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Author Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions  (Read 656635 times)

Phantom of The Library

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #585 on: February 18, 2012, 11:15:30 pm »

Alas, the thread is dead, cruelly slain by the new release.

I don't blame you at all, monk.

It's ok, we're necromancers. It can die for a while and still come back, right?

Indeed. ;) I'll practice my necromancy in Df Adv. Mode, heh
Either that or EoA, its raise dead spell needs to be refreshed again sometime soon.   :P
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This is what happens when we randomly murder people.

You get attacked by a Yandere triangle monster.

Bluebiscuit

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #586 on: February 19, 2012, 02:19:07 pm »

Bluebiscuit casts: RAISE THREAD
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yourfears

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #587 on: February 19, 2012, 05:40:57 pm »

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Mithril Leaf

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #588 on: February 22, 2012, 06:22:26 am »

Damn it Mood! How dare you toy with my feelings like this?! You've made such a great story, don't let it die now!
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Ehndras

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #589 on: February 22, 2012, 07:14:14 am »

*Casts Detect Necromancy*

Oh where, oh where has my GM-dude gone, oh where, oh where may he be?


:P
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Bluebiscuit

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #590 on: February 22, 2012, 04:30:09 pm »

Bluebiscuit casts: SUMMON GM
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Angle

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #591 on: February 22, 2012, 05:22:54 pm »

Angle casts: Stalk GM

He's online right now. dunno what he's doing though.
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The Temple of the Elements: Quirky Dungeon Crawler

Phantom of The Library

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #592 on: February 22, 2012, 05:46:04 pm »

I'm going to guess that he is trapped under a large, heavy object by the name of writer's block.
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You get attacked by a Yandere triangle monster.

forsaken1111

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #593 on: February 22, 2012, 05:51:07 pm »

I'm going to guess that he is trapped under a large, heavy object by the name of writer's block.
While being pummeled from both sides by Apathy and Obligation.
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #594 on: February 25, 2012, 12:23:46 am »

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

I am completely, 100% opposed to waiting. For one thing, Omo has made it clear that HE, at least, won't. And frankly, he is far more valuable to us than anyone or anything else here.

Our mother has made it clear she can try to identify this thing for us - ask her if she can do it discretely so the guy doesn't jack up the price, maybe? Anyways, it sounds like if she finds that it IS valuable, she might be willing to help us purchase it.
but prior to doing so we should be prepared for the scenario in which our mother determines that we are a necromancer. Say, by determining that the item is necromantic, and that only a necromancer could detect it without the use of specialised magic.

Shouldn't be an issue, we only stated it wasn't dwarven so not an artifact just that we liked it because it was pretty (and shiny). Unless it's an ugly piece of jewelry in reality and we only find it shiny because of the necromancer vibe I don't see how we can be at risk.

You waken the next morning, fresh and ready for the new day. After your habitual ablutions, you once again join your Mother in the kitchen for an early meal.

Hey, Mom. I've been thinking, and I'd like to take you up on that offer to test the merchant's medallion.
Alright- if you'd like to go now, we could do it before I go to work for the day.
Actually, I was hoping we could be discreet about it, just in case it is an Artifact. Maybe we could wait until tonight, so we can check it out when I deliver the potion?
If it truly is an Artifact, I expect the Council will outbid you for it- an item of such power could prove invaluable if it comes to open war.
Really? Are they all that powerful?
They can be- many provide only modest benefit, or perform a function that isn't terribly useful, but some few have truly legendary power. If it is an Artifact, it will take much additional testing to determine the nature and extent of its abilities.
Huh. Well, if you want to go now, let's go.

After tidying up, you escort your mother back across the bridge to the Caravan Fair. Though still rather chilly and dark, it isn't raining at the moment. You enter Luki Revereorder's tent- once again, the early hour means that the tent is empty save for the merchant himself.

Hello, Nym! Finished with that potion already? And who is this pretty girl with you?
Good morning, master Revereorder. You said you were taking that medallion to the coast to be appraised, right? Well, this is my mother, and I think she can provide a fair estimation of its worth.
Oh? Is she a historian?
Greetings, master Revereorder- I am a Mage of Yicelafo. I can't tell you its value as a historical item, but I can eliminate the possibility of it being an artifact for you. Now, where is this medallion?

Luki blinks, then hesitantly takes the medallion off the peg and holds it up for your mother's inspection. She matter-of-factly reaches out and snatches the item, ignoring Luki's slight wince. You are as attracted as ever to its beckoning necromantic energy, and watch with keen interest as your mother inspects the fine etching of the ravens.

She holds the medallion in the palm of her left hand, and her right hand begins to trace a circle above it. Luki gasps as a faint green light seems to settle down from your mother's hand, floating above the medallion. As her hand moves, the light ripples with it, much like a hand will ripple a bucket of water. She hums softly to herself as she works her magic, concentrating intently.

Suddenly, you notice the purple glow of the medallion... shift. At first you think your eyes tricked you, but soon it happens again, then again- the glow seems to pulse now, in time with the green light. With each pulse, you see the purple glow reach a little higher, and the green light sink lower. Finally, the energies meet, and your mother dismisses the spell with a surprised look on her face.

Well! It seems you were right, master Revereorder- this is indeed an artifact.
Really?!? You're sure? What does it do?
I cannot say without extensive testing. You were asking for 100 gold for this item?
I- yes, but that was before I knew for sure it was an artifact.
Fear not, Yicelafo will not cheat you of your merchandise. I'll send somebody back here with the power to make you an offer I'm sure you will find quite generous.
Well, I suppose I can consider such an offer, can't I? Thank you very much for this service, milady!
Good day, master Revereorder.


Meanwhile, meet with Omo. Tell him of what we've learned - and of what we've accomplished. While we didn't get permission to leave, we did some good and stopped them from clamping down tight on the border. Reaffirm that we have every intent of leaving with him before the fair ends, and ask him if he knows where we can find Elana - and if she might have any knowledge on how to communicate effectively over a distance. We're going to take a risk here, of course - if it falls through, we won't mention Omo. He should be able to get out without us if he still wants to leave. But if it works, we'll have an ally on the inside.

You leave with your mother, somewhat dejected. If the Mages throw piles of gold at Luki to obtain the medallion, there is no way you'll get your hands on it short of theft, and that theft would be difficult if they are actively studying it. You say your goodbyes as she heads off to the Temple, and you head off after Omo.

You find him sitting with a festive group of Elves enjoying the break in the weather. When Omo sees you, he rises and comes away from the group to speak to you.

So? What's the good word?
Well, asking the Elders went about as you predicted. Nowhere fast.
Bloody hell. Well, it was worth a shot. You're still game to leave anyway?
Of course! And it wasn't all bad- it sounds like they won't be shutting down the border until after the Fair, and I think I may have tipped the balance toward reaching out to the Humans instead of just sealing ourselves off from the conflict.
Oh, you did all that but you couldn't get permission to leave? A strange world you live in.
Shut up! We should be good to go before the end of the Fair, I'm just going to wrap up some loose ends. Speaking of, have you seen Elana?
Some loose ends! As a matter of fact, I did see her the other day- she's staying with a friend in the city. Are you two... cool now?
Well, we were never precisely not cool, and I would like to say goodbye before we leave. We may not meet again for years.
True enough, I suppose. We all have people and things important to us.


Then find Elana - I've got a plan. Ask her if she knows any way to send messages over a distance with magic. Let her know we WILL be leaving the veil one way or another, even if it kills us, but we'd like to do what good we can for the elves in the meanwhile, and communication will be valuable to that end.
Yes, getting the amulet confiscated would be better than nothing - in my mind, the most important thing we can do with it is keeping it from reaching the jeweled coast and getting snatched up by the guy there.

We should phrase this similar to our arguments with the council and how they are making a mistake with the token diplomat approach. That way even if she does end up telling anyone our stories are consistent and our reason for leaving believable.
I think we should tell the truth - tell her that our reason for going has always been a desire to study our ancient homeland and do what we can to help the people, and it is clear that that will not happen unless we make it. And we believe the things we can learn are more valuable now than ever they could be before - if necromancers threaten our home once more, learning how they did what they did, and how to prevent it from happening to our home yet again, is paramount - finding a way to reverse it would be nothing short of amazing.
Ask her if she knows anyone, skilled and willing to leave, that may wish to accompany us, but make it clear that we WILL be doing it. Do not sound brash and inconsiderate - simply dedicated, and focused on the mission at hand.

You don't need much in the way of directions from Omo- once you catch the name of Elana's friend, you know where to go. Your path takes you deeper into Yicelafo, past the Great Temple and Shrine into the heart of the residential district. The treehouses are stacked thickly here, to the point that they touch the ground, making the tree appear to be a single large apartment with a living canopy for a roof. It is in one of these residential blocks that you find the right home, tucked on ground level astride a massive root.

Elana herself answers the door, and for a moment it's like you are seeing her again for the first time. Her carefully braided hair is strawberry-blonde, a rarity among the elves. Almond eyes in a fair face regard you with surprise. Simple, warm clothing adds little breadth to her slight frame- she almost seems to be an adult in a child's body, and though you are no giant you stand nearly a full head taller.

Elana seems to hesitate a moment before inviting you in. You greet her friend, an older woman you know only through your association with Elana. After exchanging pleasantries and being a generally good hostess, she seems to catch the mood in the air and decides this would be an opportune time to go grocery shopping. The room is silent for a long moment after the door closes behind her.

...well- I didn't expect to see you here, after your last letter, Nym.
Yeah, well... you heard about the Necromancers, I trust.
I did. I'm sorry your trip was canceled, but really, it's probably for the best.
About that- I plan on leaving anyway.
What! What could possibly be possessing you to hare off into a warzone!?!
Well, it seems to me that I can do more good learning more about our ancestral homeland and how it was destroyed than cooped up here at home. Maybe there's a clue that can keep it from happening again.
That's crazy! You'd have to be a Mage to find out anything, and that's if there was anything more to find out! The Sacred Grove is a waste, and you're wasting your time if you go out there!
Oh come on, to hear you talk taking one step outside of Yicelafo is a death sentence. Weren't you always trying to get me to do something with my life?
I meant use your life to get a good job, help out society, not throw it away because you've got itchy feet!
I am going to help out society, better than I could if I were just going to hold a spear the day the Necromancer's armies come knocking at the door!

You are both quiet for a moment.

...oh, be careful, you stubborn fool. Just be careful.
Aren't I always? Besides, it can't be as bad as all that out there. Heck, the last place the Necromancer is likely to be is in the middle of an uninhabited wasteland! There aren't even any bodies there for him to... utilize.
I'd have said desecrate, but I take your meaning.
Do you know anybody else who wanted to leave the Vale? Maybe somebody who would be willing to help me?
Ha! You're the only one I know foolish enough to leave the Vale in the middle of a war.
Hey, technically, we aren't at war yet.
Yeah, now tell me another.
Alright, how about this- do you know of any way to magically communicate across distances?
Myself? No, but I know it is possible. I know I've seen the Life Mages use animal messengers, but I'm pretty sure there's a general magic spell that lets you send messages across distances.
Do you know anyone who could teach me? It'd be terribly helpful.
I imagine one of the Life Mages could teach you, but from what I gather it is somewhat difficult and involved- that's why they normally just send animal messengers.
How does that work, anyway? Can they control the animals?
No, but it isn't that hard to communicate with them using Life magic, after a fashion, and animals are pretty easy to bribe. Ha, not the most reliable though- one time, a Mage sent a sparrow with a message to summon me for a lesson, but I never got it. He found the bird holed up in his nest with his lady love- apparently some more immediate concerns came up en route.
Ha! That's rich. Well, I won't take up any more of your time- take care of yourself, if I don't see you again before I leave.

You stand to make your goodbyes, and impulsively give Elana a big bear hug. She stiffens in surprise for a moment before hugging you back fiercely. After a long moment, you separate, and exit the apartment.

That said, ask Pevo more about necromancy, now that we have two known necromancers active. Why are necromancers always considered automatically evil? Do you think there's a chance of have been people with potential for necromantic magic that lived their wholes lives without actually discovering it? Is there a commonly accepted reason for why there haven't been more than one necromancer active at the same time? Pass this as you planning to be a sage. In fact, actually try to become a sage. Focus on necromancy so much because after all, you want to know more about the enemy that is plaguing this land. You are not a powerful mage. You are not a strong warrior. But you can collaborate by knowing about them and advising how to proceed. After Pevo, start hitting the books, ask access to all libraries you canm search for any ruins in elven lands that might contain a hint, etc. If you are discreet enough try to search the libraries and such with necro vision, specially if they are very old and lacking a index system.
Going off of what Felius said about becoming a sage, while I don't think it will work out to well I do think that we should try learning as much as we can about the basic properties of magic, just purely the theory not practice for right now if we're going to stay for training then we can learn the practice of it. Also if we stay we can also learn some more general magic spells that might help us out later and help us understand the basics of necromancy if all magic contain some of the same basic rules. If we are still staying then lets find ourselves a place for experiments again, if not then ignore the majority of this.

Since it's on your way back anyway, you decide to drop in on the Great Temple and pay Pevo a visit. You find him in his quarters, apparently reading a book.

Nym! Good to see you.
Hello Pevo- do you have a moment to answer a couple random questions?
Certainly, though I doubt they are anything but random.
Heh- true enough. Well, considering the sudden surplus of Necromancers, I thought it'd pay to know a bit more about them. Has there ever been more than one active at a time before now?
No, there has not, not since the Golgothan War. The Golgothans were wiped out in the aftermath of that war, and for a time it was thought that the threat of Necromancy was done forever. However, much like how Life Mages will sometimes arise among the humans, sometimes Necromancers arise among them as well. It is not often the spark breeds true, but every century or two another Necromancer arises to wreak havoc on the world.
Why is that? Why do they always try to conquer the world, I mean?
Who knows? Some say Necromancy is inherently evil, but I don't think so. The Golgothans got along more or less peacefully with the other races before Balkoth came to power, from what I can glean of our remaining texts and what I found during my sabbatical in Thrimesdur. Some think that it is just because humans are easily corruptible, and Necromancy offers a unique, direct sort of power nobody else can control or understand. Some blame the meddling of gods or other forces. No Necromancer has ever consented to an interview, so we can't know for sure
Could it be that some Necromancers never managed to control their powers, or even manifest them without guidance?
It could be, and in fact is rather likely. Of the Elves we teach here in Yicelafo, many would not have utilized their power without outside guidance to start them on the path. That is one reason we test so thoroughly- if we didn't, we'd have far fewer Mages. It is a comparatively small percentage of magic-users who manifest their abilities unconsciously, without any outside interference.
I see. Is that true for general magic users as well?
No, not at all. General magic is a much more deliberate, controlled usage of Mana than the others- that's why the other Magical Faiths can achieve such greater feats. Anyone with a Mana pool can learn to use general magic spells, but nobody will just start spontaneously casting them.
I'm not sure I quite understand the distinction.
Think of it like this; the Magical Faiths are like the different ways animals can move through the woods. Wolves can run on all fours faster than we can, and birds can fly over obstacles, and fish can swim places we cannot. They are all different from one another, and none of them are really conscious decisions to be different, but they are all more effective than just trying to walk through the underbrush.
...I think I've got it, though it still isn't quite clear.
Well, it isn't a perfect metaphor- maybe a Mage could explain it better.
So is there any special reason there's never been more than one Necromancer at a time?
No, no special reason. It is just staggeringly unlikely. The fact we have 2 at once is likely just statistics catching up with us, to our misfortune. It'd take more than that for me to suspect something more, the way some folks have been whispering.
Whispering?
You know, the usual nonsense. "The End is Nigh, Darkness will cover the land, evil gods will awaken, fire and brimstone." All poppycock- we face a challenge unlike any since the Golgothan War, yes, but no need to go dragging in prophecies and ancient evils over it. We are quite capable of having a statistical improbability without anyone else having a hand in it.
Yes... of course. Well, I think that satisfies my curiosity for now. Thank you for your time, Pevo Zephyrtempest.
Any time, Nym, any time.

You leave the Great Temple and head back home as the afternoon grows late. You make another potion for Luki with the daylight you have left, resolving to deliver it the following morning. You ponder your circumstances after your evening meal- the medallion seems to be beyond your reach for now, and you've gathered quite a bit of information. Is there anything holding you in Yicelafo now, or are you ready to depart?

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)

The Alchemist

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #595 on: February 25, 2012, 01:00:48 am »

I'm not sure who came up with the "See what happens if you infuse Mana and Vitality into the same crystal" thing, but I think we should still try it. Monk if you thought it was off of what I said about the rate at which we release the vitality we collect to see if it affects the ratio of it, we should keep those as two separate experiments but both of them seem to have merit.

By the way thanks for the update Monk, really appreciate it.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2012, 01:02:47 am by The Alchemist »
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Grek

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #596 on: February 25, 2012, 01:38:36 am »

This is actually a very good development! The medallion is safe and sound here in the Vale, where, once we've mastered our powers and proven our worth, we can come back and claim it.

I'm all for going off as soon as the Fair's over. Sneak out while the guards are distracted by the merchants leaving.
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The Alchemist

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #597 on: February 25, 2012, 12:45:16 pm »

While I don't think the council would really care about how we knew that it was an artifact we could possibly try to use this as a reason to let us leave. Like I said it probably won't work but we could tell the council that we could search the outside for artifacts which we can bring back. But regardless of how we leave I suggest that we head off toward the Jeweled Coast.
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Well...we're both drowning, he was drunk the whole time...this was a success!
- Me after completing a game of Red November.

adwarf

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #598 on: February 25, 2012, 01:32:48 pm »

When we leave we need to head straight for our old homeland, if we can break whatever curse is on the land we can prove that we can return to the Elves, and openly say we are a Necromancer. Plus I have a feeling there is something of power in there we will need if we want to beat the other Necromancer's. That skeletal monstrosity is obviously a golem of some sort, and whatever is keeping it alive is what we need.
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The Alchemist

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Re: You are a Necromancer!
« Reply #599 on: February 25, 2012, 05:58:38 pm »

When we leave we need to head straight for our old homeland, if we can break whatever curse is on the land we can prove that we can return to the Elves, and openly say we are a Necromancer. Plus I have a feeling there is something of power in there we will need if we want to beat the other Necromancer's. That skeletal monstrosity is obviously a golem of some sort, and whatever is keeping it alive is what we need.
While I do agree with eventually going for our homeland let's think about this its a barren wasteland with nothing besides that giant monstrosity which could probably tear us in half in under a second. We have no way of knowing how to remove the curse not to mention it was placed by a much stronger necromancer than us and even trying to do so would likely end up killing us. I suggest going through the jeweled coast and rounding about the edge towards the homeland. It's probably much less dangerous to go through that route than to head straight through a country that has a giant undead army breathing down its neck. Although I do agree with breaking the curse and using that as a opportunity to openly state that we are a necromancer.
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Well...we're both drowning, he was drunk the whole time...this was a success!
- Me after completing a game of Red November.
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