impairing its method of attack (the rope thing (unless we can't see it, in which case we should go for the eyes)) and then going for the legs (or trying to command it again, if that's what people want)
If we can pair that with a physical attack (jumping at it from above maybe, assuming it's a safe-ish height), it would be even better, since it would help deflect suspicion.
In any case, yell at Eko to stay back.
Eko rushes forward, his curses giving way to soft, rythmic chants as he prepares to cast Minor Abjuration. You drop from your tree and pound after him.
"Eko, stay back! I can disrupt it!" Eko stumbles to a halt, turning to question you further, but you are focused on the monster that has attacked your best friend and is now turning to face you. Now that you have moved closer the underpinnings of its network of Necromantic Energy are much easier to discern. It's quite intricate, with Vitality moving in more complicated ways than you've seen in any zombie, but three areas jump out to you; the places where the legs join the body, the "head" (which is simpler than you might have guessed, though it does have two structures that look like more complex versions of the eyes you made for your Rope Golem,) and a confused jumble in the heart of the construct.
There's no time for further examination. You don't see any coiled ropes of Necromantic energy or anything that looks like the weapon it used to attack Omo, but you reason that it can't hurt you if it can't see you. You carefully extend your own will towards the construct, feeling the shape of the Necromantic energy in its head. You cup the lumps of energy you presume to be its "eyes," and squeeze.
Impair Undead As expected, the Necromantic Energy in the "eyes" unravels in a flash, seeming to disappear. The construct shudders to a halt and for a moment stands perfectly still, almost in surprise. Abruptly the monster spins and begins running back the way it came, blindly crashing through brush and careening off of trees, somehow correcting itself to continue in roughly the same direction.
You glance behind yourself. Eko kneels over Omo's crumpled and unresponsive body; seeing the monster run off he rises to his feet.
"What now, Nym? Omo's down!" "I know!" You ruthlessly quash a rush of panic, fear, and anger; you don't have time for it right now.
"Help me catch it! Break its legs, but don't break it!" Not waiting for his reply, you turn and run after the construct yourself. It isn't hard to catch up; though the monster's six legs seem to give it good stability and keep it from falling over it is still quite clumsy without its sight, constantly tripping over roots and fallen branches. You get in range for another
Impair Undead when it runs straight into a long log, nearly falling over before it begins scraping along the side looking for a way around. This time you target the legs, but the joints connecting it to the rest of the body are much sturdier than what held the eyes on; if the eyes were leaves, the legs are a branch. You can't spare the attention to try and impair more than one leg at a time, picking at the knob of energy where the leg joins the body the same way you'd pick at a tightly tied knot. Slowly but surely you find purchase, and pull. The Necromantic energy between the body and the leg dissipates, the Vitality in the leg separated from the rest of the body.
The leg ceases to move, slowing the construct even further. You bite your lip, preparing to kill another leg. This has been quite mana-intensive, but you can't let it escape with Omo's soul. You prepare to cast another Impair Undead, but suddenly Eko bursts onto the scene with a scream and a spear-thrust.
... His first strike glances harmlessly off the bronze body of the golem, but Eko quickly changes his attack and stabs into the join between the leg and the rest of the body, piercing through the leather flaps protecting it.
... There is a brilliant flash of purple light, and the leg falls to the ground, completely severed from the rest of the body!
"Eko, wait a moment!" You call out, not wanting Eko to inadvertently destroy the monster in his zeal to disable it. With two legs on the same side of its body disabled the construct lurches and falls to the ground. Though its limbs flail wildly, they have too little range of motion to seriously threaten you or Eko. The construct continues its escape attempts, pitifully attempting to drag itself away inch by inch. You suppose that if you were to leave it all night it might eventually get someplace, but for now you have more pressing concerns; the welfare of Omo Thunderjaw.
"Have we done it, then?" Eko asks nervously. You don't reply immediately. Now that you have the opportunity to study the inner workings of the construct, there are two areas of interest to you. The first is the "head" area, where you clearly have ripped away whatever passes for eyes. It seems much simpler than the Vitality you detected in Ado's head, or even the cursory examination you made of the zombie soldiers. It is the headwater for every stream of Vitality within the creature, but little more; no bizarre patterns or intricate permutations here. There are two more "knobs" of Necromantic energy on either side of the head, reminiscent of the eyes.
The new bundle of Vitality in its heart though... now
that's intricate, incredibly so. The Vitality there is a rather small fraction of the rest of the creature's, and seems largely segregated from it too. However, the bundle of Necromantic energy holding everything in place is much more convoluted than anything else in the creature, or any Necromantic creation you've seen before. In fact, the only thing it compares to is the ball of Vitality within the skull of Ado Drunkenstumbles.
The construct is at your mercy, and Omo remains in dire straits. What now?
Vitality- 10/11
Mana- 7/12
XP- 30/35
Inventory- Belt Pouch (
80 Silver Pieces),
Elven Traveler Garb,
Elven Cloak, Headband, Belt Knife,
Hatchet, Leather Backpack(Bedroll, Flint&Steel,
Weak Mana Potion, Scroll Case(4 blank Parchment,
Charcoal),
Trail Rations,
Fishing Equipment,
Spare Traveling Clothes x2,
Prestidigitation for the Beginning Practitioner by Joddo Meadtrust, Crystal(5oz))
Abilities-
Sense Necromancy(Passive),
Improved Necromantic Sight(Passive)Skills-
Competent Fisher,
Dabbling SwimmerStatus- Not Panicking
8th Felsite,
Twenty three days since Manifestation
General
Detect Magic- 1 MP - Detects spells and magical items near you
Calm Animal- 1 MP - Causes wild animals to become peaceful
Sense Vitality- 1 MP - You can detect the Vitality of living things, with a bit of effort
Brew Mana Potion- A Mana Potion takes twice the potions potency in Mana cost, and requires 1/2 hour per point in brewing time
Waterproof- 1MP/Hour duration - Makes an object non-absorbent. Does not prevent corrosion (such as from acid or rusting) or magical effects related to water/liquid
Necromancy
Raise Zombie- ? MP - You can take the formerly living body and turn it into a zombie, but you lack understanding or even much knowledge of the particulars. It seems the mana cost is related to the overall quality of the corpse, and maybe the size?
Command Undead- 2 MP - You can merge your awareness with an undead creature, gauging its general condition and issuing explicit orders it will obey to the best of its ability. You can also give orders that will persist beyond the end of the spell.
Steal Vitality- X MP - Range: Line of Sight. You can suck the Vitality out of living things. This spell removes up to 2X Vitality from the target and gives 1/3 of it to you.
Animate Object- 4 MP - You can force Vitality into inanimate objects, things that were never alive to begin with. It seems to be more complicated than Zombification though- your Rock doesn't do anything, which is hardly useful. You'll need to experiment with this more.
Alter Golem- 2 MP- You can make basic alterations to an existing construct or animated object.
Impair Undead- 2MP- Range: 30ft (close enough to see in detail.) You blinded a zombie with this spell.
See Vitality- 1MP- Allows you to see the machinations of Vitality in living things as well as you see the workings of zombies with your Necromantic Sight.
Vitality- 9/13
Mana- 3/3
XP- 29/35
Inventory-
Elven Tunic,
Elven Cloak, Headband, Belt Knife, Leather Backpack(50' Rope,
Camping Supplies (pitched in Aloclesno,) Waterskin(mostly empty), Torch),
Masterwork Elven StaffAbilities-
Track,
SurvivalistSkills-
Novice Observer,
Competent Ambusher,
Competent Staff User,
Poor Liar,
Dabbling SwimmerStatus- Empty
Vitality- 12/12
Mana- 9/9
XP- 36/50
Inventory-
Priestly Robe,
Wool Cloak, Belt Knife, Flask(Sewer Brew), Leather Backpack(
Line in the Sand: Discrete Forces and Interactions by Joddo Meadtrust,
A Study of Aloclesno by Shezpa Yarnpoets, Waterskin(full), Torches x5,
Colored chalks,
Trail Rations),
Tasseled ShortspearAbilities-
Clarity,
Union with OrderSkills-
Novice Spearman,
Competent ResearcherStatus- Base Camp Minor Ward- 6 days remaining.
General
Detect Magic- 1 MP - Detects spells and magical items near you
Sense Vitality- 1 MP - You can detect the Vitality of living things, with a bit of effort
Waterproof- 1MP/Hour duration - Makes an object non-absorbent. Does not prevent corrosion (such as from acid or rusting) or magical effects related to water/liquid
Order Wards
Ward against Disease- 1 MP - Casting time: 10 minutes. Protects an afflicted area from disease; it cannot cure, but it does prevent new infections.
Alarm- 1 MP - Casting time: 10 minutes. Creates a field that waits on a specific trigger, often the presence of a particular magical energy or the movement or destruction of a physical item. When activated, the field can either create a noise of some kind, or trigger another spell entirely. Has a duration of about one week, though each additional point of mana spent increases the duration of the ward by three or four weeks each.
Minor Ward- 1 MP - Casting time: 15 minutes, possibly longer if covering a larger or unusually shaped area (easily covers ~500 square feet.) Create a field against a specific Magical Faith in a specific place. Lasts for about a week, though each additional point of mana spent increases the duration of the ward by three or four weeks each. Can be centered on a person or object instead for 3 MP total; duration increases are scaled to hours in this case, and the area is reduced to ~60 square feet.
Major Ward- 3 MP - Casting time: 30 minutes, possibly longer if covering a larger area. As Minor Ward, but the field is strong enough to disrupt concentrations of the Magic in question, potentially causing spell failure. Durations are measured in days. Can be centered on a person or object for 9 MP instead, with a duration measured in half-hours.
Sanctuary- 9 MP - Casting time: 30 minutes, possibly longer if covering a larger area. As Major Ward, but the field is strong enough to physically halt or oppose creatures and objects strongly imbued with the Magic in question. This field cannot be tied to a person or object, and the field is not physically tied to the area it is cast.
Order Divinations
Diagnosis- 2 MP - Casting time: 5 minutes. Range: Touch. Provides overall impressions of a being's Vitality network, providing important clues to the maladies they may be suffering from.
Detect Thoughts- 2 MP - Range: 5ft. Detects the mindset of a creature or person, providing clues about their intentions and emotional state. Works less well on those who are strong of will.
Probe Thoughts- 4 MP - Range: 5ft. Detects the surface thoughts of a person, though it works less well on those who are strong of will.
Detect Undead- X MP - Detects the presence of zombies animated by a Necromancer, including a vague sense of direction (but not distance.) Each point of mana spent on the spell increases the radius by about half a mile.
Clairaudience- 3 MP - Range: 500ft. Allows you to hear at a distance by creating an invisible magical sensor at the location. Does not require line of sight, but the location of the sensor must be well known to the caster. Reduce the MP cost by one if the location of the sensor has been prepared beforehand (10 minutes of preparation time at physical location)
Order Equations
Minor Counterspell- 2 MP - Disrupts the casting of a specific spell; easily resisted, target can overcome Counterspell by spending extra mana.
Minor Mana Diffusion- 2 MP - Range: 30ft. Reduces the mana reserves of a target creature by 4 MP; easily resisted
Minor Abjuration- 3 MP - Range: 30ft. Corrects unequal distributions of magical energy; in practice, causes spells to dissipate and repulses magical creatures.
Omo Thunderjaw- Your best friend, brave and true. He is currently an aspiring Ranger, and is eager to leave the Vale.
Eko Cleanvise- The priest of the village of Bedscaled, his wards against the undead have failed him
Bale Matchedstones- The Knight tasked with investigating the crises in Bedscaled.
Curo Nightroar- The Necromancer of Thrimesdur, said to be insane, he controls a massive army of the Undead and threatens the Cremated Empire.
Pirate King- The Necromancer operating along the Jeweled Coast, he commands a mixed force of human and lizardfolk pirates along with his undead minions.
Fale Packunion- A mysterious figure who appeared to you in a dream, attempting to recruit you to the cause of his Death God. May or may not be the Pirate King or some other known figure.
Morka- The aforementioned Death God. You know basically nothing about him/her/it, except his link to the other Necromancers.
-This one's a bit morbid, but bear with me. Take two crayfish. Shell one, leaving the meat inside as intact as possible. Remove the flesh from the second while leaving the shell as intact as possible. Attempt to revive both and compare the results. Is vitality in flesh or in bone? In both? Neither? Regardless of what we find, it should prove instructive.
-Try to find out if zombies have a memory, if they can be made to recognize specific objects. I recomend starting with a ball or something, and instructing a zombie to follow that specific ball wherever it goes. After testing it to make sure it works how we expect, substitute in another ball that has a different colour or a different size, and see if the zombie knows it isn't the right ball to follow. We can move to more abstract things from there, like having if understand things like "any ball" "any non-red ball" "the biggest ball" and stuff like that, or even to sort a pile of pebbles into stacks by colour.
-Attempt to raise a pile of ashes from a cremated corpse.
-Raise an earthworm and then, once it is raised, cut it in half at the border between two segments. Which ends, if any, are still animate? Continue cutting into halves at segment lines until all parts are dead or it has been divided into a prostomium, peristomium, pygidium and a pile of ordinary segments.
-See how much damage a dead body can sustain before it is unraisable
-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?
- For Animate Object, see if you can make an object levitate, or move to your will. Maybe this could develop into telekinesis..
- we should try pricking our finger, and stealing the vitality of an insect or something, and see if it will heal the cut.
- Another thing we need to play with is fire. Fire golem? HELL YES.
-Play with blood. Maybe that's what the golem needs. Blood. Mix some of your own blood into the clay.
-Like we tried to be the ropeman when we raised our first golem, we can try to be the earth when we make a clay or earthen golem, etc.
- Try to infuse vitality into the crystal to see what it does.
- See what happens if you infuse Mana and Vitality into the same crystal.
1. Imbue a small, uncrushed mana crystal with mana. Cast Detect Magic on it, comparing it to a mana potion.
2. If successful, turn the imbued mana crystal into a golem using 2 vitality. It is important to later experiments that we use exactly 2 vitality. Continue observing with Detect Magic.
3. If successful, attempt to Alter Golem in order to imbue the mana cystal with the ability to cast a cheap spell using the mana stored within it when commanded to. I recommend Detect Magic, since that should be easy to test.
4. If successful, continue to have the crystal cast Detect Magic even after it has run out of mana, in order to see if it can cast the spell using vitality like a mage can. Assuming this works, we will be able to discern the conversion ratio between vitality and mana.
5. If successful and the conversion ratio is > 3 mana per 2 vitality, have a mana crystal that is able to hold at least 3 mana wrapped in thick leather with a single small hole. Firmly attach this leather-covered crystal to a stick that is suitable as a handle
6. Imbue 3 mana into the crystal before turning it into a 1 vitality golem that will cast Steal Vitality as quickly and often as it can on anything that comes within 4 feet of it, draining the vitality into itself.
7. Note to ourselves that, because Steal Vitality works on line of sight, only things that come within line of sight of the single hole in the leather will be drained of vitality.
8. Enjoy our new lightsaber.
- Trying to develop a destroy vitality spell, using the same principles of the steal vitality, except without keeping it usable. It might be possible to do it for cheaper or causing more damage for the same mana.
- Trying to use the principles of the destroy vitality or the steal vitality spell for a disinfectant spell. It will require a lot of fine control, but it should theoretically be possible.
- We could also try to overbuff a zombie. Is there a max to the amount of vitality a zombie can have? And what happens if a zombie gets a lot of vitality?
* Remove someone's soul. Try to store it for a time in a living thing like a tree, or confine it in a mana crystal, then put it back later. See if they're functional.
* Attempt to swap souls between two different bodies.
* Carefully attempt to displace our own soul from our own body. See if we can move around apart from our bodies, like astral projection. See if we can cast while in this state, enter other occupied bodies like a possession, then return to our body later.
-Our abilities seem centered around manipulation of vitality, correct? We should try to directly manipulate the vitality of a living thing. If we're unable to do that, then perhaps we could create a "tainted" orb of vitality, like a virus that once absorbed by the body of a living thing will disrupt its vitality network. A curse, essentially.
- let's try to move the vitality within ourselves around and see how that affects our physical movements.
- First up, we rip off a leaf and watch its vitality drain away. Second, we rip off another leaf but use some mana to keep the vitality in, maybe making a new spell. Third, We rip off some more leaves and use Raise Zombie/Command Undead on them. The plants aren't entirely dead yet, after all, so it would be interesting to see the results.
- Oh, and we should definitely try using see vitality while raising a zombie or stealing vitality if we get a chance, so that we can see if we can find out where vitality comes from and why it is lost.
World Map
Northwest Thrimesdur
Author
Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions (Read 689286 times)