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Author Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions  (Read 682207 times)

monk12

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You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions
« on: November 21, 2011, 05:32:37 pm »

You are a Necromancer.

Unfortunately, this is very likely to get you killed.

More than a thousand years ago, the great Necromancer Balkoth warred across the world, using his terrible magic to conquer and ravage, obliterating any opponent that stood in his way. Like many similar stories, this one ends with an unlikely band of heroes rising up to slay him in battle and end his reign of tyranny, or some such. You never did pay as much attention to your teachers as you should have. The pertinent information from that particular lesson was that no nation on Urak will suffer a Necromancer to live, lest he once again shatter the nations.

It's not that you wanted to be a necromancer, exactly. When you were born, the sages remarked on your great potential, but when the Time of Testing came you failed to manifest the Powers of your People. Er, who are your people again?


You are one of the Elves of Yicelafo, "The Young Vale." Elves have greater magical potential than other races, and are specially attuned to their surroundings, but between the immortality and the cremating there aren't many corpses just kick'n around. Elves have little knowledge of history and their Mages wield the power of Life to heal, renew, and grow.

You are a human of Thrimesdur, "The Cremated Empire." The Empire is old, and its libraries hold the knowledge of the ancients (which may be invaluable in harnessing your burgeoning Necromantic powers.) Plus, between the ancient battlefields, mass graveyards, and well-preserved crypts, there are a LOT of corpses to be getting on with! The Wizards of Thrimesdur specialize in manipulating the forces of Order for divination and protective magics.

You are a human living on the Jeweled Coast. Like most living in the coastal villages of the Sapphire Sea, you have a penchant for stealth, and the independent city-states are centers of trade; magical items and scrolls can be found here more easily than anywhere else. Most towns bury their dead at sea, but many of the larger cities have extensive catacombs and ornate mausoleums for the wealthy and powerful. The predominant Faith is the worship of the elemental force of Water, and the Mystics use this power in a variety of ways.


Spoiler: Author's note (click to show/hide)

« Last Edit: January 08, 2016, 02:44:05 pm by monk12 »
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2011, 05:33:08 pm »

Spoiler: Notable Figures (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Old Maps (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: General Rules (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: August 18, 2013, 10:08:45 pm by monk12 »
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Hubris Incalculable

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2011, 06:13:08 pm »

You are an ELF
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Darvi

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2011, 06:27:46 pm »

>Be the Elven Croakermancer.
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2011, 09:42:06 pm »

Ah yes, you are an Elf of Yicelafo, "The Young Vale." Like all elven children, when you were young you were evaluated for suitability in one of the Guilds. The Mages found that you had surprisingly deep wells of magical power, but although you easily mastered the cantrips learned by all Elves you struggled to grasp even the basics of the Way of Life. The Rangers determined that although you were capable of handling yourself in the woods of the Vale, you lacked the physical gifts to be a suitable candidate for the defense of the forest. And as the Sages quickly found out, you lack the patience and demeanor to be an effective scribe or bard.

You never felt comfortable in your various apprenticeships, and never settled down to master a craft. As time went on, you found yourself drawn to solitary pursuits, and came to become a fair Fisher. Life was pleasant, for a time. But as you approached adulthood, you began to feel... strange. You'd awake in the night in a cold sweat, your Mana depleted. You'd experience the oddest headaches, and sometimes it felt as though all the life around you burned with a cold inner fire.

Today had been a fairly normal day- you'd gone to your private fishing hole, a small pond on the edges of the Vale that fed into the Great River. You'd already caught a nice large trout, leaving it to air-drown while you continued fishing. As midday approached, you decided to take a brief lunch break, but when you reached to pick up the fish a small purple spark flashed from you to it, and the trout started flopping along the ground, eyes glowing with purple, phosphorescent flames. You promptly passed out.

Now you are awake, and the trout zombie is placidly swimming about the pool. You'll have to deal with your new powers sooner or later- you could try to figure things out yourself (and you'll certainly have to, to some degree,) but you have little knowledge of the methods or hazards involved. You could try to ask the Mages in the village some general questions about magic, but you'll have to be careful not to give yourself away. The local Sage is a garrulous old elf, and with a bit of prompting you could get him to tell stories of other Necromancers who have arisen (or tried to, at least) since the Golgothan War- their lives might hold clues to mastering your Power. Perhaps most extremely, you could set out to the large cities of Man in an attempt to find Necromantic scrolls or magical items to learn from. Or maybe there's another way, a better way, if you can but think of it.

Whatever you do, you must make sure nobody discovers your... talents. If they do, you will be hunted down and killed by the ruthlessly efficient Elven Rangers. And you'll also have to decide what to do, exactly, with your powers. World conquest seems like a popular theme (according to the songs, anyway,) but surely there's another use for a nigh-infinite supply of cheap labor!

It is midafternoon. What now?

Spoiler: Author's Note (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: You (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Spells (click to show/hide)

Mullet Master

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2011, 09:46:03 pm »

You have had success with fish, but it is draining. Perhaps something smaller is afoot. Using your fishing ability, it would be best to catch many small creatures of the pond, such as crawfish, minnows, and other small fish. They can be easily transported... DEAD, back to a private place.

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NRDL

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2011, 09:54:46 pm »

Find insect.  Kill insect.  Raise insect.  Probably an ant or fly.
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GOD DAMN IT NRDL.
NRDL will roll a die and decide how sadistic and insane he's feeling well you do.

Elvisdogs

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2011, 10:09:02 pm »

Better approach to this whole RP:

1. Gain Control of Powers
2. Extend Powers
3. Create Zombies
4. Start Business
5. ?????
6. corporate domination
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It was for a film project. I regret nothing.

Dwarmin

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2011, 10:21:45 pm »

We need to gather information-and we need help.

We need to resist using any magic until we have control. Lets carefully ply the elders with questions...

Also, is there anyone we could possibly trust with this secret? Friends? Family? A lover? It's terribly dangerous, but if just one person can understand...
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Dwarmin's fell gaze has fallen upon you. Sadly, Your life and your quest end here, at this sig.

"The hats never coming off."

Grek

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2011, 10:38:21 pm »

The very first order of business, of course, is to capture or, failing that, rekill the fish that you just revived. We cannot afford for it to escape into the Great River and wash downstream for someone to find. That would be an utter disaster.

Once you've got the fish, take it somewhere isolated (where it can't escape into a major river; perhaps in a bucket?) and study it. See if it moves like a normal fish, if it breathes water, what (if anything) it eats, whether we can command it, if it is still rotting, if it is any more agressive than a natural trout and so on and so forth. Use each cantrip on the undead fish and compare to what you know of natural fish.

Once you've figured out how the fish works, take Mullet's suggestion of trying out different sorts of fish and work with those. There's no need to make any rash decisions about what to do and where to go immediately. See if you can't work out how to reliably revive fish when you want and how to keep yourself from using necromancy by accident. Let's puzzle out what we can for now and decide the rest later, with better information.
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woose1

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2011, 10:58:07 pm »

The very first order of business, of course, is to capture or, failing that, rekill the fish that you just revived. We cannot afford for it to escape into the Great River and wash downstream for someone to find. That would be an utter disaster.

Once you've got the fish, take it somewhere isolated (where it can't escape into a major river; perhaps in a bucket?) and study it. See if it moves like a normal fish, if it breathes water, what (if anything) it eats, whether we can command it, if it is still rotting, if it is any more agressive than a natural trout and so on and so forth. Use each cantrip on the undead fish and compare to what you know of natural fish.

Once you've figured out how the fish works, take Mullet's suggestion of trying out different sorts of fish and work with those. There's no need to make any rash decisions about what to do and where to go immediately. See if you can't work out how to reliably revive fish when you want and how to keep yourself from using necromancy by accident. Let's puzzle out what we can for now and decide the rest later, with better information.
This. And after, if we're still hungry, eat the zombie trout.
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #11 on: November 21, 2011, 11:37:40 pm »

Find insect.  Kill insect.  Raise insect.  Probably an ant or fly.

With little effort, you find a butterfly. Displaying the cunning of your elvish ancestors you stalk the magnificent creature. As it alights on a flower, you sneak up and... SPLAT! Belatedly, you realize you probably need a more intact corpse than the smear of butterfly goo you've produced.

Some further searching yields an anthill, and you settle down to experiment. What you rapidly discover is that it is hard to kill an insect without squashing it. Ripping off their legs doesn't seem to be killing them very fast. You behead one and wait for it to stop squirming, then bring your will to bear.

Raise Dead.

An icy shock runs through your body as you feel energy rush through you and into the ant. The ant rises to its feet, a cold purple flame where its head once was. It begins to shamble aimlessly.

You are surprised at how much Mana that consumed- 2 units! Surely it should take less energy to raise a mere ant than a great big fish! There is so much you do not know...

We need to gather information-and we need help.

We need to resist using any magic until we have control. Lets carefully ply the elders with questions...

Also, is there anyone we could possibly trust with this secret? Friends? Family? A lover? It's terribly dangerous, but if just one person can understand...


As you eat your lunch, you ponder who it may be safe to share your secret with. There will be precious little sympathy for your situation- when Balkoth brought the Golgothan War to the Sacred Groves, he butchered every elf he caught and put the woods to the torch. You know the Elves were nearly driven to extinction in that clash- you'll have to ask Pevo Zephyrtempest, the village Sage, for more information there.

You've drifted apart from your friends in recent years, but you still speak with your best friend, Omo Thunderjaw, whenever you see him. That hasn't been often of late, as he is training with the Rangers, though he is home now. You think he'd take risks on your behalf, provided he wasn't aware of the specifics. Your mother is a successful Mage and spends her time in the tree-city of Yicelafo proper, and your father is a lieutenant of the Rangers himself, often patrolling the edges of the Vale. You'd like to think you could tell them anything. You've never taken a serious lover, apart from that fling with Elana Foundwasps- in fact, the end of that relationship is when you began withdrawing from society... and when the onset of your powers began, you realize. She's training to be a Mage now, manipulating the magics of Life.

The very first order of business, of course, is to capture or, failing that, rekill the fish that you just revived. We cannot afford for it to escape into the Great River and wash downstream for someone to find. That would be an utter disaster.

Once you've got the fish, take it somewhere isolated (where it can't escape into a major river; perhaps in a bucket?) and study it. See if it moves like a normal fish, if it breathes water, what (if anything) it eats, whether we can command it, if it is still rotting, if it is any more agressive than a natural trout and so on and so forth. Use each cantrip on the undead fish and compare to what you know of natural fish.

Once you've figured out how the fish works, take Mullet's suggestion of trying out different sorts of fish and work with those. There's no need to make any rash decisions about what to do and where to go immediately. See if you can't work out how to reliably revive fish when you want and how to keep yourself from using necromancy by accident. Let's puzzle out what we can for now and decide the rest later, with better information.
This. And after, if we're still hungry, eat the zombie trout.

You notice that the zombie trout is very easy to spot, what with the glowing purple eyes and all. Panicking, you splash into the pond to recapture it! You notice it does not flee you the way the other fish do, and soon you have it back on dry land. Setting it down, it flops about like any other fish would, albeit less enthusiastically. Nudging it away with your foot you wait a minute, two minutes, five... it appears the fish no longer needs water to survive. You attempt to discern whether it is still decomposing, but in vain- it has been dead only a few hours, after all.

Carefully, you walk back into the water with it, observing it as it swims. It certainly doesn't appear interested in you, nor does it appear to be interested in any other of the pond's inhabitants. The other fish do seem to avoid your zombie, however. As it lazily swims to the other side of the pond, you attempt to recall it mentally, to no avail. "Here, zombie zombie zombie..." doesn't do you much good either.

Retrieving the fish manually, you set down on the shore and begin to test it with your cantrips. Detect Magic indicates that this is indeed a magical fish- further, you can feel the ant a bit further off. Remembering the ant, you leap to your feet and set off to crush it before it gets away from you! You find it beset by the other ants- it vivisects another as you watch, and judging by the bodies it has singlehandedly destroyed half a dozen others. As you watch it is swarmed under by the other ants; the purple fire goes out as it is cut in two, and the body is carried back to the anthill.

Returning to your inspection of the fish, you feel your Calm Animal spell rebound, as if you had cast it on a tree or another elf. You then cast Sense Vitality- the fish registers, but strangely. It feels rather as if the fish's vitality is not its own. Focusing on a trout on the far side of the pond, you cast the spell again- by your reckoning, your zombie has almost half the vitality of the living trout.

You decide you've learned what you can from this trout for now- after all, if necessary you can always catch another fish. You fancifully entertain the notion of eating the fish- after a moment, the fancy turns into curiosity. You set to butchering the fish, a task made much more difficult what with it flopping around everywhere. Once you have extracted the fish's guts, the purple phosphorescence fades from its eyes. You pause for a moment, then conclude your cleaning of the fish.

You have had success with fish, but it is draining. Perhaps something smaller is afoot. Using your fishing ability, it would be best to catch many small creatures of the pond, such as crawfish, minnows, and other small fish. They can be easily transported... DEAD, back to a private place.


You realize that your pond is by no means a private place- everyone who knows you knows to find you here. You resolve to catch as many small creatures as you can to experiment on later, in some more private place. An hour or so later you've managed to catch a dozen of the crayfish that abound in the pond- easy enough to pass them off as fishbait should anyone wonder what you're doing with a pouch full of the critters.

You'll have to search for a new place to practice tomorrow, however. You return home at sunset, nodding to the other villagers as you make your way to your parents home. You have the place to yourself now since both of them are gone. For dinner, you decide to cook up your formerly zombified fish- to your tongue, it tastes no different than a normal fish. You sleep peacefully through the night, and awaken fresh in the morning.

You plan to find a new, private place to practice your arts. You could travel North, further into the woods and try to find a secluded glen. Traveling East would bring you upriver- there may be a more private little branch or creek there. Traveling South would bring you to the cliffs that contain the Vale- perhaps there is a cave there. Or should you question the elders before you leave today?

Spoiler: You (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Spells (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Notable Figures (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 21, 2011, 11:31:20 pm by monk12 »
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woose1

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2011, 11:52:44 pm »

Inquire about any old books that might detail the processes of old, forgotten magic. Phrase it like you're interested in it as an intellectual excersize. We can probably learn more from books than we ever could from the elders, especially since they might kill you if they discover your secret.

If we can't find any books or other educational tools, we should set to work trying to make the zombies that we raise do our bidding, rather than just wander around aimlessly and kill anything that moves. Perhaps if we kill a crayfish but keep its brain intact, then immediately raise it?

Obviously we go south. Any self-respecting necromancer has an evil cave of doom.


EDIT: Is there any way to store mana in objects for future use? Say, if we want to try and raise something bigger.
« Last Edit: November 21, 2011, 11:55:29 pm by woose1 »
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Grek

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #13 on: November 22, 2011, 12:18:18 am »

I have a cunning plan: You shall pretend to become a historian. When the time comes that you can make no further progress here, either due to lack of materials or being unable to learn more without resources to study, tell the village (and any humans that ask about you) that that you are departing for Thrimesdur to study the history of the Cremated Empire. This provides a legitimate excuse for you to be wandering ancient battlefields, studying in libraries and exploring abandoned tombs. Who would suspect a mild-mannered elven scholar with little proficency in magic to be a necromancer?

There's no need to set out right away, of course. That would look suspicious. Instead, split your time between experimenting in private with necromancy (I'm sure the others will have all sorts of suggestions for things to try) and asking around about the history of Thrimesdur. Pevo, your mother, Elana, whoever might know about history. Take good notes and occasionally hint at wanting to go see the world and study abroad. You can work out the rest laster.
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woose1

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #14 on: November 22, 2011, 12:25:57 am »

I have a cunning plan: You shall pretend to become a historian. When the time comes that you can make no further progress here, either due to lack of materials or being unable to learn more without resources to study, tell the village (and any humans that ask about you) that that you are departing for Thrimesdur to study the history of the Cremated Empire. This provides a legitimate excuse for you to be wandering ancient battlefields, studying in libraries and exploring abandoned tombs. Who would suspect a mild-mannered elven scholar with little proficency in magic to be a necromancer?

There's no need to set out right away, of course. That would look suspicious. Instead, split your time between experimenting in private with necromancy (I'm sure the others will have all sorts of suggestions for things to try) and asking around about the history of Thrimesdur. Pevo, your mother, Elana, whoever might know about history. Take good notes and occasionally hint at wanting to go see the world and study abroad. You can work out the rest laster.
Ignore my suggestion. This is better.
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