Centrum Glacies Session 133: Brains
Week 133 of the Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party finds out that Zinbella isn’t the only Psychic Vampire. Worse, whoever attacks them is able to reanimate Brains.
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!!!
Teztcal asked the bear if had any fish. A wasted chance to ask the animal more important truths about its master, Vitality. Due to his foolishness, upon hearing no, he pointed towards the monsters , laying dead or worse on the desecrated ground and claimed he could eat those.
Vitality wanted to know why the Dragon was talking to her animal companion. The Ranger realized quickly that it was pointless to ask. Instead she ushered the party onwards. She noticed that the party was carrying around the severed heads of Cultists and asked if they were going to gather the ones sitting around them.
Teztcal continued to antagonize the bear, ignoring Vitality’s requests to stop. Changing requests from fish he asked the bear if it would be willing to let him ride on its back. When the bear declined, Teztcal tried to convince the animal that it should let his daughter ride instead. Vitality grew upset and declared that no one would be riding on her animal companion.
The Arch Druid
The party came across a massive group undead and Cultists as they reached the deepest part of the Druid Circle. The monsters were fighting Zinbella and from sounds from the dark, another combatant as well. Finding a mutual enemy with the Psychic Vampire, they joined the clash.
As the group moved farther into the darkness, they saw the other combatant. Trent recognized her as Analissa. But the rest of the party saw another Drow in a battle filled with hostile ones. A majority of the Dark Elves they had encountered were part of the Cult of Obsidian after all. Zinbella however knew that the rest of the group didn’t know who she was. So she warned them that she was an ally and to leave her be.
As they could not see the entire battlefield, Trent, Zinbella, and Analissa filled the area around them with several area of effect hazards. Which became a problem when their enemies included Zombie Druids. The creatures still were able to cast Thorn Whip and they dragged the party into Zinbella’s Insect Swarm Spell. Specifically, Trent’s Elemental Spirit.
Jyona cast Haste on herself and Teztcal to try and end the fight much faster. And as the number of enemies started to dwindle, the dragon decided to cast Telekinesis. He tossed one of the Zombie Druids that he was still calling “deer” from the insect plague and aimed at Vitality’s bear companion. He missed the bear luckily. Instead the Druid Zombie splattered into the now rotting ground.
Psychic Attack
As the last of the monsters was felled, the group didn’t have time to breath and rest. Analissa the Archdruid, clutched her head in pain. She screamed and claimed that someone or something was attacking her mind. Zinbella looked shocked, and warned that she wasn’t the only Psychic Vampire on the continent. And she was now convinced that one of them was in league with the Cult of Obsidian.
That wasn’t all. The dead Cultists’ brains burst out of their skulls. And the brains spout tendrils and started moving on their own. They turned to face the party and Zinbella. They lacked eyes, but it was clear they were hostile.
Speaking of hostile, the Arch Druid Analissa turned her magic on the party, showing that whoever was behind this new attack was controlling her as well. Zinbella tried to attack the creatures and discovered her psychic abilities bounced off these newcomers. Instead she blasted herself and screamed in agony as she was leveled low by the living brain’s counter magic.
Jyona’s golem accidentally hit Trent as it overextended and the frost damage triggered his collar, turning him into a goat. While some of the others struggled, Teztcal was making good use of Jyona’s haste and quickening spell after spell to try and destroy these new enemies before they could act.
Deadly Brains
But he wasn’t fast enough. The Brain creatures began proving just how deadly they were by stunning and overloading Kisara’s senses. And the creatures spared no time with taking advantage of her being frozen and vulnerable. The party tried their best to save her. But this was made difficult due to call Lightning Spells cast by Analissa still controlled by the hostile Psychic Vampire.
Several other of the other Brain monsters attacked Vitality’s bear companion who admittedly took the spells like a champion despite its lack of intelligence. There were still a few Cultists focusing on it. And when they were slain, their brains too joined the others as more dangerous enemies.
Teztcal cast a spell of his own to try and destroy the Brains, and picked several of them off in the attempt, including the ones posing the most danger to his daughter. With them mostly defeated, finishing off the remaining ones was a simple matter.
But that still left Analissa who showed no signs of slowing down. Even when it was clear that she was capable of resisting the mind control for a few moments. Trent yelled out to not kill her. Learning his lesson from the last time he had struck down an Arch Druid, he didn’t want to repeat that. Jyona of course was always supportive of sparing lives. Especially after her recent episode where she had been caught up in bloodlust.
Wrap Up
There is a dangerous Psychic Vampire attacking the party that has not shown itself. And its clear that this fight isn’t over yet. What other tricks might this hidden enemy have?