Centrum Glacies Session 99.5: Queen Mab’s Request
Week 99.5 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as Jyona tries to fulfill Queen Mab’s request.
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!!!
Jyona sat in her cell in the Unseelie Court Prison. Midnight had said that she would allow the Hlaf-Elf freedom to wander the castle, but she hadn’t heard back from the Archfey yet. However, she noticed that Midnight had never locked the door to her cell and the shackles were already gone.
Not wanting to just wander around the castle without proper warning, she immediately headed back upstairs and made her way to Queen Mab’s throne. The Queen didn’t notice Jyona. But there was no meeting in progress to distract her. So Jyona made a decision and drew her attention with a meek “Excuse me?”
Queen Mab was surprised to see her out of her cell, but didn’t immediately demand that the guards bring her back downstairs. Now that Jyona had her attention, she explained that Midnight told her to ask the Queen about roaming the castle.
Queen Mab was unaware of this arrangement with Midnight. But she accepted the terms of this regardless. To her Jyona was no threat.
To Solve a Crisis
The two exchanged some words about the Unseelie’s food crisis. Jyona offered a new idea to save the Unseelie. Jyona proposed creating a farm in her world. It would be easy to defend given the armies Queen Mab commanded. And then they could import the food over and save the entire region.
Queen Mab couldn’t agree to this arrangement. Her people grew weak when they traveled to Jyona’s world. Not to mention that the Unseelie were running out of time. It could take weeks or maybe even months to get this process going. Time they didn’t have.
Instead she tasked Jyona with a task that Queen Mab claimed was far easier. She wanted her to steal food from the Seelie Fae. With her strange powers and not being affiliated with either court, she had a high chance of success.
Jyona attempted to argue for a case of cooperation. She asked why the two factions were at war at all when working together made more sense. Queen Mab did not answer that question, pointing out that it was far too complicated a situation to explain. With a few more words, she shot down any potential for cooperation.
What She would Gain
Eventually she agreed to the Queen Mab’s terms once it was explained to her what she would get in exchange. Stealing the food would grant Jyona the complete loyalty of the Unseelie court. Up until this point she thought such a task would only garner minor favor. She did not realize it would gain her this much of a foothold with the Unseelie. But Queen Mab explained that doing this for them would save the entire Unseelie Court.
Queen Mab informed Jyona that she will need the boon of a powerful Archfey to aid in her mission. Klevor was waiting for her outside the castle and she would need his help to reach the other Archfey that would be assisting in her task.
What She Could Lose
The two exchanged a brief and awkward greeting. The Redcap Archfey used intimidation as his speaking language which only made Jyona more uncomfortable. Still, she did not respond to his prodding having learned how redcaps come into existence. She did not agree with their behaviors, but she at least had a small semblance of understanding why they behaved in such a brutal aggressive manner.
Klevor told the Half-Elf to stay close and to not fall behind as he grabbed a torch. Just outside the Winter Palace grounds, a dark fog had settled in obscuring everything more than a couple feet away. Jyona knew instinctually not to wander away from the Archfey.
Glowing eyes skittered and danced along the edge of the torch’s flame. In a way they seemed to entice Jyona’s curiosity more than most things. But she kept it under control. She had already learned plenty about the Feywild and she was not eager to meet whatever an Archfey found dangerous enough to ward off.
Klevor naturally noticed this undying curiosity of hers. He offered to step away and let her meet these visitors. Jyona turned down the offer, stating she would like to live. A wise choice the Archfey agreed.
Klevor grinned and continued to lead her onward. He explained that this is where all the fey come after they die. The creatures here possessed nothing left but unending hunger. He warned that should she fail in her mission all the Unseelie Fae would end up here.
He advised that should the Unseele fade she had best avoid this place. Lest she be overwhelmed by the very people she had failed. And the irony of becoming food to those that she had caused to starve was not lost on her.
Spider Cave
They eventually left the fog and reached a cavern entrance. Inside the cave of ice, Jyona spotted spider webs adorning almost every perceivable surface inside. She knew that whatever lived here was watching them and if not for her Archfey guide she would be in peril.
Klevor stated that this was the cave of Jorogumo another Archfey. And he confirmed her thoughts by mentioning she was only alive because of his presence.
The two headed deep within the cave. It grew colder and the webs appeared even more frequently. Jyona in an attempt to be nice to her dangerous protector offered Klevor some of her rations. The Archfey grabbed them and ate the immediately without a word of thanks.
Jorogumo
After doing so, a massive spider descended to the ground to greet them. It pointed out that it would be rude of Klevor not to offer something in return. The half-elf had “stuck a deal” with him.
The spider’s voice was like nothing Jyona had ever heard. It’s voice changed with every word to an entirely new voice. From the rasp of an old man, to that of a young woman, to child, to random passerby you would hear on the street. It was almost enthralling to listen to, but she snapped out of it after realizing he was referring to her food offering to Klevor.
Jyona was immediately flustered and embarrassed that she had already forgotten that they see acts like this as transactional. She learned once more that Fey were not accustomed to the act of gift giving.
She once again had to explain the process of giving something freely without any expectation of return. and like all the other Archfey the spider insulted her for it. In turn, they seemed insulted at the notion of an unfinished deal.
The Spider’s Enchantment
The spider introduced itself as Jorogumo. It called itself the spider Archfey. Not that Jyona had any interest in disputing that claim. It was this Archfey that Queen Mab intended to bestow a boon upon Jyona. A spell cast upon her that would make her task much more manageable.
Unfortunately, whatever Jorogumo did caused unimaginable pain to Jyona. Such acute pain in fact that it knocked her out cold.
While she was unconscious, Midnight came to pay her a visit. Jyona rarely slept. In fact she couldn’t remember the last time she did. But whatever the case, this wasn’t a dream. The real Midnight was here to talk.
Jyona couldn’t help but feel a little excited and happy to see her. That was until the Archfey told the half-elf she had met her friends. She had defeated them in battle and taken their ability to sleep away.
The two got into an argument over that. Jyona pleaded with her to release the spell and let her friends sleep again. Midnight refused to relent. Even after Jyona’s pleaded a second time to reverse her spell on them.
Midnight told her she’ll meet her outside the cave after she wakes up. The Archfey then vanished from the dream that wasn’t a dream at all, leaving Jyona to her thoughts.
Spider Leg
Jyona woke up, still in pain. It didn’t take her long to notice the cause either. Now a spider limb had grown from the stub that used to be her lost arm. Jyona almost screamed, but fascination stopped that.
Jorogumo informed her that this spell will hide her from the Seelie. In fact It was such a potent enchantment that not even Queen Titania would be able to see her. And in the Seelie Queen’s own realm! The spell would end if she attacked something. But Jyona seeing firsthand how powerful the beings she was dealing with were, had already decided against doing something so stupid.
The great spider then warned that if Jyona were to see their friends while there that they must not interact with them. He pointed out that they were likely working with the Seele Court and being manipulated by powerful Archfey.
A Dangerous Deal
Jyona, knew herself a bit too well at this point and understood that she likely couldn’t follow this advice. So she asked for a very vague favor that had several hidden costs that her brain wasn’t thinking about.
She asked for another spell to be put on her temporarily to suppress the part of her that gets excited. Little did she know that this would likely turn off all of her emotions for the duration. And as an emotional being who thought with her heart frequently, this was a dangerous risk that she overlooked.
With the party split and now on different sides of a dangerous war in the Feywild, what will happen when they encounter each other? And as both groups make more and more deals, what will happen when everything unravels?