Centrum Glacies Session 150: The Necromancer
Week 150 of the Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party confronts a powerful Necromancer loyal to Jak-Rath.
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!!!
On the hunt to find Obrom, the party clashed with several Fire Newt Soldiers. While the Bard had run into trouble when trying to fight them alone, the rest of the group found these creatures to be a minimal threat at best. In fact, when the creatures saw how strong the group was, notably after they had killed almost all of them in the span of six seconds, the few remaining tried to plead for their lives.
Unfortunately, the Cultist who was hidden nearby and was still channeling a powerful spell claimed he wouldn’t allow that. Teztcal tried to save the remaining Fire Newt Soldiers, seeing them as future slaves that would help build his lair. Yet the Cultist reminded the creatures that they served Jak-Rath and would not be allowed to serve anyone else. As he finished speaking, the spell finished. The remaining soldiers detonated in necrotic energy, and rose from the dead as skeletons. Alongside the ones the party had defeated. This Cultist was a Necromancer indicating another clear crime against nature that Jak-Rath was happy to commit.
With whatever spell he had cast complete, The Necromancer showed himself but not before whisking Obrom away using some other magic. Speaking of Magic, the Necromancer was surrounded by some sort of ward. And Teztcal discovered its purpose fairly quick. It protected the caster from all attacks. Including those from a powerful Demon like himself.
More Bone Devils
Unfortunately, the spell cast by that Necromancer had done far more than reanimate some Skeletons. Several much more dangerous enemies approached from several directions. More Bone Devils specifically. Jak-Rath had claimed before that he intended to make use of these horribly flayed Demons. It was becoming increasingly clear that the party was helping the mad scientist do field tests.
This fight also was a field test of sorts. The Bone Devils were more intelligent than simple Skeletons. They had wings and range thanks to their long limbs. They decided to take flight and take advantage of those attributes. Their new tactic made them significantly more dangerous as only a few members of the party could match their range.
The Necromancer was not idle either. He teleported around the Lava Caves and blasted the group with several spells including Sickening Radiance. But the group was highly resistant to that tactic and so eventually he chose to blast the members of the group that were weakened from other enemies.
This tactic caused Jyona’s golem to eventually go down. But that didn’t stop it. Somehow, someway….Trent’s healing magic worked on it. The Druid had managed to maintain a healing aura from the last few fights. None of their clashes had broken his concentration on it.
Obrom Returns
That was until the Bone Devils managed to overwhelm the party. In fact things started to look dire when both Teztcal and Trent dropped. The Bone Devils not only had lots of health, but their hit and run tactics were extremely effective against the group. Jyona, feeling desperate, blinked over to Trent and healed him while blocking magical attacks aimed his way from the Necromancer.
Not that the Necromancer didn’t try to break the barrier. But his attempts backfired as his spells misfired. And while his ward held, one of his other enchantments failed. Specifically Obrom woke up from his magically induced slumber and joined the fight. His long rest had healed him enough to be a serious threat.
But even with Obrom’s help, The party fought to the brink of death before they were able to destroy the Bone Devils. And they still had the Necromancer to deal with after. At least his ward broke as soon as the monsters were gone. And now that the battle was heavily slanted in their favor, the group rushed the Cultist to finish him off.
But the Necromancer proved to be as cowardly as his master. He claimed that he was needed and that he would get the party next time. He tried to teleport away. Tried being the key, because Teztcal cast counterspell to prevent him from fleeing. Now surrounded and with his means of escape denied, the party beat him senseless and left his corpse in such a state that even Necromancy wouldn’t bring him back.
Wrap Up
The party might have beaten the Necromancer, but it isn’t clear what his spell has done. Nor why he captured Obrom. The group is exhausted and low on resources. And they needed to escape this Cultist base. What other horrors might appear on the way out?