The Necromancer's Pact IX: City of Weeping Ghosts

[King_of_GRiffins]

Elthan

Trying to stay out of the argument as best as possible, but sore he did not think to bring a book to distract him otherwise, he looks over to Retay, and in a dead-pan asks rhetorically, "Retay, what sort of army would you have preferred descend upon your tribe? Would you hate necromancy so much if it were demons instead? I suppose you would hate conjuration then."

He does not intend to reply to any answer, but rather just let the question hang and be thought upon so he can return to his own thoughts.

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Lovely people. We're like one big family. Me and Grynde, Retay and Callos, Tiriel and Callos. Why does Callos antagonize so many people? "Retay. Calm down. I have been traveling with Callos since he was un-dridered, and not once have I seen him raise anyone from the dead. He's been more useful writing little messages that blow his friends up or he has to risk his life activating because skeletons can't read. Although he is a necromancer, he's not a horrible person. He means well even if he screws things up sometimes. He can use magic other than necromancy to support us, but his necromancy is extremely useful when combating Sethra. Sethra is a necromancer who relies a lot on his undead henchmen, but Callos can use his necromantic powers to wrest control of the undead from Sethra. He'll turn Sethra's own undead against him. Sure he's an angry and disagreeable person, but he's not a killer or a murderer. I don't know what he means when he talks about killing innocents because he hasn't killed any in the time I've been traveling with him, except for possibly Linda who was possessed by Sethra. Listen to logic Retay and just ignore how irritable an old man Callos is." Gods I'm being wordy today, and it isn't even annoying jabs at people. Just shut up so I won't have to argue anymore. Or maybe I could just stop weighing in on other people's arguments... No, that won't work.

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel reaches out a hand to stop Callos as he storms past on his way to Retay.

"Stop it. We have better and more important things to do than fight each other." Looking at the barbarian Tirel asks, "Weren't you one of the ones that helped protect and free a vampire last night? A vampire that had previously tried to kill us? Callos has done nothing to deserve your bias." yet. Tiriel thinks to herself. Continuing in a louder voice she says "If you can forgive a vampire then you can at least stop calling crazy old men undeserved names."
Why on earth am I defending him? Well he did save my life yesterday, I think. Well and the last thing I want is for them to dissolve into a fight that could send us all into the cold water...

[Naleh]

Retay

The barbarian looks around, and sighs. They're all against me. It's not a surprise, but he'd held hope. "Grynde, Elthan - how many necromancers are heroes in the tales? How many are villains? I would think that speaks for itself. Fizahn - I'm not the one yelling and leaping about." It's true, he's still seated. "Tell Callos to calm down. Tiriel - that woman was innocent. She did not choose to become a vampire. Callos chose to become a necromancer. And you," he says, turning back to the half-lich, "I believe you."

He pauses to let this sink in. "I can see nothing redeemable about necromancy, but as your friends pointed out to me, I've seen no direct evil on your part. I do believe you could be decent. If I didn't, you'd have been dead on the floor from the hour I saw your arm. But until I see proof, one way or the other, forgive me if I don't go out of my way for you."

[namo]

[OOC: that post did not go through before, so I'm reposting it. But just consider that it came before the current argument, rather than Adalmar being extremely slow.]

Adalmar

Adalmar is fascinated by the tale woven. Something tells him that it is a legend in the making... but first the necromancer must be vanquished.

"I can say a little more. As Callos said, we were separated in that tower east of the lake. We had reached that tower after a trek in the Underdark, something I will not wish on anybody." He shivers, recalling the barely seen aboleth. He is glad Callos briefly mentioned what happened in Kront, his childhood town - it is not something he wants to dwell upon right now.

"I ended up on the west side with the majority of the group. We headed to Immilmar, and we joined with Tryntha and other members of a caravan after an avalanche surprised them.

We had a run-in with a giant iceworm, then we met Rashemen berserkers. A few incidents later we had reached Immilmar...

We managed to convince the Iron Lord of the direness of the situation. As you may have gathered, we mounted the current expedition to retrieve the kris and eliminate Valentine at the same time."

[namo]

[OOC: that post did not go through before, so I'm reposting it. But just consider that it came before the current argument, rather than Adalmar being extremely slow.]

Adalmar

Adalmar is fascinated by the tale woven. Something tells him that it is a legend in the making... but first the necromancer must be vanquished.

"I can say a little more. As Callos said, we were separated in that tower east of the lake. We had reached that tower after a trek in the Underdark, something I will not wish on anybody." He shivers, recalling the barely seen aboleth. He is glad Callos briefly mentioned what happened in Kront, his childhood town - it is not something he wants to dwell upon right now.

"I ended up on the west side with the majority of the group. We headed to Immilmar, and we joined with Tryntha and other members of a caravan after an avalanche surprised them.

We had a run-in with a giant iceworm, then we met Rashemen berserkers. A few incidents later we had reached Immilmar...

We managed to convince the Iron Lord of the direness of the situation. As you may have gathered, we mounted the current expedition to retrieve the kris and eliminate Valentine at the same time."

[namo]

[OOC: that post did not go through before, so I'm reposting it. But just consider that it came before the current argument, rather than Adalmar being extremely slow.]

Adalmar

Adalmar is fascinated by the tale woven. Something tells him that it is a legend in the making... but first the necromancer must be vanquished.

"I can say a little more. As Callos said, we were separated in that tower east of the lake. We had reached that tower after a trek in the Underdark, something I will not wish on anybody." He shivers, recalling the barely seen aboleth. He is glad Callos briefly mentioned what happened in Kront, his childhood town - it is not something he wants to dwell upon right now.

"I ended up on the west side with the majority of the group. We headed to Immilmar, and we joined with Tryntha and other members of a caravan after an avalanche surprised them.

We had a run-in with a giant iceworm, then we met Rashemen berserkers. A few incidents later we had reached Immilmar...

We managed to convince the Iron Lord of the direness of the situation. As you may have gathered, we mounted the current expedition to retrieve the kris and eliminate Valentine at the same time."

[Koji]

Khazrael

"Beeeaaaauuuutiful. Now we can get back to being a ragged band of distrustful but lovable adventurers," says Khazrael. He takes a sip off of his waterskin, wishing he had a bit more wine to rinse away last night's hangover.

He runs a hand through his hair and breaks the momentary silence by saying, "So, hey, Anika. You said you never could stay put for long. I know what that's like, and I'm glad you're still with us. You kept it secret until now, but I hope I can speak for everyone when I say it's good having you with us, panther or not."

[Dr._Bob]

It is a beautiful clear winter day. The bright sun, crystal clear water, and fresh air lift your spirits.

Callos spends the day in arcane rituals designed to identify the deck of cards and Valentine's rapier. The rapier appears to have the ability to drain energy from its victims. The cards appear to have a variety of powers depending on which card is drawn.

Fizahn manages to disassemble the pieces of the boxes and reassemble them into a chessboard. He is left with 20 extra squares that link together to form a square, 6 squares to a side. The empty space inside the square appears to shimmer.


OOC: The rapier is a life-drinker. The deck of cards is a deck of many things.

[Koji]

Khazrael

Khazrael sits back, looking up at the sky with his palms planted on the deck. He's no swordsman, and the cards sound a little too dangerous to play with. The light breeze kicking out over the lake ruffles his hair, and he relaxes, finally letting his mind blank for a time.

At length, he looks around and asks, "Anyone wanna play a game of chess?"

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

"Well, that's kinda what I was trying to set up here. It appears I've got extra squares... And some sort of glowing space. It's not a conventional set up as far as I'm aware. I suppose we'll just have to play and see if anything weird happens..." Fizahn begins setting up the chess board. It takes the gnome a little while to set up the chess set. He also eyes the shimmering square uncertainly. "You know, I haven't actually played since I started adventuring. Chess isn't really part of the standard survival equipment. White goes first and since I set it all up, you have to be black." Fizahn moves his queen pawn forward two squares and smiles at Khaz. "Please don't be any good."

[Koji]

Khazrael

With a smirk, Khazrael moves his king's knight forward and to the right. Internally, he is apprehensive of the set itself, half-expecting the pieces to spring to life and slaughter everyone on board, but covers it with a mask of cool interest in the game.

"The drow actually play this in Undrek'thoz. The rules are a little different, and they call it sava, but there you go. Sorry if I'm a little rusty, I'm mostly used to their game," he says.

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(g,8) to (f,6). En garde!

[Naleh]

Retay

The barbarian settles near the rear of the boat, still turning the Ring of Guilt over in his hand. Telling his story was a great relief, but it wasn't enough. He could never forget. Never.

He sits for a while, absorbing the atmosphere. Things are different today, he notes. The vampire is dead. The demonic army is gone. And we are unsung heroes. In this new light, the argument in the crypt seems so... absurd...

His thoughts turn to his unexpected allies in the fight against murder. Retay hasn't largely associated with either of them before, but he is surprised to find that he doesn't care Khazrael is demonblooded. There are all sorts of myths about demons, of course, but the berserker has never seen any of those proven, and Khazrael is a powerful and motivated member of their little group of spies. Grynde, too, is fearless and aggressive, and would make an excellent warrior if only he could focus his rage outward.

Retay frowns. There were warriors in his tribe who had needed training in the tool of rage - it isn't something people are born with. The older veterans used to take them under wing and teach them how to harness the emotion as strength. Those times are gone now, and anyway, things are different here... but shouldn't he try to teach what he knows to a man who could benefit from it?

The barbarian nods to himself, stands, and crosses the boat to where the half-elf sits...

[Parsley Man]

Razul

Content to sit and listen to the group tell their tales and then break into petty arguments; his decision was made. He had come to remove the undead presence felt by the high priests and these people knew the source, it would not do to leave with the threat still hanging over the land. However there was another problem... These people. Their overall chaotic tendencies were going to be hard for him to abide and so he would need time to figure out just how to handle them; fortunately the voyage produced just that.

[blackfox]

Anika

Anika watches as Fizahn sets up the chess set but frowns as the magical haze appears within the square of squares. "Wait... I wouldn't mess with that until you know what the magic does... Maybe I'm just being too worrisome, but I wouldn't trust anything magical coming from Valentine." She smiles, a rare sight from her. "Also, you two need to teach me how to play sometime--it was a game for nobles back home."

[namo]

Adalmar

Adalmar nods vigorously at Khazrael's remark to Anika. That's the most sensible thing he has said in a long while. He pays some attention to Fizahn's mutters : he has decided it would be a good idea to learn some gnomish, a fun and useful distraction. "Fizahn, mind teaching me a word or two in gnomish from time to time ? Usually I guess people would start with 'My name is...' or 'How much does this cost ?' but in our situation I'm inclined to go with 'Let's destroy the Necromancer'. And you were going to teach Damian anyway..."

A while later, Adalmar goes to sit next to Razul, for he senses some of the priest's uneasiness. The ranger stares at the cold water for a time before speaking. "We're a strange lot, thrown together by the circumstances... But you'll see. With time, we get ever closer... I for one am glad to have you with us." He is also trying to convince himself with those words : what happened with Khazrael and the vampire wasn't at all something he'd have expected.

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

"A game for nobles? This? I'm sorry but the average noble couldn't understand the subtle intricacies involved in an offensive assault in this game. They'd be much too busy playing their simple game of politics." Fizahn says as he moves his queen side bishop out. "Anyway, I'm sure Khaz would love to teach you. I'll be busy teaching Adalmar the best language ever. Let's kill that <insert gnomish filth> necromancer! Close enough to what you said just threw in a few extra fun words."

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c1-f4

[Koji]

Khazrael

A little surprised by Anika's sudden friendliness, it takes Khazrael a second to adjust to it. He shakes a tuft of hair out of his eyes as he nods her over.

"Well...here, come sit with us. We might need you handy if it summons a horde of demons," he says. As she nears, he indicates with his finger the path the knight is taking, moving to one side to offer her a seat and a smile.

"Each of these has its own little move it can take, and that's the hardest part to learn. The knight here can go two forward and one over, and he can jump over the other pieces, and the goal is to capture this piece here, the King."

Beneath his cool facade, he is surprised to find his thoughts racing and his breath coming a little short.

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Knight at (f,6) to (h,5)--we should set up a virtual board or something, assuming the thing didn't explode the instant Fizahn touched a pawn.

I'm also assuming Anika isn't keeping her distance from the board. Obviously I'll have to change my post if she'd rather avoid it.

[Dr._Bob]

The chessboard and pieces themselves seem mundane, though finely crafted. Fizahn and Khazrael soon find themselves immersed in the so called "game of kings". Anika edges closer, intrigued.

The frame created by the extra puzzle pieces is placed off to the side, safely out of the way.

Callos eyes the deck of cards carefully, gingerly shuffling them. He hands the rapier back to Grynde with a warning to be careful - the sword might hurt the half-elf more than it helps him in battle.

Gala sits quietly at the boat's bow, lost in thought. "Do we even know what the kris does?" she asks to no one in particular.

[blackfox]

Anika

Anika rolls her eyes. "I'd hardly be any help with my weapons in the stag's head tower." She sits down between Fizahn and Khazrael, facing the side of the board, and watches the intricacies of the game.

(OOC: Koji, I managed to completely miss your earlier post, I don't really want to retro-edit, so sorry about not acnowledging it. )

[Koji]

Khazrael

He gives Anika an amused grin. "I'll hand you a knife if the rooks get out of hand," he jokes. "Did you lose anything important?"

((OOC: That's fine, blackfox. We'll just assume her reaction was characteristically subtle. ))

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

"Now that's just annoying. I really hate the knights." Fizahn says as he moves a pawn up to guard his bishop. "Don't worry about the frame. I know better than to mess with that. It's probably a transdimensional portal that will destroy us all if I leave it connected for more than a few minutes. We'll let Callos and Elthan handle it at their leisure."

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e2-e3
We should probably continue the game in PM or the Private Conversations where we could work in teaching Anika thread because that way we won't be dominating the IC thread with one sentence posts about which pieces we move and then notify Dr. Bob once you win because XP is good.

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel watches Khazreal and Fizahn's first moves impassively. She'd seen similar games before, had even been taught the basics of one or two, but she had little patience for a game that could take hours, if not days, to end. Still the game's presence is a reminder that this is the first time they'd had some leisure since leaving to make the trip across the lake. How long had that been? Three days? Four? She'd lost track. It felt like it had been much longer than that.

Tiriel lifts her head at Gala's question and a series of lines crease her forehead. She looks at Callos and says "No, I don't think we actually do know what it does. We know that Valentine had it when she raised an army of skeletons against us but that may have just been her power, not that of the kris, right Callos? We have no idea if the kris is tied to necromancy or something else. All I know is that a lot of people seem to want it."

[namo]

Adalmar

He carefully repeats Fizahn's words several times, but he can tell that his pronunciation is lacking. He asks the gnome for a few more basic words, like "Hello", "Thank you", "Bye", "Wait !", "Careful !", "Left", "Right"... (These do not include "Please" since he's not noticed it's not part of Fizahn's vocabulary.)

Gala's incisive question sobers his happy mood somewhat. He considers the question carefully. "Could the kris have a permanent link with Sethra ? One he could use to spy on us, or subvert one of us ?" If this sounds pessimistic, so be it: someone has to consider the worst, if only to discard that possibility.

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@Erikkin:

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

"It wouldn't even need to be something as complex as a permanent beacon or scrying pool on the kris, if Sethra has been around it long enough then he'll simply be able to scry on it. It's that simple. As for what it does...I have no idea. I haven't looked it over, have I?" The words probably would have been more acidic had he been paying attention, but at the moment they just seemed rather distracted. Shuffling the deck of cards over and over in his hands the necromancer made very certain not to single any of them out.

Was it worth the risk? There were surely great benefits to using something like this but great peril too so how best to handle it? On the one hand just tossing it over the side of the ship would ensure nobody used it, for good or bad, and hurt themselves for the trouble. On the other the proper card drawn would be a suitably useful tool against Sethra.

I'll just draw three...that way I have the potential to come out ahead but logically will balance out and fell deeds that'll occur. Maybe Mystara will watch over me...

With a deep breath Callos closed his eyes and drew two cards. It would just be better to have two. Three was too risky.

[namo]

Adalmar

He listens patiently to Callos' reply - it seems he'll never run out of things to learn about magic.

"Callos, what are you doing with those magical cards, by the way ?"

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn translates each word that Adalmar asks him. He's just starting off. I'll teach him the basics and since he's my friend, I'll just screw with him a little. Not right now though. It needs to be when we're around gnomes and he can get slapped for it. Fizahn looks at Adalmar from his position on the ground. So there needs to be a stepstool or a ladder nearby. Fizahn is concentrating on his game with Khazrael trying to think multiple moves ahead of the tiefling when the deck is mentioned. The gnome stands up from the game. "One second Khaz. I want to see what Callos is up to. And maybe look at the magical cards. It sounds like a good concept."

[Koji]

Khazrael

"Hmm, cards...?" He looks over at Fizahn for an answer, but the gnome's attention is on Callos.

Khazrael turns back to Anika and jokes, "See, if we were playing the Drow version of this game, this would be a great time to cheat."

[King_of_GRiffins]

Elthan

"Cards?", it seems both sorcerers iterate. "I suppose if you found nothing magical about them, we might as well deal a game of something."

[Dr._Bob]

Grynde and Retay converse quietly amidships, then begin sparring lightly. The two seem comfortable in each other's company.

Tiriel and Anika watch Khazrael's and Fizahn's chess game with interest.

The game is interrupted, however, when Callos lays the ivory cards out on the deck. Elthan watches intently, and soon Adalmar wanders over as well, leaving Gala alone at the bow.


There are 22 cards, each with a different image engraved upon it. The chess players and spectators turn toward the necromancer who gathers the cards face down, then draws a single card and flips it over.

Throne.

Callos smiles to himself, then reshuffles the deck and draws a second one.

Idiot.

Callos' smile fades and his eyes glaze over. Trembling, his hands reshuffle the deck. His skeletal hand hovers above the deck ...



OOC: Callos has the option to draw another card. He may choose not to.