On the shrieking ship of Shriekpot...
Niklas coughs out of politeness, then starts to explain his predicament to the Artiste.
"It turns out that the guards at a restaurant the scammer was at were far better at fighting than most. I don't mind being beat by them, they're certainly worthy opponents, but they took. My. Knives. For that I will skin them alive and feed their faces to my cat in front of them. I need you to help me do that."
"Oh, sure. I can help with that."
Morton, meanwhile, examines the ballista. It looks to be functional, if not particularly special in any way.
"Mage Erin, how fares the ship? I can only guess things are going exquisitely well."
"Yeah, they actually are! Cargo hold's shielded, kitchen's done, as is the den, and now y've got a ballista."
Sigmund once again changed in what may or may not be a positive way, takes a moment to thank Erin.
"Thanks, I think."
"You're most welcome, buddy."
"Would these guards be back at the restaurant? Perhaps we can ask for them back? Might be worth a try."
"I tried. Bluffed that I was possessed by a pirate ghost. Bastard let me go, took my knives, and called himself a 'master chef or something'. Said I'd hurt myself with my knives and cleaver. Must. Kill."
Sigmund, listening to Niklas' burning lust for revenge, feels that he must make his opinion clear on the matter.
"Don't you realize that we were almost killed by trying to take out armored guards with kitchen utensils? Are you suicides or what? Maybe undeath had removed the self-preservation instinct from you, but that's not my case. I lost my arms just because I tried to help you. I'm going to tell you one thing: the next time, I won't be there. I don't fight lost battles."
The group stands silent for a bit before Morton speaks up, casting a sidelong glance at the Captain.
"Said you were possessed by a pirate ghost?" he asks with a measure of intrigue in his voice, then pauses.
"Perhaps we can prove to them you were... Or at least, the knives are. If the captain is willing to lend a hand that is."
"Let's hear THE PLAN, then!"
Morton obliges him, and the group listens intently as he details his plan of deception, guile, not a small measure of ingenuity and, of course, pirate ghosts. After a nice round of discussing said plan, hammering out certain details and dismissing the newly-arrived Scott as subtly as possible, the group has really got something going there.
During the negotiations, Sigmund steps over to the intently listening Erin for a moment.
"Would you care to make a kind of weapon useful against armor for us? The incident in the tavern left us quite vulnerable. I don't know, a kind of spear, maybe?"
"Sure, why not."
[Erin magic roll: 6+2]
She outstretches her hand, and the air from a rather wide area above suddenly solidifies as she squeezes it into a fist, forming a rather interesting-looking guisarme that falls out of the sky momentarily, landing in Erin's hands. She inspects it for a moment, then hands it to Sigmund.
Its shaft looks to be made of the same material as the hull of the ship, and the head incorporates both a very sharp spike as well as a rather nasty-looking hook right next to it.
"Hope that works! But I gotta split now, crew quarters are waitin'!" says the transmuter, walking down below decks with Evelyn, at which point the sound of magicking resumes.
Meanwhile, the other members of the Artiste's entourage express their feelings about the plan.
"I could PROBABLY help you! AFTER ALL, there is ABSOLUTELY NO DANGER to me in HELPING YOU. Not that I FEAR DANGER, HAHAHAHAHAH!"
"Seems like a reasonable idea."
"I don't think I'll be volunteering as an exorcist, though. Sounds like it'd get really ugly for me if things went wrong. I'm pretty squishy, don't you know."
On a wet and miserable plain...
Darren realizes that he is alone once more. Luckily, he can fix that fairly easily. On with the golem creation!
[Animate Construct roll: 6]
Forcing his will upon the wet and miserable soil, Darren makes it rise and perform his bidding, forming a vague, though doubtlessly articulate elemental shape ready for his elaborate puppetry! He is no longer alone!
Well, he still is, actually. But at least he doesn't look alone anymore. It's an important distinction. Even though the golem radiates a sense of wetness and misery that resonates well with the surrounding area, it may resemble a person if it tried. And he can make it try if he wants to! Sky's the limit, really.
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Topic: Life Begins At Death - Epilogue: We Live And Live Again (Read 565337 times)