RP:An Ernest Attempt at Research

From HollowWiki

This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.


Summary:Joan and Ernest meet in the Necromancers Tower for the first time.


Joan came to the tower today so she could expand on her study lessons after learning it had a spelled protection circle, a plus in raising the undead. As she entered into the tower the vampire had a look of awe on her face, looking around as she stayed near the entrance, a frown soon followed as she felt the magic energy spelled against the undead. Her nose crinkled up as she clutched her minor book of the dead to her vested chest, abit unsure what to do, would she be able to move?! The magical energies of the tower tasted the vampire apprentice necromancer’s powers, seemly acknowledging that she was allowed to enter and move, it helped that she had her minor book of the dead with her, as the tower also seem to acknowledge the book and that she was the rightful owner of it and member of the guild. A shaken breath is released from Joan as she enters now under her own power, shaking her head as she walks along the outside of the circle towards a nearby table. Once she reaches it, she sets her book on it and sets the palms of her hands on either side as her head drooped, her heart racing slightly. That was a trial she was so not prepared for!


Ernest came to the tower mostly because someone told him it'd have a decent library with which to study up on more magic things, some of which might have been the cause of his current problems. The door, as it seemed, was already open, however the moment his feet crossed the threshhold, boots clicking and spurs clinking, he felt that curious feeling pull at him again, as though the planet's gravity had increased a thousand times. An inaudible roaring flooded his ears and his body collapsed to the ground, leaving a ghostly afterimage behind of a man who might have been what Ernest looked like a dozen or more years ago. "Not again!" he shouted, the sound echoing as if from crossing a great chasm. The ghost seemed to fall through the floor, dragged by unseen hands to meet some grisly fate beyond, but gripped tightly to Ernest's body with spectral fingertips. "I done told y'all I ain't done yet!" Spying the woman by the table, Ernest called out, "Hey! Lady! Give my corpse a kick, will ya? Outside the circle, iffin' ya don't mind! And hurry, my fingers ain't gettin' younger!"


Joan lifted her head as her supernatural hearing picked on the sound of footfalls and spurs traveling in about the same direction she came, her head and neck cant in the direction of the open doorway as she forgot to close the door behind her, understandably after having been surprised by the energy, magic and power the circle had on her. She watched in a slightly bemused manner as the man seemed to suffer a fate slightly worst then her she’d chuckle aloud as she moved to do as asked. Nearing the fallen body, Joan would give it a slight nudge with the toe of her shoe, addressing the shade next. “Are you a guild member? If so...should had brought your book, the magic and all recognizes the holder, even if you are one of the undead. I’m Joan Blackheart by the way.” She’d wait till he got back into the fallen body to offer her hand.


Ernest didn't answer audibly until he'd managed to pull himself back up into the mummified corpse that served as his shell, at which point he sat up, returned his hat to his head, and reached for her hand to help pull himself back to his feet. "Some of us're more undead'n others," he grunted, dusting himself off, his longcoat never seeming to stain yet somehow always collecting a fine layer of sand. One of the vultures that always followed him around, circling overhead, squawked down at them in agreement. "Plus, I get the feeling that wouldn't have helped much anyhow--spells of that type seem to set me off regardless. I've been... sufferin' from that intermittently for a while now," he admitted. "Came here lookin' fer answers. Y'all's guild book ain't say squat about what t'do when yer ghost keeps gettin' pulled out. I've read the thing backwards an' forwards. Ain't much in there I didn't already figure out fer myself, but it helped me make my lil' helpers not fall to pieces the moment somethin' looks at 'em wrong." Ernest hummed a quiet tune and a small skeletal hand peeked its fingers out of his pocket, waved, then disappeared.


Joan gives a nod of her head as she listens to her fellow guild member. “It sounds like an issue for one of our senior members, soul binding is beyond what we are allowed to study with just the minor book of the dead and being just Novus Morior.” Another frown follows as Joan makes a gesture towards the entrance of the tower, “We can step outside to make you more comfortable. I’m sorry that you can’t seem to enter like the rest of us...Mister...uh what is your name?”


Ernest didn't have a clue what a No Fuss More Of Ya was, but shrugged it off as another one of those things that he could look up later. "Ernest," he said, waving away her concerned gestures. "An' I can make myself comfortable in just a hot second." He turned his gaze back to the floor and squinted at it. He'd left his spellbook buried back by his usual camp and made sure to stay away from it for a couple days. Casting by himself felt a little rusty, but he could still picture the sigils in his head, visualize his intentions, feel the elements... and after a moment, the grout around one of the tiles with a rune on it fell apart, and the tile itself had a surge of wind swell up beneath it and carry it just a little ways out of place. With the rune magic circle no longer complete, the spell abruptly ceased to function. With a grin that was more sneer than smile--probably just because his lips weren't in the best of shape--Ernest strode right into the building as if he owned the place. "Don't worry, I'll put it back when we're done. Where abouts're they keepin' the good books?"


Joan dropped her hand and moved to the side once Ernest worked his magic, she offered a sideways glance of impressiveness before freely crossing the floor and deactivated circle to gather up her guild book from the side table before glancing down one of the many hallways of the tower mansion. “Hmm...honestly it’s my first time here myself, take your pick, we should run into a fellow Necromancer in one of these hallways and they can direct us the correct way.” She offers a closed mouth smile to her fellow guild member and bobs her head to indicate he should take the lead.


Ernest put his hands on his hips and squinted again, looking down each hallway before eventually picking one that looked promising for little reason other than, "That one," and set off down the hall at that unhurried yet fairly rapid pace that one has when one has long legs. "An' anyway, I ain't lookin' ta -bind- my soul, exactly," he said, as if he was continuing the previous conversation immediately. "Jus' keep th' hounds o' Vakmawhateverhisnameis off my heels, get me? I'll do what I stayed t'do, but these things cain't be rushed."


Joan pressed her pale lips together slightly as she followed close behind, being tall herself and long legged she didn’t have to speed up. Just a normal pace, as she heard Ernest speak so dismissively of Vakmatharas she’d give a tiny shake of her head of disapproval. Vakmatharas was the god that they as Necromancers owed their power and growing skills to, it was never wise to speak ill of a god, especially so when you where in a place he was followed and worshiped. Anyone that might have overheard might not take to kindly to those speaking so dismissively. “Tell me, who was it that tested you? I had the honor of testing under Bradyn.” Joan told Ernest, giving a passing nod in greeting to a hooded figure traveling the opposite direction of them.


Ernest raised an eyebrow over his shoulder at her. Tested? That didn't even sound familiar. Maybe she was referring to whoever gave him the book? "Dunno what yer goin' on about with this 'test', but I got the 'c'mon in' from... Nasada, I think 'er was? Larewen was there, too, as I recall. I jus' made a little hand dance for 'em. They seemed real impressed, so I got a book." He turned and walked halfway backwards to look at her. "Who's Bradyn an' what's his 'test' like?" Maybe his entry into the guild wasn't as orthodox as others had been. Then again, he wasn't exactly the most orthodox of casters.


Joan paused as Ernest backtracked almost right into her as she was following rather close behind him a step or two behind. Drawing up her head crowned with her deep amethyst colored hair she’d blink in surprise at him. “Bradyn is one of the leaders slash teachers of the guild. He has been the Thanatos Dominus, as in the head of our guild before Larewen took over. It’s his family house that protects all the books in the Black Library.” Here Joan would lightly tap at her book with her index finger. “He tested me by asking me to demonstration what I could do after I spoke to him my interest in joining the guild. A spell or anything really.”


Ernest made a little "huh" noise and then continued walking forwards. "That's it? Guess I got stealth tested, then." On a whim, he turned down a side corridor. Could be there was a library down this way. "So what'd you do, then? We're both No One's More'n Yer's," or whatever it was she'd said, "so I'm guessin' yer magic is about as impressive as mine. That bein," he snapped one of his crossbows into his hand in a movement so fast one might have sworn the weapon simply teleported out of its holster, and started it spinning rapidly on his finger idly while they walked, "a lot less impressive than my shootin'."


Joan starts to follow back after the man as she studies his trailing figure while speaking, “Pretty much, I raised a skeleton mouse, not impressive I know, but it was enough to get in. And our title in the guild is Novus Morior.” Coming upon another hooded figure Joan would take a moment to stop and ask for directions to one of the libraries the tower had, finding out that they only needed to take a turn down the next corner and then they would be at their destination the vampire would give her thanks before jogging after Ernest now and pointing out that they just needed to turn the next corner with excitement. “Maybe?! None of us are in race...it’s a learn at your own pace kinda thing, you can take as long as you need.” She’d laugh as she watch the man spin the loaded crossbow upon his finger. “Very nice, I never tried a crossbow.” Once they turn the corner and come upon the entrance to the library she’d do a small jig in place and squeal. Book nerd!


Ernest muttered, "'s what I said," under his breath when she corrected him. "Know One's Courier." He accepted the directions with a tip of his hat and a gesture for her to lead, and followed her the rest of the way to the library, grinning and tossing the crossbow into the air before catching it behind his back, the spin never stopping. "Ain't hard. Pull, aim, squeeze trigger. Easier'n a bow, first time. Some say ya lose a bit o' range, or a bit o' speed. An' if all y'do is point'n shoot, they're right." Another couple of spins and it disappeared into his holster again as they approached the library. He put one hand on his hip and used the other to lift the brim of his hat so he could look at all the books. "Yerp, I think we came to the right place alright. Where d'ya s'pose we'd find a book on ghosts an' keepin' 'em around?"


Joan composed herself, with a sober look on her face now she walks in to the library a pace behind Ernest, taking notice of who seemed to be in charge Joan would point the hooded figure out, “That person, see the symbol attached to their belt?! It shows the symbol of a head librarian.”


Ernest nodded and squared his shoulders, then sauntered easily up to the librarian with another casual tip of his hat. Everything about the undead showed a lack of effort, from his ambling pace to his drawl. "Evenin'. I'm lookin' fer a book or three on how t'keep yer ghost from escapin'. Or maybe jus' about how ta keep a ghost from gettin' dragged down ta Big Ol' V-man, y'know. Or jus' somethin' about how to make yer soul do what y'want it to. Anything y'got fer me?" The reasons Ernest acted this way were multifaceted. It was partially for grins, because he enjoyed the looks on people's faces when he acted dumb. But part of it was deliberate, to make people think he was dumb and harmless.


Joan moved towards an open table, pulling out a chair as she neared it, seating herself she’d place her book upon the table before her, next pulling out a small leather bound journal she kept close at hand that was filled with her neat little notes she took. Flipping both her book and journal open one at a time the vampire got down to some cross referencing, now and then making a notation or underlining a passage in her book before jotting down what she noted into her personal journal. She was close by if Ernest wanted to chat, but for now it seemed a good time to study while he seek out the books he was on the quest for.


Ernest was told that soul-binding was of course off-limits, however, the last question sounded sort of like he was asking about astral projection and while the library specialized in necromancy techniques and negative energy spells and curses and whatnot rather than techniques more suited to a monk, there -was- a book somewhere with information how to craft undead sentinels that could extend your perception--essentially giving yourself extra eyes and ears in places you weren't. Of course this came with the usual warnings--trying to learn magic you aren't ready for is inviting death, make sure you read all the warnings, blah blah blah. Ernest thanked the librarian and disappeared into the shelves for a few minutes before extracting the book he'd been pointed to and sat down at the table near Joan. Thunk-thunk, went his boots as he put his feet up on the table, leaning back in his chair and flipping through the book in search of the info he wanted.


Joan looked up and offered a smile once Ernest took a seat, she didn’t mind that he even put his boots up on the table, tho the head librarian did seem to send a disapproving look their way. Joan offered a shrug to the librarian before she point a thumb in towards his direction at her seat mate. “Uh...don’t think the librarian likes boots up on the table.” She’d politely tell him in a quite tone. That said the vampire glanced at the spine of the book and then the cover Ernest had in hand, mildly looking impressed with the selection. “Ooh, snazzy. I know I’m not ready to tackle that subject yet.”


Ernest hadn't actually paid attention to the title, or at least he acted like he hadn't. "Advanced Techniques Regarding Servants," he said, looking at the title as though he were reading it for the first time. "I might not be, either, come to think of it, but it's what they got that might help, an' I figure I can fill in the little details with some experimenting." The news that the librarian was shooting him a disapproving look got him to take one foot off the table, but not both. "We allowed to check these out, or is this a read-while-yer-here library?"


Joan gave her fellow guild member a look, one eyebrow raised as if to say ‘are you joking?!’ “Of corse we are allowed to check out books from any library in the tower here. The Black Library also, these are for our use to learn from and expand on our craft, skill, and knowledge.” That said, her knuckles are knocked against the table in a ‘here here’ fashion. A stern look given towards her fellow guild member before she begins to pack up her book and journal.


Ernest snapped his book shut with a nod and climbed back to his feet. "Then I ain't gonna jus' sit here--gonna get back to my camp and set up a couple experiments, maybe write a few new spells into my book. Heh." He grinned, stroking his chin, thinking. "Could be fun to animate a bolt made of ice with that sight-from-a-distance thing, fire it over a fence. Got yerself a secret view of a whole yard 'til it melts, an' no evidence left after." Already thinking of applications when mixed with other forms of magic--in this case, cryomancy--the mummy stowed the book in his book-pocket inside his longcoat. "I'm out. Don't feel th' need ta get up on my account. You stay an' study however long y'want. Don't worry, I'll fix th' circle on my way out. Nice meetin' ya." And with that, perhaps with a bit more urgency in his stride now, Ernest headed out into the world armed with some very interesting knowledge tangentially related to his actual problem.