Centrum Glacies Session 97: Into the Feywild
Week 97 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party at long last went into the Feywild.
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, and 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!!!
Still trapped in one of Jak-Rath’s labs and forced to fight against his experiments, the party fought a perilous battle against an empowered Vortex of Souls. It took on the abilities of the creatures that it was made up of. Which in this case included a Chimera. The Golem, which only Jyona was capable of repairing was obliterated by the Vortex’s lightning breath inherited from that Chimera.
But the automation being destroyed motivated the rest of the group to finish off the monster. Though much more powerful than the prior experiments, the party was still capable of taking it down.
The group had watched Jyona collect the pieces of the Golem and repair it, so after the clash ended, they grouped up, blooded and battered and discussed what they intended to do with it. Unfortunately they had forgotten during their conversation that Jak-Rath was still listening in. And the mad scientist declared his intent to either take the Golem in the future or make one of his own.
For now at least, Jak-Rath was satisfied. Which of course angered the group. After all, each of them had different reasons for hating this Dark Elf. But in the end they had no choice but to let him leave with his joy at the successes here. They couldn’t fight him here after all. Not when a projection was the only presence he had.
Leaving the Lab
Teztcal collected the golem parts and Jyona’s cart. The group wanted out of this place and fast. Trent feared that Jak-Rath would change his mind and seal them in here.
Not delaying anymore, the group fled the cave, and the downs that surrounded them. The group returned to Ratha and reported what had happened. She was disappointed to hear that her soldiers had been slain and their corpses used as monsters. But she was relieved that Jak-Rath no longer had a lab so close.
Trent spoke with her for a time. They had a lot to report and he saw it is vital that Ratha knew what the Cult of Obsidian was up to. Teztcal added some of his own embellishments. He called the Vortex of a Souls a spooky octopus. Obrom and Trent had to explain what he meant.
Ratha cut them off after a time. The conversation had been a lot for her to take in. But she wanted to focus on the most important task ahead of them. So she asked outright if they were ready to enter the Feywild and rescue Jyona. Naturally none of them said no.
The Next Steps
Ratha advised that they should rest up for the night. It would take her a day to complete the spell needed for them to go to the Feywild. Said spell involved a process that Ratha described as walking through a tear in reality. It didn’t sound like a simple process.
As the group prepared to take their leave, Teztcal addressed Ratha. “Excuse me lady”. Not exactly a proper request and with inappropriate language. But if the Elf Elder was offended, she didn’t show it. But the Dragon had a request and coming from him was surprisingly altruistic. He wanted to know if she was capable of fixing the Golem made by “Number 1”.
Ratha did not really understand the different terms Teztcal was making use of. So once more Trent explained what he meant. After a few more explanations, she stated that she was actually aware of many of the things they were explaining, but was testing to see if they would withhold information from her. Ratha admitted that after the Peacemaker incident she had cast a spell to watch the party. And it was paying dividends now.
Yet the group eventually ran out of topics to discuss with the Elf Elder, and so they took their leave. After all the grueling battles, they needed rest. And the Inn was the most logical place for them to do that.
Questioning the Innkeeper
Still they had some time before nightfall and they knew that the Innkeeper knew a bit about the Feywild. So Obrom once more asked a string of questions.
Unfortunately, his questions were apparently too vague and all encompassing. He asked about what Fey were like and the Innkeep had to explain that every single living creature in the Feywild was considered a Fey.
But Obrom didn’t seem to understand that initially. He continued asking questions that the Innkeep didn’t have good tangible answers for. But finally he got the hint and asked about the more powerful and dangerous Fey that they would almost certainly run into.
That question did get a proper response. The innkeeper warned them about a special type of Fey known as an Archfey. She had brought this up before but had a more important warning Any Fey willing to give their name was likely an Archfey and dangerous beyond all belief. The rest of Fey only had a private name that they shared with close friends and family.
At another mention of Archfey, Obrom voiced concerns about Teztcal and his baby going into the Feywild. He also feared what might happen if the Dragon ran his mouth. Teztcal grew upset at both accusations. Especially when he had no intention of taking Mini-Me to such a dangerous place.
Worries
Trent was worried about Jyona. He was certain that if there were Archfey willing to approach outsiders, then she had likely run into them. And like Teztcal, she was capable of running her mouth when that wasn’t the right move.
Trent looked over at Teztcal. “If the fey take him, the fey take him.” He still couldn’t shake the fear that the Dragon was a spy. He certainly had caused trouble for the group on numerous occasions.,
With nothing else to discuss with the innkeep, the party rested. The restful sleep pushed away the horrors they had witnessed in Jak-Rath’s lab as well as fears that Apephe had been killed in that cave.
Knowing that their mission to save Jyona from the Feywild would be a dangerous task, the group decided to stock up on supplies before setting out. And so despite some of the dubious displays he had shown, the party returned to Olend’s shop as it was the closest one to their current location.
Stocking Up
Mostly they needed potions. It never hurt to have extra healing measures if combat got dangerous. The shopkeeper Olend once more read Obrom and Trent’s minds. He had gotten over the fact that the Dragons were protected from his most important trick. Instead he focused on what the other two were thinking.
Knowing they were heading to the Feywild, Olend made a couple recommendations as he went through his potion inventory. After thinking about it for a while, he produced some potions of Dreamless Sleep. He claimed that these concoctions were vital in the Feywild.
Potions
Trent tried to haggle the price of them down a bit. Such a potion didn’t come cheap after all. Certainly not four of them. But Olend had the upper hand in this negotiation and got the price he desired. Good thing that the Adventurers had plenty of coin. A good thing for Olend that was.
Trent also purchased a lot of healing potions. It didn’t hurt to be too careful after all. And more healing was always welcome.
Obrom wanted to leave Teztcal out of splitting the potions. To that end he tried to antagonize Teztcal. But in this case it was a one way feud. Teztcal in a rare show of intelligence ignored the Bard.
Trent however understood the Dragon better. Rather than fight with him, he played into his delusions to get him to take 10 potions. In fact, he boldly offered to pray to him forever if he helped out. Naturally such a crazy promise had Teztcal’s undivided attention. But the bold move also got a look of concern from Obrom.
Haggling the Shopkeep
Teztcal approached the shopkeep to ask about identifying the wand and the horseshoes. He gave Olend a rough time with handing over all the horseshoes instead of just one. The Dragon was trying to see how much of a profit he could make from these items, but he was not as shrewd as the one he was trying to scam.
Ultimately he sold all four of them for a hefty sum. But Teztcal was certain he could have made more if he had tried harder. But he still hadn’t concluded the rest of his business. Teztcal asked if the Shopkeep could craft something to empower his bite or breath attacks.
Olend says he wouldn’t be able to amplify a breath weapon, but could improve his teeth. But such an item would be unique and something he had never made before. As a result it would take a long time to create something of that nature.
Teztcal didn’t want to wait that long for an upgrade. So he instead turned his attention back to something he had asked about in the past. Once more the Dragon asked about armor.
Appraisal
Olend a little dumbfounded, once more almost deadpan that he could make him some for double the time and price of Mini-me’s set. He asked once more if that was something the Dragon was interested in. Clearly he wasn’t though. Teztcal collected 2000 Gold as payment for the horseshoes and once more asked about the wand.
It turned out that the item the Dragon had found was a wand of web. And Olend appraised the item free of charge as part of the sale of the horseshoes. Trent and Obrom realized that he had likely ripped the Dragon off and hoped that the other two wouldn’t voice a complaint.
Safe Storage
Their shopping seemed completed and so Trent and Obrom set off to leave. But Teztcal had one last thing to ask Olend. Specifically he wanted to know if there was a place to store a large sum of gold in the Elven Village.
The shopkeep stated that he stored a lot of different things for a lot of different people. It was something Olend pointed out was quite common among shopkeepers.
Teztcal wanted to be discreet . He had something he needed protecting after all. He stared at Trent and Obrom, hinting that he wanted them to leave. When they didn’t immediately take the hint, Olend himself asked the two to exit the shop. Clearly he stood to gain from whatever the Dragon had in mind.
Once the rest of the party had left the shop, Teztcal told Olend what he needed to be protected while he was gone. Specifically he had a lot of gold he wanted to store while he adventured in the “Feewild”. He mentioned to the shopkeeper that he intended to use this money to build a proper Dragon lair.
Olend let a little of his shock appear on his face. He hadn’t expected Teztcal to have this much. Much less ask for this shop to be the ne protecting it.
Yet Olend was not worried. He assured Teztcal that the Elf Elder herself promised payment on any money stored in the shop. There was mandated protection here. And Teztcal was assured that there was no safer place nearby for his money. And Olend explained that it benefited him to have repeat customers. Teztcal stored his money without any doubt that he would return to it still in one place.
Final Preperations
With all the business concluded, the group returned to Ratha. It was time for them to enter the Feywild. Teztcal planned to leave Mini-Me in Ratha’s care. It was too dangerous to bring a child, even a child Dragon into the Feywild.
And speaking of danger, Trent proclaimed that they needed to get to Jyona and fast. He turned towards Ratha and asked if there was a way to find her and pick the best spot to travel to. Ratha stated that such a method wasn’t possible. she didn’t know where Jyona was. And even if she did, the Elf Elder only could send them to one spot. The safest one she knew.
Teztcal seemed excited. But his word choice worried the others. “Off we go to the feerun!” He cheered.
Ratha gave them each a feather. She explained it could be used as a single use lifeline. This item would pull them back from the Feywild She told them to only to use it if death is certain. With that in mind, Ratha also stated that most Fey would not try to actually kill the party. A reminder that even if their odds seemed impossible not to lose hope.
However, if they didn’t use the feather, they would have to try to convince the Fey to let them leave once they found Jyona. Using the item had some risks too. And they seemed like unpleasant ones since Ratha didn’t elaborate after stating that their very souls could be impacted.
Advice on the Return Trip
Trent asked for advice on trying to convince the fey to send them back. “They’ll want to send you back since you’re an outsider.” Ratha answered. “Just don’t commit any crimes!” That didn’t reassure Trent or Obrom who both looked towards Teztcal worried.
Rotha then warned them of one other fundamental danger. The Feywild was essentially a different world and governed by different rules than theirs. They would be wise to not assume anything while traveling through that place.
With nothing else to say, Ratha took the flowers that the party had gathered. She crushed them all into powder and mixed them with some other substance in a large bowl. She chanted something that Trent recognized as Sylvan and a portal opened before the party. They stepped through was zero hesitation. It was time to save Jyona.
Through the Portal
After a brief moment, the party passed through the portal. Almost immediately after that, they found themselves in a large flower field. Those flowers all looked unusual compared to home. And the air had a strange tinge to it.
The sky especially looked strange to them. Obrom felt foolish for being shocked. But still, looking at a sky that was alien to your own was quite unsettling.
Teztcal feeling emboldened by making it to this place declared that his powers had been amplified. He could use these new ability to locate Jyona with ease. Neither of his companions believed a word of what he spoke, but they watched curious anyway.
Naturally it didn’t work. But Teztcal as usual gave in further to his own delusions. He refused to admit he had not gotten any stronger. “It seems our enemies are hiding her,” He claimed.
But whatever he had done, Teztcal did notice something. Jyona was not nearby, but the group was hardly alone. Something or someone was watching them. The Dragon even whispered about it to Trent. The Druid realizing the implications fought hard against panic.
Meeting Fey
Instead, Trent took a knee and tried to look the opposite of threatening. He didn’t want to fight anything. Especially when they didn’t know what was going on. And so he declared that intent out loud. And hoped that would be enough to prevent a catastrophe.
Instead the plants began rumbling and shaking. Not all of them. But enough that Trent grew a bit unnerved. Obrom and Teztcal yell and prepare for a fight, but Trent asks them to calm down.
Teztcal mentioned the word party and the rustling plants begin moving more violently. An odd response to the word given everything happening. He stated it a second time and they get even more aggressive with their shaking.
Seeing a chance to create some chaos, Teztcal yelled the word party over and over again. The plants reacted with increasingly more violent shaking. That was until something happened.
Speaking to Fey
The flowers continued shaking so violently that one of them fell over. “OW!” A small fey revealed itself and asked why Teztcal made them shake so much.
Teztcal said “Oh look, it’s a fee!” Not the smartest thing to do clearly. The pixie approached and asked what he called her. When he once more mispronounced the word Fey, She bopped him on the nose and flew away.
Teztcal called her rude back as she flew away. Naturally the Fey said he hasn’t been nice to them either. Trent once more cautioned against antagonizing the Fey. He reminded both the Dragon and Obrom that they needed to focus on finding Jyona.
Hearing that they were looking for someone, the pixie immediately came back over asking who they’re looking for. The group described Jyona being, careful not to say anything that might cause trouble for them all. The Fey says she hasn’t seen a “half-elf” or a full Elf for that matter.
After some more back and forth conversation, the pixie, the type of Fey she was, called out the other hidden pixies the grove. She told them it was safe to come out. And so soon the party was surrounded by them.
Accidental Insults
Teztcal learning nothing from his earlier interactions once again called the Fey “fee”.
The same Pixie as before wanted to know why he kept calling them that. Trent intervened to once more be the voice of reason and explains that Teztcal is a bit special.
Unfortunately Trent’s words went a little to Teztcal’s head. He proclaimed himself a dragon god. He laughed maniacally and prepared to be worshipped due to those words alone. But it didn’t have that effect. The pixies asked him what a god is. A question that baffled him.
He answers “A divine being”. It wasn’t a good explanation. After all, he hadn’t explained what divine meant either. They asked next what divine meant.
The pixies all swarmed around the party and started asking random questions. It was hard to keep up with all their demands. Trent apologized still not quite sure what was going on. He didn’t want to offend any of them and explained that they would need more time to answer all the questions.
An Archfey Appears
As if this situation couldn’t get more chaotic, it did. Another Fey showed up and had an air of importance about them. Teztcal calls him a “different fee”. A mistake that he somehow still had not learned from. The male Fey identified himself as a “He” and asked why Teztcal would use incorrect words to describe him.
“Because you’re from the feewild.” Teztcal answered. It was clear immediately to the Fey as it was to the rest of his party. Teztcal was an idiot.
The Fey stated given the disrespect that Teztcal showed with the Pixies and himself, that they were lucky it was him that they they stumbled upon. He pointed out in a not so subtle change to his face, that if another Fey had met them first, it was highly possible, “That they would have been killed where they stand.”
Trent asked the newcomer about Jyona. It seemed like this one in particular was more in the know. The fey proclaimed himself an ambassador. But as he didn’t want to answer the question incorrectly, he needed more information before he said anything.
Human Strangeness
He then explained to the pixies what a god was to this odd group. The Fey equivalent of God was Archfey. And using the word put both Obrom and Trent on guard.
Seeing this, the male Fey explained to them that they were in the lands ruled by the Seelie Court. If they wanted to find their friend, the best place to look would be in the town nearby. But he warned them that if Jyona landed in the wilderness or with the Unseelie, they were probably dead. Or worse.
He was surprised they gave him Jyona’s name so freely. So surprised in fact that he decided to help them right away rather than try to figure out more about the party. Seeing that at least for now, this Fey was friendly, Trent convinced the others to follow him.
The Path of Spring
Leaving the Fields of Spring behind, the party made it to the Path of Spring. And the Fey had some information about the place. It is a place of awakening, but it can also be a place for sleep. He asked if they would like to be tourists or move on.
Teztcal said that they needed to find Number 1. And so the decision was made for them. The group would press on through this place. And the Fey warned that they needed to stay on the path, lest the flowers put them to sleep.
Trent moves forward, but learned quickly that forward did not always mean forward in the Feywild. Instead he moved to the left. And right into the sleeping flowers. Teztcal and Obrom made the same mistake. And before their guide could stop them, they had all fallen asleep.
But sleep was the least of their concerns. Because passing out in the Feywild didn’t just mean rest. Instead, they came to in a strange dreamscape. They were walking on air. And they were not alone.
Midnight
A Fey was in this realm and she claimed that it was hers to command. The Archfey introduced herself as Midnight. And she was a little amused to have found the group so soon.
She had wrongfully thought Klevor would find them first. The group didn’t know who that was, but based on the name she was talking about another Archfey. Midnight hadn’t just given them her name though. She made it clear that she was hostile towards them.
Specifically she mentioned the Redcap incident. Trent was starting to put pieces together and realized that this Archfey was likely an Unseelie. The Fey that their guide had warned them about.
Teztcal had a question for the Archfey who he called “pretty lady in dark.” Midnight actually blushed at the statement. But she regained her composure fast enough to react to his other question “Have you seen Number 1?”
Obrom was none too pleased and called out Teztcal for once more antagonizing a potential foe. Midnight made it clear that she intended them harm when she called forth a entire army of Fey. And it was clear from their appearances that these Fey were drawn from nightmares.
Wrap Up
The party is in trouble. They were warned not to fight an Archfey and it didn’t take them long to run into a hostile one. They might soon find out just how divine such a being is.