Centrum Glacies Session 103.5: Puck
Week 103.5 of the Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as Jyona sneaks into the Seelie Court and has her first encounter with Puck.
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 keept moving while hidden by Jorogumo’s boon. She didn’t know if the power would keep her indefinitely or not. And none of that took into account the fact that she had just passed the rest of her allies by and was worried about them.
She rounded a corner and saw an Archfey. Given that she was in the Seelie Court, Jyona knew that if she was spotted then her mission to get food to the Unseelie would fail. But she took a moment to admire the Archfey who was quite pretty. Jyona was reminded of flowers as she moved past her. If only she realized that this was the same Violet that Midnight had told her about.
Moving beyond them, Jyona next found herself in a field of flowers. Unfortunately with so much underbrush, even hidden as she was, it was difficult to move in complete silence. And as a result she was noticed.
A Conversation with Puck
In the center of the field floating by his lonesome was another Archfey. And while Jyona thought she was invisible, the Fey vanished only to appear right behind her. She hoped that it was a coincidence that the Archfey was now standing right behind her as Jyona slowly inched her way forward. But he followed her at the same pace.
Finally he whispered just low enough for her to hear that he knew who she was and that she needed to keep inching forward so that Queen Titania did not notice. The Archfey introduced himself as Puck and told her that he and Klevor were working together to end the Seelie Unseelie War
She was upset by this. Jyona had thought she was doing good for the Unseelie. But Puck’s words confirmed her worst fears. She and her friends were both caught up in a cruel game. A race between Klevor and Puck to see which Queen would fall first.
Jyona had not expected lies from the Fey. In fact, she had assumed after spending all this time in the Feywild that they were far more honest with what they wanted than everyone back in her own world. But learning that her friends were being used by Klevor to prove that violence would win over diplomacy infuriated her.
Ominous Tidings
As she talked with Puck, she almost blew her cover. Her voice at times was louder than a whisper. And there were more beings in this field than the Archfey. Swarms of giant bees were buzzing about and as they had not been doing that before she had talked to Puck, it was clear why they were active.
After their talk was nearing its end, Puck had one thing of warning for Jyona. He would willingly turn on her if it became clear that she was fail. He didn’t wish to face Queen Titania’s wrath for nothing.
Eventually Puck vanished and the bees stopped paying attention to her. Jyona had been lucky this time. She managed to make it through the entire field without being noticed a second time. And she proceeded deeper into the Seelie part of the Feywild.
Beyond Summer
Next she found herself in a large desert with rock outcroppings all around her. She took a moment to look around and take in the scenery. One of the aspects of the Feywild that she liked were how so many sections were unaltered from their natural states.
That moment of silence was interrupted by hoof beats. And a lot of them were coming her way. Jyona froze worried that she had been discovered. Yet the truth was in a way even more terrifying. She hadn’t been spotted. A ton of creatures with horse legs and humanoid bodies were running across the path. And right where she was standing.
So she did her best to not be stepped on or impede their paths. Which required a lot of dodging and moving aside on her part. But she was invisible not to mention hidden from the Seelie Court thanks to that arm. Once the hoof beats faded, she left the desert feeling a lot safer.
The Path of Spring
Beyond the desert, Jyona found the Path of Spring. And like her companions when they first arrived in this place, she was not aware of the strangeness of directions that confounded visitors.
Lucky for her, her path did not twist or turn until she reached a sign at the other end of the path. Her luck came to an end as she tried and failed to read the sign. Every time she tried to read the words, her body moved another direction. And when she tried to only move her head, she almost ripped her own throat.
Frustrated, she eventually gave up on reading the sign. Jyona was eager to leave the Path of Spring. And as she finally escaped this strange area, she left convinced that the sign itself was cursed. Rather than a side effect of the more potent enchantment upon this place.
Wrap Up
Jyona is heading towards trouble as she approaches the Seelie Court Castle where Queen Titania resides. She came her to help feed the Unseelie Fey. But sinister schemes are all around her.