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 A conversation about life and death

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Ezythyr Coalthane

Ezythyr Coalthane


Posts : 193
Join date : 2016-12-02
Age : 37
Location : Michigan

Character sheet
Name: Ezythyr Coalthane
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points3838
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit Points14

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 23, 2017 3:26 pm

Ezythyr walks to a spot far enough away from the rest of the group so they couldn't overhear. He patiently waits for Cordial, noting her determined expression. He sighs. He was dreading this. It was only a few moments before she was standing before him.

"Right." He starts. "It seems ye and I need to have a conversation. A conversation that I've been avoiding ever since ye've joined us. That's on me. But now things have gotten to the point where I can't avoid it anymore." He gives her a sheepish look. "Not without compromising our friendship." He sighed. "I'm a necromancer." He held up a hand. "But before ye go off on me, I need ye to do something: Tell me everything ye know about necromancy and those that practice it."
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downwarddawn

downwarddawn


Posts : 113
Join date : 2017-02-10
Age : 48
Location : Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Character sheet
Name: Cordial Deadheart
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points2736
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit PointsN/A

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 23, 2017 6:21 pm

Cordial had been open to hearing what the dwarf had to say, but she had not been prepared to answer for her own knowledge (or lack thereof) of necromancers. She was already feeling angry with herself for not realizing sooner that her companion had such vile tendencies. Now she was also angry with herself for not having a better answer to this straight-forward question.

The truth is, Cordial's knowledge is limited to myths and whispers plus her own speculation. She had known growing up that there were necromancers in her extended family, but for as long as she could remember, she had instinctively avoided them. Were she to take the time to examine her beliefs, she would likely have trouble finding what was the impetus for her deep aversion.

She feels to her core that there must be solid reasons for why tieflings are not trusted by others and she wants desperately to escape that curse. She is driven by a desire to do good and while she tries to be patient with those that mistrust her at first, she resents their assumptions. To make a long story short, anything that might make people look down upon tielfings is something she despises and avoids, and this avoidance of a potential part of herself leaves her without a deep knowledge of herself. Plainly, as a hermit, she learned little about herself.

And she doesn't appreciate this necromantic dwarf's intrusion into the positive, productive adventuring situation she had found herself in.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Cordial folded her arms in front of her and glared down at her companion. Any attempts at being cordial had been lost in the storm brewing inside her.
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Ezythyr Coalthane

Ezythyr Coalthane


Posts : 193
Join date : 2016-12-02
Age : 37
Location : Michigan

Character sheet
Name: Ezythyr Coalthane
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points3838
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit Points14

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 23, 2017 6:29 pm

Ezythyr waited patiently but clearly a response was not forthcoming. "Right. So I'm assuming just the normal stigmas." He paced back and forth. "As a druid, yer naturally inclined to be averse to my craft, and for good reason." He turned and looked her in the eye. "Most necromancers are vile thieves that force spirits to work and fight against their will." He stood before her, and crossed his arms behind his back. "But I'm a Coalthane. Me clan specializes in necromancy but we did it the right way!" He gave her a wink. "Me clan, way back in me forefathers' days, found there was a power to be had, in the dead. But as dwarves, we're naturally inclined to order and law. So instead of forcing the dead to rise to our whim, we went and got permission."

---

OOC: I'm gonna take a break for a response here.
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downwarddawn

downwarddawn


Posts : 113
Join date : 2017-02-10
Age : 48
Location : Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Character sheet
Name: Cordial Deadheart
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points2736
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit PointsN/A

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 23, 2017 6:33 pm

Cordial looks incredulous, "you get permission from the dead." Yes, it's a question, but it doesn't sound that way.
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Ezythyr Coalthane

Ezythyr Coalthane


Posts : 193
Join date : 2016-12-02
Age : 37
Location : Michigan

Character sheet
Name: Ezythyr Coalthane
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points3838
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit Points14

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 23, 2017 6:43 pm

Ezythyr shrugged. "Yes and no. We got permission from the goddess of the dead." He paused. "But yes, the dead too. We contacted an agent of the Raven Queen. A reaper, named Kravitz. He put us in touch with his mistress and we pleaded our case." He sighed. "Ye see, dwarves have many natural enemies, but we don't exactly breed quickly. After a few generations of fighting, we tend to have a surplus of dead, but a deficit of young. So we asked the Raven Queen for permission to raise our dead to fight. She was...unhappy with the request. But we pleaded further. We assured her that we would only raise volunteers of the dead. Only those that chose to fight. She still was not pleased, so she made us swear an oath." He pulled off his cloak and showed Cordial the runes. "This oath. It's a magically binding contract that we will not raise an army of the dead to do evil upon the world, that we will only raise spirits of our own dead, and that should any of us break this oath, they shall be hunted by the reaper and punished for all eternity at the foot of the Raven Queen." He fastens his cloak back on. "Each necromancer is trained well. I started my training when I was but a wee lad of twenty five seasons." He smiles. "At seventy five, I was deemed ready to enter the world and complete my training." His smile fades. "And to find me uncle."

---

OOC: Another pause here.
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downwarddawn

downwarddawn


Posts : 113
Join date : 2017-02-10
Age : 48
Location : Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Character sheet
Name: Cordial Deadheart
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points2736
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit PointsN/A

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeThu Aug 24, 2017 7:43 am

Cordial takes this in, in silence. She softens the slightest bit but is still very skeptical. It's likely Ezythyr can read this on her face. She is torn by her desire to believe her new friend and her need to distrust his motives and to be steadfast to her long- and deeply-held beliefs. She considers for a few moments, pondering any flaws she finds in his story.

"Why?" She asks him bluntly. "Why would the Raven Queen agree to this egregious defiance of her commandments? She would gain nothing from it, and by agreeing to it, she places your clan on almost equal footing with her."
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Ezythyr Coalthane

Ezythyr Coalthane


Posts : 193
Join date : 2016-12-02
Age : 37
Location : Michigan

Character sheet
Name: Ezythyr Coalthane
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points3838
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit Points14

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeThu Aug 24, 2017 4:42 pm

Ezythry goes wide eyed for a moment and then laughs. "Lass, yer askin' me to guess at the mind of a god. I've no idea why she agreed. By all rights, it is a strange deal. Honestly we've been discussing it since the deal started! There are great debates over it within me clan." He chuckles softly. "Theories range anywhere from her settin' us up to fail, all the way to her seein' a grand destiny for us." He shrugs. "Pers'nally, I think she needed us for somethin'. Dunno what, and I probably never will." He goes quiet for a moment. "But I think there's a deeper suspicion colorin' yer perception of me. Ye think me disrespectin' the dead. Raisin' em against natural order." He raises a hand and blue flames spring forth. "Thinkin' me evil."

---

OOC: Can't wait for this reaction. Razz
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downwarddawn

downwarddawn


Posts : 113
Join date : 2017-02-10
Age : 48
Location : Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Character sheet
Name: Cordial Deadheart
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points2736
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit PointsN/A

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 25, 2017 7:50 am

As Ezythyr begins his response, Cordial is torn between believing in his earnestness and being suspicious of whether he would want to mislead her. Then he arrives at the question of her perception of him as evil. This rankles The tiefling, coming to close to questions she avoids asking herself.

She scowls and remains silent, not in an attempt to intimidate Ezythyr. Her scowl is an outwards manifestation of the turmoil inside her as she struggles to push down hints of introspection and allow rational thoughts to surface.

After a long pause, she speaks as evenly as she can, "there are plenty of souls who, once removed from this plane, are too damaged to return in any form. Are these not the ones most eager to volunteer? And what of those you resurrect who don't want to do your bidding, but would have you do theirs? The wisest souls in my experience have been weary and comforted by their permanent retirement. These would not be the sort who would volunteer to return."
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Ezythyr Coalthane

Ezythyr Coalthane


Posts : 193
Join date : 2016-12-02
Age : 37
Location : Michigan

Character sheet
Name: Ezythyr Coalthane
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points3838
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit Points14

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 25, 2017 8:42 am

Ezythyr smiles and lets the flames die down. "Yer right. Which is why we only take our volunteers from our clan. Before they die." He pulls the glove off his right hand and shows her a heavy mithril ring, emblazoned with a complicated sigil. "This is the symbol of me clan. As a highborn, tis me responsibility to lead me clan in life. All o' me family take this responsibility seriously. A few o' us, o' me bloodline only, take it even further. The warriors o' me clan can choose to serve in death as well. Each necromancer in me family gets a...guardian, o' sorts. An ancestor who has volunteered to serve beyond death. Me uncle Kidrin chose to watch over me. He's been with me throughout me training." Here he smirks. "Fifty years o' him berating me with whispers only I can hear."

"Yer damn right. Ye'd be lost wi'out me!"

"I use his energy to power me spells. It doesn't hurt 'im. And once I die, he'll be free to retire." He hesitates a moment. "Eventually, once I do a li'l more research, I'll instill his abilities into some bones." He pulls a femur out of his pack. "These bones. And before ye say anything, they're clean." He packs the bone away. "I'm guessin' ye have questions, so go ahead."
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downwarddawn

downwarddawn


Posts : 113
Join date : 2017-02-10
Age : 48
Location : Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Character sheet
Name: Cordial Deadheart
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points2736
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit PointsN/A

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeSat Aug 26, 2017 9:57 am

Cordial doesn't feel the Ezythyr has answered her question. "So, none in your clan have evil intent, even after they pass? All have been, and continue to be, pure of spirit and intent?"
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Ezythyr Coalthane

Ezythyr Coalthane


Posts : 193
Join date : 2016-12-02
Age : 37
Location : Michigan

Character sheet
Name: Ezythyr Coalthane
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points3838
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit Points14

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeSat Aug 26, 2017 11:00 am

"Seems I'm not being as clear as I'd hoped." Ezythry mutters. "Okay, let's say an evil ancestor of mine does manage to squeak through the oath and is summoned as a guardian. That's assuming a lot, by the by. Anyway, so this evil ancestor is now fuel for a necromancer's spells. He can talk to the necromancer, maybe try to steer him down the path o' darkness, but now yer assuming that after fifty years o' trainin' that that necromancer is gonna listen to the bastard." Ezythyr quickly flushes in embarrassment. "Pardon the outburst, lass." He clears his throat. "What I'm tryin' t'say is that I'm heavily trained, ye ken? Me uncle is abusive enough, though his heart's in the right place."

"Me heart's dust by now, ye cad."

Ezythyr grits his teeth. "But I can shut him up if I choose. I can ignore him. He can do nothin' without me, and has no influence on the world that I don't allow." He sighs and shuffles his feet. "I guess what I'm tryin' to say, lass, is that ye have to trust me. I'm hopin' I've proved meself already, but if it makes ye feel better, just keep an eye on me." He blushes but smiles after a moment. "And I'll keep me eye on ye. I'm not the only one messin' with natural order."
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downwarddawn

downwarddawn


Posts : 113
Join date : 2017-02-10
Age : 48
Location : Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Character sheet
Name: Cordial Deadheart
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points2736
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit PointsN/A

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeSat Aug 26, 2017 11:16 am

Once again, Cordial had been feeling swayed by Ezythyr's reasoning, until he neared the end of his thoughts. Again she went from calming to rankled. She narrowed her eyes at him again (she was starting to appear as though she had developed a natural squint). Her ancestry may be questionable, but she herself was not.

Unconsciously, she stood tall so that she was looming over the dwarf. "I don't know what you're implying but you'd best come right out with it," she said sharply.


Last edited by downwarddawn on Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:56 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : grammar-type-stuff)
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Ezythyr Coalthane

Ezythyr Coalthane


Posts : 193
Join date : 2016-12-02
Age : 37
Location : Michigan

Character sheet
Name: Ezythyr Coalthane
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points3838
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit Points14

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeSat Aug 26, 2017 11:24 am

"Ye heal? Ye cast yer magic and change the nature of a creature? I've heard tales of druids growin' plants and changin' into animals. They might be magics o' nature but does that make 'em natural?" Ezythyr winks. "I'm pullin' yer leg, lass. Just food for thought, ye ken? I know yer kind tends to be favored by nature and ye've earned it well enough." He looks up at her, sincerely. "I'm just askin' ye to extend the same courtesy o' trust, ye ken?"

Suddenly his nose wrinkles in disgust. "Bah! I must be worked up. Me accent's gettin' thicker."
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downwarddawn

downwarddawn


Posts : 113
Join date : 2017-02-10
Age : 48
Location : Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Character sheet
Name: Cordial Deadheart
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points2736
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit PointsN/A

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeMon Aug 28, 2017 5:12 pm

Cordial's mind was reeling. Her experience with the dwarf so far had been positive, and his demeanour and tone as they had been having this discussion had remained congenial for the most part. But his words... they just didn't sit right.

She didn't want to address Ezythyr's comments about healing right now. She wanted to think about them. Such a strange thought, that healing could be anything like necromancy. Were the two practices not diametrically opposed?

Cordial was feeling emotionally spent. This conversation had gone on too long and too near thoughts she didn't want to be thinking. This little man had raised her ire several times, and with the next breath, he seemed to be offering kindness and friendship. Enough. She simply wanted to end this and move along.

"Trust," she mutters, nodding to her companion absently. "We should get back to the others. And the dragon..." she trails off and turns away.
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Ezythyr Coalthane

Ezythyr Coalthane


Posts : 193
Join date : 2016-12-02
Age : 37
Location : Michigan

Character sheet
Name: Ezythyr Coalthane
Hit Points:
Hit PointsCurrentCurrentTotalTotal
Hit PointsHit Points3838
Temporary Hit PointsTemporary Hit Points14

Inspiration: No

A conversation about life and death Empty
PostSubject: Re: A conversation about life and death   A conversation about life and death I_icon_minitimeMon Aug 28, 2017 5:16 pm

Ezythyr followed after. Despite his outwardly calm appearance, he felt uneasy about Cordial's reaction. He hoped he had made his point, but he felt that perhaps his actions would speak louder at this point.

He would just have to show her.
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A conversation about life and death Empty
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