Centrum Glacies Session 126: The Eastern Jungle
Week 126 of the Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party makes it to the Eastern Jungle.
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.
Most recently, the party helped cause a complete planetary genocide. Save a few survivors, no one remains from that world. They are still grappling with this unfathomable loss of life and their role in making it happen. It is clear that their suffering is far from over. They can only hope they don’t cause untold pain to an even more untold more.
!!!Final Trigger Warning!!!
The party discussed all their options as well as debating the morality of one of the two commissions they had agreed to complete. Jyona had some strong thoughts about going around and lopping Cultist heads off.
Teztcal claimed he could finally kill Obrom since “He is an Obsidian spy!” Obrom himself groaned and looked towards Trent who considered the Dragon to be the spy. The barkeep sighed and informed the Dragon that no one in this room would be considered part of the commission.
The barkeep also told them that the person who had requested this rather violent commission was staying at the inn. And informed Jyona who was dismayed at the potential slaughter that might ensue, that once they met this person, she might change her mind.
Jyona kept quiet going forward. She wouldn’t move on this and didn’t think anything could possibly change her mind.
A Cruel Curse
Once they reached the inn, Kisara was the first to notice the person they needed to talk to. But Trent and Obrom were the first to approach him. This Elf had scratch marks all over his skin, and as they moved to speak to him, it became clear that these marks were self inflicted.
The Elf introduced himself as Elengon and cried out in pain before continuing to speak. He explained that he had been cursed by a member of the Cult of Obsidian with a horrible wracking pain that not only made every moment for him agony, but also compelled him to scratch himself.
Jyona wanted to know more about what ailed the Elf. So she uncovered her Demonic all seeing magical eye to understand it better. What she found appalled her. It wasn’t a single spell or curse harming the Elengon. It was a complex weave of several. Whoever had cast this spell was a master of their craft and Jyona couldn’t even begin to figure out how to entangle it.
Wanting to help him regardless, Jyona gave him a potion of cure moderate wounds. Seeing this gesture, Trent handed him some goodberries. The intent of both of these items were to help relieve the pain
However, Elengon revealed that he was a wizard of no small talent. He appreciated the kindness, but these healing items would do little to help him deal with the curse. And he lamented how despite everything he knew, he had been unable to find a solution to his predicament.
Causing a Scene
The party left the inn, feeling a little defeated, and in a few cases, ready to kill a ton of Obsidian Cultists out of fury for what they had seen in the inn. Still, they now had to enter the council chambers. And they had been warned that there was a meeting going on.
But they threw caution to the winds when they actually entered the building. Trent let his racism towards Dark Elves guide his actions as he noticed that one of the councilmembers was a Dark Elf. He rushed past all the bewildered guards and addressed her directly.
Trent asked her without watching how everyone reacted around him, if she was with the Cult of Obsidian. Naturally she was extremely offended by this accusation and demanded the guards arrest Trent immediately. He quickly flashed his Platinum Badge which stopped his arrest but still left the government officials upset.
Not to be completely affected by Trent’s behavior, the Dark Elf introduced herself as Naladri. She pointed out that while the Cult of Obsidian was filled with Dark Elves, not every member of her race was in the Cult. Teztcal did not know what she meant by race, and blurted out nonsense about running fast thinking that was what the conversation was about.
A Path Forward
Trent finally realized how much of a problem he was causing. So to try and fix the issue, he explained to Naladri why he had made that accusation. They had been tasked to kill Cultists and return their heads to the town. Jyona quietly seethed behind Trent as he continued to speak racism even as he saw the Cultists as monsters to be slain rather than living and breathing people.
They were directed away from the Councilmembers who were still upset that Trent had both insulted one of them and interrupted their discussion. Instead, they were told to speak to Branna a servant to the officials. He asked if they were Platinum Adventurers all due to the danger of this commission.
Teztcal boasted about how they’re even better than Platinum Adventurers. He once again boasted lies by claiming he was a God. And that no Adventurer could harm him. He was promptly ignored by everyone who instead got the full rundown on what Brenna needed from them.
With their tasks more clear, the party left the council hall and Giant’s Haven beyond it. As they traveled through the Eastern Jungle of Giants, Trent and Obrom discussed that it was odd that the cult hadn’t engaged them yet. Trent had told him before they came here that one of the Cult Leaders, Olanna had threatened to attack them the moment they crossed the river.
Finding Ruins
After about a day of travel they came upon some ruins. The commission had not been specific, so the party assumed that these were the ruins that they were looking for.
While they had traveled, the relative peace had allowed Jyona to finish polishing some runes on Kisara’s clawed gloves. This gave her an additional fighting style.
Trent saw an entrance to a cave within the ruins. And after several instances of walking into a trap, he decided to summon numerous goats to scout ahead for the party. At first he sent one alone. And after a tense few minutes, the creature returned unharmed.
Teztcal decided he had gone too long without causing mischief. He decided to converse with the goat and asked what it thinks of Obrom “The smelly one” When the goat did not give an opinion, he attempted bribe the goats with grass to do his bidding. Specifically he wanted them to headbutt Obrom.
The goats refused. But Teztcal refused to give up. Instead he turned towards his daughter Kisara and asked if they would do it for her. The goats stood firm on their stance to not headbutt Obrom. The Dragon grew frustrated.
Teztcal realized that asking nicely wasn’t working. So he shifted to his other tactic when he didn’t get his way: Intimidation. Specifically he threatened the goats with a horrible death. He stated that as a Dragon he had no issue devouring them all. Unfortunately for Teztcal This only partially works as they had an existential crisis. The goats were summoned creatures after all and didn’t actually exist.
Checking for Traps
Trent was tired of Teztcal’s behavior and sent the goats into the cave in increasing increments to scout. Each time they returned with nothing indicating danger nearby.
Growing bored, Teztcal decided to pull out the bag of crows while waiting. He asked them to scout the cave and surrounding area. They screamed no and vanished. Next he tried to offer them goat meat if they would do as he asked. Once again they disappeared.
Upon pulling out feathers a third time they didn’t even wait to hear his offer. They screamed no repeatedly and ignored all his prompts. Teztcal grew frustrated and kept trying. He was rewarded with the feathers no longer responding due to his efforts.
Olanna Springs her Trap
Satisfied that there was no trap waiting for them, and the summoned spell having run its course, the group decided to enter the cave themselves. Upon entering the cave a barrier of rock formed behind them. What had appeared to be a cave melted away and revealed itself to be an illusion. Torches ignited that gave off a purple light.
Olanna appeared before them and greeted them. “So you didn’t heed my warning?” She also talked about how this crypt was her personal playground. And that the party had made a mistake stepping into it. Trent was not afraid and declared confident that he would set this playground on fire.
He didn’t feel so confident when she used unseen magic to teleport the party deeper into this place. Their new location greeted them with spikes descending from the celling. Kisara began frantically trying to break down the doors with her magic claws. She got through just as the spikes start to close in on the party.
Shadows
Once they were away from that room, the party moved down a nearby hall. And once more Olanna appeared. She complimented them on not dying to the trap. Though she was also annoyed that “Crazed adventurers” were destroying their ranks. Specifically the group standing before her.
She went on to concede Jak-Rath had a point when mentioning Druid Magic to raise the dead. She had found that Arcane Magic was just as capable of doing the same.
Trent once more grew angry and threatened her again. He produced a flame in his hands and prepared to throw it her way. For her part, the Cultist Leader scoffed. She pointed out that she was communicating through a projection and that attacking her here would have no effect. Instead she encouraged them to fight there way out of this place.
As soon as she left, the air around them grew cold. Obrom’s brand started glowing too. A sure sign that Undead were coming for them. Ijn this case a bunch of shadows emerged from the darkness. Their strength draining touch posing a serious danger through the narrow halls that did not impede their movement.
Obrom’s quick thinking incapacitated quite a few of them with a Hypnotic Pattern. Turned out they were not just mindless monsters. And keeping most of them immobilized set Teztcal up to obliterate them with a well placed Fireball.
Wrap Up
They might have dealt with Shadows, but Olanna has proven to already be a much more serious threat than Jak-Rath was. What other tricks does she have waiting in this crypt?