Damn you Grek, bombzero and Angle you managed to post before me this time! 
But seriously though, yeah, I don't think there's anyway we can get too fancy here without creating major issues or deviating from what we entered the forest to do in the first place, that is, save the kids. So let's carry them back to the village. Do we have any spell in the prestidigitation book that might help?
Hmm, it probably is a waste of mana, but cast detect vitality and detect magic on them, plus examine them for signs of necromantic magic. It might tell us if there's anything wrong with them other than shock and physical illness. It's a bit of paranoia, but as Omo said, the situation looked quite strange. But either way, considering that, it's probably better if we don't take too long around here.
And on another note, we should run some experiments later to figure out if it's something about this particular forest, something about forest in general (unlikely, we'd have noticed it before), or the anti-necromancy wards the village mentioned.
Yeah, seems pretty clear. Get to the village as fast as you can. The stable state of the children is bizarre... that doesn't sound like shock or hypothermia. maybe something stole their souls. In which case we should leave at once and have them examined and possibly saved all the faster.
Good idea with the check vitality. Maybe we'll notice something.
Dang it, I forgot about this! And I missed five updates!
Anyways, Omo can cast the minor stuff like detect magic, right? If so, we should have him cast that and sense vitality. Our mana is far more important than his. If anything is wrong with the kids, we should steal vitality from ourself and try to heal the kids a bit. Ourself because altruism is important if we're trying to be the "good" necromancer.
I wonder if we can turn living people into golems.
You suck air between your teeth, nervously glancing around the clearing.
"I don't like this, Omo. Something is very wrong here. We need to get out of this forest as soon as possible.""You said it. I wish there was more we could do for them, but the priest is probably better equipped for healing than we are.""You remember your magic lessons, right Omo? Cast Sense Vitality on the kids.""What, you don't remember? I thought you were the magic-type person here!""Don't be stupid- I want to conserve my Mana in case we run into something nasty. If the kids are in really bad shape, I think I have a way to help them."Omo gives you a shocked look.
"Nym, they're sick, or injured, not dead! You are a Necromancer, remember?""What did I just say about being stupid? I think I have a way to heal them- I've never done it to anyone else, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Now shut up and cast the bloody spell so we can get out of here!"Omo shrugs, then casts his spell. He grimaces at what he sees.
"Nym, they're in pretty rough shape. Two vitality each. I don't know if it's just the cold, or a prior injury, or something else, but they need help.""Will they make it to the village?""I think so. They should, anyway- I'll keep an eye on them, and let you know if they dip lower.""Well, let's not waste any more time then. You know the way out of the forest?""Do I know the- now who's being stupid? Follow me!"Omo scoops up the boy, cradling him in one arm and holding the torch up with the other. You take the girl, holding her to your breast with both arms. Although you have lost your sense of direction after all the twists and turns beneath the trees with no stars or moon to guide you, Omo confidently sets off into the forest, quickly leading the way forward. He does not twist or turn to follow the trail that lead you here, instead making straight for the edge of the forest.
At first, the quick pace is quite welcome, as you'd like nothing better than to leave the oppressive forest behind you. Soon enough, however, your legs begin reminding you that you have been on your feet all day, a day of walking that caps off almost a week of nothing
but walking- really, you haven't had a day of rest since the Caravan Fair, what seems so long ago. The small girl in your arms felt almost weightless when you picked her up, but ten minutes of walking later she feels like a heavy sack of potatoes. Your stomach chimes in to remind you that rather than eating dinner tonight, you elected to go wandering around scary forests instead. Taken together, the silent complaints of your body are almost enough to make you forget the unwelcoming atmosphere of your surroundings. Almost.
Just when you think that you need to call for a brief rest even if you are still within the forest, Omo laughs in relief. Looking ahead, you can see the open plains of the countryside bathed in moonlight- it seems bright as day compared to the darkness beneath the trees. Another fifty feet, and you'll be in the clear.
Suddenly, you whip your head around, searching behind you in the forest. Coming up behind you is a source of Necromantic Energy- three Vitality's worth, forty five feet away but moving fast, coming straight at you.
Omo pauses, curiously looking back at you, wondering why you've stopped. Should you run for the edge of the forest? The forest floor is treacherous with branches and rocks in the dark, and your load is heavy, but you're a surefooted pair of young elves, and you think you can outrace whatever it is behind you. Then again, it is definitely Necromantic, and you certainly handled those zombies readily enough- you've been saving your Mana for just such an emergency. What should 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 girl
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- 1/3
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, holding a small boy
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 686160 times)