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[escaped lurker]

The Plains of Grating, Fifth Age
The Age of Death, Year 625
Day 7, Early Morning Hours

You scratch a circle into the dirt that covers the floor of the cave, neatly arrange the slightly gnawed upon bones, and cast the spell. Well, rather, you weave it, with the help of aforementioned circle. Magic actually is somewhat akin to knitting, only that you do it with your mind, it is a far cry from doing something as easy as loops, and you do it at a great speed. Actually... Actually it is not akin to knitting. At all. Still works as a comparison though. Either way, you have no problems with animating the skeleton, nor with making it permanent.

You have gained a new Servant.

-80 MP

Not one to dawdle, you immediately order it to pick up bow and wooden arrows, and soon enough you are at your training range.

Yeah... you guess an archer should rather be an autonomous undead, but it still wouldn't be all that. At least that one could learn to be better over time, but even then – simple skeletons are more feared for their numbers and the indication that a necromancer is around, than their own abilities.


Currently:
202/205 HP
72/168 MP
50 MP Stored

Status:
Well-Fed - Doubled HP-Regeneration
Sentient Nourishment - +3 Agility and Intelligence for Skill- and Combat-checks
Slight Cut - 3 - What once was a deep cut, has healed nicely

Spoiler: Character (click to show/hide)

Ghoulish Vessel
Strength: 11
Endurance: 11
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 5

~10 HPD
~40 MPD

Inventory:
Medium Band of Gathering 20/20 MP
Leather Jerkin
Woolen Pants
Leather Shin-boots
Twohander

Resources:
1 Deer Skeleton
1 Human Corpse - 4/4 Rations of Human Flesh
1 Amethyst Geode - 30/30 MP

Items:
1 Saddlebag
1 Shortbow
2 Quivers
12 Wooden Arrows
15 Iron tipped Arrows
1 Dagger
1 Rope – Thin, 4 Meters
1 Tinderbox
1 Hatchet
1 Knapsack
1 Rusty Horseshoe

Skills:
Adept of the School of Necromancy
Adept of the School of Transmutation
Beginner in Feral Combat
Beginner in Archery

Spoiler:  Spells (click to show/hide)

School of Necromancy - Adept
Branches: Mysticism, Occultism

Animate Skeleton – 50 MP
Raise a temporary Skeleton to do your bidding. Lasts 1 Day, extendible by 3 MP per day.
Can be made permanent by spending additional 30 MP on it.

Turn Lesser Undead – 30 MP
Allows you to destroy, render harmless or straightly take over an undead creature.

Soulspeaker – 20 MP
Allows you to contact the souls of the dead, and to communicate with them. Duration 1 Hour.

Enslave Lesser Souls - 25 MP
Allows the enslavement of lesser, or rather “newly dead” souls.
A soul may be placed into a construct, resulting in an autonomous undead.
A souls essence may be devoured, restoring half of the souls previously held maximum mana.
Devouring a Soul or failing this spell has the chance to transform the affected into a wraith, which will be hostile towards the caster.


School of Transmutation - Adept
Branches: Enchanting, Alteration

Drain Energy – 20MP +50% of the drained Energy must be paid in MP
Allows you to drain a prone or enslaved creature of its mana or vitality.

Change Object – 30 MP, Duration 1 Hour
Allows you to temporary change the properties or shape of an object.

Store Mana – 25MP + Desired Amount
Allows you to store mana into gemstones.

Spoiler: Followers (click to show/hide)

	Skeletal Horse Permanent Slightly Damaged
	Skeletal Human Permanent

Spoiler: Mind Map (click to show/hide)

Purple Dot: Location of our Cave

" Well. It is a start. "

[Tomcost]

Well, at least we can use them to make arrows rain over our enemies. There is no need to have them be accurate when you compensate with numbers.

So, I think that it would be time to check on the village from afar.

[Worldmaster27]

Is it possible to have the skeleton and horse 'play dead'? Make it seems like they're your average, day-to-day roadside dead guy? If it is...
Sneak near the village/town, try to find a path that seems traveled, but not busy. Then, have the skeleton and horse 'play dead' on either side of the road. Be sure that we have the bow, and not the skeleton so that we can support from afar. We'll want to ambush one or two peasants going where ever. They should taste quite good, and we can risk using them to make the skeleton autonomous. The skeleton and horse should be able to beat a wraith into the ground, should it come to that.

[escaped lurker]

Is it possible to have the skeleton and horse 'play dead'? Make it seems like they're your average, day-to-day roadside dead guy?
-snip -

"Sadly, the glowing eyes kinda give it away. Even then, at closer distances a good deal of people have good enough senses to know that something is not right. If it is not a practicioner of any arcane arts, we are talking about a range of 10 meters, tops. Well, most would be hard pressed to notice before entering melee-range, with even less knowing what exactly they are percieving."

[Worldmaster27]

"Sadly, the glowing eyes kinda give it away. Even then, at closer distances a good deal of people have good enough senses to know that something is not right. If it is not a practicioner of any arcane arts, we are talking about a range of 10 meters, tops. Well, most would be hard pressed to notice before entering melee-range, with even less knowing what exactly they are percieving."

Aw..

So, I think that it would be time to check on the village from afar.

Let's go with this, then.

[Chink]

"Sadly, the glowing eyes kinda give it away. Even then, at closer distances a good deal of people have good enough senses to know that something is not right. If it is not a practicioner of any arcane arts, we are talking about a range of 10 meters, tops. Well, most would be hard pressed to notice before entering melee-range, with even less knowing what exactly they are percieving."

Aw..

So, I think that it would be time to check on the village from afar.

Let's go with this, then.

+1

[Mr. Strange]

"Sadly, the glowing eyes kinda give it away. Even then, at closer distances a good deal of people have good enough senses to know that something is not right. If it is not a practicioner of any arcane arts, we are talking about a range of 10 meters, tops. Well, most would be hard pressed to notice before entering melee-range, with even less knowing what exactly they are percieving."

Aw..

So, I think that it would be time to check on the village from afar.

Let's go with this, then.

+1

+1. First those shacks we spotted from our mountain, then see if we can find any roads to actual towns or cities. And no killing people if it can be avoided! Let's fly under the radar for a while.

[escaped lurker]

The Plains of Grating, Fifth Age
The Age of Death, Year 625
Day 7, Early Morning Hours

The time is ripe to further your plans. Or so you decide at least. Reaching the village should need at least two hours – mountain paths are always hard to judge in that regard. Since you already had a good look at the village from below, sideways and somewhat above, the general outlines have stayed with you. Well, rather – you made sure to remember them.

I – The Village
Built on the ridge of a hilly outcropping, there are about three dozens of houses packed into the hillside altogether. They seem to be built out of the local loam, and have roofs made out of straw. Except one of them, they are all only one storey high, with the exception built right next to the watchtower. The later really sticks out like a sore thumb, and you theorize that your first thoughts about ancient remnants might not be that far off.

Two roads – or is it the same one – leave the village. Eastwards the road leads to a crossing, with the two other paths leaving for the plains and the valley within. The westwards road chiefly leads to the fields, and is lost into small mountain paths soon after that.

II – The Fields
Fed by the dammed up brook, the fields are a haven of green in this arid region, and undoubtedly the lifeline of the village. It also was what first gave these people away to your eyes. The channel is going uphill at some points, so they should have access to basic engineering. The farmhouses are built into the hills, with the fields taking up any semi-flat portions of the hill. You even wonder how much of that is artificial.

III – The Surrounding Area
Mostly placed in shady regions, there are occasional hovels to be found. You are positive that you saw some kind of herd moving about one of them. Goats would be your best guess, given their coloration and the climate. As they are scattered about the greater area - some of them even close to the plains - going after these isolated hovels sounds like a viable idea. You also humour the idea of reanimated goats for a moment, and while it is amusing, there actually could be far worse choices...


Not inclined to make unnecessary mistakes, you ponder your next move. Still, you do have the urge to rise back to power again, and given your profession there are not that many choices on how to.

Currently:
202/205 HP
72/168 MP
50 MP Stored

Status:
Well-Fed - Doubled HP-Regeneration
Sentient Nourishment - +3 Agility and Intelligence for Skill- and Combat-checks
Slight Cut - 3 - What once was a deep cut, has healed nicely

Spoiler: Character (click to show/hide)

Ghoulish Vessel
Strength: 11
Endurance: 11
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 5

~10 HPD
~40 MPD

Inventory:
Medium Band of Gathering 20/20 MP
Leather Jerkin
Woolen Pants
Leather Shin-boots
Twohander

Resources:
1 Deer Skeleton
1 Human Corpse - 4/4 Rations of Human Flesh
1 Amethyst Geode - 30/30 MP

Items:
1 Saddlebag
1 Shortbow
2 Quivers
12 Wooden Arrows
15 Iron tipped Arrows
1 Dagger
1 Rope – Thin, 4 Meters
1 Tinderbox
1 Hatchet
1 Knapsack
1 Rusty Horseshoe

Skills:
Adept of the School of Necromancy
Adept of the School of Transmutation
Beginner in Feral Combat
Beginner in Archery

Spoiler:  Spells (click to show/hide)

School of Necromancy - Adept
Branches: Mysticism, Occultism

Animate Skeleton – 50 MP
Raise a temporary Skeleton to do your bidding. Lasts 1 Day, extendible by 3 MP per day.
Can be made permanent by spending additional 30 MP on it.

Turn Lesser Undead – 30 MP
Allows you to destroy, render harmless or straightly take over an undead creature.

Soulspeaker – 20 MP
Allows you to contact the souls of the dead, and to communicate with them. Duration 1 Hour.

Enslave Lesser Souls - 25 MP
Allows the enslavement of lesser, or rather “newly dead” souls.
A soul may be placed into a construct, resulting in an autonomous undead.
A souls essence may be devoured, restoring half of the souls previously held maximum mana.
Devouring a Soul or failing this spell has the chance to transform the affected into a wraith, which will be hostile towards the caster.


School of Transmutation - Adept
Branches: Enchanting, Alteration

Drain Energy – 20MP +50% of the drained Energy must be paid in MP
Allows you to drain a prone or enslaved creature of its mana or vitality.

Change Object – 30 MP, Duration 1 Hour
Allows you to temporary change the properties or shape of an object.

Store Mana – 25MP + Desired Amount
Allows you to store mana into gemstones.

Spoiler: Followers (click to show/hide)

	Skeletal Horse Permanent Slightly Damaged
	Skeletal Human Permanent

Spoiler: Mind Map (click to show/hide)

Purple Dot: Location of our Cave

" What to do~, What to do~"

[~Neri]

Would it be possible to repair the horse?

[Worldmaster27]

Going near the town or fields is probably a bad idea. Would goats have a good chance of detecting an undead ambush?

[Mr. Strange]

Would it be possible to repair the horse?

I think we did that already.

Don't underestimate undead goats, I lost my last fort to them. Only warning I got was when corpses of my guard dogs were dropped in the middle of my mining operations, then it was wave after wave of goats...

Kill goat, remove the flesh for our later consumption and reanimate the skeleton. These people will learn the horror of undead goats! Also, scout the road to desert we came from, keep an eye out for any traffic. We need to know how well these people are connected to those desert dwelling hunters, and if they will notice our "recruiting".
Make mental note to pay attention to any possible old ruins.

[~Neri]

The horse data still says "Slightly Damaged."

[Lyeos]

Kill goat, remove the flesh for our later consumption and reanimate the skeleton. These people will learn the horror of undead goats! Also, scout the road to desert we came from, keep an eye out for any traffic. We need to know how well these people are connected to those desert dwelling hunters, and if they will notice our "recruiting".
Make mental note to pay attention to any possible old ruins.

+1, but save the skeleton for a later date?

[Worldmaster27]

And yeah, +1 to undead goat horde.

[Mr. Strange]

The horse data still says "Slightly Damaged."

I think that damage was from the fight earlier, and undead don't recover on their own. Heal skelly-horse with necrosurgery?

+1, but save the skeleton for a later date?

As long as we get goat as a mascot.