#Serioth

[greywizard-reporter-jim]

Becoming a Necromancer, day 8.

Having realised my true calling, and the sheer boredom of Tax Magic (I'm not having a midlife crisis, you're having a midlife crisis!), I have decided to become a necromancer! The path is long but I know it'll be worth it.

Ahem.

EAT SHIT, SERIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH!

Ah, today is a wonderful day! Serioth, as I thought, ambushed me as I was making my way towards Gavamont's tower, but I was ready for him! He cast a Circle of Anti-Teleportation, using a scroll, but...

Well, my researches have reached a breakthrough, and I stood up all night yesterday to exploit it. You see, the different schools of magic are not something natural. It's an artificial construct we use to classify spells and types of mana, but they can overlap. Necromancy and Tax Magic are no exception! This is a basic concept, but realising it opens many door. I don't have to abandon anything in order to be a necromancer! I'm still me! Grey Wizard Jim! I'm just learning new things.

So, without further adue, let me introduce to you...

The Skeleton Mafia Debt Collectors!

My very first proper necromancy spell! Serioth didn't expect that one, and he did NOT like it either! They managed to wound him, and I managed to run away, and reach Gavamont's Tower. I did lose my previous journal in my escape, though. It saddens me a bit, but this is not a day for weeping, and I've got bottles of wine in my bag of holding. I think I'm gonna open one.

This is a day for celebration! To new magic! To new horizons! To new friends!

[battlemageserioth]

Tracking down Ex Wizard Council Member Jim, day 2

The recent actions and events related to Tax Wizard Jim have led the Council to reclassify Jim as a threat. I, Battlemage Serioth, have decided that it was my responsability to track him down, as I was the one to introduce him to the Council.

The fugitive is currently still free. With the approbation of the rest of the Council, I, along with a team of battlemages, have entered his Tower. No traps were laid, and the fugitive was not there. It's a cold trail. No worthy artifact or document were in the fugitive's Tower. All items found were disposed of, in accordance with Procedure 923-1.

As of now, I will try to hire the services of another mage in order to locate Jim. A divination expert, or an artificer with sufficient knowledge should do the trick.

[ahno-nimus]

SERIOTH VICTIM OF MEMETOVORE.

SERIOTH VICTIM OF MEMETOVORE

Serioth of the Council has sent me a journal, in which he states that he is the victim of a memetovorus entity. This is apparently responsible for his recent discrepancies. According to the journal, as far as it is understood, he believes it may have something to do with his investigation into Werill, also of the council. As of the latest entry, Serioth intends to confront Werill. While I must admit that this publication has not supported Serioth in the past, but we wish him luck in this endeavor. Stay Safe Serioth.

[humm-bird]

@thewizardcouncil

Whelp, @greywizard-reporter-jim turned himself in. I'll state my opinions on his sentence once we have convened on this topic..

[wip-wizard-in-progress]

On the recent situation:

Fuck the wizard council, eh to the recently fired councilmember Jim (Respect you for quitting, don't respect you for wizard-councilism, averages out to neutrality), and Serioth was the only good part of the wizard council for standing up for the civilians, unlike the rest of the council which was only focused on themselves.

[bogglethebogwizard]

so wait so is current wizard council drama just serioth and jims messy wizard divorce because, and maybe it’s just the bog water and radiation, that’s what it sounds like to me

[ratazom]

In this time of sadness and confusion over the loss is the other wizards of the Red Confederation, I must remember the good things in life. Like the fact that I resurrected Serioth just for him to get dunked on repeatedly for weeks.

[fluffycat-wizard]

thats it who is this Serioth guy i keep hearing wizards mutter about i swear, nobody gossips to dragons anymore even though we're very amicable

[lvlzmj]

190616 ‘Once Upon a Time’ Hongdae Fansign Serioth ✧ do not edit.

[greywizard-reporter-jim]

Who created the most forbidden spell? The answer might surprise you.

-by reporter Jim

__________________

Forbidden spells! Love them or hate them, they occupy a central place in wizard politics. From Ketamine Ape to Instant Dehydration, their effect and their power made the Council create new legislation. But who made them? And which one is the most forbidden, with the most damning legal consequences?

First of all, it is important to know that when they make a spell forbidden, the Council tries to find the creator of the spell, and strikes a deal with them. In exchange for complete anonymity, and a generous sum of gold, the spellsmith vows to never share the formula, and to destroy all existing documents related to it. This makes finding them complicated, but sometimes, they refuse the offer. For exemple, Doliprane, the creator of Baguettify Bones, was "disposed of" by Council member Liriam himself, as most wizards know, in the controversial duel of 1989.

What people generally don't know, is that authorized and forbidden spells are not the only categories in the Council's archives. One spell is considered worse than forbidden. There are no laws around it, as it is a state secret, and the formula, as well as most mentions of it, have been purged from Council record. This is the Apollyon-class spell.

Thankfully, an anonymous source has given us access to some of the archived documents, allowing us to know what the spell is, and most importantly its creator.

The Apollyon-class spell was allegedely created thrity years ago, to get rid of the warlock Arsæne the Crimson, by none other... Than Council member Serioth himself. Usually, the use of such a spell is considered treason, but Serioth used his Council immunity, dodging all charges, and still has a seat there to this day, which begs several questions. When will the Council act? Are they ever going to? And most importantly...

Who can stop Serioth from casting Banish to Twitter again ?

[greywizard-reporter-jim]

Lichdom

Jim's Journal

Necromancy, in its broadest definition, is the use of magic to control entropy, but also what once was. Skeletons, for example, can't move by themselves, but they represent the idea of a body that once could. Of course, death is a big part of this. It is the frontier between what is and what isn't, and clever uses of this frontier make a huge part of most necromancy spells. It is, however, interesting to note that actual death is not a necessity. Wraiths, for example, can be summoned even without the death of the original creature. If the creature in question went through enough of a change, its previous state has "died", and thus, can be summoned. Some people can even be haunted by themselves, as the wraith believes that a doppleganger has invaded their home.

Liches function on a similar principle. At first glance, Lichdom might seem like an outlier. A ritual of Lichdom is cast to preserve a body, not destroy or raise it. However, this is ignoring the fact that the ritual demands the death of the subject. The simpler (but not easiest) way to achieve this is to just that. The future lich kills themself, usually using poison, and raises their own body under their control. This, however, requires tremendous quantities of mana. A post mortem spell is extremely difficult to cast, to fail such a spell means actual death.

One way to circumvent this is to have someone complete the ritual for you. This option, however, also has its caveats. First, you need someone you trust completely, of course. The person can do anything to the would-be lich, including raising them in their service. Second, it is a huge strain on the person completing the ritual. Messing with death is no trivial matter, and if they aren't careful, the ritual can rend their very soul apart. Even if they are, the spell has consequences on the body, sometimes permanent ones, and can hinder the caster's ability to use magic.

Finally, the third option is to kill a part of oneself. The killing part is as not difficult as it sounds, and does not have to be a moral sacrifice. Parts of a person die all the time, mainly when we take decisions. The part of ourself that vouched for the other option dies, if we are certain enough, and that is enough for the ritual. However, the hard part is knowing exactly when it dies, and casting the ritual at this exact moment. Usually, it is easier when one is confronted with a moral conendrum, as they are ready to cast the ritual.

This is the option I will take.

First, because I cannot ask anyone to risk themselves to get me to Lichdom. There are people I would trust with my life, but the risk for them is to great. Second, I do have a moral conendrum to solve.

Do I want to be a lich?

Despite what I said to Serioth, I'm still unsure. The Council's members are a permanent danger to me and my loved ones, and I don't want to live on fear of the day they'll catch up, but immortality is often a curse. A painful one. I don't know if I'll ever be ready to see the world wither around me as I remain.

So the plan is simple. I'll go to @ratazom 's tower (thank you for proposing your help, by the way), and use one of the artifacts I stole. Jaress the Pink's Orb will allow me to "store" the ritual. Once my decision is taken, I'll use it, and become a lich.

Or I won't.

[greywizard-reporter-jim]

Becoming a necromancer, day 1.

Having realised my true calling, and the sheer boredom of Tax Magic (I'm not having a midlife crisis, you're having a midlife crisis!), I have decided to become a necromancer! The path is long but I know it'll be worth it.

And the first step is to attune my orb to the plane of the dead. In order to do so, I will travel to an old crypt, and sleep among the skulls.

Onward!

[greywizard-reporter-jim]

...I've been studying Necromancy.

I just learned that Revenants fade away when their driving force becomes unnateignable.

They die. They fucking fade way. Shit. Serioth.

I'm sure he took something like the Council.

If he ever gets fired or framed... Shit shit shit shit. I have to convince him to change his driving force while he can.

I have to get to my old tower and find a way to contact him.

[battlemageserioth]

Werill's Serenade

Episode 2:

"Show me the City of Towers!"

The booming voice of the battlemage echoed in the hall, as the mist before him started swirling, taking new colours and shape... Before morphing back into a grey mass floating in the middle of the room. Serioth muttered "Damn it", under his breath, before trying again.

"Show me the City of Towers."

Again, the fog moved, as if disturbed by the wind, but again, the image dissipated long before it could become clear.

"Please show me the City of Towers?" he tried, wincing.

Same result.

"Show me the City, damn you!"

"Are you okay?"

Serioth jumped, and turned around. Jim was standing in the doorframe. He was wearing an oversized robe, had a tired look on his face and a coffee cup in his hand. The battlemage frowned.

"What are you doing here? You told me you were going to sleep!"

And Jim needed to rest. The spell he had cast to save him left its mark. The necromancer was sickly pale, his eyes were glassy, and he had a bony silhouette. It wasn't that he was extremely thin, though he had alway been the thinner of the two, but his nearly white skin was almost translucent, leaving his bones visible. His long brow hair now had long strands of white, and his legs were slightly shaking. He was slowly recuperating, clawing his way back to the world of the living, but he still looked like one of the dead.

"I did sleep. Nine hours, in fact."

"...really?"

"Yeah. You've been staying up all night."

"Ah."

Jim crossed his arms, squinting at him.

"You've got to rest, man. I swear, if you manage to die after I made you a lich, I'm gonna kill you."

"You can't-"

"Shut up."

Serioth sighed. Jim was at his most annoying when he was right. He could see it in his own reflection, and in his years of studying magic. To be on the receiving end of so much mana had consequences. It wasn't wild magic in any way, filtered through the incantations of necromancy, the days of continuous rituals it had demanded and of course, Jim's own magic, but that was irrelevant. Mana was the force of change. And change him it did. His skin was scarred where the magic had flown, in great patches of bony white, on his torso and his back. He was quieter, having to make a conscious effort to be heard when he talked, and even his shadow was somehow thinner. Sometimes, it stopped following him entirely. None of it was permanent, but he had to take care of himself, to avoid letting his grip on the living world weaken, and becoming nothing more than a wraith. And he hadn't be doing that. His moustache, usually impeccably groomed, was a mess of brown hair going in every direction, and his muscular figure was hunched over by the weigh of fatigue.

"...fine. I'll get some rest."

"And drink some water."

"And... Drink some water. Yes. Whatever."

Jim shook his head, and sighed.

"Good. I can't believe you managed to live this long while treating yourself like shit."

"It made me strong."

There was a moment of silence between them, as Jim turning around to leave through the door.

"No. You were strong already. It just made you tired and hurt."

Serioth didn't know what to say to that. He watched him leave and sighed. Maybe he did need some sleep. Staying up all night was just unreasonable.

He looked through the window on his right, then frowned. How did he not see the sun rise? How was he not seeing it right now? This window was on the east side of the tower, he was sure of it. Was it that late? Afternoon? No... No something was wrong. He could feel it. Serioth clenched his teeth, and sat down. Maybe Werill's memetovores incident had more effect on it than he thought. Maybe he was becoming paranoid. Still. It felt so much like when that... Thing was attached to his neck. This feeling of losing touch with reality, after noticing the smallest inconsistences in...

A scream. Serioth froze. It was Jim's voice. The battlemage jumped out of the room and rushes into the corridor. The scream was still echoing, but somehow, he knew the something had stopped. The silence... Around the scream, somehow, was heavier. And then, he saw it.

It was above Jim. A great thing of skin and teeth. A bald, naked head, tall as a standing man, at the hand of a gigantic neck. Its eyes were two white, sightless orbs. Its flesh was almost visible through its grey, scroll like skin. And its maw... No word could describe the gaping, terrible thing that it used as a mouth. A black holes that did not simply swallow light, but consumed and erase it entirely. It was barred with pointed teeth that looked like those of a deep sea fish, dripping with blood from the wound it had inflincted on Jim, as the necromancer was trying to keep it at bay with a dagger that looked ridiculous in comparaison.

A false hydra, seeking to consume Jim.

Serioth jumped to action, animated by old reflexes. He knew he could not let that thing sing. The mage raised his arms, and a great spear of ice flew down the hall, catching the beast in the neck. There, it exploded in a sphere of water that gargled the song the hydra tried to let out once again. The head retracted, but Serioth did not give it any chance. He closed his fist, and a ball of fire struck the things head, exploding. The beast screamed as the smell of burned flesh invaded the tower. Finally, the scream was cut short, as a disk of ice flew through its neck, slicing it clean. The head fell, shriveling up under the heat of the flame, and Serioth finally allowed himself to bend the knee and try to catch his breath. Not for long, though.

He rushed towards Jim, who was lying on the ground, and winced. His leg looked horrible. Blood completely covered it, and the fact that it was still attached surprised the battlemage.

"Jim! Are you okay?"

Jim smiled, clenching his teeth.

"Yep! Just peachy!""

"Not the time. Stay still, I'll heal you."

The mage put his hands on the wound, and a green light started glowing from it as it closed.

"What... What was that..?"

"A false hydra. Worry about it later, right now, you'll need rest. Healing spells take energy from your body-"

"I know how healing spells work," said Jim, already sounding sleepy.

"Alright, alright. Don't move I'll get you to bed."

He took the necromancer into a princess carry, and stood up. There, he froze.

The neck of the false hydra was slowly retreating, like a wound tentacle. It stretched on and on, into the forest below, and out of sight.

[greywizard-reporter-jim]

Becoming a necromancer, day 3.

Having realised my true calling, and the sheer boredom of Tax Magic (I'm not having a midlife crisis, you're having a midlife crisis!), I have decided to become a necromancer! The path is long but I know it'll be worth it.

Changing attunment is... harder than it seems. It's one thing to get your orb to react to necromancy, but changing your magic is another. I spent hours speaking with dead Tax Wizards, layers and accountants. There's something depressing to it, really. It feels like being haunted by past mistakes, except I'm choosing to get haunted. Maybe I just don't have what it takes to be a necromancer...

Or maybe I need to work on myself, if I want to actually change my magic. This would all have been easier if I had just taken necromancy from the beginning. To think I only studied Tax Magic because there was a seat at the Council... And in the end, I got here by seducing someone. Such a waste, isn't it? I studied my youth away for a Magic that brought me nothing, in order to get a job that got me nothing, and in the end, it was all for nothing.

But I think the worst part of it all is that I actually kind of liked Serioth. Our relation was weird, but in the end, I was trying to make it work. I mean... I didn't even ask him for a seat at the Council. It felt like manipulating him (which was the idea, at first, so I guess I got what I deserved). But he himself said I should join. I wonder why. What did he see me? And why did he become so distant, before ending our relationship completely, once I got my seat at the Council? What did I do wrong? Why didn't he tell me? He's usually straightforward...

Oh, but here I am rambling. Anyway, that day was a waste.

[greywizard-reporter-jim]

Becoming a necromancer, day 4.

Having realised my true calling, and the sheer boredom of Tax Magic (I'm not having a midlife crisis, you're having a midlife crisis!), I have decided to become a necromancer! The path is long but I know it'll be worth it.

I met up with Serioth today.

Yes, it was a stupid idea, I know. But I have been informed by @hummbirb that he knew of my intentions from the very beginning, and let me believe I seduced him into giving me the job so I wouldn't negociate about the pay. I just... Needed to know what the hell it was all about. I needed to know why he didn't tell me, and well, I didn't learn much. He just said it was "unecessary". I guess I'm not worth the effort. All he had to do was to talk to me. But no. I'm just the Tax Guy, after all, and our whole relationship was just the world's longest job interview. It meant nothing.

Now I don't even blame him manipulating me. I tried the same after all, even though I failed miserably. He just... He didn't have to be a dick about it. But oh well, I'm an ennemy of the Council now, and because of that, he tried to arrest me. I fled, of course. There's no way I'll even come close to Serioth's battle prowesses. But I did manage to teleport in front of him, with the Staff of Travelroot, and I slapped him. I slapped him across the face while he was casting something. He was surprised by that, at least, and I got away with using the same trick to escape. Bless your heart, Gavamont, for trading this staff with me. He had the time to place a glyph of localisation on me, though...

I don't think I can return to my tower. It's no longer a safe location. Thankfully, I can go anywhere with the Staff of Travelroot. As for the glyph, I keep it unprecise, with a spell of Undeclared Residence, but it's hard too keep it active, since my orb is no longer attuned to Tax Magic. I'll go to Ratazom's place. I think he has just the spell for that.

As for my progress in necromancy, I finally manage to revive a skull. I was excited, at first, but well, he's an accountant, and just gives financial advice. Maybe thinking I could be a Necromancer was foolish of me. I can't even cast a basic spell...