I guess everyone has a few skeletons in the closet. How old does this thing look?
A soldier, perhaps one of their former friends that they didn't wish to kill. Although the brutality of the restraints suggest otherwise... Does the uniform match the local soldiers? It could be for a long time ago... Check if there are any signs of this spot being visited recently by anyone other than yourself...
If it was held for research then there should be a journal or notebook around here. We should search around for more info. Also, inspect the zombie. Does its necromantic energy seem... different? More complex or generally just unusual, like someone messed with it or constructed it with a different method than ours.
Yeah, also voting against messing with the zombie for now.
"Blood and ashes!" Omo scowls in disgust.
"What is this?"You squat by the hole, resting on your heels as you examine the zombie.
"Well, I don't think it has been down here for ages or anything like that. If I found a body that looked like this, I would say it died a few weeks ago, a month at the outside. I don't know if being reanimated as a zombie preserves it at all- I certainly don't see any maggots or beetles or the like. It's about as decayed as the zombies we fought outside Aloclesno, though. The uniform is the same."Omo spits off to one side, ignoring your disapproving look.
"So what, somebody put it down here recently? Do we still suspect Eko of Necromancy?"You shake your head.
"No. Not really. Eko has cast several Order spells, and if he were a Necromancer he wouldn't have to restrain the zombie, he could just order it to be still.""Then why the secrecy? Why lock it in the basement where nobody can find it, under a pile of junk? How did he even get it down here? If he can't control it then it must have been trying to claw his face off the whole time."You look around, troubled. You see no signs of a struggle, no stains of blood on the ground, nothing unusually smashed or disorderly in the general clutter. Eko might simply be very good at cleaning up after himself- indeed, there is very little dust or dirt down here- but it would still be very difficult for one man to wrestle a zombie by himself, even with its missing leg.
"I think he was experimenting on it.""Experimenting?""Yeah. That would explain why he wouldn't just destroy it right away, and it's probably not something that would sit well with the villagers. Let's see if we can find any notes, something to explain what exactly he was doing."Omo gives you a doubtful look, but gathers up the tarp. You briefly consider using Command Undead to calm the zombie, allowing you to search the body in detail or perhaps check if it has memories that could yield a clue, but ultimately you decide not to tamper in any way that might be detected Eko or anyone else. Shutting the hatch, you replace the tarp and barrel and begin searching the basement.
The other hatches along the wall are all empty, their purpose as mysterious as ever. Methodically, you and Omo work through the piles of junk and old furniture, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Just when you begin to consider going back upstairs to check out Eko's office, Omo waves from across the room, pulling a folded piece of paper out from within a shuttered lantern. You walk over to where he is smoothing it out on the top of a barrel, reading over his shoulder.
minor ward minor ward no restraint stone spear detect undead detect thoughts detect magic probe thoughtsYou frown.
"A spell list?"Omo snorts.
"They aren't all spells, unless you think he cast "spear" on that zombie.""Some of those must be spells, though. I know a ward is what Eko calls his defenses against the undead, and even I know how to cast Detect Magic.""Do you think they're all general spells? Maybe he's a Necromancer after all.""I don't know. It doesn't feel right- the spells I felt upstairs didn't feel like general magic to me.""Well, what do we do now?"What indeed- you can't have been down here for more than an hour, meaning you still have some hours before Eko returns. You've searched the basement rather thoroughly- it might not hurt to search other rooms in more depth, or perform some experiments of your own. You do not know why- or how- Eko would perform these experiments, and precious little information to extrapolate from.
Vitality- 10/11
Mana- 10/12
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- Super grossed out
Twenty one 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- 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?
* Remove someone's soul. Try to store it for a time in a living thing like a tree, or confine it in a mana crystal, then put it back later. See if they're functional.
* Attempt to swap souls between two different bodies.
* Carefully attempt to displace our own soul from our own body. See if we can move around apart from our bodies, like astral projection. See if we can cast while in this state, enter other occupied bodies like a possession, then return to our body later.
World Map
Northwest Thrimesdur
It is unlikely to be christian iconography, given that life and order nations don't seem to be that way inclined, although I suppose water is always a possibility(I seem to think that water has proper knights for some reason, which would be silly, because knights traditionally dislike floating...
It's not that knights dislike floating, it's that they dislike
sinking 
Though I will confirm yes, no intentional IRL religious symbolism here.
Author
Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions (Read 685635 times)