A Meeting of Fates (Dead and Loving it RP Prequel)

[Vixsor Lumin]

It was a moonless night when they met each other, the assassin and the monster. In the sewers beneath the town of Requal dark thoughts were being thought and darker deeds were being planned. Glimmering eyes watched from an alcove waiting for their employer to appear.

[Madara]

"The Monster", a professor of necromancy, and specialist in the Arcane, appears out of the shadows. Banus Morard, does not come in any sort of full combat gear, nor bearing any apparent arms except the scythe strapped to his back.

He doesn't exactly appear undead...just pale. The white gloves make it even more apparent. He met you here not because of appearance, but because he is a criminal to the state, wanted for some unknown crime. He speaks, "Not my preferred location," he says while dusting off his suit, "but it will do. Now, I have a proposition for you. It isn't your usual style, its not a single gig, but a long-term partnership." His tone is almost a little sarcastic, but that's because he's put at unease when you're the one holding the cards.

[Vixsor Lumin]

A young boy steps out of the alcove. He is wearing tattered clothesand has grime across his face and arms. It is only on incredibly close examination that it becomes clear that the dirt is actually darker colored skin. He smiles at the pale man and says, "Trust me, i dont like it here either, especially when i could be sitting in my chatue. Still, I find it a better idea to dicuss buisness in a private area." at the mention of a partnership, his eyes narrow to cat like slits. "A partnership ties me down much more than my previous jobs. What can you offer me in exchange for my permanent services?"

[NM020110]

The following is not considered to be public knowledge. Read it if you wish, but it shouldn't be used in character.

Spoiler

Show

Not one to let things surprise him, the Librarian watched from a goodly distance away. Within his own private quarters, to be precise.

The pool before him reflected the sewers where the meeting was just now beginning. Though it was unlikely, any potential threats would likely be detected here.

A pair of bearded devils, bound by magic along with their brethren(8 total) to serve for ten days and ten nights, stood by to guard the librarian while his thoughts were elsewhere, several spells ready to influence the course if it should become necessary...

[Madara]

"Refuge. Most people of your....caliber are always on the move. The current rulers...the Geometers...have very strict rules and make life difficult. While I am sure that your abilities make you very hard to track down, it can probably get frustrating when everyone one of your identities starts being hunted.
He steps closer, twirling his jeweled walking stick. "I have recently found someone who, after gathering much knowledge, has reason to promote all forms of activity. Even our more shady ones. I can offer you your own floor in this fortress in exchange for the collection of...subjects. I have developed the ability to control a vast amount of undead, and I want suitable corpses."

He stops to see if the young boy has any questions, tapping his stick on the ground to a familiar and old tune. Now that he's gotten closer, you see a young...girl riding on his back- "piggy-back" style. She is equally pale, but lacks the look of danger or any spark in her eyes.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Tristan had a flashback to flying away as a bird from a burning mansion. The boy's skin seems to melt and flow. Within seconds standing before you is a gray genderless creature wearing the same tattered clothes. He says in a voice very different and alien from the one you heard just seconds ago. "It is annoying to constantly have to establish myself in new areas. It might be nice to have a permanant home. The Geometers dont take kindly to having their puppets killed in their beds."

[Madara]

A true shapeshifter indeed...very skilled, is that his true form? Banus reaches out to shake his hand..and remembers it'd be a bad idea. "If you'll follow me, I can show you the possible lodgings before you make a decision." With that, he pull out a scroll and prepares to cast a teleportation spell.

[Vixsor Lumin]

"Give me just a second." Tistan's body bloats and expands becoming seven feet tall. His skin darkens and his eyes deepen to red. Standing before you is a small dusk giant. Then, even as you watch, the skin lightens again and it takes on the appearance of a human. It looks like a very big human, but a human none the less."Ready." he says in a gruff voice.

[Madara]

The Necromancer casts the spell, and with a surge of magic, and magic colorful lights, the two arrive in a stone room. There are some tapestries on the wall, and torches to light the room. Before them, the room opens into a tunnel leading off. There are several skeletons walking about, and Banus gives his suit coat to one of them.

As he leads down the hallway, there are different doors on the sides, and it seems rather dim and gloomy. He turns to another skeleton "Someone fetch my apprentice from the lab"

While walking, he tells you a little about the place, "The owner, who is obsessed with knowledge, sees pretty much everything, so we don't have to worry about intruders. In addition, the room we teleported into is one of the few one could actually access. In addition to the high defenses, would be the high number of defenders. With your commissioned help, my army would be easily capable of handling whatever the Geometers send our way."

Then, you turn the corner. This area is lit by magic which resembles sunlight, so things are more cheery here. This hall is closer to the necromancer's personal quarters, and so it is decorated with some fine cloths and artwork. It has been a few minutes, and you arrive at the meeting room. The walls are painted blue, and it has a wood floor. The room is very comfortable considering the fact it is hundreds of feet below ground. "Most of this fortress is underground, preventing access from large forces, and keeping the location secret. Relative to the rest of the country, we are on the outskirts..where the military isn't as heavy. Obviously, you would take a different floor, and build it according to your needs, but I want you to be aware of the perks that come with sharing this location."

Spoiler

Show

Blade, you can enter at any time. Same goes for you NM, if you want to come out of your scrying room and actually meet people for once

[Vixsor Lumin]

"Well this is very nice. Would the skeletons listen to me as well? I wouldn't mind having a few servants." Tristan smiles as he looks around. "What kind of work would you have me do?"

[Madara]

The necromancer stretches and smirks, "Sorta. You see, they follow me, because I gave them their intelligence back, and of course gave them unaging, immortal bodies. They would listen to you as much as a normal servant would. As for my army, they are skeletons without minds, they only follow my commands." Its obvious that the necromancer plans on sharing some of his minions, but the smirk shows that it would be limited. He had spent his whole life studying to gain this power, and he wasn't willing to just share it.

He claps his hands, and one of the servants arrives with some wine. "I personally don't drink, or eat, but I like to treat my guests."

"Ah yes, details. You see, I want strong minions. Skeletons, because they lose intelligence, lose all skills they had in their past life. Because of that, those that relied on muscle and sheer force make better soldiers. I want Giants. You have an expertise in killing and infiltration, I would want you to gather proper specimens for...recreation. Sometimes it might be a challenge, depending on the foe, but most of them you could handle. If there is ever a difficult task, I would send either my apprentice or myself to accompany you."
He is finished with the propositions, and looks happy at the outcome. If the deal is made, he plans on making sure you meet the others and get a full tour.

[blade artist]

A gaunt, pale man strides humbly into the room the necromancer is entertaining his new guest. From the skeletons' gossip, spread far already, he heard that the necromancer had brought this person here for a business dealing. After a sidelong look at this new person dining with the necromancer, the man answered his master's summons in a surprisingly living voice, "You have called for me, master?"

[NM020110]

The Librarian sighs and dismisses the spell as the pair teleport off, then uses another spell to recreate the scrying sensor. Though he misses the arrival, their location is not surprising.

Since the potential candidate was now inside the fortress, without having agreed to alliance, it was possible that the candidate could become hostile. In that case...

Heima signaled to one of the devils, calling upon it to teleport to and retrieve its brethren. Soon, the eight bound devils are gathered around the pool, studying the location in preparation for an attack, should it be ordered.

OOC: Paranoia at its finest, here...

[Madara]

"Ah yes, I did call for you. This is our new body collector, Tristan. Go ahead and introduce yourself." The necromancer smiles with pride at his apprentice who he's only had for a few years. Then he turns to the shapeshifter to brag, "He's quite the prodigy. He isn't a specialist like myself, but he took very little time to learn the basics, and will very soon be moving on to leading the army."

[blade artist]

The gaunt man straightens, looking directly in the eyes of the newcomer. His nettled hair and his pale and gaunt skin might suggest him to be undead, but the sparks of his almost glowing golden eyes are unmistakeably alive. Despite his withered skin, he seems to have a slight bulk, that of one used to combat at war with a few light scars to confirm it. "Salutations, I am Stephen Ferrouskull, the apprentice here of Master Morard, and former paladin to the Geometers."

[Vixsor Lumin]

Tristan smiles at Stephan and bows deeply, but doesn't take his eyes off of him. "Your own army? Marching at the front? Not my style, but from the sound of it youll probably enjoy it." He turns to face the necromancer yet again. "I can get you the bodies you need. However, I do have one last quesstion that I need answered before we begin. What do you intend to do with this army, once you have it? You seem to have spent a great deal of time, money, magic, and power on building it, and you have an apprentice necromancer who seems built more towards creating bodies than reanimating them. You just hired one of the most expensive and effective assassins in the Telemachian Empire for an undertimened amount of time, and let's not forget the mysterious landlord who lets you store an undead army in his home. What are you planning that you have taken such grand measures?

[Madara]

"Revelation. Let me ask you. What are the downsides to being undead? You don't need to eat, sleep, or drink. You don't feel pain, and don't age. Downsides; you are hunted down by clerics, and feared by the people who have been fed lies for so long. Undeath is truly a worthy goal." The charismatic man is getting very open and fluent with his words.

"But, because of the Geometers and current set up of the country, undead can't be part of society. I want to end the reign of the Geometers, and establish the undead as acceptable members of society. While humanoids certainly enjoy the benefits of undeath, they don't make the strongest soldiers. I need an army if we are going to defend our place in the world."
That his his goal. Many of his servants had stopped in the hall to listen to him speak of their goal so eloquently. Its obvious that the combination of his speaking ability and charismatic actions make him a natural leader. He has such great ambition that almost nothing seems impossible to him. "And yeah..the guy upstairs wants to become a god." he says quickly, hoping you won't pay it much attention.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Tristan holds his drink and listens in wonder. As Banus speaks, he looks at the gathering crowd of skeletons. They certainly seem happy, at least as far as he can tell. Then the necromancer gets to the last bit. Tristans wonder pops like a soap bubble. "He wants to what now?" he asks in a gruff voice accompanied by a blank stare.

[Madara]

"Look. I'll admit, he's...on the crazy side. He has a good reason, and he knows enough to do it...but no worries. He's just like the elves, been around for so long it takes him an eternity just to take action." Banus tries to recover the situation, He was going to have to find out sometime.

"From what he's told me, many of the gods were once mortals as well. So its not unnatural, just a very large and difficult goal. Besides, he's not mean..just unusual." Hoping to change the topic, Banus inquires more of the Shapechanger, "What about you? Do you have any long term goals?"

[NM020110]

Crazy? Me? Eh, it's no concern of mine unless it causes some interference.

The Librarian writes down a quick note, and beckons to one of the bearded devils. It takes the note and teleports to the pair for delivery to Banus.

Spoiler

Show

I feel that I should inform you that the wardings on this place will not allow Tristan to pass unharmed, should he leave your quarters. I will begin the process of replacing them so that Tristan may pass safely, but until then Tristan will be attacked.

I will begin the process tomorrow. For now, I will be coming to meet the new member.

Turning to the remaining devils, Heima leaves instructions.

"Watch them. If any threat makes itself apparent, find me."

With the proper instructions laid, Heima enters the labyrinth through the illusory wall and begins walking towards where the quarters are. On average, this should take about ten minutes.

[Madara]

Banus isn't surprised by the note, that man was certainly over-cautious, beyond paranoid. But still, it kept them safe. "I forgot to mention the warding. As it is, if you leave these chambers you will be attacked, because you aren't recognized as a member of the dungeon by the security system. So I apologize, but it looks like you'll have to stay here for awhile."

Banus remains relatively calm as he switches from a sort of personal tone to a down-to-business type. However, in all the hustle and bustle, he remains charismatic and aware of his guest. He turns to his apprentice, and then to Tristan.

"Stephan, we'll need to make appropriate accommodations for our guest, tell the servants to bring the full bed and spare no comfort. Also, it seems our meeting has reached his attention, he wants to meet Tristan in person."

[Vixsor Lumin]

Tristan was about to answer when a devil popped between the two of them. Surprise was the only thing that stopped him from attacking it before noticing that it was carrying a note. After hearing the message, "I guess ill be staying in here for awhile. At least i get to meet our mysterious benefactor." he says with a smile."My goals are somewhat simple compared to yours. i just want to live out my life in comfort. My standards of comfort are... somewhat higher than others, but they are easily achevied. The only other thing I want to do, is kill as many humans as i can in the pursuit of happiness. Call me a racist, but i beleive mankind is a gluttonous blight on the world that needs to be dealt with."

[Madara]

The Necropolitan Lord is amused. He's evil. I suppose all assassins are when you get down to it..but for a goal to be genocide, that's evil.

"You do realize that I am, was, human? One might take offense at such a comment," Banus says in jest. "Nonetheless, I am glad we can be partners." The Necropolitan puts his white glove back on and shakes the shapechanger's hand. Normally, my touch would be rather awful for the living, luckily I have these gloves.

[Vixsor Lumin]

"Well you've already died, so im a bit late to that party. Besides, you being in possesion of an army is quite the barganing chip when it comes to your life." He says with a laugh. However he pointedly doesnt look at Stephen, afraid of speaking ill of Banus' "prodigy" but still lumping him in with the rest of humanity. Still, not all of the humans needed to die. As long as Stephen was useful he would tolerate him.

[Madara]

Banus thinks about his apprentice I need to watch out for him, this one is dangerous. Then Banus does something unusual, he speaks about his past, "I understand why you despise humans, I grew up understanding that. In their short lifetime, they need to knock others down just to achieve something. I grew up in poverty, my parents having been killed in the war. Later I was adopted by my master who trained me in my art."

Spoiler

Show

Bluff check for the half-truth: (1d20+19)[32]

[Vixsor Lumin]

Spoiler

Show

rolling first, ill edit in after
(1d20+18)[36]

Tristan gives Banus a sidelong glance. "I'm not sure which part of that is untrue, but you'll have to try harder than that to fool me." he laughs then adds, "Well if your parents really were killed by humans, then we have that in common. My parents were killed for not being human, and I was kept in a cage. Only a race of monsters would do something like that."

[Madara]

Spoiler

Show

That's your sense motive!? Darn.. O well. I will add more to this post when you update yours

The necromancer smiles, "But why do you blame the entire race? Likely that's why they killed your parents because of their race. If you continue in such a path, you are a hypocrite, and no better than they are. I can respect revenge, but it should be directed at the right targets. Did you already kill those directly responsible? Have you ever thought about resurrecting your parents?" Once again, his words are fluent, honest, and organized. He is truly hoping to help, believing that a sane ally is stronger than one with a weak resolve and a poor goal.

[Vixsor Lumin]

"Any man worth a damn is a hypocrite. Blind adherance to anything, even your own morals and standards, will weaken you." Then a thought occurs to him. One that never entered his grief addled mind. "I like to think that they're dead, I killed everyone in the town over the course of a few years. Although it is possible that in the months I spent training they may have left the town..."

Spoiler

Show

sheet. hahaha

[Madara]

Spoiler

Show

Where does the +2 misc bonus come from?

"Over a few years? I guess patience is your strong suite. I'm more of a kill them all at once in a moment of awesome power type myself." The necromancer says, joking. Part of building a bond is to enjoy happiness and to understand each others strife.

"Having standards is like having water in a pond. Yes, it slows everyone down with resistance, but it also allows fish to swim. Its much easier to spend life as a hypocrite, but the easy way is not always the better way." With that he pauses and calls for servants. "These 6 will be you personal attendants while you are here. None of them were human in their past life." He smiles again, in his cold manner.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Spoiler

Show

Changeling racial bonus

"Well enjoying what your doing is a good way to keep patient, and there are few things as fun as spending some quiet time pretending to be someone else. When they started thinking there was a curse is when things got really fun." he says smiling. "On the subject of standards, I'm not suggesting we leave the pond, but merely jumping from the pond. There are certain species of fish that jump in the air to catch insects, and I find that is a good analogy for temporarily abondoning your morals to achieve your goals. If those fish refused to leave the water from time to time, a good portion of the population would starve. to make his point he gives himself extra flaps of skin on his neck resembling gills, and his body gradually gets skinnier as if he were wasting away.