Cycle of Millennia 2022 Session 45: Allies
Here is week 44 of my 2022 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign Cycle of Millennia. The party gets a break thanks to finding allies.
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 found the Paladins and had no trouble explaining what was going on. Unlike with Caethia and Thea who were their enemies, these brave soldiers were allies. They had no problem handing a couple sigils over. If it meant that they could count on help from Dragons, more power to whatever the group was doing.
Still, the situation seemed bleak. Orabaras was using the Paladins as a line of defense against Nihilinn’s Dead. It was clear where that Goddess’ end goal sat. And so the knights fought on trying to minimize casualties. The party wanted to help but could not. And so they left and returned to the Land of Dragons.
Upon returning to the Gold Dragon, they quickly gained its blessing. That removed one vote needed to reach a Neutral God. Their goal was within reach. Just one more Dragon to go.
And so they arrived at the lair of the Silver Dragons. These Dragons served Charice and so it didn’t take much time for the group to find out what they wanted.
The Final Task:
At first the party was opposed to helping out Innovia. Not only was Nihilinn the ruling entity there, but the group had not experienced many pleasant times. But that all changed when the Dragon clarified where they would be going. Mongress was still around. And the group was curious to know what had happened there in ten years.
Without delay, the party returned to Mongress. But what they found was desolation. The city was gone. All that remained was grass. Had the party failed? If there was no one left in the city, how would they gain the Silver Dragon’s favor?
Luckily Velkoara noticed something unusual. Yes the grass was all that remained. But it was maintained and green. Not normal in a realm controlled by the God of Death. Closer inspections revealed that the farmland was still being maintained. Someone was still here and alive.
So she looked for signs of Magic. And the former Cultist found a clue. The Orcs and Drow had started construction on an underground city at the same time. Near where that entrance had been built and hidden years ago she saw magic. And a specific kind.
The True City:
Upon investigation, Velkoara walked through a shimmering barrier and found a hidden entrence to the underground. Realizing that the spell around her kept the Undead out, she finally understood what was going on.
The party arrived in the underground and realize that the real city was down here. Somehow the buildings such as the arena and inn and had been lowered under ground. And the Orc leaders were there to greet the party. As it turned out the four were celebrated has heroes.
The streets of the city went wild when the party walked through. Children gathered both Drow and Orc to gaze upon people they had only heard of from their parents. Naturally this all went to Grez’s head boosting his already massively inflated ego.
Grez and Hadron dueled in the arena. They had wanted a rematch for a long time and they had always planned to do it here. Naturally the entire city came to watch. After all the pain and misery, it was these sort of uplifting reunions that the group needed.
Caic and Velkoara watched their friends duel. The perfect way to blow off steam. Both were happy to be in the audience and not caught between the two fighting it out.
Charice Faithful:
But not all people within the city were in the party’s good graces. Their reunions with the Charice Faithful were much more tense. Hadron could never forgive them for their role in killing his cousin. Even if what they had tried to do wasn’t a terrible thing conceptually, they had killed innocent people.
The Charice Faithful felt the same. They tried not to interact with the party. And when Velkoara tried to make conversation, Luciano, still leader, tried to leave. Claiming to have other matters, he went elsewhere.
During this tense time, Grez snuck away and fulfilled the Silver Dragon’s request. He planted a charm in the center of town with none being the wiser. Afterwards he continued feeding his ego among the townsfolk.
Tine managed to bring her shop of unusual wares here as well. This really was a city filled with allies. And naturally, the group gravitated towards one central location. It was time to drink and celebrate.
Caic tried to socialize. He was not successful. Seemed that all those years living among nobility and then Paladins hadn’t helped much in this regard.
Velkoara talked to Denessa. She tried to comfort the woman while explaining that she understood her changes in perspective. Still, the former Cultist turned Charice Faithful did not exhibit the cheer that one might associate with them. What she had done seemed to heavily affect her. She shoved Velkoara away at the earliest possible moment. But the Artificer was not deterred. Hugging her former ally closely she whispered that she was forgiven for her deeds.
A New Problem:
Grez returned to the Silver Dragons. The mission was complete, though he rushed off before telling the others that. But did not get the vote. The Silver Dragon told him that he would only honor the request when the whole party had returned.
Hadron, who had followed after Grez, ran into him on his way back. The Monk explained that the mission was complete. And the Barbarian was glad for that. But after the Monk left, Hadron found out something that the others didn’t know.
Belwyn reached out to him using some sort of Dragon power and warned that Rose would die if the party got the final vote. This changed everything for him and presented a problem.
Hadron was under a geas and had to deliver Rose to Thea. Alive. And he lacked the strength to resist this compulsion. He left the Dragons and hoped that he could figure out a solution to this problem.
Caic and Velkoara returned to the necropolis. The latter was upset that she had been denied a proper bed after all this time adventuring.
Wrap Up:
The party has a serious hurdle to overcome. And once they find a solution they have no choice but to to enter the realm of law. And by doing so, they will draw the wrath of every monster in the setting.