Just keep running for the forest's edge. If it looks like it'll overtake us before we get there, steal vitality. Maybe heal a kid with it after, if the vitality seems okay.
The children are the first priority, get to safety outside of the forest first before trying to confront the thing, if necessary give the girl to Omo and delay the thing (if we can't get rid of it) until he can help.
Either way, confirm that it's hostile and cast Steal Vitality on the thing and then Impair Undead if it isn't finished off for some reason.
We won't have much energy to waste. Tell Omo to Run - keep it short and quick. And then MOVE. If it looks like it is going to catch up, steal vitality - we'll probably have to wait until it gets closer to succeed anyway. But be ready to do so. Although I honestly have my doubts as to whether or not that will work in this case - this forest obviously does strange things to necromantic energy. It's quite possible that there may be bad, bad results from using that sort of spell here.
You start running toward the edge of the forest, shouting at Omo.
"Move it! There's something behind us!""Where? I don't see anything.""I can see it, now RUN!"Although clearly somewhat confused by what's happening, Omo wastes no time in running after you, quickly overtaking you with his long stride. As you duck between the trees and jump over shadowy roots, you glance over your shoulder, trying to get a better idea of what exactly you're fleeing from. Unlike the zombies, your pursuer sheds no light on its surroundings- you catch glimpses of purple only because of your Necromantic Sight. It doesn't seem to be very large, whatever it is- about as big as a dog, rumbling easily along the forest floor.
... A long, rotted log suddenly looms in the darkness, but you easily climb over while Omo hurdles it without even breaking stride. As you rush through the trees, you see that your pursuer has a much more difficult time of it, taking the long way around the obstacle.
A few strides later, you burst out into the open grass, putting a safe distance between yourselves and the forest. You anxiously eye the treeline, looking for sign of your pursuer- as before, however, your Necromantic sight does not seem to extend into the forest, and the darkness beneath the trees is too thick to see very far. Tensely, you and Omo watch the forest for several long moments, but nothing emerges into the moonlight. The only sound is the wind rustling the grass around you.
Carry the kids outside of this strange magic zone we're in. And do it fast. It's possible whatever rendered them unconscious could affect us too if we stay here too long.
Once out of the zone, siphon a point of vitality from both Omo and ourselves and feed it to the kids. Then get them back to the village.
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.
Omo sighs.
"I think we're safe, Nym. Whatever stopped the zombies must have stopped whatever was chasing us, unless it's invisible. You did see it, right?""Well, only with my Necromantic Sight, but I don't see it now. How are the kids?"Omo carefully examines his charge, frowning.
"The boy is unchanged- I had really hoped that getting out of the forest would snap him out of his coma." He groans softly when he leans over to check the girl in your arms.
"She's slipping, Nym- down to one Vitality. She might make it back to village, but...""But I'll feel better if she isn't on death's door the entire trip back. Let me try something."Crouching down, you lay the girl out on the ground, her eyes flashing in reflected moonlight. You quickly rule out stealing Vitality from a tree in the forest- quite apart from potential monsters lurking there, you aren't sure how far you can carry Vitality, or what effect the odd barrier around the forest might have on the spell. You briefly consider trying to harvest Vitality from the grass around you, but decide that there's one source of Vitality you should test first, a source that is always nearby, a source that hurts nobody else. Yourself, of course.
Taking a quick breath, you cast the spell before you really think about how much this experiment will hurt. The good news is that the spell resolves, and you begin
Stealing Vitality out of yourself- slowly, attempting to draw only what is needed. To your surprise, in the time it takes you to extract a little ball of One Vitality you find you've only spent One Mana!
The bad news is that it
does hurt, about as much as your Undead Oak mishap. You shudder as you let out your breath. You feel like you did a bellyflop in the Great River back home, with the stinging spread all across your body. Tired muscles complain of new aches as a fresh layer of fatigue settles in. It's not the worst you've ever been injured (that time you broke an arm falling out of a tree as a child comes to mind,) but it's certainly not a terribly pleasant experience.
Taking another breath, you set aside your discomfort and focus on directing the floating glowing blob of Vitality. Carefully, you touch it to the girl, and it soaks into her body like water into a sponge. You glance up at Omo as he leans over the girl.
"Two Vitality." Omo nods, sighing.
"Whatever you did worked, Nym.""Good. I gave her some of my own Vitality. It sucked, but if she makes it then it was worth it.""Huh." Omo's mouth twists distastefully, then he shrugs.
"Well, no point in waiting around here. Let's go back to the village."Omo leads the way back to the west, and soon you hit the road a little south of the farm. The walk back is long and tiring, but uneventful- if there are any zombies wandering in the night, you don't encounter them. Judging by the height of the moon, it's nearly midnight by the time the lights in the village of Bedscaled wink in the distance.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure lurches out of the darkness.
"Oy! Who are you, coming from the East in the night!?!""Do you think we're zombies, carrying torches around?" Omo scoffs at the pitchfork-wielding villager.
"We found those kids who were missing. Rismal and Nelti. They aren't well- go get the priest!"The villager starts, peering closer at your burden, then wordlessly turns around and runs to the village. He isn't wordless for long- as you trudge after him, you hear him calling out to other villagers. Soon, you are met by villagers armed with farming implements and old, rusty weapons, watchmen who had been guarding against another zombie attack. The clamor they raise is a peculiar blend of happiness to see the children alive, and worry over their catatonic state. The few houses with candles still lit disgorge sleepy men and women who had stayed up late to listen for news, or perhaps because they were unable to sleep in the first place. All in all, it's a small crowd that accompanies you to the Temple.
As you approach the stairs to the Temple, the wooden double doors crash open, disgorging Eko Cleanvise. Moving surprisingly quickly for such a large man, the priest hurries over to you and Omo, examining the children tensely. He sighs, seeming to deflate as he takes in their appearance.
"You found them in Aloclesno, didn't you?"You blink in surprise.
"Yes. It seems they fled there to escape the zombies. How did you know? Have you seen... this, before?" You say, indicating the sightless children.
Eko runs a hand through his thinning hair.
"No, nobody has been foolish enough to venture into the forest in years. In my lifetime, none who have have ever returned. The histories are clear about what happens to those who trespass there, though. Bring them inside, I will do what I can.""Will they be alright, Eko?" A voice in the crowd calls out, followed by a worried murmur.
"I said I'd do what I can!" Eko says, raising his voice.
"Go back to your homes! Go back to the watch- a fine thing if the zombies came while you were all gossiping on my steps!"The crowd disperses quietly as you follow Eko inside the Temple. The Temple of Atal is not so large as the Temple in Larathor, nor is it decorated as lavishly, but it follows the same general format. The main doors lead to an atrium that resembles a broad hallway more than the open space you knew from Larathor, but it is similarly decorated with simple patterns and religious depictions. Eko leads the way into the inner chamber, a broad, perfectly square room filled with wooden benches surrounding an open square in the middle. The benches have been shoved aside to make room for a half dozen cots on the other side of the room- one of them is occupied by a snoring man whose body is obscured by the heavy blanket covering him. The opposite wall has another set of doors in it, identical to the ones you entered through.
Omo follows Eko over to one of the empty cots, laying the small boy down. Relieved of his burden, Omo stretches and sighs, resting himself on another cot.
"Thank you for rescuing the children, though I do not know if they will recover. I'll get you some food and blankets as soon as I see to the children- you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like.""That sounds good." Omo says, knuckling his back.
"I'm starved, and I just might sleep until noon if I get the chance. I hope you're not planning to wake me up at the crack of dawn again, Nym. Nym?"Omo looks curiously to where you've stopped, still holding the girl just inside the outer door. Your thoughts whirl as you stare at the floor- the simple wooden planks are uninteresting, but somewhere below them is a source of Necromantic Energy. Three Vitality strong, maybe a dozen feet away, and you only became aware of it just as you crossed the threshold of the Temple.
Vitality- 9/11
Mana- 7/12
XP- 24/35
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- X MP - Range: Line of Sight. You can suck the Vitality out of living things. This spell removes up to 2X 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
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.
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 685213 times)