Centrum Glacies Session 92: Elven Village
Week 92 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party finally makes it to the Elven Village.
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, psychological warfare, child abuse, slavery.
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!!!
Jyona attempted to “tame” the last displacer beast. A hard order when it was incapable of speech. Not to mention it was a Fae Creature.
Teztcal and Jyona failed numerous times to restrain it once it woke up. The Displacer Beast was tied in three layers of ropes and it was completely restrained. But its immense strength let it start breaking these bindings. Yet even it couldn’t break them all. Instead it tried rolling away.
It failed to produce a convincing illusion of itself as it fled. The ropes binding it didn’t turn invisible when it did. They clearly marked where the true creature stood, or rolled.
A very poor decision was made once Teztcal convinced it to sit still and behave. A potentially fatal mistake that led to several terrible things happening in rapid succession. First, Jyona fed the creature meat from her ration supply. Xilbella warned her to stop at once, but Teztcal talked over her, preventing the Half Elf from hearing.
The fey Displacer beast grabbed Jyona using Magic that had somehow been enabled by feeding it. The monster plane shifted itself and Jyona into the Feywild. And it left no way for the rest of the party too immediately follow them.
Seperated
Xilbella berated the party for their actions. She explained that feeding a Fey Creature food allowed it control over whoever did so. The party understanding these implications immediately grew worried. Jyona’s increasingly more sentient Golem included.
Xilbella took the party to the Elven village. They had to hurry up as Jyona was now in the Feywild and potentially dealing with dangers none of them could imagine.
When they arrived, she spoke to the guards at the main entrance in Elvish. Trent understood that she was explaining to them what had happened to the group and why they needed to meet with the Elder eventually.
Into the Elf Village
Teztcal did not like being left out of the conversation. He demanded to know what was being said in front of him. After Trent told the Dragon that Xilbella was simply explaining to the guards why the group was visiting the village, their Wizard Guide turned and had a few choice words of her own for Teztcal.
She warned that the Elder was a powerful and dangerous Elf. The Dragon needed to be on his best behavior at his own peril. Teztcal claimed he was always on his best behavior. But Xilbella exchanged glances with Obrom and Trent. None of them thought that the Dragon was being truthful.
But while the group all feared Teztcal’s behavior once they were speaking to the Elder, the Elf Gaurds saw no issue letting them into the town itself. While Trent drew some wary eyes, there was no threat of violence as they walked the streets taking in the sights.
Teztcal quickly asked for directions to the closest shop. He was told that all the shops were situated near the market. Naturally that was on the complete opposite side of the village from where they were currently.
Trent decided the best course of action was to follow Teztcal. The now and former Druid was already a pariah among the Elves. The last thing he wanted was to be hated even more. Something his Dragon companion was talented at accomplishing. I would be best for them all if the Dragon behaved.
Not sure which shop to enter, as all of them had names that were not indicative of what might be for sale within, the group just picked the first one they saw and stepped through the door. Naturally Teztcal greeted the shopkeeper the same way he addressed basically anyone else.
Making Demands
He immediately asked for armor for his “dragon son”. His child would need proper armor to protect it from the “feewild” The fact that he had pronounced the name wrong sent a clear message to the shopkeeper. Not only was it clear that this person shouldn’t be a parent, but they wanted to take said child into the Feywild.
The shopkeeper introduced himself as Olend and warned that bringing a child into the Feywild was no different than sending them to their death. He went then into detail explaining to Teztcal all the horrible things Fey did to the children they managed to snatch.
Teztcal felt he was invincible. But the Dragon was far more cautious about the safety of his child. He decided not to risk bringing Mini-Me into the Feywild. Instead he asked Olend of there was somewhere safe the child could stay here when they entered the Feywild.
Olend told him that the inn would be the safest place here. Possibly one of the safest places on the Abyssal Continent for that matter. The village had few visitors and fewer still who tried to enter this place by force.
Selling Armor
With that all squared away, Olend changed as if he had put on a different mask. Embracing fullly being a salesman, he started listing off all the different possible armors for a young Dragon. Teztcal asked about armor that would grow with the Dragon as he aged.
There were two options that would suit Teztcal’s needs. The first and more expensive option would take him almost fifty days to properly craft. As several rare items would need to be used and the Elf would need time to get them all properly enchanted. This option would also have quite a price tag at 2000 gold.
The cheaper and faster option would be a weaker armor, but would only take ten days to create and would cost significantly less at 200 gold. The time mattered more than the money and so Teztcal selected this second option. He paid the merchant upfront before he even needed to work out a deal.
Satisfied with the transaction, Teztcal left the shop with Trent in tow. Xilbella had stayed behind and was relieved to see the two without any new wounds or other extremities. She knew that this particular shopkeeper was an eccentric one. Though she did not tell Trent this.
Some Mind Reading
Before Obrom left the shop though, the shopkeeper stopped him. He asked if the Bard was interested in an item of exceptional rarity. And Obrom nodded, excited at the prospect before it occurred at how strange of a question this was.
Only as they kept talking did Obrom find this whole situation suspicious. That was until Olend told him the truth. He tapped a little gem he wore like an earing and admitted to the Bard that using this item he could read minds. It made selling to buyers that much easier when he knew what they wanted.
With that truth admitted, Olend wanted an answer from Obrom. The Elf hadn’t been able to read Teztcal’s mind, or that of his child’s. The Elf was very curious about how such a person possessed a way to block mind reading, much less having two such items.
A second Sale
Obrom didn’t know how the Dragon had obtained these items. And realized that he still didn’t know everything about his companions or their prior adventures.
Back to the sale at hand, the shopkeeper showed Obrom a rare coin. The Bard did not know where it was from. He explained that the coin bore a curse. And that despite this, the item had exceptional value to a Bard like him.
Obrom of course was worried about bearing a cursed item since he already had a cursed mark. But the shopkeeper assured him that compared to what his current curse did, the coin would be a minor thing. It would attract a monster to attack from time to time, but nothing that a couple Platinum Adventurer’s and a Gold couldn’t handle.
Despite having some reservations about taking the ring, the Bard couldn’t resist solving a mystery. It was what his life’s work was dedicated to. Then again, he was also cursed because of trying to solve one of those mysteries.
Ratha
The party once more gathers up and decided it was time to pay the village Elder a visit. Trent and Obrom feared how this encounter would go. Especially with how Teztcal tended to behave. But nothing could have prepared Trent for what he discovered when they entered the Elder’s House.
“I knew you’d come eventually, Trent.” He knew that voice. The Elf Elder was Ratha, the Bard that he and Jyona had first met when they had joined the Adventurer’s Guild.
Obrom tried to speak, but Ratha cut him off. She instructed him to only speak when spoken to. Surprisingly, it was him, not Teztcal who did not behave himself. He tried pulling out the cursed coin to try and get her attention. But she continued ignoring him. Instead she was far more focused on Trent.
Suspicion
Ratha had several questions for Trent. First among them was why he had worked with Persophine and her Witches when they had tried to kill Jyona several times. Not to mention that they had cursed the Elf Elder as well. Trent explained that they hadn;t had a choice. Persephine and Engelique had maneuvered them into a position where they had no choice but to serve their wants.
He did not bring up the fact that the Peacemakers had likely been pulling strings to force the Elf Bard to attack them. It would not have helped his case in all likelihood.
Ratha still had more questions though. Specifically she wanted to know why the stench of Demons hovered over both Trent and Teztcal. Trent groaned knowing that such an answer was offical Guild business. And although Ratha was a silver rank, only Platinum and above were supposed to know the truth of the transformations.
He explained as best he could that his tongue was tied on that topic. Instead he redirected the discussion. Trent asked outright how the group could prove their innocence and that they meant to no harm to the Elves or to Ratha herself.
Tense Conversation
Ratha had an answer prepared. She explained that she already knew about Jyona’s situation. It was clear that the party wanted to go into the Feywild and rescue her.
Teztcal asked who Ratha was. As well as the older man standing nearby. Trent hadn’t noticed that Li-Ang was here too. He took a moment to explain that he and Jyona had worked with and against both her and the old Wizard when they all had tried joining the Guild. Ratha let him finish this explanation before her gaze turned once more to Obrom.
The Human Bard continued to draw attention to himself. He was desperate to show the cursed coin to Ratha and get her opinion on the matter. The Elf Elder sighed, clearly tired of him asking about something so inconsequential. Eventually she simply told him to be careful with the coin, but that she had little to no interest in it. Instead she asked him to be silent once more.
Ratha instead told Trent what she would need of him and his allies, not only to let them into the Feywild, but to regain trust. She had three things that needed to be done. Two of them before the group entered the Feywild and one final task when they returned.
Ratha’s Tasks
First she wanted them to go to the nearby downs in the Jungle of Giants and check for her missing soldiers. The group knew that a commission had been put out to check out this area, but as far as they knew, no one had accepted the commission.
She also needed them to retrieve a seed that grew from dangerous flowers that lied in the swamps not far from those same downs. Unfortunately, Trent and Obrom knew that this swamp was also the home of the Hydra. They did not tell Teztcal of this fact.
Finally, Ratha told them that once they returned from the Feywild with Jyona safe, they would need to give the Unicorn Horn to the Spore Druids. She promised to tell them how she knew about the horn once they returned from their first two tasks.
Ratha seemed to have finished talking to them, but Li-Ang stepped forward. He had something to ask.
Obrom asked Trent again to recount who Li-Ang was. And focusing specifically on what he knew abut the old Wizard, the Druid recounted what he knew about the man and his potent spells.
Li-Angs Questions
Li-Ang focused specifically on Teztcal. His question was about the baby Dragon. He wanted to know where Teztcal had found the creature.
Teztcal explained that he was the father, and that a Vampire was the mother. Clearly this explanation made no sense as Teztcal was not a White Dragon. And the rest of the group remained silent when Teztcal mentioned that Adrinne was not a White Dragon either. Just a Vampire.
When Li-Ang asked how Teztcal could be a parent with such dubious claims to this child, the Dragon triumphantly and foolishly made a declaration. He was a God. And so normal rules did not apply to him.
Li-Ang of course was not convinced “A god, huh? I see.” Teztcal missed out on the snide sarcasm, but the rest of the party did not. With nothing else to ask, he stepped back behind Ratha.
Before the group could leave, Teztcal asked if it was safe for his child to remain here while they went into the “feewild”? Ratha turned his way with a stern expression. She pointed out as several others already had that pronouncing anything incorrectly in the Feywild, especially the realm’s name itself while there was an extremely foolish and dangerous thing to do.
A New Quest
Before she could berate the Dragon further, Ratha turned the topic back to the cursed brands. She remarked at how she still found it odd that the group would help Engelique and Persophine after everything they had done. This was a story she was eager to hear once they had some time.
Speaking of the Witches, Ratha called Xilbella’s name. The Elf had remained so silent that the party had forgotten she was there. The Elder dismissed the party telling them that they should complete their tasks. However, she demanded Xilbella stay. They had some things to discuss about a certain group of Witches that until recently she had been a member of.
The group left the Elven Village and once more returned to the Jungle of Giants. This time they headed towards the swamp. On the way, they passed a couple guard towers. Once more the soldiers dropped hints about the Hydra. Notably since the group was headed right towards it’s lair this time.
On the way to the swamp Obrom mentioned to Trent how strong Rotha and Le’ang were at just a glance. He was worried about those two. But his mind drifted back to the cursed coin.
Failure to Destroy
Trent asked what kind of curse it had. Obrom answered that according to the shopkeep, it would summon creatures to attack them. Yet weaker than the ones already chasing him due to his brand. Obrom added that as a Bard seeking rare and ancient relics, that it would be worth bearing a curse to learn about its history.
Trent said he had one curse too many and that he should destroy it immediately. “Well, what’s another gonna do?” Obrom responded.
Teztcal tried to snatch it and destroy the coin. Turned out he didn’t want to deal with this curse either. The coin was proven to be made of strong stuff. Teztcal’s breath weapon, used impulsively to obliterate it, didn’t destroy the coin. “It must be resistant to shadow magic!” He exclaimed.
Obrom repocketed the coin after the failed attempt to destroy it. Beyond that incident the party followed the path towards the next guard tower to learn from the Light of Abyss Soldiers, the best approach to the swamp.
To the Swamp
Teztcal asked the rest of the party about the seed needed to rescue #1 (Jyona) from “the jungle”. He rushed towards the swamp, almost missing what the guards said next and making the group’s situation much more dangerous.
“He really wants to fight that thing, doesn’t he?”
Teztcal heard that and finally put two and two together. The Hydra was in that same swamp. Everything the Dragon wanted was all in one convenient place. He took off towards the Swamp, Mini-Me right behind. A good thing he could fly. The rest chased after him and found something dangerous soon after.
Disturbing the Swamp
The rest of the party could not fly. Instead, they walked into the swamp. Trent feared what might pop up when they disturbed the water and warned Obrom to watch his footing. Almost as if hearing his words and thoughts, monsters popped up from the murky depths. Corpse Flowers that had gone into the muck to find corpses.
Trent though was only frightened for a moment. Corpse Flowers had the seeds the group needed. And they had fought much worse than carnivorous plants.
Wanting those seeds, and in Teztcal’s case, a chance to talk to the Hydra, the group attacked the Corpse Flowers. The water slowed them down, but the party didn’t fear such enemies so much.
But these creatures had plenty of tricks. Not only were they capable of blasting their prey with holy energy blasts. But they could animate the corpses inside them to fight as Zombies. Which they did fairly early into the fight. Worst of all though was their stench. The group had to fight nauseous all the while.
Wrap Up
The fight is a distraction from their goal. Jyona is in the Feywild all alone. The Displacer Beasts seemed hostile to the party. There is a good chance that wherever she ended up will be filled with more hostile individuals. And Fey at that.