Damian0358
Roleplaying Procrastinator From Elsewhere
1
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Fantasy Terrorchild: Awakening
- Thread starter K0mori
- Start date
Breadman
Big loaf supreme
3
hardcore.munchkin
Professional hater
2
Offer Truce
K0mori
Servant Supreme
Option 1: 5 Votes (63% - Range: 1-63)
Option 2: 2 Votes (25% - Range: 64-88)
Option 3: 1 Vote (13% - Range: 89-100)
Fae Roll: 30
"If I agree to that," Vallen replies firmly, "I'd be a traitor to the King, and he'd have my head!"
You roll your eyes. "If you don't agree, then I'll have your head - and if you knew how Caspan died, you'd take the King. ...At least, if you give me the chance, I might be able to strike a deal with him, too."
"You can't be serious," he replies. "If the King calls on every available force at his disposal - and he will, if a whole Duchy is bending the knee to Lythrefang - his army would number in the tens of thousands. No matter how strong your 'sisters' might be, you won't be even be able to reach the King, much less in a position of strength! ...Besides that," he adds with a dejected sigh, realizing that he's currently arguing in favor of his own disposal, "...if I go down there and start talking about a truce, they'll just think you've put a hex on me, and they won't listen to a word I say."
He's right. Setting aside the critical question of how the coven intends to overpower an army a hundred times its size, simply getting the Duke's soldiers to believe that a truce was forged without any trickery seems nearly impossible. Unless...
"Well, you've convinced me!" you announce with a grin and a clap of your hands - a careful one which doesn't risk dropping the Door. "I'll 'retreat' and take my forces to the west of Enthaan so you can retake the city. You'll claim victory here - hells, I can put the notion in everyone else's heads that you fought a savage battle and killed me and mine - and then, when I show up in Thandan to find the King with his guard down, you'll all be bleating about the way you were tricked!"
Vallen's eyes light up in fear. "Wait, what? No-" he calls out, but you cut him off with a number of successive magical strikes to his arms and legs, puncturing his armor and letting his blood run.
As he cries out, you nod at your handiwork. "There we go; I've got to make it look like I put up a proper fight," you reason with a snicker. Once his screams die down to moans, you let out a sigh, circling around behind him so you can place your hands on his shoulders. You lean in close and whisper in his ear: "Alright, Lord Vallen... Left or right?"
"Wh-what now?" he blubbers.
"Just pick."
"L-left!" he answers.
You nod, making a mental note of it as you snatch his helmet out of his hands and push it down onto his head. "Fair enough; let's go, then."
He tries to ask you what significance your last question holds, but you ignore him as you head back down through the cloud layer to the city below. Unlike the clear skies above, you find that an increasingly-thick bank of fog has rolled in while you were conversing, greatly limiting visibility. However, you can already sense that in the absence of their lord and commander, some of the army's discipline has faltered and the Duke's officers are trying their best to corral them into an attacking formation. If you fail to act quickly, they'll batter their way through the doors or mount the walls, and soon you'll miss the opportunity to bring your plan into motion.
Soon, you're joined by another - a crow with a wand in its talons flaps irritably towards you, landing atop Vallen's helmet with a caw that's as loud as it is rude.
Obviously, it's Corrinth, and you look at her expectantly. "Well?"
Utilizing her bird-voice, the changeling squawks to you: "You tell me! The army is attacking, not turning back!"
"What the hell is happening!?" Vallen asks in a panic.
"Be quiet," you compel him. His jaw slams closed so quickly you hear his teeth clack against each other. "We'll feign defeat. Tell everyone to focus manipulation and compulsion onto the lefthand side of the Duke's forces, that's-" you explain, motioning toward the Duke's left flank so that Corrinth won't be confused by the perspective, "that side. Make them think the righthand side is us, and send them on the attack. Their mages will try to ward us off, but they'll just be warding away wards!"
Corrinth cocks her head to the side. "...So the righthand side can't break the illusion!"
You clasp your hands together again. "Yes!"
"Brilliant, sister!" she squawks before taking off and flying toward the market square where much of the coven is still trying to muster itself. Meanwhile, you turn and carry the Duke toward the keep, intending to leave him alone within the gory chamber where you left the dismembered body of Caspan the prior night. With one final teleportation, you drop him on the floor of the bedchamber and give him another compulsion: "Stay here until I return," you tell him.
You allow Vallen to escape with his mind intact. His soldiers think he's a hero who's slain the Terrorchild, and without anyone within his ranks who can see through the illusion, he knows they won't believe him, even if he tries to tell them the truth. And why would he? You've given him an out - all he has to do is pretend that he was fooled like the rest, and he'll be forgiven.
As night falls, the circle makes camp in a patch of woods, far to the north of Enthaan. In the morning, you will resume your course to the east, uniting with witches throughout the realm to bolster your numbers ahead of the final confrontation with with royalists, and possibly Kulka. You have no idea whether the elder sister of Turadal will try to oppose you; perhaps she's sent crows in reply to yours, but they haven't been able to find you. It doesn't matter - you'll handle it when you meet her. For now, you sit near the campfire as the others drink and eat in high spirits, happy to be safe with Embryx again. Only a few more nights like this, you tell yourself, and then we'll go our own way.
Embryx looks to you with a smile you've grown ever fonder of. "...So, what are you going to learn tonight?" she asks.
"Who said I was going to practice tonight?" you reply, teasingly. You both know that it was only going to be a matter of time before you went looking for new techniques to add to your repertoire. "...I was going to talk to the pact sisters to see if I could handle any of their tricks," you add, smiling back at her.
Embryx grins. "It's been a long time since I've tried to learn anything new, myself. The world moves fast, you know? Maybe if you get busy learning one thing, I can try my hand at one of the others."
1. Learn Telepathy from Halfiya - Having been caught in a no-win situation with Duke Vallen today, you found yourself wishing you could glimpse into his mind, if only for a moment, to know exactly how to speak to his sensibilities - a skill you're rather lacking in. Moreover, it would be nice to know, in the future, whether anyone you intend to spare intends to betray you. "I think I should try to sit with Halfiya and see if she'll pass on her knowledge to me," you reply.
2. Learn Inscription from Rowgu - "Maybe I'll become a darkscribe," you say with a shrug. "All that talk we had about Syrith's influence on me, and I still don't know what to make of it all. Maybe, understanding those runes that were in my dream or in that book might help me understand what she wants out of me," you explain with a wistful sigh.
3. Learn Shadowmancy from Veralt - You think about the valuable technique Veralt possesses, and feel a tinge of jealousy for it. He, unlike anyone else in the camp, knows how to manipulate the energy of death itself, and can create constructs with it. It suddenly hits you that you meant to learn this technique when you selected him as a pact brother, but after the way he's been interacting with Corrinth - either tormenting or courting her, you're not really sure - you're growing impatient. Maybe, if you can manipulate the essences of life and death, you'll learn the secret to walking in that place where Rigatte is trapped.
Option 2: 2 Votes (25% - Range: 64-88)
Option 3: 1 Vote (13% - Range: 89-100)
Fae Roll: 30
"If I agree to that," Vallen replies firmly, "I'd be a traitor to the King, and he'd have my head!"
You roll your eyes. "If you don't agree, then I'll have your head - and if you knew how Caspan died, you'd take the King. ...At least, if you give me the chance, I might be able to strike a deal with him, too."
"You can't be serious," he replies. "If the King calls on every available force at his disposal - and he will, if a whole Duchy is bending the knee to Lythrefang - his army would number in the tens of thousands. No matter how strong your 'sisters' might be, you won't be even be able to reach the King, much less in a position of strength! ...Besides that," he adds with a dejected sigh, realizing that he's currently arguing in favor of his own disposal, "...if I go down there and start talking about a truce, they'll just think you've put a hex on me, and they won't listen to a word I say."
He's right. Setting aside the critical question of how the coven intends to overpower an army a hundred times its size, simply getting the Duke's soldiers to believe that a truce was forged without any trickery seems nearly impossible. Unless...
"Well, you've convinced me!" you announce with a grin and a clap of your hands - a careful one which doesn't risk dropping the Door. "I'll 'retreat' and take my forces to the west of Enthaan so you can retake the city. You'll claim victory here - hells, I can put the notion in everyone else's heads that you fought a savage battle and killed me and mine - and then, when I show up in Thandan to find the King with his guard down, you'll all be bleating about the way you were tricked!"
Vallen's eyes light up in fear. "Wait, what? No-" he calls out, but you cut him off with a number of successive magical strikes to his arms and legs, puncturing his armor and letting his blood run.
As he cries out, you nod at your handiwork. "There we go; I've got to make it look like I put up a proper fight," you reason with a snicker. Once his screams die down to moans, you let out a sigh, circling around behind him so you can place your hands on his shoulders. You lean in close and whisper in his ear: "Alright, Lord Vallen... Left or right?"
"Wh-what now?" he blubbers.
"Just pick."
"L-left!" he answers.
You nod, making a mental note of it as you snatch his helmet out of his hands and push it down onto his head. "Fair enough; let's go, then."
He tries to ask you what significance your last question holds, but you ignore him as you head back down through the cloud layer to the city below. Unlike the clear skies above, you find that an increasingly-thick bank of fog has rolled in while you were conversing, greatly limiting visibility. However, you can already sense that in the absence of their lord and commander, some of the army's discipline has faltered and the Duke's officers are trying their best to corral them into an attacking formation. If you fail to act quickly, they'll batter their way through the doors or mount the walls, and soon you'll miss the opportunity to bring your plan into motion.
Soon, you're joined by another - a crow with a wand in its talons flaps irritably towards you, landing atop Vallen's helmet with a caw that's as loud as it is rude.
Obviously, it's Corrinth, and you look at her expectantly. "Well?"
Utilizing her bird-voice, the changeling squawks to you: "You tell me! The army is attacking, not turning back!"
"What the hell is happening!?" Vallen asks in a panic.
"Be quiet," you compel him. His jaw slams closed so quickly you hear his teeth clack against each other. "We'll feign defeat. Tell everyone to focus manipulation and compulsion onto the lefthand side of the Duke's forces, that's-" you explain, motioning toward the Duke's left flank so that Corrinth won't be confused by the perspective, "that side. Make them think the righthand side is us, and send them on the attack. Their mages will try to ward us off, but they'll just be warding away wards!"
Corrinth cocks her head to the side. "...So the righthand side can't break the illusion!"
You clasp your hands together again. "Yes!"
"Brilliant, sister!" she squawks before taking off and flying toward the market square where much of the coven is still trying to muster itself. Meanwhile, you turn and carry the Duke toward the keep, intending to leave him alone within the gory chamber where you left the dismembered body of Caspan the prior night. With one final teleportation, you drop him on the floor of the bedchamber and give him another compulsion: "Stay here until I return," you tell him.
---
The battle would carry on into the afternoon, with the two halves of Vallen's army clashing until the right flank would wind up decimated and then exterminated, with only a paltry number of actual witches among the dead, having infiltrated both sides to ensure the errant whisper works its magic. All the while, the majority of your sisters gradually vacate the city, taking plenty of food, clothing, and other supplies for the remaining journey to the east after a mild detour. You make arrangements to ensure that Eredov will be granted control of the city "temporarily," although you can imagine he'll soon be granted the title by a more sympathetic regime. Crows are sent out into the surrounding country to get ahead of reports of the event; your hope being that the coven at large would know the truth of things before that truth could be discovered by the royalists, and your appearance in Thandan will come just as the King believes himself to be safe.
You allow Vallen to escape with his mind intact. His soldiers think he's a hero who's slain the Terrorchild, and without anyone within his ranks who can see through the illusion, he knows they won't believe him, even if he tries to tell them the truth. And why would he? You've given him an out - all he has to do is pretend that he was fooled like the rest, and he'll be forgiven.
As night falls, the circle makes camp in a patch of woods, far to the north of Enthaan. In the morning, you will resume your course to the east, uniting with witches throughout the realm to bolster your numbers ahead of the final confrontation with with royalists, and possibly Kulka. You have no idea whether the elder sister of Turadal will try to oppose you; perhaps she's sent crows in reply to yours, but they haven't been able to find you. It doesn't matter - you'll handle it when you meet her. For now, you sit near the campfire as the others drink and eat in high spirits, happy to be safe with Embryx again. Only a few more nights like this, you tell yourself, and then we'll go our own way.
Embryx looks to you with a smile you've grown ever fonder of. "...So, what are you going to learn tonight?" she asks.
"Who said I was going to practice tonight?" you reply, teasingly. You both know that it was only going to be a matter of time before you went looking for new techniques to add to your repertoire. "...I was going to talk to the pact sisters to see if I could handle any of their tricks," you add, smiling back at her.
Embryx grins. "It's been a long time since I've tried to learn anything new, myself. The world moves fast, you know? Maybe if you get busy learning one thing, I can try my hand at one of the others."
1. Learn Telepathy from Halfiya - Having been caught in a no-win situation with Duke Vallen today, you found yourself wishing you could glimpse into his mind, if only for a moment, to know exactly how to speak to his sensibilities - a skill you're rather lacking in. Moreover, it would be nice to know, in the future, whether anyone you intend to spare intends to betray you. "I think I should try to sit with Halfiya and see if she'll pass on her knowledge to me," you reply.
2. Learn Inscription from Rowgu - "Maybe I'll become a darkscribe," you say with a shrug. "All that talk we had about Syrith's influence on me, and I still don't know what to make of it all. Maybe, understanding those runes that were in my dream or in that book might help me understand what she wants out of me," you explain with a wistful sigh.
3. Learn Shadowmancy from Veralt - You think about the valuable technique Veralt possesses, and feel a tinge of jealousy for it. He, unlike anyone else in the camp, knows how to manipulate the energy of death itself, and can create constructs with it. It suddenly hits you that you meant to learn this technique when you selected him as a pact brother, but after the way he's been interacting with Corrinth - either tormenting or courting her, you're not really sure - you're growing impatient. Maybe, if you can manipulate the essences of life and death, you'll learn the secret to walking in that place where Rigatte is trapped.
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Infab
The Demon Fanatic
3
hardcore.munchkin
Professional hater
3
Breadman
Big loaf supreme
3
dikdik
colossal leaf and prince of the universe
3
Damian0358
Roleplaying Procrastinator From Elsewhere
2
turtwigwins
Junior Member
1
bat_hacker
Junior Member
3
joshuadim
the writer
1
Learn Shadowmancy from Veralt
K0mori
Servant Supreme
Option 1: 2 Votes (25% - Range: 1-25)
Option 2: 1 Vote (13% - Range: 26-38)
Option 3: 5 Votes (63% - Range: 39-100)
Fae Roll: 70
"Well..." you say, "I'll see if I can get a lesson out of Veralt on shadowmancy. What do you have in mind?"
Embryx smiles bashfully, looking away into the darkened forest. "...I think someone should try to learn Halfiya's telepathy soon. She's an old lady; it'd be a shame if we lost her along the way and missed out on passing the knowledge on. So, if it turns out I can do it, I'll teach you, too."
You give her hand a squeeze. "You'll get it. I know you don't consider yourself my rival anymore, but you're still a hell of a witch when you actually use your magic," you assure her. "Just think how much stronger you'll be when you can predict what moves your enemy is about to make."
She snickers at the suggestion, probably imagining herself deftly slapping aside some royalist's shield and perfectly parrying his desperate attempts to keep her at bay. But you also sense an uneasiness lingering in her eyes, and she finally tells you with a sigh: "Just do me a favor and be careful, alright?" ...Veralt gives me the creeps."
You nod, your smile disappearing in the process. You recall that your pact brother is a master of compulsion, with a greater degree of control over his targets than you've ever seen, much less attempted - and while his silence is obviously a hinderance to his ability to communicate easily, it also serves him. If he decides to keep a secret, it would be much more difficult to force him to divulge it than it would be for any other target. The amount of time he spends with Corrinth makes you feel as if the two are scheming together - you're never quite sure if the changeling has moved beyond her prior grudges and jealousies, or if you should expect another attempt on your life. If Veralt did join Corrinth in such an attempt, the two might be capable of killing you, as you don't know how to fight Veralt's shadows.
But also, on a more basic level, Veralt's entire demeanor makes everyone uncomfortable. When you returned to the circle during the retreat from Enthaan, and you saw Corrinth in her human-passing form for the first time today, you realized she was dressed in a nun's habit - apparently stolen from the convent where she and Veralt spent the night - and he was dressed as a cleric. They were still dressed this way, last you checked, and while you don't think of yourself as judgmental of the antics that others get up to in the privacy of their bedroom, there's just something discomforting about the thought of roleplay happening in your midst.
You shake it off. "I'll watch my back," you assure Embryx as you give a reassuring smile, which she answers with a kiss.
"Veralt," you address him. "Is Corrinth around?"
He opens his eyes and gives a nod before pointing up toward the canopy. You're annoyed that you didn't think to look up already, since Corrinth seems to spend a lot of time lounging around in trees. "Hm? What's on your mind, Agranne?" she asks, the majority of her dark-cloaked body hidden in the shadows of the reddish autumn leaves.
You decide to address their absence from the previous night. "Okay, glad you're both here," you say, and from your admonishing tone alone, you can see the changeling's expression darken. "...I get that there's something between you two, but from here on, if we're expecting the royalists to attack us first thing in the morning, the two of you can't just go wondering off like you did last night."
"Oh, was the pact circle clamoring for me?" Corrinth answers, sarcastically. "I know my input is highly valued among the thinking thinkers who plot plans with thinky thoughts."
You cross your arms. "Hey, I liked your plan last time. It wasn't a good one - and you even acknowledged it wasn't - but I still appreciated it, and I don't think I would've considered retreating from Enthaan if it hadn't been for your idea. We're going to need to think outside of the normal rules if we're actually going to take on Thandan, because that's half the reason we've gotten so far in the first place. We're an army of witches - nobody alive knows how to plan a war against us."
Corrinth sits up from the branch she's on so that she can plant one elbow on her knee and rest her chin in the palm of her hand. "...Keep it coming," she says with a smug little smirk that nearly gets a rise out of you.
Okay, enough ass-kissing. "...Anyway," you say with rising annoyance, "the other sisters in our pact circle aren't comfortable with you because of your heritage. If you want them to treat you better, you ought to try showing them that you're more than just a fae in human clothing."
She seems to think about it for a moment before dropping out of the tree. "Okay, I suppose I'll see if anyone wants to tell me about their hobbies, or tAlK aBOuT tHe wEaTHeR..." She puts on a funny voice, but the words themselves sound venomous. Ordinary conversation must be torture for her, anymore, you think.
After she's out of earshot, you turn to Veralt, who's eying you a bit unpleasantly. "So... When you two are alone, do you just take turns with her voice to hold a conversation?" you ask to break the ice.
He nods, resentfully, but makes no effort to reach for his wand or imply a desire to speak with you further.
You aren't going to take this attitude. Corrinth's disrespect was enough. "Take out your wand and compel me if you have to, but I want to know how you get people to speak so clearly. Every time any of us try it, it comes out a jumble of words..."
Veralt irritably takes out his wand and in an instant, you feel the cold touch of compulsion sink into your bones as your jaw and tongue move about on their own, and a calm and measured voice - your voice, but in Veralt's cadence - replies:
However, the shadowmancer can go a step beyond by destroying the anima, rather than simply drawing it out. This destroyed anima becomes necros, a force which decays and destroys all life that it touches. Like anima, it holds potent energy and can be used to build a construct, but necros abhors both light and the corporeal, and so it can only exist in forms beyond touch - shadows being the most plentiful.
You begin to realize that the world beyond death must be a necrotic one, in which only things which are animated by necros, like the souls collected by Syrith, can persist eternally in shadow. Your eyes widen - all you remember of Syrith herself is a shadow so dark and deep that you couldn't recall any features - could Syrith be a necrotic construct!? Is this why she only answers at night!? When Syrith ripped your soul from your body, she must have done something to protect your anima-infused soul from the necros of the void beyond, although you made every effort to shrug it off and let the necros in just so you could speak with Rigatte further.
You now understand - if you can find the secret of protecting anima from necros, you will walk among the dead. It must be possible. In that moment in which you were free of Syrith's tether, depleting your magic in a state of undeath, you unknowingly prolonged that protection, enough that your recklessness wouldn't doom you. But retrieving Rigatte's necrotic soul and restoring it to life is an entirely different matter.
You have a long way yet to go.
1. Create a Necrotic Construct - You need to get practicing, now.
2. Take Veralt's Advice - You want to experiment with necros, but you realize the tabaxi is right; you should try to master the manipulation of anima, first. You think him for teaching you what he could and then venture into a part of the forest that's empty so that you can draw in anima without harming any of your sisters.
3. Tell Embryx About Your Discovery - You figure it's about time to report back to Embryx and see how she's doing with telepathy. You thank Veralt for his time and excuse yourself.
Option 2: 1 Vote (13% - Range: 26-38)
Option 3: 5 Votes (63% - Range: 39-100)
Fae Roll: 70
"Well..." you say, "I'll see if I can get a lesson out of Veralt on shadowmancy. What do you have in mind?"
Embryx smiles bashfully, looking away into the darkened forest. "...I think someone should try to learn Halfiya's telepathy soon. She's an old lady; it'd be a shame if we lost her along the way and missed out on passing the knowledge on. So, if it turns out I can do it, I'll teach you, too."
You give her hand a squeeze. "You'll get it. I know you don't consider yourself my rival anymore, but you're still a hell of a witch when you actually use your magic," you assure her. "Just think how much stronger you'll be when you can predict what moves your enemy is about to make."
She snickers at the suggestion, probably imagining herself deftly slapping aside some royalist's shield and perfectly parrying his desperate attempts to keep her at bay. But you also sense an uneasiness lingering in her eyes, and she finally tells you with a sigh: "Just do me a favor and be careful, alright?" ...Veralt gives me the creeps."
You nod, your smile disappearing in the process. You recall that your pact brother is a master of compulsion, with a greater degree of control over his targets than you've ever seen, much less attempted - and while his silence is obviously a hinderance to his ability to communicate easily, it also serves him. If he decides to keep a secret, it would be much more difficult to force him to divulge it than it would be for any other target. The amount of time he spends with Corrinth makes you feel as if the two are scheming together - you're never quite sure if the changeling has moved beyond her prior grudges and jealousies, or if you should expect another attempt on your life. If Veralt did join Corrinth in such an attempt, the two might be capable of killing you, as you don't know how to fight Veralt's shadows.
But also, on a more basic level, Veralt's entire demeanor makes everyone uncomfortable. When you returned to the circle during the retreat from Enthaan, and you saw Corrinth in her human-passing form for the first time today, you realized she was dressed in a nun's habit - apparently stolen from the convent where she and Veralt spent the night - and he was dressed as a cleric. They were still dressed this way, last you checked, and while you don't think of yourself as judgmental of the antics that others get up to in the privacy of their bedroom, there's just something discomforting about the thought of roleplay happening in your midst.
You shake it off. "I'll watch my back," you assure Embryx as you give a reassuring smile, which she answers with a kiss.
---
You emerge from the trees into another clearing, where a small fire is flickering away, and Veralt is resting alone with his back against a tree trunk.
"Veralt," you address him. "Is Corrinth around?"
He opens his eyes and gives a nod before pointing up toward the canopy. You're annoyed that you didn't think to look up already, since Corrinth seems to spend a lot of time lounging around in trees. "Hm? What's on your mind, Agranne?" she asks, the majority of her dark-cloaked body hidden in the shadows of the reddish autumn leaves.
You decide to address their absence from the previous night. "Okay, glad you're both here," you say, and from your admonishing tone alone, you can see the changeling's expression darken. "...I get that there's something between you two, but from here on, if we're expecting the royalists to attack us first thing in the morning, the two of you can't just go wondering off like you did last night."
"Oh, was the pact circle clamoring for me?" Corrinth answers, sarcastically. "I know my input is highly valued among the thinking thinkers who plot plans with thinky thoughts."
You cross your arms. "Hey, I liked your plan last time. It wasn't a good one - and you even acknowledged it wasn't - but I still appreciated it, and I don't think I would've considered retreating from Enthaan if it hadn't been for your idea. We're going to need to think outside of the normal rules if we're actually going to take on Thandan, because that's half the reason we've gotten so far in the first place. We're an army of witches - nobody alive knows how to plan a war against us."
Corrinth sits up from the branch she's on so that she can plant one elbow on her knee and rest her chin in the palm of her hand. "...Keep it coming," she says with a smug little smirk that nearly gets a rise out of you.
Okay, enough ass-kissing. "...Anyway," you say with rising annoyance, "the other sisters in our pact circle aren't comfortable with you because of your heritage. If you want them to treat you better, you ought to try showing them that you're more than just a fae in human clothing."
She seems to think about it for a moment before dropping out of the tree. "Okay, I suppose I'll see if anyone wants to tell me about their hobbies, or tAlK aBOuT tHe wEaTHeR..." She puts on a funny voice, but the words themselves sound venomous. Ordinary conversation must be torture for her, anymore, you think.
After she's out of earshot, you turn to Veralt, who's eying you a bit unpleasantly. "So... When you two are alone, do you just take turns with her voice to hold a conversation?" you ask to break the ice.
He nods, resentfully, but makes no effort to reach for his wand or imply a desire to speak with you further.
You aren't going to take this attitude. Corrinth's disrespect was enough. "Take out your wand and compel me if you have to, but I want to know how you get people to speak so clearly. Every time any of us try it, it comes out a jumble of words..."
Veralt irritably takes out his wand and in an instant, you feel the cold touch of compulsion sink into your bones as your jaw and tongue move about on their own, and a calm and measured voice - your voice, but in Veralt's cadence - replies:
"All you've ever tried is to push words from mind to flesh... You need to take full control, and push the pauses and the breaths if you want natural-sounding speech."
"...I can't believe I never thought about it," you say with a chuckle.
"You've never needed to. You have a voice of your own already."
"That's true, but don't be dense about it - there's plenty of uses for controlling another's speech directly without it sounding like they're having their arm twisted," you reply, sitting next to the fire so that you can look him in the eye and show him that you're not intimidated in the slightest by his standoffishness. "There's something else I want to learn, and you can probably guess what it is."
"Are you getting bored of killing people in the ordinary ways?"
"It's not about-"
"I did."
You wipe Veralt's smile off your face, realizing that he's the vengeful sort, just like you. "...I can imagine," you reply with a more serious tone. "Does it even matter why I want to know?"
"...I suppose it doesn't."
---
As you would soon learn, the practice of shadowmancy is a bit like an extension - and corruption - of necromancy, which you've already tried your hand at. Veralt recommends you get more practice with the manipulation of anima before attempting to learn shadowmancy, but nonetheless explains the principles: As you draw anima in, you deplete your surroundings. Do this enough, and the land itself falls dead along with anything trapped within your spell's reach. Perhaps this is what Jannava was referring to when she suggested you had only "scratched the surface" of her craft.
However, the shadowmancer can go a step beyond by destroying the anima, rather than simply drawing it out. This destroyed anima becomes necros, a force which decays and destroys all life that it touches. Like anima, it holds potent energy and can be used to build a construct, but necros abhors both light and the corporeal, and so it can only exist in forms beyond touch - shadows being the most plentiful.
You begin to realize that the world beyond death must be a necrotic one, in which only things which are animated by necros, like the souls collected by Syrith, can persist eternally in shadow. Your eyes widen - all you remember of Syrith herself is a shadow so dark and deep that you couldn't recall any features - could Syrith be a necrotic construct!? Is this why she only answers at night!? When Syrith ripped your soul from your body, she must have done something to protect your anima-infused soul from the necros of the void beyond, although you made every effort to shrug it off and let the necros in just so you could speak with Rigatte further.
You now understand - if you can find the secret of protecting anima from necros, you will walk among the dead. It must be possible. In that moment in which you were free of Syrith's tether, depleting your magic in a state of undeath, you unknowingly prolonged that protection, enough that your recklessness wouldn't doom you. But retrieving Rigatte's necrotic soul and restoring it to life is an entirely different matter.
You have a long way yet to go.
1. Create a Necrotic Construct - You need to get practicing, now.
2. Take Veralt's Advice - You want to experiment with necros, but you realize the tabaxi is right; you should try to master the manipulation of anima, first. You think him for teaching you what he could and then venture into a part of the forest that's empty so that you can draw in anima without harming any of your sisters.
3. Tell Embryx About Your Discovery - You figure it's about time to report back to Embryx and see how she's doing with telepathy. You thank Veralt for his time and excuse yourself.
Infab
The Demon Fanatic
2
Damian0358
Roleplaying Procrastinator From Elsewhere
2
hardcore.munchkin
Professional hater
3
Breadman
Big loaf supreme
3
dikdik
colossal leaf and prince of the universe
1
joshuadim
the writer
2
rpg.veteran
gakusei
2
bat_hacker
Junior Member
2
Tell Embryx About Your Discovery
K0mori
Servant Supreme
Option 1: 1 Vote (13% - Range: 1-13)
Option 2: 5 Votes (63% - Range: 14-76)
Option 3: 2 Votes (25% - Range: 77-100)
Fae Roll: 86
He seems indifferent to your attempts at being polite, and you wonder exactly what Corrinth has said to him to put him in such a mood. Regardless, you move on and cross through the trees to one clearing after another, looking around each small encampment to check for Embryx and Halfiya. Instead, however, you stumble onto Corrinth and the half-orc, Rowgu, in the midst of a focused lesson on inscription. Since they don't appear to notice you at the moment, you freeze and listen in.
"...Your mind is a pit full of bats and snakes, elder sister. The Eldest prefers simple minds, ones with only a single goal."
"I've done what you told me-" Corrinth whines.
Rowgu shakes her head. "It's not enough to do; you must be. You wouldn't use a quill, or a brush, or a wand with a mind of its own, so why would Syrith? There are many to choose from."
Corrinth falls silent for a moment before getting audibly frustrated. "...How did you figure it out!?"
"I was locked in the lightless gaol of Rok-Hon for six days after I killed my husband. They didn't know about my membership in the coven, and so I held my ring in the darkness while waiting for my sentence to come. I ceased caring about food or sleep, all I did was think of the Eldest and wait for her Design to bring me an answer. It was during that calm, once I had rid myself of all identity, that she took hold of me. Once the tribunal in my absence had concluded and the executioners came, they shined a torch on the runes I had spent those days carving into the cell and became violently ill... I simply walked free."
You smirk in the darkness of the trees. You can't imagine Corrinth holding a single thought in her head for an entire minute, let alone the hours or days it would take to entice the Eldest to use her in such a way. Moving on, you eventually come upon Embryx, Halfiya, and Wag, as well as a number of other witches whose fire was larger than most. The drow was intently focused on the goblin with her wand out, hand trembling as you can imagine she's deep in concentration. Eventually, Wag begins to break and snicker at your partner's efforts, which causes her to sigh in frustration.
"It's like it's there, but I can't get at it," Embryx complains.
Halfiya grins. "But you feel it - that's promising. If you can sniff out a thought tonight, that'd be the fastest I've ever seen someone pick it up."
"How many have tried?" you ask as you come over to join them. Embryx starts a bit, having not expected you, and quickly looks away in embarrassment. Undoubtedly, she'll be thinking that you easily mastered your own lessons, so you'll need to set her straight in a moment.
Halfiya counts silently for a moment. "...Seven across my years, if I'm counting correctly. All of them were talented; half were my elders. Two learned, but it took days to reach this point. I believe Embryx is well-suited to learn."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Embryx says with a wry smile.
The old hag crosses her arms. "Prove it," she says.
Realizing that Halfiya is inviting Embryx to compel her to speak truth, the drow shrugs it off. "Okay, I believe you. But I still don't understand how I'm supposed to draw it out..."
You watch a while as Halfiya coaxes her towards the next stage of the hex. Although you've missed most of the explanations given so far, you can gather that reading the minds of others is related to manipulation - Embryx's strong suit. Instead of thrusting a particular emotion onto another, the goal, it seems, is to induce a passive willingness towards another's curiosity, without compelling one to speak of any particular subject. The telepath then uses their magic as a sort of sixth sense which detects the presence of mind - searching for these unconscious, surrendered thoughts.
"Keep at it," Halfiya says, placing her hand on Embryx's shoulder and giving her a little shake. "...Oooh, you're a sturdy one," she remarks at the drow's muscle.
Embryx snorts a laugh before turning to you. "So, how'd it go on your end?"
"After Veralt explained it to me, I didn't even want to take a crack at it tonight..." you start in, before going on to explain the mechanics of anima destruction and your suspicions about the world after death. "...I think I'll have to practice my necromancy with Jannava before we reach Thandan," you conclude.
With a fascinated nod, Embryx suggests asking around about the new route to Thandan, to see if there are any towns with large graveyards along the way. "It'd give us a good source of foot soldiers, too," she adds.
You find yourself in agreement, and soon, you head to bed to get an early start in the morning.
First, there is a canyon in the plains to the north which snakes toward Thandan along a narrow river. Rowgu actually followed part of this route during her trek down from the orc lands, but went west onto the level floodplains where the river diverges. She suggests crossing that same marshy ground back to the entrance of the canyon and then turning southeast toward Thandan. This would be the slowest route, but would ensure that the circle's movement is undetected. The narrow, rocky passages would also protect your sisters from the wind chill, and the flowing river would grant clean water.
Stalna also gives a suggestion in the form of Maanlash, a village nearby the floodplains which is built near a large hill. The hill, she says, is the only dry ground for miles, and so numerous nearby villages deposit their dead in a graveyard atop it known as Goldenrod Hill. Of course, Jannava supports this plan, and reiterates her willingness to create hundreds of skeletons and zombies if you're willing to share the Door with her for a day. From Maanlash, you could attack Thandan the very next day.
Lastly, Veralt gives a suggestion of his own, to your surprise: "I think we should split our forces," he says through Corrinth. "Most of us won't be of any help to the necromancers, and would be safer in the canyon. We should send the necromancers and a few others to escort them to Maanlash, while the rest of us go north and then turn for the royal seat."
"Who would lead each side?" Embryx asks.
"Agranne would need to accompany me," Jannava says. "She has the door."
Before you can reply with your thoughts on the matter, a crow flaps its way down from the boughs to the middle of the pact circle and delivers you a long-awaited response: "...Terrorchild! Agranne!" squawks the crow, just like so many others. "No reply from Gilbert's Rest! Crows cannot find you! Will not oppose! ...Kulka!"
The bird looks at you expectantly, and you fumble around with your coat numbly until you find a scrap of bread you can throw down for the bird as a reward. Gilbert's Rest was the name of the secluded temple from which you organized this army, initially. Given how quickly you departed, there was no chance for a crow to reach you in time from Thandan. Will not oppose...? She's recognizing your ascent...
You shake your head, setting aside any celebration until after the job is done, which seems to put your pact sisters at ease. You need to focus on the decision ahead.
A1. Rowgu's Plan - You aren't fond of the idea of dividing your forces, and bringing the whole circle to a small town just a day's ride away from Thandan might just spoil the surprise of their survival to the King and his royal army. "As much as I'd like to bolster our numbers ahead of the final battle, I think it's even more important that we stay hidden. We'll take the canyon."
B2. Stalna's Plan - You want as many undead on your side as possible, since there's no way of telling how much the King will let down his guard based on the rumor that you've been defeated. Moreoever, you don't want to send a large portion of your forces away, in case you're side is ambushed by the royalists. No, you will help Jannava create an undead army, and the circle will guard your efforts. "Let's set out for Maanlash. The canyon sounds like a safe bet, but we need more bodies between us and the King's army."
C3. Veralt's Plan, Veralt in Charge - You decide to listen to the tabaxi and send a large portion of your sisters to safety within the canyon walls. Moreover, since Rowgu reports to Veralt, you decide that he should be placed in charge of the force. Meanwhile, you'll take your side to Maanlash and help Jannava quickly build an army of the dead.
C4. Veralt's Plan, Embryx in Charge - Of the plans that have been given to you, Veralt's seems to be the best use of everyone available, although you find yourself distrusting him regardless. "I'll lead a force into Maanlash, and Embryx can take the northern route into the canyon," you declare.
Option 2: 5 Votes (63% - Range: 14-76)
Option 3: 2 Votes (25% - Range: 77-100)
Fae Roll: 86
He seems indifferent to your attempts at being polite, and you wonder exactly what Corrinth has said to him to put him in such a mood. Regardless, you move on and cross through the trees to one clearing after another, looking around each small encampment to check for Embryx and Halfiya. Instead, however, you stumble onto Corrinth and the half-orc, Rowgu, in the midst of a focused lesson on inscription. Since they don't appear to notice you at the moment, you freeze and listen in.
"...Your mind is a pit full of bats and snakes, elder sister. The Eldest prefers simple minds, ones with only a single goal."
"I've done what you told me-" Corrinth whines.
Rowgu shakes her head. "It's not enough to do; you must be. You wouldn't use a quill, or a brush, or a wand with a mind of its own, so why would Syrith? There are many to choose from."
Corrinth falls silent for a moment before getting audibly frustrated. "...How did you figure it out!?"
"I was locked in the lightless gaol of Rok-Hon for six days after I killed my husband. They didn't know about my membership in the coven, and so I held my ring in the darkness while waiting for my sentence to come. I ceased caring about food or sleep, all I did was think of the Eldest and wait for her Design to bring me an answer. It was during that calm, once I had rid myself of all identity, that she took hold of me. Once the tribunal in my absence had concluded and the executioners came, they shined a torch on the runes I had spent those days carving into the cell and became violently ill... I simply walked free."
You smirk in the darkness of the trees. You can't imagine Corrinth holding a single thought in her head for an entire minute, let alone the hours or days it would take to entice the Eldest to use her in such a way. Moving on, you eventually come upon Embryx, Halfiya, and Wag, as well as a number of other witches whose fire was larger than most. The drow was intently focused on the goblin with her wand out, hand trembling as you can imagine she's deep in concentration. Eventually, Wag begins to break and snicker at your partner's efforts, which causes her to sigh in frustration.
"It's like it's there, but I can't get at it," Embryx complains.
Halfiya grins. "But you feel it - that's promising. If you can sniff out a thought tonight, that'd be the fastest I've ever seen someone pick it up."
"How many have tried?" you ask as you come over to join them. Embryx starts a bit, having not expected you, and quickly looks away in embarrassment. Undoubtedly, she'll be thinking that you easily mastered your own lessons, so you'll need to set her straight in a moment.
Halfiya counts silently for a moment. "...Seven across my years, if I'm counting correctly. All of them were talented; half were my elders. Two learned, but it took days to reach this point. I believe Embryx is well-suited to learn."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Embryx says with a wry smile.
The old hag crosses her arms. "Prove it," she says.
Realizing that Halfiya is inviting Embryx to compel her to speak truth, the drow shrugs it off. "Okay, I believe you. But I still don't understand how I'm supposed to draw it out..."
You watch a while as Halfiya coaxes her towards the next stage of the hex. Although you've missed most of the explanations given so far, you can gather that reading the minds of others is related to manipulation - Embryx's strong suit. Instead of thrusting a particular emotion onto another, the goal, it seems, is to induce a passive willingness towards another's curiosity, without compelling one to speak of any particular subject. The telepath then uses their magic as a sort of sixth sense which detects the presence of mind - searching for these unconscious, surrendered thoughts.
"Keep at it," Halfiya says, placing her hand on Embryx's shoulder and giving her a little shake. "...Oooh, you're a sturdy one," she remarks at the drow's muscle.
Embryx snorts a laugh before turning to you. "So, how'd it go on your end?"
"After Veralt explained it to me, I didn't even want to take a crack at it tonight..." you start in, before going on to explain the mechanics of anima destruction and your suspicions about the world after death. "...I think I'll have to practice my necromancy with Jannava before we reach Thandan," you conclude.
With a fascinated nod, Embryx suggests asking around about the new route to Thandan, to see if there are any towns with large graveyards along the way. "It'd give us a good source of foot soldiers, too," she adds.
You find yourself in agreement, and soon, you head to bed to get an early start in the morning.
---
The following morning, you awaken to find that your circle's following has swelled again, taking on dozens of additional recruits from the surrounding countryside, especially the northern planes where the orcs live. From what you hear, there are many more preparing to depart to your location as well, and if all goes well, you may have over two hundred by the time you reach Thandan. If you ride hard, you could reach it sometime in the middle of the night, as you did with Enthaan. However, most of your sisters don't have horses, and are carrying a good supply of food and other materials which would slow them down. The pact circle has given several suggestions on how to proceed, instead:
First, there is a canyon in the plains to the north which snakes toward Thandan along a narrow river. Rowgu actually followed part of this route during her trek down from the orc lands, but went west onto the level floodplains where the river diverges. She suggests crossing that same marshy ground back to the entrance of the canyon and then turning southeast toward Thandan. This would be the slowest route, but would ensure that the circle's movement is undetected. The narrow, rocky passages would also protect your sisters from the wind chill, and the flowing river would grant clean water.
Stalna also gives a suggestion in the form of Maanlash, a village nearby the floodplains which is built near a large hill. The hill, she says, is the only dry ground for miles, and so numerous nearby villages deposit their dead in a graveyard atop it known as Goldenrod Hill. Of course, Jannava supports this plan, and reiterates her willingness to create hundreds of skeletons and zombies if you're willing to share the Door with her for a day. From Maanlash, you could attack Thandan the very next day.
Lastly, Veralt gives a suggestion of his own, to your surprise: "I think we should split our forces," he says through Corrinth. "Most of us won't be of any help to the necromancers, and would be safer in the canyon. We should send the necromancers and a few others to escort them to Maanlash, while the rest of us go north and then turn for the royal seat."
"Who would lead each side?" Embryx asks.
"Agranne would need to accompany me," Jannava says. "She has the door."
Before you can reply with your thoughts on the matter, a crow flaps its way down from the boughs to the middle of the pact circle and delivers you a long-awaited response: "...Terrorchild! Agranne!" squawks the crow, just like so many others. "No reply from Gilbert's Rest! Crows cannot find you! Will not oppose! ...Kulka!"
The bird looks at you expectantly, and you fumble around with your coat numbly until you find a scrap of bread you can throw down for the bird as a reward. Gilbert's Rest was the name of the secluded temple from which you organized this army, initially. Given how quickly you departed, there was no chance for a crow to reach you in time from Thandan. Will not oppose...? She's recognizing your ascent...
You shake your head, setting aside any celebration until after the job is done, which seems to put your pact sisters at ease. You need to focus on the decision ahead.
A1. Rowgu's Plan - You aren't fond of the idea of dividing your forces, and bringing the whole circle to a small town just a day's ride away from Thandan might just spoil the surprise of their survival to the King and his royal army. "As much as I'd like to bolster our numbers ahead of the final battle, I think it's even more important that we stay hidden. We'll take the canyon."
B2. Stalna's Plan - You want as many undead on your side as possible, since there's no way of telling how much the King will let down his guard based on the rumor that you've been defeated. Moreoever, you don't want to send a large portion of your forces away, in case you're side is ambushed by the royalists. No, you will help Jannava create an undead army, and the circle will guard your efforts. "Let's set out for Maanlash. The canyon sounds like a safe bet, but we need more bodies between us and the King's army."
C3. Veralt's Plan, Veralt in Charge - You decide to listen to the tabaxi and send a large portion of your sisters to safety within the canyon walls. Moreover, since Rowgu reports to Veralt, you decide that he should be placed in charge of the force. Meanwhile, you'll take your side to Maanlash and help Jannava quickly build an army of the dead.
C4. Veralt's Plan, Embryx in Charge - Of the plans that have been given to you, Veralt's seems to be the best use of everyone available, although you find yourself distrusting him regardless. "I'll lead a force into Maanlash, and Embryx can take the northern route into the canyon," you declare.
Infab
The Demon Fanatic
B2
joshuadim
the writer
C3
hardcore.munchkin
Professional hater
C4
