Centrum Glacies Session 54: Back in Time
Week 54 in 2022 of this Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party works with a powerful witch to save their friend back in time.
Like my other campaign, I’m turning this one into a book series. You can check out the first one here.
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 in the book series.
!!!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 recently was incinerated in lava. But rather than die, they have been transformed into Demons. And every moment they have to resist a bloodlust that is trying to take hold.
!!!Final Trigger Warning!!!
Engelique appeared almost immediately in Zrin. Trent did not need to look for her at all. And this only bothered him more. And without Jyona as a friend to support him, he was likely to make more irrational decisions. Only made worse by Teztcal being his only “friend”.
The two talked, and Engelique mentioned that the deal she proposed when they all met in the Platinum Adventurer zone was more of a joke. After all, what could he possibly find that she would want?
Instead she mentioned that she has something else in mind. But rather than lay out those terms out, the Witch tried to manipulate those emotions to force a deal. But Trent had enough sense left to demand she explain herself.
Contract
Despite having the upper hand in this deal, Engelique really wanted something out of it. So eventually she gave in and explained to Trent in full what she intended. But in a written form that had a lot of clauses and words he didn’t understand.
Teztcal read it as well. His brain hurt after a few words. But Trent understood the important part. In exchange for using the Law of Time to resurrect Jyona at the moment before her death, the party would assist her and Persephine in a dangerous mission. And that mission involved killing Mortina and passing her Mythril Adventurer Title to Engelique.
Concerned that the witch is asking them to kill the most dangerous person on the planet, Trent tries to get information about the Mythril Adventurer. But Englelique was so taken aback by this question, that it was quite clear, that even stressed as he was, that she was lying to him and Teztcal. But without this deal, Jyona would remain dead.
With no other choice, Trent signed the contract. A powerful document that no party involved could break, lest they die. And in a horrible way at that. If it was any consolation, at least the party wouldn’t be enemies with the witch or her even more dangerous Mythril Adventurer companion.
With the contract drawn up, and agreements made, there was only one thing left to do. So the party with Engelique waited in the outskirts of Zrin for Lucian to return.
Ritual
When he finally returned, he presented the staff that Trent had taken from the Circle of Cleansing Druids. He said that he had made a few adjustments to it and they would be needed once Jyona had been brought back.
Before Engelique used the law of Time, she made sure that no one else was near. This entire process would be dangerous and she didn’t want to include any outsiders. Trent kept to himself the fact that the witch had no issue with harming innocent people in her past schemes.
Engilque pointed out that what she was doing was extremely dangerous. Not only was she looping time to undo death, but Jyona had died a Platinum Adventurer. And that meant her soul had been claimed by the Adventurer’s Guild Spirit. This being was not only their employer, but ultimately the master of their own souls. And this act would provoke this being.
Shade
Moments after Engelique started looping time for Jyona, she appeared before them, or rather a shade of her did. The Soul had no intention of letting a piece of itself go and the visage attacked them all. Lucian stayed back ready to intervene if things got really bad. And Englique was busy looping time. The two remaining party members had to handle this.
Jyona’s shade ended up significantly more dangerous than the real her. Without some of her more humanizing traits to hold her back, the shade was capable of far more devastating tactics and magic use. But this was still Jyona. And she was quite frail compared to her companions. They defeated the shade, though the battle was quite tough for them.
With the shade defeated, Jyona appeared. Time had been reset for her. She still thought she was fighting the Druids and was screaming as fire that had only hit her in the past was still on her mind. But that was all in the past. And the present demanded their attention. Because Jyona being alive once more wasn’t the only surprise.
A Scheme Revealed
It turned out Lucien wasn’t Lucian. And the truth of their identity was a problem. A series of problems in fact. It was Zinbella. And even Engelique had fallen for her illusions. Such was the Psychic Vampire’s power.
In fact, Lucian wasn’t even on the Abyssal Continent. Every encounter with him had been the Psychic Vampire. This included back at the Cult Base. And all the trouble that had spiraled out of control from those conversations.
These revelations, alongside the ones that made her realize that she had died and been ressurected by Englique, profoundly effected Jyona. Anger, sadness, despair, confusion in equal measured dominated her thoughts. And she was paralyzed by those ideas and emotions.
Meanwhile Engelique had some choice words of her own for Zinbella. It was clear that the two were not friends. And worse than enemies even. The two likely would have attacked each other, right then if not for their mutual interest in the party in front of them.
The two talked and the party watched. Teztcal even was rendered silent by the intensity of the two powerful women. But eventually that malice subsided, and Zinbella explained the staff and why she had tasked Trent with retrieving it.
An Enchanted Staff
This item would protect Jyona from the Circle of Cleansing via a powerful enchantment. She warned that this would only last till the end of upcoming battle. However, the staff had a second ability. Jyona could use the staff to heal her allies. A power that the group desperately needed as they prepared to go back.
Jyona hugged Trent and apologized for making him worry so much. She also apologized for all the hurt she had caused as she had not felt safe since their journey started way back on the Imperial Continent.
Engelique pulled them all back to reality. She didn’t really care about any of this. All the witch wanted was for the group to deal with the Circle of Cleansing so that they could focus on destroying the Cult of Obsidian and helping her become a Mythril Adventurer. She forced Jyona to sign this contract as well, and the woman didn’t really have time to protest.
With some time to finally rest in Zrin. The three took a much needed break from all the horrible things happening to them. Even though Zinbella had tricked them once more, she didn’t seem intent on killing them either.
Wrap Up
For now, the four all seem to be willing to get along. They all think Teztcal is crazy and don’t care about his opinion. Teztcal for his part thinks they all should be worshipping him.