Technically my vote was checking out caravan and rumours and NOT waiting for the council (unless Omo fails to provide a good reason for us not to leave immediately, which we should talk to him about)
As was mine.
As was mine. though if the rumors give reason to wait for the council, then we should wait longer. but we need info.
Omo shovels some eggs into his mouth.
So, what now?Well, I've got a couple odds and ends to buy, and I'd like to hear about these Necromancers first-hand. How about I go take care of that, while you finish eating and pack up- we'll meet back here, alright?Sounds like a plan- don't take all day though.Shouldering your pack, you leave Omo to his meal and head deeper into the Fair. It is early, but there is already a hustle and bustle as elves move about. Many of them are going to the Caravan themselves, hoping to beat the crush. Some elves are getting the day's celebration started early, and music and song drifts through the trees.
After a few minutes of walking, you emerge from the forest into a massive clearing, and get your first sight of the Fair. The merchants travel in vehicles that are less wagons than miniature houses on wheels. Most of them are painted white, but splashes of garish color are evident throughout the assembly. Each wagon is drawn up a bit apart from the others, and is surrounded by tables and tents holding the merchant's wares. The net effect is that each wagon (or small group of wagons) operates as an island in a sea of elves, competing with one another to draw the largest crowds. Despite the early hour, many elves are already browsing the wares, and there is a general cacophony of feverish haggling, merchants advertising their wares, bellows of strange animals and the low roar of conversation and music associated with a massive group of elves.
You join the mob, flowing with the crowd from stall to booth to tent, admiring the exotic wares. Fine silks from Dwarven lands are sold at a premium, as are strange spices and herbs from the Black Swamps. One booth has a wide variety of weaponry from across the world, halberds and enormous longbows from Thrimesdur hanging alongside Dwarf-made silver warhammers and steel battleaxes. A loud argument erupts between a merchant selling a fine glass figurine and the elf who (apparently) feels the Emerald dye he is offering is more than worth the cost.
But enough sightseeing- you're here for business! A bit of wheeling and dealing later sees you in the possession of 2 days of Trail Rations, your own Bedroll, 4 sheets of Parchment, 10 bits of charcoal and a plain (but sturdy) Scroll Case, all for a grand total of 3 silver and 9 copper, leaving you with 2.7 silver left over.
As you shop, you also keep your ears peeled for news of the outside world- the talk of the Caravan is all about the Thrimesdur Necromancer. After talking with a dozen merchants, laborers, and caravan guards, you learn that although few agree on his origins, all agree that Curo Nightroars first came onto the world stage when he took two dozen zombies armed with rusted old swords, pitchforks, and torches, and razed a small village in the middle of the night, shortly before the Winter Solstice. When the local Baron received word from the survivors, he sent messengers to his neighbors and rode forth to squash him- when his neighbors arrived to help, they were confronted by a small army of the undead led by the bloated corpse of the Baron. They were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the undead, and those who did not flee were slain.
As winter grew colder and harder, the various barons and counts who mustered armies were unable to march in the ice and muck- a problem that Nightroars did not suffer. He sacked several more towns before he turned his growing horde against the encamped nobility- reports indicate that they were overcome by the great number of undead as well as by crippling morale problems. By the time the Spring thaw arrived, Nightroars had razed a number of small cities on his march north from the coast. He was confronted by the Duke of Mesmmori, the son of the Emperor, commanding the Imperial Army- somehow, even lacking a distinct numerical advantage, Nightroars crushed the Imperial forces and added their corpses to his own horde.
Few who come into contact with Curo Nightroars or his undead army live to tell the tale, and with no organized resistance there is no telling which way he has gone. The popular belief is that he has marched to the Capital to dethrone the Emperor himself- others say that he is marching towards the rich cities of the Great River, and a few insist he is building himself a city of his own, the seat of a new Undead Empire.
When you redirect conversation towards the other Necromancer, you receive much less information. Nobody knows his name, only referring to him as the Pirate King. His existence has been speculated at for a few years now, as pirate raids became more coordinated and effective. He was not known to be a Necromancer until this winter, when a band of skeletons proved instrumental in a daring pirate raid that stole a dozen warships while they lay at harbor. Nobody knows his agenda or home base, but he apparently has allies among the living Pirate Lords as well a prominent band of Lizardfolk mercenaries.
Apart from that, you don't get much more than Omo gave you in his summary- banditry is rampant the world over, the monstrous races are increasingly aggressive, evil creatures of the night are arising, so on and so forth. The Caravan folk are clearly nervous about all of it, the listening elves less so- it all feels rather removed from the quiet simplicity of life in the Vale. With your new items carefully stowed away, you begin to pick your way back through the crowd, back to Omo. As you reach the edge of the Caravan, however, you catch a flash of purple out the corner of your eye. Turning, you face a low tent filled with odd statues, figurines, and books.
Against the back wall, an onyx medallion burns with Necromantic energy.
You hesitate, then duck inside. The dim interior is laden with a great many strange objects, most of them bearing the weight of ages. One other elf is examining a row of uncut gemstones on a table, and a youth gleefully inspects the skull of an exotic beast. The tent is otherwise empty, apart from the proprietor, a fat, greasy man with a scraggly beard.
Hello, hello, welcome to my shop! What catches your eye, milady elf? If it isn't in this tent, it is not worth having!I'm sure. Actually, I was wondering about that medallion- it bears a strange engraving.Yes indeed, yes indeed- I bought this piece from an associate of mine, who bought it from a lieutenant in the Imperial Army who, so the story goes, found it in the rubble he helped make of a goblin village.As he speaks, the merchant lowers the medallion from its hook. Up close, it appears to have an engraving of two ravens with their talons entwined, inscribed in a neat circle. The etching appears to be inlaid with an unknown bluish metal, giving the medallion a smooth, reflective surface. To your Necromantic Sight, the eyes of the ravens blaze, as does the circle they are inscribed in. As he holds it up for your inspection, the air almost seems to pulse between you and it- or so it seems, as neither the proprietor nor the other elf take any notice.
A goblin village, you say? Surely such craftsmanship is beyond them!I agree with you wholeheartedly, milady, and it is my contention that this is a relic of ages past. It looks dwarf-made to my eyes. A fine people, the dwarves, and fine crafts they make! When my suppositions are confirmed by the artisans of the Jeweled Coast, I'll make quite a handsome profit selling it!I see. And how much are you expecting to sell it for?I hope for the world, but for its obvious beauty and age alone the piece is worth a hundred gold!The merchant puts the medallion back on its hook, and tries to interest you in a vial of perfume- you humor him to deflect suspicion, but your mind is whirling. If that medallion is dwarf made, then the sky is green- dwarves are given to angles and hard lines, and the engraving is almost entirely composed of curves, spirals and circles. Whoever made it, you'd wager anything that a Necromancer came into contact with it at some point. Could this be one of the Artifacts of Power that Ari Wetdawn alluded to, but for Necromancers?
What to do now? You can still sense the medallion, even when not looking at it, and it seems to beckon with a promise of power. But how could you get it? You can't afford a tenth of his asking price! Perhaps it would be best to try and force the medallion from your thoughts, and just leave as planned. Although you haven't seen Elana, or anyone else you know yet for that matter...
Vitality- 10/10
Mana- 12/12
XP- 19/20
Inventory- Belt Pouch (
2.7 Silver Pieces),
Elven Traveler Garb,
Elven Cloak, Belt Knife, Leather Backpack (Bedroll, Flint&Steel, Small Empty Potion Bottle, Scroll Case(4 blank Parchment,
Charcoal),
Trail Rations Fishing Equipment,
Spare Traveling Clothes x2)
Abilities-
Sense Necromancy(Passive)Skills-
Competent FisherStatus- Awake
Eight 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
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- 3 MP - Range: Line of Effect. You can suck the Vitality out of living things. This spell removes up to 6 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.
Vitality- 13/13
Mana- 3/3
XP- 20/30
Inventory-
Elven Tunic,
Elven Cloak, Belt Knife, 50' Rope, Hatchet,
Camping Supplies,
Masterwork Elven StaffAbilities-
Track,
SurvivalistSkills-
Novice Observer,
Competent Ambusher,
Competent Staff User,
Poor LiarStatus- Dandy
Your Parents- Your mother is a prominent Mage serving in Yicelafo itself, and your father is a Ranger Lieutenant, currently patrolling the borders.
Omo Thunderjaw- Your best friend, brave and true. He is currently an aspiring Ranger, and is currently home on leave.
Elana Foundwasps- An old flame of yours, she is currently studying with the Mage the next town over.
Pevo Zephyrtempest- The village Sage- you can ask him for knowledge of what history the elves possess. He is somewhat absent minded and easily distracted.
Ari Wetdawn- The village Mage, here to cure ills and bless crops. He knows much of Life magic as well as magic in general, but is also most likely to discern your true nature.
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.
-This one's a bit morbid, but bear with me. Take two crayfish. Shell one, leaving the meat inside as intact as possible. Remove the flesh from the second while leaving the shell as intact as possible. Attempt to revive both and compare the results. Is vitality in flesh or in bone? In both? Neither? Regardless of what we find, it should prove instructive.
-Try to find out if zombies have a memory, if they can be made to recognize specific objects. I recomend starting with a ball or something, and instructing a zombie to follow that specific ball wherever it goes. After testing it to make sure it works how we expect, substitute in another ball that has a different colour or a different size, and see if the zombie knows it isn't the right ball to follow. We can move to more abstract things from there, like having if understand things like "any ball" "any non-red ball" "the biggest ball" and stuff like that, or even to sort a pile of pebbles into stacks by colour.
-Attempt to raise a pile of ashes from a cremated corpse.
-Raise an earthworm and then, once it is raised, cut it in half at the border between two segments. Which ends, if any, are still animate? Continue cutting into halves at segment lines until all parts are dead or it has been divided into a prostomium, peristomium, pygidium and a pile of ordinary segments.
-See how much damage a dead body can sustain before it is unraisable
-Also, it seemed interesting that the loop was recognized as the center of life. We should test raising different rope Golems, some who are linear, some who are looped or knotted in different ways. How does the golem react to music, and what if we made one out of clay, with more distinguished features?
- Test Command Undead by commanding something you've raised to self-terminate. A further test of this would be if it could work on the undead that other necromancers have summoned.
- Test Command Undead, and see if can you over-ride commands given to a zombie summoned by another necromancer. Does the zombie respond to the most recent order given, or does it have loyalty to whomever summoned it? Or maybe it is under the control of the more powerful of the two necromancers.
- For Animate Object, see if you can make an object levitate, or move to your will. Maybe this could develop into telekinesis..
- we should try pricking our finger, and stealing the vitality of an insect or something, and see if it will heal the cut.
- Another thing we need to play with is fire. Fire golem? HELL YES.
-Play with blood. Maybe that's what the golem needs. Blood. Mix some of your own blood into the clay.
-Like we tried to be the ropeman when we raised our first golem, we can try to be the earth when we make a clay or earthen golem, etc.
World Map
Yicelafo
Author
Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions (Read 685796 times)