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Author Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions  (Read 656543 times)

monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #180 on: December 22, 2011, 10:57:36 pm »

Also, he might know how to make mana potions. just might. Do all elves learn magic?

Unlike humans, all elves have some small mana pool (normally 1 or 2 points, but it isn't too unusual for an elf to have a larger pool even without manifesting Life magic- You were considered one such) and learn Calm Animal as a matter of course- many elves will learn another general spell or two over the course of their immortal lives.

That said, you've known Omo all his life, and he's never been terribly gifted in the magical arts, nor has he expressed any great interest in that direction. That was more Elana's speed. As it rather looks like Omo will be joining the party, he'll get a rough character sheet next update.

Speaking of next update, you've got a Mana potion, and Omo has an axe- any final votes on how to resolve your tree situation?

fergus

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #181 on: December 23, 2011, 12:02:02 am »

Sneak of and use the mana potion.
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Cellmonk

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #182 on: December 23, 2011, 02:17:10 am »

Speaking of next update, you've got a Mana potion, and Omo has an axe- any final votes on how to resolve your tree situation?

hmmm. It would be hard to explain why you'd take his axe. So make your plans with him, Unhurriedly leave after telling him to meet you later, then go up to the tree with the mana potion. Quaff only a little at a time, so that you might have some left after you steal all the tree's vitality. I'm not sure where that vitality should be stored tho.

And I'm sure you could find a book detailing the creation of mana potions. go to a library, if there's one. You also might learn something about the nature of the undead.
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fergus

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #183 on: December 23, 2011, 03:39:20 am »

We could try using some of the vitality to heal ourselves. Is it possible to heal over the limit on vitality?
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Grek

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #184 on: December 23, 2011, 11:48:16 am »

Nope.
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GlyphGryph

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #185 on: December 23, 2011, 12:02:50 pm »

Yes, use mana potion, as much as needed to shut down the tree with magic.
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Cellmonk

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #186 on: December 23, 2011, 03:53:22 pm »

Yes, use mana potion, as much as needed to shut down the tree with magic.

Yes. But we should first find out the mana density of the potion. So quaff one teaspoon, say, then check how much mana it added. We don't want to be going over maximum and wasting good potion.
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Rockowl

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #187 on: December 23, 2011, 09:41:47 pm »

So after speaking with Omo and accepting his offer to join us, we'll tell him to meet us tomorrow or something?

We can't take him with us to the undead tree. It might be a good idea to destroy the tree ASAP and then lay low for a while. It's possible that someone has seen it, though highly unlikely. A good night of sleep and some time to think would do us good before heading off. Perhaps taking a peek at the market/caravan for anything that might be of use to us would be a good idea, too. Then we can leave the Vale, properly prepared.


Once we've left we need to set a goal. I mean, we could just head off in some direction and see what we might find, but it's probably best to head to a town or city. Cities have libraries and shops, perhaps sidequests, but also lots of people. That will make nightly experiments a lot harder. And eventually we'll run out of coin, too. Things to think about!
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #188 on: December 26, 2011, 02:36:51 pm »

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

Be relived at his offer, and happy, not hesitant, and tell him you'd be immensely grateful to have him along
We're definitely bringing him along, there's no doubts there... There's no reason to explain to him about our powers now, but there's also no reason to lie about them once we're gone. The truth here is our best weapon: We want to discover ancient magics long lost to our people and break the necromantic curse on our ancient homeland.


Half the reason I became a Ranger in the first place was so I could wander out along the borders of the Vale- every patrol, I see the horizons outside the forest and wonder what's on the other side. Besides, you'll certainly need my help! What do you say?
Of course I'd be happy to have you along!
Grand! When do we leave?
I don't know- I've got a few things to do first, and I have yet to speak to the Elders myself.
Are you going to the Fair tomorrow? I was planning on going that way, and as long as we're in Yicelafo we could speak to the Elders then.
I haven't decided when I'll get to the Fair yet- I only just found out about it. They'll be there all week, and this is hardly a time-sensitive task.
Maybe not for you, but I've wanted to leave for weeks now! I'll probably spend the week at the Fair- come and find me when you get out there.
Alright, sounds like a plan. I'll let you get back to tending your wood now.
Pfft- off with you, wench! Let me work in peace!


...sneak up on the tree, to check if someone is or has been around recently...
When and if we do take down the tree, we should bash it with Rocky a few times to check if having the vitality bestowed in it will give it any special properties when used as a weapon.

EDIT: We should also try Rocky on something truly living later if we survive that long, and see what happens
Yes, use mana potion, as much as needed to shut down the tree with magic.

Yes. But we should first find out the mana density of the potion. So quaff one teaspoon, say, then check how much mana it added. We don't want to be going over maximum and wasting good potion.


As you set off to tend to your own woody problem, you realize you never asked Pevo how much Mana your potion was good for. Well, it's not like Stealing Vitality costs all that much- surely if this potion is potent enough to help Ari in his tasks, it will be sufficient for your own. ...Right?

It is late afternoon by the time you return to your grove- beneath the thick canopy, it may as well be sunset. As you had feared, you are aware of the purple glow well in advance of your actual arrival. Carefully, you sneak around the trees, your inexpert eyes searching for signs that another Elf has been here. You gradually spiral in to the tree itself without seeing any elves, nor sign of their passage. As you regard the tree, you decide to indulge in a brief experiment before extinguishing its merry flame.

You harvested Rocky some time ago, but the Rope Doll is still where you left it. Picking it up, you start beating the tree with it, eyes peeled for any unusual effects. The rope flails against the tree much as any other rope would have- that is to say, ineffectually. The mere presence of Vitality in the doll does not appear to have any significant effect on its killing potential. Ah well, the attempt didn't cost you anything.

Stepping back, you unstopper your Mana potion. Your nose twitches again at the fruity, pungent odor. You slowly begin drinking the potion, taking care to keep in mind your Mana pool so you can stop when you have enough for the task at hand. It tastes extremely strange: fruity and sweet, but a little spicy, while the texture is grainy without being gritty, and thick.

As you drink, you can feel a pleasant, comfortable warmth spreading throughout your body. More importantly, you can feel your magical energy returning! Not nearly as much as you'd like, however, and as you drain the last drops you seem to max out at about 3 Mana. Maybe a quarter of what you're capable of, but enough for the task at hand.

You stretch out your hand towards the Undead Oak, and Steal Vitality. Your magics scour the Oak clean, and the purple flames flicker and die. However, you drain a much smaller amount of Vitality than you had expected- not even enough for 1VP! You'd rather hoped that this method of tree-destroying would have alleviated the ache in your bones. Come to think of it, though, you don't really feel that ache anymore anyway. That's a plus.

You rub your eyes- it feels like this day has taken weeks, you've emptied your Mana reserves, replenished and emptied them again, and it seems you've walked the length of the Vale twice over. You want nothing more than a warm bed and a good night's sleep. As you rise to leave, you notice your Rope Doll's eyes twinkling as it rests on the rock you left it on. You should probably do something about that.

Spoiler: You (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Spells (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Omo Thunderjaw (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Notable Figures (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Creations (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Planned Experiments (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Maps (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 26, 2011, 06:23:16 pm by monk12 »
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Cellmonk

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #189 on: December 26, 2011, 04:15:04 pm »

Try cutting the rope doll into pieces with your belt knife. See if it destroys it. cut off a limb, and see if the life stays in the body or the limb. Then cut off the head, and see if the head remains alive. Find the smallest bit that can remain undead.
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Grek

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #190 on: December 26, 2011, 11:22:20 pm »

It can wait till morning. What's the worst it can do? It can't move or anything, just see things.
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EveryZig

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #191 on: December 26, 2011, 11:47:17 pm »

Cutting it apart sounds like a decent experiment.
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fergus

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #192 on: December 27, 2011, 12:30:20 am »

Yeah, lets cut it apart.
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #193 on: December 27, 2011, 03:40:35 pm »

Try cutting the rope doll into pieces with your belt knife. See if it destroys it. cut off a limb, and see if the life stays in the body or the limb. Then cut off the head, and see if the head remains alive. Find the smallest bit that can remain undead.

Although tired, you've never been one to pass up an opportunity for experimentation, and this shouldn't take long.

You fumble at your belt for a moment before drawing your knife, then lay the Rope Doll on the rock, face up. Lifting one of the "arms" you saw at the rope until it falls off. For a moment it maintains its faint purple cast before it fades back to a regular piece of rope. Your Necromantic Sight reveals a negligible dip in the Doll's Vitality. Hacking off the other arm yields a similar result.

Starting just below the head knot, you saw at the rope, severing the body from the head. The body "dies" much like the arms did- the Head remains animate. However, you note that the head (at this point a glorified noose) now only contains One Vitality, instead of the Two the whole Doll had. You slice through the top of the head loop, and the rope falls apart, the eyes winking out and the phosphorescent fire fading. The Rope Doll is destroyed.

Something about this strikes you as very sad, and fighting back tears you pile up the pieces of rope on the remains of Rocky. After a moment's consideration, you arrange the rope in a semblance of it's brief unlife- er, undeath? Animatedness. You are abruptly aware of how silly this is, internally debating semantics over the current nonliving status of a rock and piece of rope that were never properly alive to begin with, and certainly never had anything resembling a thought pass through them! You start giggling to yourself- Here lies Ropey the Rope Doll, may she rest in Pieces! Ha, see, it's funny because Ropey is in little chunks now.

You realize that you've been giggling to yourself in the dark for a while now- you aren't precisely sure how long, but it has certainly been longer than anyone should giggle while alone. The part of you that is rather concerned with things being precisely right suggests that this may be cause for worry, but you counter by suggesting nothing has been precisely right for a solid week now, so kindly shove off.

Oh right, shove off- you were going home now. Yes, that is a good plan. You jump to your feet to act on that plan and promptly fall on your bottom. You realize that might have gone better if you were sitting in the first place, but now you can do this properly. Jumping to your feet- well, to your knees, then you need a hand on Rocky to get the rest of the way- you exit the Grove. It is well and truly dark now, and though the sky was tinged with red in the Grove, here beneath the canopy it may as well be midnight.

It should only be about an hour back to your home, but it feels like it takes twice that, stumbling through the woods, tripping on roots and walking into branches. Then again, it almost feels like no time at all, so that averages out, right? You very very carefully climb the steps, but have trouble with the door, as you aren't quite sure where the latch is. Come to think of it, you aren't quite sure where your fingers are. Hang on a second.

*bleeearrgh*

There, much better. After a few moments, you manage to get the door open. With a great laugh at the puny door and its failed attempts to stop you, you shamble inside, collapse on the bed and instantly fall asleep.

...


You awaken the next morning dead. No, scratch that, you just wish you were dead. Your mouth tastes like socks, your clothes are rumpled and sweaty, and you have a pounding headache. Fuck this day.

Spoiler: You (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Spells (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Omo Thunderjaw (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Notable Figures (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Planned Experiments (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Maps (click to show/hide)

Cellmonk

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #194 on: December 27, 2011, 06:48:42 pm »

Hmmm. That's strange. The mana potion seemed to have the same effect on you an alcoholic beverage might have on a human.

Are the elves familiar with alcoholic beverages? Are there any drinks less-than-graceful elves quaff away at in the night? It might help us understand the nature of this potion we have yet to find out how to make.

Humans pay much for mana potions, our friend said. Is this for the mana regeneration or for some other effect?

We should find a bar in our current town, and see if we can ask the bartender about mana potions.

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? We should do this before we meet Omo.

Finally,  We have silver on us. we should test how it reacts with our magic. Can we put vitality in silver? what happens if we drop a silver piece through a Golem's head?

I guess we need to meet Omo.. tomorrow was it? We should get all our supplies ready. Fishing equipment, A hatchet, I'm not sure how skilled we are at archery, but a bow and some arrows might come in handy. We also should bring a tinderbox, unless we can start fires with magic, or elves have knowledge in white phosphorous. We want plenty of flatbread, some lemons to avoid scurvy, and some salt just in case we find ourselves far from the coast. We need a flask for water (other than our potion vial, which we may find another use for). We also need plenty of rope, some leather to wrap our feet in if it gets cold (and to experiment with), and some herbs in case of injury. We want a frame to pack this all onto, and a leather bag to mount on the frame and sleep in. A shortsword might come in handy, but it might be a bit expensive, and isn't a necessity. If we have or can get our hands on a larger knife or sword, we should find a light one. We don't want to weigh ourselves down too much.

 
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