Follow your vision, trek to the depths of the curse and commune with its source.
Inform Eko that your priority is to help people, not to end the curse, and that you are willing to let it be, or even aid it if you see no direct harm in doing so, if it means saving Omo.
Try to have the construct carry Omo.
If Eko comments on your odd behaviour, just say that you would rather not discuss it.
Can we try to clean or repair it?
I think you guys might be missing something important: We're out here with Eko. Whatever our plan is, we need to convince him to follow along with it. Trying to fix the golem and control it with necromancy.. probably wouldn't work too well.
Same problem with dragging Omo to the tree. I support that plan, but I don't know if we could convince Eko that it's a good idea to drag a comatose victim of the curse straight to the source of said curse. We might be able to say "I think I might be able to restore Omo, but I'm not confident about it. We should head towards the source of the curse, because maybe there's something there I can examine to figure this out." That seems like very flimsy reasoning from Eko's PoV, though.
As to transporting the golem... couldn't we take the legs off to make transport easier? Eko already severed a leg.
I do not support taking Omo to the tree. The tree is Mr M's Priest's lair. We've decided we don't want his help at the price of joining M. He doesn't seem to be on our side.
Even worse, if we take Eko and Omo to the necromancer's lair, Eko will think we've betrayed him and are delivering him to the necromancer. Bad idea.
I think we really need to find out if it's possible to experiment with soul transplants before trying it on Omo. Insects don't have souls, but maybe larger animals, dogs and such, might?
Repairing the construct should probably be safe and within our ability to do, but if we're going to do that, we need to tell Eko what we are first. From our actions, it's clear we care about Omo and want to defeat the necromancer, so hopefully Eko will believe us. But it's better to be honest with him than to do something stupid and have him discover we're a necromancer w/o us telling him first. If we tell Eko and repair the construct, we could take Omo somewhere else and maybe find some larger mammal to try soul transplantation on.
Have we ever asked Eko about souls? He wouldn't be able to help with the necromancy, but he might know if animals have them.
"What do we do next, Nym?" "I can't..." You shake your head, avoiding Eko's eyes.
"I need to consider my options." You abruptly stand up and walk away from the campfire. You can feel Eko's eyes following you to the construct, still idly slumped on the ground where you captured it. A brief examination tells you that, while you don't think the severed leg is easily repairable, you can probably undo the damage you did to the other leg with Impair Undead using Alter Golem to restore the connections and the other legs as a guide. This would allow the construct to walk under its own power if you use Command Undead, which is good because you don't see another way you could move the golem itself.
Of course, you'd have to find a way to explain all this to Eko.
... You sense that Eko is under a lot of stress right now. You feel that he had pinned his hopes on this disastrous expedition, and that now might not be the best time to surprise him with unsavory revelations.
You also consider simply leaving the golem here, but you are not sure if finding the source of the Curse of Aloclesno will help Omo if the golem holding his soul is not also with you. You could leave both Omo and the golem behind and try to enlist the aid of the curse on your own, but you would likely have to leave Eko behind as well to guard them. Alternately, you could follow through on your plan to do some soul transplant experiments by tracking down a larger animal; Omo said there were deer in this forest, and there are certainly birds flitting about. Of course, you're not sure if you could catch a bird by yourself, or even
find a deer; Omo was the hunter, not you. Still, it's a possibility.
Those are your options, as you see it. Now to choose one, and to figure out what you'll tell Eko.
Vitality- 10/11
Mana- 12/12
XP- 32/35
Inventory- Belt Pouch (
80 Silver Pieces),
Elven Traveler Garb,
Elven Cloak, Headband, Belt Knife,
Hatchet, Leather Backpack(Bedroll, Flint&Steel,
Weak Mana Potion, Scroll Case(4 blank Parchment,
Charcoal),
Fishing Equipment,
Spare Traveling Clothes x2,
Prestidigitation for the Beginning Practitioner by Joddo Meadtrust, Crystal(5oz))
Abilities-
Sense Necromancy(Passive),
Improved Necromantic Sight(Passive)Skills-
Competent Fisher,
Dabbling SwimmerStatus- See Vitality Active
9th Felsite,
Twenty four days since Manifestation
General
Detect Magic- 1 MP - Detects spells and magical items near you
Calm Animal- 1 MP - Causes wild animals to become peaceful
Sense Vitality- 1 MP - You can detect the Vitality of living things, with a bit of effort
Brew Mana Potion- A Mana Potion takes twice the potions potency in Mana cost, and requires 1/2 hour per point in brewing time
Waterproof- 1MP/Hour duration - Makes an object non-absorbent. Does not prevent corrosion (such as from acid or rusting) or magical effects related to water/liquid
Necromancy
Raise Zombie- ? MP - You can take the formerly living body and turn it into a zombie, but you lack understanding or even much knowledge of the particulars. It seems the mana cost is related to the overall quality of the corpse, and maybe the size?
Command Undead- 2 MP - You can merge your awareness with an undead creature, gauging its general condition and issuing explicit orders it will obey to the best of its ability. You can also give orders that will persist beyond the end of the spell.
Steal Vitality- X MP - Range: Line of Sight. You can suck the Vitality out of living things. This spell removes up to 2X Vitality from the target and gives 1/3 of it to you.
Animate Object- 4 MP - You can force Vitality into inanimate objects, things that were never alive to begin with. It seems to be more complicated than Zombification though- your Rock doesn't do anything, which is hardly useful. You'll need to experiment with this more.
Alter Golem- 2 MP- You can make basic alterations to an existing construct or animated object.
Impair Undead- 2MP- Range: 30ft (close enough to see in detail.) You blinded a zombie with this spell, and broke a construct's leg.
See Vitality- 1MP- Allows you to see the machinations of Vitality in living things as well as you see the workings of zombies with your Necromantic Sight.
Vitality- 8/13
Mana- 3/3
XP- 29/35
Inventory-
Elven Tunic,
Elven Cloak, Headband, Belt Knife, Leather Backpack(50' Rope,
Camping Supplies (pitched in Aloclesno,) Waterskin(mostly empty), Torch),
Masterwork Elven StaffAbilities-
Track,
SurvivalistSkills-
Novice Observer,
Competent Ambusher,
Competent Staff User,
Poor Liar,
Dabbling SwimmerStatus- Empty
Vitality- 12/12
Mana- 9/9
XP- 38/50
Inventory-
Priestly Robe,
Wool Cloak, Belt Knife, Flask(Sewer Brew), Leather Backpack(
Line in the Sand: Discrete Forces and Interactions by Joddo Meadtrust,
A Study of Aloclesno by Shezpa Yarnpoets, Waterskin(full), Torches x5,
Colored chalks,
Trail Rations),
Tasseled ShortspearAbilities-
Clarity,
Union with OrderSkills-
Novice Spearman,
Competent ResearcherStatus- Base Camp Minor Ward- 5 days remaining.
Sanctuary- ~4 hours remaining
General
Detect Magic- 1 MP - Detects spells and magical items near you
Sense Vitality- 1 MP - You can detect the Vitality of living things, with a bit of effort
Waterproof- 1MP/Hour duration - Makes an object non-absorbent. Does not prevent corrosion (such as from acid or rusting) or magical effects related to water/liquid
Order Wards
Ward against Disease- 1 MP - Casting time: 10 minutes. Protects an afflicted area from disease; it cannot cure, but it does prevent new infections.
Alarm- 1 MP - Casting time: 10 minutes. Creates a field that waits on a specific trigger, often the presence of a particular magical energy or the movement or destruction of a physical item. When activated, the field can either create a noise of some kind, or trigger another spell entirely. Has a duration of about one week, though each additional point of mana spent increases the duration of the ward by three or four weeks each.
Minor Ward- 1 MP - Casting time: 15 minutes, possibly longer if covering a larger or unusually shaped area (easily covers ~500 square feet.) Create a field against a specific Magical Faith in a specific place. Lasts for about a week, though each additional point of mana spent increases the duration of the ward by three or four weeks each. Can be centered on a person or object instead for 3 MP total; duration increases are scaled to hours in this case, and the area is reduced to ~60 square feet.
Major Ward- 3 MP - Casting time: 30 minutes, possibly longer if covering a larger area. As Minor Ward, but the field is strong enough to disrupt concentrations of the Magic in question, potentially causing spell failure. Durations are measured in days. Can be centered on a person or object for 9 MP instead, with a duration measured in half-hours.
Sanctuary- 9 MP - Casting time: 30 minutes, possibly longer if covering a larger area. As Major Ward, but the field is strong enough to physically halt or oppose creatures and objects strongly imbued with the Magic in question. This field cannot be tied to a person or object, and the field is not physically tied to the area it is cast.
Order Divinations
Diagnosis- 2 MP - Casting time: 5 minutes. Range: Touch. Provides overall impressions of a being's Vitality network, providing important clues to the maladies they may be suffering from.
Detect Thoughts- 2 MP - Range: 5ft. Detects the mindset of a creature or person, providing clues about their intentions and emotional state. Works less well on those who are strong of will.
Probe Thoughts- 4 MP - Range: 5ft. Detects the surface thoughts of a person, though it works less well on those who are strong of will.
Detect Undead- X MP - Detects the presence of zombies animated by a Necromancer, including a vague sense of direction (but not distance.) Each point of mana spent on the spell increases the radius by about half a mile.
Clairaudience- 3 MP - Range: 500ft. Allows you to hear at a distance by creating an invisible magical sensor at the location. Does not require line of sight, but the location of the sensor must be well known to the caster. Reduce the MP cost by one if the location of the sensor has been prepared beforehand (10 minutes of preparation time at physical location)
Order Equations
Minor Counterspell- 2 MP - Disrupts the casting of a specific spell; easily resisted, target can overcome Counterspell by spending extra mana.
Minor Mana Diffusion- 2 MP - Range: 30ft. Reduces the mana reserves of a target creature by 4 MP; easily resisted
Minor Abjuration- 3 MP - Range: 30ft. Corrects unequal distributions of magical energy; in practice, causes spells to dissipate and repulses magical creatures.
Omo Thunderjaw- Your best friend, brave and true. He is currently an aspiring Ranger, and is eager to leave the Vale.
Eko Cleanvise- The priest of the village of Bedscaled, his wards against the undead have failed him
Bale Matchedstones- The Knight tasked with investigating the crises in Bedscaled.
Curo Nightroar- The Necromancer of Thrimesdur, said to be insane, he controls a massive army of the Undead and threatens the Cremated Empire.
Pirate King- The Necromancer operating along the Jeweled Coast, he commands a mixed force of human and lizardfolk pirates along with his undead minions.
Fale Packunion- A mysterious figure who appeared to you in a dream, attempting to recruit you to the cause of his Death God. May or may not be the Pirate King or some other known figure.
Morka- The aforementioned Death God. You know basically nothing about him/her/it, except his link to the other Necromancers.
World Map
Northwest Thrimesdur
Author
Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions (Read 684991 times)