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Author Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions  (Read 656576 times)

ThePyro

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #30 on: November 25, 2011, 07:30:37 am »

Vote for Female, and we should leave the bear alone and find some cave to do stuff... Yeah stuff.

 /Agree, but we should go south another hour or so's walk. Find somewhere off the main paths, lowland and and out of sight (Not a cave, every single cave in DF has something that wants to eat you. We're a nancy wannabe necromancer Elf, not a Legendary+5 Hammerdwarf :L)
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #31 on: November 25, 2011, 11:34:34 pm »

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

Quote from: Everyone not named Hachnslay
Leave the bear alone

After thinking it over, you decide against cohabiting with the old bear- although assuredly private, the bear might tolerate Necromancy even less than the Elves, and you have no desire to agitate a kind old spirit like Apasi.

Vote for Female, and we should leave the bear alone and find some cave to do stuff... Yeah stuff.

 /Agree, but we should go south another hour or so's walk. Find somewhere off the main paths, lowland and and out of sight (Not a cave, every single cave in DF has something that wants to eat you. We're a nancy wannabe necromancer Elf, not a Legendary+5 Hammerdwarf :L)
So lets go find an unoccupied cave to expend some mana in.

You eye the cliff-face consideringly; on the one hand, if you were to leave the Vale proper there would be very little chance of a passing elf stumbling upon you, even without a particularly private place. On the other hand, you know the Rangers regularly patrol atop the cliff, so you'd have to get far enough away to avoid them- a safe distance would be less of an afternoon jaunt and more of a day trip, with all the benefits and risks that entails. It is getting late now, so you decide to put off that decision- after all, there may be another suitable cave nearby!

You spend another hour or so exploring easterly, but you don't find any other suitable place. Somewhat dejected, you return home, arriving shortly after nightfall. You eat a quick meal before heading to bed.

ask the sage what other kinds of magic there are as soon as you get back.

Also, assuming the bear doesn't eat us, send the letter to Elana Foundwasps. Aside from the knowledge we glean, we need to try to hold onto our Humanity (Elfanity?), even in a small way, IMO. I don't about you guys, but I'm going to be trying to make our character sort of an anti-hero, instead of a straight up monster.
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.
Seconded and maybe if we take the job as an librarian we can earn some money on the side <.< >.>
I played to much adom....


After a light repast the following morning, you head out into the street. With little difficulty, you find an elf preparing to commute to Elana's village, and convince him to carry your letter for you. Assuming she writes back, it'll probably arrive in the next day or so.

That chore taken care of, you head back to the Temple. You recognize the distinctive silhouette of Pevo Zephyrtempest approaching the Temple- he suffered a bad injury many years ago, and now walks only with the aid of his cane. The cane is something of a novelty among the elves- you've never heard of an injury the Life Mage's couldn't heal, even that time the Ranger's arm was mangled days away from the Vale. As you approach, Pevo greets you warmly.

Hello, young one! Ari told me you were looking for me!
Indeed, Pevo- I've been wanting to learn more about the things beyond the Vale, and a knowledge of history seemed like a good place to start.
A scholar in the making, eh? Very well, what would you like me to tell you about?
Well, for a start, how about Thrimesdur? I don't know much about them, other than their close friendship with the Elves.
Hah! If I wanted to fill your head with all my considerable knowledge about the people of The Cremated Empire, we'd be standing here for quite some time! Well, you can't properly begin discussing who people are without discussing where they come from- come with me.

With that, Pevo climbs the rope reed ladder into the temple with surprising agility. You hasten to follow, up ladders, through small shrines and storage rooms, and across bridges until you come to a small room nestled in the higher branches- Pevo's study. As Pevo hangs up his cloak, you examine your surroundings. Pevo's study is crammed with odd devices that are strange to you (and judging by the tacked-on notes, strange to Pevo as well!) Assorted knick-knacks, empty glass bottles, and piles upon piles of paper, parchment, vellum, scrolls and tablets fill every surface. But your eye is immediately drawn to a massive map that occupies the entire South wall of the study.



Is that... Urak?
Hah! That, young one, is but a fraction of Urak's totality- it is all we know of with any certainty, though we have much speculation and rumor about further lands. It is certainly enough to be getting on with, at any rate. Here- those red marks are the major cities of the Jeweled Coast. As you can see, the Walled Jungles run right up to the coast. That yellow mark is Yicelafo. Thrimesdur's borders run from the Great River clear to the Black Swamps, home of the Golgothans
That little thing is the Great River? That other river is nearly twice as long!
Oh, and size matters so much, does it? The Great River is so named not because of its size, but because of its inhabitants- the principal cities of Thrimesdur lie on its banks.
It looks as though most of Thrimesdur is empty, by this map.
Empty of anything of political significance, certainly. Much of the Cremated Empire is wilderness, true, but much of that "empty space" is farmland and small villages, castles and caravan towns. The Emperor is able to control such remote marches through his strict adherence to the ways of Order.
Order is one of the magical faiths, isn't it? How many are there?
It is, it is- Order is one of what are called the Derived Magics. Chaos is another, practiced by many of the monstrous races as well as the Horse-Lords of the north. Life is another of the Derived Magics. Water is one of the Elemental Magics, and is common along the Jeweled Coast. Water's opposite is Fire- the Fire Giants once lived in the mountains north of Thrimesdur, but they were betrayed by the Golgothans and exterminated. Some few dwarves still keep that faith alive, but most follow the ways of Earth. Air is opposed to Earth, and is practiced by some of the Horse-Lords, as well as the mountain-dwelling Pixies and the odd Frost Giant. There used to be quite the number of Elves who knew the art of Air-magic, but they all perished in the Golgothan War. None have ever risen amongst our people again.
The Golgothans... Life's opposite.
Yes, the Golgothans were worshipers of Death- whereas the Mages of Life have the power to enhance the Vitality, the Life-Force of living things, the Necromancers had the power to take that Vitality and give it to the Dead.
That area between Thrimesdur and the Dwarven Lands- what is that?
...that place was once the Sacred Grove, home to all Elvenkind. It is a wasteland now, unfit for the living- the Necromancers saw to that. Many Elves died in the defense of their homeland there, died in vain, and the Necromancers were able to use that fact to devastating effect. We'd have gone the way of the Fire Giants if it were not for the intercession of Thrimesdur. Thrimesdur's sons died protecting the flight of the Elven refugees, women and children sent away should the worst come to pass, as it did. A remnant of a remnant, ushered through strange human lands to this new forest, this new home.
That is why our alliance with the Cremated Empire is so strong, isn't it?
Yes. Ah, when I think of how much was lost in the Golgothan War... our history, our culture, our knowledge. Our magic, too- nearly all the Mages died defending the Sacred Groves, and the knowledge of their spells died with them. It is said we could do so much more then than we can now- regenerate lost limbs, cure any disease, even resurrect the dead.
Wait, resurrect the dead? Isn't that Necromancy?
Well, no, but I'll admit I'm not clear on the particulars there. I suspect it's rather a matter of technique- Ari Wetdawns would know more. But I suppose I've talked your ear off enough- I have a class to teach! Feel free to come back and chat any time.
I certainly will- thank you for your time, Pevo Zephyrtempest.

I say Cutrib Briskt leaves the bear alone so he can mingle with some of the villagers, maybe learn something.

As you take your leave of Pevo, you absently note that it is nearing noon- you're a bit preoccupied with Pevo's words to care overmuch. Although there is a great deal to compete for your attention, for some reason one phrase keeps niggling at the back of your mind- You can't properly begin discussing who people are without discussing where they come from. Who are you, and where do you come from? You're an Elf, but what exactly is an Elf? What makes your people so different from all those peoples on Pevo's map?

Chuckling to yourself, you decide to take Pevo at his word- you'll find out by learning about where they come from, both the history of your people and the way they live every day! Since Pevo is otherwise occupied, you decide to do some odd chores around the village- it is the type of thing you've done countless times in the past, but never before have you really paid attention the way you are now.

You chop some firewood for Caraca Overbud, laughing as her children chase each other about the tree. You help Salore Brimsdusk repair the roof of his house, admiring the aesthetic sensitivity he imparts to an otherwise trivial task. You chuckle as Mawada Drinkgrowths squabbles with his neighbor Temiyi Oarblazes over some percieved slight or another, and laugh when the latter steals a fresh-baked pie from under his nose. You help haul some furniture for Iru Squeezedskirt, watching with no small measure of amusement as he courts the attentions of Iki Canyonbites- he's been pursuing her for years, and while she hasn't said yes to him yet, she hasn't said no, either.

There is nothing new in the Vale, nothing the historians would write about. There is just the gentle rhythm of life, to and fro, ebb and flow, anger flowing into laughter and back again with never a moment of malice or hate. The past is not the focus of the Elves, nor the is the future- the here and now is what matters to them.

But then, you aren't like them, are you? You are a Necromancer.

As the sun sets, you return to your home. You received both lunch and supper for your toils, as well as a bit of money. Tired, but content, you go to sleep, and begin to dream...

It is dark, and cramped, and cold. So cold... you feel frozen. You can't move. You feel a terrible need to be warm, and no sooner do you have the thought than you feel heat growing within you. It is trapped, you can feel it, you are incomplete. You force your will on your body, and suddenly the heat leaps out, bridging the incompleteness, making you whole.

The heat flows out, suffusing your limbs- too many limbs. Where it meets discontinuities, holes, fuzziness, it flows around, replacing what is missing. Your legs twitch- your claws clench. Purple phosphorescence erupts from your eyes, and you can see! You are surrounded by horrible lobster-like creatures, staring at you with their dead eyes, burying you beneath their bodies!

You try to flee, but can't! THEY ARE TOO HEAVY! THEY ARE HOLDING YOU DOWN AND YOU CAN'T GET
OUT!

With a violent start, you awake in a cold sweat, the sound of rain drumming on the roof. Your head feels light as air, your mind tenuously tethered to your body. Nauseated, you look at your nightstand. At the pouch you left there, illuminated by an inner purple glow.

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

Hubris Incalculable

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #32 on: November 25, 2011, 11:48:25 pm »

You know what, I vote Nym Moriquendi.
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Ehndras

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #33 on: November 26, 2011, 01:54:31 am »

I vote Nym Moriquendi as well.
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EveryZig

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #34 on: November 26, 2011, 02:41:00 am »

We should crush the undead crayfish before somebody notices.

Hmm, I am beginning to have an idea for a long term goal. We should find out whether control of an element lets the caster remove it as well as make it (such as a fire user extinguishing a flame). (With this one we should research it from books rather than asking somebody, as that would imply using life magic to produce death.)
« Last Edit: November 26, 2011, 02:48:22 am by EveryZig »
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Grek

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #35 on: November 26, 2011, 05:05:36 am »

Firstly, I'd like to note that we were hungry when you came up with "Cutrib Brisket" and recomend that we refrain from calling ourselves something so ridiculous. If we can't come up with something better (and no, "Name Moira Dark Elf" does not qualify as being any better) than we should just remain nameless. Secondly, I would like to propose an experiment, one that must unfortunately delay EveryZig's suggestion for a few minutes, or at most an hour:

When we unconciously revived the crayfish, it seemed for a moment that we were the crayfish, or that we had taken over its body. It is clear that out spirit had entered the body of the crayfish, banished the chill of death through our power, and then took control of the revived body briefly. It follows, then, that if we were to remove the crayfish from the pouch, set it upon the floor and attempt to enter the crayfish's body, we would be able to directly control the former corpse. If successful, we should walk about briefly and see how well we can adapt ourselves to a temporary stay in the body of another.

Once that's done, destroy the body, of course. There cannot be any evidence of our power, at least not yet.

On a somewhat related note, it would do us good to quell the dark thoughts we've been having. We're not so different from other elfs and we're certainly not evil. Admittedly, what we're doing is illegal, but it's not evil. The things we've revived haven't harmed anyone, nor have they shown any hint of aggression. Indeed, what we do now seems closer to the Life magics of old, regenerating missing parts of the body, reversing decay and ressurecting the dead. We may be a Necromancer, but before that, we're an Elf. Not a freak, not an abomination, just an elf with an unusual power.
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lurtze1

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #36 on: November 26, 2011, 07:12:34 am »

We should first look what the clayfish is actually doing, see if we can go in the things body and do clayfish stuff (what do clayfish do?) and then DESTROY the thing
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Hitty40

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #37 on: November 26, 2011, 09:22:31 am »

Firstly, I'd like to note that we were hungry when you came up with "Cutrib Brisket" and recomend that we refrain from calling ourselves something so ridiculous.

Hey, I couldn't think of anything else, but ok, how about Viktor Beauchemin?
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BunnyBob77

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #38 on: November 26, 2011, 11:53:13 am »

I vote to remain nameless and to experiment with the crayfish.
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lurtze1

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #39 on: November 26, 2011, 12:54:10 pm »

I'm for this name: Nym Moriquendi oh an can we poke the clayfish with a stick, I love pocking stuff with a stick.
Espacially if the stuff gets annoyed
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EveryZig

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #40 on: November 26, 2011, 01:35:23 pm »

We should destroy the crayfish immediately. Experimenting is good, but we are in the middle of town. Somebody might hear something or sense the aura of death magic. We can experiment later, as we have plenty of mana we need to expend.
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #41 on: November 26, 2011, 10:50:14 pm »

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

We should destroy the crayfish immediately. Experimenting is good, but we are in the middle of town. Somebody might hear something or sense the aura of death magic. We can experiment later, as we have plenty of mana we need to expend.
Quote from: Grek (also lurtze1 and BunnyBob77)
When we unconciously revived the crayfish, it seemed for a moment that we were the crayfish, or that we had taken over its body. It is clear that out spirit had entered the body of the crayfish, banished the chill of death through our power, and then took control of the revived body briefly. It follows, then, that if we were to remove the crayfish from the pouch, set it upon the floor and attempt to enter the crayfish's body, we would be able to directly control the former corpse. If successful, we should walk about briefly and see how well we can adapt ourselves to a temporary stay in the body of another.

Once that's done, destroy the body, of course. There cannot be any evidence of our power, at least not yet.

Your first impulse is to destroy the crayfish, but you hesitate- the rain is loud, and by your reckoning it is still early morning. Few elves will be out and about at this hour, and this is an important opportunity to learn a thing or two about your powers. You decide to experiment, and see if you can control your unintentional creation.

Lighting a candle, you reach over to your nightstand and pick up your pouch, spilling the contents onto the floor. The contents are starting to get rather rank- if you don't use them today you'll need to throw them away or find some other place to store them. Your idle thoughts are banished as the undead crayfish immediately makes a beeline for the door- reaching down, you scoop it up and set it back in the center of the room, only for it to scurry to the door again. Snatching a tunic off the floor, you line the bottom of the door, sealing off the crack to the outside. The crayfish, after, briefly exploring this new barrier, scuttles along the edge of the wall, feeling for a crack to slip through. Grabbing your belt pouch, you recapture the crayfish and sit back to think on this new complication.

In your dream, you very much wanted to escape your prison. Could that impulse have persisted after you awoke? The pouch is flopping back and forth as the crayfish tries to find a way out. Clearing your mind, you try to mentally order the crayfish to be still. The flopping does not cease. "Stop that,"  you hiss, with no apparent effect. It's the same as at the pond.

Perhaps you're going about this wrong. You aren't trying to bend another thinking being to your will- in your dream, you were the crayfish. Once again, you clear your mind and focus your will- you remember how strange your extra limbs felt, the pulse of ichor within you, the rigidity of your carapace...

Command Undead.

You experience a moment of vertigo, before gaining a sort of double-vision. You can still quite clearly see the room about you, the pouch before you, but you are also conscious of another view- the inside of the pouch, illuminated by a purple glow. Be still, and the crayfish responds, ceasing its fruitless endeavor. Calmly, you empty the crayfish onto the ground, and it remains docile. From the crayfish's eyes, you seem enormous, the underside of your bed a dark cavern, the ceiling impossibly high. You do not feel as though you have as much a sense of the crayfish's body as in your dream, but you do have a general idea about the body's state of being.

With a bit of experimentation, you get the crayfish to tour your room, responding exactly to your mental commands. You discover the zombie isn't very good at climbing (as might be expected) and that it can take simple directions. You make a list of ten movements for it to execute, relay it to the zombie with the injunction to wait on a command from you, and then watch gleefully as it flawlessly dances your little routine. However, another experiment where you attempt to make the creature alter its path based on external stimuli (hitting it with a rolled-up sock, in this instance) seems to have no effect- perhaps your experiment is flawed, or perhaps zombies simply do not do well with conditional instructions.

With one final thought, you order the zombie to walk in circles, then break off the mental contact. The zombie obediently continues to circle on your floor- placing a shoe in its path causes it to move the center of its circle a bit to the left before continuing with its task.

Thoughtfully, you crush the zombie beneath your heel, observing as the phosphorescent fire dies in the creatures eyes. At least you've managed some control over your creations- privately, you'd begun to fear your creations would control you.

Quote from: Grek
On a somewhat related note, it would do us good to quell the dark thoughts we've been having. We're not so different from other elfs and we're certainly not evil. Admittedly, what we're doing is illegal, but it's not evil. The things we've revived haven't harmed anyone, nor have they shown any hint of aggression. Indeed, what we do now seems closer to the Life magics of old, regenerating missing parts of the body, reversing decay and ressurecting the dead. We may be a Necromancer, but before that, we're an Elf. Not a freak, not an abomination, just an elf with an unusual power.

As you settle down to a wholesome breakfast, you feel decidedly upbeat about your success, shaking off the melancholy of the day before. So what, if you're a little different? Most elves are impulsive to a fault, but the Rangers are quite disciplined. Most elves care only for the present, but the Sages gain wisdom and perspective from study of the past. Most elves have mercurial moods, but the Mages need self-control and calm to work their spells. Their differences are their strength, and perhaps it is so with you as well!

Buoyed by that happy thought, you are startled by a knock on the door. Apprehensively, you rise to answer it, thinking perhaps someone had come to ask about a strange purple glow in your window this morning. When you open the door, however, you see before you a soggy fisherelf, holding an empty net that will be doubtlessly bulging when he returns home. With a sardonic flourish, he produces a letter- a reply from Elana Foundwasps!

Thanking him profusely, you offer him a warm meal and a fireside seat, but he begs your leave and heads upstream. Closing the door, you retreat to your room, opening the letter. Hello-how-are-you-I-am-fine, cordial phrases with little added emotion. Her quill positively glows with enthusiasm for her training, however- she is nearing the end of her novitiate, and is preparing to choose a discipline within the Life Magics for further study. You detect a wistful note as she mentions how little opportunity she has had to socialize- in part due to time constraints on her part, in part due to lack of a close peer group among the Mages. She makes no mention of your history- perhaps a desire to start fresh? If nothing else, she certainly sounds happy enough to have someone to chat with, as evidenced by her prompt reply. Maybe starting fresh is a good thing- this is the start of a new You, after all, and maybe new You won't make the mistakes old You did.

By your reckoning, it is midmorning- should you reply immediately to Elana? What should you say? And what will you do with the remainder of your day- the rain doesn't look like it is letting up any time soon, so perhaps indoor activities are in order. Then again, few elves will be out and about the forest today- this could be an excellent opportunity to scout out a new place to practice your arts. What to do, what to do...


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

EveryZig

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #42 on: November 26, 2011, 11:07:00 pm »

I want to find out more about the land where the Sacred Grove was. Did the Golgothans just burn everything, or did they actually curse the land?
« Last Edit: November 27, 2011, 12:09:58 am by EveryZig »
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woose1

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #43 on: November 26, 2011, 11:24:29 pm »

Okay, so, 2 MP for raising the ant and the fish, and 1 MP for raising the crayfish. As far as I can see, the MP cost of raising the dead is dependent upon the amount of 'life' energy still present in said body. So, raising a much more decayed corpse would cost alot less mana than a freshly killed one. Size doesn't seem to matter, although we should definitely further experiment with something... bigger. I say head over to a local butcher, if there is one, or go out hunting for some fresh game. We've just about exhausted our possibilities with the crayfish, but they still might be useful for scouting and sneaking under doors, and whatnot. There doesn't seem to be a limit to how long we can keep our creations alive, so we should start making our undead army right away. Then, we can choose to either reveal ourselves to the council or head into the wilderness. Either option seems good at this point. We definitely don't want to give the impression that we are evil in any fashion. Instead, we should present ourselves as an elf born with an unusual talent, which in reality is simply another way of manipulating life energy.

Also, as an experiment: attempt to use our life-manipulation abilities to transfer the 'life force' we find in the corpses back into us, to fuel raising the dead. That way, we might further reduce the cost of making our zombies.
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EveryZig

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #44 on: November 27, 2011, 12:24:04 am »

>Larger creatures
No, we want to have more control before we move on to creating things we cannot easily destroy.

>Make an army
For what purpose? We don't have anyone we want to kill, and militarization would be counterproductive in terms of our life expectancy, because it would make us much easier to detect.

>Talk to the council
That isn't how things work around here. If we reveal ourselves to the council (or most other people), they will try their hardest to kill us, as every famous necromancer since forever has been evil.
If we ever want to reveal ourselves, we will need to first do something major and undeniably good with our power, and even then some people will likely have it in for us.

And that brings me to my long term plan.
I think we should restore the lands of the Sacred Grove.
The sage said the necromancers did something with their magic to ruin the lands when they drove our the elves. Life magic could not overcome whatever the necromancers did the the land, but with enough mastery over death magic we might wrest control over their curse and any undead there, to turn its power upon itself and destroy it.
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