Centrum Glacies Session 71: Riddles of the Sphinx
Week 71 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues with the party still split up. While searching for Teztcal, the rest stumble upon the Sphinx.
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!!!
After their actions to help calm a Vampire Spawn, Trent and Jyona returned to the crowd at Anetherin’s Orphanage as to not arouse suspicion. The guard barracks was only one wall away after all.
Anithren pulled the two into her personal soundproof room and asked about the child. Trent and Jyona were pleased to inform her that the blood had worked and that he had calmed. She was relieved, and fell onto the floor.
Jyona checked to see what was wrong and realized she had lost a lot of blood. So she used her healing staff to make sure Anetherin wouldn’t pass out and die. With her safe, the two planned their next move.
The two deliberated on their next move. Jyona thought they should split up further. With Obrom attending the dinner party, and the two of them focusing on the potential Guild War brewing in Zrin. Before any of that though, they intended to go to the Dragon’s lair and find Teztcal.
As they left the orphanage, the two forgot to tell Obrom about their plans. None the wiser, the three returned to the Jungle of Giants to find their missing companion. They had a general idea where the Dragon kept its lair. The Light of the Abyss Soldiers knew the way. After all the Dragon had been friendly all this time.
More Ghosts
Unfortunately along the way, the skies around the Jungle darkened. The air grew cold enough where the party could see their breath. And most telling of all, Obrom’s cursed brand began glowing once more.
From the shadows, came dangerous spectral creatures. And not just any ghosts. This time the party was fighting aggressive Wraiths. The air dropped around them as the creature’s very presence drained the heat from everywhere.
Unlike their last battle against ghosts though, this combat happened outside where there were no physical barriers for the Wraiths to exploit. As a result, the party made quick work of them. But even defeating the Wraiths did not restore the light to the Jungle. There was more going on here.
A ghost appeared where the Wraiths had been vanquished. And in the form of who he had once been apparently. Although it was obvious, he stated that he was dead. The Ghost informed the party that he had been known as Cedric Cambion in life.
He had been a noble that had attended the private dinner party. The last time he went to bed, he never woke up. His last thought had been to warn the first people he came across. But his resentment and hatred towards his death had transformed those emotions into Wraiths.
Choices
Jyona and Trent decided that they would worry about Zrin. They needed to help at the Dinner Party if important people were being killed there. Clearly one Adventurer was not enough. Obrom was flabbergasted that the other two intended to send him to the party alone. They had forgotten to tell him about their plan after the tense situation with the Vampire Spawn.
Cedric was thankful that the party intended to intervene at the party. He was convinced that his murder wouldn’t be the last. He wasn’t even sure if it was the first. But the Ghost had one final request. He asked the party to bring his walking cane back to the city. Once they did, the City Guards would know what to do with it he claimed.
Infiltration
Upon reaching the entrance of the dragon lair, the party felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Dragons did have auras that made people afraid of them, but normally onlookers had to see the Dragon for that sort of thing to happen. This was different. And it didn’t bode well for Teztcal’s survial.
Unsure what they might find within this cave, Jyona spent some time casting an invisibility ritual on Obrom. It was better to be safe than sorry. There were too many dangers on the Abyssal Continent that the group had difficulty handling after all.
Once Obrom was in visible, he headed inside. He passed through the main floor without incident. But noticed a weird smell and sticky substance on the ground. He didn’t know about the Mimic battle that had happened earlier in this room. But there were signs that he might have discovered if he had lingered.
Obrom descended below. The hidden staircase had not reset after Teztcal and Vitality had gone through. When he reached the bottom, he noticed the sphinx. Though he didn’t know the significance of such a creature and what it might mean for this place.
He also didn’t know that Sphinxes had exceptional hearing and smell. Or that they could see through invisibility. The creature demanded that the person hiding come out and reveal themselves. Obrom of course acted like he was still invisible. Partially frozen with fear.
Impassible Obstacle
It took all of Obrom’s willpower not to run screaming out of this cave as he dared draw closer to the Sphinx. Between the beast and the even more potent sense of dread in this place, something horrible made it lair here. And he needed to report what he had found to the others. An impossibility if he was caught.
He returned to the surface safely to report his findings. Jyona was more than a little excited by the presence of a Sphinx. The chance to meet a creature she had only read about in books made her excited in more ways than one.
Trent advised against dealing with a sphinx. As a Druid he knew a bit about such creatures. They were tricky with their riddles and dangerous if provoked or if in the presence of a fool.
Jyona came up with idea to talk to the Sphinx to ask about Teztcal and Vitality. She intended to Dimension Door out if it turned south. Her reasoning was that if Teztcal in all his intelligence could make it past the Sphinx, then she could too.
Teztcal Wakes Up Again
Teztcal woke up still in the Bandit Cave. This time with a bunch of chains on him. So many in fact that it felt like ten times his Human Form’s body weight.
He had hoped that his missing equipment would come back. In fact perhaps it had been a bad dream. Except it wasn’t. He was wearing cheap rags and had nothing else to his name. No Arcane Focus meant no spell casting. And he had none of his items. Not even crow feathers to pester those birds.
He started calling out for help, not sure what else to do. Perhaps his Demon Form would start talking to him again. Not this time though. He was met with only silence.
Teztcal did have one other option of breaking free though. Even without Magic, he was still a Dragon. And even in his Human form he could still use his breath attack. Which he used to immediately break all the chains in front of him.
To Break Chains
Unfortunately there were chains locking him up from behind as well. Half of them in fact. Five Times his body weight was still enough to massively restrict his movement. The best he could do was crawl slightly forward.
He would need to rest for a while before he could use his breath weapon again. In the meanwhile, growing frustrated he temporarily resigned himself to powerlessness.
But as if right on queue, a solution walked itself into his path. Or rather snuck up on him. Vitality came up and shushed Teztcal before he blurted anything out. She offered to help him escape. So long as he answered a few of her questions first.
Her initial question was one he didn’t want to answer. She asked him abut his Demon Transformation. Also, since she told him not to talk, Teztcal took the command too literally and didn’t speak at all.
But the Ranger was persistent and stubborn. She pointed out that he would speak as long as he kept it no louder than a whisper.
Still, he didn’t reveal anything about his Demon Form. Instead Teztcal explained that he was a Dragon using Dragon powers. He initially denied his killing spree in these caves. But Vitality reminded him of the chains binding him here. Obviously that didn’t happen by accident.
Answers
Finally, he caved. Teztcal explained how some outside force used his body to do something unknown in these caves. Even in his Godly wisdom he didn’t know what had happened. But he would find out.
Vitality didn’t buy that explanation. She pressured him further to explain how he turned into a demon. Teztcal did not know that this was a secret kept by the Platinum and Mythril Adventurers and started spilling the beans.
He told her the events in very simplistic form leading up to where they were now. He wasn’t able to explain how the Frozen Flame worked very well. And she was much more distracted by the fact that he and the rest of the party had survived being submerged in lava.
But he grew bored of that subject. So he shifted focus and mentioned “his egg”. And why he needed to get it back quickly.
Vitality had no idea what this Dragon was talking about. A Dragon Egg? Him? The idea was comical to her if not downright horrifying.
To make a strange tale even more unusual, he stated that Adrienne was going to be the mother. Vitality was not even sure if a Vampire could reproduce much less have a child that would hatch out of an egg.
Vitality’s head spun trying to understand how anything Teztcal had told her made sense. And as she considered his demands to be freed, a thought crossed her mind. Upon being asked to get him out of these chains once more Vitality responded. “I’m not sure if I want to. It might be a public service to leave you here.” And she really did consider leaving him there. Especially after that wild story.
Freedom
Yet Vitality could not bring herself to leave the Dragon here to rot or worse. She caved and let him out. But immediately she stated that he must be extremely quiet and do as she says so they can get their equipment back.
After sneaking around the maze like prison, they once more reached the room filled with guards. Vitality had a plan though. She intended to draw the attention of the thugs while Teztcal snuck by. They needed to go down to the next level where their equipment was located.
The guards noticed Teztcal as he runs by. He hadn’t been quiet enough. And stealth had never been his main method of getting anything done.
Vitality cursed under her breath as she did what she could to keep the guard’s attention on herself. If it was any consolation, Teztcal did manage to go down the stairs. But the soldiers would soon be on him as soon as they got past the ranger.
Meeting the Sphinx
Back in the Dragon’s Lair, Jyona confronted the Sphinx. No more secrecy or invisibility, the Half Elf could not contain her excitement upon meeting such a legendary creature.
That excitement faded away as the Sphinx talked philosophy. The creature discussed the limitations of trying to examine whether something truly exists or not. Jyona didn’t think the Sphinx was very bright since it questioned for example if the rock she was holding is real.
In turn the Sphinx is offended by her lack of understanding. Which lead to her ignorant statements in its eyes.
Jyona did not understand all the nuance and demeaning language of the Sphinx and instead moved to asking questions of her own. She asked if it has seen a Dragon and a Tiefling.
The Sphinx offered to answer this question if Jyona could answer 3 riddles. The very prospect of such a situation excited her. So she agreed a little more eagerly than she probably should have.
The Riddles
For the first Riddle, the Sphinx asked about something that that had helped and hindered. Kept its true nature hidden while being close and far away. Jyona got this first riddle wrong.
The correct answer to this Riddle had been Lucian. Unfortunately Jyona had bene thinking the riddles would involve concepts and not people. She asked the Sphinx how it knew about her personal life, but it reminded her that it was the one asking questions.
As for the second Riddle, the Sphinx asked about something that was both cold and hot. That transformed anything it touched. Jyona answered: Frozen Flame.
The sphinx accepted the answer even though it was looking for Lava/Magma. Ironically the both were used in the same process as the Frozen Flame. Just for an opposite reason.
For the Third Riddle, the Sphinx asked about the concept that children pretended to use to get what they want, as did those with power who used it to intimidate others. Jyona responded to the next riddle with “Manners”.
Like before this wasn’t exactly what the Sphinx was looking But it accepted the answer despite looking for “Please”. The answers were similar enough.
Unfortunately, the Fourth Riddle stumped Jyona. The Sphinx asked about what all life begins as. Jyona answered “Light”. But this was wrong. And the Sphinx did not see it as close enough to the correct answer.
“Baby” was what it was looking for. Jyona was flabbergasted as she did not consider saplings to be babies.
Wrap Up
She only has one more chance to get a riddle right. And if she fails, Jyona doesn’t know what the Sphinx might do next. Not knowing what happened to Teztcal will be the least of her problems.