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>>48991167
You are Sir Fetch the Nightfeather, and you will /not/ lose another one of your brothers today.

You let out a shrill cry and fling your remaining quills at your foe, aiming for his face. He jerks his arms in the path of your assault. Many of your bony projectiles break against his bracers, but not all of them; you can hear his growl of rage as the Master of Lizards staggers back and Vim scrambles away from his deadly boots.

Off at the officer's houses, you hear a loud cry - "The Major is dead! We're under attack!"

Two of the pens are thrown open - you hear Whisper yelling "Run free, majestic predators!" - and the twenty lizards contained therein immediately pour out into the mass of soldiers trying to gather together, scattering them and sending out cries of pain and fury.

"Yield to me, sir," you demand, imperiously.

"I'm going to hang whatever necromancer spawned you by their fucking nipples," the Master growls.

That other coil at his belt is a bullwhip. He draws it and lets the sinuous leather drag against the ground.

> You've done enough; quit the field (You are Brianna la Croix)
> Vim /can/ still come through for you. Hold your ground!
> Charge! He'll never expect it!

God damn that took longer than I thought but now I am here and the only thing that might delay me is taking a damn nap at some point.

>>48991341
>> Vim /can/ still come through for you. Hold your ground!

>>48991341
>> Vim /can/ still come through for you. Hold your ground!

>>48991341
>> You've done enough; quit the field (You are Brianna la Croix)
We are going loud!

>>48991167
Based save from the Vox master.

>>48991341
>Charge! He'll never expect it!
as much as I want Vim to get back up, we can run assault distraction for Vim to finish him off. JUMP ON THE BACK OF A LIZZARD AND RIDE IT TO VICTORY! Or all over the dude, that works too. Also how many quills has this fucker taken? He should be well past dead by now with the amount of toxin in him, unless lizard bites are just as toxic and he built up a resistance from them.

>>48991341
> Vim /can/ still come through for you. Hold your ground!

Dudes poisoned, we just gotta draw it out so the poison can weaken him.

>>48991760
Ya gotta greenest your votes brother.

> Like this.

>>48991947
I forgot it honestly, I know the rule

>>48991167
>> Charge! He'll never expect it!

>>48991341
> Vim /can/ still come through for you. Hold your ground!

>>48992225
>>48991933
>>48991431
>>48991435
The guy has a bullwhip, we need to get close so he doesn't fuck us up with it, we've seen what he can do with a lasso.

>>48992274
I think it's closer to "distract" and "stand still"

>>48992793
>and
than "stand still", rather

>>48991341
>>> Charge! He'll never expect it!

Our blood is boiling, to battle!

>>48991341
> Charge! He'll never expect it!

>>48992274

You make a good point. Changing

>>48991933

To charge.

>>48991341
> Charge! He'll never expect it!

That was a hell of a nap. Will call and write Shortly(tm), gonna get some water or juice or something.

Called, writing. Narrow victory for Charge

>>48994110
No double-coffee? WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU MAN?!

>>48996805
My god.

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>>48991341
You could back down from the fight, but you saw what this man did to your brother with a lasso. Retreat is not an option, not for your survival or for your honor. Nor do you want to face that whip at a distance.

With only one real choice, you rush the Master of Lizards with a mighty cry: "Face your death, villain!"

"Idiot," the man drawls, before snapping the whip out.

But he's slower than he was expecting. Your venom is doing its grim work, and you dodge the lashing tip of the whip.

"You little shitstain," the Magister snarls.

"SIR SHITSTAIN!" you correct, and then you are upon him.

Your talons rake his leg, only for you to get thrown off by his kick. You roll aside, away from the lashing tip of his whip, as chaos breaks loose all around you. Lizards, maddened for blood, rampage through the ranks of their supposed masters. Above the din of battle, a spectral screech sounds, high-pitched and full of inhuman hate.

"I...am taking..you with me," the Magister manages. Somehow, impossibly, he is still standing. He drops the whip - his arm will not hold it further - and lunges for you with his gladius.

He never makes it. Icy claws plunge through his chest, and Kat /pulls/, opening his ribs and sending chunks of frozen blood spilling to the earth.

The shadow shrieks in unholy triumph.

* * * *

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>>48998611
You are Brianna la Croix and FUCKING GODS KAT IS MAKING NOISE SHE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.

You fucked up somewhere down the line and hit the tipping point where she started getting smarter. Maybe it was the elemental ice that did it. Either way, she's tearing her way through every soldier she can catch, rending limbs from bodies and littering the ground with shards of frozen blood.

Between the rampaging lizards, no one here being prepared to fight a demon, and the combination of Kat, Whisper, and the boar, the soldiers are starting to rout.

> No survivors
> Let them run

>>48998633
>KILL THEM ALL AND BURN THEIR ASHES
THESE MEN DESERVE NO QUARTER, SAVE FOR THE SIZE OF THE CHUNKS WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE THEM IN

>>48998633
>No survivors.
This is grim shit, but there's no helping it. We can't let anyone tip off the Lush that /we/ are here. If we do this right, it'll look like those rebels with the scarecrows were responsible.

As for Kat? We haven't seen anything from her indicating aggression or malice towards us or any of our allies. Hell, the bit with Nate's shadow made me think she was /happy/. Me thinks that she's got a berserk button, and the Magister hit it. We just have to wait for her to calm down.

>>48998633
> No survivors

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>>48998688
Christ, anon, who hurt you?

>>48998633
>No survivors
They don't deserve to die, but the alternative is OUR men die, and we can't countenance that. What dreadful business..

I'm passing out in my chair. Thankfully I have nowhere to go tomorrow and nothing to do. Votes remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>48998633
> No survivors

Should have just burned the place down.

Anyways, if Kat is getting that sentient anyways we might as well double down and make her smart enough to have some self control so she can go berserk at appropriate times.

>>48998695
I think Kat is just, you know, animal/toddler smart. They're capable of flipping between lovable and psycho because they don't have any emotional brakes yet.

>>48998940
Very true. We probably should have started training her weeks ago (In literal time, not quest time; should have started after we killed the Baron).

What were her upgrades again? I think it was just the Witchlight Core and the Ice Claws. We shouldn't be surprised, considering the kind of emotion that went into her creation. Lust, Anger, Shame and Fear.

>>48999125
Lust and Shame are great for modifying negative actions.

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>>48998633
>No survivors.

>>48998924
No Fire. Fire is bad. Fire is not the friend of war, it is the enemy of all.

>>48998940
So we need to set aside time to train and teach Kat to make her not a danger to us and our allies, maybe Nate's shadow can help.

Bump.

>>48998633
> Let them run

didn't we go out of our way as fetch to avoid killing people?

>>49002863
Not really. Fetch prefers honorable duels, but this is the time for destroying evil where it nests.

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Vox, what happens if we have to put Kat down?

It would make me sad, but Brianna knows what happens. so we should too.

>>48998611
Okay...Fetch, DONT TAKE ON THE INSULT THE CRETIN GIVES YOU SERIOUSLY!

>>48998633
>Let them run
More people know Lush is fucked the better.

>>48998633
>> No survivors
It might allow us to keep secret the fact that we're here.

>>49002939
Brianna would be without a shadow for awhile; during this time she'd be weakened, distracted, and fairly listless.

>>49003149
>>49003059
>>49002577
We should remember that the Lush has a necromancer of his own, and if he gets the thought in his head that we're here, or learns from field reports, he can track us down regardless of any divination protection.

As distasteful as this may be, it's a necessary evil. If we feel incredibly guilty about this later, Brianna can always talk to their ghosts and ask forgiveness.

>>49003223
Ouch. Yeah, let's try and calm the upset shadow/toddler.

Hey, is it possible that by Brianna being stressed, Kat can become stressed too? I mean in the 'Brianna wants so badly to cry and get angry right now but can't' way, so Kay picks up on this and has no way of dealing with these emotions. Seems possible, in a sympathetic/empathetic shadow-connection sort of way.

>>49003287
Actually, Kat has done this many times before, usually when we can't cry, she will seek Nate's shadow and hug and cry, and the like.

I think, right now, she's just being am murder monster because that's what we have made her to be somewhat. The elemental ice seems to have done it - the Witchlight was just fine. Though, it's also important to remember the icy lace she leaves for nate's shadow.

She's just being what we need her to be at this moment - let's not panic yet.

YET.

>>49003469
Education time soon fellow skelly cocks!

>>49003469
Plus consider that Bri's still repressing a lot of rage and sorrow from the Jaw, and /experiencing/ a lot of it from recent events - to say nothing of her feelings on the Lush.

>>49003469
Wait I just thought of this....can we upgrade Nate's shadow to cuddle fuck Kat into submission just in case?

>>49003648
I don't think His shadow needs any upgrades, he seems to be doing a fine job with Kat already.

>>49003648
This keeps getting asked and the answer is the same: you'd need to teach the boy necromancy. How badly do you think he wants to know necromancy?

>>49004154
Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that part. My bad.

>>49004154
Meh, he'll probably learn some by being Mr. La Croix. But that's still a ways off.

Called, tallying, writing.

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>>48998633
<Kill the runners> you order Fetch. <Make sure River, Nate, and Amy know.>

<As you command> Fetch agrees.

It's bloody, awful business, but it's over in minutes. You wince as you see Kat catch the last runner by the ankles. His desperate clawing to get away drags long furrows in the grass and soil before she silences his struggling with claws through his heart.

More than eighty men and women are dead.

Your boar and, for that matter, your companions are slathered in blood and gore. Whisper and Kat put down the loose lizards, and you herded the remaining soldiers into one of the vacated pens, stripped of their weapons and armor and manacled together in pairs.

The dead lizards are in one pile, and the dead soldiers in another. You haven't had time yet to try and strip them of anything, and you're not sure if you want to.

"What /are/ you?" a terrified man asks, near the fence.

You light a cigarette and take a long drag. Kat growls at your feet, glaring hatefully at the man; he and his new shackle buddy scramble back.

"We only have one wagon," River points out, in a small voice.

"Thankfully, I have a knife and some free time," Eric offers, viciously.

River gives you a pleading look.

> These men are your prisoners, and you're /about/ to have a shitload of undead lizards. March them to New Hell after reanimating the lizards.
> Take Eric up on his offer. You don't have time for this.
> Chain them up inside the buildings and leave Tina to mind them. You can deal with them later.

AND

> Animate the dead soldiers along with the lizards
> Only animate the lizards

>>49005321
>> These men are your prisoners, and you're /about/ to have a shitload of undead lizards. March them to New Hell after reanimating the lizards.
>> Only animate the lizards
None of these guys and gals had the mark right?

>>49005428
Well, none of the survivors anyway. A few of the corpses, including the Magister, did.

>>49005321
> Chain them up inside the buildings and leave Tina to mind them. You can deal with them later.
> Only animate the lizards

>>49005321
>> These men are your prisoners, and you're /about/ to have a shitload of undead lizards. March them to New Hell after reanimating the lizards.
> Animate the dead soldiers along with the lizards
We're going to need every edge we can get.

By the way Vox, after we've finished with our zombie army, can we 'de-animate' them or somesuch, maybe regaining a portion of the energy invested in their creation? Or will we have to run them off a cliff or something?

>>49005476
There's limited recycling capability. Making all these zombies at once is a bit of a bitch, but the traditional thing you do is enlist the aid of another necromancer if you can (you have one), sacrifice living beings if you have them on hand (you do: the remaining lizards) and then make /very shitty/ zombies. Sheer numbers mean a lot, especially considering that even shitty zombies take an awful lot of killing. When you're done with them you can bottle the death energies involved, though that's more a case of recycling glass than it is of getting back the sand you used to make it.

>>49005445
Well fuck that guy.

>>49005535
Cool, I was afraid we'd be using up like 30 years of life or something, get one good use of of them, them toss them away.
Related, does using a sacrifice or having another necromancer reduce the total cost, or just make the casting easier?

>>49005629
The sacrifices let you use the life released in place of your own. Having River help makes the casting easier and lets you two balance the load.

>>49005321
> These men are your prisoners, and you're /about/ to have a shitload of undead lizards. March them to New Hell after reanimating the lizards.
And
> Only animate the lizards
Once they past the threshold any that weren't fed for doing their job the way Lush wants should, in theory, drop like flies. We can leave with the New Hell citizens until we get back.

Going to get some breakfast, will call and write when I have eaten.

>>49005476
Oh no. No. Stop right there. We are NOT, going zombie army.

>>49005974
Remember anon, they are /healthy/ as long as they /do not/ eat. While they still experience hunger, thirst, etc, they're sustained not in spite of starvation but /by/ starvation. Those that cross the threshold won't die of not eating, though they'll likely be hungry as shit.

>>49005321
>These men are your prisoners, and you're /about/ to have a shitload of undead lizards. March them to New Hell after reanimating the lizards.

>Only animate the lizards

>>49005476
We're not the Waerloch.

They killed everyone and then some. We're not going that route, period.

>>49005996
Does this mean that "Lay down your arms and go to New Hell, we'll feed you if you do so you don't have to be hungry any more" might be a good sales pitch?

>>49006853
Could very well be. Mind you, they already surrendered or got captured so they have 'lay down your arms' pretty much handled.

>>49005321
>> These men are your prisoners, and you're /about/ to have a shitload of undead lizards. March them to New Hell after reanimating the lizards.
> Animate the dead soldiers along with the lizards

Taking care of chores, then will call and write.

>>49005321
> These men are your prisoners, and you're /about/ to have a shitload of undead lizards. March them to New Hell after reanimating the lizards.

>>49005321
> Chain them up inside the buildings and leave Tina to mind them. You can deal with them later.
AND
> Animate the dead soldiers along with the lizards
Raising these dead may very well save some lives in the coming battle.

Called, tallying, writing.

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>>49005321
You blow smoke out of your nose and give Eric a long look. "We aren't killing these men."

"And what /are/ you going to do?" the teamster asks, derisively.

You can almost hear the faint 'crack' of your patience snapping.

"What am I going to do?" you ask. "I'm going to question them, and then I'm going to drag all the lizards into one spot, kill the living ones, /animate them all as zombies/, and CACKLE MADLY, AT THE TOP OF MY FUCKING LUNGS, BECAUSE THAT IS HOW IT IS DONE!"

You are keenly aware of the /absolute silence/ that you now command from everyone around you.

"And after I'm done going mad with power, we're going to stick these men atop said zombies and turn them over to New Hell for safe keeping," you finish. "I am not a monster."

"They deserve it," Eric spits.

"If you wanna ride this horse I can put you in the zombie pile," you warn. "I'm not going to become the people I'm fighting. If you'd like to, the door out is that way. You think about that for awhile. River?"

"Yes?" your sister asks, snapping to attention.

"Ask Robert for advice on raising this zombie army we're about to raise, since he's the one with experience. Amy, Eric, Nate, Tina, if you'd be kind enough to go through the officers' quarters for intelligence and then stack the bodies inside. We'll get some oil around. Tina, I'd like you to put a fire in on a delay and make sure it won't spread."

"Why?" the demon asks, blinking.

"...Are funeral pyres not a thing you've heard of?" you ask her slowly.

"Oh. Oh! I figured you'd just leave them to rot - why are you both glaring at me?"

You and River sigh and shake your heads. You turn your attention to your prisoners.

"Where do the harpies nest?" you demand.

"Quickling Grove," one man blurts, earning him an irritated headbutt from the man chained to him.

"Good man," you praise sarcastically. "Now..."

> What were you preparing for?
> Where is Riley the General?
> How many men does the Lush command?

>>49010446
> What were you preparing for?
Can we ask more than one thing?

>>49010631
Not this vote.

>>49010446
>> How many men does the Lush command
> What were you preparing for?

>>49010646
Anon pls. Pls.

>>49010644
>>49010646
Oh, oops. Only
> How many men does the Lush command?
Then. I didn't have auto-update on.

>>49010631
The Lush knows we are coming for him, its pretty much a waste to ask unless the papers Fetch found had something different.

>>49010446
>What were you preparing for?

I imagine the answer is in the paperwork Vigor delivered, but this way is faster.

>>49010446
>> What were you preparing for?

>>49010735
I figured that no matter what, we know we're horribly outnumbered, and asking how outnumbered won't change that.

>>49010644
Now that I think about it though, could we ask where the troops are? That would be incredibly useful.

>>49010446
>> What were you preparing for?

Probably us, but there's also the Resistance faction to worry about. Keeping their shit from getting pushed in is also a pretty high priority.

Gonna call and write in about thirty; I'm finishing some Professional Writing.

Called, writing.

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>>49010446
"What were you preparing for here?" you demand, to the group in general.

Silence.

"I know what you're thinking," you tell them. "You're thinking that the Lush will do horrible things to you if you talk and he catches you. But /I/ am /right here/, and my shadow, for some reason, fucking hates you. Probably relating to the bits where you tried to kill me."

Kat snarls, and the grass upon which she rests frosts over.

"She will /definitely/ do horrible things to you if you don't talk," you conclude.

"The Broken Jaw!" one man yelps in terror. "We were to retreat across the Broken Jaw and smash the geargrinder army you're building!"

"GOD DAMN IT BILLY," a female sergeant roars.

"That's an interesting thing to be preparing for," you note mildly. "It'd explain all the winter gear I found for the lizards too. Everyone else preparing for that?"

"Yes," Billy moans in fear, trying to scoot away from the sergeant. "Don't kill me! Don't do unnatural things to my corpse! We were going to reinforce the Sunless Sea after!"

A sound catches your attention from behind - the twang of a crossbow, followed by a screech of pain.

"Bri," Nate calls. "I just shot a harpy."

"I told him to," Amy confesses.

"You probably made the right choice," you say with a sigh. You look over at River; she's starting to prepare the ritual circle around the other empty pen, and fairly soon you're going to need to arrange things with the lizards.

> "Make sure the harpy's finished off."
> "Bring the harpy to me."
> "We'll deal with this later. Wrangle the lizards."

>>49016065
>"Bring the harpy to me."

>>49016065
How long does a harpy's song take to take effect? As in, if we hold a harpy at crossbow point, and it starts singing, can we shoot it before we go all happy like?

>>49016065
>Bring the harpy to me.

>>49016102
Yes, but considering that Amy, Fetch, and both shadows are entirely immune you may not have to care.

>>49016065
>>49016128
Cool. In that case
>> "Bring the harpy to me."

>>49016065
>"Bring the harpy to me."

>>49016065
> "Bring the harpy to me."

>>49016065
> "Bring the harpy to me."
Make sure to do it in your best sexy villainess voice.

>>49016128
Raising a skeleton army should also be good for negotiations with harpies since of the things they respect a lot is pure power.

Called, writing.

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>>49016065
You make your decision. "Bring the harpy to me," you tell Nathan. "Take Tina with you. I need Amy here to help me wrangle these lizards."

Nathan nods and goes, as fast as he can.

You have a ritual to help prepare.

You can hear the soldiers praying in terror while you help your sister with her preparations. Silver and onyx are placed around the circle, every six feet or so, with each small bundle encased within its own veve.

The principles are simple. The sheer /scale/ is not. Say what you like about necromancers that raised armies of the dead, it takes a lot of skill to do it in the first place, and even more not to drop dead on the spot.

At your feet, Kat watches you curiously.

"We're ready," you tell River. "Nervous?"

"This is my first real reanimation," your sister admits. "And it's us going full zombie army."

"Well, not /full/ zombie army," you correct, with a shrug and a grin. "We're not keeping them, for one. And I'll be blown if I ever do this again, this is gonna suck."

"In what sense?" River asks dubiously.

"In the sense that we just fought a giant battle and this is going to be exhausting as fuck," you warn her. "Amy, the first lizard."

You and River begin the mass reanimation, incanting not in unison but in a call-and-answer that floats across the camp. Eric and Amy wrangle the living lizards into the pile of corpses one at a time, slitting their throats and adding their life force - and bodies - to the rite. You can feel the fatigue set in as your body offers up what the sacrifices can't, but between River and the lives thrown onto the pile, you're confident in the work.

The first stirrings of animacy start halfway through the incantations, with the silver and onyx fraying away into ashes all around the circle and the soldiers pushing themselves as far away from your work as their chains will allow.

>>49017712
At least there's a bunch of recent death to help us reanimate all these lizards.

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>>49017712
One by one, the dead beasts pick themselves up as zombies, drained of blood and brittle of skin, but strong, focused, and hateful. Fetch snaps orders, making them step away from the pile so that the others can awaken without damaging your new minions.

In all, you end up with forty-seven undead lizards, including the one you animated before. The forty-six new ones sit at attention, facing you and awaiting further orders, their dead eyes shining with the dull aggression that zombies always display.

All this, at your command. Pride and shame mix in your breast and bubble up as a harsh, bitter laugh. And suddenly it all seems so fucking hilarious. The thing you're supposed to never do, literally the thing for which going mad with power is named in your family, sits before you awaiting /your/ orders.

You laugh bitterly, and it rises into a loud, echoing cackle. You have to lean on your cane to stay standing while you laugh at the sick joke of it all.

Amy puts a hand on your back, a worried expression on her face. "Bri, you okay?" she asks, softly.

"No," you whisper. "No I'm not."

* * * *

You are Natalia, called the Traitor. It is cold in Cannot Hold, even considering the forge-fire you brought with you to warm the place, sealed in a glass lantern to keep it hot and eager. The Librarian's word, it seems, is good. You have a weatherproofed crate containing the promised evidence for Brianna, and arrayed all around you on the hill leading up to the Hold are six hundred geargrinders, sheltered from the weather in wooden boxes not unlike coffins.

You are, for the moment, alone. You've sent Hatchet to the Roost, to get to a bell and report this development.

At first, when you hear his voice, you think you're hallucinating.

"Natalia," Richard purrs from behind you. "We haven't spoken in quite some time."

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>>49017788
You turn and lunge, Viceroy appearing in your hand to attend upon you, but Richard's features and body are made all of freezing fog, and he offers you a smile instead of the protracted death you had been expecting.

"They really did rob you of your Sight, didn't they?" the Master murmurs sadly. "You are not yourself."

"What do you /want/?" you ask, bitterly. Your voice shakes, the traitorous thing, and you edge towards the lantern of forge-fire so you can pretend, at least to yourself, that it's from the cold.

"Nothing much. I won't ask you to join me against your son, Natalia. What I want from you is something I believe you are inclined to do /anyway/." Richard pauses, then gestures outside. "Destroy the geargrinders."

"No," you say, automatically.

"Hear me out," Richard asks, courteously. "The Librarian is trying to have it all his way. If he wins, he wins, and gets what he wanted for winning. If he loses, his children arise and carry on his legacy. He believes he can court both sides, perhaps even strike a deal to survive the angel. But why should he? Why should such faithlessness be rewarded?"

"He kept his word," you mutter. You call for Majordomo, and the main gauche appears in your other hand, its weight firm and reassuring. "I -"

"Am the Traitor," Richard finishes. "You have seen too many battlefields to think anything of honor for its own sake, Natalia. Why should he get everything he's ever wanted when you get nothing?"

"I got my son back," you snap.

"At what cost? Look at you, trembling before a few wisps of fog." The Master's tone is understanding. Sympathetic. "Imagine how many more you could have saved if you'd had your Sight. Surely Nathaniel's point is proven by now, is it not? Surely now you could be trusted with the power."

"Irrelevant," you growl. "The Sight is gone."

"Destroy the geargrinders for me, and I will restore it to you," Richard says, in absolute earnest.

>>49017832
Saw this coming.

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>>49017832
You take a step back, staring at him in disbelief. "You can't. She wouldn't."

"I can. She will. She /must/." Richard looks at the table, where you have left drawings, sketches - paintings, in come cases - done in your free time. "You were always exceptional, Natalia," the Master says softly. "Always driven, willful, cunning. Do you think losing your Sight has robbed you of your destiny? It has only blinded you to it. Stolen your chance to avoid or embrace it. How can you fight a future you cannot see?"

"/Shut up/!" you scream, dropping your swords to cover your ears with your hands.

It's not possible. It can't be possible.

Gentle, misty fingers lower your wrist, and you look into Richard's pitying eyes.

"This is no way to live your life, Natalia," the Master tells you softly. "Take the offer. Your son's lover has the evidence she requires. You will have your Sight back to aid them. And the Librarian will learn that he cannot play both sides against the middle. I need an answer, Natalia."

> Take the offer
> Refuse

>>49017848
Did you now? Can you tell me how you figured it out?

>>49017858
> Refuse

Aight, I gotta pass out. Votes remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>49017865
Natalia, alone, in an isolated place? How could Richard resist?

I have a talent for reaching plot conclusions with absolutely minimal data. Sadly, doesn't work for mysteries, only intelligence and strategy.

>>49017858
>Refuse
Be the woman your son respects, if not the mother he loves.

>>49017858
> Refuse

After all the shit he's pulled, after all the shit he's currently pulling, after all the shit he will no doubt pull in the future, he's asking us to trust him?

Fuck that noise with a rusty pizza cutter.

>>49017858
>Refuse
>If it is one thing that we have learned, it would be that you can't nor would want to fight the future, you have to fight /for/ it.
>Not to mention that Dick is why Natalia eventually ended up like this in the first place.

>>49017858
> Refuse
Like there is any other choice

>>49017858
WAIT, REALLY? From the character standpoint, this makes complete sense. But after all that we went through to /save/ Natalia, we're definitely not going to spin around and break her again. This isn't even a choice, man.

Richard is a stinky cunt with an ego the size of the Death Star, and no amount of honeyed words sliding off a silver tongue will ever change the fact that he is full of piss, shit and bad ideas.
>Refuse.
ALSO
>"Y'know, I think I understand why your husband left you for an Incubus. You live up to your name and more."

>>49018052
It's more about why she's refusing than an actual choice, I have the feeling.

XS does this stuff too.

>>49017788
> All this, at your command. Pride and shame mix in your breast and bubble up as a harsh, bitter laugh. And suddenly it all seems so fucking hilarious. The thing you're supposed to never do, literally the thing for which going mad with power is named in your family, sits before you awaiting /your/ orders.
> You laugh bitterly, and it rises into a loud, echoing cackle. You have to lean on your cane to stay standing while you laugh at the sick joke of it all.
> Amy puts a hand on your back, a worried expression on her face. "Bri, you okay?" she asks, softly.
> "No," you whisper. "No I'm not."

This. This right here. This is going to rank among my favorite moments in DLQ.

>>49017858
> Refuse

Get fucked bro. Your deals always end up being what's best for you, and always seem to cost innocents the most.

>>49017858
No matter what we do, Dick is going to do something nasty as a follow up. I think we can all agree on this.

>>49017858
>> Take the offer

COME ON GUYS LET'S MAKE THIS STORY A FUN AND EXCITING ONE

>>49019011
....I'm not sure if you're worse than Vaelys or not.

>>49019021
Save your judgement for later in case my vote wins

>>49017858
> Refuse

>>49017858
>> Refuse
It doesn't take a seer to know we've been down this road before. We do what Richard wants, and in exchange, he gives us what we want. Except... how's that worked out for us so far? How's that working out for the others? Not well. The future may be uncertain, but there's no way helping him ends well.

>>49018105
I'm flattered. That was nice to wake up to.

I'll call and write after chores, coffee.

>>49018052
I had the same thought. There's a certain... lack of tension(?) when the players are involved in every major character decision. Especially when the players have been guiding her along the long, slow path to redemption.

>>49017858
> Refuse
There are plenty of reasons to. We've already covered the obvious ones of Dick being a dick and Nate's disappointment in us. You could probably go along a dark er route as well - Natalia has been going through a great deal of self-loathing and hatred due to her perceived destiny, and having the Sight restored would inflict it on her again. Even if losing the Sight was like losing one or two of her senses, Richard pushing a return to that pain could have the opposite effect if she snaps and have her lash out at him instead of the geargrinders.

I'd still try this gambit if I were in his shoes. He loses nothing by this, I'm sure, and stands to gain by driving another wedge between members in our group. It doesn't take a Seer to see that.

Called, writing shortly.

>>49017858
>Refuse
Fuck him.

>>49019011
>>49019035
Ha ha, you lost

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>>49017858
You shake your head, first fearfully, and then firmly. "No," you tell Richard. "I refuse. My son lives his life without foreknowledge. Many people live their lives without it. I don't need the Sight. I don't need to become that person again."

"Do you not trust yourself with the power?" Richard asks, circling to your left with a curious expression in his misty eyes.

"Irrelevant," you repeat. "If.../if/...I want my Sight back, that is between me, the angel, and my own courage or idiocy. Nathan, my /son/, seems to think there's still a heroine in here somewhere. Still someone to love and respect, and I want to find her again. I want to be the woman he thinks I am, and I can't do that if I betray his trust."

"A shame," Richard sighs. "Expect my reply shortly."

The mist disperses, leaving you alone in Cannot Hold.

He will be coming. You cannot possibly defend these geargrinders alone. What can you -

Your eyes flick to your drawings and paintings, on parchment, on paper, in thick books purchased from the Mine, in black-and-white and blazing colors, and you get an idea. You take up the crowbar provided by the Librarian and start folding up the colored blueprints you had left over from creating Forge Regicide, all rainbow glass and graceful arches. When they are small enough to fit, you run to the closest casket, lever it open, and gingerly open up the geargrinder inside.

Carefully, you tuck the blueprint into the container for its heart and seal the machine, closing and latching its chest cavity.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick...

"Mother?" its mechanical voice asks; it sounds vaguely feminine.

"We are in danger," you warn her. "Help me wake the others."

* * * *

You are Brianna la Croix. That harpy is still alive, but you don't have time to question her right now. It is time to fucking /go/.

>>49022755
Oh shit...this is going to be AWESOME!

>>49022755
I was wondering if we were gonna get a geargrinder army out of this deal. Looks like I have my answer.

>>49022755
>Dick wants to prevent Geargrinder army
>Only succeeds in helping it be created

There is some delicious irony going on here.

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>>49022755
You mount your boar and put Fetch on in front of you, with Vim and Vigor in your pack. Your compatriots run herd around the edges of the pack of zombie lizards, ready to keep it contained. The pairs of soldiers are lashed to the lizards' backs are doing their best to not think about what it is they're strapped to.

You adjust your hat and give the call to move out.

"We can't help if you won't talk to us," Amy had reminded you, gently, and you'd agreed. River looks worried too, though you think you can soothe /her/ fears a little more easily. Well, maybe. Actually running herd on this zombie army is proving more difficult than you'd imagined. Thank the gods for Fetch and Whisper though - they help convey your commands to every lizard, instead of just hoping they can all hear you.

You let out a sigh of relief when you collectively vanish into the grass. Everyone moves a lot faster mounted, and you reach the door into New Hell fairly swiftly. You can see that Ordo has left it open, albeit under guard. The look on their faces when you emerge at the head of these lizards is priceless.

"Prisoners," you say simply. "To be held, humanely, until we can figure out what to do with them."

One of the guards runs in to bellow for the apprentices to come and help.

> Rest; the ritual took it the fuck out of you and River, and you need to be at fighting trim
> Push on after taking stock of your intelligence (you'll pick a new target after the next update)

AND

> "River, can you see to the harpy? I need to talk to Amy and Nate."
> "Let's get something straight, Eric..."
> Interrogate the harpy
> <Are you going to be alright, Fetch?>

>>49022931
>> Rest; the ritual took it the fuck out of you and River, and you need to be at fighting trim
>> Interrogate the harpy

>>49022931
>Rest; the ritual took it the fuck out of you and River, and you need to be at fighting trim
AND
>ALL THE THINGS
>"River, can you see to the harpy? I need to talk to Amy and Nate."

They are all important. Fuck.

>>49022931
>> Rest; the ritual took it the fuck out of you and River, and you need to be at fighting trim
The Lush and his demons sound like they're gonna take a whole lot of killing. We should be ready for it.

>> "River, can you see to the harpy? I need to talk to Amy and Nate."
We do probably need to have a talk, because again, we're gonna need to be at our best for this.

>>49022938
Fuck off faggot, DLQ is a Tg staple.

>>49022931
> Push on after taking stock of your intelligence (you'll pick a new target after the next update)
> "River, can you see to the harpy? I need to talk to Amy and Nate."

>>49022931
> Push on after taking stock of your intelligence (you'll pick a new target after the next update

> Interrogate the harpy
> <Are you going to be alright, Fetch?>

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>>49023066
And anime is a 4chan staple but you don't see people posting that around everywhere where it doesn't belong

We need to push, the soldiers told us that we are on a timer regarding the unborn geargrinders

Can we send people to reinforce Natalia in cannot hold?

>>49023143
We don't even know what is going on over there, so I doubt it. Unless that Intel Fetch and Vim got had information on it.

>>49023066
Calm thyself, my friend. There's no need to engage.

I gotta hit work. Votes remain open, and I oughta be back sometime around 7 PM EST or so.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>49022755
Oooooh yeeh, dis gun be gud.

>>49023185
One of the soldiers said that the Lush was marshalling his forces to attack them, specifically

>>49022755
It occurs to me that however this turns out, we should send word to the Librarian that Richard tried to have the Librarian's innocent children killed.

>>49022931
> Rest; the ritual took it the fuck out of you and River, and you need to be at fighting trim
Yeah, the whole 'killing or capturing everything in sight' was pretty fucked. A little time to breath and talk with the lovers and sister will be good, at least so they don't think that Brianna's finally lost it.

> "River, can you see to the harpy? I need to talk to Amy and Nate."
Tell her to be nice, and explain some of what happened in the Roost. We could send the harpy back out to turn the rest of the murder against the Lush.

At least, that's the hope. If these guys were smart (or dumb enough) to bring their hatchlings here, they might not /care/ what happened in the Roost.

>>49023185
Watch these idiots try to attack the Broken Jaw, only to get swallowed up by a blizzard or fall into a frozen lake. The irony would be delightful.

>>49023341
Fucker should have expected this.

At this point, I would rather call the Geargrinder's Natalia's children than the Librarians. Actually, since she's the one waking /and/ protecting them, they'll probably believe that from the start.

>>49023391
Agreed, but I imagine the Librarian still thinks of them as his, and Richard isn't the only one who can sow dissent among his enemies.

>>49022562
Who would have thought!

bump from 9

It's race weekend; we're getting slammed. Thank you for your patience thus far.

>>49022931
>Rest; the ritual took it the fuck out of you and River, and you need to be at fighting trim.
Not for too long.

>"River, can you see to the harpy? I need to talk to Amy and Nate."
Don't have River interrogate the harpy - just heal her and make sure she's comfortably contained. River doesn't need to be the bad girl in this, we just want to make sure the harpy can't escape.

>>49022755
> "Mother?" its mechanical voice asks; it sounds vaguely feminine.

"Nathan, you've got some new siblings."
"What."
"About six hundred of them."
"WHAT."

>>49022931
>> Push on after taking stock of your intelligence (you'll pick a new target after the next update)
> Interrogate the harpy

>>49026976
"Brother?"x600 in that female mechanical voice

>>49022931
>> Rest; the ritual took it the fuck out of you and River, and you need to be at fighting trim
> <Are you going to be alright, Fetch?>

Home. Will call and write after Chores(tm).

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>>49027897
Japan has this covered.

Called, tallying, writing.

>>49027897
As hilarious as that is, not all of them will be 'female'.

>>49031735
Harry: "Natalia, I know from your letters that you really got around, but I didn't realize you went and had this many kids."

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>>49022931
You lead the lizards and your companions into the tall grass, interspersing them in a wide area so as not to disturb too much of it in one spot. You call a halt, get down, and /sit/.

"River, do you mind seeing to the harpy's wounds?" you ask your sister. "I need to talk to Amy and Nate."

Your sister puts a hand on your shoulder. "You know I'm here for you too, right?" she asks quietly.

"Yeah, but /I/ am supposed to be here for /you/," you point out. "...And to be honest I need lover comfort, not sister comfort."

"Yeah, I get that," River agrees with a little smile. "I'll take care of it."

"We're gonna...sit...for awhile. Maybe catch an hour or two of sleep after that ritual. I dunno yet."

River nods and heads off to see to the harpy. Nathan and Amy sit with you; Amy puts her wing around the two of you, while Nathan wraps his arm around your shoulder.

They're warm.

"I should have brought this up earlier," you murmur. "I just...I didn't know how to say it, or what to think. And...and I dunno. I've been afraid you'll dismiss it as me being down on myself again."

Amy gives you a worried chirp and nuzzles against your cheek. You let out a little laugh.

"Mom had said you talked to her about something, but to give you time," Nathan offers, gently.

"Yeah, I did," you admit. "The Broken Jaw was...awful."

And you tell them everything. You tell them about the Diviner's accusations, her mocking declarations, the hurtful shards of your past that she drove into your heart, and her eventual death at John's hands after you learned exactly what kind of miserable, hateful thing she had become.

"But the sick bit is, she's not wrong," you whisper. "What did I do to River when I had her create Whisper? Are my lines really so clear and righteous as all that? I tell myself that I'm doing the needful thing, the right thing, that I stop to consider everything...but what if I don't? What happens /when/ I don't?"

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>>49032558
You pull your knees up to your chest, like a little girl, and stare out at the grass around you. "I'm co-commanding a literal zombie army," you murmur. "And all of my reasons, they sound good. They sound like all the right reasons. But...Aunt Carol's reasons sounded like the right reasons. I'm certain Robert's reasons sounded like the right reasons. Am I going to be able to tell? Where does it stop?"

"You're a good person, Brianna," Nathan reassures you.

"Not to put too fine a point on it, but so was your mother."

You can feel him flinch. Maybe that was too far.

"What do you want from us?" Amy asks.

> ...Just hold me
> Promise me you'll put me down if I go mad. Don't let it go that far.
> I don't know. Tell me what you think? Justify making Kat, or Whisper.
> Write-in?

>>49033008
> Write-in
> Be my compass. Keep me on the ground. Promise me that if I go too far, you'll tell me. You'll stop me. And I'll promise you that if you tell me I've gone too far, I'll stop, no questions asked.

>>49033124
This.

>>49033124
>>49033446
I'm fine with this. Would like to talk about kat or whisper a little tho

>>49033008
>> Promise me you'll put me down if I go mad. Don't let it go that far.
I'm actually a fan of this. Heavy, but it's the duty every la Croix is asked to bear. And with the way we're all going relationship-wise they'll *be* la Croix - with all the good and bad it entails.

>>49033662
Why?

>>49033008
>> Be my compass. Keep me on the ground. Promise me that if I go too far, you'll tell me. You'll stop me. And I'll promise you that if you tell me I've gone too far, I'll stop, no questions asked.

I step out for a while, realize I haven't been in thread, and return incredibly worried that anon would somehow fuck things up... And yet, when I come back, things are going pretty well. I'm feeling good.

Also, Dick showed up. And proved himself to be an expert manipulator, as expected. The reveal that the Lush knows about the Geargrinder movement, and has already turned that into a dangerous piece of propaganda all on it's own, isn't really expected, but it's not surprising. His big thing has been a sort of rule through fear and terror. Really, for all that Dick talked about the Librarian playing two sides against the middle, it's pretty ironic that it's literally what he's trying to do.

Oh, no doubt that the Librarian's doing it as well. He gets his young gear grinders out of the way, the Lush gets an extra 'threat' card to play on his level because one of the 'army', and we 'get' to waste manpower and resources securing the kids.

But by getting Natalia to break her word, our credibility goes down, along with the fact that she'll probably start going a little bit nuts all over again. On top of, you know, pissing the fuck out of the Librarian, dealing terrible morale damage to Brianna, and us not having even the potential of a gear grinder army.

Smooth moves, Dick.

Shame that your direct emotional manipulation and clear disregard for the lives and dignities of other people pretty much without a doubt marks you as a dangerous psychopath beyond all redemption.

>>49033008
>>> Be my compass. Keep me on the ground. Promise me that if I go too far, you'll tell me. You'll stop me. And I'll promise you that if you tell me I've gone too far, I'll stop, no questions asked.

>>49022755
>"We are in danger," you warn her. "Help me wake the others."
I have a suspicion these 'grinders are going to wind up rather... maladjusted. "Welcome to sapience! Kill or die!"

>>49033008
>> ...Just hold me
anyone else notice these minor breakdowns seem to be happening more frequently?

>>49035067
Well, from the start Bri has never quite been as stable as she appeared.

I'm not sure how long it's been since the marsh flooded, but she didn't spend time to mourn them until after the Moneylender was killed. She bottled it all up until then, keeping her sorrow sealed behind a wall of duty, cigarettes, and coffee.

She's had some time to come to term with that, and instead has had to deal with some very complicated questions on top of dealing with the consequences of other people's terrible actions. Then the Diviner basically stuck her gribbly little fingers /inside/ her head and dragged out every little terrible thing she could and forced Bri to look right at it. Then Silence died for her cause. And she's had to deal with the terrible deal the Librarian gave her, including the implication that he thought she'd be still driven by revenge enough to be at least a little interested in whatever he had to say. She angry and disappointed in herself that she wants to curl her fingers around the necks of those people badly enough to consider letting it interfere with her duties.

And now, Bri's raising a zombie army, something that she's always been told pretty much from birth is a sign that you've gone off the deep end. Like, we've joked about it this whole time, but this is something she grew up with. It's a core part of her beliefs that zombie armies are bad. And now she's making one.

Basically, the PTSD is piling up. No amount of cuddles are going to make those things go away soon. In a way, it's a good thing she doesn't dream right now, or she'd probably have terrible nightmares.

>>49033124
I vote this one as well.

>>49035421
This. But also remember that she got some closure in the fight with the Diviner too. She's reaffirmed that she's going to be a good person, that she /is/ a good person, that there's more to hope for than duty. But healing hurts too, y'know?

>>49033124
I would definitely like to back this.
>Write In
>Be my compass. Keep me on the ground. Promise me that if I go too far, you'll tell me. You'll stop me. And I'll promise you that if you tell me I've gone too far, I'll stop, no questions asked.

>>49033008
>Be my compass. Keep me on the ground. Promise me that if I go too far, you'll tell me. You'll stop me. And I'll promise you that if you tell me I've gone too far, I'll stop, no questions asked.
This I like this.

Called, writing.

>>49033008
>supporting >>49033124
>> Write-in
>> Be my compass. Keep me on the ground. Promise me that if I go too far, you'll tell me. You'll stop me. And I'll promise you that if you tell me I've gone too far, I'll stop, no questions asked.

>>49035862
HEY!

> Can we talk to Nate about how he feels about Kat? Given the interactions she has with his shadow, does he feel anything from that or has he noticed anything. Does she seem like she's happier?

Essentially I feel that with Kat's increased sentience from upgrades, we have to make a decision quick to either commit or somehow put her on lockdown.

Kind of a side issue, I know, but while we're talking shit out why not deal with it. Also I don't think we''ve ever really talked to Nate about his Shadow, at all, much less it's interaction with Kat.

I'm also not ruling out there's the possibility that if Kat gets more self-aware, she might be in love with Nate if his shadow isn't really conscious enough to be a partner for her anymore at that point.

>>49036639
Nate's shadow is essentially a reflection of himself, and whenever he's in a particular mood, it's a good indicator of how he's feeling. Take for example when the party was in New Hell, and he first heard his mother's voice. He wasn't crying on the outside, but his shadow was. Vox has also said that a shadow created/raised from a Woundseeker takes more from the person themselves than the emotions surrounding their death. So, in short, yes his shadow is special. Maybe not self-aware, but definitely special.

As for Kat? He blushes every time he sees her playing with his shadow. Probably reminds him of Brianna. She does seem to like hand-holding a lot though, which speaks for how much of a sick deviant that catgirl demon was. I wholeheartedly approve.

Kat falling for Nate via his shadow is definitely weird enough that I can see it happening. Like one of those old school horror flicks. "Artists' sculpture comes to life and slays fiance out of envy!"

But that's not something I think Vox would drop on us from out of the blue. At the very least, he might warn us that she's gone kinda rogue when she starts talking back at us and not doing what we tell her. Kinda like a teenager.

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>>49033008
You take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I...I want you to help me," you tell them, at last. "Help me hold to my path. Help keep my on the ground, and promise me that you'll tell me, you'll stop me, if you see me going too far. Even if /I/ think I'm not. You promise me that, and I'll promise I'll believe you. No lines crossed, no questions asked."

"Why?" Nathan asks. There's not an accusation in it, not exactly, but the look he gives you is piercing. Distant. "Are you feeling the need to go mad with power?"

"I'm feeling the need to stop being alone when I'm surrounded by people I love," you answer. "I'm feeling...I'm feeling like I've pushed you guys away even when I've been trying to let you in. Like a reality check would be really nice to have more often. And...and like I've been a poor lover to you two..."

Amy makes a small sound and pulls you both in close; everyone shares a tight hug.

"You haven't been a poor anything, Bri," Amy murmurs. "I'm glad you want our help."

"I'm sorry I said that about your mom, Nate," you mutter, into his chest.

"It's okay. Ames, we need air."

Amy lets you and Nathan go but stays close to you. "Bri...I'm gonna say this so I know I said it, okay? You've gotta stop holding stuff /in/. I know you and Nate keep things to yourselves and I try to be fine with that but I see it hurt you and...and..."

"I know, pretty bird. I know."

You look down and see Kat reach shyly for Nathan's shadow. It pulls her into a hug, and she nestles against him. She traces swirling lines of frost along the soil.

"...We need to talk about her," you admit.

"Is she supposed to make those noises?" Amy asks.

You shake your head. "She's getting smarter. And I don't know how much smarter she will, or could, get if I continue to improve her. I'm not sure how she thinks or feels about me, or if she even does."

"Is that really what you wanted to talk about?" Nathan asks.

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>>49037959
> ...No. I'm conflicted about having made her in the first place
> Yes. And for more reasons than my inability to let go of ethical problems. That girl might just fucking kill me.
> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.
> Write-in?

Please guys don't multivote please.

>>49037986
> Yes. And for more reasons than my inability to let go of ethical problems. That girl might just fucking kill me.

Okay I was up way too late doing this and now I am going the fuck to bed. Votes remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>49037959
>Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.
Because this is part of what we need to not keep to ourselves. They need to know the good and the bad of our abilities. Mentioning she could become a threat is important, but she's also a child. A murderous child made out of lust, anger, fear, and shame.

Sounds like a story I wrote, actually.

>>49037986
>> Yes. And for more reasons than my inability to let go of ethical problems. That girl might just fucking kill me.

>>49037986

>Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

>>49037986
Well, as far as the first option, Brianna already regrets having River go through with making her own shadow. To be plain, it's fucked up but useful. Necromancy is quite literally built on death though, so it's understandable that many of its spells and rituals can be..hard to stomach.

The second option is definitely more cautious. Because, /fuck/, how exactly are we going to stop a literal shadow? How do we discipline Kat should she get out of hand? Nate has those nails from Hatchet, but I doubt the old carrot and stick routine would work well.

So..honestly, I'm leaning towards #3. Because, well, it's similar to the decision to use that Innocent Soul, the little unformed person, and of River's creation of Whisper. I'm assuming that once Kat becomes truly self-aware, she will not longer be 'bound' to Brianna, would no longer be just another minion; she'd be a person, with thoughts and feelings of her own. But that leads into something else.

The whole problem with shadows, in a technical sense, is that they tend to run rampant if they get strong enough. But why is that? We already know that most necromancers get into 'the business' for very, very shitty reasons (WORLD DOMINATION, MUAHAHAHA!) or follow that whole 'road to hell, paved with good intentions' thing; trying to revive dead loved ones, avenging the murder of loved ones, you know the routine.

Brianna is /not/ a bad person, nor is she ignorant or the creature - the person - growing in front of her. I'm rather certain that she won't be attempting to rip Ms. La Croix's heart out, but she might not want to take orders anymore. She's a big girl now, damnit!

Basically, Kat's going to be Brianna's next adopted kid. Shadow daughteru ftw?

>>49038123
>>49037986
Wow, it'd fucking help if I voted before running my mouth.
> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

Also; that pic is extraordinarily appropriate, and I wonder what the Caretaker can tell us about shadows and the handling of such slippery, ethereal, /tempermental/ things.

>>49037986
> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

Anon makes a good point, and I'm glad this is being considered now, rather than after it potentially bites us in the ass again.

>>49038243
Honestly, the only reason we didn't follow this rabbit hole earlier is that Kat hasn't really done much to stand out. For a while, she was just another minion, even when we upgraded her.

That this is happening /now/ surprises me more than her lashing out so violently. At least it was at nominal enemies, and not innocents or friends.

>>49038468
It doesn't surprise me - the elemental ice upgrade is what did it. We shouldn't have used something with the potential for growth in her upgrades.

>>49038485
/Every/ upgrade had that kind of potential. We're expanding her being, giving her more substance. While the particular upgrades might push her in a certain direction; having a Witchlight can make her more independent and smarter, the Claws might make her more aggressive and solid where it counts.

The hope is that the way we've treated her and used her in the field won't be detrimental to her attitude. Hell, we should probably try talking to Kat herself, just to see whether she's coherent enough to understand us.

>>49037986
>> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

>>49037986
>> Yes. And for more reasons than my inability to let go of ethical problems. That girl might just fucking kill me.

>>49037986
> Yes. And for more reasons than my inability to let go of ethical problems. That girl might just fucking kill me.

>>49037986
> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

>>49037986
> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

>>49037317
> At the very least, he might warn us that she's gone kinda rogue when she starts talking back at us and not doing what we tell her. Kinda like a teenager.

Uh. Kind of hit that point already, but like people said earlier like a toddler as opposed to a teenager.

The question is, do we make her more aware so that she can hopefully learn more self-control and be more responsible, like a good teenager, or will more awareness make her more rebellious, especially given her creation, both how we made her and what we made her for. We don't really know what she feels about us or her, and she doesn't really have words yet so . . .

We do know she feels, for sure though. And we've seen how she responds to Nates shadow. But even that is kind of concerning. Will she be like a teenager and go full "I never wanted to be created" or "I was happy as I was, Nate's shadow was enough and I wasn't unsure or able to be lonely".

As well, Nates shadow being a reflection of Nate - does he really UNDERSTAND what Kat is? Is his shadows reaction to Kat actually for Kat because he thinks of her as cute or a pet or just because she reached out and he's simply that nice and good at heart that his shadow reached back just because.

Or does he view Kat, our shadow, as that. A Shadow of us and not something, maybe someONE else if we improve her.

>>49037986
>> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

So yeah. This. What he thinks about us making her, so we know he understands what she is. What he thinks about how she's been, both in general and also with his shadow and how aware or consciously involved with that he's been. Finally what he's prepared to deal with regarding if we do increase her intelligence.

Amy also gets a say, because best bird ain't a birdbrain and also has a say, especially on that last point.

>>49037986
>> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

>>49038123
I feel you. BUTT.

Well, thing is there's no doubt about it, the creation of a shadow is explicitly a negative thing for them. I wonder if Robert knows about shadows that did or didn't go beserk though, maybe it's possible pic related is all it needs.

Or she could be suddenly a person without the slow growth actual people go through, and all her shadow capabilities, now intelligent and able to articulate and argue reasons why she should indulge every selfish need and want. Like, intelligence isn't wisdom or maturity.

A concept people here should be very familiar with, eh?

But yes. Hopefully daughter, my fetish is Heinlein style with emotionally complicated and guilty Nate/Kat main pairing, Brianna feeling oddly like it's resentful masturbation, and Amy - I got nothing for her reaction. Angry then competitive during and sympathetic after between girls who used to be murder hos.

>>49040769
your missing a pic mate.

>>49037986
> Actually, I wanted to ask what you two think about Kat - me making her, her future, just Kat herself. Whole nine yards.

Fucking finally. Hahaha, everyone else forgot that upgrading Kat, even if not her intelligence directly, always led to this point eventually where she would become more independent if not intelligent.

As the dude shitposting occasionally but consistently voting to make Kat a real person and not a partial thing tortured into existence and used like a tool, this is great.

Gotta do something now, and I don't think the majority will go with "Erase something we created, that has the possibility to be someone, because they MIGHT turn against us."

Oddly enough, that reminds me that the Cherry/Jewel thing is also not in a good place, and like Jack that's Necrobusiness to be dealt with.

Crazy idea. Just tossing it out, death is death and no second chances and all those things. But is there some way for us to use the unborn soul to bring Cherry back to life? Like if we found a body that was braindead, she possessed it, then we like bound her to it?

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>>49040855
Well so we are.

It's cool. I bet some people already made the connection with Kat and us and this. It is known in certain circles.

Actually, kind of a lot of parallels with Mad Science and Necromancy, the Heterodyne brothers and onwards could be the start of the current LaCroix. Taking people who are usually, arguably always by definition given what & how they do, emotionally disturbed and way too powerful and getting them to not deny or abandon the power but to moderate it and be responsible for it and not see it as an idealized hammer that works on everything as well as nails.

>>49040898
I think braindead=/=soulless

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>>49040936

>>49040898
Oh, crazy idea time?

Mixing up Kat with Cherry instead.

I find it interesting that the dead are actually better at Necromancy, and wonder if Cherry could learn it as well. Or if that's a Necromancer thing, or specifically a LaCroix thing. I know we got a non-standard afterlife deal, but apparently Necromancers are all about that. So I'm not clear if the LaCroix afterlife is a unique deal for them only, or if others can or have duplicated the state, or if it's actually the same as Necromancers who should have been buried in lead coffins to prevent their spirits getting out and causing trouble except they don't do that sort of thing by choice and because the rest of the family would come down like a town of ghostly bricks. I said town on purpose.

>>49040997
>>49040898
Loradamnit, stop trying to turn our broken family into necromantic abominations.

DID WE LEARN NOTHING FROM THE JACK INCIDENT????

>>49040973
That's a good question. Isn't that what the 6 minute window was established to be though? Between the cardio-pulmonary system stopping circulation and respiration, but before the brain itself stops and the soul leaves, that's when you can resurrect someone.

So we should check if we can find someone whose brain has died but their body hasn't. the other way around as it were. I wonder what would happen if we then killed them, and resurrected them. Would that also heal their brain damage, IF they still had a soul? Cherry can possess living people, also, technically. If resurrection didn't bring back their brain, would doing it while Cherry possessed them have any effect? Sadly we only have one blank soul so I'm leery for experimentation with it.

Just saying, if resurrecting the braindead doesn't bring back the person, does that mean their soul is blank also? Maybe not fresh, but without an identity, and is it wrong to put Cherry over that?

Alternatively is there a way to connect Cherry to the brain if the soul is only bound to the body, then kill the body to release the soul and revive it with Cherry still in the brain?

Finally, if killing and resurrecting them doesn't bring them out of the coma, is it ethical to just kill them and release their soul?

And wait! Lora can "reforge" souls right, could she make us blank ones then? Would is a different question.

>>49041286
I believe the common Vox response to this particular line of questions, in all it's forms, has been "it's bad."

>>49041231
>>49041328
I'm with these (this?) anons. Zombie armies may be the usual metaphor for going mad with necromantic power, but I'm pretty sure playing Frankenstein also qualifies, and there's just no way I see it ending well in any case. Life is for the living, and all that.

>>49041231
> Thinking Bri would actually do any of this instead of letting the dead move on.
> Especially after Silence

Dude, they are really just crazy ideas. Don't expect Bri to actually ever do these. At most, maybe a side story about Roberts non-Angelic experiments. Possibly some other person does a quest in Vox's setting with a necromancer who tries one of these things, or something I don't know.

Besides, Jack wasn't anything new or unknown, standard "Vengeful shade can't let go, is afraid of the future without him."

I like to think if we had achieved more with our death, we would have gone on peacefully.

Then again, I enjoyed Jacks terrible decision making skills all the way up to his death. Man is it going to be shitty putting him down, it'll be like "You fucked up a bunch, tried your best and died, and now you're insisting that if you fuck up enough somehow by staying here you'll what, fix things? Make it worth it? Somehow not torment your friends and loved one with your existence that keeps them from moving on, while also forcing them to eventually be responsible for putting you down after you hurt someone?

It's all because he has to have his way. Nobody else is right, or trustworthy.

>>49041369
Oh, Anon. It's just kind of having fun pretending. We already passed that character development with Silence, yo.

It'll be a fun ride once we come around to having Cherry move on.

She died so young, and children are greedy. First she just wanted a family, and she got that. Then to have a friend her age, which we worked out. Plus getting to experience living not just with but through her! To help her not get lost in sadness and have good memories and be content.

But she's too old for a really good day playing games to work. She is old enough to pick up that she is going to never have a real baby not a doll. She might not understand the difference between dating and marriage and all that's in between, but she won't get either a boyfriend or a husband for real. She is old enough to know that there is more than what she got, and that it isn't fair she didn't get it. Kids develop a strong sense of both debt/favours & fairness by 5-6.

Jewel, while being the closest we had to her age, is a teenager with the past of an adult so in hindsight possibly not the best choice to distract Cherry from all those future things.

Also her identity isn't the strongest for many reasons. So, we might end up with her being a reverse Dark Schneider for all you old /a/ fags. Her and Cherries identities blending until they're pretty much one, especially with reverse possession.

Plus they're friends, it hasn't hurt them YET, and she has eternity to be dead why would she have to leave Jewel NOW? Especially when they agree.

>>49041405
>>49041578
Okay, I can accept that. As logn as we don't actually try any of those insane plans.

Because I am exceedingly imaginative, and I can think up horrors that makes the pain-and-suffering-zombies the Princess made look like pleasant bedtime companions. You really wouldn't like what I thought might happen with the soulless child, the innocent soul, and Cherry as a a mixture would put forth.

>>49041286
Cherry already is a soul, dude.

>>49041286
Lora does not operate the soul forges. She merely conveys souls that are to be reforged to them.

>>49040936
>>49040979
I love this comic so much.

>>49040898
Cherry already /is/ a soul. Wapping her in the face with a second one isn't gonna do either of them any good.

Aight, I'ma get some caffeine and then do the dishes, call, and write. Votes are still open in the meantime. This has been good discussion thus far! 's nice to see.

Called, tallying, writing.

>>49040769
...Are you trying to make Nate and Kat /date/ or what because I'm not sure how to interpret this spoiler and it is kinda disturbing me.

>>49042784
Vox, I have to admit. Your quest is fun and engaging, and that makes me want to do MAD SCIENCE in it.

I just might, you know. If I grabbed some people IRL and used what I knew of your setting, would you be cool with me more or less making it something else unrelated by coming up with basic "rules" for souls, necromancy, bodies, etc. that the world works on. Get my group to test for something, then decide the answer and see how close they can get to test to determine the specifics of the rules?

It's less "running a game in your setting" and more "Bastardizing your stuff into some inspired by but unrelated headcanon".

So you can say no and I won't discuss it further. If you want, though, then if it happens I can shoot you updates.

Possible bonus one-shots about the creatures made from our experimentation and their life afterwards. Possibly trragic and short, or tragic and long, or tragic and debatable, or tragic but tolerable. Happy and wholesome is possible, but I mean I don't have much hope for my group having that as a goal. Bastards never stop to ask Should I when they're busy with Could I.

Too many questions for your quest, though. Like

> Cherry already /is/ a soul. Wapping her in the face with a second one isn't gonna do either of them any good.

But using a blank soul on a body she possesses, would that body develop an identity not separate from Cherry's? So it would be Cherry in one body with two souls, both Cherry, not Cherry in a body with another soul.

Taking the situation with Jewel to kind of the next level, identity wise.

>>49045853
This is the sort of mad science that someone in the first generations of la Croix may have come up with, and they probably died very quickly after word got out to the rest of the family.

Not that they'd destroy the notes. The knowledge would be too valuable to pass up.

>>49045853
Now I'm wondering what happens if you start harvesting souls and just sort of start smooshing them all together in the same vessel.

>>49046962
Lora shows up and wrecks your shit.

>>49046962
>>49047010 isn't too far off. That's the sorta abuse of death that eventually gets an angel involved since at that point you're not just fucking with the individual beings involved (which, strictly, isn't their business) but creating a distorting concentration of dead shit.

More to the point, /why/?

>>49045853
I have no idea how to respond to this but the innocent soul's development is more or less like a person's in whatever body you stick it in. Make a tiny robot and it's Rusty or Megaman. Put it in Fetch and it'll become something remarkably Fetch-like, etc, so forth. The body is a container for the soul, yes, but it does tend to shape how the soul /is/ thereafter. Think of folks for whom, say, gender is important (in any sense of the word 'important') or how the differing sense and perceptions of an elf or a harpy affect their development. Right now the soul's a someone who isn't anyone in particular. Once it goes into a body, it becomes someone in particular, even if it takes awhile to develop.

>>49047112
Aren't fey bodies also their souls? Could you effectively forge a new fey out of the soul?

>>49047112
>More to the point, /why/?
Just to see what happens, also can a soul be removed/separated while still leaving the body 'alive' can you swap souls around?

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>>49047221

>>49047236
Theoretically there's no reason you can't. In practice, souls are a /bitch/ to separate from a living body and no one's actually done it. Necromancy recognizes a tight bond between body and soul that has, thus far, only been separated by death. Attempts have been made to study this bond but those attempts have pretty remarkable similarities to torture and murder and end up producing quite a lot of dead people.

>>49046962
Exdeath

>>49047274
What are souls made of?

>>49047544
Only one comment has ever been made on this subject, from the Forgemaster to one of his Chosen.

> "All that lives, or will live, or can live, is fundamentally metal."

>>49047583
I suspect he may be at least a little bit biased.

>>49047583
I'm now imagining a giant wailing electromagnet powered by souls being channeled through the coils. What a fun setting to be a necromancer in you've created Vox. I'm almost upset we decided to make Bri a good person now.

>>49047112
>More to the point, /why/?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP2oWvh6I44

>>49047274
Okay inverse question is it possible to create a living being without a soul?

>>49048424
Is that not what the Fey are?

>>49048424
proably, I mean the fey are a thing so it should be theoretically possible to make more. Though given that gear grinders get souls I suspect some spellwork the gods put in would probably ensoul anything a firstborn made.

>>49047583
Is there a (general) reason why someone would create a 'grinder, besides academic interest? They've got to be slow and expensive to make. Which makes me wonder why the Librarian had /600/ laying around. Does he have a factory or something?

>>49049576
Now you have me thinking about why people have straight-up ordinary human kids, anon. Obviously there's the fun bit, which shouldn't be discounted, but the fun bit doesn't explain why people spend thousands of dollars at fertility clinics.

>>49050247
biological impulse, social pressure, or "because that's what you're supposed to do" are the big reasons I can think of.

>>49049576
well if you do it right you end up with a very strong loyal worker/soldier who doesn't need to sleep. Expensive sure, but I imagine a worker who doesn't need food or sleep and is as strong as an ox would be able to pay that back in a decent time frame.

>>49047583
Did he do a sweet air guitar afterwards?

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>>49037986
You mull Nate's question for a long moment. "Actually," you tell him, "I wanna know what you and Amy think about Kat."

"What about Kat?" Amy asks.

"Anything. Everything. About how I made her and why, and if that's okay or not. About who or what you think she is, and why. About her future, and what you'd think of her becoming smarter and more independent." You reach your fingers down and scratch the shadow behind her ears; she stiffens in surprise, then nuzzles against your fingers. You don't hear a purr, but you can feel it ripple her tenebrous flesh. "I want to know what you think you know, and what you believe, and...I dunno, get some advice for once instead of just deciding shit without consulting anyone."

"...Okay, so, this isn't going to surprise anyone but I want you to hear me out," Amy begins. "I'm actually okay with making shadows as a thing. And, and I know from what you've said and how you reacted to making Kat that learning to do it was hurtful for you, but..." Amy bites her lip, and lets out a long breath through her nose. "That was the first person you ever killed. Your first always hurts, you know? But if it wasn't him it would have been someone else, eventually. I know you don't like killing but you know when it's gotta get done."

"River's killed before, and she hated making Whisper," you point out, softly.

"Yeah. River's a gentle soul. I bet you anything at all that she looked at that woman and thought, 'I could let her go. It'd be easy'. And it would've been." Amy shrugs, and nuzzles against you. "But...I dunno. I don't mind the idea of the condemned being used to teach this to people. Shadows are handy, and you can't say that Kat hasn't helped you or us, protected people, /saved lives/. She has."

"It doesn't bother you that a thinking, feeling person died to make her?" you ask.

>>49052356
I think that the fact that a thinking, feeling person died to make Kat would hold more weight is said person wasn't a person in command for the Moneychanger and that she just killed the person she had sex with in front of Fetch and the group.

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>>49052356
"That half-demon was a piece of shit and she was going to die either way," Amy says with a shrug. "...I realize a lot of the stuff you do can feel wrong. I'm even with you on not liking the idea of throwing humanoid zombies at people, but part of /that/ is just the...the horror of it all. Seeing someone you used to know or love, raised from the dead like that - that shit's unsettling. As I'm certain you know! But Kat's not like that. She's a little scarier now, sure, but she's not this horrible punch to the soul the way zombies or draugs are..."

"Nate?" you ask, softly.

"I..." the Hero sighs. "I don't like the idea of ritual sacrifice. I just don't. It seems cruel to me, but, then...what the fuck is an execution, then? Kind?"

"It's justice," you offer.

"Until you figure out you killed the wrong man and now his widow has nothing," Nathan points out. "So...in all I'm not sure I can muster an actual objection to making shadows aside from the ones you'd muster against capital punishment. You'd better be /damn/ sure that whoever you're killing deserves it, or else that you're making it from a death that's already happening."

"Honestly, we usually prefer those," you note, a little distantly.

"All three of us have killed folks, Bri," Nathan tells you. "I've made peace with that. Amy did a long time ago. Have...have you?"

> What do you say ?

Yes we're going to get to the rest of the questions you asked them already.

I am SO SORRY about how long that update took. I...for some reason I couldn't focus, couldn't write, and then real life kept getting me and...

Anyway, thank you for your patience.

>>49052991
"I made peace with a few necessary killings at a time, I very deliberately did not make peace will killing people in job lots. Usually making peace with that kind of killing leads to, well..."

>points to zombie army.

>>49053121
>"I made peace with a few necessary killings at a time, I very deliberately did not make peace will killing people in job lots. Usually making peace with that kind of killing leads to, well..."
>points to zombie army.

Totally backing this. It's hard to come up with anything better, because it's entirely true.

>>49053656
>>49053121
make peace will killing people in job lots
don't ya mean with?

>>49052991
Seconding this. >>49053121

Killing someone in defense of yourself, or someone else? Totally forgivable and understandable. You can rest easy at night, unless as Amy said it was your first or you're just a gentle and essentially harmless soul.

Then there's actively seeking to harm, wound or kill someone, such as the Lush and his marked lieutenants. Do they deserve it? Definitely, and the world will be a better place without them. But that doesn't mean you derive any sort of happiness or satisfaction from ending their lives. They're still someone's spouses, siblings, children.

>>49053007
That's okay Bond-Lich, we know how exhausting it can be to defeat the vile temptress known as Life.

>>49052991
>"I made peace with a few necessary killings at a time, I very deliberately did not make peace will killing people in job lots. Usually making peace with that kind of killing leads to, well..."
>points to zombie army.

Okay I need to hit bed. Hopefully tomorrow isn't as...disjointed. Votes remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>49052991
Throwin another one for >>49053121
>"I made peace with a few necessary killings at a time, I very deliberately did not make peace will killing people in job lots. Usually making peace with that kind of killing leads to, well..."
>>points to zombie army.

>>49052991
>> What do you say ?
'I don't want to be. It's a slippery slope, especially in necromancy. The things that are needful are just so; but even then I don't want to be okay with them.'
'But also I don't want to be so worried or counting or justifying the needful ones that I lose sleep over it.'
'Its a hard balance to strike.'

>>49052991
>> What do you say ?
"I've made my piece with what I've done, but I'm still afraid of what I might do. So I'm pretty glad I have you two around to help me through it, and I'm going to try and do this more often. The talking thing. Letting you help me stay level."

>>49054442
Just to clarify my abomination, what I was thinking was the since the new soul & cherry would have the same experiences being bonded together, while the souls are separate the identity is the same so long as they're existing at the same time.

>>49052991
Y'know, I don't think we've ever determined Brianna's opinions on necromancy /itself/. I mean, sure, it's a big family tradition, and those are important to her. It's also proven to be really useful, even though it does come with a price.

But what's in it for Brianna? Disregarding Nate, Amy, River and Jewel. When all is said and done, Lora is free and Richard's soul is swimming in a hot bath of raw shit and broken glass. Does she continue pursuing those odd secrets of life and death, like a rather morbid scholar? Is there an intellectual challenge she hopes to overcome?

Because, hell, before all of /this/ she thought that she was going to spend the last few decades of her life getting run out of /yet more/ towns before finding and training an apprentice, hopefully before she kicked the bucket.

Sorry, only tangentially related to the vote, but I'm still not sure whether Brianna actually /loves/ the 'art' enough to want to continue learning we win. Does she want to keep going down the rabbit hole, or is she content with her lovely Murderbird and dashing Hero?

Forgive me if this comes way the fuck out of left field. Lack of sleep + several glasses of tequila = Senseless ranting.

>>49056203
She does like the act of studying it. Her advents with the Librarian ("You have just stabbed yourself in the hand. GO TO BED.") proves she likes learning and studying it, because she's had opportunity to study other things (admittedly we prefer to study it too, but we're still Brianna's subconscious) but prefers the mysteries and secrets.

The understading of necromancy is the understanding not just of life and death, but of souls, mysteries, and the balance of the now and the after. She enjoys learning about it. And even though it is a family tradition she can adopt apprentices; her children don't have to study and learn it unless they want to. Given their parents capabilities, they can learn and do any number of things when they grow up.

>>49056308
Y'know, it'd be interesting to sit down and chat with the Caretaker about his own experiences, both before and after his lichdom.

What are his favorite tricks and secrets of necromancy? What does he think of the minions? Does he have any tips or advice on Kat (even though I think we're doing pretty good on that front)?

>>49056203
Didn't she start learning more or less to cope with the loss of her parents?

Bump.

>>49056496
Yes, but she eventually moved past that.

Most people who read stuff like this fall into that trap, the /tg/ tap of thinking "wizards are always in it for PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWAH", when in reality most well written wizards and spellcasters aren't.

they're in it because they like the process of learning, of discoverign somethign new and unusual. Yes, Brianna's chosen path contains the possibility of zombie armies and death at the hands of your own shadow, but it also contains things like Kat creating pretty lace drawing in ice for another shadow that isn't really sentient, the infinite possiblities of an innocent soul, the bizzare possibility of a human possessing a ghost. Things no one else has experienced or learned, and things which can be beautiful and wondrous, despite the threats and dangers and weirdness of them.

Brianna isn't JUST a necromancer. She's a student, and she likes learning. and she has people who will support and protect her through that stuff.

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Bamp.

>>49060337
That's cool picture but how's it related to the thread?

Hot damn that was some high quality sleeping.

Will call and write after caffeine.

>>49060337
It wasn't, it was a page 9 bump.

Called, writing.

Lich to the top.

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>>49052991
You sigh, and consider the question for a moment. "I've made peace with a few, needful killings," you answer, at last. "I'm not going to lose sleep over self-defense, or over putting down scum like the Baron. But I don't /want/ to make peace with killing a lot of people at once, not even for my job. Being okay with that kind of thing...there's a reason my family doesn't often go to war. We tend to take our armies home with us."

"We don't have a lot of options here, Brianna," Nathan points out.

"We didn't have a lot of options in the Mine either, but I still regretted those deaths, helped to bury those men, and spoke on their behalf to the gods," you point out. "I don't /want/ to be okay with war, Nate. I don't think that's such a bad thing."

You see Nathan's shadow give Kat a worried hug; she strokes its hair and buries her face in its shoulder.

"Alright," Nate agrees at last. "I can see that."

"We were talking about Kat?" you offer.

"Yeah," Amy agrees, picking up on it. "I dunno. I've kinda always seen her as one of your minions, y'know? Like Fetch but less fun. You haven't exactly let her help out a lot, though. She could be doing stuff for you, fetching books off of shelves, that kinda deal, but for the most part you kinda...keep her on a leash. And I get why but it seems like a damn shame."

Nate gives Amy a quizzical look. "How could you say that Kat's just a minion when she does stuff like that?"

The three of you look down at where she's cuddling Nathan's shadow and stroking his hair reassuringly.

> Try to explain
> Let them keep talking

>>49063040
....you know, it's a good question.

>Let them keep talking.

>>49063040
>> Let them keep talking

>>49063040
>Let them keep talking
Do we even have an explanation anyone would want to hear right now? (including Bri)

>>49063040
>> Let them keep talking
I'm personally one for letting 'minions' have a chance to live. Though it can only really work through building trust.

Now, here's a question, the biggest fear of letting Shadows get intelligent is that they go crazy or power hungry and kill their masters or whatever. What happens if that happens and we resurrect? Would we still have a shadow? Would Kat still be 'alive' since she's a part of us now?

Called, will write after breakfast

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>>49063040
You let it go for now. You wanna hear this.

"I mean, for one thing look at how Bri treats her," Amy points out. "Kat has a name, at least a bit of a personality, and does stuff on her own."

"She's expressing Bri's feelings /right now/," Nate points out. "...The way my shadow does."

"Is she?" Amy shrugs, a little distantly. "I'm not so sure. I think a lot of Kat is Bri because something important of Bri's went into making Kat but assuming they're the same is a bit dangerous. You saw her back in that battle, Nate. Do you think Bri's really like that? Y'know, with rending people apart from the inside and screaming in unholy fury?"

Nate's eyes go to you.

"I was mostly resigned to that fight," you admit. "That was all Kat being...whoever Kat is."

"This relates back to shadows going renegade and killing their creators, doesn't it?" Nathan asks.

"Sure," you agree. "But...I.../may/...have overemphasized that in my conversations about her."

"Okay, but why doesn't she cuddle up with Amy's shadow?" Nate asks.

Amy gives him a long look. "My shadow doesn't /move/," she says slowly, before holding her arm up and gingerly moving it so that her shadow pokes the back of Kat's head. Your servant jolts, looking up in surprise, and bats at Amy's shadow several times before she realizes it isn't going to react and goes back to comforting Nate's.

"...Is it bad that I legitimately forgot?" Nate asks.

"Little bit," you point out. "Kat's getting smarter. And I can either try to cut her off here, and not improve her further, or I can accept what's happening and hope I've been a good creator and a good master. Or...I dunno, I could accelerate things and make her smarter here soon, and try to pre-empt problems by sitting down to talk to her once she can actually...talk."

"What got her started out in the battle, anyway?" Amy asks.

"Someone tried to kill me and she got really upset," you admit.

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>>49065786
"Before you decide anything," Nate starts, gently, "you should probably figure out how it is /you/ feel about Kat. From where I'm sitting it feels like you resent her, like you wish you hadn't made her."

You look down at your shadow. Kat looks up at you, her blank eyes all wide innocence.

> You're right. I do.
> I...I think I /did/, but I'm not sure any more. She didn't ask to get made.
> I don't resent Kat. I just have...bad memories.
> Write-in?

>>49065816
>> I...I think I /did/, but I'm not sure any more. She didn't ask to get made.

>>49065816
>I...I think I /did/, but I'm not sure any more. She didn't ask to get made.

Consulting Lora on this matter later is probably not a bad idea. She is a font of necromatic wisdom after all.

Upon further thought I wouldn't be surprised if Robert has experience with the whole "my minions are trying to kill me" thing either so he may be worth talking to as well.

>>49065816
> I don't resent Kat. I just have...bad memories.

Brianna has never actually been resentful or callous towards Kat that I recall. She has bad memories of her first shadow making, but this one was deliberate and controlled and rightfully deserved death, a kinder execution than that demonic she-bitch ever deserved.

Since then she's been watching Kat and has cared for Kat as much as she has Fetch's companions. Now she might have to care a little more, but I think she has a big enough heart for that.

>>49065816
>> I...I think I /did/, but I'm not sure any more. She didn't ask to get made.
>> I don't resent Kat. I just have...bad memories

>>49066378
Seconding this.

Will call and write Shortly(tm), need more coffee.

>>49065816
>> I don't resent Kat. I just have...bad memories.

Called, tallying, writing.

>>49068348
might want to make it a new thread

>>49068366
This one still has 17 posts in it.

>>49068458
right. I'm still used to the 300 limit.

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>>49065816
It's a good question. You spend some time to consider your answer, wishing dearly that you dared to smoke right now. With all the time you've spent not being able to you're starting to think maybe you oughta just quit.

"I think I did resent her, at first," you admit. "I resented feeling like I needed her. I felt like I was breaking a promise to myself. When I made my first, I told Grandmother I'd never make a shadow again. She comforted me, as best she could, but...Grandmother was never good at comfort. She tried to teach me to bear hard times, and she succeeded, but Grandfather was always the warmer one."

"And now?" Nathan asks.

"She didn't ask to get made," you murmur. "My bad memories aren't her fault. I don't hate her. She's been a good girl."

You feel a faint ripple in Kat's flesh, which turns into a steady purr.

"...I think she likes that," Amy notes.

"My shadow purrs. That's. Okay. Yeah, that's my life now." You sigh, heavily. "I'm going to think on this for awhile, and check on River and the harpy."

Amy takes her wing back, and Nate moves his arm, so you can get up. "Don't forget that you need to actually /rest/," the Hero reminds you.

"I will, I will."

River isn't terribly far. The harpy is a young woman, with her breasts bound and little else in the way of clothing, with sandy blonde hair and a scar that crosses just over her left eye. She narrowly avoided being blinded there. Your sister sits near her while the bird woman has the awkward look of someone who'd like to make conversation and has no idea of what to talk about.

"Hey sis," River greets. "This is Piercing Cry. Cry, this is Brianna."

"Um. Charmed." The harpy rattles her manacles when she shifts her weight and winces when she twitches her wing; Nate nailed her right through the shoulder, injuring the muscles she uses to fly. "Thanks for not, y'know. Killing me."

>>49069673

> Well you're remarkably pleasant
> Thanks for not trying to escape
> I'm not big on killing. I am big on asking you everything you currently know
> Write-in?

Bump.

>>49069673
>> I'm not big on killing. I am big on asking you everything you currently know

>>49069689
>> Well you're remarkably pleasant
From what little I know of real-world interrogation techniques, being nice (or at least, nice-ish) to prisoners is legitimately the best strategy. It's also a lot easier to go from nice to mean than it is to go the other direction. So let's start at nice and see what happens.

>>49069689
>> Well you're remarkably pleasant
> I'm not big on killing. I am big on asking you everything you currently know

Aight, I need to go pick up my mother from the airport. I'll call and write when I get back but that may not be until 1 AM or so unless the plan drastically changes. As much as I love you guys, she did kinda give birth to me, raise me, love me, etc so forth.

Plus there may or may not be late-night Denny's involved.

I'll call and write as soon as I am physically capable.

>>49069689
>> Well you're remarkably pleasant
>> Thanks for not trying to escape
>> I'm not big on killing. I am big on asking you everything you currently know

all the things!

>>49070177
Why, anon. Why you do this to me.

>>49070196
This is how we show our love.

>>49069689
> Well you're remarkably pleasant
We can always kill Piercing Cry later.