First priority!!!!
The cold hand of the zombie scratches a furrow down Omo's arm
Magically inspect Omo and his injury for traces of necromancy
We don't yet know know if it's contractible. Is the magic effect contagious? Do humans killed by zombies become zombies? Is transfer of fluids enough? We need to know, and if there are any necromantic traces left in Omo's injury Get it out.
Good catch, I forgot about that.
We should definitely check Omo's injury immediately, but I don't think that we have much to worry about. These are almost certainly good old raised corpses, not the modern viral zombie fad. All the same, I wouldn't put it past whichever necromancer we're facing to develop some sort of spell that makes injuries fester via the draining of vitality or something similar.
You walk over to Omo and grab his arm, ignoring his protests.
"Omo, you don't have any idea where that zombie's been! Let me clean it out." Thankfully, your Necromantic Sight reveals no traces of magic- you've heard stories of monsters that can spread like an infection, but you see nothing to suggest that these zombies possess that ability. You do see a fair bit of mud in the wound, though, and a brief glance at your controlled zombie's hands confirm that not only are they filthy, they are partially rotten. Taking the waterskin from Omo's pack, you carefully clean out the scratches before improvising a bandage out of a clean pair of socks.
"Would you cut that out, Nym! That smarts!""There are no Life Mages out here if you get an infection, you big baby. Hopefully that priest can do a better job of dressing it when we get back to the village."Take this chance to more carefully examine the zombie up close before we do
We still don't know the location of the kids yet, we made need the mana and a Destroy Undead spell can be practiced just as easily on our own creations as it can be on this thing. I say we just have the thing stand still and cut off its head, then go search for the kids in the forest.
Or alternatively, have the zombie walk past the tree line before us after we make sure that the kids aren't withing sight range. This would test if there's any specific reason why they aren't entering like an insta-death field of some sort. If the undead can't enter for some reason it could be used as shelter for the village people.
This.
After admiring your handiwork on Omo's arm, you take the opportunity to admire the handiwork of some other Necromancer, presumably Curo Nightroar. The Necromantic Energy making up the zombie you've commanded is quite intricate. Whether this is due to the skill of the Necromancer, the quality of the base corpse, or your own improved Necromantic Sight is unclear- you'll have to raise some more zombies for comparison purposes. In life, the zombie was probably a middle-aged man. It's difficult to tell more than that, as much of the creature's flesh is rotten and bloated. The left leg is especially rotten, and upon closer inspection appears to have been mangled rather thoroughly.
With a thought, you direct the zombie to begin walking into the forest. Omo steps back in surprise.
"What is it doing?""I'm sending it into the forest. I want to know if there's some reas...on..." Your mouth hangs open, astonished. As the zombie steps beneath the branches of the forest, it disappears from your Necromantic Sight.
Hastily, you command it to stop walking- you are still in direct mental contact. You can see the zombie obediently standing in front of a tree, but you cannot see the Necromantic Energy that animates it. You quickly review the zombie's status- it seems unharmed. Completely unchanged, in fact. Commanding it to turn around, you are again surprised by what the zombie sees- namely, nothing. You and Omo are invisible as far as the zombie is concerned, although it can still see the rock Omo is leaning against and the tall grass that rustles in the cold night breeze.
"It couldn't see them.""What?""That's why the zombies didn't chase the kids any further. Once they got under the trees, the zombies couldn't see them, so they stopped chasing them.""And just stood around all day?" Omo says doubtfully.
"I guess." You shrug.
"Let me check this quick."A quick experiment confirms your suspicions- when you swap places with your zombie, you remain invisible to the zombie's sense. Waving Omo to join you, you watch through the zombie's eyes as the elf disappears between one step and the next, right at the edge of the trees.
"So what does it mean? Why can't it see what's in the forest?""I don't know. It just can't."Oh well, destroy the commanded zombie, and keep looking for the kids. If we manage to save the kids and the town wants to give us a reward, try to see if we can manage getting a polearm out of it. Also, once in town, remember to clean and treat Omo's wound.
well, okay then. We could try and refine our Impair Undead spell into a true Destroy Undead spell, or we could save our mana and just kill the zombie.
Maybe later. Right now a hatchet to the head should be better. Order it not to move nor resist. That, or order it to bash itself on the head. We can try to refine the spell once we are in a more controlled situation.
"What are you going to do with... that?" Omo says, gesturing toward the zombie in distaste.
"I think I've learned all I can here." You say, commanding the zombie to lie down.
"Do you want to do the honors?""Yeah, sure. Lovely." Omo hefts his quarterstaff, eying the zombie, then swings it over his head like a great club. The zombie's skull bursts like a rotten watermelon, splashing bits of grey matter and blood everywhere. Your stomach turns uneasily, and Omo glowers at the end of his staff, trying to wipe off the bloody mess in the dirt.
"This Necromancy stuff is gross.""Did I ever tell you about the fish I swallowed?""...no?" "I'll tell you later, when my stomach isn't so queasy. Let's get on with it."Omo quickly picks up the trail, leading the way into the forest. The ancient, gnarled trees stand tightly packed, choking away the undergrowth until all that remains is a carpet of dead leaves and fallen branches. The thick branches block all but the rarest shaft of moonlight. Omo is forced to give in to necessity and lights a torch, the light casting sinister shadows on the trees. You've never seen a malicious tree, but these come close, clawing past one another to reach the far away light- they seem to glower at passersby.
Despite the open space beneath the trees, the going is slow. The trail zigs and zags abruptly, and even crosses over itself once. The poor lighting helps disguise the trail in several places, where the children jumped over a log and changed direction, or where they doubled back after running headlong into a tree. Omo mutters angrily under his breath, suspiciously eying the shadows and rubbing his quarterstaff before returning to the search. The forest is quiet- perfectly silent except for the sound of your passage.
Finally, the trail leads into a small clearing. There is nothing to suggest why this particular bit of forest is free of the tall trees- the ground appears to be smooth and flat here, and clear enough for grass and weeds to push through the dead leaves. In the center of the clearing a pair of young trees rise out of the ground, vying with one another to reach the canopy and the life-giving light beyond. The open space in the canopy admits a wide swath of moonlight which clearly illuminates everything in the clearing.
Most notably, it illuminates the small child lying motionless on the ground, face down in the dirt.
Omo runs to the child, peering suspiciously into the shadows before kneeling beside the pajama-clad form.
"He's alive!" Omo calls back softly, checking the boy.
"He's alive?""Yeah. Unconscious." Omo rolls the boy over, and you blink in surprise. The boy's eyes are open, staring at the sky. Omo wipes a dead leaf away from his face before checking his pulse.
"Well. I don't know what's wrong with him." "Are you sure he's unconscious? I didn't think your eyes stayed open when you went out.""What do I look like, a doctor? He's unresponsive, anyway." Omo gets to his feet, inspecting the trail.
You take the boy in your arms, giving him a gentle shake. His head lolls to the side, but his eyes don't change. His heartbeat is fine, his breathing regular. He's quite cold- not like a corpse is cold, but like somebody who has been out in the elements too long is cold. Carefully, you bundle him in your cloak, unsure what to do.
"Nym! I found the girl!"You look up as Omo returns from the edge of the clearing, carrying the child. Following your example, he wraps her in his cloak- just like her brother, the girl is physically fine, but unresponsive, her unseeing eyes gazing at nothing.
"This is bloody strange." Omo grumbles.
"What is?""As near as I can tell, the kids were just walking along, then fell. No other tracks nearby, no roots to trip on. They entered the clearing together, then the boy fell here in the middle, then the girl fell while she was running away. I think they've been lying here all day, Nym.""They're certainly cold enough. How long does it take to die of exposure?""The weather's not bad, but it still gets plenty cold at night this early in the year. I doubt they'd have made it to dawn. I don't know if they'll make it back to the village, if they're catatonic."The kids are in a bad way- you don't know what's wrong with them, but they need medical attention. This whole situation stinks. What do you do?
Vitality- 11/11
Mana- 8/12
XP- 23/35
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),
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- Holding a small boy
Twenty and a half 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.
Impair Undead- 2MP- Range: 30ft (close enough to see in detail.) You blinded a zombie with this spell.
Vitality- 12/13
Mana- 3/3
XP- 29/35
Inventory-
Elven Tunic,
Elven Cloak, Headband, Belt Knife, Torch(lit), Leather Backpack(50' Rope,
Camping Supplies, Waterskin(mostly full), Torch),
Masterwork Elven StaffAbilities-
Track,
SurvivalistSkills-
Novice Observer,
Competent Ambusher,
Competent Staff User,
Poor Liar,
Dabbling SwimmerStatus- Sock Bandage, left arm
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?
- 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.
- Trying to develop a destroy vitality spell, using the same principles of the steal vitality, except without keeping it usable. It might be possible to do it for cheaper or causing more damage for the same mana.
- Trying to use the principles of the destroy vitality or the steal vitality spell for a disinfectant spell. It will require a lot of fine control, but it should theoretically be possible.
- We could also try to overbuff a zombie. Is there a max to the amount of vitality a zombie can have? And what happens if a zombie gets a lot of vitality?
World Map
Northwest Thrimesdur
Author
Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions (Read 686163 times)