Sooo... How are you doin' to-DAY! Death says, rolling a bowler hat down his arm and flipping it on his head with a welltimed shoulder toss. He's got a different cadence to him, today, as if he's a singer of some type. He certainly looks the part, with his spiffy suit and bowler hat. He looks like a skeleton with an impressive jawline, if you look past the clothing.
I'm not doing too well, I think.Mmm-hmm. I can tell, little lady. You're a step closer to undeath than before, and trust me, that's some bad jazz, ya dig?...What!? You mean to tell me this is LITERALLY killing me?He waves his finger side to side as he shakes a no.
Closer to UNDEATH, baby. Means you're close, but not quite a cigar, right? I don't... Just what are you doing?Heyyy, last guy I did figured death was a party and life's a bore. Who am I do deny 'im that kinda fun!? Fair enough... Look, I need your help. Is there any way I can control undead that don't belong to me?Hmm... Yeah, I guess so. Didn't they teach you that at the school?Controlling another necromancer's minions is considered very rude, apparentlyHm. Well, you'll be gettin' an understanding of how it works fairly soon, but... I can't guarantee it'll be easy for ya.I'll take it, anyways. Is there anything I can do about this vampire's corruption?Nope. 'Part from goin' cold turkey for a long while. Alright, so this isn't permanent, at least... One more thing, this... werewolf I killed? Its soul is still there.Mmm-hmm. Well, it brought it upon itself. not my problem that nobody's killin' it with a silvery bit of cutlery. So... Can she still feel anything?What would she feel? Ya need a brain to feel, and she's got very little grey matter knockin' 'bout right now, y'know.I... Guess that's kind of a relief. Say, honeybuns, I'd say you better hit the road. I got clients to be at, and you got vampires to deal with... Might not be best they see us minglin' the way we do, ey?Almost instantly, the connection shatters. You spit out some of the last goop that was coming through. There's quite a bit of goo, but it seems to be disappearing rapidly. You... didn't get anything about controlling those undead, though. Death's probably waiting for a more appropriate time. You delve into the book in the meantime, though.
The book doesn't mention anything about driders in particular. You suspect this book really only deals with the eldritch or things that are fundamentally wrong. So you're normal in that sense, at least. You're kind of confused as to why fluffy wamblers are in this book, though. That seems to imply something really weird about those adorable little teddy bears. As for corruption, the book only mentions that you can counter it with a more preferred corruption. So, you know, if you wanted to counter this, you could try summoning and implanting a Kos parasite. Trade in the vampirism for tentacles and a grotesque look.
Not really an option.
You do get an idea of what to do if you ever get outside, at least. It'll be the biggest web you've ever made, but if he keeps on feeding you, you should be able to manage. A web, from the tower to a nearby roof(While putting it between towers would be dandy, those things are a LONG distance away from eachother.) You'll be able to catch birds and eventually glide your way out of here. As fast as the vampire is, he can't fly. Probably.
Still, you'd need some stuff to make it work. For one, you're going to need something to "plug" your web up, so it can catch enough wind. You could try to do that with your own webbing, at least. Second, you need some way to actually hang on to it, preferably something that could hold your weight. Some way to steer would also be good, but to do that you'd need a framework and some rope to pull the wings. And you'll have to do all that without being detected, on a roof where patrols regularly see what's happening. And smuggling supplies past them all.
...On second thought, maybe sneaking past a guard and climbing down the wall would be easier. Still, catching birds and keeping distance from the man-child seems to be preferable. You'll still try out the web if you ever get outside.
You do get your little dragon started on killing whatever bug it can find. Considering the lizard was a capable predator in regards to bug catching, it shouldn't take too long to gather up a pile of little monsters. Not to mention, no mana investment! Still, it'll take a while before you get anything good, especially considering the cleaning staff is rather diligent. The introduction of traps to the castle is the only reason you'll be able to find any of them at all! Fear is a powerful motivator, you suppose.
As you loaf around the room a little more, you wonder what else you can do. The window is still too small for you, and the door remains locked. These doors are serious business, too, solid oak. The sun's already up a ways, and the vampire still hasn't called for you. You wonder if he's...
YOOO, SIDNEY!You turn to your left, your face a mask of death at the potential new threat. Instead, you see the small girl, the one that called herself a dragon, squatting in the window. This is dozens of meters in the air! How did-
Oof, ya don't like surprises, do ya? If looks could kill, i'd be dead... Meh, nah, more like a knock te ma face! What... What do you want?I wanted to have a look-see at the lady me friend's always yakkin' about. Gotta say, good stuff. You LOOK like you'd be able to knock out somebody who's explodin'Who is this friend of yours, anyhow? Can't really tell ya. Sorry. Some magical oath thing to stop us from betrayin' eachother. Might make my head pop off. Still, imma introduce you to the best thing ever: Me! Me name's Sette Hummagem, and I'm the best thief you've ever seen, period!...I see yer not clappin' yet. Fair 'nuff. You haven't seen me in action yet, have you? Anyway, I got you some clothes. That vampire shirt don't really fit you.She throws a blouse forward, having it land on the floor.
I figured you don't really use pants, but I got a skirt if ya want. This will do fine, thank you, but... Where did you get these? They're not your size/Pfft, rub it in why don't ya? My development's perfect normal fer my age!You didn't answer the question.Vamp likes his occasional concubines to dress more western. What can you do? Prolly saved that little blouse from blood spatters.You stole this from the vampire, you mean? Yup, right under his nose. He's actually sulkin' in his room right now! I don't know what ya did, but it musta been mean. I like you!She jumps inside the room, and begins to look around. She quickly takes notice of the book. You take notice of her. She really is quite small, and you think you may have been correct in saying she's hardly out of her tweens.
Heyyy, now there's a precious antique! How long have you had this?A few days. And I'd prefer to keep it, if you don't mind.Ah, don't worry. I don't steal anything that can be traced back to me easily. I don't wanna get on yer bad side quite yet. I steal for the rush, ya know? And to show the fancy ponces what for.Uhh, Uhuh...Her shirt is rather lowcut, showing off her neck as she takes a closer look at the book. You're feeling a little... odd.
Is it already that time? Can't be, you took a vial not TOO long ago!
But, then again, it's been days and you've been healing from injuries so...
Sette. I need you to leave. I've got a... problem. It's been a bit too long since I drank blood, and-What? Oh crap! Yeah, I forgot. You're ALREADY kind of a vampire. S'kinda cool, but...You can almost hear her heartbeat. You don't usually feel this thirsty about it, but...
Yeah, I'm going now. Don't like those eyes of yours. I'll, uh, hang a "do not disturb" sign outside. Yer eyes are looking a little hungry. You watch her leave, not letting her leave your eye for even a second. GOD you're thirsty. it should be this fast
You bite your lip nervously, and quickly flinch as you somehow draw blood! You suck on the wound a little to avoid making a mess, and carefully touch your teeth.
Fangs. You've grown fangs.
Oh gods.
Most of the morning seems to pass without much else happening. At least, nobody tries to enter. You, on the other hand, feel antsy, agitated. You know it's not nearly as bad as when you go completely cold turkey on blood, but that vampire's blood must make you far more dedicated towards feeding. You can't stop yourself from scratching your arms and shaking as your body feels
wrong. You need some blood in you, but you can't leave the damned room! Your arms are covered in scratches, occasionally even drawing blood. You feel like an addict, weak-willed and pathetic. A thought that does not aid your disposition. Eventually, you start hitting the door, more as a way to vent. But soon, the door is opened.
The vampire enters the room, looking quite smug.
You've been tearing this room apart, my guard says.You feel your heart beating hard enough to almost hurt.
Surely you can keep your discipline?Attack him!You need blood. He'll do.Admit you need bloodWhatever he did, it worked. You can hardly think about anything other than blood.Bite through the pain. Keep your composure.This boy will NOT get the best of you. Will use 1 RESTRAINT point.Other.An new mechanic has been added in the wake of this corruption. Explanation below.Basic StatsLevel: 10
HP: 21/35
RESTRAINT 3/3
Mana: 55/55
Stress: 45/60
Corruption: 2/10
Thirst: Craving
Items and equipment
Equipment:
Stolen shirt
Items:
Blouse and dress (not being worn, you've been distracted)
Abomination's Skull (Missing)
First Tome of Eternal Darkness
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 (Percussive) (Hidden in the dress)
Skills:
Poison Stinger (leaves a sack inside the body, which pops.)
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
Restraint points are a representation of Sydney's willpower. When she needs to make a real, true SOLID effort of willpower, she will spend one point. These points will be regained after a long rest or special events that would logically lead to her trying harder. These points will not be used to help you work past physical limitations, as Sydney will naturally do that by default. She's a survivor, after all.
I also apologize for the delay in today's update.