Centrum Glacies Session 157: Nine Days Part 4
Week 157 of the Dungeons and Dragons Campaign in Centrum Glacies continues as the party finally take a chance to relax over the course of 9 days. This part four of their mini vacation.
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 Night Hag was overly pleased with Midnight’s story. After all, creatures like her delighted in misery and what was a greater cause for despair than the destruction of an entire planet and almost all its inhabitants?
In exchange, she parted with devastating information of her own. The world Jyona and Midnight currently inhabited existed in the exact same space as the Feywild. The world that Jyona and all her friends had been born on somehow had displaced the Feywild and had contributed to its destruction. As a result, even if Jyona and the party had never gone to the Feywild, the planet’s destruction would have come about.
Reeling from this revelation, the Half-Elf was stunned speechless. Midnight didn’t have anything to add either. And neither paid any attention to Rulf. The Night Hag, even more delighted now that she had spread additional misery got exactly what she wanted and plane shifted them back to the Material Plane.
Rulf who had been waiting for this moment immediately called for the guards to arrest the Half-Elf. Not wanting to deal with any of that, especially as she was still dealing with all that she had learned from the Night Hag, Jyona teleported herself and Midnight a short distance away. Specifically to the Guild Hall and out of the guard’s reach and authority.
Jyona’s Return
Upon entering, Trent spotted the Half Elf, and immediately hugged Jyona. He was beyond relieved that she was safe. Unfortunately, Jyona was unresponsive. She was still processing what the Night Hag had told her.
Meanwhile, the two Fey spoke in hushed whispers to one another. Midnight had not been unaffected by this information and needed to pass it on to Violet immediately. But whatever they discussed was too quiet for anyone else to perceive.
Trent and Obrom had just woken up. And when Jyona had come in soon after, they hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to the others that were staying here. Which was a missed opportunity that changed because the two present were Jarar and Li-Ang. Obrom who didn’t know the old Wizard as well, went to speak to him. Now that he knew she was safe, the Bard was content to let her rest.
The Wizard asked him if he was well. Which given Obrom was currently trapped in the form of a Demon might have been a joke. But Obrom didn’t care about that, he asked the old man how he felt about the Guild. And if this existence was something to be thankful for.
Li-Ang cautioned him against saying such things in the Guld Hall itself. It wasn’t wise to talk ill about an employer, especially one with as much power as the Adventurer’s Guild right in front of several other employees. Something the Bard scoffed at. Their talks shifted to the Stinger Continent and Jak-Rath. After all Li-Ang was also from that nation. But he remarked that it had been a long time since he had been to his homeland.
Talks in Anger
Obrom was left feeling a bit confused and bewildered at Li-Ang’s words. And the old Wizard didn’t let him mull over them as he excused himself. Obrom unfortunately didn’t know Li-Ang as well as his companions and didn’t ask any important questions that the others would have. But one conversation shifted to another. Jarrar had been listening in and now he eyed the Bard up and down.
Obrom didn’t appreciate the looks and became agitated. Asking him if he thought Obrom was a fool, the Dark Elf reassured him that he was in good company. Everyone here was a fool after all. Trent shot Jarar a nasty look of his own in response to that.
Trent fed up with something else happening right in front of him violently slammed his empty beer on the counter. Ignoring Jarrar for the moment and he confronted Violet and Midnight. He wanted to know what had happened while Jyona and Midnight were missing. He was met with a dismissive “It’s fey talk” from both of them. And when he pressed further they simply repeated that statement. Defeated by their stubbornness, he returned to the bar for another drink.
Obrom also stopped his talks with Jarrar to try and get information out of Midnight. Frustrated that the whole group wouldn’t let a conversation between two sisters stay personal, the former Archfey explained most of the events that happened. She told them that after fleeing from the barracks, Jyona had quickly plane shifted the two of them and Rulf into the Ethereal Plane where they had been attacked by monsters.
Then they had been forced to make a deal with a Night Hag, a creature that delighted in suffering. In exchange for telling them about what had caused the Feywild’s destruction, she freed the three from the Ethereal Plane. Midnight did not tell them about the other tidbit that the Night Hag had mentioned. When the three had returned to this realm, Rulf had called for Jyona’s arrest.
Words from Jarrar
Trent wasn’t too pleased to learn the guards would be looking for them. Jarar who had remained quiet while listening to a conversation that did not involve him, reminded Trent of his platinum adventurer status. They were members of high society by default and could easily deal with this problem. He doubled down on that idea when Trent mentioned the wedding and the trouble presented by Obrom’s current form.
Being Jarrar, he had more scathing words of course. The Dark Elf advised to stop acting like a Druid who remained ignorant of social norms and play the noble’s game. Platinum Adventurers were socially ranked higher than many of those same nobles. If anything, many of those in high society would be trying to get into his good graces.
Obrom, still a Gold Adventurer asked Trent for a little more info on Platinum Ranked perks. The Adventurers Guild was a bit secretive on what happened when one became that rank. And while Obrom had traveled with them and even seen the pocket dimensions, he still didn’t understand the full set of benefits. After all, the Druid had been quite clear about what had to be sacrificed.
The Bard listened to Jarrar when he talked about how much he envied their position. Something Trent countered by saying there was way too much given up for that power. Obrom agreed with Jarrar though. He reiterated that Trent absolutely could be using his rank to get what he wanted more often.
The Druid was forced to agree that he hasn’t been utilizing his title to its full potential. He admitted that his reasoning was clouded by his hate the fate of those who had achieved Platinum. Still, now that he had said those words out loud, he realized it was silly reasoning.
Another Day Done
Jarrar continued explaining all the ways that Trent was squandering his opportunities. But at this point, the Druid had enough of this talk. He shifted conversation back to the wedding and how they were going to deal with the several problems facing the group. Not minor among them, the two Dragons as well as Obrom’s current form.
The two Fey reminded Trent that they were going because Tim believed someone was going to try and cause trouble at the wedding. Given that they were Adventurers and soldiers, the Nobles would likely not care about their appearance once the group had saved their lives.
The party knowing that Jyona was dealing with something that she wasn’t willing to talk about decided to take it easy for the rest of the night. Five Days remained until the wedding. The Dragons had not returned and none of them were ready to be presentable.
Meeting with Amelia
The next day Jyona was summoned to the guard’s barracks. Knowing that the longer she put this off, the worse things would get, she peacefully obliged. Trent and the newly repaired Golem followed her. But they remained near the entrence, ready to spring into action if there was any trouble.
Jyona was worried that she would be promptly arrested or worse. But as she was summoned into the Captain of the Guard’s office, Amelia, the leader of the Defenders of Zrin revealed that she wanted to talk to her first and foremost. And the soldiers keeping guard of this room were men that she trusted with her life.
She explained to Jyona that they would make bird sounds if anyone else was coming and that all conversation they were about to have would need to cease if that were to occur. With all that in mind, Amelia had a lot to talk to Jyona about. And the Half-Elf in turn learned about several important things happening around the city.
An Important Discussion
First the two talked about Rulf and his behavior with the orphanage. Jyona mentioned how she worired that the Matron, who admittedly was working with Persephine was not one of the most trustworthy people. She wondered if Rulf was in the right given he was the landlord. But Amelia pointed out that it wasn’t that simple.
Rulf had a gambling addiction as it turned out. And he had won the deed to the orphanage from a game. A game that the Matron had willingly been part of. But something didn’t add up. Not only did she have no idea what Rulf had offered in exchange to get ahold of the deed, but he was connected to some criminals who might have rigged the game in his favor.
Before they could continue talking, one of the guards made a bird sound. The conversation ceased. And a goodf thing too because a dangerous soldier entered the office. Simon, one of the people who the party suspected of being a Vampire had come in to make a report. And he was not respectful at all to Amelia despite being his boss.
Once he left, and the coast was clear, Amelia explained what had happened. Simon had been on track to have her position when the woman’s husband had been the leader of the Defenders of Zrin. But in his will, the man had made it clear that she was to be his successor. A position she felt that she had not earned. And many of those under her felt the same.
Jyona asked her about that. And Amelia explained that she had not earned her last name until she struck her husband down. He had turned into a Demon and she had killed him in self defense. The entire situation she was now trapped in was a constant reminder of that horrible day. But back to Simon, she was suspicious that he was a Vampire too.
Another Wedding Related Request
To that end, Amelia asked Jyona not to go back to the brothel. Not only would Rulf be furious that he hadn’t been able to punish her, but it was likely the Vampires run that establishment. And both that group and the corrupt Guard Captain would want revenge. And a place like that was somewhere the law might not be able to protect her.
One other thing prickled at the back back of Jyona’s mind. The scrying orb that lurked invisible but ever watchful in this room fascinated her. So she asked Amelia about it. And she mentioned that is was a gift from the Orcs. With them mentioned, Amelia reminded Jyona that they needed to be careful in trying to deal with the Vampires because if even the Orcs with all their advanced technology couldn’t stop them, then even several Platinum Ranked Adventurers might find themselves outmatched.
With their conversation drawing to a close, Jyona offered to pay a fine to put all this behind them. But Amelia refused. Rulf was the criminal and although heavy handed, it was not outside Jyona’s authority to act given her rank as a Platinum Adventurer. But Jyona still wanted to do something for the sake of appearances. And so the Captain of the Guard came up with a solution.
She tasked Jyona as well as her companions with watching for Vampire activity at the wedding. There had to be some sort of connection between the Nobility and the dark underworld. But this was to be a watch mission only. Not one where they apprehended anyone. Especially since it was possible that Simon himself might be the connection.
A Strange Onlooker
While all this was happening, Trent was nearby with the Golem. And the Druid stared the construct up and down. It hadn’t been behaving the way a Golem should. This was made even more clear when the Golem seemed to be sizing him up too.
On her way out, Jyona noticed one of the dancers took an interest in her as she passed by. With her magical eye, it was clear that this woman was using illusion magic and was much more than she seemed. But given the sheer number of factions capable of doing that and all of them interested in Jyona, she decided not to confront whoever this was.
Instead she left the barracks and ended whatever was going on between Trent and the Golem. She didn’t even notice how odd her creation was behaving as the three returned to the Guild Hall. And none of them questioned why Midnight had basically been not present at all.
There were no other incidents to speak of and the day finished out for the group. Four days remained until the wedding.
Failure to Poison
Obrom got up early to explore Zrin and check for any problems. He was growing bored with all this waiting. Soon after he stepped out into the streets, an odd mist filled the air nearby. Someone had tried to poison him. Or worse. A shame for them that he was highly resistant to such things in his current form. Their attempt failed but the Bard decided that it was probably best to just rest at the Guild hall the rest of the day just in case. He yawned, realizing it would be another boring day.
Trent meanwhile paced the Guild hall and found Xilbella of all people had entered and sought him out immediately. She informed Trent that Adriel was looking for him. She wanted to discuss something important and awaited him at the Underwheel Headquarters. After she passed that along, she scoffed that someone of her power being used as a messenger.
The conversation again returned to the Guild. Xilbella told Trent that the guild wanted all three sisters under its sway. Worse, as she had been a Gold Adventurer for a long time, getting involved with Persephine being a way to even reach the top levels, she had decided to stop that pursuit when she learned of the cost. And now, as punishment for going against the Witch Coven, she was now being “rewarded” with what she had originally sought.
Meetings
Trent advised that she flee and avoid the Guild. But Xilbella pointed out the impossibility of such a thing. In fact, she expected any day now that she would be raised to Platinum and share the same fate as the party. She sighed mentioning that meant only Yinbella would be free of the Guild’s influence.
Unsure what had compelled him to do so, the druid mentioned his contract about having to kill Mortina. A contract that Engelique had magically bound him to as what she gained from resurrecting Jyona. Part of that contract had been not to discuss it with outsiders. But since Xilbella was part of that coven, she wasn’t an outsider technically. But if she had any advice for how to deal with that situation, the Wizard didn’t give one. Instead she told Trent that she wanted nothing to do with that arrangement.
As the discussion turned to psychic vampires, Cia entered the Guild Hall in as if summoned by the conversation itself. She walks up to the two and joined the conversation. She mentioned that she was looking for Addek since he was leaving for the Abyssal Mountains. The Dwarf in turn had been looking for the party because the Dwarves lived in those mountains and he thought they could help find Jak-Rath.
Xilbella had nothing more to add to this conversation. She left with a humph, growing annoyed at being treated so nonchalantly. A Wizard of her power deserved much more respect she muttered just loud enough for the others to hear. Cia told Trent she would be here for the next few days looking for Addek if the group wanted to know more about what the Dwarf might know before they set out.
To the Underwheel
Trent was interested, but he was equally curious about what information he might be able to get out of Adriel. And so he headed to the Underwheel Headquarters to speak to the Spore Druid. Sitting near the Golden Hands base, Trent rode an elevator up to where they held control. Unlike Obrom’s incursion, Trent found himself welcomed as a guest.
Several Underwheel thugs informed him that their lady was waiting for him in a special location. They told him not to worry, this wasn’t some trap or anything stupid like that. Lady Adriel had something important to show him as a token of good will. After following them, he found something remarkable. Adriel was growing a massive city block sized garden, hidden in the Underwheel’s base.
Though Trent was pleased to see the Druid using her powers for something positive, he was here for one purpose. And so he skipped the pleasantries and asked her about Jak-Rath. Something that Adriel knew little about. That was more Zinbella’s knowledge. She was much more focused on this city and the wedding.
The Farms
Trent asked another question that really wasn’t anything Adriel knew the answer to. But she tried her best anyway. He asked if she knew where Teztcal and Kisara had vanished to. At least he was reassured that the Dragons were causing no problems since nothing they did was subtle when they caused trouble. More than likely they were laying low somewhere, though Adriel had no idea what that might mean where those two were concerned.
Tired of these questions, Adriel turned the conversation to the wedding. She reminded Trent that the party had caused her a lot of trouble and that she was despite that going to great lengths she was going towards helping them. She wanted a little gratitude for that. Trent of course didn’t give her any. She sighed and mentioned that after the wedding, she could try and fetch Zinbella.
Speaking of Zinbella, Adriel went on to warn Trent to tread even more carefully around Yinbella. Unlike her other sisters, she had shown NO signs of being dangerous. Unlikely considering the Guild wanted her under their thumb. And yet she had not been taken in at any point.
But Adriel was done talking about such things. She had summoned Trent here specifically to show him what the Underwheel was doing here. She gave him a tour and showcased points out that they could grow food here. The city of Zrin continued to grow and needed more food to meet its needs. Much of that food was grown outside the city. But Adriel expressed that they could solve those needs here.
A Final Argument
Trent actually appreciated her efforts. Still, those prejudices instilled in him from the Druids who raised him forced a snide remark to bubble to the surface. He asked Adriel if the Underwheel was trying to make Zrin better, why were they bandits?
Adriel fired back. She pointed out that the Adventurer’s Guild had committed far more criminal acts than the Underwheel could dream of. In fact, as a Platinum Adventurer, Trent had assisted in far more atrocities than anyone present here had. But she digressed. Arguing with Trent wasn’t part of her goals today.
Instead, the Spore Druid then went on to request his aid in helping feed the people of Zrin. The slums had been reduced to a filthy place and most people didn’t even know it existed. and maybe cleaning the place up. She talked about how much suffering there was hidden under a lot of the city. A fact that Trent hadn’t even known about until Adriel had told him.
This side of the Druid impressed Trent. The two parted on a positive note despite his initial hostility. As he left, Adriel reiterated her promise to help him and the rest of the party once the wedding was over. Trent left the Underwheel Farms and returned to the Guild Hall for some much needed rest.
Wrap Up
The wedding is fast approaching. And as more and more groups seem to be involved in what’s going on around it, no one seems to be asking an important question: Why this wedding? And a second equally important question hasn’t been asked. How will Teztcal compose himself in such an intense situation?