make the most of wherever we are now

Fighting a lich is not something one does lightly.

Jubilost keeps arguing that maybe they shouldn't try it at all, it's not like it's good for their lifespans or their souls, but - Sivetrys can't, actually, just leave it alone.

(Technically, she could, but. Emotionally, she can't.)

There are a lot of reasons for this. The ones she uses first are the logical ones, but she's aware that's not really why she can't leave the lich alone. It's just why she can justify the choices she already wanted to make, to herself, to her adventuring party (friends), to fucking Lastwall itself.

Vordakai is an old lich, which usually means extremely dangerous, but in this case it means he's, technically, changed species. A demilich is different from a lich in several ways - in a couple, more directly dangerous - but in others, it is much, much easier to deal with. He's lost circles, for one. For another, it means that they don't have to find his phylactery; he doesn't have one of those, anymore. The process for permanently killing him is still complicated - and Sivetrys has written to Lastwall for assistance on the logistical details of making that death final, along with asking them to please send her a paladin - but not as complicated as hunting down a phylactery in a demiplane underneath several dozen protections.

Secondly, because he is an old (demi)lich, from before Earthfall, his spells are out of date. Oh, he still has some dangerous ones, Dominate Person is a sure one they've confirmed, and her party is systematically trying to put a list together of what those are, but he's missing modern ways to reduce the circles of certain spells. His spells are old and inefficient, and in life and undeath he was never able to competently steal the greatest spells from the Azlanti Empire, else he wouldn't have hidden underground at all. With his demotion to demilich, and the loss in circles that came with that - he can't quite cast his worst spells, anymore. And he doesn't know what modern spellforms are like. Because there has been a steady march of progress, despite Earthfall, entirely because of Aroden's efforts, and all the genius casters after him that really want that high circle spell nownownow.

But of course, this also means that it's a race against time. He is awake, now, and has been since his tomb was disturbed, and some nebulous trinket stolen, and he is learning quickly. There's no mighty Azlant to throw back his own thievery, just these pathetic shreds of what remains after Earthfall. He's already captured one wizard, a third circle one, and he is definitely looking for more. For their spellbooks, for new slaves in his 'justified' rise against the thieves who disturbed him, for their new magical items.

There is no better time to fight him than right now, now that he's awake and actively scheming. The closest people that can maybe win in a fight him are - well, her, and her party. At least, they're the only ones who might, who also care enough to show up. The world is very big, and very dangerous, and liches do tend to stop, after a while. Reach their old borders, sate the atrophied greeds they'd had as mortals, gather enough undead slaves that gathering more becomes tiresome. As dangers on this planet that holds Rovagug go, they're not, objectively speaking, the worst.

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Jubilost clears his throat.

"Actually, my first portion is ready to be sliced into quarters and eaten right now. I was simply holding off because it keeps better this way."

Eyeroll.

there-by-your-side

Zan gives Sivetrys a nod and a smile! (She flicks her gaze towards Uma, briefly, doing a tiny fond eye roll.) Got it! I may be too used to minding my silly (affectionate) wizards.

(Also clear from her body language: she's having so much fun! Zan enjoys Celestial-sign, of course, but it's nowhere near as fun as just chatting via body language, which she basically never gets to do like this! ~~Also Sivi is hot.~~)

Umakhi Putsoa

to-the-silence

She sniffs in Jubilosts' direction, and then glances at Zan, who... signs use your words at her encouragingly.

~~wahhhhh~~ Sheee can manage that.

"Can I have some?"

there-by-your-side

"Oooh, I'd like to try some too!" (If it's too spicy for her, Uma will be happy to finish it for her.)

"Food is made to be eaten," says the gnome loftily, and not at all pointedly.

He slices the flatbread containing the filling (which may or may not contain spice sourced directly from certain layers of Hell) into quarters, and hands it off. Clearly however they split the food is entirely up to their own recognizance, and Jubilost industriously pretends not to care about their opinion. Even while totally keeping them in the corner of his eye as he gets started on the next portion.

Sivetrys returns the smile with an amused one of her own: She's happy to provide this enrichment! Being a teleporting sorcerer-baroness involves a lot more practice with social with non-adventuring types than most spellcasters, this is honestly just pretty normal to her? Not quite to this degree, interacting with other hyper socially aware high charisma adventurers is neat and novel, and she sees the appeal, but the dance is the same. Again: happy to provide.

From a quirk of her eyebrows, she finds that level of party micromanagement impressive, but also personally exhausting? Good job on that one, Zan, but couldn't be her.

Oh, and: yes she is hot, thank you for noticing, she is absolutely a vain sorceress that puts a lot of effort into her appearance, and she likes when this effort is appreciated. Zan is also pretty, excellent work on that!

(This is implied in a sort of - detached artistic sense, not so much as finding someone hot, a distinction which is obvious to people with high Splendor talking mostly by not.)

Umakhi Putsoa

to-the-silence

Uma accepts two sections of flatbread from Zan with her usual level of social graces, but she's clearly very excited for it!

You can tell by how quickly she's eating i- by how quickly she ate it.

Her wings twitch happily, and she actually remembers to pre-empt the look Zan is just starting to give her by saying "Really good... thank you."

there-by-your-side

Awww! (That's a really good sign, honestly.)

The problem with trying to gauge spiciness by Umakhi's food enjoyment is that while her lower bound for spice enjoyment does overlap Zan's, it goes much higher and by the time a food is spicy enough to slow Uma down it is going to cause Zan major problems.

She takes a bite. It's very good, and also wow, really spicy. "Ah, this is incredible," she says, "though I lack Uma's mouth of steel." Nibble nibble nibble.

there-by-your-side

And, continuing her nonversation with Sivestrys -

Zan loves meddling all the time and being the center of attention! She knows it's not everyone's cup of tea, but she delights in it and is good at it and she doesn't ever get tired of making small little moves that make things invisibly easier for people, especially her family.

Zan is pretty, and she loves being pretty, for its effects on others (heads turn! hearts thump! halfling bards get all blushy and stammery!) but also just as a thing for her. She'd want to be hot even if nobody ever was going to see her again (though of course that would be horrible.) Soooo valid for Sivestrys to it relate differently, though.

(She's curious about what the detached artistic appreciation might imply but she's not going to poke at it by flirting. (...yet!))

"It is my pleasure to cook for an appreciative audience."

The aura of smugness from him is thick enough to practically cut it with a knife.

Sivetrys also enjoys being the center of attention! But that's got nothing to do with needing to manage them. Managing them is a way to maintain being the center of attention, but that would be a downside, not a benefit, for her. She does actually need a break from people, sometimes. She likes them, but - yeah, this is an introvert. A sociable one, who thinks connecting with people is a fun puzzle to always get to solve, but someone who is comfortable with and by herself.

And yeah! It's pretty great that being pretty is just a thing that multiple people can win at, at the same time, in different ways, without losing being a necessity of the structure. Sivi sincerely wants everyone to get to be and feel pretty, for both themselves and for others.

And meanwhile, someone has finished an omelette, and tastes it.

...

She attempts to not react. (This is not a skill she is good at.)

"Something wrong, over there?"

Ambient smugness levels are increasing dangerously.

"N-no! Nope! Everything's great." NOM. (eugh.) "We did an excellent job at making food that is more edible than the burning inferno that is your thing. So edible. Completely edible."

Luto Zils

not-quite-alone

Oh dear.

Welllll, she has to stand by ~~the pretty lil bard~~ her ally in this war. "Oooh, looks good! May I try?" (She winks at Linzi.)

there-by-your-side

Zan keeps her laugher at the antics internal, at least for now.

(She understands totally! Most of her family is at least a bit introverted, though Uma is the only one who's obvious about it. It's really only Zan and Rids that are the social butterflies of the five of them. And yeah, everyone should get to be as pretty as they want to be! The hot charisma full casters in the room agree on this important fact.)

Oh no, but Luto, it's terrible, she wasted all of your impressive chopping efforts-! Oh. That's a wink. Huh. Okay. So she... knows it's terrible? And wants to gallantly defend her from the gnome?

".... of course?" she agrees, a little hesitantly. While. Blushing a little. ~~Oh no she has a knight in... not armor! distinctly not armor!! This is not a drill, disaster lesbian is probably being flirted with, lesbian to command where is the braincell!~~

The introvert levels in her own party vary wildly, as Zan might have noticed by now. Though, she hasn't met them all yet, has she, so she hasn't gotten to see just how wildly they vary, just how high the extroverts go. (This nonversation communication involves cutting a glance towards Jubilost, who... is certainly himself, isn't he.) Oh, but that reminds her -

Sivetrys puts her wandcrafting down and goes to make coffee. (Osirian coffee, not anything from Geb-the-country, because they have adventurer money and positive planar morality.) Ekundayo will want some when he gets up, which she estimates will be... soonish. If he's not up by the time Jubilost is on the last of his breakfast items, she'll get him, but she expects he'll mysteriously show up at the exact correct time for the minimal necessary amount of social interaction to receive hot food.

there-by-your-side

She has noticed! Zan has been finding Jubilost delightful and is looking forward to being at least a temporary part of his entertainment regime.

She's really enjoying watching and learning the ways Sivetrys looks out her people. Very different style than Zan, as previously not-discussed. (...it reminds her of Vakt (a momentary intense flash of sorrow, tightly locked back up - she'll be back soon))

Luto Zils

not-quite-alone

Luto, smiling gallantly, takes a biiiig bite of omelette (...honestly, the next one is definitely fixable? It's just too many ingredients and in the wrong proportions...) and looks to the untrained eye exactly like it was tastiest food she's ever tried. "Linzi, this is incredible - Jubilost, you have got to try this, it's so good,"

"Yes, and I have a bridge in Sarkoris to sell you," says Jubilost, without even looking up. Luto's acting skills are impressive, but the game has already been given away by Linzi.

"I thought palates were meant to be expanded," says Sivetrys, drily.

"And should I ever decide I'd like to expand my palate into the gutter, I will have plenty of opportunities in the future besides this one! ... While you're there, roasted oolong will pair best with my dish, I think."