Centrum Glacies Session 76: The Platinum Commission
Week 76 Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues with the party finally reunited. They accepted a Platinum Commission. They learn quickly just how dangerous such missions are.
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!!!
Teztcal headed off towards Trinoa’s shop. He wanted to get some new gear for his child. Jyona followed to make sure he would behave himself. Though she also was his way back into the Guild Hall. He wasn’t an Adventurer after all.
Back in the Guild Hall, Trent and Obrom discussed several topics over drinks. The first of them was a conversation about how all nobles have the same last name. Trent wondered if it was a coincidence, or if something sinister was at play since they all killed Cambions. Whatever those were.
Trouble with the Cult
Obrom had been interrogated at length about his past. And so he asked Trent about his origin. The former Druid told him about his training with the Elves on the Continent of Origin. As well as the small forest he had protected there. As these memories surfaced, Trent thought of home, and how he much preferred that peace and quiet of his current chaos.
Without being prompted, Trent also told Obrom about his personal beef with Jak-Rath. The former Druid had left his home to search for a book on Druid Wildshaping. But while he had found the book, he had been followed.
The Cult of Obsidian had attacked him and taken the book. More recently Jak-Rath himself had shown the book to Trent. As well as the horrible crimes against nature he had committed by twisting the information in its pages to his will.
Obrom saw that this topic was upsetting to Trent. So he switched to another one. He brought up the Doppelganger and how it would be in their best interests to find out what Simon was up to. He may have helped them on their last mission, but that Dwarf was still suspicious.
Trinoa’s Mischief
Meanwhile, Jyona and Teztcal made it to their destination. Trinoa the shopkeeper welcomed the two to her store. She seemed excited to see them. Or perhaps she was like that with all customers.
She was surprised to see a white dragon whelp. Immediately she tried to figure out how much he was willing to sell it for. Teztcal had no intention of selling his son. Such claims of being a parent confused Trinoa.
His next statement only confused her further. Ignoring the fact that such anatomy should have been impossible, he mentioned that the Dragon’s mother was a vampire! The fact that he was so quick to admit a person was such a creature also surprised Trinoa
Not allowing the shopkeeper to ask the myriad of questions spiraling in her head, he requested claws for both him and his child. He needed them to be enchanted to aid in fighting the powerful creatures that made the Abyssal Continent home.
Trinoa agreed while looking at the blacksmith standing right next to him and grins. The shopkeeper read too much into the situation and thought that Teztcal was slighting his ally. And since said ally was a Platinum Adventurer, Trinoa wrongfully assumed that he must be a person of no small power himself.
Cheating the Shopkeeper
Teztcal didn’t know about any of this, and instead summoned the crows for advice on pricing for the claw weapons. Naturally they had no idea about such things. They were crows. They didn’t care about civilized economies. Also they didn’t care about Teztcal and vanished.
But everything around him wasn’t subtle in any way. Even Teztcal for his many faults figured out that Trinoa was making fun of him in a roundabout way. Well he would show her.
Teztcal and Jyona made a deal and right in front of the shopkeeper in her own store in fact! If he gave her some of his scales, as well as the ones from the baby Dragon’s true mother, she could use some of Teztcal’s scales for claws he wanted to make. The two left the shop without buying anything.
Drunk Discussion
Back at the Guild Hall, and increasingly more drunk Trent brought up Apephe, their young Dragon friend. She had been captured by Jak-Rath and he was worried about her safety. But he hadn’t told Obrom about her before, and his words came out slurred and confused. The Bard couldn’t make sense of them.
Teztcal and Jyona made it back in time to see their two companions at their drunkest. The two talked about how much they wanted to beat Jak-Rath senseless. With Obrom himself even demanding the mad scientist show himself so he could introduce the Dark Elf to his fists right then and there.
Zinbella’s Task
After sleeping off their drunkenness, a hungover Obrom and Trent joined Teztcal and Jyona as the four set off. They knew where their destination sat, but didn’t realize who would be waiting for them before they crossed the bridge. The nearby watchtower faded from view, and Zinbella popped into existence.
Trent demanded to know what she had done to the nearby guards. The Psychic Vampire laughed and pointed out that she hadn’t harmed anyone. Zinbella only appeared in their minds to give them important information. She placed a mark on Trent.
Apparently one he recognized since he didn’t make any further demands. She explained to the rest of the party that their former Druid friend would be tested, and that the mark she had placed would ensure that the Druids of Cleansing would not harm him.
Trent did let his anger get the best of him. He hissed about how it was due to her schemes that he was in this situation. She didn’t seem upset by his words. In fact, she boasted about manipulating the party into killing the Archdruid. She called said Archdruid a fool and that things were better without him alive.
Vampire’s Warning
Before she let them go, the Psychic Vampire Spore Archdruid warned them that Platinum Ranked Quests were unlike others. This trial would be quite dangerous. In fact, it would likely be some time before they would be able to return to Zrin.
Her eyes lingered on the baby dragon. She gave an almost kind warning, at least for her. She told Teztcal that this mission was no place for that child. The woods ahead were far too dangerous for him in fact. They would be fatal for his child. She also warned Trent that bringing his Tiger allies to this place would be certain death for them.
Trent asked why there hadn’t been other more powerful Platinum Adventurers to accept such a dangerous mission. Zinbella clarified that as this mission would help Trent regain his Druid powers. To that end, she made sure that no one else would be assigned this commission. The party despite being made up of some Platinum Adventurers themselves didn’t seem to have such power in the Guild.
Tying Up Loose Ends
Before heading into serious danger, the Party headed back to Zrin check on things at the orphanages to ensure the kids were safe. And then both Teztcal and Trent said their goodbyes to their pets and children. The Guild would make sure that they were safe. In this at least, the party did have some clout.
With everything else in order, the party returned to the Jungle of Giants. This time instead of stopping where Zinbella had appeared, they crossed the nearby bridge over the water that had messed up Lightsong Lake and plunged into the unknown. As soon as they were away from the bridge a wall of thorns closed in on them. They couldn’t head back now.
The Cursed Jungle
The light had faded from the sky. It was blocked out by an intense overgrowth of trees. If the Druids had tried to burn the forest down, they had failed spectacularly. It was clear to all of them that the air was stagnant too. And the group felt eyes watching them.
They could barely see more than five feet ahead, and their only sources of light were odd looking torches. They could spot several more in the distance. Each one a fair amount apart. Trent mentioned that the torches felt remotely like the frozen flame, but less intense. Naturally Obrom, who was not a Demon or hadn’t joined them on their prior quest to free themselves, didn’t know what he was talking about.
The moment Trent stepped out of the light he noticed the air was filled with toxic spores. It was hard to draw breath even. He stepped back in the light and realized the true purpose of these cold torches.
When he had risked stepping outside the safe barrier of light, Trent had saw a couple skeletons on the ground just out of sight. They must have been people here trying to flee to safety.
Spore Monsters
Unfortunately, the group found out moments later that the skeletons were not going to simply stay there. The spores showed they were capable of animating corpses. The air gave the skeletons flesh. They rose as Spore Zombies.
Clearly whatever had animated them was hostile to the group. They drew their weapons, ready to put the Zombies back in the ground.
Jyona remembered what had worked the last time the party had fought Spore Zombies, and attempted to burn the spores away. But this time was different. The Zombies were immune to fire.
But the group had many other options. If fire wouldn’t work, perhaps ice would. And it did. Using the cold torches as a clue, the party froze the Zombies instead. On death the corpses turned to solid ice and shattered, leaving no trace that they had been there.
Seeing just how dangerous the spores were, the group looked for the closest torch. They ran as fast as they could, holding their breath as to not let in the spores and made for the next light.
Wraiths in the Dark
As soon as they caught their breath, the group saw red eyes outside the light. The Spore Zombies were not the only enemy nearby. And once more the party drew their weapons. This time they were met with Wraiths. An enemy that thanks to Obrom’s Brand, the group was quite adept at fighting by this point.
Trent transformed into a Light Elemental, giving their enemies pause, and the party much more sight in this dark place. It also warned them of another enemy further back. Corpses in armor, filled with spores like before had bows trained on them. And unlike the Zombies, these ones had intelligence reflected in their eyes.
It was a good thing that Trent had transformed, because one of Obrom’s stray spells taught them something important and deadly. The torches could be put out. This would have left them exposed to the spores, and with enemies all around them, that might have been their end.
Blood Sucking Moths
Still, Jyona panicked at the missing light. The Wraiths were focusing on Trent and he could only maintain his transformation for so long. Her golem was the only creature safe from the spores, and the nearby Wights, because what other Undead could they be, were focusing on it. She made a terrible mistake then. She used fire to light the torches.
The heat warmed her bones, but it also attracted more trouble. The group heard a strange sound only moments before it was upon them. The heat had attracted swarms of moths. And they were the biting kind. They also tried to attack Trent, but simply getting near him caused them to incinerate at a rapid rate.
Still, it was going to take more than Wraiths and a swarm of Moths to stop them. And though they took a beating, the monsters were slain. The torch was replaced with cold light and the Wights seemed to have moved away from them. At least no more arrows were being directed their way.
Still, there were more light ahead. And someone must have lit them. The group continued towards the next light. They hoped that someone friendly might be nearby.
Wrap Up
Already its clear that this commission has put the party in a dangerous place. But this is only a taste of what they are dealing with. There are much worse things waiting in that Cursed Jungle.