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"What, exactly, can you tell us about Princess Yali's kidnapping and your death? Be as detailed as reasonably possible with your answer, please," you request.
The spirit concentrates for a moment, then begins speaking.
"I do not know when the kidnapping began," the spirit tells you. "I first noticed that something was amiss some time after nightfall. I estimate that the exact time was closer to midnight, as I had completed seven rotations of the castle, which usually takes somewhere around five hours."
"I stumbled upon the corpse of one of my fellow guards- a man named Nathaniel. His body had not seemed to have been moved from his initial position in front of Princess Yali's door, as blood was pooling under him and there was no trail of blood."
"I attempted to rush into Princess Yali's room, to ascertain her safety. I was met by a cloaked intruder. I could not make out any features of the intruder, but the cloak he was wearing was coloured a dark green, and was styled in a Halavian cut. He wore a rapier belted to his side, which was covered in fresh blood."
"He stabbed me in the neck. I collapsed to the wall, and watched as the intruder left with the princess. He was holding her wrist and pulling her along, but the princess did not seem to be actively fighting his grasp."
"I bled out over the course of several minutes, and died within the chamber."
The spirit looks to you, waiting for further instructions.
You run over what you have just learned in your head. Cloaks cut in a Halavian style are only made in the region of Farever, southwest of Iidan's Fall.
You nod, then turn back to the spectral figure.
[A] Ask something else. You need more information. (Please ask a specific question; the more detailed the question, the closer the response will be to the information you want.)
Thank the guard and attempt to send her spirit back to the realms of the dead. The effort would likely exhaust you and exacerbate your head injury, but it's the polite thing to do.
[C] Thank the guard, then tie her spirit to you. A spectral assistant could be an incredibly useful asset, and her soul is bound to you.
[D] Thank the guard, then tie her spirit to one of the bodies in the graveyard. A spectral assistant is useful, but not as useful as a physical body which has to do anything you order it to.
[E] Don't thank the guard, because you're a massive dick, then tie her spirit to one of the bodies in the graveyard. A spectral assistant is useful, but not as useful as a physical body which has to do anything you order it to.
[F] Something else. (Please specify what.)
[A] Ask the guard for her more speculative thoughts on the kidnapping.
Picking , as I can't think of anything more to ask about right now. However, I wager I'll change to [A] if anyone comes up with a good question (EDIT: CU's choice, so far, can do). I'd also like to ask about bound spectral and corporeal servants. What is, for lack of a better word, the public opinion concerning their use, and what more can be said about the magic behind them?
Just for the record, I read this thread whenever I can. If I'm not here as a new post appears, I've been requested elsewhere.
Oh, and I'm for doing after that unless someone else has questions.
People generally don't know they exist.
Beyond that, the outlook is mixed. Some people have pre-arranged contracts with ritualists, agreeing to serve them after death for a price paid during life. Other people enslave souls after death without prior consent. Ritualists tend to be wary around anyone who has a spectral servant, as there is no way to tell which way the ritualist acquired the servant.
Spectral spirits tied to dead bodies are looked down on as crass as best, and as awful things in general. A more commonly accepted way to give spirits a body is to tie them to specially prepared bodies- usually stone or metal statues imbued with a ritual to allow them to move.
This is a two-part answer, sorry.
The ritual you performed is a necromantic ritual. What you did not know was that a necromantic ritual is actually composed of three parts (or many dozens, most of which are tied up in each of the three parts). This is what led to the partial failure of your ritual earlier.
The three stages involved in a necromantic ritual are:
1. Piercing the Veil. This involves parting the veil between life and death enough for you to drag a spirit out.
2. Seeking your target. This involves seeking out your target among the trillions of souls in the afterlife, and pulling them out.
3. Preventing other spirits from exiting the veil. This also involves protecting yourself from spiritual attacks.
None of these stages are seperate from each other. Trying to do one without doing the others is likely to lead to failure.
The magic behind spirits is something different.
Spirits are comprised of dead life essence. Contrary to what one would expect, this is not completely unnatural; the world is actually used to dead life essence existing within it- there are many souls that do not depart immediately to the life after, and many living creatures do not have souls, leaving their life essence to linger on after death.
A summoned spirit manifests their life essence as a tangible physical 'shell'. They lack true free will unless the ritualist who summoned them gives them their free will, or the ritualist does not tie them to their will (such as escaped spirits).
Summoned spirits are host to a number of rules, none of which are clear to the spirit or the ritualist who summons them. (The term 'rules' is also a misleading term, as it is mostly a combination of abilities/inabilities to act and a slow procedure for the changing of the spirit). The spirit is tied to the caster's will, rendering the spirit unable to harm the person they are tied to even if they are later given their free will; the spirit cannot deceive their master in any way; the spirit's life essence is replenished through the caster, making the ritualist fatigue easier; and the longer the spirit stays in reality, the more 'alive' they get, until they are essentially a living soul without a body. Unless they are tied to a body, in which case they are a living person sustained by the ritualist's magic, and will die if the ritualist is unable to sustain them.
If you have any other inquiries, please ask a more specific question.
No worries. I like to wait until at least three people have posted before I'll write up a post, but I'll rarely delay writing up a new post because one person hasn't posted.
What are the benefits of having a spectral assistant? What can one do? Telekinetic stuff, magical spying?
[C]
Spectral assistants do not have proper physical bodies. As such, they are not tied to their physical form; they do not need to eat, they do not need to sleep, and so on. They can hold objects lightly; a spectral assistant can hold a pen or a quill, for example, but could not hold a sword, as the sword puts enough pressure on their shell to destroy it.
Spectral assistants are often used in a variety of contexts. Some of these include:
- While camping and hunting, spectral assistants are often used to gather firewood and edible vegetation. They can also set snares and traps, but often cannot bring the meal back to camp.
- While performing research, spectral assistants are as helpful as a regular assistant other than being unable to carry heavy books. They can take notes, search for information, and so on.
- In politics, spectral assistants are often used as spies and assassins. They can make their physical form invisible, and break themselves down into a mist that can pass through any crevices merely by squeezing themselves against it.
They are not as useful as physical assistants in most situations, which is why they are often tied to physical bodies.
Quick question: Are you going to stick with [A]?
At the moment, I have one vote for , once vote for [C], and one vote for [E], outside of your vote. I'm not sure how to reconcile these votes, so I have to ask.
I think CU's answer is "ask for speculation then unsummon", so it's more like [A], plus approval for picking afterwards. I'm going for the same, pretty much. So I guess it's you have two [A]'s, or two 's, depending how you look at it.
[Two votes for A, then B; A, then B, wins.]
"What are your speculative thoughts about the kidnapping?" you ask the guardswoman's spirit.
"I speculate that he did not need to actually kill me," the spirit replies. "I suspect that he could have knocked me unconscious with minimal effort, but he did not want anyone following him immediately. I also suspect that he deliberately kept his features hidden, which may imply that he has some distinguishing features that may be hard to hide otherwise."
You nod. "Thank you," you say softly, then lift your staff and thump it against the ground.
The spirit looks grateful as it fades, then disappears completely.
You bite your lip. "Farever," you say softly.
Beside you, Lien looks impatient, but he is restraining himself from asking any questions.
[A] What do you wish to do now?
[A] Talk to Lien and if it comes up explain part of the reason you just summoned a dead person.
Best to build trust with your allies.
[A]: What fourteenwings said.
While talking to Lien, I'd also ask him if it's just understandable uneasiness, or does he have something more specific in mind.
All for that.
[three votes for A; A wins.]
You turn to Lien, your mind scrambling for a way to explain what just happened. You probably should have explained about the necromancy beforehand, but you... didn't.
"About what just happened," you say. "I-"
Lien steps forward and places his hand over your mouth. "I don't know what happened," he says firmly.
You frown. "I don't understand."
"I don't know what happened," he says again. "I don't know, I don't want to know, and it's better for both of us if I don't know."
"... Ah." You grimace. "I understand."
"Just... tell me one thing," he says, looking earnestly at you. "What you just did- it's a good thing, right? Or it's meant to be?"
You puzzle over that for a moment. "It's meant to be a good thing," you decide. "But I think I screwed it up, and it's not as good as I'd hoped it would be."
Lien steps back and nods. "Then I am content."
You give him a small smile- the corner of your mouth barely turns up at all, really- then sit down.
Your leg kind of really hurts. Your arm is smarting, your head is sore, your hands are aching, and you're tired. You just unleashed hundreds of unliving spirits on the world, the Princess is still missing, it's going to take you weeks to get anywhere, you barely have enough coin to pay for a night's lodging, you're hungry, vaguely nauseous, and you really have no time to waste.
You stay sitting on the ground for a few minutes before sighing and reluctantly standing.
You really need to go.
[A] Head off immediately with Lien. You can walk to Farever. It'll take you a few weeks, and the traveling will be rough, but with two of you, you should be safe.
Spend the rest of your coins to pay for lodging for yourself and Lien for the night. Get a good night's rest before you leave- that should help your wounds and get you rested. Of course, it'll also leave you broke and make you have to forage for supplies along the way.
[C] Stick around Iidan's Fall for a few days. You and Lien can do some odd jobs in the wake of the Solstice Festival, and earn some coin. Staying for a few nights under a roof in a warm bed will do wonders for your body, too. Of course, trails in Farever will likely dry up as you wait.
C. Let's get us some dosh.
Money is good. Being able to complete our goals is better.
Unless you seriously screw around, you should always be able to complete your goals. I won't screw you over by adding in options that would completely make you miss your goal unless you consistently duck out on opportunities to go do stuff related to it.
I know that, but I assume waiting for ages would ensure that competing our goals is at least more difficult.
(C)
At the same time, I'd assume being stripped for cash would also ensure the same thing. Sorta like being unable to buy a ritual knife before a ritual ensues, yunno?
Anyway, update ensuing.
Very true.