RP:A Dead Handshake

Hanging Corpse Tavern

Jorix moves into the Corpse a footstep at a time. The folds of his tattered robe gave glimpses of the flesh and bone beneath as the shift from outdoors to an interior setting brought with it air rushing out of the dark wooden structure. His face, clearly aquatic despite the missing chunks on it, relaxed as he finds the comfort of the inn. His appearance is one of determination and grit. A time spent in the wilds and the muds in hopes of finding the prey he sought on the land rather than in the seas he often called home. Sidling up the bar allows him to tap webbed fingers to request a drink. A request that is quickly filled with by Steadmen without a single word.

Joan sat back relaxing in a chair at a nearby table close to the hearth, soaking up the heat the roasting fire let out to warm the whole place. She had her chair balanced back on the back two legs as the front was tipped up, one handheld to the table as she idly kicked and swung her feet back and forth. In front of her was her opened personal spell book, the vampiric healer was flipping through it to go over and check her own work, as she heard someone enter the tavern the undead woman offered a polite smile as lifted up tilt of her chin in way of greeting and even an 'Evening' before looking back down at her own scribbles on the pages before her. Joan was rather unique looking with that purple-colored hair and eyes, marking her rather striking, even her outfit was striking, making her easy to spot and notice. She didn't mind being different it was a lot more fun to be noticed. It made her remarkable and very hard to forget.

Jorix returned the greeting with a simple nod and a raised glass before his eyes caught a glimpse of the spell book before the woman. Though assuredly many of the spells would be outside of Jorix’s specialty, necromantic flesh craft, a few runes, and symbols assured him that he was in similar company. It would be unsurprising in the city of the dead to find another who focused on their creation, upkeep, control, and the energies surrounding death. He approaches her table, sitting at it and unabashedly looking at her work as if he sought to undo or prove a theorem wrong. Strong, silent, a presence more of will than words. “Your handwriting is quite clean.”

Joan looked up as she heard the stranger comment on her neat handwriting, something she was rather proud of, she did practice often with all the notetaking she does in her cross studies with the healer's guild, the undead woman working towards being a well-practiced carnomancer in her field of study. "Thank you, care to join me? You are free to look over what I have written down, I'm working towards becoming a teacher in revivification with the local guild. Shooting for Vivus Nex." A quick hint of a fanged smile is flashed while Joan sits the front two legs of her tipped-up chair back onto the wooden tavern floor while now reaching for her own mug of steaming hot spiked cocoa. "I saw you here awhile back, I'm Joan by the way.' She offered before pulling out a chair near her and giving the wooden seat a few pats, to let the stranger know he was more than welcome to come join the Thanadule grade necromancer.

Jorix smirked as he continued to look at the book rather than Joan directly. “I saw you too, you’re hard not to notice.” The words were absentminded, spoken through whatever problem his brain was working on when it came to spell craft. Revivification was far from his area of interest. Dead was the standard and to try and reverse it rather than manipulating it seemed a fool’s errand. “I don’t see anything wrong with the spell work, only your decided approach.”

Joan clasped her hands together over the front of her opened spell book once she was finished taking that long, delicious sip of her hot spiked cocoa. "Oh yeah?!' She asked as one fine-defined amethyst brow shot upwards towards her styled bangs. "Care to come over and take a look, hm? I'm intrigued. It's not every day or well evening I run across someone outside of the guild willing to talk shop."

Jorix said to you, "Revivification fights to swim upstream, but isn't designed to do so. That type of magic isn't a salmon hopping home, but directly going against nature in its entirety. Necromancy lends itself to embracing that nature, to take the energy there and spin it into something new rather than simply fighting to get back what was. It's... wasteful honesty."

Joan rubbed her index finger along her arched brow, "Hmm, well good sir I'm not out to 'fight' *she moved her hand to now use both her index and point fingers on each hand to now to make air quotes motions* to get anything back to its original state. I'm setting out to bring my brand of magic into a corpse to give it unlife." Finished speaking she reaches for a small plate of goodies Steadmen had brought her to earlier in the day for the undead woman to nibble and snack on. While she nibbled away at her chosen snack she would give the gentleman a good look over, taking notice of his appearance and facial features, namely the missing chucks of dead flesh. He must be one of the many newly undead risen citizens that flooded Vailkrin the past couple of months.

Jorix said to you, "Like I said, I just find it goes about things all the wrong way. Were it me, I’d lay my focus elsewhere. And you did, after all, ask for my opinion on things.” He stops, noticing her look towards his appearance “Grisly, I know. By my own choice too. My knowledge and power have passed beyond the required levels to repair this cosmetically, but I find my appearance a reminder of not just what I am, but what is possible beyond the veil of what is conventional and attractive. Though to be fair, I’m not entirely sure you’re much more alive than I am in the grand scheme of the universe."

Joan scooted her back more firmly against the wooden back of the chair she was sitting on. "You are entitled to your own personal opinion mister. But, since you are not with the guild and don't hold any rank that I know of, all I can say is 'Eh'." She gives a rolling shrug of her vested shoulders here, she could point out that the fellow has not given back any name she can personally address him as so she just forges onwards with the ongoing conversation, "I have no issue with your looks mister, it just lets me guess you must be one of the undead like the most of those that make this area home. As if I'm 'alive or not'...well yeah I'm not, I'm not out to pretend that I am either." Another smile is flashed as she goes back to nibbling on one of the snack goodies and then pauses to take another sip of her spiked hot cocoa, the fresh hot blood did give her cheeks a flush of color now that she had indigested enough.

Jorix smiles, finding her frank attitude refreshing and her words full of energy that he could solidly get behind. "My name is Jorix, by the way. Hunter of soon-to-be-dead things, flesh crafter, I guess you'd call me a carrion chaser. Anyways, I hope your work continues swimmingly and that I get a chance to see this guild you speak of."

Joan felt like scrubbing at her face once she overheard Jorix speak, inwardly she groans as she speaks aloud. "The main headquarters for the guild is just before the entrance to the city proper. It's that really massive complex you pass along the way. It's called the Black Spire, we also have an area under the skill center in Kelay, that would be the Death Cult Temple, and just out in the massive cemetery here in the city we have the Black Library location, all pretty well-known and opened to the public and any budding necromancers. One just needs to ask and normally you can be pointed or lead to either of the three places."

Jorix said to you, "I appreciate the information! Honestly, I've been so wrapped up in exploring the wilds and working on my own formulas that I guess you could say that I buried my head in the sand. I will most definitely take a look in those locations. Your skill seems exceptionally above average for Vailkrin and it only makes sense to follow in your footsteps and hope that I end up in similar circles."

Joan lightly tapped at her vested chest as she said to Jorix, "I can help you with entrance into the guild. I just need to see you do something or we could engage in a spar. I then pass along what we did to my guild leader. Should they be interested then they will wish to speak with you and offer you membership."

Jorix nods, "Well, let me find my next project and I'll happily give you some insight on my methods and what I can do when presented with the correct materials. I appreciate your invitation to conversation and giving me information on the guild. Hopefully, I'll be seeing more of you in the near future, it promises to be an interesting road at the very least. Now, I must get back to it and wish you the best of evenings."