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Author Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions  (Read 656630 times)

Harbingerjm

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1695 on: June 15, 2013, 10:36:20 pm »

Missing souls is the story peddled by the locals.
 Also we looked at the life-energy of the victims, and it did seem lethargic...
I'm aware of that, but given they're a nation with a fair number of wizards, and given they say they've had in people from other wizard nations, I'm curious as to how exactly they came to that conclusion. Also, it would probably be helpful, both for our cover and possibly for our magic, to learn more of the tenets of other magic schools.

And for the Ninja: Yeah, I'll have to agree with Harbingerjm's questions for the most part. They are delicate questions, so we should spin a good reason for it, but I'm against the "refugee" thing. Our cover story was that we are a historian and researcher, interested in the necromancy, specially how to fight it, to search for ways to protect the elven lands, or something like that. I digress, but the point is that we should keep our cover story consistent.
Eh? I'm not saying we pretend to be refugees, I'm saying that they seem to have a big important chunk of their history based around how great they are for protecting the Elven survivors of the last great Necromancy war, so they'll presumably be fairly interested in helping the Elves (re)acquire history from that time + knowledge and experience on how to deal with undead.
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Felius

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1696 on: June 15, 2013, 10:50:04 pm »

Eh? I'm not saying we pretend to be refugees, I'm saying that they seem to have a big important chunk of their history based around how great they are for protecting the Elven survivors of the last great Necromancy war, so they'll presumably be fairly interested in helping the Elves (re)acquire history from that time + knowledge and experience on how to deal with undead.
Fair enough, although I get the feeling that these knights are not really interested in helping elves for the sake of helping, nor really interested in history. Of course, the knowledge and experience on how to deal with undead on the other hand... :P
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Harbingerjm

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1697 on: June 15, 2013, 10:58:15 pm »

Eh? I'm not saying we pretend to be refugees, I'm saying that they seem to have a big important chunk of their history based around how great they are for protecting the Elven survivors of the last great Necromancy war, so they'll presumably be fairly interested in helping the Elves (re)acquire history from that time + knowledge and experience on how to deal with undead.
Fair enough, although I get the feeling that these knights are not really interested in helping elves for the sake of helping, nor really interested in history. Of course, the knowledge and experience on how to deal with undead on the other hand... :P
Eh, I figure given that that war was apparently a pretty damn important milestone for their Order (given their current purpose is based around refighting it), and that the elves were a pretty damn important part of it... Well.
We're not really getting them to help the elves for the sake of helping the elves, just subtly playing to the fact that their ancestors did so and got shitloads of glory (and presumably some sort of warm fuzzy feeling, though that's irrelevant) out of it, so going over their knowledge with elves now should have plenty of benefits for them, especially if that knowledge proves useful in this war.
Plus, of course, the problem with fighting Necromancers is that every country around has to be able to fight them as well, otherwise they're just free recruits, and presumably these knights are well aware of that.
« Last Edit: June 15, 2013, 10:59:49 pm by Harbingerjm »
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Parisbre56

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1698 on: June 16, 2013, 06:32:44 am »

I think we shouldn't reveal that we are elves. Maybe only tell Bale or not even him. People (and soldiers especially) talk. If rumors start to spread about two elves wandering human lands far from the main roads and capital (somewhere elven representatives would be expected to go first) how long do you think it will be before the other necromancer puts two and two together and follows those rumors to us? Or even worse, what happens if the elves have already sent representatives and we get revealed as impostors? Or maybe they have told the humans about us. Or maybe the elves will hear about this and try to follow us. So lots of things that can go wrong. It's not like we have to tell them we're elves to gain the info we want.

And I think we should try to eavesdrop on the meeting. Shouldn't be too hard since I predict a fair amount of yelling.

RAM

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1699 on: June 16, 2013, 06:54:16 am »

I forget, have we been hiding our elfishness? If so, then continueto do so...
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Parisbre56

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1700 on: June 16, 2013, 09:37:09 am »

I forget, have we been hiding our elfishness? If so, then continueto do so...
Yeah, that's why we got that terrible fashion sense headband. To hide our elven ears.

So, questions for the people in and around the temple:

Bale and friends:
  • Try to eavesdrop on the meeting of Bale and Eko.
  • What's going on around the world? What's the latest gossip? I bet the humans will be just as interested in that so that should be easy.
    • Have the humans requested help from the elves and the dwarves?
    • Is the human king preparing for war or at least for the defense of the capital?
    • Where are the necromancers? Any indication for their plans? What are they doing?
    • Has the necromancer changed focus? Fale knows we're elves, so Nightroar might have been ordered to advance west instead of east. That might explain the recent ward bypasses. If the zombies were controlled by Nightroar himself (or one of his lackeys if he has any) they could have been ordered to go through the wards.
  • Info about their methods. Again, it seems like a lot of humans think they're awesome, so we can play the awestruck traveler (or teen. Elves look young, right?) that wants to learn more and be like them one day.
    • How do they fight zombies and necromancers?
    • Can they detect zombies and necromancers?
    • What is their order doing about the current situation?
    • What does their order think about the current situation? Is this strange? Is this life threatening?
  • What's going to happen to poor Eko? He gave us poor travelers some shelter and he seems like a nice guy so we're kind of concerned for him.
Eko:
  • What was the meeting all about? What did the guy say?
  • Anything he knows about the forest creature and the curse:
    • What mages have examined the curse and what have they said about it? Does he know any details about the soul and what it is?
    • We've read in our magic book that Fire mages can cast spells that affect the soul. Have they been consulted? Does he have any specifics about what that soul affecting fire magic might be or do?
    • Ask if a soul can be destroyed or lost.
    • Say that we've heard stories about ghosts and spirits. Are those things real? Are they disembodied souls? We've heard from a life mage friend that those things were made from pure vitality. Is such thing possible?
    • Has anyone ever seen the creature in the forest? Has anybody ever tried to fight it? Has he ever tried to search the forest for zombies with his divinations? How far do those divinations work? If there was something necromantic in the forest but it wasn't a zombie, would the spell still detect it?
  • Anything other he lied to us about. He lied about the zombie, he might have hidden other stuff from us. Tell him we need to know everything if we're going to be of assistance.
  • Anything he learnt from the zombie. Could he learn anything or did his divinations completely fail him?
  • This is more of a "prepare his mind just in case we are forced to reveal we're a necromancer"/"gauge how he would possibly treat us if he knew who we really were" kind of question. He said he talked about philosophy with his friend, so why not talk a bit about philosophy/ethics/what's right or wrong with him. He said that he didn't follow procedure. Does he believe that the higher ups are wrong and that Order may not be the only way to learn about or fight the enemy? Does he have doubts about his role as a priest? Does he believe there's more he could do if he wasn't restricted by the rules of the priests? Would he be willing to cooperate with people from any magical faith if it was going to give him victory and the ability to help the other humans? Generally some probing questions and try telling him that he did the right thing by experimenting with the zombie.
  • About the gods. Order has multiple gods. Does he know anything about gods from other magical schools like water and earth? If other schools have gods what about life, our civilization's proffered school? (Elves do not have gods as far as I remember. They have spirits or something like that I think.) What about death? (The death question is asked in the end so that it doesn't arouse suspicion but merely sounds like a logical conclusion to a talk about gods of other magical schools.)
    • As an extension to the above question, we could ask whether or not gods actively participate in the events of the world and perform miracles and if yes, whether or not a death god could be weakening order magic and causing their wards to fail.
    • Can he tell us more about Order gods? They seem like something any human of the empire would know about, so we should at least know the names and what they are gods of (war, peace, law, etc.).
  • Life magic has three schools. Does order also has three schools? What are they? (I suspect something like divination/warding/??) Does he know about any of the schools of the other faiths? Does he know if necromancy also has three schools?
  • Details about how the great necromancer war ended. How was Balkoth vanquished? Did he have a weakness or was it just a matter of luck and cooperation?

That's all I can think of right now. Any suggestions or objections?
« Last Edit: June 16, 2013, 09:43:48 am by Parisbre56 »
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syvarris

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1701 on: June 16, 2013, 10:43:14 am »

Quote from: Parisbre56
Bale and friends:
What's going on around the world? What's the latest gossip? I bet the humans will be just as interested in that so that should be easy. Probably shouldn't ask Bale this, he's an important guy who probably doesn't want to waste time with gossip.
Have the humans requested help from the elves and the dwarves?
Is the human king preparing for war or at least for the defense of the capital?
Where are the necromancers? Any indication for their plans?
What are they doing?Has the necromancer changed focus? Fale knows we're elves, so Nightroar might have been ordered to advance west instead of east. That might explain the recent ward bypasses. If the zombies were controlled by Nightroar himself (or one of his lackeys if he has any) they could have been ordered to go through the wards.Info about their methods. Again, it seems like a lot of humans think they're awesome, so we can play the awestruck traveler (or teen. Elves look young, right?) that wants to learn more and be like them one day.
How do they fight zombies and necromancers?
Can they detect zombies and necromancers?
What's going to happen to poor Eko? He gave us poor travelers some shelter and he seems like a nice guy so we're kind of concerned for him.


Eko:
Anything he knows about the forest creature and the curse:What mages have examined the curse and what have they said about it? Does he know any details about the soul and what it is?
We've read in our magic book that Fire mages can cast spells that affect the soul. Have they been consulted? Does he have any specifics about what that soul affecting fire magic might be or do?
Ask if a soul can be destroyed or lost.
Say that we've heard stories about ghosts and spirits. Are those things real? Are they disembodied souls?
We've heard from a life mage friend that those things were made from pure vitality. Is such thing possible?
Has anyone ever seen the creature in the forest? Has anybody ever tried to fight it?
Has he ever tried to search the forest for zombies with his divinations?
Anything other he lied to us about. He lied about the zombie, he might have hidden other stuff from us.  Tell him we need to know everything if we're going to be of assistance.Anything he learnt from the zombie. Could he learn anything or did his divinations completely fail him?
This is more of a "prepare his mind just in case we are forced to reveal we're a necromancer"/"gauge how he would possibly treat us if he knew who we really were" kind of question. He said he talked about philosophy with his friend, so why not talk a bit about philosophy/ethics/what's right or wrong with him. He said that he didn't follow procedure. Does he believe that the higher ups are wrong and that Order may not be the only way to learn about or fight the enemy? Does he have doubts about his role as a priest? Does he believe there's more he could do if he wasn't restricted by the rules of the priests? Would he be willing to cooperate with people from any magical faith if it was going to give him victory and the ability to help the other humans? Generally some probing questions.This stuff seems safe, as long as we make sure not to say anything that sounds like necromancer-sympathy.
About the gods. Order has multiple gods. Does he know anything about gods from other magical schools like water and earth? If other schools have gods what about life, our civilization's proffered school? (Elves do not have gods as far as I remember. They have spirits or something like that I think.) What about death? (The death question is asked in the end so that it doesn't arouse suspicion but merely sounds like a logical conclusion to a talk about gods of other magical schools.)
As an extension to the above question, we could ask whether or not gods actively participate in the events of the world and perform miracles and if yes, whether or not a death god could be weakening order magic and causing their wards to fail.Can he tell us more about Order gods? They seem like something any human of the empire would know about, so we should at least know the names and what they are gods of (war, peace, law, etc.).
Life magic has three schools. Does order also has three schools? What are they? (I suspect something like divination/warding/??) Does he know about any of the schools of the other faiths?
Does he know if necromancy also has three schools? He almost certainly wouldn't know, and there is little need for us to know unless we're a necromancer.
Details about how the great necromancer war ended. How was Balkoth vanquished? Did he have a weakness or was it just a matter of luck and cooperation?

That's all I can think of right now. Any suggestions or objections?
That's everything I can think of.

Harbingerjm

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1702 on: June 18, 2013, 02:17:11 am »

I forget, have we been hiding our elfishness? If so, then continueto do so...

We have, but Eko at least noticed it, said he would have picked it right off if he hadn't been so distracted, and, frankly, we're far too ignorant to easily pass as humans, at least of this kingdom. See: Souls, calender, etc. We may have to pretend to be from the Jewelled Coast, but if anyone knows anything about there (and they likely will, given the apparent love Order types have for knowledge) we'd be quite easily unmasked, as it were.
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RAM

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1703 on: June 18, 2013, 02:58:18 am »

In the source that I am familiar with, there are eight magical elements. The, umm, lets call them metaphysical and natural elements.
Meta:
 Chaos, Death, Life, Order.
Nat:
 Air, Earth, Fire, Water.
They are also divide up into good and Evil.
Evil:
 Chaos, Death, Earth, Fire.
Good:
 Air, Life, Order, Water.
Elements generally have their own terrain:
 Air: Mountain
 Chaos: umm, also mountain? Air probably has more snow...
 Death: Swamp
 Earth: exposed dirt I think.
 Fire: ash and lava
 Life: Green fields if I recall.
 Order: also green fields, but less green, probably farmland and such
 Water: Well, water... Also maybe sand? did earth or fire like desert?
Each element was also associated with a species or two...
 Air: Fairies and Giants
 Chaos: Humans and animals
 Death: Possibly humans or elves, they wore a lot of covering armour, also undead.
 Earth: Dwarves and magically animated constructions
 Fire: giants and humans
 Life: elves and supernatural animals
 Order: Humans and a very small number of highly respected undead, things like "Arthur shall return to Camelot in its time of need" even though everyone saw Arthur die...
 Water: Amazons and, umm, did they have lizardfolk?
Magical themes also exist.
 Air: ummmm... dunno
 Chaos: Possibly area effects.
 Death: Curses and undead mostly.
 Earth: Probably protection and terrain.
 Fire: Massive obscene damage, often with fine print...
 Life: Typically healing
 Order: Buff spells
 Water: forget...
Elements also had oppositions:
 Air <-> Earth
 Chaos <-> Order
 Death <-> Life
 Fire <-> Water
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monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-19
« Reply #1704 on: June 18, 2013, 03:38:58 pm »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Just because I really liked Lords of Magic, I'll elaborate that Air had Snow instead of Mountain (though they didn't slow down in Mountain,) Life and Water had Meadows instead of Plains (and were slowed by Sand, annoying for Water since that's what all the beaches were,) I think Death was dark elves and humans, Water did indeed have mainly lizardfolk armies, Air used a lot of travel and scrying magic (along with sweet Lightning powers,) Chaos magic was lolrandom (some sweet polymorph abilities though,) and Water had a little bit of everything (with a splash of "fuck fire" specialties.) Death had good damage dealing abilities, curses (including that one nasty infectious stat rot thing) and of course, the ability to raise skeletons/zombies/shades which could snowball quickly (including one notable scenario where that was your only way to raise an army while murdering scattered Elven militia.)

Having said that, I will note that while I did take the Element Wheel and some aesthetics from that game, the good/evil mechanic specifically and magic spells in general didn't carry over to this game. This game arose out of putting some deeper thought into how the mechanics of magic might work for each faith, which lead to some significant deviations from how they worked in Lords of Magic. Originally, this game was going to offer a choice between playing as a Necromancer, Chaos Shaman, or Water Mage, but the other inspirations I mentioned in the OP led to worldbuilding, which in turn made the Necromancer the most interesting story for me to write.

As long as I'm rambling about inspirations, Erfworld was what made me start thinking about how Necromancy would work, mechanically, since the PoV character at the time was a Necromancer who spent a fair amount of time musing about her trade. I arrived at different conclusions, but that's what got the ball rolling. DF mostly inspired me in the same general way it inspires everything I do, and is a ready source for randomly generated names and the like; DF has inspired me in some specific ways with this game, but we're not there yet, and it's not anything you'd see in DF directly anyway.

monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-20
« Reply #1705 on: July 05, 2013, 05:59:40 pm »

We should hold back the excursion to the forest until tomorrow, and continue discussing with Eko after he is done with Bale. In the meantime, we should investigate the origins and history of the knights.
I think we shouldn't reveal that we are elves. Maybe only tell Bale or not even him. People (and soldiers especially) talk. If rumors start to spread about two elves wandering human lands far from the main roads and capital (somewhere elven representatives would be expected to go first) how long do you think it will be before the other necromancer puts two and two together and follows those rumors to us? Or even worse, what happens if the elves have already sent representatives and we get revealed as impostors? Or maybe they have told the humans about us. Or maybe the elves will hear about this and try to follow us. So lots of things that can go wrong. It's not like we have to tell them we're elves to gain the info we want.

And I think we should try to eavesdrop on the meeting. Shouldn't be too hard since I predict a fair amount of yelling.
Spoiler: ALL THE QUESTIONS (click to show/hide)


   You dither at the base of the Temple steps, debating whether to go inside. On the one hand, Bale Matchedstones certainly possesses knowledge that could be useful to you, and you're interested in the techniques of Necromancer-Hunters. On the other hand, he is a hunter of Necromancers, and you are a Necromancer yourself. There is undeniably an element of risk involved with associating with the Knight. Besides, he doesn't seem like a very friendly individual; hopefully Eko will tell you everything you need to know.

   Moving down the street a ways, you spend some time watching the soldiers make camp. The tents are arrayed in neat rows, and it seems each tent holds three or four soldiers; it is hard to get good count, as they scurry around the village green like overambitious ants. Each tent is quickly accompanied by a small campfire, as well as a standing circle of steel-tipped lances and swords in oiled scabbards, close at hand in case of sudden attack. As soon as fires are lit, the soldiers begin fetching water and pulling rations out of their packs, preparing an evening meal. More than one village goodwife wanders over with baskets of bread or vegetables, which the soldiers receive with fervent thanks.

   You watch with interest as several soldiers erect a much larger tent in the middle of the formation. You would have thought Bale would stay in the Temple, or some house with a free bed, but it appears he means to bed down with his men. No sooner are the banners transferred to a tall pole just outside that tent than Bale himself emerges from the Temple, striding into his tent with no acknowledgement of either the goodwives or his soldiers, though both groups give respectful nods and salutes.

   Stepping quickly, you return to the Temple. The children lie as you last saw them, unmoved in their cots. The other cots have been dragged around Ado Drunkenstumbles, and a small gaggle of men, women, and children surround him, talking animatedly. It appears they are friends or family come to visit the dour man. Ado very nearly smiles at the youngest child as she tugs on her mother's skirt. You quietly slip past the reunion, and find Eko vigorously stirring a pot in the kitchen. He looks up as you enter, a glower fading from his face.

   "Ah, there you are. Ado's kin brought some chicken stew." Rummaging through one of the cabinets, Eko pulls out some bowls and spoons and begins filling them. "It's quite good, much better than what we ate yesterday. Dana is an excellent cook."
   You thank Eko as you accept one of the bowls and a piece of bread, sitting at the table to eat. "So, what's the news? How goes the war?"
   "Did you get fired?" Omo asks bluntly, sitting down on the other side of the table with his own bowl.
   Eko snorts as he settles into the armchair by the fire, resting a bowl of stew on his knee. "It is not Bale's place to relieve me of my duties as priest, but his presence does mean he takes precedence in all matters related to the undead attacks. His men will help fortify the village defenses tonight, and tomorrow he will begin scouting for any undead forces in the area. As far as the war effort goes, little has happened. The Necromancer has not been sighted on either the Eastern or Western fronts, though sporadic attacks continue to emerge from the lands he controls. We're prepared now, and the raids don't accomplish much. He's just throwing away bodies."
   "How do you know what's going on on the other side of his army?" Omo asks around a mouthful of stew. He's already halfway through the bowl!
   "Communication between Wizards is a simple matter. The Emperor's will is known throughout Thrimesdur as soon as he makes it known; it could hardly be otherwise."
   "And what is the Emperor's will?" You ask quietly. "Are there any plans to attack Curo Nightroar? What about the Necromancer on the Jeweled Coast? Has the Empire asked for aid from the elves, or the dwarves?"
   Eko shakes his head. "Things like that are not for a common country priest to know. I expect that campaigning will begin in earnest now that spring is well and truly here, and armies have had a chance to marshal. Supposedly there's quite a large army at Atkilpeme, the capital. The dwarves are nearly as reclusive as the elves, but with a threat of this magnitude I wouldn't be surprised if the diplomats have been working on some sort of agreement. I don't know that, I'm just guessing. I expect you could tell me more of the elves than I know." He says, giving you a meaningful glance.
   "When we left Yicelafo they were preparing for a defensive war, in case you lot were defeated." Omo replies, idly scraping his bread through a mostly empty bowl. "It sounded like we were going to send an envoy of some kind, but I don't know what they were supposed to say, or offer." Omo perks up happily as Eko serves him another ladleful of the hearty stew; it really is quite good.
   "Eko," You ask slowly, "I've been thinking. Exactly what magical faiths have examined the victims of Aloclesno?"
   Eko runs a hand through his thinning hair. "Well, Order Wizards were the first, obviously, but all they could do was identify the root problem. Not long after the Golgothan War there was another child who wandered into the forest, and was recovered comatose. He was taken to the Elves in Yicelafo; they could do nothing more for him, I'm afraid, and his body lived on for years. It was after that incident that the policy of allowing the victims to die after a month was enacted."
   You wave your spoon at Eko. "That's one of the things I was wondering; I distinctly recall one of the Sages saying that any undead creature made during the Golgothan War couldn't possibly last this long."
Eko shrugs. "This did happen only a few years after the Golgothan War, before the magnitude of the curse was well known. Perhaps they did not check up on the state of the curse. I will also say that the nature of the curse is still something of a mystery, and was even more unknown back then. The idea that the curse is some kind of Necromantic creature is still somewhat controversial, as no reliable witness has ever encountered it."
   "No reliable witness?"
   "Yes. There are more than a few accounts from frightened soldiers in Girus's army, but none of them agree other than mention of a zombie's fiery purple eyes, an easy fabrication for any soldier with experience fighting the undead. There are also many accounts by simple villagers and farmers that mention the eyes, a detail they are less likely to invent; however, there are also many more accounts that describe red or yellow eyes instead, and the size of the creature ranges from a large wolf to a cave bear. No priests, Wizards, officers or public officials of any kind have reported anything that would indicate a physical creature. Did you see anything while you were in the forest?"
   You slowly take a bite of stew, pondering your reply. "Nothing definite, no. I got the sense there was a creature there, but I didn't see it clearly."
   "Interesting." Eko cleans his bowl with his bread, sighing happily. "I've always favored the Monster theory, myself. The accounts that mention purple eyes all match one another reasonably closely. The other stories are no doubt fakes or exaggerations."
   "You mentioned possessing spells that can detect the undead at a distance. Has anyone ever tried scrying on the forest?" You ask.
   Eko nods. "Yes, several times. Nothing has ever been found, though at one time or another the entire forest has been subject to divinations. It's the biggest knock against that theory. There have been discussions about attempting to scry on the entire forest at once, to finally settle the question, but it would take a great number of Wizards to accomplish, and many of them would need to be of higher ability than your average priest. Nobody considers it worth the effort, as simple precautions have proven effective."
   "What about ghosts, or wraiths, or something like that? Those stories sound like they could be disembodied souls, to me. Could they be the monster of Aloclesno?"
   Eko sets his bowl aside, frowning in thought. "It's an interesting idea. There's a wide variety of phantasms like that. Some of them are loose souls bent to an evil purpose, as you guessed, but many of them are just ethereal creatures. Most of those stories involve the spirit looking for a body to possess; I've never heard a story about a ghost destroying a soul but leaving the body intact and unharmed. They either destroy you, or they don't. This peculiar half-death is unique to Aloclesno."
   "Is it something that Balkoth could have made?" You ask eagerly, moving to set your bowl on a cluttered countertop.
   "I don't know." Eko replies slowly. "I believe so. I have not made an extensive study of the Golgothan War, but I think I read something about shades fighting for the Golgothans on the Eastern Front. From what I recall, they had no soul-stealing capabilities, but they were quite effective weapons until they were repulsed by the Wizards. It's difficult to know what Balkoth was capable of; he was the most accomplished Necromancer in the world, at the height of Golgotha's power."
   "How was Balkoth defeated, anyway?" You ask as you pull your chair closer to the fire.
   Eko grins wryly. "What, you don't know the story? I thought every elf would know."
   "She should know, if she had paid attention as a child." Omo offers, making a dogged attempt to clean his second bowl of stew. "They told the story often enough."
   "Well, the short version is that a group of fearsome warriors set out to kill Balkoth himself. They were a symbol of the unity of the Alliance, and the represented the best each member had to offer. Thrimesdur gave the services of a Knight of Uzin. The Earth Kingdom sent the King's Champion himself, a dwarf skilled in all manner of fighting. The most powerful Water Mystic of the Jeweled Coast lent her arcane spells, and was accompanied by her Lizardman bodyguard. A Pixie Lord from the mountain tribes gave his deadly skill with blade and rapier. One of the last living Life Masters was there as well; some say he was the most powerful left alive after the Sacred Grove was razed. There was even a Chaos Shaman there."
   "So many?" You say, surprised. "I had thought it would be a smaller group."
   Eko shrugs. "The alliance was large, and for a mission this audacious they turned away no one. I understand the full group didn't even make it to Balkoth himself; they had to sneak their way into territory held tightly by the Golgothans, to the Great Temple of Death itself, then fight their way past fanatical bodyguards before they could personally face the most powerful Necromancer in the world. They won, of course. Sorry, I'm not much of a storyteller." Omo snorts in the corner of the room.
   "Why did they have to go to the Golgothan Great Temple?" You ask, confused. "Why not confront him in battle, while he was campaigning? Why didn't they force the fight someplace hostile to Balkoth, instead of the heart of his power?"
   Eko grins wryly. "Eh, I don't recall. I know I have a book on the subject, though I don't remember if a reason is given. It's more of a story and less of a history, I'm afraid."
   "I see." You lean back in your chair, gazing into the fire. "I'm sorry, I seem to have strayed quite far from my original question. You called on the Life Mages to try and heal the victims of Aloclesno. Who else? I've read that Fire magic is linked with the soul."
   Eko nods. "I have also been taught that, but sadly Fire Invokers are rare, now that the Fire Giants are exterminated. I've heard some dwarves practice that Faith, but they've never examined a victim. Eko leans back, thinking. By chance an Earth Magician was near a victim about, oh, three hundred and fifty years ago; he agreed to examine the victim, but found nothing. Not surprising; Earth Magicians aren't very good at healing much beyond broken bones. Several Water Mystics have attempted to treat the victims, but also fell short of the task. That leaves what, Air? Not many of that Faith wandering Urak any more."
   "What about a Chaos Shaman?" You ask curiously.
   Eko snorts. "What about Chaos Shaman? They aren't welcome in Thrimesdur, and even if somebody took a victim to them, and they were willing to help, I doubt they have any special facility in matters of the soul."
   You nod, sitting silently for a time, trying to think how to broach your next question. "Eko... did you learn anything? In the basement?"
   Eko glowers at the fire, fishing his flask from beneath his robes. "Everything, and nothing. Every spell worked exactly as intended. My wards, my divinations... they worked perfectly. Oh, I couldn't detect its thoughts, but they're not supposed to have any; those spells failed as they should have. But for the rest... I have no idea how that zombie got past the wards."
   The silence stretches while Eko drinks. You cast around for a change of subject. "So... Thrimesdur has two gods, then?"
   Eko looks at you in surprise, tucking away his flask. "Far more than that. You elves worship only one?"
   "Not even that many." Omo says, stretching in the corner. "We venerate the spirit of the Walled Jungle, but I wouldn't call it worship. Just respect for something larger than ourselves."
   Eko shakes his head. "You are unlike what I expected. How can you be so ignorant? It has been a thousand years since the Golgothan War ended."
   "A much shorter time for our people." You say defensively. "We don't like to travel much. The world is a dangerous place, and we are few."
   "It does not take very long to visit a library." Eko says curtly. He sighs, raising his hands. "I meant no offense. Thrimesdur has four chief gods of Order, as well as a multitude of lesser deities and spirits who array themselves in one pantheon or another. Uzin the Umber Spine is the god of Springtime and planting, as well as luck, aggressive war, and righteous retribution. His worship is common among soldiers, and Uzin's Day is celebrated when Winter turns to Spring. Atal would be the principle god as patron of the Emperor, though Atal is not any more or less revered than the other major gods. He is typically associated with civilization and the sun, as well as protection, justice and Summer, and the Festival of Atal will be mark the beginning of Summer. Not that far off, now. Resmi Beachnights is the goddess of the Autumn and the harvest, as well as marriage, secrecy, and the hunt. The Feast of Resmi is celebrated at harvest time across the Empire. Finally, Shezpa the Lens of Scribing is the goddess of crafts and Winter, as well as knowledge, darkness, magic, and honesty. Winternight is celebrated in her honor at the solstice, a day for friends to enjoy what good they have in the heart of winter and a night for quiet contemplation."
   "And there are even more gods below them? Do all faiths have so many?" You ask.
   Eko shifts in his chair, settling into a more comfortable position. "Yes, yes. I would be awake all night and all day tomorrow trying to familiarize you with all of Thrimesdur's gods. I'm fuzzy on some of the more obscure deities myself. I haven't made a study of foreign religions, but I know that the cities on the Jeweled Coast worship a wide variety of gods from across the world. The Horse-Lords have their own barbaric spirits they pray to, and... well, I don't know much about the Dwarven gods. I have heard of Ral Nourishedblankets the Citadel of Towers, who must be their chief deity, but I know little else."
   "So many gods in the world, and none for the elves." You say, amused.
   "Oh, I'm sure there must be gods and spirits strongly associated with Life." Eko interjects quickly. "Perhaps they are weak for lack of worship, or perhaps they do not seek out worshippers, but they must be there. Every nation has a shepherd, whether you know them or not."
   "And your shepherds keep you from learning about your ancient foe. The magic you rely on has failed." You reply solemnly.
   "The magic has not failed; the wards held in the basement. The failing must be within me." Eko says stubbornly. "And the prohibition related to the capture of undead is based in dogma, not the direct word of any god."
   "And you think this dogma is wrong." You say.
   Eko visibly struggles with himself. "It isn't wrong... there is reason for it. It prevents temptation."
   "Temptation?"
   Eko runs a hand through his hair, grimacing. "To abandon Order. To discard the force that holds the Empire together. To step outside your purpose. Wizards cast spells. Armies send scouts. Both tasks have their place, and both tasks should be carried out by those most qualified to perform them. Stepping out of your role... if I wanted to cast spells and go adventuring, I should have signed up to be a Knight and received the proper training."
   "And are you tempted to knighthood?" You ask softly.
   Eko sighs, remaining silent. You watch the fire burn low together. Omo snores softly in the corner, face down on the table. Well, he starts out snoring softly, but soon begins to emit noises resembling those of some sort of wild beast.
   "Wake up, Omo." You say, poking him in the head.
   "Hm what?" He asks groggily. "Why?"
   "It's time to go to sleep." You say, working out a kink in your back as you stand.
   Omo groans. "I was asleep, you hateful woman."
   "It's time to go to bed, then. We have a busy day tomorrow."
   "We do? Doing what?"

   It's a fair question. You had planned to begin a more thorough investigation of the forest, but you've received a lot of information to ponder. If that is your intention, then you should begin thinking how to spend your day tomorrow; to go straight into the forest, or to try something else on the outskirts first? How do you plan to attack this problem, if you still wish to tackle it?


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

Felius

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-20
« Reply #1706 on: July 05, 2013, 06:58:55 pm »

I still say we shouldn't mess with the forest at the moment. The kids are already a loss, and killing ourselves in the forest won't change that. Besides, even if we do manage to save the kids, we will have to explain what the fuck we just did when no one else managed to do anything before. Let Bale deal with it if he seems fit.

That said, if we must deal with the forest, let's do it right. Outskirts, or ideally some clearing. Try to lure whatever the beast is into the open, and kill it fast. Don't give it a chance.

On other points, damn, the order empire is certainly low on social mobility, huh?
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"Why? We're the Good Guys, aren't we?"
"Yes, but that rather hinges on doing certain things and not doing others." - Paraphrased from Discworld.

Zako

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-20
« Reply #1707 on: July 05, 2013, 09:58:28 pm »

Well, Order IS about everything in it's proper place after all. You know, being orderly and all that.
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syvarris

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-20
« Reply #1708 on: July 05, 2013, 10:09:45 pm »

I still say we shouldn't mess with the forest at the moment.
Agreed.  Taking on an unknown spirit is just too risky- if the steal vitality spell doesn't kill it somehow, it'll probably take Omo, which would be terrible.  Knowing what the thing is, and that it's resistant to necromancy isn't worth his life.


I think we should pay the necro-hunter people a visit, and ask them more questions.  Dunno which ones, because I'm tired.  Probably the rest of Paris'.

Then we should work on that frikken huge list of "planned" experiments.  Probably several hours walk from the village, and with Omo making sure we aren't followed.


Oh, and before we sleep remember to cast sense vitality a bunch of times till we're down to 3 mana (for an emergency steal vitality, just in case).

Grek

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-20
« Reply #1709 on: July 05, 2013, 10:15:36 pm »

You are all wusses who have no sense of heroism and don't care about saving children.
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