Well, since that's not the main reason I want to stay, explain the REST of our reasoning - We still need to ask him if HE can make mana potions, and then say Pevo offered to teach us. If Omo doesn't know how, we can skip that. Truth be told... we'd really like to speak to Elana and our parents before we leave.
As far as planning, telling him that's important too - and that we want to travel to the ancient elven homelands, if possible.
Fuck the amulet, really, those should be our priorities.
Agreed on all counts. especially the mana potion thing. though they seem rather worthless to us (due to intoxicating effect), they will be valuable trade goods. We need em bad.
Eh? What brought this on? Not an hour ago you were bucking to leave ASAP!Well, I've still got some things I'd like to learn first- like you said, I don't have many practical skills, so I need everything I can get. For instance, do you know how to make Mana Potions?What? No, I don't have the Mana or patience for it.Neither do I, but from what Pevo was telling me it sounds like an easy way to make a buck, and he's offered to teach me. Not to mention I haven't said any goodbyes yet, and we should probably do some more planning before we go.So, what, you want to hang around Yicelafo another week? Ask the Elders for permission to leave the Vale?That's Plan A, yeah- I'll be leaving one way or another, it just depends how creative I'll have to be.*sigh* Alright, we'll try it your way. I just finished taking down the tent, too...Which reminds me, you snore like an ox.Oxen snore?Well, you're both big, dumb, and stinky, so if you snore it stands to reason they snore as well.Ouch! Spare me your rapier wit!I will- I'll be staying at my mother's home in the city.Fair enough- have you told your mother you're leaving yet?Well, I wrote her a letter a few days ago, so she should have gotten that by now.I see. Well, if she throws you out, I've got a nice warm tent out here for ya.Thanks. I'll see you around, I'm gonna see who all made it out to the Fair today.Keep me in the loop, alright?So, here's the plan: Ask the merchant's name and if he'd be willing to meet us back here tonight, after his shop's closed down for the night, to discuss a business deal. Then we go learn to make mana potions. Once we're done, go visit Elana, let Omo know that we're going to crash at our mother's tonight in order to escape his snoring and then meet up the merchant and offer him the deal. If he accepts, we're golden. If not, we can always try one of those other plans.
Leaving Omo to pitch his tent, you set off in search of Pevo and a potion-making tutorial. Considering it unlikely that Pevo would be sleeping beneath the stars, you figure the best place to start looking would be the main Temple of Yicelafo. Crossing Canopy Bridge, you make your way northward into the Forest Retreat- most of the homes are in the branches of the preternaturally large trees, though as it gets more densely populated you start passing homes and small market stalls on ground level. The grass here is soft and springy despite the tramping of hundreds of elven feet, and the air smells rich and clean even with the increased habitation.
You shortly arrive at the Great Temple of Yicelafo- a massive structure nestled in the branches of an enormous Oak, connected via rope bridge to the surrounding trees, the center of
Life in the Young Vale. Though similar in layout to your home temple, the Great Temple dwarfs it in every scale you care to apply. The broad, grassy area surrounding the trunk is often used for dancing and other celebrations, though now it only has a few elves communing with nature.
Climbing the ramp that spirals about the trunk of the central tree, you ask after Pevo, and are eventually directed to the guest quarters- sure enough, you find Pevo here, reading a book on his bed.
Hey, Pevo!Nym! So nice of you to visit. Here for the Fair, I take it?That, and to ask the Elders permission to leave the Vale.Hm. You've heard the news?I have.And you still want to go?I do.I see. Well, if nothing has changed for you, then nothing has changed for me.Really? I thought you might try to talk me out of it.There aren't many in the Vale as old as I am- if there is one thing my age has taught me, it's that everything happens for a reason, including your Wanderlust, I warrant.Being old makes you a fatalist?Heh- maybe it's just me. Well, I spoke with the Elders shortly after I arrived, and while I was at it I put in a good word for you. I don't know what good I did, but maybe you have a better chance than before.Thank you, Pevo. Actually, so long as I'm here, I was wondering if your offer to teach me to make Mana Potions was still good?Certainly, certainly! Here, let me get my things.Pevo begins rummaging through drawers, pulling out mortar and pestle, a small pouch, an empty bottle, a bucket and a broad bowl. He hands you the bucket, and begins laying out the supplies on his dresser.
Alright, first thing's first- to make a potion you need liquid. Any will do, though I recommend something that isn't too thick, since the crystals will make it more difficult to drink as it is. There's a cistern down the ramp, big ol' hatch in the ground, can't miss it.Any liquid? I was under the impression you needed booze, since that Mana potion you gave me tasted like Sunberries.Hah! So you DID drink it! Oh, that's funny- it was going to be a practical joke on Ari, but you seemed so enthused I couldn't say no.Wait... so you got me drunk as a dwarf for a laugh?You insisted! That's why it's so funny! Hoho, oh mercy... well, what are you waiting for? Go get some water!You go retrieve a bucket of water, trying to decide whether to be angry. On the one hand, Pevo was grossly irresponsible and immature- on the other hand, you did ask for it. You decide that, for now, it's more important to preserve your dignity and learn how to make potions; you can dress him down later if you still feel mad.
Alright, Pevo, here's your water.Grand! So, let's begin. Opening the pouch, he pulls a small, purplish-pink crystal from it.
This is a Crystal, an important ingredient in many magical enterprises and the most important part of Potion-making. The Crystals are what is going to hold the Mana you infuse the potion with. This shard will hold about 1 Mana, and since I'd like to have a useful potion when I'm done I'll be using 2 shards.So the potion will end up restoring 2 Mana, right?Right. Now, I'll take my pestle here, and grind it up as fine as I can. We need to get it down to about the consistency of sand, so it'll dissolve properly. Technically, you don't need to get it that fine, but if you don't you'll have chunks of crystal in your potion, which will be tough to swallow at the very least.How big can you get away with? Say, if you were in a hurry.If you're in a hurry, you're in trouble because the important step is also the most time consuming. The biggest thing with size is, the Crystals are sharp, so if they're too large they'll cut you up pretty good- this is why you can't just infuse a crystal and eat it without any liquid at all. Here, you've still got that empty potion bottle, right? Have a couple crystals, make your own alongside mine.You accept a pair of crystals and mortar and pestle and start crushing them- you find that the individual shards are fairly sturdy, but a smart blow will fracture them, and from there it's a chore of fracturing them smaller and smaller until you can properly grind them. Soon, you both have a fine, sparkly pink powder.
Alright, that should be good enough. Now, we've each got enough powder for 2 Mana. It doesn't matter how much water this gets dissolved in- ideally, you want it to be enough that the potion isn't too grainy or sludgy, but not so much you have to drink a liter of the stuff just for 2 Mana. Most potion bottles are sized to provide a good compromise, unless you're making an outlandishly strong potion.How strong can you make a potion?There is no hard limit, but only half of the Mana you apply to the spell is going to be infused, and it takes longer the more Mana you pump into it. Here, fill your potion bottle with water, then sprinkle the powder in, like so. Then shake it good, get it all mixed up in there.You follow Pevo's example, and are rewarded with a sparkly pink drink. Swirling it around, it appears that the Crystal has dissolved completely.
Great- now the hard part. The crystals in that solution will absorb up to 2 Mana, but they'll do so very slowly.How slowly?A solid hour, probably. You need to release your Mana slowly, so that it can absorb as much of it as possible- like I said, you'll still lose half of the Mana spent just because you can't possibly release it that slowly. The annoying part of the process is that if you lose control of the spell, even for an instant, all your work will be wasted and you'll have to start from scratch.What, and get new Crystal too? Why can't you just start over from the Mana releasing part? Heck, why won't it hold the Mana you've already put in over the previous 50 minutes?It's complicated- a Mage could give you the technical explanation, and might even use terminology you'd understand, but the gist of it is that the Crystal can absorb Mana quite well, but the last bit of the spell involves "sealing" the Mana inside. The Mage who taught me said it was like filling a pouch with marbles and then sewing it shut so they don't spill out.Wait, so if you're sealing the Mana in the Crystal, how does it get into your body when you drink it?You're a great one for questions, aren't you? I don't know, I just know that if you lose your concentration or botch the last step you've wasted a great deal of time. Now, carefully- focus your energies, and slowly direct them at the potion.Following Pevo's lead, you gather your Mana and force it at the potion. It feels rather similar to when you manipulated raw Vitality, and you quickly get the knack of focusing it on your target. You can feel some small portion of it being absorbed, the rest dissipating into nothing. With effort, you scale your mana use back to the half and half point Pevo mentioned. It takes significant concentration, but you and Pevo are undisturbed. The hour seems to pass quickly, and finally Pevo demonstrates how to complete the spell.
And that should do it! Well done- I didn't get it, my first time. But then again, I recall you had surprising magical potential, given your lack of innate talent.Yeah- so this is worth 2 Mana, then?Yes. A Mana Potion takes twice the Mana to make, and about half an hour per point of Mana, but the potion lasts indefinitely and is rather valuable.How valuable is valuable?Oh, I'd expect that potion right there to market for 50 silver. Bear in mind, most of that cost includes the price of Crystal- those shards were about 20 silver apiece. Still, the increased effort and relative lack of powerful magic users makes the more potent potions much more valuable- as I recall, you had 10 Mana when you were last tested? That means you can make a potion with 5 Mana, for 100 silver worth of Crystal, and sell it for, say, 140? Not bad for two and a half hours wage!I'll take your word for it, Pevo. Thank you!No problem, no problem. Good luck with the Elders!You emerge from the Great Temple with a new potion and a new skill. There are still a couple hours until sunset and your scheduled meeting with the merchant Luki Revereorder. In the interim, You could go visit your Mother and let her know you're staying the night, or you could try to find Elana Foundwasps- she's probably out in the encampment someplace, though it may be tricky to find her in the mass (and you aren't sure what all you want to say to her.) You might also want to spend an hour or two plotting with Omo- on the one hand, you want to visit the burned remnants of the Sacred Grove north of Thrimesdur, but on the other hand your plan to hitch a ride with the Caravan takes you in exactly the wrong direction. You should get that figured out.
Vitality- 10/10
Mana- 8/12
XP- 19/20
Inventory- Belt Pouch (
2.7 Silver Pieces),
Elven Traveler Garb,
Elven Cloak, Belt Knife, Leather Backpack (Bedroll, Flint&Steel,
Weak Mana Potion, Scroll Case(4 blank Parchment,
Charcoal),
Trail Rations Fishing Equipment,
Spare Traveling Clothes x2)
Abilities-
Sense Necromancy(Passive)Skills-
Competent FisherStatus- Fine
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
Brew Mana Potion- A Mana Potion takes twice the potions potency in Mana cost, and requires 1/2 hour per point in brewing time
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- Fidgety
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.
Luki Revereorder- a Merchant who possesses many strange things
-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 685772 times)