It wouldn't do to be worthless, right now, and you aren't that excited about the idea of the vampire making another sudden visit in the middle of camp. It's probably best to scout the forest out a little, even in the dark. Your night vision isn't awful, but you're not nearly at the level of Eveline or ratlings. And Eveline isn't that exceptional, come to think of it, just above average. At any rate, you're still going to have a little scout. You decide against waking your companions, and set off. As you walk, you also decide to open up your cookbook again. You use a passive little death-bolt to cast some light. You just hold it in your hand like a little flame to help light your way and the book. To be honest, it doesn't really give off light or anything, but it's more that it... absorbs the darkness? It has the same principle, easier to see, but it's enough of a change to comment on.
Man, being a necromancer is cool. That also reminds you to maybe get something more combat effective than a giant spider as a minion. Or the little lizard. It can glide on those little wings you made for it, but not that well. At least it can lash out a little flame-tongue. Not that it'd kill anything more dangerous than a dust mite, and it could just bite for the same effect except faster. Still, you got a B- for it.
The forest is as empty as always, it seems. Little more than the usual recipes are here, squirrel stew, mouse paté, about thirty recipes with just the local plants (apparently, there are some exceptionally poisonous berries that are very healthy if cooked properly)... The forbidden section has recipes for kobolt and human. Those'd be your friends, of course. Looks like there aren't any real threats around, and the ultra bearine is out of range for the book. You don't really feel like scouring the cave for that thing, as it's still kind of a nasty cave. Spiders DO poop, you know, and it's a watery business. It's kind of like birds, in that regard. Eventually, however, you notice a the jostling of something new on your back. You hadn't been paying that much attention to it before, but it's clear you've got something new...
Looks like the queen's been looting. Well, you don't really care where it came from. It's new, and you're just a teensy bit bored.
You take the tome off your back, and take a good look at it. The title's in a language you can't quite read, but the book cover gives you enough of a hint. It's a leatherbound book, with strange demonic fingers holding the sides together. A skull is attached to the top of the spine of the book, a spine that seems to be rather literal, besides. The title looks more like a single mark, too.
It should have been enough to stop you, but you just... can't help yourself. You carefully try to open the book, and the fingers
creak as they pull away behind the book, bending more than the finger should allow. Faintly, you swear you could hear the quiet little pop every time they seem to break. With your heart-rate increasing, you open the book to the first page. It seems to be two symbols.
The significance is lost on you, although you do get a faint headache from looking at it. You turn to the next page, which is a lot more meaningful, at least. It seems like a well-annotated textbook on... You're not quite sure. The drawings show some disturbing imagery, however, showing creatures that seem look like a dog and a squid were mixed and then turned inside-out. The text itself seems to think these creatures are about as awful as you could expect, describing them as the dogs of the final, maddening days. The annotations become more and more incoherent as the description goes on. These "Flesh Hounds" aren't even close to the most dangerous thing around, but their presence seems to imply much worse. Exactly WHAT it implies is unclear. It seems to ramble about a horrible, unspeakable truth of the world, one that the annotator seemed to be unfit to properly write. At any rate, you ARE very interested. Especially when you see the most important part of this book.
The summoning ritual. Apparently, it's deceptively simple. All you need is to write the marks in a circle, and place the book in the middle as you say the incantations. They will be bound to your will, "in the most direct way possible", whatever that means. Surprisingly though, this process will require some mana. It makes some sense, however, considering you only need to write some symbols. The book must also be a rather rare ingredient.
The annotations change a little bit here, a different handwriting.
"Avoid summoning at all costs. Previous owner devoured."Well, you'll NOT be using that thing, then. Although...
Suddenly, you notice some ink splotches rearrange before your eyes. You only barely resist dropping the book in shock, and continue watching as the splotches form a very neat handwriting.
The hounds do as the master wills. Even if the master does not know it himself.You blink, and the message is gone once more.
You decide to leave the book at that, and only when you close it do you realize you didn't need light (or negative darkness) to read that tome.
There is great power in this book, if that was the first chapter. The annotations seem to be the safest thing to read, besides, as they contain accounts of the previous owners. You suspect this may be the ONLY way to discover things about the eldritch without harming yourself.
Still, the book makes you uneasy. The skull along the spine seems to stare at you, and you swear that skeletal grin is not just because it lacks lips.
You won't be leaving this book behind, that's for sure.
Map
Basic Stats
Level: 10
HP: 30/30
Mana: 53/53
Stress: 05/61
Thirst: Sated
Items and equipment
Equipment:
Carapaced leather armor
Vampire's Blade
Gardener's Shield
Bolas(x4)
Handmade Bola
Items:
Spare Clothing (x2)
First Tome of Eternal Darkness
Blood Vials (x7)
Poisonbox
Journal
Spellbook
Cookbook
Stashed away:
Spare clothing (x13)
Fancy clothing
Skills and spells
Magic:
Resurrect vermin: Allows you to resurrect very small creatures such as rats(invests 2 of your max mana) (no mana cost)
Resurrect average beast: Allows you to resurrect creatures such as dogs, cats and other similar-sized creatures.(invests 7 mana) (no mana cost)
Resurrect Humanoid: Allows you to resurrect humanoid creatures. (Invests 10 mana) (Costs 15 mana)
Reshape minion plus!: Allows you to majorly change the appearance of your resurrected minions.
Minion Vision: Allows you to see what a minion sees. The minion must have eyes.
Animate Piece: Allows you to animate just a piece of dead tissue. It requires your constant attention, and cannot act independently. (Drains 1 mana per three seconds)
Graft: Allows you to use dead tissue as a replacement limb. Requires a lot of mana. (2 per second) (average limb takes around 20 seconds to properly graft)
Gather Soul: Allows you to make a soul visible. You could try putting it in a flame of some sort to keep it around. (10 mana)
Soul battery: Allows you to use a soul-infused flame as a small mana-boost. This snuffs it out, however
Undead flashbang: Allows you to blow up a minion for a flash-bang effect. (10 mana)
Stitch: allows you to close a wound and stop bleeding as fast as you can stitch. Costs very little mana, but requires something to stitch with.
Siphoning Cloud: Breathe out a cloud that drains the life from victims and gives it to you. Adds a LOT to intimidation (5 mana)
Smoke Cloud: Breathe out harmless but thick smoke. (2 mana)
Deathbolt: A bolt that hurts the body's connection with it's soul. Causes minor wounds to appear over the body as it attempts to compensate (2 mana)
Doombolt: A more powerful version of the above (5 Mana)
Familiar
Tiny Skeletal Dragon (a little toasted)
Skills:
Poison Stinger (leaves a sack inside the body, which pops. Makes it easier to "defuse")
Crossbow usage: Novice
Oral Fixation: Can cast spells spells from the mouth.
Draining Limbs: Can drain blood using pedipalps.
Major experience in blocking and swords.
Climber
Crafty: Bolas
Cooking skill: Excellent
Corpse Cutting: Quite Decent.
Animal handling: inexperienced.
Necromantic knowledge
Soul Sniffer
Author
Topic: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure (Ended) (Read 188569 times)