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Secondly, because he is an old (demi)lich, from before Earthfall, his spells are out of date.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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Ekundayo

Like he's the one doing her the favor. Ha.

And off he goes, to brave the horrors of civilization.

As much as she isn't actually a ranger, it's not that hard to find Linzi and Jubilost. There are approximately a million cafes in Isarn, but they go quickly when one has Overland Flight up. Normally she'd rather be a bit more incognito than this, but, well. Needs must. They're on a time crunch.

"- you know the way they have politicized beverages here is quite absurd," says a gnome in glasses, a bit too loudly. "Coffee is for the common man? Ha! Don't they know that it only grows in tropical environments? It's only cheaper because it's sold by Geb -"

"Sivi!" says Linzi, who does not find it hard to spot a flying sorceress. "Sivisivisivi I got a wand of Shatter!"

"Yes, and traded away a wand of Fireball for it, as if that were any kind of sensible business decision."

"Lalalala I can't hear you over the sound of our flying Fireball dispenser, who by the way made the wand, and Shatter is an objectively weird thing to make a wand of~"

Sivetrys snorts, and lands beside their table.

"Oh, well done, thank you Linzi! A wand of Shatter will be great."

"Certainly much more actionable than getting our hands on a vorpal weapon. Which of us would even use it, if we have one? None of us are so stupid as to want to go close to the thing."

"... We, uh, might. Have a solution to that. If you'd happened to find a vorpal weapon that was available."

Linzi gasps.

"Did you get a paladin??? Is that why you're back early, I knew you could do it!! It's like, the biggest paladin bait quest ever, right, of course they would want to send one..!"

"Not... exactly."

And she will get to explaining the whole... situation.

...

This is an affair that is worthy of cleaning his glasses.

"... And you're quite sure it's not some sort of..." he begins, but then he stops himself. "No, no, of course it isn't, he isn't the type to do anything clever and not stamp 'VORDAKAI' on it, obnoxiously."

He gives a long suffering sigh.

"Yes, yes, very well. But don't go thinking that just because he's missing some spell slots he's any less dangerous, recall he still has that soul trap ability of his."

Linzi is surprised.

"... You've been arguing with us about this for the past two weeks!! And now you're just, just? I mean I'm not complaining, but...!"

"Thank you," says Sivetrys, who is putting together why he is not going to be a stodgy prick about this, actually. She is resisting the urge to hug him. (He would not appreciate it, especially not in public.)

"I'm not heartless, you know," replies Jubilost, somewhat offended. "And paladin or no, we really won't get a better shot at this. He'll be no easier to deal with tomorrow, with modern spellform and two new spellcasting slaves. And..." He trails off. "... well, it's not as if they wandered into the demilich's lair to go poking through his things, like that Willas fellow. This is just a terrible case of rotten luck."

Softie.

"But unfortunately no, no vorpal weapons available in a hurry. It'll be holy balm and firebombs for us, I'm afraid. And we'd better hope he doesn't have that bird of his around, though we should of course plan for it..."

"Prioritize Silence before Unbreakable Heart, even...?"

She already knows the answer, she's just looking for reassurance, because leaving someone under a Dominate seems wrong, even when it's the right call.

"Yes, girl, unless you want us all to die to one of his wails!"

Much of their time spent linking back up with Ekundayo is spent in this kind of rapid-fire strategizing. Linzi and Jubilost have not, ultimately, learned anything new about demiliches as a species from their time in Isarn. (Well, maybe throwing the head under a Final Blade, that may or may not count as a vorpal weapon, but no one's going to let them borrow one of those for a lich lair raid.)