly wrong.
The Paladin didn’t want to kill Jyona. Realizing that in his current state of mind, he might never emotionally recover from such an act, he cast a spell on her to try and force her to stop. A good thing it worked. With a single command, he demanded she stand down. And so she did. But the Golem attacked Adrenne one last time.
Or rather it almost did. The Golem behaved independently and made a rational choice to stop. But Jyona was so overcome with rage and now mind controlled by her ally as well, that she didn’t notice.
Faustus seemed completely unphased by all these events. Not even Jyona trying to take the artifact from him changed his mindset.
Witches Return:
But another event did shake him a bit. The rest of the party more. They sensed powerful magic, and prepared for a fight. And these were horrible conditions for battle. Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, it was Engelique and Persephine who appeared.
Calling the group out on their foolishness, Engelique revealed that Zinbella was manipulating Jyona. Something that Malcolm had noticed with his command spell. In the moments where he forced the girl to stand down, he felt something attack him as a reaction. Not anything fatal. But Jyona didn’t posses the ability to fend off mental attacks.
Unfortunately the Elf didn’t believe the Mythril Adventurer. She claimed that her friend wanted to take the artifact away so that Faustus and their party would be safe. Engelique once more reminded them that it was to their benefit to hold onto that item. She made that into a threat when she pulled out the Time Artifact. And of course, Persephine had the Law of Silence.
Engelique left in rage. And the remaining Mithril Adventurer remarked that she must have been pissed to not give the last word. But Perspehine was right. Mortina and Elkor had the last one. And without the law of mental, the party stood no chance against the Cult of Obsidian.
Dire Warning:
Persephine warned that they had almost all been killed. The reason she and Engelique had been here at all, was to fend of Zin. It became clearer by the minute what was going on here. After telling them that the Witches led by herself and Engelique would try to convince the other Platinum Adventurers to go after Elkor, she told them to get stronger and prepare to get in on this fight.
As she left, she warned them that they needed to get their act together if they wanted to live. Which might prove difficult since the conflict between them has not over.
Wrap Up:
With all the groups and people intending to do the party harm, its a miracle that they are still alive. But what will happen when their luck runs out?