[action | closed] Don't mind the undead in the corner

[treesus]

Who: Kalenedral and Trahearne
What: Trahearne invites Kalen to his shop because Kalen is a really cool dead thing.
Where: Tomes and Thaumaturgy - Genessia City
Warnings: Nah


We'd agreed to meet sometime soon, would this evening suit you? I'm closing my shop early, it would be a convenient place to meet. [Attached is the address and a picture of the storefront.] Do let me know.

While he waited for a reply, Trahearne did as he said and set to closing down the shop for the day. It'd been slow, only a handful of 'fake' customers here and there. Sometimes he wondered if he'd do better selling his books in Fayren. He didn't care enough to move there, he did well enough. A slow turnover on his more interesting books gave him more time to study them himself!

His assistants clambered up and around the bookcases, making sure everything was straight and tidy while he poured over paperwork. It was pleasant to have so little paperwork to do comparatively. At worst the stack was an inch high. Amazing!

Comments

[treesus]

Trahearne was content to let Kalenedral think it over. While he waited, he glanced over to Limbface to see if he would have to repair his minions at all tonight.

[kalenedral]

Limbface was being very careful!

Meanwhile, Kalenedral seemed to 'un-stick'. "...The Highlord has never invaded my mind. I don't think there is a replacement bond at play."

[treesus]

"Mmm, that's very interesting. But you were bonded in some way before?" Sorry Kalenedral, Trahearne just had to push this particular topic.

[kalenedral]

"Yes," Kalenedral... didn't even consider that this might not be a topic for discussion. It had been such a hotly-debated issue on Azeroth, especially directly after the battle of Light's Hope Chapel.

"While I was a part of the Scourge, the Lich King's will subsumed my own."

[treesus]

"I see. Before I ask more, how sensative of a topic is this for you? I know of forces like this that effect others on my world. I wish to know more and my questions might be more probing than many would like." He was still while he asked that, it was time to be a bit more serious. If anything, to be polite while he asked permission to ask very invasive questions.

[kalenedral]

"Not very," Kalenedral wasn't worried; if Trahearne asked something he didn't want to answer, he simply... wouldn't. "It's a matter of public knowledge, on my world. At least, in a general sense. Our rebellion against the Lich King and the subsequent formation of the Ashen Verdict is a large part of what proved to be his undoing."

[treesus]

"Well then, I have much to ask you. If you are curious about anything about me, feel free to ask." Though Trahearne might be more cagey on some questions than Kalenedral, not all things were as common knowledge or safe to be shared.

"Now if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to sit while we talk. I can stay down here, but it's more comfortable upstairs. Limbface is welcome as well, of course."

[kalenedral]

Kalenedral finally moved below the neck, lifting an armored hand to gesture vaguely toward the stairs.

Behind him, through the window, Shadowmane finally dissipated back to the Shadow Realm in a few lingering wisps of dark purple and black smoke.

[treesus]

Good. Trahearne could stand and talk for hours, he did that plenty as Marshal. He didn't need to do that now, so he'd go sit down in a comfortable chair. He headed for the stairs without delay, thought glanced over his shoulder to speak as he went.

"What manner of being is your horse for it to vanish like that?"

Upstairs was small, most of it taken up by an office and storage. Directly by the stairs, however, was a carpeted area with a few cozy chairs, a table with coffee pot and mugs, and a bookcase full of shabby books. A sign on the bookcase said "take one, leave one".

[kalenedral]

"She is an Acherus Deathcharger," Kalenedral followed, of course, and his ghoul shuffled along after him with the entourage of Trahearne's lesser minions in silly outfits. "She resides in the Shadow Realm whenever I don't maintain her connection here."

Curiosities piled onto curiosities, no doubt. Poor Trahearne, he'd never dig his way out from under all this new stuff that was apparently positioned right dead center into his interests.

The Knight didn't automatically go to sit down. He was far heavier than he looked, and a lot of furniture didn't take kindly to it.

[treesus]

Trahearne figured Kalenedral would sit if he wanted to or cared. He sat down, in the chair best positioned to look up at Kalenedral should he stay standing. One leg crossed over the other, he settled into chair.

"Fascinating. I'll have to remember to ask you more about how that works later. I don't want to get too derailed." It would be easy to do, he could ask about that magic for hours and hours. "Now... How much do you know about how the Lich King controlled his forces?"

[kalenedral]

"I was a part of those forces for longer than Highlord Darion Mograine," so, quite a lot. Kalenedral simply went back to being very... still. Standing really didn't bother him. "You will have to be a bit more specific."

[treesus]

"I'm not sure how to be more specific." There wasn't a whole lot to that question, unless the title of Lich King changed several times. "From what I know of how this usually works, an undead is raised and is compelled to follow its master. They might retain knowledge from their past lives but they lack a true personality or soul. If they have anything, they're often stuck in the past, unable to move forward.

To have will while being an animated corpse is quite something. Was the Lich King responsible for raising his forces directly?"

[kalenedral]

"I have no memory of life," Kalenedral said in return, "but I am an exception. Most of my kind remember, and are... stuck, as you say. They cling endlessly to what they once were, although those they knew in their past will almost always reject them as abominations."

Meanwhile, Kalenedral couldn't even say with a certainty that this was 'his' body. Or if Kalenedral was really his name. Or that he, as a personality, had ever been alive to begin with. It was just as possible that he was an amalgamation, pulled from the Void like Limbface was.

"No, he had groups of necromancers at his service. I understand it took quite a few to raise me, and several lost consciousness in the process. The bones I inhabit were pulled from a very old grave, on the furthest edge of elven territory."

[treesus]

"Hm." Multiple necromancers to raise one body? There must be a lot more to it than that, especially so if Death Knights like Kalenedral were meant to be high ranking.

"So even those others that are freed remember their lives to an extent? Is it only duty that drives you onwards now?" Replacing the drive of a master they had no choice of to duty towards one giving them purpose, that rang some bells.

[kalenedral]

"Primarily, yes."

There was also Limbface, but Kalenedral didn't know Trahearne nearly well enough yet to admit that the ghoul was more of a son to him than a simple servant.

[treesus]

Thankfully, even if Trahearne thought to ask about how close he was to Limbface, he wouldn't. Some things are a bit too personal to ask about, even when being as invasive as he already was.

"So they remember their lives... What of the magic or abilities they possessed before then?" Risen kept what they'd been. Necromancer minions were just amalgamations and did whatever their necromancer wanted them to do.

[kalenedral]

"No, all of that is over-written by what we become as Death Knights."

[treesus]

"Without demonstrating in here," It was important to clarify that right off the bat, he liked his shop not covered in ice and fleshy things, "what can one do, as a Death Knight?"

[kalenedral]

"No matter their original fighting style, whether hunter or mage or paladin, a Death Knight deals in Unholy, Frost, Blood, and Shadow magics. We each use all of these, but we specialize in one of those first three, and the forth comes along with any of them."

He moved, briefly, to gesture at Limbface.

"I am Unholy. It allows me to sustain my servant, spread devastating diseases to my foes, and counter hostile magics thrown my way."

[treesus]

"I see. You are a mix of things, as far as my world is concerned. It sounds like you are quite similar to what I am as a necromancer. My minions-" He held out a hand and one of the bone minions broke from the pack around Limbface and jumped up to clamber up his arm. "-are not near so intelligent."

He worked at the buttons on its back, slowly revealing a bone spine and tight red flesh. The minion wiggled free and perched itself on the arm of the chair, its blank sockets turned towards Kalenedral. It looked like it had the skull and bones of a raccoon. It's what was around at the time.

"To be proficient with maintaining summoned undead is something we might specialize in as well, I did. It find it convenient. Why did you choose that route?"

[kalenedral]

Kalenedral watched the minion's reveal, with the same lack of expression on his face that Trahaerne had undoubtedly noticed was his default.

Limbface, though, shuffled forward to peer closer at it.

"It was chosen for me," the Knight stated, "due to the nature of my creation, it was deemed that I should specialize in the more magic-based branch of our talents. I have dabbled, since gaining freedom, with the Blood specialty as well."

[treesus]

Trahearne had indeed noticed the lack of expressiveness. It didn't bother him, Kalenedral wasn't hostile so he had no reason to be concerned. He was still here so he couldn't be that bored.

"So now you have the option to chance what magical abilities to focus on? Is your world especially magical on its own? Or do you draw your abilities from a specific source?"

The minion stayed put, not seeming to notice Limbface. It wasn't told to interact with him so it did not.

[kalenedral]

"There is a lot of magic on my world," Kalenedral glanced at Limbface, thoughtful. "I will remain Unholy."

Some dabbling in Blood, aside, he much prefers his ghoul's company to the lack.

"I believe my abilities come from the runes inscribed on my bones. Or they may be drawn directly from the Shadow Realm, I am uncertain."