Tracking people down can be somewhat time-critical, and I suspect that we should depart with Omo immediately. Afterwards there may well be an opportunity to pose as a student Who is fascinated by the wards' failure and wishes to know more about them...
I think this is the most reasonable approach. Either we search now or we don't search at all. Those children may be bleeding out, and if Omo finds one sightly too late, and there's a hint it might be because you asked him to wait, it could both effect your conscience and Omo's relationship with you negatively. Besides, the ward is currently worthless, and any information we get from him might just jumble our understanding. Not that we shouldn't come back later, maybe as heroes, and investigate.
+1
This is true. I guess the plan is to take 5 minutes to try to discover where they were last seen and how long ago and forth searching them?
Yeah. I guess a few questions wouldn't hurt, if we go to him to gather clues anyway. But if there is a substantial wait, we should just gather what we can from the townspeople and leave the priest to his own device. It seems like there may be quite a line to talk with him.
+1
"You want to help them find the survivors?"Omo nods again, more firmly. He lazily twirls his staff before grounding it in the dirt.
"A Ranger like me? I won't even be gone the whole night.""Hm. Alright, then. But I'm going with you."Omo gives you a surprised look.
"Really? I figured you would want to stay here for the night to rest and eat. Since when can you track?"You lower your voice.
"It's not the kids I"ll be tracking. If there are undead out there, you'll need my talents." You raise your voice, giving Omo a joking grin.
"Besides, I may not have paid attention to the history lessons, but I did pay attention to the adventure stories! Nothing good ever happens when the heroes split up.""Ha! Alright then, let's ask Mr. Eko about the search."Just as Omo speaks his name, the doors to the temple burst open as the aforementioned priest ushers a loudly protesting villager outside. Eko Cleanvise gives the man one last shove down the street, pointing toward the line of digging villagers- the villager hesitates a moment before sullenly walking away, muttering under his breath as he goes to join the workers. Eko sighs, shaking his head before turning to go back inside. Omo, seeing his opportunity, quickly strides up to the portly priest.
"Hello! Eko Cleanvise!"Eko glowers as he turns to face you.
"Listen, I don't know why the wards failed, but I'm doing my best to find out. Leave me be, I have an injured man to tend to!"Omo holds up his hands.
"No, no, I don't care about that. My name is Omo, and this is Nym."You give Eko a small wave.
"Actually, I would like to hear an answer about the wards, but my interest is purely academic."Eko blinks, taking in your appearance.
"Eh? I didn't expect to see strangers in the village- we don't get many travelers to begin with, and these are dark times to be on the open road. Well, if you need shelter for the night, you are more than welcome to stay in my temple. I can't promise terribly good accommodations, but blankets by the fire are still better than a cold shrub by the roadside.""Actually, we heard about your troubles, and the missing children, and we'd like to volunteer for the search." Omo draws himself up proudly.
"I'm an expert tracker, better than anyone for miles around!""I appreciate your offer, but the last I've heard you won't be able to track anything. The rain has obscured what few tracks remained, and by the time you got out to the farm the sun will have set." Eko sighs heavily.
"We'll be happy to have your help tomorrow, but two small children, alone in the wilderness, surrounded by zombies, possibly injured... well, I don't have to tell you the odds are bad.""How old are the children?" You ask gently.
"We aren't sure- the zombies didn't leave any bodies at the farmhouse except for poor Cikul, and the last I heard they'd only found sign of two children. Based on the footprints we found we think that the two youngest escaped- Nelti is a six year old girl, and Rismal is an eight year old boy."Omo raises one finger, smiling broadly.
"I wasn't kidding when I said I'm the best tracker around- I don't care about the rain, and I don't care about the dark! The trail will only get colder overnight."Eko regards the ranger gravely.
"And the zombies? I'm sure the searchers are abandoning the hunt as we speak- they aren't likely to succeed where they've failed all day, and there's no need to get even more people killed by the undead threat.""We are aware of the danger, Mr. Eko, and we're willing to search anyway. Can you give us directions to the Scarletdaub farm?"Eko sighs.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you. The Scarletdaub farm is easy to find- just follow the road East, out of the village. It's the last farm on the path, within sight of Aloclesno itself- Cikul was always a brave man, willing to farm and prosper where others feared to tread. The searchers said they found the footprints by the well. Just be careful out there, and don't do anything stupid- I'll have a spot by the fire waiting for you."Making your farewells, you and Omo set out down the road to the Scarletdaub farm. Passing the line of villagers, you see that they aren't merely digging a ditch, they are also building an earthen wall to defend the village. You attract a few odd looks, but pass the workers unmolested.
The setting sun at your back casts long shadows before you as you continue down the road. Though there are plenty of farms nestled close to the village, they peter out after a mile or so- evidently, the land East of the village is not as highly prized as that to the West. A dark shadow growing on the horizon slowly resolves itself into a distant forest- Aloclesno, no doubt. Although the sun is only now dipping below the horizon, the moon is well on its way into the sky, shining down on the darkening landscape.
Twilight is giving way to full night by the time the shadowy hulk of a farmhouse looms out of the dark. The farmhouse itself sits fairly close to the road- to the right, the animal pens stand open and empty of livestock. Further back, you can see the tall wooden barn standing between the farmyard and the fields. The whole place is eerily quiet, with only the gentle breeze occasionally rustling the grass.
Omo points to the well, walking to where it is situated between the barn and the house.
"Eko said they found the footprints there, so that's where we'll start.""Do you want me to light a torch?"Omo crouches down by the side of the well, inspecting the ground.
"No, we need to preserve our night vision. Besides, I don't want to give away our position if there are any zombies out.""Can zombies see torchlight?"Omo gives you a startled glance.
"I- what are you asking me for? You're the, uh, the one who should know."You shrug.
"I haven't raised anything bigger than a fish. Actually, I think they can see the torchlight, but I don't know if they're smart enough to know to attack it."Omo grunts, slowly walking around the well. He stops, pointing at the ground.
"Here. Two barefoot children were here, one bigger than the other." He touches the ground.
"Still a little blood. These are the tracks."You follow Omo as he slowly walks away from the well, following signs only he can see.
"Is it their blood, do you think?""Impossible to tell. One of them was either bleeding or dripping blood, though." Omo scowls at the ground.
"Stupid farmers, trampling my tracks." Omo's scowl deepened as he neared the edge of the farmyard.
"They were being followed.""Followed?"Omo nods.
"A few larger creatures were right behind them- that's why the tracks are so difficult to find. I'm guessing they were being chased by zombies."Omo slowly follows the tracks away from the farmyard- rather than turning toward the cleared fields or the open road, the tracks go straight into the wilderness. Omo moves more quickly in the tall grass, pointing out broken shrubs and trampled weeds that clearly mark the passage of something large. Every now and then, Omo pauses to examine a small piece of cloth caught on a thorny bush, or a shallow, bare footprint softened by the day's drizzle- evidence that the missing children had indeed come this way.
Suddenly, you sense something. You reach out and grab Omo's arm.
"Get down!" you hiss.
Omo immediately crouches down below the grass, quickly looking around.
"What is it?" he whispers.
"Undead." You point ahead, somewhat away from the bearing of the path.
"Two of them. No, three, maybe eighty feet ahead. Four vitality each."Omo squints ahead.
"That's nearly in the forest.""That's where the trail is leading, too. Do you think the kids would run into the haunted forest?""If they thought the zombies wouldn't follow. Or maybe they just thought it would be easier to hide in the trees than out here in the grass."Now that you know where to look, you can see faint pinpoints of purple light flashing in the distance. They appear stand just short of the treeline- there is an unusually clear edge to the forest, with open plain giving way to ancient, dense forest in the space of a half dozen yards. The surrounding plain is the same thigh-high grass interspersed with taller shrubs that you've been traveling through all day.
Omo wipes his hands on his pants before hefting his quarterstaff.
"The Rangers say that most zombies are slow and flimsy. Easy to defeat if you don't get spooked. We need to get by them to follow the trail- should we fight, or do you have a better idea?"Vitality- 11/11
Mana- 12/12
XP- 20/35
Inventory- Belt Pouch (
80 Silver Pieces),
Elven Traveler Garb,
Elven Cloak, Headband, Belt Knife, Leather Backpack(Bedroll, Flint&Steel,
Weak Mana Potion, Scroll Case(4 blank Parchment,
Charcoal),
Trail Rations 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- Alert
Twenty 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- 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, Leather Backpack(50' Rope, Hatchet,
Camping Supplies),
Masterwork Elven StaffAbilities-
Track,
SurvivalistSkills-
Novice Observer,
Competent Ambusher,
Competent Staff User,
Poor Liar,
Dabbling SwimmerStatus- Determined and Nervous
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
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.
-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.
- Try to infuse vitality into the crystal to see what it does.
- See what happens if you infuse Mana and Vitality into the same crystal.
- Steal Vitality on self
1. Imbue a small, uncrushed mana crystal with mana. Cast Detect Magic on it, comparing it to a mana potion.
2. If successful, turn the imbued mana crystal into a golem using 2 vitality. It is important to later experiments that we use exactly 2 vitality. Continue observing with Detect Magic.
3. If successful, attempt to Alter Golem in order to imbue the mana cystal with the ability to cast a cheap spell using the mana stored within it when commanded to. I recommend Detect Magic, since that should be easy to test.
4. If successful, continue to have the crystal cast Detect Magic even after it has run out of mana, in order to see if it can cast the spell using vitality like a mage can. Assuming this works, we will be able to discern the conversion ratio between vitality and mana.
5. If successful and the conversion ratio is > 3 mana per 2 vitality, have a mana crystal that is able to hold at least 3 mana wrapped in thick leather with a single small hole. Firmly attach this leather-covered crystal to a stick that is suitable as a handle
6. Imbue 3 mana into the crystal before turning it into a 1 vitality golem that will cast Steal Vitality as quickly and often as it can on anything that comes within 4 feet of it, draining the vitality into itself.
7. Note to ourselves that, because Steal Vitality works on line of sight, only things that come within line of sight of the single hole in the leather will be drained of vitality.
8. Enjoy our new lightsaber.
World Map
Northwest Thrimesdur
Author
Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions (Read 685278 times)