You are Alice Ashbedight, and young Black Elven girl who recently became not only a necromancer, but an Undead as well. You are currently sitting with your group behind the "Grumpy Boar" tavern in the city of Oaksberg. Your main objective here is to wait for the month or so it'll take your Dhampir friend to acquire a hero class.

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

>>3506539
i would have suggested he looks around town for maybe a construction job, but considering he has only 1 arm right now...
>Have him look into it himself. His options will be limited by his imagination, but maybe he'll manage to find something?
just make him look around town for a job to see if he can find anything he likes and can do with 1 arm. if he doesn't it is fine, we are kind of a bit the reason he lost it in the first place and he can always pay us back once he has his second arm by further fighting for us.

>>3506539

>Have him look into it himself. His options will be limited by his imagination, but maybe he'll manage to find something?

Or mercenary work inside the city, but tell him to keep it legal.

Now, let's find and investigate about that scepter to see who it belongs to and if we really want it destroyed

>>3506543
>ask him to look for work, he should be getting bored as well just sitting around
And tell him about our plans for an arm, even if we havent decided which option it's gonna be yet

>>3506547
IT seems useful to destroy it, if Tina is going Rogue (hah) she can maybe steal/destroy it of it is too expensive

>>3506551
I know, but the spirit mentioned that the staff was from another entity, it would be foolish to destroy it before knowing who it belongs to and if we want to anger it, and what it's purpose is, maybe it's more useful to us in one piece than destroyed

>>3506553
True about the other entity, information first

Atop the steepest mountain, inside the darkest of caverns, the most precious of treasures can be found...
As for Nar, he's plenty strong, especially now that he's Undead, so manual labour should be an option, but on the other hand he doesn't have the other hand. Well whatever.

Getting his attention, you tell him that "I'm looking into options for giving you an arm back, but in the meantime, see if you can find a way to earn some coin while we're here. Maybe some manual labour or some mercenary work. But it's not all that important, so don't take any illegal jobs or anything. Just, you know, if it's not too much trouble."

"Aye boss, no problem, I'll look for somth'n" he says, with an attitude that tells you he's eager to please.

The rest of the meal is relatively quiet, with only the ambience of a slow morning coming from somewhere inside the tavern, as the breeze gently rustles the vine-leaves in the pergoda, where a small bird with a bright red colour is singing a morning song. It's a nice mood, soothing the soul.

Tina left early for her training, as her teacher wanted to begin before dawn, which suited her quite well.

You finish your meal, and lean back and relax for a little while before you set out to gather some information. First target: a small store nearby, selling a number of goods.

The streets are busy as ever, but you find little trouble going through the crowd, as you've decided to mount up first - people are much more likely to give you your space when you're on top of a large animal. The scythe resting at your shoulder has probably got a say in that as well.

You tie your horse to a pole by the building next to your destination, and head inside the small shop, "Teldor's Trinkets".

It's cramped inside, with no more than a few squaremeters for customers to move about, though you're currently the only customer. Behind a desk parting the room sits a bored looking Human female, mid fifties you'd guess.

"Welcome", she says with a disinterested voice, and hardly even looks at you. When she does though, it seems to wake her up.

Your eyes wander, searching for a silver sceptre of some kind. There's a lot of junk here, crates and baskets filled haphazardly with anything from cheap jewelry to weapons, charms and figurines. A bit of everything, really.

Instead of answering the Human, you look through her wares, discerningly searching for your target. The obvious fear you tasted when she got a good look at you heightens a bit as time goes by.

(cont.)

"..Can I help you with anything?", she asks after a little while.

But that's when you find your target. This has got to be it. It's a nicely shaped thing, but more than a sceptre, you think this is a weapon called a flanged mace. And on its pommel rests a shiny, transparent, orange gem.

You retrieve it from the midst of the weapons it was half-burrowed in, and show it to the Human.

"Price? And do you have any others like this one?"

"Eh? Well uhh.. It's 35 gold coins for that one. And I don't recall have any other ceremonial stuff like that one. Maybe a prayer necklace?", the last part sounds like the Human sees an opportunity to earn more money.

35 gold coins. That's a hefty price. But it does seem to be made entirely of silver, and then there's the gemstone.

"What about just the gem? Can I just buy that?", you offer her.

"I can't just ruin my wares missy, that's bad for business! That's.. Well.."

At first she seems like she's gonna reject the idea harshly, but she pauses, and her eyes dart to your weapon. Not that you're even threatening her or anything.

"Erhh.. Maybe I can make an exception. How about we say 20 for the stone, then?"

It feels pretty expensive for just the stone, if the entire thing was 35. Still, money saved is money earned. You tell her you'll think about it, and then leave the shop.

Back outside you saddle up again, and do some information gathering on the subject of metal ores. You visit smithies, market vendors (where you happen to meet Sierra as well), and even a specialized ore import store.

What you find during your search, is that in order to have enough material for the arm, you have access to the following materials:
Bronze: 10 gold coins.
Iron: 10 gold coins.
Steel: 25 gold coins. Better than iron or bronze, but steeper as well.
Mithral: 450 gold coins. Very durable, and surprisingly light.
Orichalcum: 1200 gold coins. Not light at all, in fact rather heavy. But said to be premium when it comes to durability, on par with dragon scales, allegedly. Only topped by some more exotic materials.

Apparently the rarer metals are rather costly. There's probably a joke to be made here, about costing an arm and a leg. Still, you're not sure you want to spend that kind of money on Nar's arm. He's just a Ghoul, simple fodder. Part of you doesn't agree to that logic, but you ignore that for now.

Well then. An arm and a sceptre... What to do.

[Gonna need two votes here, obivously.]

[Also, 1d20+5, best of up to three for Sierra playing merchant, 2x 1d20 with no modifiers for Nar looking for stuff to do]

Rolled 4, 16, 9 = 29 (3d20)

>>3506606

try and get some information out of the store owner about the mace, where it is from, who made it and if she doesn't know more about it, who could we ask to

as for the arm, I would say to make it out of Iron, but before buying we have to see if we will destroy the jewel, because if we don't we will not know how to build the metal arm and we would have to do a simple necro one

first dice is for sierra the other 2 are for nar

File: Spoiler Image (336 KB, 1360x767)

336 KB JPG

Rolled 13, 3, 14 + 5 = 35 (3d20 + 5)

Ur next scrub
>>3506606
Gather information about the mace, especially it's origins of creation.
As for dice, last is Sierra, first two is Nar.

Rolled 12, 17, 18 = 47 (3d20)

>>3506606
Buy the staff
Buy iron arm

The owner mentioned it being cerimonial, what kind of cerimony?

Rolled 6, 14, 8 = 28 (3d20)

>>3506608
>>3506606

yeah, i agree with this, lets get a bit more info on the origin of the mace

after all that, i think the best idea currently would be to buy it, destroy the gem and sell the mace to someone willing to melt and reforge it into something else

if our money allows that of course, weaver, could you give us a short overview of our current cash?

also rolls

>>3506630
No problem. You have:
-A simple chest, containing 401 copper coins, 46 silver coins, 170 gold coins, and 57 platinum coins
And there are 10 gold in one platinum. All of them are 1:10.

>>3506614
glad to have ya

Rolled 8, 13, 18 = 39 (3d20)

>>3506606
How much of an effect does silver have on undead in-universe? Because even if our team can't use it for equipment, silver can still be useful for other things so buying the entire ceremony mace won't be a waste. The silver can be reforged.

For the arm, I'm leaning towards steel and hoping that it includes treatment to protect against rust and corrosion.

>>3506635
in this setting, silver is useful against werewolves and similar shapeshifters, but have not particular bonus against undead.
Also, just the fact that the arm will be magical will make it somewhat resistant to the wear of time.

>>3506635
the good thing about an artifact arm would be, we could change it out/upgrade it when the need arises or we get access to something better

nar is pretty lucky, it is uncomfortable but the upgrades mean he can have something insanely powerful in theory and as an undead he doesn't have to suffer much for it

>>3506640
correct, you would be able to unequip the arm from him, and put on a new one with different material or such. Since it's an item, it can also be enchanted. But yeah, that stuff takes a lot of gold.

While Arrum did say that the spirit who enchanted the jewel was 'trivial', and had no real control in the physical world, you'd still like to know more about the situation. Maybe you should just wait for nightfall and then ask him again? For now though, you decide to ask at the store.

Back at Teldor's Trinkets, the same old Human is keeping shop. A single Elven customer is browsing for wares. You retrieve the silver mace, and approach the counter.

"I'm guessing this is a store that sells and buys a bit of everything?", you ask. She nods. "Good. This sceptre here", you say and lay it on the counter, "who sold it to you?"

She eyes you warily with wide eyes. "Erhm, just, you know, just some adventurer, I think?... I.. Oh yes, I think it was a Halforc, he was rather rude, and he had a large metal gauntlet on his right hand... It was a few days ago, maybe three or four?"

"Do you know where he is now?"

"I uhh.. I don't know, I think maybe the Thunder Gauntlet guild, or the alehouse near it? If he's still in town.. I don't know.. There was an Elf too, short woman with coloured hair."

You nod, and leave. And after a fruitless visit at the Grumpy Boar, you visit the hero guild instead. And sure enough, you find a Halforc, well-built type with a sturdy armour, a lockable metal gauntlet, and an ornate spear. Sitting by the same table is an Elven woman with blonde pixie cut hair that has got blue stripes in it. Dyed, most likely.

You approach them, and ask them about the silver item.

Turns out they're friendly types, hardly even bat an eye at your appearance. They willingly tell you that they found it in the castle ruins south of Wyvern's Bazar, but that they quickly left because "there were just too damn many minotaurs!", according to the Halforc.

The woman tells you that the item is enchanted with a blessing that makes the wielder, and every ally near it, more resistant to emotion-based magics, and that it had been in a display case of some sort in a small monastary building inside the ruins.

Out of curiousity, the man asks you how much the 'greedy woman' asked you for the sceptre, and is dismayed when you tell him 35 gold coins, claiming that they themselves only got 20 for the ting. In general, you can tell that he didn't like the woman.

>Buy the gem for 20 gold coins, and iron ore for 10 gold coins.
>Something else (specify)

>>3506680
>>Buy the gem for 20 gold coins, and iron ore for 10 gold coins.

[Taking a break, may or may not be back later. May burn sack a city, who knows]

>>3506680
>Buy the gem for 20 gold coins, and iron ore for 10 gold coins.
Sounds good to me.

>>3506680

>Buy the gem for 20 gold coins, and iron ore for 10 gold coins.

So the gem can kinda counter Tina's mind scrambling abilities, one more reason to destroy I guess

>>3506680
yeah, buy it, destroy the thing and be done with it

>>3506721
i don't really see your reasoning, ... but ok

>>3506723
If it was on someone else's hands it could be used against us, just that, not like the chances of some antagonist buying it and coming after us are big I admit.

>>3506680

>Buy the gem for 20 gold coins, and iron ore for 10 gold coins.

You thank the two helpful strangers, and they tell you that it was their pleasure to help, with a friendly manner.

Now that you feel you know enough about the enchanted item, you confidently opt to go back and buy the gem, and some iron ore for later as well. Your horse appears to enjoy the walk, and you brush the side of its neck to show your appreciation of its work.

You do have one last thing to do today though.

You head back towards the Thunder Gauntlet guildhouse in order to hire a trainer to instruct you in the arts of martial combat.

But a pleasant surprise greets you on the way back - in a destitute part of town, a raggedly dressed Halfelf is dragging an ox with a cart along. As the Halfelf is guiding the beast of burden, he's ringing a hand-sized brass bell with his offhand, signalling his arrival.

"Corpsetaker here, get rid of your corpses here! I'll take any cadavers you have for naught but two scraps! Get that nasty smell out of the house, or get rid of 'em before they begin to spoil!"

Peculiar. You haven't ever heard of such a business. The big city can be a strange place. It seems getting rid of corpses can be a burden in here? Maybe it's a result of the density of the buildings here? Either way, it's interesting that he's carrying quite a few cadavers already. You can feel some negative energy emanating from them - not a lot, but no trivial amount either.

You wonder how to best procure it for yourself in an inconspicuous manner. At first you decide to tell him that you can 'exorcise' the 'bad spirits' for free, but you soon realize that offering such a thing for free may be more suspicious than asking money for it. After all, what else would your motive be?

You end up approaching the fellow, and tell him about the dangerous mass of negative energy that he's having by his side, and how it may impact him negatively. He takes the bait, and in the end you're a few coppers richers, and drain all the corpses of all their negative energy. It's not even untrue either, it could impact his health in the long term.

Lucky for both of you.

Back at the Thunder Gauntlet, you seek out a trainer...

A [1d20 for findind a trainer, up to two players may roll]
B [1d20 for breaking the enchanted gemstone for Arrum, up to three players may roll]
C [1d20 for something else, only one roll is needed]
[Each player may roll for more than one thing, for example one player may roll for both A, B and C]

Rolled 19, 1 = 20 (2d20)

>>3509282
I don't trust myself with the single roll

>>3509292
... see, that's exactly what I mean

Rolled 20, 8 = 28 (2d20)

>>3509282

>>3509292
>>3509300
gonna count these as A & B, which means there's room for another roll for B, and C is still open. The player who have rolled A and B are allowed to roll for C as well

Rolled 14, 4, 2 = 20 (3d20)

>>3509282
Rolling rof abc

File: Ecaflip.jpg (16 KB, 246x377)

16 KB JPG

[great luck with finding a good teacher, not a lot of luck with the gem. Got the rolls i need now tho, but prolly wont write it r/n, but i intend to do at least another post tonight]

You answered the letter - now like me, you are part of this place, spellbound to its vile machinations

After your fortunate little run-in, you head back to the guild and pay for a suitable tutor. As luck would have it, you find a Lizardfolk experienced in the use of combat scythes, a good match. He doesn't talk much, which is a little strange at first, but in time you find the silence allows your to focus solely on your training. The majority of which is practive, one on one mock combat.

It's clear that your 'opponent' is far superior in both strength and skill, and he doesn't give you much leniency while sparring. At a point a small degree of irritation presents itself, as you begin to feel somewhat humiliated at the vast difference in your skill, and his indifference to your attacks.
But the fact that it is a wordless session allows you to cool off, and focus in how you can improve. Your wide swings of irritation shift to a more precise manner, focusing on cutting as swiftly an precisely as you can manage. This session is just further evidence that you absoutely need to get better.

There's one thing you find you're better at than him, however. Stamina. You literally don't get tired, but you can tell that he's breathing a little harder as time goes by. Perk of being Undead.

At the end of it all, you thank the Lizardman with a respectful nod, which he returns before retiring for the evening.

Back behind the inn, Tina seems to have had a rough day, a lot of physical training, so you offer her to do her hair.

Sierra tells you that today was rather profitable, more so than she had expected, while stirring a pot hanging over the firepit. Good news. She earned somewhere around four or five hundred gold coins in total, by selling half the remaining loot. Better than expected.

And better still, she claims to have completely identified the spell laid upon you all by the guards: apparently the thing doesn't keep track of anything whatsoever. The only thing it tracks, is your physical location, so that if you're suspected of anything shady, they'll be able to find you. The only downside to such a divination is the fact that they won't know right off the bat if you're innocent of something, but you figure you'll manage. Your encounters with the law have been rather straightforward thus far.

As for the gem... You've testingly hit it a few times with the backside of your hand axe, but it's sturdy. As expected of a magical item. With a different approach, you decide to pour some negative energy into it, and make the tendrils take root and break it from within. You feel like you have an innate understanding of necromantic energies, which seems to extend somewhat into the realm of arcane energies.

But something is wrong. You're not sure why, but your instinct tells you that you did something very wrong. Tina seems to sense it as well, likely because of the necklace you got her, which allows her to sense danger.

(cont.)

In a panicked attempt to undo what you've done, you fumble with the energies, and some sort of invisible force seems to pull everything in the immediate area slightly towards the gem - not a lot, but enough that you can feel the air flow towards it. It happens swiftly, and no more than half a second passes before it's gone. You had feared an explosion of some sort, but instead, the gem just rests on the ground where you threw it, now tainted with a black hue.

Before you can really conteplate what went wrong or what just happened, a voice reveals itself, seemingly coming from the gemstone.

At first it speaks in some foreign tongue, but as you adress it in the Human language, it answers with it as well.

"Who.. Or what are you?"

"What in damnation?! Where am I?! What trickery is this?"
It is a female voice, and they sound equal parts confused, alert, and angry.

No one says anything at first, so you decide to answer. "...You're by the tavern called Grumpy Boar in Oaksberg. And.. Who are you?"

The voice is silent at first, as thought contemplating. "This is... The material realm, the world of the living?"

"..Yeah?"

"Why can't I move? What state am I in, it feels like I can see, but not really.."

"Depending on who you are, that may be difficult to explain, I'm not entirely sure myself yet.. So, who are you?"

The voice answers in an indignant tone. "Are you mocking me?! I am Shar Nemiksel! Are you claiming that I, great mage of the fourth spire, would be unable to understand something of arcane nature? Explain yourself at once!"

(cont.)

"...Right. I have no idea what the fourth spire is, nor who you are, but I don't really mean any disrespect. Either way, I was trying to, well, destroy an enchanted item. But then something else happened, but I'm not sure what. Are you okay, by the way? Are you inside the stone? It's corrupted with negative energy, so most people shouldn't like it.."

"..I'm caught in a stone? Wait a minute.. No. Ah yes.. To answer your question, yes, I'm fine, I think. But this state.. Girl, who are you, a mage of some renown I assume?"

"Not really. I can use some magic though."

"But you said this was Oaksberg, correct? In the land of Eskilan?"

"M-hm."

"I see. That is fortunate, then. I once lived here. Since you have put me in this state, I demand you recompense. You owe me to find a proper vessel to put me in."

"...Come again?"

"You did this to me! I'm trapped, bound to a simple object! Find a suitable vessel for me to use, one with actual limbs, and we'll call it even. I'm sure you'll be able to procure some biped being for me, someone sentenced to die, or a simple slave will do."

Well shit. This got weird fast.

>Try to break the gem again. Don't know and don't care.
>Yeah no. You won't go out of your way for a stranger. But breaking the gem may kill her, so wait untill midnight and consult Arrum on the subject..
>Tell her that you don't owe her anything, but that you'll be willing to look into some sort of solution.
>...Yeah this was kinda your fault. Agree to help her find a proper vessel.

[italic breaks greentext? huh.]

>>3509818
>Tell her that you don't owe her anything, but that you'll be willing to look into some sort of solution.

Explain that we were trying to destroy the stone with negative energy when she appeared inside it, the best we can offer her for now is an undead corpse if she is willing to accept that.

We can look for that half elf and buy/steal one from him

>>3509818
>Yeah no, bringing people back from the dead WHILE SENTIENT only means problems. But breaking the gem may kill her, so wait untill midnight and consult Arrum on the subject..

>>3509891
>>3509894
both of these actually, tell her we can try to help her but we have to consult someone before we do that

now it's us who needs a message to relax, what the fuck

>>3509818
I don't want to not help her, but at the same time we don't know who she is. Telk her we'll think abiut it, but have to gather info first.
Ask her what the "spire(s)" are. Consult arrum and ask who we trapped and what we should do about it

You open you mouth to start a sentence, but sigh out loud instead. What the hell are you supposed to do now. You still need to break the gem, but... Arghh..

You take a moment to collect your thoughts. "Look. If you're truly trapped in that gem, then of course I'll hold off on breaking it fow now, since that may harm or even kill you, I guess. I'm not really sure what happened, and it's not that I absolutely won't help you, but I'll have to look into it first."

"What is there to look into? Just go get a slave or something and we'll be golden. I'm not picky at the moment."

You shake your head. "I don't even.. What would you even do if I brought you someone?"

"Assuming they're a nobody, I should be able to subdue their mind, and use their body for my own", she proudly claims. "Failing that, I'll guide you through a ritual that will do the trick."

"Riiight.. So what is this spire you mentioned? I'd like to know who I'm dealing with."

A moment of silence.

"Hmm. Yes, that makes sense, I suppose. The fourth spire refers to an office of power in the capital of Fair Rule*. As I said, my name is Nemiksel, and I was a Duchess of Silh Aiqa**, but in a large battle I was somehow sent into another realm some decades ago. I didn't think it would be possible to return like this, but.. This is an opportunity."
*Fair Rule is another name for the country of Eskilan, i.e. where you are right now.
**Silh Aiqa is a city somewhere to the east in Eskilan. Suppopsed to be an area where mostly just Elves live.

Really? Huh. "Alright. Well, like i said, I'll look into my options here first, and then I'll get back to you on what will happen. But I'm not sure slavery is even legal around here, and subduing someone's mind sounds a bit like murder.. So yeah, I'll look into what's possible."

"Well it is murder, that's why I asked you to bring a slave of some sort. I'm sure there are still outlaws around, right? Just bring one of those."

"Right.." Easier said than done. It feels like she'll keep nagging untill you agree to her idea, so you just let her have the final word for now.

After the conversation, Sierra asks you a lot of questions about how you did what you did. You do your best to explain it, but it was really hectic in the last part. Nemiksel asks your group a lot of questions as well, mostly about what has happened in her absent years.

(cont.)

Later that night, as you head to bed, you turn to Tina.

"Aurú..? Could you give me a back rub? I could use one.."

She cocks her head with a lightly surprised look at your request, but shrugs with a casual smile. "Sure thing."

You disrobe your cloak and sit down on the bedside. She sits down behind you with crossed legs, and give you a good massage. She doesn't look all that fit, but her slender fingers work with a remarkable firmness, which helps loosen up the muscles on the upper part of your back, and down its ridge when she asks you to lean forward. It can be a little much at times, but all in all it's not a bad feeling.

After about twenty minutes of massage and idle chat you thank her for the back rub.

"Anytime doll. If you're up for getting up early tomorrow, I could do your hair for you? Give you a lovely braid for the day. I know you're not much for getting up early, but it'll be fun, promse!"

"I don't really need sleep anymore, so I don't mind. I'd like that, sounds great. Thanks."

She flashes a grin, "don't mention it!"

It really does suit her with her new set of canines.

Later, approximately midnight, when you feel the timing is right, and Tina is asleep, you use the ritual Arrum taught you. You dip the tip of your finger in some water, and use it to draw a series of small symbols in a square symbol on the floor. Once you're done, you invoke a brief, hushed, incantation, and the usual blur introduces itself to your eyes for a moment, before returning to normal.

(cont.)

For a good moment nothing happens, but it isn't long before a shroud of shadows appears out of thin air, and through it, Arrum emerges.

"Politely hello, Alice. I was just on my way to see you, before she summoned me."

"Hi Arrum."

"You are, by far, the mortal who took the shortest time to get used to me. Ah, but thank you for doing this favour of mine, and as promised, I will of course keep up my end of the deal as well". He looks around, as though searching. "Where is the material that needs work?"

"Uhhh.. What? I didn't break the gem yet."

"Oh? So Alice broke the enchantment rather than the stone itself? That seems like a needlessly complicated way to do it, but I respect the artwork. But no matter, the foul magic is gone."

"Uhh..... I.. Don't know? I tried to break it, but something happened. That's why I called you. Wait, that worked?"

"Correct. You have been helpful to me."

"Oh. I guess that's one issue gone. Another thing, then. Ever heard of the name Nemiksel?". You then proceed to tell him what happened.

"Curious. Fate seems to toy with you. I know of this name, a good friend of mine works for her. He should notice her absence in the abyss shortly."

What.

"...Abyss.. That's.. Hell, isn't it?"

"Something like that."

"..What was she doing in Hell?"

"I sense I have piqued Alices' interest. If Alice will wait for a while, I will ask my friend to tell me what he knows. If I deem the information valuable, I will offer it to you as a favour. Agreeable?"

"Favour, as in I'm gonna pay it back eventually, or as in you're just being nice favour?"

"The former. Friends are kind to each other, and make sure to repay favours owed, after all."

"Makes sense. So what will you want this time?"

"That depends on the worth of the information, which I don't know yet. But I don't have anything in partiuclar I want from you yet. I will let her know when something begs a favour."


>Yeah sure, he's been trustworthy thus far, and you really wanna know who this woman is before doing anything.
>You have enough information for now, you don't need this favour right now.

>>3510897
>>Yeah sure, he's been trustworthy thus far, and you really wanna know who this woman is before doing anything.

i have grown to like him, even if i was very sceptical at first
if his favour is too outrageous, we can still refuse and explain ourself, at worst we still owe him one, in exchange he can do the same

>>3510897

>Yeah sure, he's been trustworthy thus far, and you really wanna know who this woman is before doing anything.

But reserve the right to refuse if its something we would not do, but say that he could pick another if the one he asks we can't do

>>3510904
>>3510914
agreed

still don't trust him and want more info tho

if we ever get in contact with the white raven again we should ask him about this guy

As much as you don't like owing non-specific favours, you think you need this info. And... Did Arrum just admit to being friends with Demons?

"Sounds good, but I'll reserve the right to decline if it turns out to be a favour that I really don't wanna do."

"That is reasonable, I hope to earn Alices' friendship, not her ire. I want you to want to help me, that is much easier to deal with."

"Sounds good. And another thing. Are you friends with a Devil or something like that?"

"Not really, no. I find Demons and Devils to be difficult friends."

"Then the friend you mentioned..?"

"He deals a lot with Demons. He is a creature like me, from the same realm as me. If Alice ever needs to deal with Demons, I could possibly allow you to meet with him. I will ask a favour in return if the time comes, of course..."

After thinking about it for a minute, you finally state your answer. "Okay. Well, deal. I'm interested in the information. Go ahead and contact your spirit friend."

"Just wait here, and I will be back when I've spoken with him."

You nod, and he leaves. It takes a while, and you start to get bored, but eventually he comes back.

"I have information of some worth, though not as much as I had hoped. The one named Nemiksel arrived in the Abyss 57 years ago in an abrupt surge of magic, and she didn't arrive there of her own will, but rather as a result. In your world, she was almost slain, but she was saved by her magics, which bound her to the Abyss. Apparently, she had dealt with Demons well before arriving in the Abyss, utilizing them in a manner similar to how you and I help each other, which in turn meant she had ties to a Hell. That is why she ended up there, instead of dying."

Shady. Then again, you don't really know what it entails. But it sounds shady.

(cont.)

"She arrived in the Abyss with a group of other people, due to the area of the magical burst. Most of them died shortly after, as she traded their lives for favours. She owns a castle in the Abyss by now, and was looking for ways to return to your world, but it is unlikely she will get acesss to her belongings in the Abyss in a timely manner. She is a martial fighter with a great interest in arcane rituals and dealings, and she is of no trivial power. A strong enemy or ally, but ruthless. She's a person who managed to conquer an area in one of the Hells and keep it for her own."

He seems to ponder what else to say.

"I think releasing her is safe, especially if you ask for something in return. But you should not reveal your powers to her. Your gift is special, and she may want to take it with force, maybe. And finally, I am certain that she will want to reclaim her former property in this world. Blood will likely flow. If she succeeds, you make make friends with a person of nobility and a claim of land."

[Anything else you wanna ask him?]

[Also, what will you do with this new information?]
>...No. That's trouble you don't need. Kill her.
>Free her [she claims to be unable to use a dead corpse, but that an Undead would work, though she would prefer a living body]
>Something else [what?]

>>3510973
"Traded lifes" yeah no fuck that bitch

>>3510975
I mean even the fact that her deals brought her to hell means trouble and nothing would guarantee that she would honor any deal we make

>>3510973
"traded their lives for favours"
nope. not trusting her. not at all. i still want to exploit her somehow though, so i'm not certain whether i want to instantly kill her

File: Oaksberg.png (399 KB, 1027x891)

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[taking a break cos im lazy like that. Also, here's an estimate on what Oaksberg looks like top-down, made with a nifty generator I was pointed to]

>>3510973
>Free her [she claims to be unable to use a dead corpse, but that an Undead would work, though she would prefer a living body]


mostly because I don't want to just kill her, from what I heard she could end up back in hell and then we would have an enemy

>>3510973
Ask him if breaking the gem would kill her or send her back to Abyss
If not ask him how we could do it
Ask if he or his friend would like to have the gem

We should study about this woman, get a history book or something

>>3511063
Fair enough, may as well set in stone a judgement instead of going off half cocked.
Supporting.

>>3510973
>>3511063
If she was REALLY evil then we can probably drop her off somewhere to be imprisoned forever.

>>3511077
>>3511067
Yeah, we could deliver her to whoever won that war, if they are the good guys

>>3511092
Also, this war was fairly recent, at least for elven years, so the people who fought her are probably still around.
We were around at that time too, didn't we hear anything about that war?

>inb4 ours and Tina's parents went to that village as war refugees

57 years ago... You don't remember hearing anything about it. Maybe it's the ongoing conflict with the land across the sea? You're not sure how long that one have lasted, but you're pretty sure it's still on.

"Do you have any idea what she did?", you ask Arrum, "Like what her part in the conflict was or such."

"Indeed I do dark one, I had hoped that would interest you. She had ruled the city of Silh Aiqa, and though she was by no means a tyrant, her frequent dealings in dangerous and illegal magic was almost common knowledge. And there were rumours about missing people. My friend informed me that according to herself, the woman had nothing to do with the missing villagers, but she did kill two of her political enemies, as well as a score of troublemakers, like heroes. All of whom were sacraficed to grant her Abyssal might. A bold move, aspiring for greatness. Risky."

"This move", he says, "eventually led to a group of adventurers taking it upon themselves to liberate the city of her nefarious ways. They perished. But they did manage to make it obvious to the world that she dealt with Demons. Whatever had made the Queen tolerate Nemiksel untill then, now changed. And the surrounding nobles were allowed to invade her realm, the one to claim her head would be granted her domain. Many lives lost, but such is war."

There's no doubt that your 'prisoner' has dealt with some wicked stuff, and you're not exactly sure how you wanna handle this. Powerful enemy, if you accidentally antagonize her. She will no doubt hold it against you if you don't help her. But do you really wanna help her? Keeping your secret about your necromancy shouldn't be difficult, but still.

"Would you be interested in buying the gem?", you offer Arrum. "I'm not sure I really want to deal with her myself."

(cont.)

With a thin finger he slowly taps against the palm of his other hand for a few moments before answering. "I would, though I can only offer favours, no gold. However.. I will let Alice know that I will free this woman, should it be within my options, as I want a strong person like her in my debt. I realize this will be.. Undesirable for you, since she may hold a grudge against you for abandoning her. Nevertheless, I would want her favour. I propose that you do not sell it to me."

"I see. Thanks for at least being honest, I guess. What would happen if I simply break the stone? Will it kill her? If not, how could I?"

"I am unsure. Maybe some strong mages could help you. But be thorough. I predict that Nemiksel is difficult to kill, given that she has not really died yet. I don't recommend simply breaking the gem."

...Well. Well, well, well. Maybe drop it in a well?

You sigh. "What about simply discarding it somewhere, hidden? Or handing it over to the local lords?"

"Possible", he answers, "but.. Be careful. She may be able to slowly call sentient beings to the vicinity of the gem, should you hide it. And I would not be surprised if she escapes, should you hand her over to someone insufficiently competent."

...

>You decide to hide the gem, and hope she never breaks out (where?)
>You decide to hand the gem over to the proper authorities (who?)
>You decide to kill her (how?)
>You decide to ask Arrum another question (what?)
>Something else (specify)

>>3512512
>>You decide to ask Arrum another question (what?)
does he know of powerful mages that would have a grudge against her that are still alive, they would have the best chance of getting rid of her
yes i know how that sounds, but she is a serious problem that i do not want free in our realm again

>>3512520
this

also ask if we can send her back to Abyss

>>3512526
that would just mean we get her back to square one, with a serious grudge against us

a quick execution would be best honestly, or have her sentenced for her crimes

>>3512520
+1

>>3512512
>>3512520
A fair suggestion. She doesn't sounds like a bad person, but her ambition is dangerous.
>>3512526
>send her back to Abyss
Definitely no. We have to ensure there is not coming back for her.
>>3512512
>You decide to ask Arrum another question (what?)
>"It is possible to fuse/absorb her spirit/soul into me to gain power? I'm willing to pay a price for the information of how to."
We may kill two birds with one stone.

"Can you point me to some powerful mage then? In case I wanna", and here you draw your thumb across your throat with at choked sound. But once you've done it, you realize that maybe Arrum wouldn't understand the insinutation, he is a rather alien creature after all. But his answer settles your doubt.

"I do not", he flatly refuses. I know very few people from your world. They are difficult to contact. But I'm sure there are competent mages, there are in every world I've seen. But be careful."

You wonder for a moment about banishing her to the Hell she came from... But then she may return. Then again, it did sound like she hadn't been able to travel across the worlds yet. But then again, that's no guarantee she won't be able to.

It's not that you particularly dislike her, you don't know her, but that's really part of the problem. Considering what she's done already, is there anything she won't do? And what would stop her from being trouble to you? She sounds pretty powerful, and while you're fairly confident in your necromancy, you don't have much of an estimate on how powerful you are compared to her.

"...You mentioned something like grafting magic items into a body to increase power.. Would it be possible to steal her strength? Like absorbing her magical powers or something like that. I don't mind paying more if you can help me with it."

He hesitates.

"It is not impossible. This is a huge favour, however. It is costly for me, but I am willing to do it, if it is what Alice wants. A powerful acquaintance, with incentive to help me. But. You will need to prepare some things. A valuable opal is needed, a specific type of gemstone. A particularly brilliant one is needed, at least one worth 300 gold coins. And you will need a sizable quantity of negative energy to empower the spell, about ten times worth the amount you have in you right now."
You have 21 negative energy at the moment, draining a regular peasant's corpse will give you about 3, but stronger people will give more. And you have somewhere around 1100 gold coins.

[What will you do?]
>Ask Arrum something else (specify)
>Hide gem away, hope it's never found again.
>Try to find a mage to help kill her.
>Hand over the gem to someone disinclined to help her.
>Ask for Arrum's help to steal her powers & possibly kill her in the process, and prepare the required opal and negative energy.
>Something else? (write-in)

>>3517395
>>Try to find a mage to help kill her.

we should bury her for now in the garden of the tavern, so no one finds her and then do some research together with sierra on the mages that were part of her time.
depending on that outcome, we can plan ahead

also thank arrum for his time and tell him that we have the iron for Nars arm (i think we already have it in our posession) so that we can do the ritual when it is convenient

>>3517395
>Try to find a mage to help kill her.
>Hand over the gem to someone disinclined to help her.

Either one of these, those people that won the war against her might be interested, if we can send them a message.

>>3517407
I agree here, send Sierra to the library to find anything related to her while we try to find a mage

>>3517395

>Hand over the gem to someone disinclined to help her.

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>>3517395
>Ask for Arrum's help to steal her powers & possibly kill her in the process, and prepare the required opal and negative energy.
Sounds crazy enough to give it a try and I believe we can get everything in this town.

Perhaps destruction is the wisest path here.

You let Arrum know that his help is appreciated, and shelf the issue for now.

"I got some iron, by the way. When can you craft the arm I needed done?"

"Now is fine", he says. "You'll need to wake up, but first I need to prepare. Wait a while."

He draws a few circles unto the floor with his crude talon, each circle containing several arcane glyphs. His talon leaves a trail of bright blue essence, animated liked flames. Some sort of energy.

When done, he asks you to pour a bit of your energy into the runes, which you hesitantly do, marking them with a blacker hue. Your energy feels like an extension of your physical body inside of the glyphs, and it feels like you wield them. Like putting on gloves.

"There", he says, "now you need just wake up, and willfully intend to fashion the material. The spell will do the rest. A favour repaid.

You suddenly wake up. You can still feel the symbols in your hands, but you can no longer see them.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, you carefully get out of bed, and sneak out of the bedroom. The taproom is empty, save for a single drunk who's asleep, and the bored barkeep giving you a polite nod as you pass by. You find a corner, sit down, and bring out the iron you bought.

Once you've got it, you will it to change shape. Unlike what you expected, there are no flashy effects. Just simple iron bending, kneading, and growing together, taking serpentine shapes upon itself until something resembling an arm rest on the table in front of you. You stow it into your bag of holding, and return to your room. Disrobing anew, you huddle up near the sleeping Tina. She groans a little in her sleep as you lie down, but a content smile emerges on her face when you get close, which in turn makes you smile.

(cont.)

The rest of your stay in town is rather eventless.

You meet up regularly with your martial arts trainer, do what you can to obtain a little dark energy here and there, wait for Tina to be done with her training, and subtly look for ways to deal with your prisoner. You've opted to keep said prisoner in your bag of holding for now, so that no one would accidentally pick her up.

You feel like you've gained a lot from your trainer, but maybe that's because you didn't know a lot about fighting to begin with. The result is readily apparent - you've become pretty good at handling a scythe.

Sierra sold the rest of the merchandise, which earned you a courteous copper. She also tried to find any competent mage in town, to which there turned out to be at least a dozen of - several adventurers, a court mage, and some Human of some renown who works which a builder's guild. It isn't clear, however, who would be most suited to help you eradicate your prisoner.

Speaking of Sierra, you need to return to Wyvern's Bazar at some point, in order to "check in", or whatever that woman called it. If you recall correctly, you agreed to return within two months, and you've spent, what, a week or so before you got to Oaksberg?

(cont.)

Nar manages to find some work, and earns a little as well. All in all, you don't lose a lot of money from everyday expenses, even if you disregard the massive amount of money you've earned from trade.
You gave Nar his new arm the day after you made it, and it seems he can just place it upon his shoulder socket, and intend to use it. That activates the enchantment in it, and it hovers in place where his arm were before, and there appears to be no issues using it. If anything, he claims he feels stronger using that arm.

Some of your off time was also spent taking your horses for walks, especially your favourite one. You've found you enjoy these walks, and you feel they deserve some time outside the city every now and then. The one you've taken a liking to has got a majestically white fur, and you make sure it gets taken care of properly.

Tina is tired most of the time, and doesn't have the energy for a lot of things, which is a downer. But her training progresses steadily, and she's done after only two weeks and a few days. She had to go to some sort of ceremony for her final day, but you weren't allowed to come with, 'rogues only', apparently...

You've postponed conctacting the mages in the city, since you couldn't really figure out how you should decide which one were the best suited for the task. Doing something you know nothing about is tedious.. Nemiksel is probably getting annoyed at being told nothing for trapped in the gem in your bag of holding for a few weeks, but you haven't asked her. You're not sure you're even completely commited to killing her. Maybe trying to siphon her strength would be best? At worst you should gain at least some of her strength.

Tina is currently having her ceremony done, whatever it is. And you're sitting in the tavern, a mug of alcohol-light cider in you hand, and wondering what you should do now.

[What to do now? Stay in the city for something? Leave for something? Anything's up. And let me know if I forgot something for your stay here.]

>>3517395
i'd love to steal some power, but it seems too tough a task for us right now, considering our maximum negative energy storage is 60 and we know next to nothing about the process. releaseing her seems too dangerous too.

>Try to find a mage to help kill her.
How do we explain how we got her in there in the first place though?
>>3517694
Is there anything to do around the city, something recreational and fun? if she's not too exhausted let's have some fun with her, she deserves a day off and we haven't had much time to do anything together

>>3517694
Get a look on someone who can destroy the mage, maybe ask the strongest one here.

If Tina is done after today we can check the adventurer's guild for an interesting job for us

>>3517395
>A valuable opal is needed, a specific type of gemstone. A particularly brilliant one is needed, at least one worth 300 gold coins. And you will need a sizable quantity of negative energy to empower the spell,
>>3517694
>[What to do now?
Collect those materials just in case, even if we at the end decided to kill her. The Opal, another gem to size negative energy.
Also is too careless to go for a mage to kill her, let's investigate for people who knows about her, may end up finding someone related to her that is most proficient to kill her. But I still inclined to infuse her into us.

>>3517694
Look at the guild for an adventure or opportunity to our skills and Tina's new skills to a test.

As for the mage, I'd rather kill her...again...
>>3517744
Agree, we need to celebrate Tina's graduation if she is not too tired, take her to somewhere fun, maybe a park or somewhere we can remember how we had fun in the past

>>3517744
supporting

>>3517744
i agree with the fun part, we all gather and have a small celebration that tina is done with her training

>>3517767
if we are at the guild, we could ask around for old and powerful wizards, or, if we have the time look up namksiel in the local library
we might find a name we could use in our search for the mage/wizard

after that, what would you guys think about going back to wyverns bazar for one or two days to check in with sierra, so we have more time for whatever we do after this

>>3517854
I think it's too soon to come back isn't it? if tina finished her training in 2 weeks it's been only 3 weeks since Sierra's "probation" started, we have to wait 2 months

>>3517894
it said within two month, so i just want to get it out of the way
maybe they even have something we could help them with

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Yesterday you visited the city's great library, a garnished complex with two wings and a center area, a large library which had books on a myriad of subjects. Your objective was down one of the wings, at the end of a long purple rug with ornate edges. For some reason this rug gave you a strong impression. Thick and soft enough that you could feel you feet sink half a thumb's length into it. Luxurious.

Down this wing, a library assistant procured the book he believed held the answers you sought. And fortunately it did. You took at seat by a table in a secluded part of the building, hidden between several bookshelves. You flipped through several pages of irrelevant history, but finally found a segment dedicated to the battle that felled Nemiksel.

Unfortunately there was not much of value to be found. Only two pieces of information were relevant: One, that the noble who took over her demesne was named Ralmar Eilua, a noble who, to this day, rules three cities to the east. And two, that in Nemiksel's time as a noble, she was known to be a knight of great strength who participated in four battles.

Great strength... Yeah but how great exactly is great?

Once you were done at the library, you asked around to try to decide who the strongest mage in the city is. Sierra tagged along to help.
From what you found, the subject isn't clear, but the greatest consensus you found was that it will either be the court mage, a certain adventurer belonging to the Thunder Gauntlet, or, surprisingly, the mage working for the builder's guild.

The court mage have been bestowed his position based on his feats as a mage.
The adventurer is rumored to have impressive destructive power, being able to down an entire regiment of soldiers by herself.
The builder's guild mage is a retired adventurer, said to wield notable arcane power from his young years.

You haven't decided who to contact yet, if any of them. How will you know if they are strong enough? And even if they are, how can you be guaranteed that they will help you once you tell them about your predicament? It's nothing short of murder that you're contemplating here.

While gathering information on prospectable mages, you found a prestigious jeweler. When you asked him about the opal, he showed you his collection of opals. According to his prices, three of them should suffice for the ritual, should you decide to enlist Arrum's help to siphon her power.

But those were worries of yesterday. Today, you want to relax, enjoy yourself, and maybe have some fun. You've thought of hosting a feast tonight for you and your companions, once Tina returns.
But if Tina's too tired it's pointless, so you'll wait and see.

But what should you do if she isn't tired? It's kinda troubling really - now that you have all the time in the world to do what you want, you're not sure what to do for fun.

[How do you plan to enjoy some relaxation or fun time? Anything you'd want to do? Or subjects to talk about?]

>>3520840
Lets take Tina alone for a walk in the park, maybe see the city a little since we didn't have the opportunity and this is our first time in a city this big.
Unwind a little with her, we don't need to keep that serious exterior, ask how her training was and how was her test, maybe sit somewhere and pamper her, ask her what she would like to do now that the training is over, we are free and have no one to answer to and can do whatever we want, ask her for suggestions, then if she is feeling ok we take her and the others and do a proper party, with good food and drinks since we have been saving up and they are living of normal food lately, we can play some games and do sort of a challenge, each one of us picks an item and at the end of the party Tina must have stolen them all

As for the mages, I say we go with the guild mage since she can destroy stuff real good and may be open to do the unsavory deed for some money.

>>3520858
i like that idea about tina, worst case scenario, she is too tired and we do it the day after
as for the mages, are you thinking about the adventurer, or the builders guild mage, its not entirely clear to me

>>3520840
i personally would suggest the former adventurer, he should have more experience with weird phenomenons, worst case i assume he has a tipp what to do with her

>>3520887
Was refering to the adventurer girl, but I guess we can check the builder first, not sure he will be willing to help since he is retired but he is old enough to maybe know more about the duchess so I change to him

>>3520858
supporting the time to relax
"do we have to skip town already or the guard is not on our tail yet?" playfully joking
let's pick something that is always on us so we have a chance to detect when she tries to steal it, or amulet or something we keep under our robes

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>>3520840
>>3520858
Supporting about Tina plans

>>3520887
>suggest the former adventurer
Supporting this. Ask him about what he knows about history of the rebellion towards Nemiksel. I smell some conspiracy. She holds great power but I have my doubts about why she seek so much, even to go to hell and yet size terrain there. We were told about not talking about necromancy to her, so my guess is that she wants to revive someone/something OR control something and someone fond it out and started that rebellion. I mean, the spirit told us that she ruled with just at some extent and the coup d'etat feels too sudden for me.

ALSO talk with Sierra how the magic book about rituals is coming along. She's electric magic oriented, so I kinda curious if is helping in anything the book.

AND I still suggest to buy the Opal, just in case at least. Between destroy her (we gain nothing) and siphon her to us (we gain some power we don't now but it is exciting), I prefer the later.

>>3520858
>>3520887
>>3520920
I can dig it
Supporting.