Centrum Glacies Session 66: Tummler
Week 66 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party saves the Mermaids and invokes the wrath of Tumller. He is far more than a jester.
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.
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 was incinerated in lava. But rather than die, they were transformed into Demons. They might be free from these transformations for now, but only time will tell what this means for them.
!!!Final Trigger Warning!!!
While waiting at the Adventurer’s Guildhall, the Party checked out the bounty board before meeting with Engelique. They planned to see if they could claim an assignment for after the merfolk were saved.
Jyona made the “brilliant” remark that the party should split up and take multiple jobs. The rest of the group remained unconvinced. Teztcal included for a change.
Trent luckily was the voice of reason. He pointed out that alone, they would be easy prey for any Platinum Adventurer they crossed paths with.
Obrom sealed the vote for the assignment. Although Teztcal complained about this choice. They decided as a group to take the water well quest. The argument again like with the farm one was that the city of Zrin needed water to continue being a city.
Teztcal tried to run off to do his own thing. Most likely he intended to rush off to the Copper Dragon’s lair and do that commission despite not being in the Guild. but Engelique arrived just in time to keep him with the group. She told them of her plan to save the Mermaids and that Persephine was already heading towards Lightsong Lake.
Returning to Lightsong Lake
Once the party entered the cavern below Lightsong Lake once more, Teztcal expressed confusion as to how air pockets work. He kept claiming that they were all underwater, despite it being clear that they were not.
As with all things involving Teztcal, the party gave up trying to explain it to him. Instead, they ignored his protests and followed Engilique and met up with Persephine.
Persephine used the law of silence to get rid of the curse. As before, it took her little to no effort to use Magic that should have been impossible. At least it was far beyond any of the party to replicate in any capacity.
The hags are reverted to their normal forms as well. Neither one was a Mermaid. And one of the former prisoners had been part of the Coven all along. That ugly scarred soldier had been more than they seemed. A shame nobody in the party had picked up on it.
Witches Named
Tyche had already given her name and Xilbella quickly gave hers. Both sighed in relief. Their mistake had finally been remedied.
Noticing her name, Trent asked her about a certain Psychic Vampire Druid. And it turned out their names being similar was no coincidence. Xilbella was Zinbella’s twin. Though in demeanor and appearance they didn’t look the part.
With the party done asking questions, Persephine had a few of her own. And those quickly turned to threats. After all, the two hags and their coconspirator back in Zrin had used Magic they had been taught to cause problems. And as a Mythril Adventurer, Persephine had little patience for insubordination.
Engilique calmed her down. But only long enough for her to start making threats instead. After all, the one they had really betrayed was her. Still, the Witch claimed responsibility since she hadn’t been more careful about anyone being capable of leaving the group and doing all this on their own.
Tummler
But as everyone felt that this situation had been dealt with properly, Xilbella and Tyche warned that the Clown who had put them up to this was probably watching. They seemed shaken by the simple prospect of this person being nearby.
Engelique didn’t want to hear excuses and began dragging them off. Persephine seemed distant as if she had noticed something the others had not. Unusual for her. And an ominous sign of what was to come next.
As the group heard a creepy jester like laugh, the two Hags gripped their fists tightly. Engelique and Persephine both joined the parry by facing towards the source of the noise. Turned out that the clown was watching after all.
Tummler appeared out of thin air for his first demonstration of power. He spoke in an unusual style with words reversed from their proper order in a grammatically correct sentence. But that aside, he seemed to be familiar with everyone in the room, including Persephine herself. And he showed no fear or reverence towards her.
To stare a Mythril Adventurer in the face so fearlessly meant Tummler was either insane or extremely dangerous. The fact that both were possibly true meant he had Persephine’s full and undivided attention. Somethin even the party had never managed in all their interactions with her.
Confronting a Clown
Showing how fearless he was towards a being who was above the laws of the entire world as well as her friend who had the ability to manipulate time, Tummler told them why he was here. He wanted to claim the souls of all the Mermaids. Tyche and Xilbella seemed included in those wants.
Naturally the two rebel hags wanted to run away. Persephine and Engelique told the party to hold him off while they helped the Mermaids escape. Tummler wasn’t happy about that. The party was unsure if they could distract him for long either.
The party attacked the monster clown hoping that he was weaker than they feared. His actions proved their folly. He did not flinch or even bleed as their attacks stuck. Instead he laughed at them as if their attempts at harm were a pathetic joke. This encounter was quickly becoming similar to their fight with Hashim and that had some disturbing implications of there was a link.
But Tummler had far more tricks than simply ignoring attacks. He was capable of calling in more allies. He summoned a water serpent. Meanwhile he ran off to cast protective spells on himself. It probably was not necessary for him to even do this while party dealt with his pet. But the clown was having fun displaying his level of power.
Serpent
The serpent had some tricks of its own too. It was capable of silencing attacks in response to them casting spells. It was also capable to heavy hitting attacks and magic of its own.
Jyona used her hammer’s haste for the first time. And she cast the spell on the Dragon. She pleaded for Teztcal to prove his godhood. She was extremely unsettled by this Jester and feared that the group was in a battle far above their ability to handle.
Ever one for theatrics, Teztcal summoned a dragon spirit to aid in the fight. If Tummler could summon allies, then a God should not hold off in doing the same.
While the battle raged deep in the cave, the Mermaids with the help of Persephine, Engelique, Tyche, and Xilbella managed to get out alive. But something gave the two powerful Witches pause. They told Tyche and Xilbella to watch the Mermaids as they turned around to rejoin the party.
The Serpent had some dangerous attacks, but unlike Tummler it was quite vulnerable to the party’s spells and attacks. Unfortunately, the Jester had something ominous to say as they won their victory. Apparently the serpent was not the entity he was summoning. It had simply been food like a worm on a hook. And killing it had only made it a meal that much faster.
A Worse Threat
The ground started to shatter like glass around where the serpent died. And a strange sound rang throughout the cavern. Tummler laughed hysterically about how they would all die soon. But he didn’t stay to watch what was about to happen. The Jester vanished just as quickly as he appeared leaving the group to deal with whatever was coming without his comments.
From those cracks in the ground an absolutely massive creature emerged. And as it did, the entire group was knocked away from its entry zone. The creature was a whale and much larger than any that had ever been documented.
Wrap Up
A monster summoned by a dangerous and powerful Clown has emerged. And the party might not have the power to defeat it, or even harm it. Will they be lucky enough to escape this creature?