Centrum Glacies 2022 Session 32: One Fell
Week 32 in 2022 of this Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies harbors in new tragedy. One fell. And this will change things.
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 fought off strange mechanical monsters. Jyona climbed on top of one of these potentially deadly enemies, convinced that Gnomes were controlling them. But after trying to melt the metal of a machine, nothing made a peep. Well the only one who got hurt by such a maneuver was her. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been on top of a metal monstrosity while trying to melt it.
Naturally a couple strange enemies didn’t stop the party, but it turned out they were nothing more than a distraction. Faustus was attacked as a loud bang shook the room. The Warlock spasmed from the strike and flew across the courtyard and into a nearby wall. And it turned out that one fell in this encounter.
Borba, Orc Platinum Adventurer revealed herself as the culprit. But she had little time to capitalize on her attack. Because the weapon she used drew attention. Not intended given she had been invisible right until that moment using either magic or more technology the party didn’t understand.
Yotel disabled the locked gates and berated Borba for her actions. Turned out she was the Platinum Adventurer’s mother and struck fear with her words alone. As she went to investigate the fallen Faustus, she whispered to Malcolm to take the Mind Law. Hissing that none should be allowed to take it including her daughter, Yotel beseeched the Mithril Adventurer to protect it with his life.
Adrenne heard this exchange due to her Vampire senses, but the others heard nothing. And she kept quiet about this exchange. The unconscious Faustus and Borba went back to Zerruz with Yotel while the party left in the opposite direction. They worried about his safety but realized nowhere was safer on the Abyssal Continent.
Crystal Forest:
Leaving Faustus behind, the rest of the party plus Adrenne ventured out of Zerruz and into a forest crystalized by ice. Jyona and Trent looked through the many wonders here, with both explaining what they knew about the Abyssal Continent and how this forest formed. But something was strange here. It was too quiet. And Malcolm sensed evil had been here recently.
A clearing deep in the woods had a much more profound sinister smell. And the main feature of this place unsettled the party. A strange tree sat all alone. And when Malcolm tried to pull some bark from it, he found an unpleasant surprise. The wood melted into into maggots as soon as it was completely separated from the tree. Not only did this not make sense, but it was gross. Gross enough that Malcolm smited the defiled object causing it to burn away.
Dark Elves:
In the deepest part of the woods they met Nimdrar a Dark Elf. The party was ready for a fight. After all most of the Dark Evles they had met were not only hostile, but also part of the Cult of Obsidian.
But these Dark Elves said they had deserted Cult of Obsidian. When asked why anyone would join in the first place, the Dark Elves explained when your choices were Vampire food or join a doomsday cult, there really was only one option. Until now that is.
They left and told party to follow them. The Dark Elves mentioned something about making sure they were not followed before moving on.
On the way out of the woods though, the group encountered a flame wall. And it took on a sickly green color. Even with fire protection, none of them wanted to try crossing it. Naturally, that forced them back into the creepy clearing and they found something worse than a maggot tree waiting for them.
Jak-Rath:
They found Jak-Rath one of the leaders of the Cult of Obsidian. This creepy man had kidnapped Apephe, stolen Trent’s book on Wild Shape, and likely more given that he mentioned immediately that he had created the tree. He was upset that they had destroyed his creation. What gave them the right to do that.
Trent demanded that he give them back the book now and that he tell them where Apephe was immediately. Naturally the Dark Elf didn’t do either. Instead he ranted about how his experiments would allow the world to transcend humanity and let everyone break free from dark forces that controlled them all. Naturally the group thought he was nuts and just wanted excuses to experiment on things.
But Jak-Rath wasn’t done. The deranged Dark Elf showed that he had learned some things from that stolen book. And he was experimenting on people too. He unleashed horrific experiments on the party including Flesh Golems, haunted dolls, slimes, and animal hybrids.
Wrap Up:
As these monsters scream and cry in childlike voices, the group has to put their morality aside to put whatever these things used to be out of their misery. But one thing is clear. Jak-Rath will pay for this.