Book of The Dead

The cold was even worse than Tyron remembered it, though he wasn’t sure if that was because it had gotten worse, or because he’d pushed it from his memory. Regardless, he’d come adequately prepared this time.

The wind picked up outside, sending the constant snowfall battering against the side of the tent, but Tyron paid it no mind. He’d had this specially made, and it had cost him more than he’d expected, a lot more, but had proved to be worth every copper mark. Triple layered canvas, treated to be proof against water, kept the inside as dry as a cookhouse, while the heaters he’d enchanted himself kept it just as warm.

It took four of them, one placed in each corner, but it was enough to stave off the chill and keep him relatively comfortable, which was something of a miracle given the frozen hellscape he was in. Outside, his skeletons surrounded his little pocket of safety. Immune to the cold, heedless of the snow and ice, his minions watched and waited in case another pack of roaming kin came across this hiding spot.

It had taken a while to find this spot, tucked away between two outcroppings of rock. For the past three days, this had been his refuge against the worst of the weather, but it appeared the direction of the wind had changed.

Would it be too much to have his skeletons form an unliving wall to block the snow? How effective would they even be? They were more gap than solid.

Tyron grunted to himself. If something didn’t change soon, he’d just have to bite the bullet and relocate. As much as he didn’t want to leave his tent, if it was needed, then it was needed. He’d been out there plenty of times already, what was one more?

Whatever it was called, this realm only grew more dangerous with time, and fighting on this side of the rift was far more perilous than being on the other side. On several occasions, he’d encountered packs of roaming ice mammoths, though never more than three at a time, thankfully. Against opponents like that, he couldn’t leave his skeletons to fight on their own discretion. His minions would likely win, but how many would he lose? An unacceptable risk.

By applying his magick and directing the fighting personally, he was able to overcome such packs with no permanent damage done to his horde. Although repairs were often required, which slowed things down.

The smaller boar creatures and ice wraiths were far more common, springing up from the snow-covered ground at any moment. The Ice creatures were almost impossible to see in the storms, blending into the flurry of ice and snow without effort. Fortunately, his skeletons could spot them just fine, their strange eyesight picking the creatures out from the sleet. Despite the increase in power he’d experienced, Tyron still had to be cautious here beyond the rift. There were more dangerous creatures than the mammoths roaming the wilds, though he’d never seen one up close, thankfully.

All he’d gotten was the impression of something large, covered in white fur. The hulking creature either hadn’t spotted them, or had other prey in mind as it stalked through the frozen wasteland. Whichever was the case, Tyron was grateful. He hadn’t come here to fight creatures like that, risking his minions and himself.

For the time being, he was perfectly content to battle against the hordes of weaker creatures. Those were the opponents his skeletal army was perfectly equipped to fight.

In one corner of the tent, the bag containing the cores he’d collected bulged, fat and happy. Stopping to cut the cores from the weaker monsters had become a waste of time, given the prevalence of the mammoths, though the Ice Wraiths were usually worth plundering. With such a haul, he’d have plenty to fuel his next experiments and creations, one of his aims for this trip achieved.

The other sat on the floor of the tent in front of him.

Tyron stared down at the blank page, biting his lip absentmindedly as he pondered. Eventually, he realised he was making no progress at all at untangling the thoughts running through his head. Rather than waste any more time trying, he cut his thumb, leaned forward and pressed it into the paper.

The ritual was as short as it was simple, and soon his blood flowed over the paper, forming the letters which became the words which communicated the influence of the Unseen.

It had been awhile since his last status ritual, and the blood continued to flow for longer than he was accustomed, to the point he wondered if he would need to find a second page, forming messages about his proficiency in various skills rising. Tyron began to wonder if extremely levelled individuals like his parents ever had to worry about running out of blood. Someone like Magnin would have had dozens and dozens of Skills and abilities he could level. Tyron knew for a fact his father had gone an entire year between status rituals at least once…. What would his sheet have looked like? How did he even survive the blood loss?!

Eventually, once each of his Skills had been dealt with, the ritual came to the meat of the matter.

You have raised skeletons and they have fought on your behalf. Lord of the Ossuary has reached level 48. You have received +6 Strength, +9 Constitution, +9 Intelligence, +6 Wisdom, +6 Willpower, +6 Manipulation and +9 Poise.

You have utilised Death Magick to cast spells and rituals. Death Mage has reached level 6. You have received +5 Constitution, +5 Willpower, and +5 Poise.

Your patrons have lavished you with gifts and delight to see you using them well. Ensure you continue to utilise your talents to further their ends, lest they become less generous. Forbidden One has reached Level 30. You have received +3 Manipulation, +6 Constitution, +6 Intelligence, +6 Willpower and +3 Poise.

Despite everything he’d done, he’d only gained another three levels in his main Class. It was difficult, but he forced the dissatisfaction he felt aside. He’d risen exceptionally quickly; reaching the Silver ranks as fast as he had was almost unheard of, if he didn’t consider the time he’d taken to learn enchanting. He knew it was absurd to expect he would proceed to level sixty as quickly as he had to level forty. It took years of fighting for most Slayers to reach Gold after promoting to Silver, the most dangerous period of their career.

He needed to be satisfied he was moving forward at all, even though he knew his progress would become even slower in the future.

“Forward is forward,” he told himself.

At least his new sub-class was rising quickly, as it should. Five levels in Death Mage was nothing to sneeze at, and he could look forward to a feat and three new ability selections. As always, the message from his ‘patrons’ brought a sneer to his face. Lavishing him with gifts, were they? He had no doubt that whatever the vampires had done to him counted amongst those ‘gifts’.

For now, he was still too weak to achieve his objectives alone, so he needed their help. That wouldn’t always be the case, but for now, he had to bide his time. Reaching level thirty meant another feat selection for this sub-class as well. Yet more decisions to make.

On top of that, Tyron was determined to spend his general slots as well. He’d hemmed and hawed over the decision for too long, until the weight of indecision had paralysed him. It was past time to break out and spend what he had to spend. They were valuable, unretractable choices, and there were hundreds of possible options and thousands of combinations, but delaying any further was only going to stifle his growth.

Name: Tyron Steelarm.

Age: 23

Race: Human (Level 20)

Class:

Lord of the Ossuary (Level 48)

Sub-Classes:

Forbidden One (Level 30) Focused Enchanter (Level 40)Death Mage (Level 6)Racial Feats:

Level 5: Steady Hand.

Level 10: Night Owl.

Feat Selections Available: 2

Attributes:

Strength:

78

Dexterity:

135

Constitution:

191

Intelligence:

308

Wisdom:

202

Willpower:

167

Charisma:

66

Manipulation:

105

Poise:

122

Several important milestones had been reached, the most important of which was intelligence over three hundred. A formidable number only possible thanks to the favourable stats of the Necromancer and Anathema Classes. With that level of power behind his magick, Tyron was well on his way to achieving both the enormous pool of energy required to fuel his spells and rituals, and the punch necessary to make up for his lack of offence.

Wisdom over two hundred was a great leap forward in his level of control, something he had always excelled at. With the aid of the Unseen breaking through another milestone, his ability to manipulate arcane energy would only rise higher. This would prove particularly useful when enchanting.

General Skills:

Arithmetic (Level 5)(Max)

Handwriting (Level 5)(Max)

Concentration (Level 5)(Max)

Cooking (Level 4)

Sling (Level 3)

Swordsmanship (Level 2)

Sneak (Level 3)

Butchery (Level 5)(Max)

Engraving (Level 5)(Max)

Sculpting (level 3)

Skill Selections Available: 4

Four general Skill selections and two General Feats. These were the most prized slots in any build, not due to their power, but to their versatility. Georg struggled due his relatively clumsy fingers, but that problem could be, if not solved, at least alleviated by the use of a General Feat. A person could become partially ambidextrous, gain better balance, better body control, a more glib tongue, more sensitive hearing, greater store of magick, better sense for the movement of energy, better ability to track objects in motion and almost anything else that could be thought of.

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General Skills were less prized, but no less valuable. The ability to have the Unseen provide the basics of any Skill considered part of itself was incredible. Tyron had taken advantage of this already, learning butchery to help advance his Necromantic career.

“I really did expect I’d have to do a lot more sneaking,” he muttered to himself, staring at the level three ability with a frown.

With a base maximum of only five, these Skills would never be life-changing, but they could help in unexpected ways, and add new dimensions to how a person interacted with their Classes.

After pondering for so long, Tyron knew full well what Feats he wanted to choose. He worked his thumb to force a little more blood from the cut and wrote at the end of the page.

Well of Magick.

Arcane Renewal.

There were a range of things he could have picked, and he’d agonised over many different choices. Resilient Flesh would have coupled with his high Constitution brilliantly, as would Stamina Renewal. The first would make him even tougher, hardening his skin and muscle until it was like corded wood. The latter would have helped him push fatigue even further away, allowing him to push through days and days without food, water or rest.

A classic combination for Mages was Dextrous Hands and Agile Tongue, making it easier to cast using hand sigils and spoken components. Tyron was already extremely proficient with both, but the feats could have helped elevate him to an even higher level. Perhaps.

It wasn’t always possible to know just how great an effect a particular feat would have. It would always work, but how well could vary.

Night Owl paired very well with Tireless, which would have combined to almost deactivate his biological clock. With the sleep spell ready to hand, he never had to worry about getting natural rest, and those two feats combined would have enabled him to function without sleep for so much longer.

In the end, he decided to bow to the demands of his Class. The Necromancer Class demanded an almost unlimited supply of power, and so he would do whatever he could to slake that thirst. Well of Magick should increase his pool by roughly a tenth of its current capacity, and Arcane Renewal would decrease the time it took to refill by a fifth.

Beneath that, he continued to write the list of general Skills he wanted.

Weaving.

Dodging.

Running.

The first choice would, he hoped, prove useful in furthering his craft, even a little. With any luck, Weaving would assist in his bone stitching. He’d run into some roadblocks in that area, and perhaps this Skill would help shine some light to get him through.

The last two were quite obvious in their utility. He was never going to be able to stand and fight with any proficiency. If a level five dodge saved him even once, it was worth it. If a level five run helped him escape even once, it was worth it.

With those choices written in blood, it was time for the class selections.

Necromancer Skills:

Corpse Appraisal (Level 20)(Max)

Corpse Preparation (Level 20)(Max)

Advanced Death Magick (Level 20)(Max)

Enhanced Minion Commander (Level 14)

Undead Control (Level 10)(Max)

Minion Modification (Level 10)(Max)

Bone-Soul Melding (Level 12)

Death Infusion (Level 5)

Bone Forging (Level 15)

Anathema Skills:

Abyss Tongue (Level 6)

Spell Concealment (Level 10)(Max)

Arcanist Skills:

Expert Magick Scripting (Level 30)(Max)

Channelling (Level 10)(Max)

Pliance Control (Level 10)(Max)

Expanded Sigil Formation (Level 19)

Core Linking (Level 10)(Max)

Advanced Fine Motor Control (Level 18)

Expert Network Formation (Level 29)

Advanced Conduit Magick (Level 20)(Max)

Advanced Core Sense (Level 16)

Expert Power Control (Level 28)

General Spells:

Globe of Light (Level 5)(Max)

Sleep (Level 5)(Max)

Magick Bolt (Level 5)(Max)

Magick Eye (Level 5)(Max)

Necromancer Spells:

Raise Dead (Level 36)

Bone Animus (Level 28)

Commune with Spirits (Level 10)(Max)

Shivering Curse (Level 10)(Max)

Death Blades (Level 10)(Max)

Empowered Bone Armour (Level 8)

Minion Sight (Level 10)(Max)

Spirit Binding (Level 10)(Max)

Death’s Grasp (Level 7)

Anoint Dead (Level 7)

Black Miasma (Level 8)

Death Bolt (Level 10)(Max)

Summon the Ossuary (Level 5)

Bone Lance(Level 3)

Anathema Spells:

Pierce the Veil (Level 10)(Max)

Appeal to the Court (Level 5)

Dark Communion (Level 1)

Advanced Suppress Mind (Level 20)(Max)

Repository (Level 10)(Max)

Fear (Level 5)

Glamour (Level 10)(Max)

Advanced Invasive Persuasion (Level 12)

Crone’s Shade (Level 8)

Bewitch (Level 10)(Max)

Necromancer Feats:

Skeleton Focus III

Magick Battery II

Bone Mastery

Spirit Mastery

Undead Specialist

Awaken the Altar

Anathema Feats:

Repository

Wall of Thought II

Drain Life

Stormwise

Arcanist Feats

Magick Thread Control II

Compact Sigils II

Conduit Seal II

Core Networking II

Mysteries:

Spell Shaping (Advanced): INT +20 WIS +20

Words of Power (Advanced): WIS +20 CHA +20

Essence of Death (Initial): INT +3 WILL +3

Soul Magick (Initial): WIS+3 CHA +3

Lord of the Ossuary has reached Level 48. Choose two additional Skills or Spells:

Skills:

Corpse Divining - Deepen your connection to the dead, allowing you to understand them more fully. Will replace Corpse Appraisal and raise its maximum level by 10.

Corpse Singing - Enhance your ability to empower remains, cleansing and purifying them. Will replace Corpse Preparation and raise its maximum level by 10.

Spells:

Skeletal Sacrifice - Detonate a skeleton to shower your foe in shards of bone.

Ossuary Vent - Create an opening through which the energy of the Ossuary can be extracted.

Blessing of Bone - Invigorate your Skeletons, empowering them to greater speed.

Forbidden One has reached level 30. Choose two additional Skills or Spells:

Skills:

Corrupting Presence - Subvert the Will to resist from those around you.

Dimension Weaving - Improve your capacity to manipulate the Dimensional Weave.

Crone’s Gaze - Sense the inner motives of another when meeting their gaze.

Raven Speech - Communicate with the children of the Old God.

Spells:

Advanced Bewitch - Replace Bewitch and increase the maximum level by 10.

Blood Shield - Draw the essence from your opponents to form a protective barrier.

Flesh to Power -Sacrifice your own body, or the body of another, to generate magick.

Death Mage has reached level 6. Choose three additional Skills or Spells:

Skills:

Curse Weaving - Enhance your capacity to manipulate curses.

Expert Death Magick - Replaces Advanced Death Magick and raises the maximum level by 10.

Spells:

Greater Death Bolt - Will replace Death Bolt and raise its maximum level by 10.

Sap Life - Drain lifeforce from an opponent to invigorate yourself.

Wilting Curse - Weaken and enfeeble your foes.

Death Fist - Will replace Death’s Grasp and raise its maximum level by 10.

Forbidden One has reached level 30. Choose an additional Feat:

Dark Favour - Curry favour and strengthen your connection to the Dark Ones.

Abyssal Favour - Curry favour and strengthen your connection to the Abyss.

Scarlet Favour - Curry favour and strengthen your connection to the Scarlet Court.

Ruler in Shade - Your false faces are harder to break and see through.

Corroding Presence - Encourage Death Magick growth in all around you, even the living.

Bewitching Gaze - Those who look into your eyes are more susceptible to magickal influence.

Black Soul - Tune your spirit to the void.

Dead Flesh - Adapt your body to contain death aligned energy.

Still Blood - Your blood will cease to flow, and change.

Death Mage has reached level 5. Choose an additional Feat:

Efficient Death I - Your mastery will allow you to achieve more with less.

Empowered Death I - Your mastery will strengthen your spells to greater heights.

Penetrating Death Bolt - Your Death Bolt will pierce.

Death Conversion - You will be faster when converting normal magick to Death Aligned magick.

Curse Tuner - Curses you apply to others will have the opposite effect on you.

Death Sense - Detect nearby sources of Death Magick.

Deaden Self - Your sense of pain will grow dull.

Eyes of the Grave - You will see as the spirits see.

Rot Claws - Your hands will generate Death Magick in your nails.

Fallen Shadow - You may store Death aligned energy in your shadow.

Tyron’s abilities continued to grow apace as his Skills and Spells improved, but he wasn’t satisfied with this level of progress. He needed to make greater leaps, get ahead of the Unseen. His Mysteries remained stubbornly frozen in place, refusing to progress even as he learned and grew.

There were many difficult choices to make in this ritual, and some he honestly didn’t want to make.

Death Mage was relatively simple. Greater Death Bolt, Death Fist and Sap Life were all useful choices. With his greater capacity to contribute more directly to the fight, increasing his personal offensive options made good sense. TMeanwhile, the Death Mage feats were a welcome surprise. Efficient Death would be nice, allowing him to cast more spells using less energy, and he would choose it if that was all it did. If the Unseen decided it also applied to the energy drawn by his minions… then it would be incredibly powerful. He had to take it to find out, so take it he did, despite there being other interesting options.

For Lord of the Ossuary, he had to stop and think. Both of the new options, which would replace Corpse Preparation and Appraisal, would be useful and powerful… IF circumstances hadn’t recently changed. Were he to be handling all of the remains himself, then they would be amazing, but if others with specialised Classes would be doing those things for him… then they would be two wasted slots. Just how much did he trust the newly Classed people of Cragwhistle to rise to the challenge? Would they ever be able to do it better than he himself could do it now?

It was a leap of faith.

For the time being, he selected Blessing of Bone and the Ossuary Vent. Empowering his skeletons? Great. Exploding them? He wasn’t a fan. The Ossuary Vent was an intriguing option, allowing him to make use of the rich and dense energy of the Ossuary even when he wasn’t inside it. He could already think of ways to incorporate such a spell to flash-charge his constructs.

Which left him with Forbidden One. For starters, he struggled to find a feat he actually wanted, let alone liked. Curry favour? He did more than enough of that already, thank you very much. Ruler in Shade was useful, but the Old Gods already provided a similar benefit. It would be good not to be dependent on them for the effect, but he was loath to choose something he could get another way.

Corroding Presence? Wouldn’t that make it almost impossible for him to hide?

Which left only Bewitching Gaze as something he could pick without doing some permanent modification to himself that he didn’t understand. So that is what he chose.

For the abilities, the choices were slightly more appealing. Dimension Weaving grew more and more relevant as time passed. Crone’s gaze and Raven Speech were both possibilities, though perhaps not ideal. Blood Shield was straight up distasteful, but it was another defensive option, which, paired with the Drain Life feat, could work to both shield and heal him.

In fact, with this many options to inflict harm and heal himself being available, something like Flesh to Power became ever more appealing, though a dangerous option. Injuring himself in the hopes of being able to repair the damage seemed like a slippery slope. As usual, he didn’t have any details to determine if the risk would be remotely worthwhile.

After some consideration, he took Dimension Weaving and Blood Shield. They were, perhaps, the safer options, but there was no need to waste a slot on something that may not be useful.

Then he drew the ritual to a close.