Necromancer, noun.
A magical practitioner who uses the corrupting magics pertaining to death and the soul. Forever tainted by the infernal whisperings of the Dark Ones, even a single novice necromancer represents a grave threat to the stability Empire. Suspected necromancers are to be reported to the Justicars immediately.
Character creation, part 1.Please select a background:The lowborn clerk with delusions of grandeur
The vengeful disinherited merchant prince (Must start in The United Cities of Yorvath.)
The corrupted novice mage (Must start in the Kingdom of the Grand Fair Octopus.)
The proud assassin
A dimensionally displaced and reincarnated Bay 12er with a spotty memory.
Please select a starting area, if applicable. All three available choices are part of the Valorous Empire.The Kingdom of the Grand Fair Octopus, in the south, is the most directly under the Emperor's control. The Church of the Grand Fair Octopus, which loathes necromancy, has great sway here. Most of the mages in the Empire are trained in the capital duchy, Bird's Branch. The Kingdom is in a state of open war with the liches of the Realm of the Dead, to the south.
The Azure Shield, in the east, is a heavily decentralized feudal kingdom, and nobles have nearly all of the power. Land-owning nobles generally hold their own laws, and may be tempted to break the emperor's laws for their own benefit. Many nobles are disquieted with the ongoing peace, and quietly speak of war with the eastern lands.
The United Cities of Yorvath, in the west, are governed by competing merchant houses. The Church of the Grand Fair Octopus has a moderate presence in each city. The houses control overseas colonies in the far south-west. They are content to trade with the desert nomads to the west.
Bone - Necromancers who focus on raising and controlling minions are said to be bone necromancers. A novice is able to magically animate a carefully prepared skeleton, give it simple orders, and sustain it, even over long distances. A master may raise an entire army, maintain large groups of minions, and easily communicate with his commanders over long distances.
Blood - Practitioners who focus on body magic are on the path of blood. To claim dominion over the light gods' ultimate creation is among the utmost blasphemes. A novice could convert the lifeforce of one they touch into more power, heal broken bones, and strengthen themselves and another. A master may kill a squad at a gesture, create a devastating plague, or grant his legions the durability of steel.
Shadow - Those who prefer the more subtle of the necromantic arts are called shadow necromancers. A novice may terrify another, dominate unattended undead from another practitioner, imbue a minion with a soul and intelligence, or mask the foul traces of his magic. A master is able to wrench control of sentient undead and their armies, dominate living minds, or curse an area, leaving the populace apathetic and the fields infertile.
Motu, a child-like goddess of death. "Everything would be better if everyone was an immortal undead, and life is just icky." Likes poetry and song, but is bad at writing, singing, and recognizing quality.
Kaowe, a cat god of the night, greed, and assassins. "Mew." You're pretty sure the cat doesn't like you or anything, but if you stop petting her she'll scratch your face off.
Hirorg, an extreme utilitarian. Has set himself to the goal of "improving humanity." He is emotionless and logical. He disapproves of being lumped in with the dark gods.
Ilezina, the ever-beautiful, enjoys plotting, deception, and beauty. She strongly dislikes ugly corporeal undead, and is exceedingly vain.
Killroy the conqueror enjoys strife. It need not be volent or end in death. He has a deep-seated hated for the theater, which he considers a mockery.
A surprising number of the followers of the dark gods wish to avoid joining them.
Both liches and vampire lords have their souls fully bound to this world, and can only be "killed" if their souls are destroyed. Either will eventually reform if destroyed a 'normal' way.
There are stories of people seeking immortality through pacts with demons, or, more sanely, simply remaining forever young and whole of body with blood magic. Those with particularly strong relations with their patron god may even be granted a boon of extended life - or be reborn anew, to continue their service. Ironically, this is more than the so-called light gods do, who refuse to provide more than healing and a relatively minor life extension to even their most devout followers.
This is a suggestion game. Everyone will control the same character. This has only a semi-serious setting. If something seems 'really fun' (or worth a cheap laugh), I might take that over being fully consistent, but you
will die if you waltz into a cathedral and try to cast Lesser Fear on an archpriest during a sermon.
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Topic: Necromancers, Shadows, and Octopi (Suggestion Game) (Read 11423 times)