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>>44667839
Amy sings quietly while she rubs your back, and you squeeze Nathan's hand, needing the contact more than anything else. And for right now, for this moment, the problems that came up yesterday? They don't exist.

When Diving Shadow enters the barn, you're leaning on Amy's shoulder, and the half-harpy is combing your hair with her fingers, with your hat on your knees.

"The battle is done," the harpy woman says.

"I know," you murmur. "Prisoners?"

"Plenty. The slaves stood down pretty easily. We've got quite the stockpile of those /Waerloch/ rifles and bayonets now, as well as some ammunition. With some time to rest and lick their wounds, the Miners of the Store are going to be out for blood."

"Figured. But we all need time to rest. And I need a corpse to repair Fetch and my minions."

"Understood," Diving Shadow says solemnly. "...Would you prefer to come with me to select an appropritate candidate?"

You take a deep breath.

> Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway
> No, but please bring me [an Overseer's corpse/the necromancer's corpse/both]
> No, whatever will be fine, as long as no one here has a prior claim

>>44667966
>> Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway

>>44667966
> Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway

>>44667966
> Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway

>>44667966
>Sure, but we need to take care of that necromancer's remains. Otherwise..remember Aunt Carol?

>>44667966
>>> Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway

>>44667966
> Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway

>>44667966
>Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway

>>44667966
> Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway

Would it be in bad taste to use the necromancer? I think it would be a good way to turn his former evil enabling into something which fights to make things right.

>>44668087
Aunt Carol died kicking and screaming, and with regrets in live. This necromancer was delivered a somewhat peaceful death, I don't think his ghost will come back as a malicious ghost.

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Alright folks, I need to attend to some life stuff. Vote and discussion will remain open while I handle it.

Hopefully at the end of this I'll have functioning head phones again.

>>44667966
> Sure. You probably need to talk to her in private-ish anyway
Maybe she will have some input about the possibility of Amy getting wraith steel wings. Or maybe kill us when her kid ain't looking... either way fun times!

>>44668147
He didn't have any of the unfinished business that Aunt Carol did, but he /was/ a necromancer, and could maintain himself as a ghost, and potentially cause problems down the line. Better safe than sorry.

This is going to be a long walk. Car finally died the death.

Thank you for your patience.

>>44668207
>head phones
iktf bro
just got some new headphones for Christmas, hope they'll last longer than a month
I have weird ears though, so they're not comfortable for long durations

>>44668460
Ouch.

Headphones acquired. Also look forward to a primer on wraithsteel soon.

>>44669060
Wraith steel primer!? I'm so happy I caught up

>>44669060
Why must I be on a phone, and away from my "dis iz mai happy face" cat pictures?

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>>44667966
You know Diving Shadow has ulterior motives for asking you along, but she's got a good point too. You need quality materials, and...well, you've got an opportunity here as well, if you want to seize it.

You're not sure if you do, but it's something you can give thought to, while you and the harpy talk and walk the battlefield.

"Sure," you tell her. You pick up your cane and wipe your eyes one last time, before putting on your chain-backed gloves for the inevitable cut work that is going to occur. "Amy, get your dad out into here. The three of you should figure out sleeping arrangements for the moment."

"You got it," Amy says brightly, flashing you a friendly smile. She looks at her mother and straightens her shoulders; you can see the wings that aren't there, fluffing up intimidatingly. "You be nice to my mate."

Diving Shadow chuckles. "I'm too tired to fight. I can be kind."

"Good," Amy says in a dignified huff.

You take up your cane, put your hat on your head, and limp out after Diving Shadow. It's not precisely that your legs hurt, but you're tired, emotionally drained, and your head is full of the coppery tang of death and pain.

It's a lot to take in, and you've had a long, long day.

Diving Shadow doesn't offer you a hand, but you're pretty sure she's respecting your space rather than being standoffish; her eyes go to you on a regular basis, with almost motherly concern, and she keeps her pace to yours - not that it's difficult, considering how awkward her gait is on land. The harpy holds one wing gingerly to herself, probably to conceal an injury, but she'll know best how to treat herself.

Well, in theory anyway.

"I'm not gonna pretend like I don't know you wanna talk," you tell her. "So instead I'm gonna ask - do you wanna handle personal stuff first, or business first?"

"I am indifferent. Neither is urgent to me," Diving Shadow confesses.

> Alright, personal.
> Very well, business.

>>44670207
> Very well, business.
Best not do necromancy angry

>>44670207
>Very well, business.

While we still have the energy to be business like.

>>44670207
>Alright, personal.
Let's clear the air

>>44670207
> Very well, business.
Much as our personal life is a refuge from our job, our job is also a refuge from our personal life. We can stay there for a few moments more.

>>44670207
>> Very well, business.

Get the business done first.

Wrapping up last few bits of wraithsteel thing, will call vote when it is done.

>>44670207
Personally? I've always found personal, emotional stuff to be a hellishly draining. Best to get the grimy, bloody work done before that.
>Very well, business it is.

>Very well, business it is.

This is taking longer than I thought, as the voice of the 'author' is shaping up differently than I expected. Votes called, writing.

>>44671059

Gotta love it when the character leads you places you weren't expecting, hey?

Supposedly that's 90% of how Stephen King writes his stories; he makes the characters and the setting and lets them loose.

So, I wrote a thing. Did a fanfic of the origin of Wraithsteel, completely not knowing Vox was doing his bit there. Should I Pastebin, or just stick it in this thread?

>>44671361

I'd advise pastebin. Makes it easier to find later.

>>44671461
In that case... I hope this is decent

http://pastebin.com/HRUSS6xN

>>44671482
I'm disappointing at the lack of wraithsteel sword x nathen action

>>44671482

I like it.

Could probably work as a general folk-tradition origin for it. Though I feel the definite 'la Croix' connection isn't really necessary.

>>44670236
I have to agree, anger-mancy can lead to awful stuff

> Very well, business

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>>44670207
"Might as well take care of the business first. C'mon, there's a corpse up on that roof and -"

Diving Shadow flaps into the air in the middle of your sentence and comes back down from the roof with the necromancer's body, holding it with surprising care. She slings it over her shoulder and gives you a curious look. "Your enemy. He appears thoroughly slain."

"I'd rather not talk about that," you tell her. You shake out a cigarette and put it between your lips before you close the wooden case and light it. "Put him down. I need to examine the body."

Diving Shadow lays the corpse out with surprising care and folds his arms over his hands over his breast. You get out your stone with a hole in it and dangle it over the pulped mass of his skull.

"Let's see...minions are all dead, that's good. He blew his load here. No extant spells, though an alarm probably alerted the Baron to his death if he was smart. Maybe not. Too early to tell if the ghost has moved on but I'm not picking up any rage or betrayal. I think he'll be fine. I gave him more than he thought he'd get."

"...Why?" Diving Shadow asks.

"Because it was the right thing to do," you murmur. "When I start justifying treating people like they're animals, I'm down a road I don't wanna go down. And I'm not gonna have it. But now I've got a decision to make."

"Oh?"

You sigh. "I can use this body for materials. Fetch needs repairs, and the other minions probably do too. He's not going to have family down here, and necromancers often take...well...to being useful after their death. But this is also the first chance in a long time I've had to acquire a servant with thumbs and, potentially, intelligence, depending on what I want to make and think I can handle."

"What are your options?" the harpy asks, practically.

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>>44672247
"Plenty, but...I don't know. Part of me's hesitating. Do I really want a former person's corpse around? Is that the impression I want to give to people? la Croix necromancers have used such before, of course, but...is that what /Brianna/ la Croix does? Is that my lineage? At the same time, can I look people in the eyes and say that I'm gonna get by with three chickens and a shadow?"

"You're a cunning person, from what I've seen. You just might," Diving Shadow says wryly. "And, if you want them, there are flying things native to the Mine. Bats and the like."

You take a drag on your cigarette, slow and thoughtful. "I can decide what I want to make later, if I want to make something. But I should decide if I'm making a servant now, so I know how many corpses to take. I'll need one more if I'm using this one."

"Would you prefer to use this one for a servant, if you're making a servant?"

"Sure," you tell her. "I can bolt the skull back together just fine, but if I'm gonna use someone's corpse, it should be the necromancer if it's gonna be anyone here. One sorcerer to another, he'd appreciate the craft of it."

"I do not feel comfortable advising you," Diving Shadow admits, "except to say that I feel you should do what is best for the task at hand."

"Sometimes that needs to go to the wayside," you say softly. "Sometimes you gotta be human first."

You flick your butt away and light a new cigarette, staring thoughtfully at the corpse of the man you killed.

> Use the necromancer's body to make a servant
> Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions

>>44672318
> Use the necromancer's body to make a servant

>>44672318
>> Use the necromancer's body to make a servant

She has a point in how she's going to need more than just upgraded chickens in the future, no matter how awesome they already are. Besides, she did also mention how Necromancers liked to be useful even after death.

>>44672318
>Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions

>>44672318
> Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions

>>44672318
>Use the necromancer's body to make a servant.
If we can make him intelligent, I want skeleton butler. I'd call him Sykes.

>>44672318
>Write-in
>Use the corpse and emotions surrounding the death to upgrade Kat

> Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions

...nah, we'll do fine without humanoid minions.
Picking up a bat or three later is good too.
The element of surprise has done well for us.

(Can Kat even be upgraded by this point?)

>>44672503
is this possible?

>>44672579
Yes. Sort of.

>>44672318

> Use the necromancer's body to make a servant

So long as he's not outright replacing Fetch, this is good.

Plus it might help the slaves to see their tormentor under the thumb of an ally (assuming they don't freak the fuck out at seeing him again at all).

>>44672318
> Use the necromancer's body to make a servant
Zombie armies may be a bad thing, but surely a zombie miniboss squad is all right?

>>44672318
> Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions

Fetch took down an Ogre skeleton. Between him and Kat, we've got some decent offensive power. If we get in some necromantic training, we'll probably be able to boost our power up too.

This seems like an important point in Bri's life. She has a choice, whether or not to make a servant out of a living person she killed. I don't really think that going down that path is something she needs to deal with right now, on top of everything else.

>>44672318
>> Use the necromancer's body to make a servant

We've been doing well up to this point. However, I don't think there's any good reason to expect it not to get much, much more difficult as we continue.

If we can make a humanoid servant at this point, in addition to our Chicken Brigade, I think that would be an excellent addition to our arsenal. Especially if he can be upgraded in the future to become another potent (if unimaginative) combatant minion.

Plus, if Fetch can command him like he commands the undead chickens, he can make him into a mount, of sorts, either by being carried or by sitting on his head ^_^

>>44672318
> Use the necromancer's body to make a servant
I feel this is a "saint crispen" kinda deal (a story I hear a lot in my line of work.). Respect a good necromancer by using him in necromancy. Also a servant with thumbs that isn't a creepy shadow would be nice. Give him a dapper outfit maybe some nice shoes. His hat? I'm to excited about this.

Question, Vox:

If we use the corpse to make a servant, will it retain any casting ability, or just be an intelligent humanoid?

>>44672849
> Use the necromancer's body to make a servant
This. Nothing too ghoulish, though, at least by undead standards. Let's leave the man with his dignity.

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Audionon, if you're present, come forth. The folks publishing my novel have an interest in the quest (one is archive binging RIGHT NOW) and I'd like to submit your work as something they might be interested in. Assuming I have your blessing for such a move, I need the link to that blog you set up to hold it.

>>44672926
Such a servant, even if intelligent, would have no reference to its former soul; you would need the necromancer's ghost to do that, and that'd be going pretty firmly into war crime territory unless he consented without coercion.

>>44672318
>Use the necromancer's body to make a servant

>>44672318
>> Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions

Vox, can we move fetch soul to the corpse to give him the opportunity to finally wear a really shiny armor?

My vote would be then:
>Move Fetch´s soul to the corpse

>>44672595
ooh, what could we do?

>>44673286
We've asked about moving souls before. It doesn't usually end well.

>>44673286
It's possible but as discussed before it is not necessarily the best idea. Fetch is a chicken. Putting him in a zombie will not make him stop being a chicken and there's no certainty that he'll like the new form or be able to adapt to the alien circumstances.

>Ask Fetch if he would prefer ahuman body

>>44673445

I'd guess that his response would be something along the lines of, "I will do whatever you require of me, my Queen." Whether he actually wants to do it or not.

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>>44673377
Sorry, I was stuck on phone for the previous reply.

Upgrading shadows is a rare practice because without care it often leads to "NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, I CREATED YOU!" situations and honestly that's just a totally undignified way to die. Shadows, like most undead servants, can be made more intelligent and independant. You can also create a 'core' of witchflame to permit them to operate in darkness without losing their power and enhance the necromantic energies that let them attack the living. Additionally, you can create a bottle or other container for your shadow, something to call it to regardless of your distance from it; further upgrades let you commune with the shade while it's in its bottle.

>>44672318
>Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions

I agree that this isn't the point in time that we need a humanoid servant.

Think also about what Amy and Nathan would think of such a thing.
Sure undead chickens are fine, but adding an undead HUMAN would physically feel like adding another member to the party without asking them.

>>44673617
>another member to the party without asking them.

...Would we have to make the servant before returning and talking to them?

>>44673677
Not at all. You'd just have an extra corpse at that point to be used for some other purpose, or else buried with respect.

> Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions

Just finished archive binging and loving the story, one of the best Vox.

Using humans seems like a line we shouldn't cross as it not only leads to zombie armies, but creeps out our (non-dead) friends and allies along the way.

Zombie bats on the other hand are much cooler, stealthier and flight is useful.

>>44673617
>I agree that this isn't the point in time that we need a humanoid servant.
>Think also about what Amy and Nathan would think of such a thing.
>Sure undead chickens are fine, but adding an undead HUMAN would physically feel like adding another member to the party without asking them.

What? It would be just another zombie minion that she would acquire to use as a necromancer, she certainly doesn't need to ask for their permission to create it. It would be as ridiculous as if she needs to talk to her teammates on how she would like to upgrade Fetch or something.

>>44673575
that's what we should do next

>>44673731
She might not need their permission for it, but we could give them a heads up and explain what the zombie will be capable of/do if we bring him back.

I figure it's less about our companions dictating our job and more about making them comfortable with what we do.They still haven't seen a lot of our necromancy, I bet, and the fact that we're considerate of them is something that can be appreciated, at least.

For another reason to get the Servant, think about the recent injury that Nathan got. If more dangerous situations happened in the future that risked a teammate, wouldn't it be better then that there was something more easily repaired to shield them from danger? Chickens are still limited to their size after all, and they're already maxed out on upgrades.

>>44673731
Bri making the undead is her choice.
Being disturbed by the sudden and unannounced addition of another person to the group is the choice of Amy and Nate.

>>44673850
This anon has it.

>>44673899
Nathan lost his leg to a Wraithsteel beast, which can't be touched by undead without degrading the metal.
So more minions or no, that still would have happened.

>>44673950
Uh duh? I said 'in the future', as in events that have not happened yet, and probably nowhere close to being the exact same kind of situation that happened already. That doesn't make a potential new meat-shield any less useful.

There we go!

From "A Hunter's Guide to Exotic Materials" - https://docs.google.com/document/d/181fv9Rq9d0-dlDhh8Bo2ThGSmRJRGlqJZXaX3XW5meI/edit?usp=sharing

Votes called, writing.

>>44674437
>From "A Hunter's Guide to Exotic Materials"

Pfff...I love the completely spurious moral judgements upon people who would do this thing or that thing with demons...

>>44674437
Fun! So... any chance of finding an earth elemental to carve a leg out of? Just a question

>>44674598
And then you remember that this is how most of the setting views demons. Not Necrofowl Inc, but Necrofowl Inc is a necromancer, a guy with reason not to judge books by covers, and a girl with no context on why everyone else hates demons.

>>44674437
I hope it's cool if I use this in one of my games, because good golly miss molly...
That would be fun. Very fun.

>>44674624

Oh, sure; that makes perfect sense.

It's the way the judgements are almost entirely unrelated to the actual acts they're being judged by. Which also makes perfect sense: the reason it amuses me is because it's such a believable bit of illogic.

>>44674670
I'd be flattered! Tell me how it goes?

>>44674606
It's not outside the realm of possibility, and neither are other kinds of elemental.

>>44674726
So... are you suggesting we could make Nathan a wind foot?

>>44674815
Wind, ice.

Lava.

Molten metal.

Y'know, fun stuff.

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>>44674726
I will! Thanks for permission because I always need to ask or I feel guilty.

>>44674834
I mean, not that we know this in character, but River apparently knows where to find an air elemental...

>>44674899
I personally suspect that was from Robert's experience, not River's.
It fits his personality, far as we've seen.
Of course, convincing River to shover her fist into an air elemental ALSO sounds like him.

>>44674437

>For more on how to defeat an elemental, see my previous work Fantastic Beasts and How To Kill Them All The Way Dead.

I quite like it.

Also, thinking about writing about a La Croix living in an area like the Valley of Kings as a sort of emergency fixer for when some dumb-ass inevitably ignores the advice of everyone and tries to get at the treasures in those tombs.

"... Ya know, I put up a sign. A couple, actually. And you know what they all said? 'Do Not Open, or else risk terrible death and a variety of curses'. But you went and tried to get inside, and now I need to put Yuras the Second back to bed, get these wraithsteel maggots out of your arm, and then put dinner on for the kids. I only have so many hours in the day, you know."

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>>44675046
...Yes. Do this thing. I love this idea.

If you wanna keep that sorta desert-y feeling, you could use a far-off branch of the family that moved to the Harrow (currently defined traits: arid/desert-like, Place The Coffee Came From) and maybe define that section of the setting a bit. I'd be glad to offer feedback on the concepts you end up playing with.

Or just set it wherever, not picky.

I'm personally tempted to write a journal of some random la Croix apprentice, in the vain of River's.
I haven't written in a good while, so it'd be good practice. Not -needing- to be detailed and all.
I'm not sure which branch to go with, though.

>>44675271
Honestly, if you're taking my thoughts on it? I'd like to see expansion on the Rose Cult. Writing them from Bri's perspective as I did meant that they sorta naturally slotted into a competitive, rival-type role, and it'd be nice to see them from the inside.

Plus they probably provide quite a few of the vampire hunters if that tickles your itch.

>>44675148

How's this sound.

A long, long time ago, in the land known as the Harrow, Necromancy was a much bigger thing. As in, it was a legitimate enterprise, albeit most of the work went into embalming and ensuring a steady and safe departure from this life into the next.

I'm not sure that going with the traditional answer of 'Pharaohs were gods', so let's play with it a bit. Each King of the Harrowing Sands was, at the end of their life, believed to be entrusted with guarding the futures of their kingdom. They lived and served in life, and in death they shall too. So, they were ritualistically made into liches and then placed in sealed tombs, guarding treasures of the state with powerful weapons and magics.

... This didn't work so well the first time, but they more or less got it right the second.

To preserve the minds and souls of their former kings, each one is kept in very specialized 'mostly dead' stasis. Effectively frozen in time. Until some one breaks the seal on their tomb, at which point they wake up mad as hell and intent on eviscerating the shit out of the unfortunate treasure hunter that woke them up.

Eventually though, this practice fell out of style. Partly because interactions with foreign powers distrustful of necromancy, and partly because one king tried to go lich early and stay and rule his kingdom for eternity. This also didn't end well.

And ended with the vast majority of necromancers in the country very dead. Partly because angry mobs, and partly because the Last King decided that he didn't want any potential competition or anybody aware of means to counter his powers to hang around.

The Last King's rule awhile, and then it ended as these things tended to.

The time frame, I'm thinking was maybe ten, fifteen years ago for this. People are still inherently distrustful of Necromancy, and a lot of the adults remember the Last King.

>>44675621
So these kings would, in death, be guarding relics or secrets that might be used in times of need but otherwise are expected to murder the shit out of people after the kingdom's secrets?

I think I kinda like. Also suggests a culture that's still big on tradition - mistrustful of the man who abused it but not quite transitioning to a new kind of culture yet. Undercurrents of necromantic practices still in the faith, traditions so old people forgot they started as necromancy.

Run with it, my friend.

I swear to god I'm actually writing the update this time.

>>44675378
Journal of an apprentice vampire hunter?
I'm more often playing the vampire, so would be interesting to write.
The Rose Cult has a very strict discipline to it, right? I'd imagine they'd naturally tend to starting journals early in life, which either leaves medias res or an adopted Rose la Croix. Adopted feels like going 'so special', but it's already established adopted la Croix aren't THAT rare and I don't like the idea of doing medias res for a -journal-.

>>44675621
>they were ritualistically made into liches and then placed in sealed tombs, guarding treasures of the state with powerful weapons and magics.... This didn't work so well the first time, but they more or less got it right the second.
I want details on how badly the first time went.

>>44675857
Why not "next volume of the diary because the other book was full"? You could start right in the middle of something. Perhaps throw in a mention of "that thing last week/year", without telling what happened (because it is extensively explained the last time it happened).

>>44675621

The successor government isn't without it's own problems. The Last King's madness let a bunch of terrible corruption and other unpleasantness take root. Making a lot of the people in the Harrows very desperate. And where there are desperate people, there are desperate deeds to be done and people willing to pay handsomely for such.

So, the Valley of the Kings is kind of a terrible mess.

Enter Sierra La Croix, a foreign necromancer. Brought in partially because there's a terrible danger to the lands, and finding a surviving Harrow's style necromancer is more or less impossible given the various purges. And partially because she's young, relatively unknown, and cheaper to keep on retainer than a more powerful academic style mage.

That's not to say Harrow's style Necromancers don't exist, or that they aren't trying to do everything they can to unfuck the Valley of the Kings. It's just that the survivors are incredibly paranoid and have survived thus far by being where people who are looking for them, aren't.

>>44675727

Yeah, the reason why other foreign powers and faiths haven't made big inroads yet is that there's this almost active distrust of them in the populace. Not least because some of them were at war not too long ago, call their ancient traditions barbaric and unholy, insist on destroying the Valley of the Kings, and a variety of other sundry offences accrued over hundreds and hundreds of years.

>>44672318
>Use his body to repair Fetch and your minions
I'm probably too late, but oh well.

Fetch, basic ranged chickens, witchlight bat, and...

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>>44672318
"I...think I'm gonna keep this one. See if I'm interested in making it into a servant or another use."

"You're still unsure?" Diving Shadow says curiously.

"Amy and Nate have to live with whatever I create. It'd be polite to involve them in the decision-making process. That and some perspective on the environment will help. Like, draugs need to be fed, so maybe I don't make one of those."

"Are they the..."

"The ones with the nails sharpened into claws that eat the dead and can sniff out the relatives of anyone they've bitten? Yeah. They're nasty, vicious, smart, prone to tool use and tough as hell. They also need to consume rotting flesh every fucking day, which is a bit of a bitch in terms of supply."

"I can see where that might go wrong," Diving Shadow agrees. You step back, and she takes up the necromancer's corpse once more.

A bit of hunting finds an Overseer with no concerned family members, and you and Diving Shadow drag your corpses to a relatively private place to have a heart-to-heart. You offer her a cigarette, but she waves it off politely, and you put it away.

"Please, do not take this as an attempt at confrontation. I...I am trying to express myself in the human manner," Diving Shadow begins. "This can be difficult for me."

"I understand," you say patiently, smoking your cigarette slowly; you keep it cupped in a protective fist. "Say what you have to say."

"Do you see my daughter as a human, or a harpy?"

> It's a little hard to say. I don't know many harpies.
> Why do you ask?
> ...Has she had the chance to tell you about Lakehallow?

>>44676097
>Mole with thickened claws?
>A horse compressed into a smaller, bonier form?
>Only the leg muscles/bones of a horse put onto another creature?
>If they have salmon here, that's some high density muscles to work with

>>44676132
>A person who used to be able to fly.
> ...Has she had the chance to tell you about Lakehallow?

>Although it is repeatedly hammered to me how harpy culture works rather differently from humans.

>>44676132

> ...Has she had the chance to tell you about Lakehallow?
>I see her as someone I love.

>>44676022
Noodle Events are always fun. That actually gives me ideas for developing a plot within the journal, too.
>It happened again.
Whole series of dogeared books, full of notes and citations to other entries in their personal series. Possibly to other journals as well.
>I used the solution Thomas la Croix came up with, in Thomas vol 20. It's a long read.

>>44676132
>"Do I have to see her as other than Amy?"
I forget what the reference to Lakehollow is meaning.

>>44676132
>> It's a little hard to say. I don't know many harpies.

>>44676022
This seems like a good way to start in the "apprentice" region without having to resort either to baby steps or adoption if either leave a bad taste in your mouth, yeah.

Your summation with regards to the Rose Cult is fairly correct, however. Those few members of the family that don't take to the religion still get training early and young, which tends to cut towards a combination of combat, tracking, urban and wildnerness survival, threat recognition, field alchemy (the talented get more formal alchemical training at the expense of some of the martial prowess), history, comparative religion, linguistics, trap identification and preventative medical treatment, especially for things like vampirism, lycantheropy, and other transformative ailments.

And then you /specialize/, because /humans train for all kinds of shit/. I mean, fuck, look at everything a soldier learns just in boot.

>>44676039
> "We need someone to babysit all these liches."
> "We literally killed all their other babysitters."
> "And did everything but outlaw necromancy in the process too."
> "Hey, this family has a good rep. I know one that runs a ship. Does nothing but trade for coffee."
> "NOTHING?"
> "Absolutely fucking nothing. Richer than a king. Says he sells it to other members of his family."
> "Shit, can we hire some of them?"
> "Let me ask him."
> Weeks pass.
> "We were told there would be coffee, gold, and dead people."
> "Fucking perfect, welcome to the Harrow."

>>44676265
>Do I have to see her as other than Amy?"
Seconding this

>>44676132
> It's a little hard to say. I don't know many harpies.
Although I am also unsure what the Lakehollow thing is referencing, exactly.

>>44676265
>Do I have to see her as other than Amy?"
I'm going to third this, Amy is Amy

>>44676132
>> Why do you ask?

>>44676265
>>44676351
> Lakehallow reference

Well...lemme put it this way.

Do harpies seem like the sort of culture that would be working compassionately with those victims instead of encouraging them with tough love and violence?

>>44676256
Seconding this.
> ...Has she had the chance to tell you about Lakehallow?
>I see her as someone I love.

>>44676132
> It's a little hard to say. I don't know many harpies.

Vote slightly extended for booze acquisition.

>>44676132
She's not really either one. She's just Amy to me.

>>44676132
> It's a little hard to say. I don't know many harpies.
Besides that, we aren't the most open person, and it reflects in how we talk to people. I don't think we really *know* Amy well yet because we've never straight up asked her stuff like what's important to her or what she sees in us. It's come up occasionally as events have unfolded, but stuff happens.

It's more likely that she'll volunteer that information or bring the topics when she wants to talk about them up given her expressive nature, so I think we've just rolled with that and let her set the pace.

Basically,
>I honestly don't think it matters. If she isn't concerned about it, neither am I.

> It's a little hard to say. I don't know many harpies.
> ...Has she had the chance to tell you about Lakehallow?

>>44676808
> I don't think we really *know* Amy well yet because we've never straight up asked her stuff like what's important to her or what she sees in us.

> or what she sees in us.

Ever think that maybe Bri is afraid of what she might hear? I mean, Amy did give you the angry why-I-like-you speech awhile back, but...

>>44677070
Oh, there are other reasons we've let her set the pace. We don't talk about those, though.

We should eventually. Might need to see if we can set Nathan up to crack us open, since we can't trust ourselves to make the healthy decision unless we can convince ourselves we're not really trying to fix the problem we definitely don't have. Amy's too open to keep up that charade.

Eh, I'm heading to bed soon, and I want to fill the time before that with a bit of discussion.

What does anon see Bri as, person-wise? Between Vox's writing and our votes, we actually have a protagonist with depth. I'd like to keep digging deeper.

Votes called, writing.

>>44677572
YOU HAVE MY UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.

>>44677572
>I'd like to keep digging deeper.
That leads to zombie armies.

But seriously, I'm not entirely sure what to say that hasn't much been said or done already. Bri seems to be a person who isn't bound in her duty but chooses to do it because she knows the value of personal values. She's someone who for a long time has been afraid of personal attatchment/commitment but has now been pulled everything first into it and trying to do it right. I see her as generally a lonely soul but cherishes company (and specifically live ones that don't want her dead).

For everything other than her own suffering, she pretty much is exactly whats on the tin

>>44677806
I agree. She's relaxed, and has a 'no nonsense' attitude since she hasn't really had anyone to give any nonsense -to-.
While you already said it, I just want to mention how nice her interest in her duty and the past is without being blinded by it. Her life has given her more experience than anyone can really say she's deserved to already have, and she's absolutely doing the best she can with it.

>>44677572
Granny Weatherwax

>>44677806
Some unanswered questions revolve around how willing she is to face her own issues while all this is going on. Is it reasonable to think Bri would approach Amy or Nathan about her insecurities a little later in the adventure, or are they going to have to dig it out of her?

Do we want Bri to even acknowledge she has problems? Some flaws you just accept, without any real will to fix them because you'd be such a radically different person if you did. Is she going to pretend she doesn't have flaws worth working on because the possibility of losing Nathan and Amy's interest is terrifying to consider?

Do we want to play her as such? See how the others try to interact with us? It's not wrong to play her that way, after all. We have the backstory and IC actions to support that course.

>>44677572
She is a person who uses her past experiences, suffering and all, and uses the knowledge she gained to prevent others from feeling the same if they don't deserve it. She helps who she can and makes sure everyone is judged properly.
All in all, a good person if I'm putting it frankly :)

>>44678048
I don't think she'd describe herself as such, though. More 'just doing what I need to' and all.

Think any of the others we've met could honestly make her feel *good* about everything she's doing?

>>44677978
This, except with a love life.

>Is she going to pretend she doesn't have flaws worth working on because the possibility of losing Nathan and Amy's interest is terrifying to consider?

Brianna is less afraid of losing Nathan and Amy than she is of feeling like they're in love with a person she's not.

>>44678184
Would she be willing to admit that they might know her better than she does herself?

Bri seems the sort of person who doesn't cut herself enough of a break for all the good she does as part of her job. Do we think she knows herself as well as she might think she does?

>11 PM
Alas, time for bed. I must be up somewhat early tomorrow for work. Too bad I can't stick around to practice the Socratic method anymore, it's always fun.

>>44677978
Not yet. Maybe in 50 years.

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>>44676132
You suck down the last of your cigarette - you're going to need a fresh one for this conversation - and blow the smoke from your nose while you put a new one between your lips and light it.

"Interesting question. Wish I had a better answer for you, but...I don't know many harpies, Shadow. Actually. Is it okay for me to shorten your name like that?"

"It's quite acceptable," Diving Shadow says with almost regal amusement. "My husband does that too."

"Amy's always just been...Amy," you admit. "I'm guessing you're about to tell me there's something wrong with that."

"Not exactly," Diving Shadow admits. "...Her father was right to worry that she was missing out on her human heritage. But the girl who left my home is not the one who came back; she's changed, and now it is my turn to worry. Amy and I haven't had a real talk yet, and I..." the harpy sighs. "I am unsure how she sees me, today, after these long years. I am worried that she's chosen to reject her harpy heritage and the worry is like a pain in my heart. There is much of worth there."

"I can see that," you admit, softly. "But I don't think that's the case. Y'know she was ready to assault an officer of the watch in a public library because he'd condemned me to death?"

Diving Shadow chokes on a laugh. "Truly?"

"It gets better. She threw him and half his squad out a window later, the moment I'd left them alone for more than three minutes."

Diving Shadow laughs, long and loud, and grins at you.

> "Look - just be honest with her. Lay your cards on the table and treat her like an equal."
> "I don't think you have to worry. Amy's been worried that I don't like the harpy parts of her in the past, and that means she /does/ like those parts."

>>44678653
> "I don't think you have to worry. Amy's been worried that I don't like the harpy parts of her in the past, and that means she /does/ like those parts."

>>44678653
>"I don't think you have to worry. Amy's been worried that I don't like the harpy parts of her in the past, and that means she /does/ like those parts."

>>44677572
She's someone who sees problems. She sees the good in the world, yeah, but mostly I think she sees the bad. And while I don't 100% agree with the Granny Weatherwax comparison, I am reminded of Granny's "if you know right from wrong, you can't choose wrong." Bri sees all the shit in the world and for her the only choice is to fix it. No one's forcing her, but she does it anyway, because someone has to, and if not her then who? And I don't think she's especially happy about that, but she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she did anything less.

Regarding her opinion of her own flaws, I think she's painfully aware that they exist. She even exaggerates them in her own mind. But at the same time, I don't think she does much to fix them, because I don't think she feels she can. They're just... what she has to deal with. I'm not sure she can really imagine herself as a good person, deep down.

I'm actually reminded of a woman I know, who thinks everything she's good at is just easy. So if she's good at something, it's not because she's extraordinary in any way. It's just that the thing was easy, and anyone could do it. I think Bri is kind of like that for human decency. If she's a good person in some way, it's not (to her) because she's an abnormally good person, it's just that it's basic human decency. Her flaws, on the other hand, are all on her.

And with all that in mind, I think she's someone who holds onto the good stuff all the harder, because she sees so much bad. Food, parties, sex, loved ones, ideals... anything good in the world, she digs in as hard as she can, and holds on with all her might. Because some things are worth holding onto.

>>44678653
>"Look - just be honest with her. Lay your cards on the table and treat her like an equal."
I don't speak on the behalf of living people.

>>44678121
She doesn't feel good true, but she helps who she can, like river and cherry.

>>44678653
> "Look - just be honest with her. Lay your cards on the table and treat her like an equal."

>>44678653
>> "I don't think you have to worry. Amy's been worried that I don't like the harpy parts of her in the past, and that means she /does/ like those parts."

>>44678653
>> "I don't think you have to worry. Amy's been worried that I don't like the harpy parts of her in the past, and that means she /does/ like those parts."

>>44678653
> "Look - just be honest with her. Lay your cards on the table and treat her like an equal."
I would give this advice for damn near anything. Honest communication is the glue that holds relationships together.

>>44678653
> "I don't think you have to worry. Amy's been worried that I don't like the harpy parts of her in the past, and that means she /does/ like those parts."

>>44678653

...Anonymous
01/09/16(Sat)20:25:10 No.44678764
>>44678653 #
> "Look - just be honest with her. Lay your cards on the table and treat her like an equal."

>>44678828
Somethin' glitch in your post, my brother?

>>44678653
>> "Look - just be honest with her. Lay your cards on the table and treat her like an equal. But I don't think you have to worry."

>>44678653
> "Look - just be honest with her. Lay your cards on the table and treat her like an equal."

>>44678653
> You know, she made a point of defending how you reacted when you saw her and making me understand that it wasn't necessarily bad. Just different. She really loves her mom you know and is happy you treated her as an equal.

> "I don't think you have to worry. Amy's been worried that I don't like the harpy parts of her in the past, and that means she /does/ like those parts."

>>44678721
> I'm actually reminded of a woman I know, who thinks everything she's good at is just easy. So if she's good at something, it's not because she's extraordinary in any way. It's just that the thing was easy, and anyone could do it. I think Bri is kind of like that for human decency. If she's a good person in some way, it's not (to her) because she's an abnormally good person, it's just that it's basic human decency. Her flaws, on the other hand, are all on her.

Anon, I need you to know that you've made me feel so very good about my writing tonight. I'm actually crying a little.

Called, writing.

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>>44678653
You give Diving Shadow an easy smile and shrug, a little thoughtfully, at her. "Honestly? I think you're having this conversation with the wrong person. Amy was /so happy/ to be treated as an equal by you. She kinda got pre-emptively in my face about it. Well...no, actually, it was the right timing."

Diving Shadow smiles warmly at you. "I...I am happy to hear it." She wraps you in her good wing and puts a hand on your shoulder. "For what it is worth, from what I've seen of you, I believe you will make a fine mate."

"Sentences I never expected to hear," you quip. "...Do you mind...?"

Diving Shadow doesn't have to be told twice; she picks up both corpses and walks them back to the barn with you. You gather Fetch and his brother around yourself and start preparing your repair rituals; the Overseer's corpse boils away as it's consumed to patch broken bones, re-load bone quills, and put the vigor back in Fetch's step.

You feel like you ran eight miles while someone was punching the shit out of you, but your heart is oddly light. It was nice, to talk to Diving Shadow.

> Say your goodnights and go the fuck to bed
> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate

>>44680297
>> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate
Yeah, this was the EASY mom

>>44680297
> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate

>>44680297
> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate

>>44680297
>> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate

>>44680297
>> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate
What is this "sleep" of which you speak?

>>44680297
> Say your goodnights and go the fuck to bed
Minion stuff isn't needed immediately and Bri needs to start taking better care of herself.

>>44680297
>Say your goodnights and go the fuck to bed
Dead woman walking

>>44680297
> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate

>>44680297
Vox, did the repairs (and the creation of the chicken minions earlier) use up time from Bri's total life time? Or is the weakness she feels just "normal" exhaustion?

> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate

>>44680649
The creation of the minions took a few months off. The repairs didn't, she's just beat up to hell and exhausted, and keeps spending her energy.

>>44680297
> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate
Keep the ball rollin!

>>44680691
A few months just for some chickens and a weasel? Oh my, that's expensive.

>>44680691
like I said, a bat and a heavy minion, then no more.

>>44680728
Welcome to necromancy, where everyone dies young and lots of people are in it to go down getting their revenge.

Mind you, with medicinal practices and magic available, Bri is expecting to be working with a bit more than a century of time to be shaving off here. A few months vs. a hundred years doesn't sound like a lot until you're knee-deep in zombie armies and suddenly you've only got ten years left to live your life.

This is part of why she's been reluctant to minion to begin with.

Called, writing.

>>44680879
Not to mention the new issue, for Bri, of having people now actually invested in your longevity beyond suddenly shortening it.
Bird and Hero love their Bitter Little Mage and she just going to have to deal with that shit.
Gotten balance out her hero complex with that shit.

> Talk over minion stuff with Amy & Nate

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>>44680297
You look up to see Amy and Nathan watching with curious interest and just a /little tiny bit/ of visceral disgust which is, to be fair, kind of expected when you watch a corpse boil away to nothing. It's not like you're /entirely/ unaffected by that shit yourself, after all.

More cots have been dragged into this room; Lark has elected to sleep in a hammock hanging from the rafters, offering Amy's parents his dining room. A cold dinner is had, because everyone is too fucking tired to cook, and you put your cot next to Amy and Nate's and pause to preserve the necromancer's body with a simple, easy little spell.

"Want you fresh for tomorrow," you murmur, before you crawl into your temporary bed.

"Bri," Nate says slowly, "why is there an extra corpse?"

"Been thinking about making another minion," you admit. "Something with thumbs. Maybe something smart, though I'm not sure about that. I can bolt his skull back together and make a skeleton or a zombie, and just having thumbs and weaponry will be, well, a help. Fetch and his brothers have been nice, but..."

"But you don't know what we're going to face," Amy says, thoughtfully. "I could get behind that."

"...I don't know that I can, Bri," Nathan admits. "Is that really something you want to entertain as a solution to your problem? Using people for servants? Doesn't he deserve a proper burial?"

You flinch. "...Yeah, maybe, but there's other concerns too. And he was a necromancer, he'll get it."

"Bri, do you really need this? Look at all we've done without it. I...sorta understood, about Kat, but this feels like a bigger step."

"Not like I haven't made skeletons before," you mutter.

"And this is important," Amy adds, loyally.

"I know it's important," Nathan says softly. "That's honestly part of why I'm asking if you really want to do this. You're not by yourself, Brianna. You have friends. Allies. You don't need this, you don't need a...a former /person/. Is that how you want people to see you?

>>44682195

"Well, not really, but do you want to explain to Diving Shadow that she had to drag a whole extra corpse here for nothing?"

>>44682195

>It doesn't really matter how anyone sees me. Aside from you two.

A-are we supposed to offer responses yet?

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>>44682195
You bite your lip, guiltily, and sigh. You set your hat down on the floor next to your cot and throw your coat on over it.

Your shirt and pants can stay on. There's a time and place, sadly.

"...No," you admit. "But I have to try to be practical, don't I?"

"What about upgrading the chickens?" Nathan challenges.

"They're as good as they're getting," you admit. "...I could try to upgrade Kat, if I'm careful."

"Do what you think is best," Amy encourages.

"That's unhelpful," you complain.

> Create a skeleton from the necromancer tomorrow
> Create a zombie from the necromancer tomorrow
> Animate just his hands. You only need thumbs, right?
> Create a draug from the necromancer tomorrow
> Upgrade Kat with the necromancer tomorrow
> Bury the necromancer tomorrow

>>44682195
I'm with Nate in that just because the necromancer would understand, doesn't mean we should do it.

>>44682195
And if me doing this gives someone a meat-.. barrier from losing an arm or a leg or a life? What then?

>>44682301
>Use the necromancer to upgrade a new minion
Kat is just fine, although I wonder if the shadow itself has any moral implications tagged onto it.

>>44682301

> Animate just his hands. You only need thumbs, right?

THING OLD BOY

AND AMAJIG AS WELL!

>>44682241
>>44682294
>>44682306
>>44682312
Sorry about that delay folks. Votes are open.

Will probably tuck in to sleep for the night soon. I am quite drunk.

>>44682301
> Create a skeleton from the necromancer tomorrow

>>44682301
I'd like to know more about the *specific* risks associated with upgrading Kat.

>>44682301
>> Create a draug from the necromancer tomorrow

Is this the most powerful servant option?

>>44682404
You know how you could have made the other chickens fully sapient if you'd upgraded them full intelligence?

Shadows get smarter, faster, and can sometimes break free of their control. Additionally, you may have noticed that Kat is emotionally expressive and requires restraining at times where the chickens require commanding. Making her more powerful, more deadly, or otherwise enhancing her combat capabilities means that accidents have the potential to be much worse.

>>44682301
> Create a skeleton from the necromancer tomorrow

We can be polite and bury the rest. While I'd love the Draug, upkeep is painful and it is the most likely to slip control. Zombies smell, so that leaves the Skeleton

>>44682429
See here - >>44676132

Draugs are mean as hell and handy but they need feeding and they're brutal, predatory, and cruel.

>>44682378
SECONDING THIS

> Animate just his hands. You only need thumbs, right?

>>44682437
Man. I just don't think a zombie is that great. Better than a Skeleton, but unless we're going full revenant . . .

Also, shouldn't we find like the buffet dude we can instead of a scrawny magic user?

Can we warp flesh so that we can imbed multiple guns into a cow?

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>>44682437
Give Fetch Arms

>>44682507
>>44682452
Actually. Can we give all the chickens arms and then use their small size to use them as snipers? Get them guns on little tripods to provide backup at range? Yes, my end goal is to have Fetch commanding undead artillery.

>>44682301
I'm thinking we want to stay away from minions that look too human due to friends and allies, but we should still use the necromancer as a sort of respect. So either

>Upgrade Kat with the necromancer tomorrow
Or
>Animate just his hands. You only need thumbs, right?

Either way, use >>44682294

>>44682437

I thought the sapience thing was related to Fetch being our familiar.

>>44682572
He got it for free, yes. He also got the soul connection.

>>44682452
Oooh, that's way too much maintenance requirement.

>> Create a zombie from the necromancer tomorrow

Zombie it is then! probably tougher and stronger than the Skeleton since it would still have the flesh to take hits and the muscles to help move the body. If the face is too scary or ugly, then just use a mask or something.

>>44682586

Ah.

Durnit, I'd've voted for the intel upgrades if I'd known we could have had three Knights of the Proud Cock. I'm not sorry

Oh well, they're awesome as they are. No regrets.

Also how (in)effective are just hands going to be? I like the idea, but a zombie/skeleton seem a good deal more practical.

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Yeah, I got too drunk, too fast. I'm gonna hit bed, folks. Vote will remain open until the morning!

As always questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms are welcome and appreciated. I'll field 'em in the morning.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

Archiving now.

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>>44682715
what the corpse was originally defines how they can act, but what about scaled up versions of themselves?

Giant chicken, giant lump of meat, giant amoeba...

>>44682751
Theoretically possible, but you might run into size issues in the Dungeon.

Thread's archived. I'ma pass the fuck out now. See ya'll in the morning.

>>44682780
Goodnight, sweet madman.

>upgrade fetch, we have a friend in the death choir, get her help with this shit to bypass normal necromancy limits.

>>44683227
uhh dude, Death choirs are about making sure death HAPPENS. Extracting souls and killing things dead, but not very much in using the dead bodies.

And even if we COULD somehow give minions divine slaying spells, Lora is not in a position to do that kind of enchanting, what with the restraints.

>>44682301
I'm not sure we've seen all the things Kat is capable of. Every time she's been used, its been in a close combat situation. She could be our forward scout, slithering through the shadows and ignoring physical barriers to steal stuff (CHAINS! HELLO!) or deactivate traps. She could even perform some awesome combination attacks with Nate's shadow.

If we do upgrade her, would it be possible to give her a empathetic connection to Brianna? Maybe make her a bit more like her master in temperament.
>Upgrade Kat to be more versatile and less vicious.

Also, if that troll skeleton is still around, we could totally make that into an expendable minion with no moral problems since the damn thing was already dead when we found it. If not, trophy Troll Tooth necklace for Sir Fetch.

A Draug might be an awesome combat monster, but there's no way in hell we could keep up the 'benevolent death magician' with that thing around.

If I could have my way, I'd have Fetch and the other chickens 'evolve' into literal undead velociraptors. Our faithful knight wouldn't even have to worry about being in an alien body (its the same basic structure, just a bit bigger), and he'd be much more intimidating in battle.

>>44683634
I think the troll skellie might be too "dead" to bring back. I personally don't want a zombie, but if we're getting one let's cover it in the troll skellie

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>>44682301
> Create a skeleton from the necromancer tomorrow
A necromancer who necromances, how dreadful.

I notice that while Diving Shadow has had a lot of input, Brianna has yet to actually sit down and talk with Lawrence (Sorry Vox, Larry just doesn't work for me. Reminds me too much of the stupid hillbilly/redneck comic crap.). Hell, he's an experienced wizard who traveled a great deal before settling down with Shadow; they could have a lot to talk about besides his daughter having /two/ mates.

Also, since Vox has eluded to Elemental Prosthetics, Lawrence might have exactly the kind of know-how to find an elemental, then either make a deal with it/kill it and break it down into parts, and use those parts to make Nathan an awesome Living Stone Limb.

>>44684159
Yeah Lawrence hasn't really said much, but then again he did just get out of captivity. Maybe when he gets some rest and a meal he will start talking more.

>>44682301
>Animate just his hands. You only need thumbs, right?
We Adams family now.

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>>44684159
We don't actually know what quantifies for Elemental yet, though. Are we using chinese elements, abstract, periodic table, etc?

>>44674437
I only just got around to reading this and all I can say is I can only imagine the author with a pith helmet.

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> Create a skeleton from the necromancer tomorrow

LET'S GET PROPER SPOOKY!

G'day Mates! Brand-spanking new quester reporting in from Down Under. Go Broncos!

>>44679573
Voxy, are you aware of the Dunning-Kruger effect? This concerns your quest running as well, I think.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

Also: YOU FOOLS. LOSE THE HEAD. KEEP THE BONES. CREATE A BONE-SUIT FOR FETCH, BUILD HIM A NEST IN THE RIB CAGE, LITTLE CONTROLS TO THE LIMBS. BUILD THE BONE SUIT. ENTER THE BONE ZONE

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>>44685945
like-a-dis

>>44682301
>> Animate just his hands. You only need thumbs, right?
I would love the idea of the only minions and whatnot we have being small wierd little things like an upgraded chicken familiar and Things running around.

I don't believe we need any 'fleshy' type humanoid minions because A) they are even more morally dubious than normal B) They require sustenance and C) We can have actual people fit those roles. Other than stuff like 'walk through that firepit to get X' and even then a skeleton would, I think, be prefferable instead.

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>>44685945
>>44686058
How about like this instead? But with Chicken Boo instead of Brain.

>>44682301
>Animate just his hands. You only need thumbs, right?

>>44686162
I was literally about to post that pic.

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>>44686174
Well, I also had ideas for the other 3 of the clucketeers...

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>>44686162
>>44686174
YASS. NOW WE CAN HAVE FETCH WEAR A SUIT OF ARMOR. BUILD HIM A SUITE IN THE BODY; IN THE HELMET, INSTALL MAGICAL CRYSTALS THAT GIVE A VIEW OF THE OUTSIDE.
We titanfall now. Can someone shoop a chicken?

>>44686162
>>44686390
>>44686174
look guys, that's great and all, but Fetch has LEGS and WING STUMPS. No arms. Any giganto suit he wears is more of either a velociraptor or a chocobo.

So while the chicken is in the coop, Bri can ride the cock

>>44686433
that's the beauty of it. the little chicken feet control the joysticks.

>>44686433
>implying humans don't ride mechs in the shape of a chicken
So why can't an undead chicken ride a human zombiemech?

> Animate just his hands. You only need thumbs, right?

Put white gloves on them, too. Wallmaster with style.

A relevant question: Would they be able to float or do they have to scamper around?
Can't operate weapons and firearms in case of the latter, but could stealth-choke people out.
If it's the former we could go Dual-Wielding Gunslinger with them. The equipment is there.

>upgrade Kat

>>44686528
>>44686544
because a chicken is still better at riding a chickenmech? because the entire reason that we can't stuff Fetch into a human body is that chickens cannot into hooman, a problem that is only worsened when you add in a separate interface(joysticks)?

nobody ever said humans were GOOD at riding chickenmechs.

>>44682780
Yo Vox, some anon was asking about whoever did Basement Delve, are they still planning to run?

>>44686433
>MFW we're talking about building a Gun Sniper mech from Zoids for our zombie chicken

>>44682301
>> Upgrade Kat with the necromancer tomorrow
> Carefully.
> Next time we come upon something dead (or something that we need to *make* dead) that's not human, and would make a good minion, we make that undead.

Sure, we have allies, and we're getting better at stuff as we go—but our enemies ain't getting any *weaker*.

It's understandable not to want a *human* undead servant, but it would be foolish not to have one or two more strong minions in a fight.

>>44682301
Hm. Creating a skeleton or zombie from this guy is liable to make people think we're going full zombie armies. Upgrading cat is likely to actually put innocent people in danger (unless we can do as some anons have suggested and upgrade her with less viciousness), and so is the sort of thing that actually leads to zombie armies. Animating just his hands seems extra disrespectful, and creating a draug is probably the worst of all worlds. Bother.

> Bury the necromancer tomorrow
We will need more minions, and there's nothing really morally wrong with animating him, but we need to consider what other people are gonna think of us.

This might be the most we've disagreed on any vote yet.

>>44682301
>Upgrade Kat with the necromancer tomorrow

>>44682301
> Upgrade Kat with the necromancer tomorrow

> Bury the necromancer tomorrow

It really unsettles Nathan, and it brings up a good point. Sure, we're not in this for the good PR, but at the very least we want to avoid Zombie ends.

Kat's dangerous to upgrade, and I'd rather we advance our own skills a bit more before we try something like that.

I can't imagine just using the hands is very useful.

And we have a big thing her about what's right and what's needed. We don't need a new servant just yet, so let's focus on what's right and give the dead their due.

... Also if we do it right then there probably won't be an angry ghost after us for revenge.

Side note though, I've started Sierra's La Croix's adventures in the capital of the Harrowing Sands, Al Derzah. Should I just save my write-faggotry until the next Q&A thread, or should I just throw up what I got?

>Animate his hands. Give Fetch control of them

If we keep going like this we are going to have a hive mind of minions with Fetch in the center. We totally need that.

>>44686665
Let me see if I can get a hold of her. I know she'd been feeling less than pleased with how the initial run turned out but I dunno if she gonna stick with it or call it lessons learned or try something new.

>>44687534
If you're happy with it, fire away. I can always read it while waiting on votes or between doing other things or vhatevah.

Mornin' folks. Vote's still open for a bit while I handle Morning Things.

Morning things handled. Called, tallying, writing.

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>>44682301
You look at Nathan, thoughtfully, and rest your head against the pillow on the end of your cot.

"You've got a point," you say to the Hero. "But we /could/ use some more support. At the same time, we've been very successful with the kind of support we've had. Some necromancers raise armies. Me...I think something more intimate works out."

"What're you thinking?" Nathan asks, more curious than concerned.

"I'm thinking I'm gonna cut off his hands and animate those. He can still be useful in death that way, and the rest of him gets a respectful burial. They're not the strongest thing in the world, but they're subtle, quick, and shockingly clever."

"...Really?" Amy asks.

"Ever heard of someone having cunning hands?" you ask her.

"Oh. /Ohhhhh/."

Your eyes go back to Nathan. "You're right. I don't need an army or a soldier. I don't need to intimidate people. But I'm still a necromancer, and I've got a particular skill set to use."

Nathan mulls it over, and then nods. "I can appreciate that."

You reach your hand out and squeeze his, then Amy's. "Good night. See everyone tomorrow."

You close your eyes, throw the blanket over yourself, and try to go to sleep.

It's a little hard, without the cuddles, until Amy notices and sings a soft lullaby to help you drift off.

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>>44689142
Lora is waiting for you. Physically, she looks a bit better; her clothing has - mended itself? Regenerated? Been replaced? - and the bruises on her face have gone down significantly.

The angel gives you a long, tired look, and tries a weak smile. "Good job with that spell."

"Thanks," you say softly. Lora packs the bowl of your pipe and puts it between her teeth to light it; she puffs, gently, and sighs.

"Still got a ways to go?"

"Yeah," you agree, with regret. "My Hero lost his leg and he's gonna need some time to get used to a new one. I'm...wiped, Amy's gotta recover from her ribs being broken and then heal shock, and we need an idea of who we have on hand and what we're doing."

Lora fidgets, impatiently, and nods.

"Lora, am I on a time limit?" you ask, gently.

You light your own cigarette while Lora thinks it over. She looks...conflicted, and the silence between the two of you stretches out.

"...If you have to choose between doing this right, and doing this fast," Lora says at last, "do it right. I mean. Don't spend the next ten whole years at this. Some things can be repaired by others as you go along, or -"

"I get it," you agree, quietly.

> Lora, there's someone that wants to talk to you.
> Did you need to talk?
> Write-in.

>>44689273
>> Did you need to talk?

>>44689273

> Did you need to talk?

Springing Carol on her without warning is just asking for trouble.

>>44689273
> Did you need to talk?
There'll be plenty of nights to give Aunt Carol her day in court. Lora seems, understandably, more depressed than usual. We should at least offer.

>>44689273
> Lora, there's someone that wants to talk to you.
> Did you need to talk?
Let her know we promised our aunt carol a face to face chat, it was necessary to pull everything off, and make sure to ask if there's some way they can talk while we're awake. It seems like she needs to talk to someone, and we're here for our friends. But, we also still have a promise that has to be kept.

>>44689273
> Lora, there's someone that wants to talk to you.
> It can wait, but I want to make sure you know about it...partly so you can let *me* know when you *are* ready for it.

>> Lora, there's someone that wants to talk to you

Called, writing.

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>>44689273
You trickle smoke from your nostrils and sigh. "I haven't had the chance to get you smokes of your own yet. I'll work on that tomorrow while everyone's recovering."

"That's okay," Lora says softly. "...I appreciate you thinking of me."

"...Smiles is a new trick for you," you murmur, at length. "And it doesn't work on me. Do you need to talk?"

Lora's reflexive growl is almost reassuring, and she gives you a brief, flinty glare before blowing a small smoke ring.

"...Suppose I do," she says at last. "How exactly are you going to help?"

"Maybe I won't," you tell her honestly. "Probably I won't, honestly. But it can be nice, to get things off your chest. To have someone to just listen. It doesn't have to be anything complicated, Lora."

"...Heh." Lora props her elbows on her knees and hunches, staring down at the ground. "...He's going to make me kill your friends, heritor. The Baron. Unlike his compatriots, he isn't afraid to summon me as a first resort. He can't make me fight you, but he can make me fight them."

She takes in a long, shuddering breath. "...I'm probably going to enjoy it."

> ...Okay. Walk me through why?
> There's better ways to tell me that you don't approve of who I'm dating, Mother Dearest.
> That's a little fucking sick, Lora.

>>44690267
> There's better ways to tell me that you don't approve of who I'm dating, Mother Dearest.

>>44690267
> ...Okay. Walk me through why?

>>44690267
> There's better ways to tell me that you don't approve of who I'm dating, Mother Dearest.

>>44690267
> ...Okay. Walk me through why?

>>44690267
>> ...Okay. Walk me through why?

>>44690267
>...Okay. Walk me through why?

Votes called, writing.

>>44690267
>There's better ways to tell you don't approve of who I'm dating, Mother Dearest.
Is Lora..jealous? Maybe we should have to told her to munch on something when we first met her.

>There's better ways to tell you don't approve of who I'm dating, Mother Dearest.

this is a tie vox!

>>44691054
I think it's more that her natures means that she likes killing peopel, or at least sending them fully across the veil.

>>44691054
>>44691130
Afraid the vote has already been called, gentlemen. The update will be written here in a moment; I need to go get caffeine.

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>>44690267
You smoke silently for a moment, so you can gather your thoughts, and let the smoke out in a long sigh.

"Okay," you say at last. "You have my attention. Can you tell me why, if it's not too personal?"

"Not personal at all, actually," Lora says with surprising frankness; the fear in her tone has given way to a sort of gentle, instructional rhythm. "Just hard to explain to mortals sometimes."

"Try me," you offer, leaning back against the bench.

"What happens if all the crocs left the Blind Marsh?" Lora asks, gesturing with the pipe.

"Everything they prey on has a population explosion, followed by starvation," you say. "We've seen that with overhunting, before."

"Precisely. So the crocodile's purpose, in the context of the Blind Marsh, is to kill. Should it be unhappy in its purpose?"

"I think I'm getting what you're angling at," you muse. "But you're not a crocodile."

"True," Lora agrees, nodding, "but I was made for a purpose. That purpose is...fulfilling, in many ways, for me. Even when I disagreed with that purpose, executing it always brought me a certain amount of peace and satisfaction. And here, now, when I...you know my circumstances, heritor."

"I can understand needing some peace and satisfaction," you murmur. "And having some rage to express?"

"Yes," Lora says softly. "I don't particularly want to kill your friends, but..."

"Can you promise me that you'll do everything you can to /not/ kill them?" you ask. "In all honesty, and of your own free will?"

Lora is silent for a moment, looking intently thoughtful. Then she nods. "I can promise that."

"Then enjoy yourself, with no hard feelings. From me, anyway."

Lora looks relieved; her posture relaxes, and this time the smile you get is genuine.

> What do you say?

>>44691770
> "So...now that that's out of the way, I did promise I'd talk to you for someone..."

>>44691860
>So...now that that's out of the way, I did promise I'd talk to you for someone..."

this

>>44691770
>> "So...now that that's out of the way, I did promise I'd talk to you for someone..."

Time for Aunt Carol's matter.

>>44691860
> "So...now that that's out of the way, I did promise I'd talk to you for someone..."

Next up, aunt carol of the blind March la Croix

>>44691770
>>44691860
Aunt Carol wanted to see Lora herself, if I recall correctly. We could also mention to Lora that if she'd rather table that for when she's feeling more/less shitty, that's fine.

Also, mention we didn't promise Carol anything beyond the chance to talk to Lora, so if she doesn't like what Carol's asking for she can say no without worrying how it could affect us.

>>44691770
This just means we have to kill the Baron quickly, and quietly, before he can force Lora to do her job.
>"Soooo..now that that's out of the way, I /did/ promise someone an audience.."
Let Aunt Carol say her piece, and let Lora be the judge.

Called, writing. This seems fairly unanimous.

Does Lora's attitude/concern make sense?

>>44692363
Kinda, to me.
She's the Death angel of the death choir, isn't she

>>44692363
Well, she /is/ an Angel of Death. The Chain-Holder's have been fucking around with the rules of the Dungeon so much that it must be fantastic for Lora to /actually/ do her thing. Not that she likes being ordered to do, or wants to hurt Brianna by taking away the people she cares about.

It's..well, complicated. At least she's up front about it.

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>>44692363
There is a comic called Life and Death, where death is a guy who genuinely enjoys his job, yet is a mostly decent guy.

I can see Lora being into her job, without going full evil.

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>>44691770
"There's one more thing. I...you know the thing we do, where we call the ancestors?" you ask.

"Oh yes," Lora agrees. "There was quite the buzz across the Veil when that was first discovered. Wait..."

"Yeah, you're involved," you say with a sigh. "I promised my Aunt an audience with you. She wants a boon from you, but I wasn't about to just try to order you to give it to her. Giving her a shot to persuade you is one thing, but..."

Lora makes a face. "Unquiet ghosts are not generally my duty. They're within the tolerances of death. But..." Lora sighs. "We're running out of time. And I don't want to speak to her without you, because my masters could otherwise interfere with my judgement. Call her name, when next we meet, and I'll discuss with her. Just. Try not to make a habit of this?"

"I won't," you promise.

"Brianna?" Lora asks.

"Yeah?" you answer.

"...Nevermind," the angel murmurs; she smiles, a little crookedly, and throws you back your pipe and tobacco. "Don't forget the cigs next time."

"Lora, what were you -"

You are back on your cot. You groan in irritation and open your eyes. Amy and Nate are gone, though there's a note on Nate's cot, in arm's reach, that lets you know that they went to go get him a peg leg and that they'll be back. You can hear Lark moving around in the barn, and feel Fetch having a conversation somewhere.

> Animate the hands first.
> <Fetch?>
> Talk to Lark
> Breakfast. Coffee. Now.

>>44692958
>> Breakfast. Coffee. Now.

Let's be at our best before interacting or necromancing.

>>44692958
>> <Fetch?>

I wonder who is he speaking to?

>>44692958
> Breakfast. Coffee. Now.

> Breakfast. Coffee. Now.

Routines are an important part of your quality of life.

>>44692958
>Breakfast. Coffee. Now.

>>44692958
> Breakfast. Coffee. Now.

>>44692958
> Breakfast. Coffee. Now.
We have our *priorities*. First we work on being Human Bri, then we can equip Necromancer, Heritor, and Lover Bri.

> Breakfast. Coffee. Now.

>>44692958
Ugh, I hate having to leave for work in the middle of storytime. When we animate our skelehands, I would like to name them Puncho and Lefty. They can literally be Brianna's cloak clasps when not being used.
But we must have our priorities in order.
>Breakfast. Coffee. NOW.

I wonder what Lora's opinion on minions is? Would she be upset if we made an undead minion that was a direct reference to her?

Also, is there a limit to how many minions we can have, or is it only determined by how much life force we are willing to expend? Just considering the idea of a pack of bone wolves or pride of skeletal lions.

>>44692958
>> Breakfast. Coffee. Now.
Up and running first. And then I'd imagine would be a good time to do some necromancy.
>> Animate the hands first.
Nobody nearby to get disgusted with the process at the moment.

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>>44693707

>puncho and lefty
>not Thing and Amajig

Called, writing.

Run feels weird today. Not bad, precisely, so much as /off/. I wonder if it's just the surgery wearing off or what.

>>44693926
When was the last time you were off drugs?

>>44694053
It's...been...awhile?

>>44693830
>not Punch and Judy
>not Iron and Steel

>>44692958
>Breakfast. Coffee. Now.

>>44694084
/Vox/, no. Drugs are bad, they let you do things that are bad for your body. Even if it allows you to update at a delicious rate, it's still a bad habit.

Speaking of, how much longer 'till you can come off the painkillers? I'm just curious.

Seriously though, you'll make your skeleton cry. They need sleep too.

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>>44692958
"Lark?" you groan, tiredly.

"Yeah?" the elf replies.

"I'm gonna eat your food and make coffee in your kitchen."

"Knock yourself out."

And thus do you begin your morning ritual, admittedly down two breakfast partners but it's nice to know that Nathan and Amy are taking care of things on their end. From the state of freshly scrubbed pans and utensils, they made their own breakfast before they left.

You start yours up, scrape out your pipe bowl, and get some decent tobacco back into your life.

Gods, /yes/.

You take the time to write in your (somewhat neglected) diary, and to hound down some of your earlier notes on the Dungeon and update them with your current experiences. In the end you've drank your way through an entire pot of coffee (and two pipe bowls) and discovered that you probably are going to need a new diary soon. Maybe Brigette has some blank books?

There's a knock on the door, announcing Larry's arrival. The sorcerer is dressed in mining clothes, with a many-pocketed vest over his shirt, and looks the better for wear.

Lora's feather is tucked behind his ear.

"Am I imposing?" he asks, politely.

> Nah, but if you wanna talk I need to work too.
> Not at all, take a seat.
> Kinda, yeah.

And

> Bring up the feather
> Ignore it

>>44693707
I'm with you on the bone wolves, if we can find some. Maybe it can be a steed for fetch?

>>44694581
I'll be off 'em soon. Now that the teeth have been extracted I don't need them much longer and am stepping down to what's essentially just perscription-grade Alieve. Right now though I still have the fun ones, along with antibiotics 'cause it'd suck to, you know, get a mouth infection and fucking die.

>>44694669
> Nah, but if you wanna talk I need to work too.
> Bring up the feather

>>44694669
>> Nah, but if you wanna talk I need to work too.

>>44694669

> Not at all, take a seat
> Bring up the feather

> Not at all, take a seat.
> Ignore it for now. It'll probably come up during conversation.

He's likely to mention it anyway during whatever they're gonna talk about.

>>44694353
Yay! Girl Henius references!

Don't think I missed the necromancer's hat, based Vox

>>44695052
That feel when the Girl Genius characters were named after something /else/ ("Punch and Judy" shows were a thing in the time period).

Vote's tied, gonna leave it open while I make some of that sweet, sweet double coffee.

Thank you, dear readers, for telling me the secret of this unholy power.

>>44695212
>>44694669

>Not at all, take a seat

>Bring up the feather

I just broke your tie.

>>44694669
> Not at all, take a seat.
> Ignore it

>>44694669
> Not at all, take a seat.
> Bring up the feather
I'll vote anyway, because fuck the police.

>>44694669
>> Nah, but if you wanna talk I need to work too.
And
>> Bring up the feather

>>44695052
>>44695112
Uh, I'm with Vox here. I was referancing a traditional English children entertainment and a Tennassee Ford song.

Also I just finished bottling about 3 galllons of mead, and spilled a quart all over the back of my throat.

So, I may not be as clever as I think Iam.

>>44694669
>> Not at all, take a seat.
>> Bring up the feather but not instantly

>>44694669
>Not at all, take a seat.
>bring up the feather

Called, tallying, writing.

>>44695327
My god. I'll confess to having not yet encountered mead that I like; evidently all the mead I've had has been shit, as it's tasted like someone poured boiling honey over rotten dreams and left it to curdle.

>>44695620

I'm a big fan of Viking Blod, but I'm not versed in mead at all, so no idea if it's actually a 'good' mead. It is strong and sweet, but it's got a nice undercurrent of spice and a warming alcohol finish.

>>44695620
Replace 'rotten dreams' with 'blueberries and cinnamon' and you would be correct in this case.

>>44695620
My friends made mead once. They spent months talking about how they couldn't wait to crack it open, one of them stashed it at his parents' house while he was out of town to make sure no one would drink it while was gone.

Absolute shit. Tasted like rubbing alcohol. But *man* did it get you wasted.

Oh, I wanted to mention something that came to mind and I found interesting.
A while ago, after Amy gave Bri her chess set, someone that I can not remember the name of mentioned it was because she was trying to talk in Bri's own 'language'. This made me think about what Bri reacts to, and I realized that the only time she's had a good, cathartic cry (or any crying, until recently) was when Amy and Nate were holding onto her.
I think that says a lot about how she handles her emotions.

>>44695868
Sounds like the yeast ate all the sugar. That makes it EXREAMLY dry, but very alcoholic.

That's why you add flavors. I use orange peel and champagne yeast, it come out like mimosas.

>>44695937
River mentioned that, when we went to play chess with her in the interlude after the Lichyard.

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>>44694669
"Not at all," you tell him with a bit of a grin. "Sounds like this'll need more coffee though. Take a seat?"

Larry scoots out the chair on the other side of the table while you get up and prepare more coffee. "Why do I get the feeling that you just wanted more coffee?"

"Coffee is the only thing that keeps me back from a rampage that would snuff out all life," you say cheerfully. "You seem like you're feeling a bit better. I'm gonna guess the feather had something to do with it."

The sorcerer nods. "Amy thought it might have some power left in it and wanted to do me some good. She was right, but now it's just a feather - nothing special."

You shrug. "Still. Honestly, it was probably a good idea. Having you in fighting trim will be...handy."

"Are you always this practical?" Larry asks with an arched eyebrow.

You laugh. "Usually, yeah. You?"

"Diving Shadow was always the practical one," Larry admits. "I'm an artist at heart, my day job aside. Glass, usually. I have a workshop near my place of employment, if the Baron hasn't knocked it over, where I blow glass and sculpt when the urge strikes me."

"You're where Amy gets it," you muse, thoughtfully.

"Probably," he agrees. "Though she never set foot anywhere near the glass works. Fire, feathers...poor combination."

You wince and check the coffee - the pot was still hot when you started - before pouring Larry a cup and refilling your own. You take the lid off of the sugar bowl and proceed to make your coffee a hazard to your health before taking a satisfied sip. Larry, it seems, takes his black.

"So what brings you to my attempted morning relaxation?" you ask, cheekily.

"I never got the chance to thank you for freeing me from that prison," Larry says honestly. "I had become convinced that I was going to die in there."

"Don't sweat it," you tell him. "Anyone would have done it. And, y'know. You're kinda my lover's dad."

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>>44696474
"I am admittedly still somewhat confused as to the precise circumstances of that," Larry admits. "Not that you or Amy needs my approval, I'm just...a bit out of sorts." He sighs, heavily. "...It seems like I missed a lot, asking my daughter to leave."

"She says you and her had a hell of a fight about it," you mention.

"Aye," he murmurs. "I'm not sure how I feel about that any more."

> "Don't even start. You did the right thing."
> "She was an adult when she left, Larry. It's not on you."
> "Doesn't matter now. Besides, does she seem unhappy?"

>>44696601
>"Doesn't matter now. Besides, does she seem unhappy?"

>>44696601

> She was an adult when she left, Larry. It's not on you.

>>44696601
> "Doesn't matter now. Besides, does she seem unhappy?"