Centrum Glacies Session 149: Explosive Collars
Week 149 of the Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party confronts Cultists with explosive collars.
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, minus Obrom fought against Cult of Obsidian members who blocked the way forward. But these ones had a new twist. When the group slaughtered them, explosive collars went off creating widespread damage in their wake. This new batch of enemies somehow was more dangerous in death than while alive.
At the same time, Obrom, not far from the others finally woke up a bit. His mind was still hazy so he could barely see, but his hearing worked a bit better. He heard a group that sounded similar to the lizard creatures that had attacked him earlier talking to someone else. They claimed to have found a demon with an Adventurer badge. But a Gold one, not Platinum.
The person they were speaking to sounded disappointed. Their master, who Obrom assumed was Jak-Rath wanted Platinum Adventurers. No doubt for some horrible experiment of his. Unfortunately, before he could hear any more of the conversation, he passed back out into unconsciousness.
Horrific Sights
Back inside the Volcano Base, the party licked their wounds, and prepared to go deeper into the complex. And they expected the worst given that this was obviously one of Jak-Rath’s bases. No telling what horrific monsters or crimes against nature they might find around the next corner.
It turned out that nothing was even scarier than something. The group came across an open and empty room in a quiet corner of the base. No enemies nearby and no signs of loot either. Instead, all they found was ash. And Trent could tell that something morbid had happened here. Something or more likely several something had been burned completely to ash in this room. Nothing else remained to indicate what might have caused it.
They moved on from the grim sight and continued onward. Jyona was at the forefront as they went. Knowing that there were horrible things still nearby, she wanted to be the first to spot them in case something tragic could be averted. Her two companions were much more likely to just kill anything they came across.
Held Hostage by Fear
It was a good thing she went first. Because her intuition turned out to be spot on. She came across a room full of Cultists. She readied her weapons, ready for a confrontation, but it didn’t come. Instead they just stared at her, almost as if fearful of something. They too were wearing those explosive collars.
The golem noticed her hesitation and fear. As well as those of the Cultists. It gripped Jyona’s shoulder and sheathed its weapon to signal they were not a threat. Something that the Artificer picked up on.
She tried to approach them but they all step away to the walls of the room. After a few questions it became clear what was going on here. And it only made Jyona hate Jak-Rath that much more they are being forced to wear the explosive collars and fight against their will.
Jyona convinced Trent and Teztcal to not harm them. A tough thing to do given that both hated the Dark Elves for their own reasons. But the three moved on to find whatever other horrors this place might contain.
After they cleared the room, the three heard explosions from behind. Teztcal who was still close to the doorway saw the grizzly sight within. He had tried casting an illusionary wall so he wouldn’t decide to kill the Cultists, but their deaths had destroyed the illusion forcing him to look at what remained.
Worse, there were even more explosions which echoed down one of the forks in the path ahead. The party decided to try the other direction, deciding that they didn’t want to see any more carnage.
The Lava Caves
Eventually they came to some stairs that lead down to the lava caves. An environment they had visited once before. It wasn’t long before they stumbled upon even more Cultists. But thankfully, these ones were not wearing explosive collars at all. These were truly hostile enemies. And Jyona had no reservations fighting them after what she had witnessed in the base above.
During the fight, Jyona noticed powerful magic being cast to the south. But the Cultists were clearly keeping them back. A sure sign that something sinister was happening nearby. And if not for a counterspell, this fight would have lasted even longer. These Cultists were not using their signature fire spells. These ones instead were focusing on Necrotic Magic and one had even tried to reanimate their dead companions.
After the fight ended they rushed to the source of the spell being cast. Jyona used her Truesight to see through the blinding ash. And she spotted Obrom unconscious nearby. Unfortunately, he was right next to the Necromancer, based on the bone decor on his Cultist robes who was casting said spell.
Before the group could get close to Obrom, the very same Lizard monsters that had captured Obrom appeared and stood in the way. The Necromancer called out to these warriors proclaiming that “Their lives did not mean much. All that mattered was stalling for time until he finished his spell.”
Wrap Up
The party has found Obrom. But can they stop the Necromancer before he finishes his spell. And if he does, what will that mean for their Bard friend?