They've been in Sothis for a while, and Eriape has finally finished the Badger House. It is, of course, shaped like a badger.
It is also made of sandstone, smack in the center of Sothis, and quite big.
They've been in Sothis for a while, and Eriape has finally finished the Badger House. It is, of course, shaped like a badger.
It is also made of sandstone, smack in the center of Sothis, and quite big.
There is a Colossal crimson burrowing worm menacing a caravan. Either it hasn't killed anyone yet or it ate them whole, because there aren't any dead humanoids or pieces thereof lying around. ...Animals are another story.
It's honestly kind of impressive that the guy with the emergency Sending wand was able to identify the worm as undead; it's very well-preserved. Not a patch on Eriape's own skin, of course, but then people know what human skin is supposed to look like; a marginally more horrible worm-hide is hardly remarkable.
...Less impressive if you have a sense of smell. It's not that well-preserved.
There are three figures hiding behind a large rock a ways away from the main caravan, trying to avoid attention from their erstwhile companions as well as the giant necromonster.
[Command Undead] has no limit to the size of the undead. Let's start with that. "Bad worm!" she shouts. "Stop that right now!"
She flies closer. "Good worm! Stay There, and Coil Up!" She pats it idly, and flies down to the Caravan.
"Hello! I am Lady Eriape, Princess of Badgers!"
Then she noticeably thinks of something, holds up a black-nailed finger and digs into her purse for a moment, only to pull up a crumpled piece of paper.
"Oh yes, I have to read this to you: I am a Lawful Lich, and a Legal Resident of Osirion under the Laws of Ruby Prince Khemet Number Three, Pharaoh of Osirion. I will not Hurt You. Do not Attempt to Hurt me as I am Allowed to Defend Myself."
The caravan master is very grateful! He was pretty sure they were all going to die! The next time someone argues with him about the expense of an emergency Sending wand, he wins!
He makes no attempt whatsoever to reassure or retrieve the rock-hiding guys.
Eriape absorbs the praise that is her due, and then flies over to the rocks. "Hello!" She goes through the spiel.
"--Hi."
Of the three figures--
Two, including the one who just spoke, are female; the speaker and the man are both either alive or a very convincing facsimile thereof, but also have an ashy tone to their complexion that healthy humans don't, and black in the corners of their eyes and the delicate blood vessels scrawled across their sclera. The remaining woman does not have these features, but is also a pretty normal zombie.
She looks at the zombie. "Can you Talk?", then at the speaker. "Is this your Zombie? I'm looking for a Strange Undead Creature for the Undead Office of the Government of the Prince of Osirion."
Eriape lands heavily in a puff of sand. The sparks in her eyes flicker as she blinks, in a completely unnecessary way..
"I See! was it Your Worm, Necromancer....?" Eriape leaves a pause for the girl to say her name. "I would Magically Inspect Both, with your Permission?"
"The worm's not ours. And he's the necromancer," she points at her brother, "I'm an enchanter. Actually."
"...Hello." It's not exactly Luzai's fault for throwing him under the carriage but. Hm. Not loving it down here.
"Hello, Necromancer...." Eriape leaves another pause for this man to give his name. These people are very secretive. "Would you Permit me to Magically Inspect your Creation? I am a Specialist in the Obverse Power."
"I shall Most Certainly Not. Would be Most Unprofessional" Eriape takes a large enchanted magnifying glass out of her purse, and looks at the Zombie through it for some moments. "Looks Normal Enough. Are you Good Folk moving to Osirion? It is a Great Place for Lawfully Exploring the Obverse Power."
“Mostly it was the nearest place that wasn’t Geb. I don’t know if we’re going to stay long-term.”
Her head swings to the girl. Is she in charge?
"Oh I am from Avistan. I would not go There. It is full of Prats, especially the Most Unpleasant country of Cheliax. And many places Prohibit the Undead."
"They Prohibit [Animate Dead] and similar effects, but allow Sapient Undead such as my Badgers. Or Myself, I Suppose."
"This is Your Mother? I would have Visited my Mother in Axis, but I am Still Sore about my Treatment as a Child. She Favored my Sister, who had the Sorcerous Talents."
"Well, first circle is definitely too weak to visit anyone anywhere! But--in Geb, all the dead who aren't lucky enough to be ghouls or vampires or something else free-willed already are enslaved. So--when she was killed--we had to get her out. And she--did everything she could for us, when she was a slave herself, and--our father wasn't. Him I wouldn't visit in Axis or anywhere, but Mama did her very best."