--------------------------
Character:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O8YKgjZ7HjME1ONGFPSk88BAGvVm4ZMALcUnwA_SE9I/edit?usp=sharing
Inventory:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LqWRRteXSaDwp4Chiv7aew6hb24044Wp6ndy1Y0hl2w/edit?usp=sharing
Spells & Abilities:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16scFvYfrYi5S96vjfvKZWpPN3Yb_BHIUu9xKSGylK2g/edit?usp=sharing
Discord:
https://discord.gg/w2qzg9V
Archive:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=necromancer%2C+adventure%2C+dark+elf

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You are Alice Ashebedight, a Black Elf necromancer, and recently a Dullahan as well, whatever that may entail.

Since Tina seemed really hungry earlier, even after she fed on Sierra, you encouraged her to drink a little blood from the horses as well, in order to make sure she could control her hunger.

She seemed to have mixed feelings on the idea, claiming that "it's not the same", and "I've kinda taken a liking to this one". The one in mention is a black & brown one with a slender build. Come to think of it, you had begun liking one of the horses yourself, a sturdy built white one. It seems like a noble thing to be able to ride a horse, they are expensive after all. You hadn't really noticed before she brought up the subject though. Ah well, it's just a mild favoring.

She did drink a little from all three horses, despite her complaints, and it seemed to help satiate her some.

Another problem was the Basilisk you raised. Would be nice if there was room in your bag of holding for it, but that wasn't possbile with its size.

You'd have preferred finding a cavern or a lake to hide it in, but in lack of better cover, you ordered Nar to dig a hole for the being some way outside of town. You didn't make him dig very deep, just enough to be able to cover it with dirt, creating a somewhat suspicious looking mound of earth. You all cooperated to cover it with moss and plants to better hide it, but the whole thing took a while, maybe a couple of hours.

You got some reading done on the way, especially on Vampires/Vampyr (apparently there are numerous ways to spell it?). You also read about Dullahans. And your comfy plushy companion kept you company while reading. You decided to name it "Talah", the Elven word for 'death', seeing as how it was a present from Tina, and death was really the blessing-in-disguise that led you to a better life. Unlife that is.

Aside from that, the rest of the journey was eventless, save for meeting a dozen farmers coming from Oaksberg, travelling the opposite direction. They were all cautious of you, but nothing came of it. A few houses decorate the terrain outside of the gate. A sturdy gatehouse with some guards stationed outside of it.

Which brings us to the present...

(cont.)

You are currently facing a crew of eleven guards, ten of them on standby while the eleventh one, presumably their leader, adresses you. No, more than guards, these people look like soldiers. The eleventh one is a Human in his mid thirties, and he regards you with troubled and wary eyes.

You have a hard time concealing a scowl with how condemning of an attitude the Human is taking with you.

"State your vocation and business!", the Human barks. You usually don't raise Undead as sentient ones, but it would be fun to make an exception with this one, reversing the roles.

"..We're..", you start up, but for some reason you stop. No, screw this.. You decide to give up before you begin. Letting out a disgruntled sigh, you stand up from your sitting position on the wagon, and beckon Sierra over with your hand.

"Don't wanna. You take over", you flatly announce with something of a sigh.

All of the soldiers are on edge, and most of them twitch in one way or another as you suddenly get up. Like you were gonna do something stupid.

You saunter inside the wagon, and while Sierra is confused at the development, she accepts the responsibility earnestly.

"Huh? Oh-ah, yes Alice!"

The last thing you see before enter the wagon's room and let the curtains swallow your figure, is Sierra step off the wagon to stand beside it while talking to the guards.

Tina had peeked out from inside the wagon, but decides to join Sierra outside as you enter.

"We are here to trade, and to hire a hero to train one of our companions, I believe", Sierra states matter-of-factly.

"...You believe?", the Human says in an obviously annoyed voice.

"Erh, well, yes. That is to say, it's our only business for now. We don't have any particular plans after that, I think".

"Sounds right to me", Tina offers in a tired voice.

"Well whatever", the guard exclaims, "we'll have to examine your wares obviously, but moreover I will need you to wait for further orders, as I will need to call for an expert for the examination". You get the feeling there's no room for negotiating.

"Oh, okay. Fair enough", Sierra says. "How long will we have to wait?"

"Untill he's here", the Human retorts in a tone that offers no interest in further discussion.

"I see. That's unfortunate but.."

"I guess we'll have to wait outside then", Tina says in a disheartened voice.

And that's the last of the discussion. Nar steers the wagon off the road, and you wait for a while. Since you don't know how long it'll be, you do some more reading, dipping into the book on spirits and such.

(cont.)

File: Dwarven inquisitor.jpg (51 KB, 552x696)

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Tina stays inside as well, exposure to the sun fatigues her. Sierra stays outside to read, "since it's nice weather", and Nar falls asleep on a soft patch of grass outside.

At one point Tina pulls a curtain aside to peek outside, but quickly closes it shut again with a an annoyed sound. Inside she takes a seat near you.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the sun", she complains.

"..I don't think so either, according to what I read. Sorry about that. That I had to do that to you.. I can't begin to understand what you're going through, between the sun and your thirst."

"Ahaha, no don't worry about it, seriously. It's the sun's fault for being an eyesore. I even like the 'thirst', it's an entirely new experience!"

She doesn't want you to feel bad about it, and she seems to regret complaining a little. You don't think she's lying, however.

"Like I already said, I'm really glad you did what you did Alice. It just takes some getting used to is all, you know that feeling, right?", as she say this, she pokes at your neck, near the area where you can separate head from torso.

"Besides", she goes on, "I'm just glad I don't feel like eating corpses like Nar does, now that has gotta suck". While you get it, you honestly aren't as thrown off of the idea as you think you should be. You even briefly considered trying it soon after you woke up to your new unlife.

The lighthearted chat pleasantly goes on for a while.

But it takes a lot of time before you're let in. It's afternoon by the time the Human approaches your wagon and tells Sierra that the 'expert' has arrived to examine your wagon.

You go outside to see who's arrived. What meets you is a Dwarf in sturdy armour and an impressive warhammer in his right hand. With his left hand he presents his necklace, a religious symbol to some holy god if memory serves.

"Greetings travellers. I invite you all to present yourselves as well as your intentions in town. Speak truthfully, or be judged in the name of Malla."

He's got a stern & discerning look in his eyes, and a rather firm and intimidating confidence. You're pretty sure this guy is an inquisitor. To a goddess of light or some such. The last part of what he said, and the fact that he may be an inquisitor, both alarm you. You've heard that other than being well-versed in the arts of interrogation & possessing a discerning eye, it is said that these people can tell truth from lies via magic.

And there are rumors of people being treated less than civil when interrogated by these zealots.

You do your best to dispassionately explain your business in town. "Food, trade, and hire an expert to train my friend to achieve a class."

While he doesn't seem entirely satisfied, he doesn't complain yet either.

(cont.)

"...I see", he finally says in dissatisfaction. He then pauses. "Your companion over there seems a bit pale. No love for the sun?" he asks Tina. He seems equal parts suspicious and perplexed.

Tina does her best to not seem too troubled by the daylight. Unlike her usual prompt answers however, she takes a moment to think her about her repsonse.

"Ah, yeah my health got like this about a week ago. I haven't infected anyone else as far as I know, but I won't say it can't happen."

"Very well", the inquisitor states, and lets his necklace fall back to his chest again. "You should get that looked at, pale Elf. I recommend the church of Malla. Anyway, I shall now inspect your wares. Guards."

A couple of the guards are ordered over to go through your items, and while most it is eventless, the inquisitor furrows his brow at the sight of your recently acquired whip. You had kept it away in your bag of holding, but they especially insisted on checking that one as well.

"While they neither have contraband wares or lie about their intentions, I still think I should cast a detection spell on them, to be able to track them down in case something happens", the inquisitor says.

The Human guard half rolls with his eyes, and says "I know you lot prefer to have eyes on everyone, but for the hundredth time, the lord wants his own wizards to handle these affairs". He then looks at you, "sorry, but you'll have to wait another hour or so while we fetch one of the mages."

The Dwarven inquisitor huffs, "you wouldn't be having so much trouble if you would just let Malla's servants take care of your the local law. You need but look elsewhere to see how well we do it."

The Human ignores him.

...But you don't like the idea, and you don't hide it.

"What exactly will they be doing?", Sierra asks before you do.

The Human looks at her and shrugs. "He'll cast some kind of spell on the lot of you. Scrying magic. I don't know the specifics, but it's nothing harmful, and it'll be removed when you leave the city. The gist of it is that it will make sure that if you're up to no good, the wizard will be able to find you."

You don't like the idea, but it would be annoying to have to go to another town for your business.

>Course of action?

File: 1544970730600_necro_map.png (391 KB, 538x675)

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(working on a local map, but its really a hobby project, so no idea how long it'll take. For now, this map is a pretty good indicator on the local area)

>>3418005
Fine, but please let's make this quick the travel was not easy and I eant to get my business done here as quickly as possible.

Once we get inside immediatly look for the trainer and if we have time for a license to sell our thibgs tomorrow

>>3418015
We don't really have choice so sighing and light complaining about the wait is all we can do

>>3418041
This

Take Tina indide the wagon while the sun is out.

Send our raven over the walls to scout the city and find the places we need to go first while we wait

File: oaksberg building style.jpg (162 KB, 564x1073)

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Fine.

You nod. "Sure.. But please make it quick, it wasn't a pleasant trip here.."

"I'll tell the kid to put some spring in his step, but I can't do anything else to hasten the process", the Human answers.

The Dwarf takes his leave though he still doesn't seem satisfied with the result, and the Human returns to his post as well. One of the guards enters the city for a short while.

You kill some time with more reading. Weird how it hasn't become boring yet. You feel like it normally would be. Meanwhile you order your raven to fly inside the city, to do some light scouting ahead. It's not really intelligent, but hopefully the vague markers you ordered it to look for will yield something.

Tina fell asleep earlier, and you haven't woken her up yet.

Seems like spirits, just like corporeal creatures, can't easily cross the barrier between the spirit realm and the material world. But sometimes, especially near midnight, it can be possible, with various factors being in favour of it. There's a lot to read. A lot of knowledge, and options with it.

Either way... An hour or so passes before en Elven mage comes out of the gates, and casts his spell, which takes a surprising amount of time in itself. Nothing compared to the wait until now, but his channeling and chanting takes the better part of a a few minutes.

And with that deal over with, you finally enter town. It's late afternoon to early evening by now.

The buildings inside have got the familiar Human design to them, just like Rydding and Wyvern's Bazar, but it seems grander inside than either of those. The buildings are denser, perhaps taller as well.

Your raven returns, and you order it to lead you to the nearest establishment where many people gather, which doesn't take you all that far. No more than 50 meters inside town you find an ale house, "for the weary traveller" it says on a signpost next to the closed double doors.

(cont.)

While Nar guards the wagon outside, you enter with Tina. The inside is a long room filled with tables and benches, and a large fire pit with an entire goat roasting above it. Several waitresses are making rounds with alcohols and foods.

No more than a few seconds pass after you entered before a Human wrapped in a ragged blanket tells you to "close the damn door already!", which Tina does. The Human stiffens when he actually looks at you, however.

Using this momentum, you approach him. "Hello there, Human. Perhaps you can tell me where I can find a hero, mercenary, or anything like that. I need to pay one to do a job for me, you see."

You taste fear stir in him as you approach him. No surprise.

"You uhh.. You looking for adventurers? I uh, I think there should be a few around" he says, and looks around the tap room. "Maybe in of the taverns then? They often gather in taverns, for sleep and food I recon."

You look around the tap room as well. Sure there are a few types that may look like people with a class level.

"Specifically", you add, "I need to find one I can pay to teach my friend in the arts".

His fear fades the more you speak with him.

"If that's the case, maybe you'd have better luck in the hero guild. Lightning Gauntlet I think they call themselves". He proceeds to tell you how to reach their building, to the best of his memory. "I think they have all sorts of folks, and I know they train their own. Might be the place you're looking fer."

>Find a place to sleep for the night
>Approach one of the heroes in the taproom
>Head to the mentioned guild
>Something else (what?)

>>3418207
>>Find a place to sleep for the night
lets find a tavern or Inn to take our horses to and a few rooms to sleep in, a base of operations so to speak

>>3418207
>>3418218
oh and a place for our wagon as well of course

(i don't know if there is a timeskip or not, but we should probably do something about Nar's missing arm at some point)

(think i'll take a break for now. may write more tonight tho)

>>3418207
>>Head to the mentioned guild

better find a professional, we can find an inn near it so that the commute to Tina is easy

>>3418207
>Head to the mentioned guild
Take Tina to the guild while Nar and Sierra find us an inn near it. It can be a nice inn, we are staying here some days., might as well get comfortable

>>3418235
+1

>>3418235
sound better, we can take 3 rooms, Tina and Alice have been sharing for some time now and it doesn't bother us, it's actually safer.

Rolled 12 (1d20)

After about an hour of travelling, maneuvering through the crowd of people, and searching for the right places, you've finally find the building you have been looking for.

A large building both in width and height, with an arched double door entrance adorned with detailed wood carvings, next to the entry stands a stone statue on both sides, each resembling a well-equipped warrior in a heroic pose.
The entire property is enclosed by a two meters tall stone fence. Between the fence and the main building is a decorated garden, and a nice fountain seems to be the center of it, placed between the fence entrance and the building's doors.
This is the building belonging to the group calling themselves a guild of adventurers. According to the stylized letters carved in stone above the entry, they are called "Thunder Gauntlet".

As Nar & Sierra have been sent to look for a tavern to accomodate you and your wares, Tina and you enter the Thunder Gauntlet main building.

The first room is a long hallway in dark blue stone, approximately 4 meters tall & wide, and 10 meters long. On both sides there is room for placing footwear & any outerwear. Small green gemstones in the floor illuminate the room in a soft white light. At the end of the hall is another set of doors, identical to the initial ones, except these are open.

The next room is a large, cozy living room, by its appearance. The floor is coated in a soft bright-red carpet. There are several types of comfortable furniture placed in the room, and a small fireplace in the middle of the wall to your left.
The walls have several paintings on them, and fixtures of weapon racks with different sorts of decorative weapons on them, and the same crest every now and then. The crest resembles a clenched gauntlet with electricity coating it like an aura, no doubt the guild's coat of arms.

Several people lounge about down here, and you're met with some curious stares as you enter. Disregarding the attention, Tina quickly gathers the info on who to talk to, regarding your request. A nimble looking Halfling accompanies you further inside, to something resembling a military office. Inside sits a woman, who is either Aasimar who takes heavily to her divine half, or an actual Celestial. She's got white wings and even a halo. She looks like she's pretty tall too, though she's sitting behind an expensive looking desk right now. In many respects, she is a very spectacular person to behold.

The Halfling leaves after introducing you to the woman, whose name is Emiel.

(cont.)

"Hi", the woman simply proclaims with an otherworldly voice that seems to gently echo not only throughout the room in a louder effect than her actual speech, but into your very mind. Such an uncanny impact from but a word. You're almost certain she's an actual Celestial, even if they are rare.

"Alice and Tina, was it? What brings you to our venerable house this evening?", her voice is enchanting to listen to, and she pronounces each syllable in a relaxed and soothing manner.

You're about to speak up, but this is really Tina's place to talk. You look at her, and prod her side with your elbow when you see that she's stunned at the meeting.

Blinking a few times, she recovers. "Right! So uhh.. I'd like to be a hero, with a class level and everything. I heard this is the place for it?"

"You've heard correct, young one", she says and nods slowly. "We usually charge six silver suns* for such a service. Does this sound reasonable?"
*platinum coins.

Tina looks to you for confirmation, which she gets.

"Yes," Tina answers with determined attitude, "it's pretty much what we expected."

The Celestial looking lady draws a faint smile, her eyes semi closed. "Wonderful. As for your training, results are normally clear after a month. Which vocation do you aspire for, Elven one?"

"...I'm actually not too sure about that part yet. Would it be possible to talk to some of the trainers?"

"Certainly", she answers. Now that you've listened to her a bit, it's almost like there's a melody to the otherworldly echo of her voice. Or like her voice is a melody?.. "Come, let me show you your teachers", the woman beckons you as she gets up and leaves the room.

What follows next is Tina talking with a variety of people in the lounge by the entrance. Most of them were already waiting for you before you reached the room. They must have some sort of mental communication going on.

While she's speaking to them, you decide to talk to the Celestial woman yourself. You've had a thought on your mind for a while.

"Speaking of trainers for hire, could I hire one to teach me to be able to use a weapon properly?"

"Yes, girl of the dark. If you're just looking for martial proficiency, I will offer it to you for three silver suns. Do you wish for such an exchange?", she offers while still looking at Tina conversing with the trainers.

"Maybe. It's enough to know the price for now. I haven't decided yet. It would mean less focus on my magic, after all. I don't know. Maybe."

Eventually, Tina decides on a trainer, and she's opting for the class commonly known as rogue, a profession adept at stealth & reconnaissance, dealing with traps, and a famous knack for striking vital points on an opponent when the opening presents itself. It is not a class well suited for direct combat, which is why the choice surprises you a little.

She pays up, and agrees with her trainer to meet tomorrow in order to begin her training.

(cont.)

Before you leave, you make sure to get some info on nearby churches, in order to visit their graveyards. You need your fill of negative energy if you are to conjure up some negative blood for Tina to feed on, after all.

Back outside, Nar and Sierra awaits you. Apparently their search was a brief one, as a tavern is located almost directly across the street from the guild you visited, and Sierra has already paid for rooms and stable room.

You tell the others to go on ahead, and head for a nearby church yourself.

And fortunately, it has an adjacent graveyard. Luck is with you it would seem. It would. But as it turns out, the ground and air is completely purified, and not a sliver of negative energy is present. Damnation...

You try your luck at two of nearby churches, but with the same result. They have graveyards, but they are devoid of essence. Great...

Your fruitless search takes the better part of half an hour, and you decide to return to the tavern, while ordering your raven to search the city for any negative energy, and then return here to guide you. Maybe it'll find something.

In the meantime you're back at the tavern. It's a very nice place, even larger than the Fox & Harp. It hosts a lot of patrons too.. A lot of them seem to be adventurers though.. And come to think of it, the design is pretty similar to the guild building. Aaand there's the crest on the counter. Definitely associated to the mercenary guild somehow.

Anyway, you join your group, and most of you have a bite of food, while you enjoy the evening with some idle chatter about the future. Tina and Sierra both agree that they want to be stronger, and Tina is very optimistic about getting a class. It seems Sierra have warmed up to Tina, if just a little.

Nar stays out of the conversation for the most part, but he does seem to savour his ale quite a bit, taking slow sips with a content expression, leaning back in his chair with a dreamy smile, looking at nowhere in particular.

Your dish for the evening is some kind of boar meat, very tender and juicy, and a thin gravy with bittersweet berries in it, and freshly baked bread. It's very tasty, especially combined. You have water with it, and a single glass of red wine, since the barkeep recommended it for this dish.

(-6 platinum for class trainer, -3,5 gold for rooms, -5,4 gold for food & drinks, and -3 silver for the wagon & horses)

Now then...
You have about a month until Tina's training is complete. What should you do in that time.
You already plan on buying some livestock tomorrow to feed Tina, but maybe that isn't the best long term solution.

>>3418881
Your raven returns to the tavern and places itself in the roof outside. Its search was in vain.

>Plans?
(I haven't decided on whether to timeskip or what to do, but it will also depend on what you guys wanna do for the duration of the training. But I will almost certainly end up timeskipping some of it)

>>3418944
....ON*, the roof, obviously. The raven places itself ON the roof.

(anyway, thats it for tonight)

>>3418944
I say we get the martial training, we find ouraelves without energy quite often and it could be a useful manner to pass the time, and a way to train with Tina too.

For the dark energy, go to the place where we hid the basilisk and corrupt the ground there, then meditate there for a while so we cam have enough energy to feed Tina, by the end of the month our brew should be even better than the real stuff after all the practice.

Don't forget to massage Tina's hend after the first days of training, those can be taxing.

>>3418944
>>3419026
Good idea, we can claim to take a walk eveRyan few days and read a bit while charging up
For protection Nar could come with us

Otherwise, I would suggest that everyone not training could look for a small job on the side, so we don't get too deep in our purse

Oh and look for a way to craft Nar an arm again, that must be annoying
Wasn't there a chapter in our undead book?

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>>3419618
Maybe we could try a metal prosthetic? I would believe that a application of magic could bind the arm to Nar's neural map and have him use it like a regular arm.

>>3418954
Ur next scrub

>>3419026
>>3419618
+1

>>3419643
That would be both useful and badass
Approved!

>>3419026
Awesome, training and relaxing.

>>3419618
Jobs for Sierra and Nar while we train, they can take some security or just help around town, but better not leave it since Sierra is still on probation and Nar needs a new arm

>>3419643
If we can actually get a robo arm that would be awesome, if we can't we craft the meaniest most dangerous looking arm we can.

Ps: a liiiiitle jealous of the celestial....just because she's all holy and all, I'm sorry I'm not an angel..ugh...why did she stare some much?

>>3419643
A cursory look into options regarding Nar's arm reveals two possible paths to look into: One is using necromancy in a creative way to fashion an arm of flesh and bone and attach it to his shoulder. It would cost some negative energy, obviously. And it would be breaking new ground for you (a roll will be involved)
The other option is attaching a magically crafted metallic prosthetic. You don't have the arcane proficiency to neither craft it nor attach it yourself yet.. But you can look into doing it through a ritual, or ask a certain spiritual friend for help, or pay a local mage to do it. A brief research on the subject reveals that paying a mage to do it will cost a hefty 175 gold coins just for attaching it, while crafting it will be any from 80 gold and up, depending on quality (you get the impression that 150 gold is minimum for decent quality). Very pricey, and you've got a lot of other things you could potentially use those money for. You don't think Nar would approve of using such a vast amount of money on him either, since he wouldn't be able to properly pay you back.

>>3419026
While you are able to corrupt an area with negative energy, you'd need corpses to do it. The more the better, and the stronger they were in life, the better. This ability drains the corpses of their potential negative energy as well, so you can't use the basilisk for it, as it is already animated.

>>3419643
You answered the letter — now like me, you are part of this place.

>>3419949
Ok, i think we should do a necro arm for him, maybe even use some of the basilisk claws or flesh for it.

As for the corpses, lets buy some 10 cattle and herd them there to slaughter and create the desecrated ground, if that is too expensive we send the basilisk to kill the local fauna, deer, wolves, bears and the like, and drag them somewhere so we can create the desecrated ground

you're currently at 1141 copper coins, 128 silver coins, 197 gold coins, and 57 platinum coins. For the first day you spent 9,2 gold coins for food and rest. You could reduce it by not eating yourself, or alternatively by buying basic food wares and cook your own meals instead of eating tavern food everyday.
Tina's training is already paid for, but if you opt to have Alice train in martial arts as well, it will cost another 3 platinum coins.

>>3419976
It's possible to use basilisk parts, but the basilisk would miss some of its flesh then, reducing its health permanently.

On a side note, using cattle flesh for Nar's arm would make a poor substitude. A person's would be better suited.

Also, if you have any plans for how to do any things for the month, you're welcome to write in on it. For example, Tina's default feeding pattern will be through Alice if possible, but other than that she will make do with what she can, while trying to stay safe. She prefers people blood over animal blood by far (animal blood doesn't yield a lot of blood points either), but will only go for it if it seems safe or there's another mitigating factor.

>>3419949
how much money do we have after the martial training?

I agree with >>3419976
let's make a necro arm, buy some livestock to feed Tina and use the carcasses to start the desecrated ground, while the basilisk and the gang can hunt too so we have a nice pile of corpses

>>3419996
>>3419976
>>3419949
I wonder if it's possible to infuse negative energy with metal. It might increase the survivalability of the arm itself

>>3419994
seeing as not being able to use dark energy if we're out it seems worth it if we spend some money on training for alice. looking at our money right now we'll definitely be able to sustain ourselves for a while.
how much gold had the same vale as 1 platinum again?
how much gold was 1 platinum again?

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fyi, the metal prosthetic could like sth like pic related, whereas a fleshgrafted option could look like you'd expect from various designs. User input encourage if you end up with this option.

>>3420007
you could look into it, it would be an alternate way to do it. Could be interesting though. Would be a mix between arcane construct and necromancy.

>>3420010
1 platnium=10 gold=100 silver=1000 copper

>>3420016
pic related, but with more functional fingers

>>3419994
As for the money, we can stay without cooking and we give Nar some money so he can cook some food for him and Sierra, when we miss food real bad we can grab something in the tavern.
9 gold a day will get expensive fast.


Just recaping the Tina blood situation. For the first couple of days we buy some livestock to feed her and use the corpses to make our desecrated ground so we can get some dark energy to feed her.

If at some moment she absolutelly needs someones blood we go hint together with her just to make sure its safe and that we don't kill anyone, that church doesn't seem friendly to undead.

>>3419994
And use the Basilisk flesh to make the arm, it was the basilisk who took it out so its only fair he gives it back, besides, the basilisk is more temporary while nar is more permanent

>>3420010
well i messed that up haha
>>3420022
agree, let's only feed who it is necessary to. about the hunting tho, let's first inform ourselves if it is even legal to just go out and hunt near the town.

(im letting the current subjects sit for 30-60 minutes before writing, since there's a lot of stuff on the table. Just in case. You're still welcome to vote and such after an hour, i keep tabs on the thread even when i write)

>>3419949

ok, let's see if we can agree on some things

1 Tina:
We feed her some animals and buy some extra ones to make a corrupted ground outside the city where we can meditate and regenerate to feed her ourselves during our stay here.
If that ends up not being enough we hunt someone with her(maybe a known criminal) to feed or we find someone innocent but keep her from killing the person and mind wipe them.
sounds good? Y/N

2 Nar's arm:
a-Use necromancy and basilisk flesh to make a badass necro arm at the cost of some of the basilisk health

b- try to infuse some metal with dark energy for cool metal infused necro arm experimenting on arcane construct, still would need to use basilisk flesh for the rest or some other's dude flesh, no animal option here

c- buy the extremely expensive arm and have it extremely expensively installed

3 Housing and food
we spent 9 gold the first day

a- continue splurging at the taverns and live like ki-maybe minor nobles.
b- everyone eats but we buy the food at the market
c- Alice refrains from eating and Nar and Sierra cook their food.

celebrations and parties may still occur in whatever option because we deserve it, kek

4 Training

a- get martial training that would increasy our martial stat on level ups but at the cost of some of our magic stat
b- get martial training to boost our martial stat right now but do not affect further level ups
c- training is for nerds....but not our kind of nerds, the bad nerds, fuck training is what I'm saying


I'm going with Y, a, c and b

>>3420049
Y
If B is not too expensive and won't get in the way of the feeding do it, or else do A
C
B

>>3420049
Y But I am left wondering what the city considers to be "Up To No Good" to pop the Scrying Spell, I mean what we might do could register as "No Good".
I'm fine with either A or B, C is too out there for our pursestrings for the time being (Although taking inspiration from Sekiro, I do like the idea of infusing temporary magics into the artificial arm so Nar can toss out a minor fireball and the like)
C
B

>>3420085
confirmed for possible. its possible to enchant an item with the ability to store a spell in it

>>3420049
YMCA!
Y
b
c
b

The following day, once Tina leaves for the Thunder Gauntlet, you tell Nar and Sierra about your plans for the day. You're gonna do a few chores by yourself, and as for them? They're free to do pretty much whatever they want, so long as they stay in touch. You tell them about your plans regarding food: they are to buy some basic produce, and cook with it, in order to reduce expenses.

Nar is fine with it, and Sierra seems to enjoy the idea. "How about we go outside of town and start up a fire to cook over? It's always nice to eat outside", she offers Nar.

He shrugs his one shoulder, "I'm fine if tha's your fancy, but the tavern's got a fireplace out by the back they let guests use, won't tha' one be easier?"

Sierra agrees to use the one in town, "since it's safer. You never know."

Other than that, you encourage the two of them to look into getting something to do for the next month, especially in regards to earning their own stay. But you make it clear that it's just a proposal, and not a requirement. Sierra seems troubled at the realization that she hasn't been doing it thus far, and Nar seems intent on trying to find something as well. You once again make sure to let them know that they don't have to, but it doesn't appear to dissuade them.

(cont.)

As for your actual day, you go to the market looking for cattle. You're not sure which type will be the best, and end up going with your intuition. Your best option, you think, is buying sheep. They're not cheap, but not expensive either, considering it's cattle. 370 copper per head. The Dwarven merchant is mildly puzzled when you tell him you wanna buy 10 heads of cattle, but he doesn't question it. You pay him in mixed coins, and take your leave.

Once you're back at the basilisk's spot, about an hour on foot, you consider how best to use the sheep you brought. They were an unruly bunch, but at least you got a rope which ties all of them together.

Your intend to desecrate the soil here so that you can regain some energy just by staying near it. You had also considered using your wagon for this purpose, but there are some issues with that idea: You would have to let the carcasses stay inside (or near) the wagon for some time, and you doubt the inn keeper would let you do that.
Second issue is having a wagon emanating negative energy. While not visible to the naked eye, there may be certain types of people who can detect it nonetheless, which may in turn bring you some unwanted attention. But it would be terribly useful to be able to fill up on negative energy by being in your wagon... Ah well.

You tie the sheep to the roots of thick bush, and promptly murder each one with a mercifully swift slash from your scythe. The flock panicks, and you do your best to make short work of the butchery. The last one gets loose and runs away, but you catch up to it, cut off a hindleg to halt it, and no more than two seconds later you decapitate it as well.

With the group of corpses complete, you fulfil the profane curse, and poison the soil with dark energies... Already the sheep are starting to decay, spreading a foul stench that doesn't bother you at all.

The process takes about ten minutes, and you feel a certain tension rise in the air as the ritual nears its completion. A satisfactory feeling fills you when you're done, and the very atmosphere seems to change into a much more pleasant aroma. Homely. Reminds you of your hometown, as it were when you last time left it.

And sure enough, a familiar surge of energy slowly starts to fill your empty being...

(won't be posting more right now, got stuff to do. odds are i wont be posting more today)

Rolled 8 (1d20)

[roll to resist the dazing effect of the dhampir bite. difficulty is only 4, due to Tina's relatively low magic stat compared to Alice's decent magic resistance]

>>3422314
Ah, our first atemp to resist if since we saw Sierra's stupid face, tell her we felt embarrassed by it, I wonder if it's still good even uf we resist it.

Roll call, 1d20, best of three. Setting the bar for Alice's massage skills

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>3422350
Watch my nat 1!

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>3422350
watch me massage Tina to sleep

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>3422350
>Inb4 we massage someone to death

not bad, but certainly not masterful either. gotta start somewhere.

>>3422360
No harm done, this just means we will have to practice more

You sit down on the small hill that covers your basilisk, and pull out a book, a plushy, and read some more about the spiritual world.

It seems that every action in either world will have a reactions in both worlds, however small it may be. You wonder how that works, since the two are separated, and creatures from one world can't really affect the others. Maybe they're just not strong enough?

Ah! Come to think of it, maybe you should have postponed the slaughter for midnight. That might have had some sort of beneficial effect, since the "veil" between the two worlds are thinner at midnight. Wasted opportunity.
Maybe you should ask Arrum about it? He seemed rather eager to be of help to you.

You also find a passage in the book that seems to touch upon the subject of naming rituals, where a person's name is chosen according to what the gods have in store for them. Interesting, it has got to be related to how Black Elves name their young. There are only broad theories on it in this book, however. No specifics.
Endless storm champion.. Maybe it's not about hardships after all? Then again, you've endured a lot to get where you are.

Idling about for an hour yields a small amount of your precious dark light (4 energy). Not a lot, but it should at least be enough to feed Tina for today, hopefully she hasn't done anything risky by herself yet.

On your casual walk back to town, you wonder if you should begin training tomorrow? As far as you understood, it'd take a few hours every day, and you'll be paying for two weeks worth of training. It'll give you something to do for a while. That way you could receive training in the morning, and go back out here afterwards to read. Sounds like a nice schedule, if a bit strict.

Back behind the tavern, you meet up with your group. The area is roofed by a wooden pergola, covered in small, fresh, green, plantvines & leaves. There's a firepit underneath it, with several stools and a few benches around it. Two tables are affixed to the wall, and both of them have a few basic kitchen utensils scattered about on top of them.

You pull out a chair and take a seat.

Nar is stirring a pot of what seems to be vegetable stew.
Sierra greets you, but otherwise just stares into the fire.
Tina is here as well, slumped posture with her arms resting on her legs and acting as support for her torso. She must be tired from training. She greets you with a nod though.

"Tough first day?", you ask Tina.

(cont.)

"A little, yeah. It wasn't as physically taxing as I thought it'd be, but it wasn't easy. It was a little strange... I get the idea, I think. I had to do a lot of different things to 'get into the mindset'. Like trying to pick a lock - I had no idea how straining that can be on the fingers! I swear, I don't wanna use my hands for the rest of the day...Evening...Whatever."

You can relate a little, both sewing and carving wooden figures were hobbies of your's at some point, and all the fidgeting with small yet precise movements could be tiring.

"Have you eaten today?", you ask her.

She lets out a tired sigh. "Yeah no, I haven't.. I even had a pretty good opening when my teacher was showing me how to move stealthily. We were in an alley with no one else around, and he just turned his back to me. He looked vulnerable like that, and I felt a beastlike urge to hunt". A moment after saying those words, her face lights up in a cheery smile, while she waves her hand dismissively, "oh wow it sounds silly saying it out loud, hahah.."

You shrug a shoulder lightly, "I think I get it. Anyway, you'll be glad to know that I brought you something to drink, then. I managed to recover a little today. So come have a bite if you're hungry."

You can practically see her eyes beam up at the mention of blood, and you hardly finish your sentence before she gets up and gleefully saunters over next to you.

You can't help but curve the corner of your mouth upwards at how eager she is. It's nice though, to feel appreciated.

You offer her your bare arm, and she gladly takes it, and like a child receiving a present, she enthusiastically opens her gift.

You feel the drug of her predatory bite kick it, but you've braced for it. This time you've decided to do your best to stay conscious throughout the process. It's not easy, but you manage for now. The euphoria is not a trifling thing, and it's tempting to give in, like sleeping in when you've woken up still tired.

But in a way, this is more rewarding than giving in. Not only does it give you a feeling of control and power, but it also allows you to more consciously enjoy the moment. Not that it doesn't have an appeal to give in an submit.

How long will it even last though? Her feeding is greedy this time, hungrily draining your veins, so you suspect it won't be long.

The brief idea of conversing with her presents itself to you, but you dismiss it almost as soon as it comes up. It'd be redundant if she can't answer. Instead, you opt to gently stroke her fiery hair. Has it gained a more ardent shade of colour, comparing it to before she died? It looks like it, you think. A deeper red.

(cont.)

At one point she stops drinking, to ask you if you're still good. You nod, and tell her you'll let her know when it's enough. And she doesn't stop until you've spent what little light you had managed to harvest this red evening. Ah well, good thing you chose to taint the earth, it'll be an investment for the month you're here.

Once the wound is closed up, she lets out a satisfied "ahh"-sound, and the blood around her mouth seems to disappear into her skin, leaving not a drop behind.

"You didn't fade out this time?", she asks.

"...Yeah... No offence, but after seeing how silly Nar look while dazed, I'm not exactly keen on it."

"Wha'?", Nar interjects, "nawwh miss, I a'ways look like this, it doesn't get any better, harharh."

Tina smiles at Nar's comment, but looks at you and say "Iunno, I don't think you looked silly."

"Anyway", you change the subject. Somehow it got embarassing to talk about, "would you like some massage? Your hands must be tired from today's training."

"I'd love to!", she says with her usual warm smile.

You turn your stool and face her, take her right hand, and try your best at massaging it. She's closes her eyes, and relaxes.

Being a rookie at this, you decide to just follow your instinct. Turning her hand with your own, you trace a few fingers across her palm, in order to get a good feeling of where the supple parts of her skin is. As you shift your index & middle finger across the muscle at the base of her thumb, a certain sensation of resistance presents itself. You try gently rubbing at the muscle from the base, and slowly push up along the edges of her digit, softening your grasp as you go.

As you take your time to thoroughly work her thumb, Tina says "have you done this before?"

"Not really", you sheepishly answer. "Am I doing it wrong?"

"No it's nice, it's just that you seem to know what to do. You can be a bit more forceful though."

Going along with her wish, you build up a more bold pressure. You think you're getting the hang of it. With slow but firm strokes you knead her muscles, from the base of her hand to the pillows of each of her slender digits. There's a satisfying resistance to her pale skin when you caress it.

After about 20 minutes you think you've done as much as you can.

"There, that's all you'll get for now."

"Thanks, you're a doll. I could get used to this", she says with a playful smile. While it was in jest, it was likely half serious as well.

"Odds are it'll be your turn to return the favour next time, I'm thinking of taking up martial training one of these days."

"Just say the word."

(cont.)

A short while later, while you're all eating (you had a bowl as well, since the portion was big enough).

"..Miss Alice?", Sierra prompts.

"Mh?", you answer with a spoonful of food in your mouth.

"Do you have any proposals on how I can 'earn my stay'? I feel like I've been all over town today, looking for possible jobs. It.. Hasn't been rewarding. I've tried offering my service to security, making my lightning magic a selling point, but it hasn't paid off yet. It seems the guards only use the people they have trained themselves. And I really don't know what else I can offer.."

"Can't ye just bake some bread o' something?", Nar suggests.

"I don't think there's a lot of profit in bread, Nar-khur", Sierra says with a puckered forehead.

He drinks a mouthful from his bowl, and answer before he has completely swallowed it. "Does'n' hafta be a lot t' be useful."

You shrug and swallow your food. "I'm not sure.. I'll let you know if I think of something. But like I said, it's not a big deal."

The rest of the evening is spent with idle chatter, and a bit of alcohol. You have a small glass of brandy yourself.

[day 2's living expenses: 3,5 g for rooms, 45 copper for food, and 13,5 silver for drinks, and 3 silver for accomodating the horses, a total of 5 gold & 6 silver coins]

[Anything you wanna add or change for now? Default schedule is Alice paying for martial training tomorrow, and spending some time recovering some negative energy.]
>Anything to add or change?

[Also looking into creating a new arm for Nar. The majority voted for negative energy infused metal arm - will you try to do this by yourself, or will you seek aid from your spiritual acquaintance Arrum?]
>Do arm prosthetic stuff all by yourself
>Get help from Arrum

(i dont think ill have time to post more this week. and i dont think ill post more today either. ah well)

>>3422490
>>Anything to add or change?
no we should be fine

>Get help from Arrum
he genuinely looked sad when we we met last time(first time), so why not ask for tipps and help, then ask him if there is something we could help him with

in regards to sierra, she could either read about magic and learn more about monsters, that would pay off in the long run, or she could think about what she can do outside of magic, maybe something her family did to earn money?
tell her to think about it, maybe try a few days, if it doesn't work out, no big deal, just read, train, learn

>>3422490
>get help from arrum
ask first what he wants in exchange though (if he already had some kind of offer in our first meeting i forgot)
maybe we can also make a deal with him, if again the cost in exchange wouldn't be too high, if he could act as or get something else to act as a supply of dark energy for us in emergency situations

>>3422523
>>3422503

I like both ideas about dealing with Arrum, the important part is to ask first what he would want in exchange so we could evaluate if we want to pay for it or not,and the emergency dark energy too

as for Sierra, our room stay is rather expensive, maybe she could help around while we train to make things cheaper and take the evenings off to study the monster manual so she can let us know about whatever we encounter on the road

>>3422490
Keep the routine, only let the daze overtake us if we are alone and confortable while feeding Tina, it's a private matter.

Get Arrum's help for the arm, and inform Nar of whatever price it will have, he will help pay for it.

Sierra can help by selling our loot in the market, she did ok last time so she can try to do it here, tell her to go after the burocracy needed and set up shop when she can

>>3422490
>Get help from Arrum
It's one thing to create a creature by just chucking dark magic at it. It's a whole other ballgame to create a tool that will outlast it's master.

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>>3422490
Finally I caught up with the story.

>>3422490
>spending some time recovering some negative energy.]
>Anything to add or change?
Just take a note of not being too obvious concerning our little pool of energy. We still have that spell and can't mean troubles. So any now and then take a time then, not everyday. Also add to read about rituals and incantations. Sierra has the book I think, would be nice to know how to make magic traps/curses or something like that.
Also also, go to the guards office, like that place with the fox girl, to see if there any "wanted" people for bounty and to get dark energy easier. We can get subjects and many things. Of course it doesn't have to be next day, but between the month.

>>3422490
>>Get help from Arrum
I wanted to suggest to practice the magic circle in case we forget how to draw it, but maybe is not necessary.

>>3418015
Seems like my map means nothing to you, OP.

>>3422756
It's okay Anon, I appreciate your efforts despite My being a voice in my owner's head.

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>>3422555
>maybe she could help around while we train to make things cheaper
could you specify? do you mean like just looking for a temp job some more?

>>3422756
Agateophilia? if it meant nothing i wouldnt have saved both versions in my quest folder

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>>3422783
>i wouldnt have saved both versions in my quest folder
Oh my gosh, and you even remember me!

>>3422783
I think he meant help around at the inn, as a temp job, which is not a bad idea too.

>>3422555
>>3422607
>he will help pay for it.
This is an important point btw. I mean, he IS technically ours, but he HAS pretty much freedom and for that I think is correctly that he pays part of the price.

>>3422490
>>Anything to add or change?
>>Get help from Arrum
I also suggest to venture further and ask for a method and price to enhance/increase our cap limit of dark energy AND if we can infuse that stone/crystal we got into our body.

>>3422827
we don't really need to put that stone somewhere, as far as i am aware we just need it in a pocket on our person to use it

>>3422840
That wasn't my intention, anon. In the seek of power, for purpose of grow and story development we should do that kind of things, experimenting with otherworldly forces into our body, summons, "friends", even if the effects aren't so significant, so we can open doors to others stories and characters. My suggestion is just one of them, just one step more to all those things. Also would be cool having a dark crystal embedded in our forehead, hand or so.

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>>3422853
>Also would be cool having a dark crystal embedded in our forehead, hand or so.
Why not in our chest? There's a lot more room there.

>>3422860
Please let's not put the cristal in our body, but I agree that we can ask that thing about increasing our dark energy reserve, or for an easier way to colect dark energy

>>3422853
pretty cool idea imo. And yeah it could "open doors", like you say. I wont promise what, of course, but creative ideas like these are always welcome.

>>3422853
>>3422955
just to be clear though, if you do stuff like affixing a magical gemstone inside your body like that, i will most likely grant it some improvement over simply using it as it is now. But if you wanna go that route you may wanna invest in a gemstone with a stronger enchantment first.
And of course the vote would need some traction, since its not something everybody either wants or are neutral about.

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>>3423078
What if we craft a mounting slot into our ribcage so we can switch out the gems at will?

>>3423104
calm down buddy, one step at a time

>>3423104
ow and ew and neat.
I dont think something you dont permanently affix to you would merit as much, so i would be reluctant to grant that any particular bonus. sort of an equivalent exchange deal, ya know

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>>3423111
You're right, we're barely past the first gate of no return. I'll calm down for now.
But seriously though, wouldn't a mounting system be so useful to have on ourselves or our minions? Think about it for a bit.

>>3423118
Eh fair enough. I just like the idea of flexibility.

>>3423126
i would suggest, if we go down that route, we could use the strongest stones in ourself and weaker, or stones with different uses in jewelry

>3423126
>3423118
Wait a minute, I may have found another use for that mounting system.
What if you can choose to permanently affix said jewel to said system for more power at the cost of flexibility. And it also provides protection for said gem to protect it from all but the most destructive of magics and the like in combat, since it's basically protected in it's own form of plate.
This would allow us more paths to go down in terms of research and development with the merging of organic and machine.

>>3423145
Fug I did a hurp
>>3423126
>>3423118

>>3423145
im not entirely sure i follow, but generally speaking, enchanting a gemstone with generally always make it more durable. Doubly so if it is permanently affixed into your very being, essentially making it part of you.

>>3423145
>>3423158
how about we start putting gemstones into our spine whip? it is organic so it's a combination of both gem crafting magic and necromancy and can get us some nifty bonuses without poking holes in our ribcage for gems

>>3423158
I'm running under the assumption that regardless of enchantment that gemstones will undertake damage that can be considerably irreparable or get oneshotted by some plucky nobody with a wooden mallet because they had the power of god and elvish cartoons on his side strengthening his blows. Thus by encasing it in armor it increases the survivability rate and will buy the wielder time to get the fuck out without losing their investment.

>>3423172
It could work, however it might just simply be considered as another form of enchantment. Also I'm reminded of the first two Diablo games by that idea so it might be affecting my stance on the matter.

>>3423199
I meant as a test and to see how the process works, I don't like the idea of mounting gems on our body but we could start with the whip, I don't know

>>3423183
Well if they have the power of a god, encasing it in armor wont make much of a difference.
But no, no damage is irreparable, even broken magical gear can be fixed.

>>3423172
They whip simply being made of bone doesn't unto itself strengthen any gems affixed in it. My reasoning for allowing an enchanted gemstone affixed into your skull (for example) to be stronger, is a mix of "hey its cool", and the risk/reward aspect of it. It shows a certain commitment too. Hoping that sheds some light on it.

>>3423205
No no no! It's a good idea. I'm not shittalking it.

>>3423210
>Well if they have the power of a god, encasing it in armor wont make much of a difference.
I was using as a joking metaphor. And as a rough example in stories where the good guy for some reason is able to break the weakspot on the badguy that's just hanging out unprotected.

>>3423224
I see. Well. Like I said, embedding a gemstone like that into your forehead would definitely make it stronger, and very hard to break with mundane means. That is not to say it wont be possible, but thats really the case with any gear you get, just that this one will be even harder. I wouldnt just handwave the decision either, if someone is able to they better have a good reason as for why they are able to, other than "uhh i guess it was a lucky shot". It's durable, and no amount of luck is gonna change that. The most likely candidates to break it wouldb be either a strong-ass barbarian whack-a-mole'ing you, or a wizard disenchanting it (which wont be easy or cheap either).

>>3423258
Ah alright, I understand your viewpoint and I'll cool it for now. Maybe I should think of another idea that would have more substantial use in this world.

>>3423258
np from my side. i just want to be sure that y'all know what you get into before you do it, otherwise you may feel you got something you didnt pay for, or sth. And again, im fine with the idea, but it'll need player votes to get rolling at some point.

>>3423126
>our minions
>>3423172
>>3423210
>"hey its cool", and the risk/reward aspect of it. It shows a certain commitment too.
Honestly, I'm totally into embed them in our body, but as Weaver say, we should use stronger, so in the mean time like "Embedded Gems in bodies 101", buy some and use them in our zombies as we progressive learn how to use them effectively.
So, to begin doing this, we must ask Arrum to teach us the ropes or something, is a good lead.

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>>3423278
Btw Op, just to make sure you know, I actually really liked how you used another perspective to tell the story here >>3417991 Is kinda refreshing and I think it would be nice if you do more often.

>>3435703
thanks, glad you liked it, and i appreciate the feedback. I'll think about how to try out stuff more, but dont expect a lot of me, lol...

When you've gone to sleep that night, you have a dream. A particularly vivid one. It feels like you wake up in the room you've rented, but a chill is in the air, and the proportions of the rooms seems to shift about for a brief moment. You recognize this effect, and realize you haven't woken up yet. And sure enough, when you look around you see the spirit calling himself Arrum again, floating ominously in the room. His body appear to be made of unsettled smoke with slender arms and fingers, and a single red light acting as his eye behind a cloak of darkness.

Knowing that you're just in a dream gives you a degree of control over the area, and you utilize this to rise up from the bed in a sitting position in the air, face to face with the spirit.

"Greetings Alice. The witching hour is here, and I thought I would pay a visit. That is something this one assumes builds towards a friendship, yes?" Arrum asks in his deep & muffled voice.

"..Hi. And, I guess so."

There's a pause where neither of you say anything.

"..Truthfully, I have a request", he finally breaks the silence with. "I would like for you to destroy a certain object for me, an eyesore. Although, I am ashamed to urge Alice in this way, since she has not asked anything of me. I fear she may grow resentful of me if I demand too much of you."

"Like I said last time, I won't dislike you for simply asking, I can always just say no if it sounds too troublesome, you know. Besides, you've been pretty polite, for an invasive spirit."

"Hmm. Yes, I see. I'm glad you are a judicious person to bargain with. Delightful", he exclaims with little change of tone. "With that being the case, the object in question is a sceptre of silver. Pretty, but more importantly, it's got a pretty stone in it, which is an eyesore. A certain.. acquaintance.. of mine made it."

"First of all, why do you want it destroyed? And second, if I do it, can I expect your acquaintance to react to it?"

"Troublesome. Information is valuable, but I sense that Alice will not want to help me without it. Conflicting... I think it may be appropriate. Said spirit has no real control over the material world, just like me. They will without a doubt resent you for this action, but they are trivial. A meek spirit who subsists only at the whim of corporeal creatures, he offers a feeling of safety to these people. I dislike this spirit. The sceptre can be found in a 'shop' in your world, it should be named 'Teldor Trinkets', I think."

(cont.)

You nod. "I'll think about it. And while we're on the subject, I have a few questions for you. First one is magic items. I have a servant whose arm is missing, and I've been thinking about ways to use magic to give him a new one. Maybe by enchanting some metal with dark magic. Do you think it's possible?"

"It shouldn't be a problem. I did not know Alice had experience as an artisan of magical tools?"

"She-.. Erh.. I don't. I just thought there'd be no harm in trying it out."

"Wondrous objects of magical nature is a craft of finesse, you can waste a lot of resources in the project before achieving minimal success."

"A lot? That's a shame. Ah well, thanks for telling me anyway."

"Not a problem, this much is basic knowledge, an expected good from a friend", this time you sense something reminiscent of joy in his voice.

"The other thing is..", you begin. "Well I use magic based on negative energy, it seems. And I have this item which allows me to hold a larger quantity of it. Do you know of any good ways to expand my capacity, and thereby my power?"

"Certainly. Using certain objects to store energy in is a common method, much akin to your world's scrolls, potions, wands and such. It is a variant of enchanting, from my perspective. The strongest option I know of, is making the enchantment act as a gateway between your soul and the object in question. Perhaps you know of Liches? A complicated ritual allows these former mortals to bind their souls to a phylactery, an object of great power, thereby gaining something akin to immortality."

He looks off to the side, as though troubled.

(cont.)

"I advice against Lichdom, however", he then says. "While potent, it warps the mind, Alice would not remain herself, I think. There are other ways to achieve power, most Liches were former Humans or other shortlived races, who sought to extend their existence. Instead, Alice could enchant several gemstones, and affix them in an item, like a staff. Binding them together like that can increase the potency of each, though not every object will do for this purpose."

A staff bedecked in gemstones could look cool. Or maybe in your scythe?... Or even your accursed whip, the symbol of your temper.

"Alternatively", he proposes, "embedding an enchanted object into her body is an option, this will allow Alice to attach it to your soul in a safer way than Lichdom. Again, not any object will do, and not every part of the body will serve equally well for this purpose. Please consult me before proceeding, for your own sake."

That turned out to be a lot to take in.

"Right. Anyway. Regarding the metal arm.. What price will you ask, if I want you to help me build it?"

"If Alice provides the material as well as the energy, I will be willing to call us even for destroying the sceptre."

Handy. "I see. Is there anything I should know when choosing the material?"

"Yes. The stronger the better. I think orichalcum is the best choice, if you want quality. Regular steel will do. Adamantine or runefire would be better, of course, but too expensive I think."

Fancy words. You've heard tales of adamantine, but you don't know of the others.

"Thanks again, for the information. I'll get back to you if I decide on anything.. Could you show me the symbol & the ritual again, for calling you? I think I remember them, but just to be sure."

He eagerly agrees, shows you both, and reminds you once again to not show anyone his symbol.

(wont be doing more today i think, but figured itd be best to post what i had for now)

>>3439574
I was one of the persons that advocated for being very distant and careful with Arrum, i don't regret it, but i believe i went a little over board with it, he seems a decent ... person (?)

i would suggest we check out the shop, or shops, until we find it, maybe we find something useful for the ritual as well there
the only thing i am suspicious about is the part of destoroying the scepter, would it be enough to buy it, melt the silver down, or do we have to also destroy the gem?

>>3440475
I would try to lear nome about the scepter and this other entity before doing anything like destroying it

>>3440475
>I was one of the persons that advocated for being very distant and careful with Arrum, i don't regret it, but i believe i went a little over board with it, he seems a decent ... person (?)
To be honest Anon, it never hurts to be careful since we're still starting out and don't truly know much in terms of what all spirits can do and not do.