o5 . bone house mingle!

[necrolord]

Who: necrolord and CR!
What: Several teens move into the horrible necromancy mansion, and sometimes they bring their friends.
When: Early March.
Where: Bone House in Gaze.

Content Warnings: Skeletons, discussions of death and grief, violence where marked, vomit where marked. Note all the usual warnings of this character.

Comments

[necrolord]

[ He takes pity. As he waves her along towards the sitting room, he says: ]

Not terribly. But things run a bit differently, where I'm from. Necromancy isn't a spooky little corner of black magic; necromancy is magic. It's the only kind we've got. I could lay out the schools and the ethics if you wanted to hear them, but I think we have more pressing topics to cover.

[ He waves her to his couch, which is old and ornate and faded. ]

There are a few other necromancers in town. No one you need to worry about. Should I make tea?

[frogfear]

[It's a lot to absorb, the idea of a world where necromancy isn't just a branch of magic, but it's the only magic, and apparently perfectly acceptable too. She of course has questions as to the ethics of it in his world, but as he has said, it's not really the time for that.

She lets him usher her into the sitting room and settles in on the couch, resting her elbows on her knees when he admits that he's not the only necromancer in town, but assures her she the others aren't anything to be concerned about.

Of course there are other necromancers. Why wouldn't there be necromancers in the world beyond the Flesh Door?]

Yeah, we can talk the ethics of your magic another time, maybe. I guess you probably already know I can do magic too - just not... that kind of magic. But yeah, some tea would be great. Thank you.

[necrolord]

[ He lets it go, and leaves her to settle there as he goes to prepare the tea. When the kettle is set, he returns and drops into a musty old chair across from her. ]

So. Do you want the recap now, or after you've rested?

[frogfear]

[Willow runs a hand through her damp hair, pushing it back away from her face. She is tired, and it's tempting to put the recap off, but she suspects she will rest easier with at least some answers about this place.]

I'm okay. Let's do the recap.

[necrolord]

[ He tips his head in acknowledgment, and starts with: ]

So. You remember Deerington? In comparing Trench to the dream, you'll find good news and bad news. The good news is that this place physically exists, which makes it a bit less [ he gestures, vaguely ] whimsically insubstantial. More stable, more reliable. But that's a low bar, because we have a whole pantheon of Pthumerians pulling our strings, and each one of them wants to see a different dance.

[frogfear]

[Willow nods as he speaks, listening carefully. It makes sense, she supposes, and it was nothing less than she had hoped for, that at least Trench would be more stable than Deerington was.]

So, no worrying about waking up to find out the whole town has gone all Wild, Wild West on us. That's something at least.

[The news about the Pthumerians still being a presence, and what sounds like a particularly problematic one is a little less welcome, but equally unsurprising. From the Moon Presence to Mother Superior, it was pretty clear in the dream that how they felt about Sleepers varied wildly.]

How bad are they? I'm guessing they kind of all have their different opinions on us...

[necrolord]

You'll find differing opinions from them, and differing opinions on them. It's a mixed bag.

[ He sits back, considering. ]

They can do a lot of damage under the guise of providing helpful little trials. But they'll hand out blessings, too, and they pick favorites. Every one of us has a patron who's taken an interest, for better or worse.

[frogfear]

I guess that makes sense - that they'd all be as individual as - well, as individual as we are.

[She is not terribly thrilled at the idea of 'helpful little trials' though. There was more than enough of them being thrown into strange and horrifying situations thanks to Julia's nightmare. At least that wasn't entirely intentional.]

It sounds like they might be a little too interested in us on the whole, though. What do you think? How bad are they, really?

[necrolord]

[ His smile is wry and humorless. ]

Personally? I prefer my divinity a little more hands-off.

[ This is, like many things he says, a joke just for him. ]

The whole thing's very mythic. They fight amongst themselves and catch Sleepers up in it; when they're in a bit of a mood, they send plagues. The rules here might be more stable than whatever you saw in the dream, but not by much. You don't have one sleeping Pthumerian, here: we have a dozen that are wide awake and dangerously able to get bored.

[frogfear]

[Willow can't help but think of Glory, and she finds her thoughts are much the same - she would rather the hands off approach as well.]

Yeah. You and me both on that, I think.

[It certainly doesn't sound like, for all the stability Trench supposedly has to offer, they are any better off than they were in the dream. The idea that they've traded one being unconsciously throwing horror at them for a dozen that sound prone to doing so simply because they lack for entertainment doesn't sound particularly promising.]

I'm guessing we don't actually have a way to stop them, or at minimize the damage they could do.

[necrolord]

Not at the moment.

[ This he says quiet and wry. ]

But we're learning. I've been researching them— with a bit of your help, actually. It sounds like your form of magic didn't come through the transition wholly intact. Maybe no one's did. There's been some catching up to do.

[frogfear]

[It's hardly a shock that they don't have a way to at least keep the damage the Pthumerians can potentially do to a minimum. In her experience, there's a good chance that's going to take time, creativity, and probably a bit of luck too.

They'll figure it out.

The news that her magic did not come through intact causes Willow's eyebrows to knit together in concern. Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise, given magic in Deerington could be inconsistent at best, but somehow, she expected more of this world, where by all accounts, their situation should be far more stable.]

Umm... How 'not wholly intact' are we talking here?

[necrolord]

I'd invite you to give it a try, but from the sound of it, there's a risk of... headaches and mysterious feedback, I believe?

[ He does, at least, look sympathetic. ]

It's more consistently shot than in Deerington, if I understand correctly. We've been trying to crack the 'how' and 'why.'

[frogfear]

[No magic certainly does feel like a good reason for why she couldn't stand against Maul. She only barely got away from him the first time he had come after her because she took him off guard with a couple spells.]

Ah... Uh. It's probably not a good idea to even try then when I'm not feeling a hundred percent. I'm guessing we haven't had any real luck yet.

[necrolord]

Not so much.

[ Definitely sympathetic. It's at this point the kettle whistles, and God rises to retrieve their tea. ]

Back in a moment. You think about questions for us to run through.