[IC] Magic RP (Open to new players)

[Aristocles]

@Shadow Dragon

"A 'hell knight'? Not exactly a creative name, but it gets the point across. Corrupted paladins are quite dangerous, but I've found that pure mages of those power levels tend to be much more so. It's based on some sort of rule... let me think. The square-sum, no. The- the-"

"The logarithmic-exponential rule." Ophion remarked, stepping into the room for a bit. "I overheard what you were saying. Yes. As warrior-types and mages advance in power, the former tend to do so at a logarithmic rate- ranks advancing at an even interval- while mages tend to be exponential in their power gains as they obtain more experience. Like going from 10 to 20, 30, 40 and so on, as opposed to going from 2 to 4, 4 to 16, 32, 64, 128, and so on. Novice mages are little more than petty light-show actors, while the most powerful mages rival the abilities of lesser gods."

[Shadow Dragon]

"I was born with necromancy. Does that mean that I could become one of these demigod level mages?" He rubs his chin. "And if I can, what then? I'd be hunted everywhere I go. Undead would rise around me just by the sheer force of the aura those kinds of mages produce. And what would it take to get there?" He chuckles softly. "That's funny to think about. A kindhearted demigod of death." He shrugs. "But what do you two think about that prospect? Should I try to gain that level of power?" He runs his finger along the blade of his scythe. "I don't want to seem greedy or power hungry. Polybius was a lich. Would he have been able to gain that level of strength?"

[Aristocles]

(Not sure what that unearthedarcana guy is doing, but that is NOT appropriate for an IC post)

@Shadow Dragon

Aurescia thought about his words. "If you mean that you were born with your magic, that would classify you as a sorcerer. That actually limits your potential. It's a bit counter-intuitive, but those who have to study for their magic have a much higher potential, one which is theoretically limited only by one's capacity for knowledge. As for power, it's all too true that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Bit of a platitude by now, I know."

Ophion chimed in once more. "As powerful as Polybius? Hard to tell. A lich's power generally exceeds that of all other forms of undead."

[Shadow Dragon]

(Unearthedarcana guy?)
He rubs his chin. "But in exchange for power, they give themselves one massive weakness, their little soul box. Once that's gone, they die once and they're gone for good." He tilts his head. "What if I were to also become a wizard? Would that make me even more powerful? I understand your aversion to necromancy. But I'm an expert in necromancy and it's cousins. I could help you study new magics if you wish. I'll be a test subject for any experiments you wish, as I can't die again."

[Aristocles]

@Shadow Dragon

(It was a bot or something.)

Ophion thought about it. "There's no need to use you as a test subject for anything, but if you want to be a wizard, that would take years of training at an academy, followed by decades of independent practice if you want to be as powerful as the higher-ranked mages, and not to brag, but I am one of the more powerful mages around. It won't happen overnight. Or even in a decade. And I promise you that any skills you had as a sorcerer won't be compatible with wizardry skills. It's like comparing art skills to mathematics. Very little overlap in skillsets."

[Shadow Dragon]

"How many years could it be? Do remember I'm undead. I'll be fine." He chuckles. "What's the term for an apprentice wizard? Apprentice?" He smiles. "Or would that be an acolyte?" He bows softly. "Could I learn to be a necrotic wizard? And....would you accept that? If I helped you hunt down dangerous wizards and warlocks and the like?" He smiles. "And how would you feel about me learning more powerful necromancy?"

[Aristocles]

@Shadow Dragon

"Well, I was more concerned about how much time it could take me to teach you, as I don't think many mage schools would be willing to teach a wraith using a cloned version of his own body as a meat puppet to pose as a true member of the living. Maybe if you were actually resurrected. As for a necrotic wizard, don't even consider it. Most places don't like necromancy, as it has too few applications which are permissible in most societies. As for you learning more powerful necromancy, please don't do it. Maybe you should consider learning some spells from other schools of magic." Ophion explained.

[Shadow Dragon]

He sighs. "I have learned other spells. But as an undead, they become necromantic copies. I mean, look at my mage hands. They're all skeleton claws. My healing spells sap the life from other places to heal one. And even my elemental spells reverse in power. Why shouldn't I try to expand my area of expertise? My expertise is in part what let us beat the lich king Polybius." He rests his head in his hands. "I understand why that would worry you. But I've spent so long as an undead, I don't even know how to live anymore."

[Aristocles]

@Shadow Dragon

Aurescia's head perked up at that last part. "Perhaps that's part of the problem. Now that you have something close to life-"

"-alive in the technical sense, as long as you're using that body." Ophion explained.

"-you can re-learn what it meant to be alive."

"Knowing my wife, that means she's going to feed you a lot."

Aurescia nodded. "And give you all the rubdowns you want. If you want to actually mate, though, well, I'm sure there are plenty of draconesses out there who'd be interested in a handsome drow."

"Just don't get fat. We spent a great deal of time and resources on that body. It won't do to ruin it with obesity."

[Shadow Dragon]

He nods. "I know. Considering that I haven't had to eat in....around five or six centuries, I'll likely be anorexic. I'm still learning to breathe again. Thank you again, I doubt I'll ever be able to repay you for this gift." He smiles. "Really? Even though I'm a different race?" He rubs his head. "I need to learn to court again, it's been so long...."

[Aristocles]

@Shadow Dragon

"Indeed. You'll get your food. I'll make it my mission to ensure you don't starve."

"Don't let her mother you too much, Soulcors. It would be all too easy to overindulge after never having eaten for so long."

Aurescia cleared her throat, trying not to let her maternal instincts show too much. Soulcors was many times older than her and Ophion combined, after all. "Right. So, what was courting like for a drow back in your day? Even if we were a drow country, these things tend to change over time and from place to place."

[Shadow Dragon]

He smiles. "I know. I'll try not to." He drums his fingers on the table, thinking for a moment. "Drow males would try to court the females, who were typically spellcasters, by preforming feats of daring, or bravery. The risker the better, from attacking a rival, to trying to steal from a basilisk hoard. The more impressive the feat, the more favorably they were looked on in the community." He smiles. "Besides, the females were in charge. The males had to either be mates with one in power, or be spellcasters themselves." He chuckles. "But the chances of a male being a spellcaster are about one in ten thousand."

[Aristocles]

"You'll try not to?" Aurescia chuckled at that one. "I suppose I can try not to feed you too much, but maybe I'll just fail at it."

Ophion chimed in as well. "Our society is just the opposite. Males are in charge at all levels, as the gods intended for it to be. There's a reason why the drow are commonly seen as perverse. No offense, but you know how the high elves see their dark elf cousins. Like looking through a black mirror."

"And before you ask, I think female-led societies aren't right either" Aurescia chimed in. "Although I don't suppose normal elves are all male-led?"

Ophion thought about her query. "Some wood elves have somewhat more equality between the sexes, but it's always the weaker, softer, more effeminate groups of elves which do that sort of thing. The ones who can actually fight are all male-led."

[Shadow Dragon]

He nods. "Drow are always seen as backwards, the corrupt version of all good elves. They worship the Spider Queen, and the disobedient ones are turned into Driders, a horrible half elf, half spider monstrosity. There might be one good one out of a million, such as myself." He chuckles. "The gods, huh? I used to worship gods...then I discovered that they all hate necromancy. So I sought out the purest form of death there is, The Reaper himself. He answers to no pantheon, just ensures that all creatures meet their end as intended." He sighs. "I think my presence here is starting to have a cult following, in all honesty. The few that know about necromancy have been trying to tail me. Should I be concerned about that?"

[Aristocles]

"Not all gods hate necromancy, but the ones which approve of it-" Aurescia tried to put it into gentle words, only to have Ophion interject.

"The ones which don't have issues with necromancy are sick, twisted, power-made, torture-loving lunatic gods who see their followers as raw material to be harvested at best."

"At best? What about the worst case one?"

"At worst, they see their followers as completely worthless. As for the matter of this cult, you have but to simply stop appearing as a wraith and the rumors of something worth following or tailing will fade. Anyone who seeks you out for the purposes or worship is badly misguided, even by necromancer standards. I'm sure the more powerful necromancers are laughing at the neophytes who mistook a wraith for a dark god."

[Shadow Dragon]

He smiles, and stretches. "I think they can feel my patrons aura around me. It's effects are still lingering from his blessing a couple years back, when we were preparing to fight the lich." He sighs. "I think they see me as a sort of prophet, a bringer of death and destruction, even though I've made no move to threaten anyone in the few years I've been here." He shrugs. "I'd have to confront them about it to know for sure, but if I did, then I'd be seen as their leader, and the holy man would hunt me down without mercy. I don't want a bloodbath on my hands." He rests his hands on the head of his scythe. "What do you think I should do?"

[Aristocles]

Ophion considered his words carefully before responding. "Right now, the best thing is to do nothing and see if these rumors will die out of their own accord. If not, you should find and meet with these misguided followers and tell them that you're not a god and that they shouldn't follow you. I'd suggest telling them to do home, rethink their lives, and abandon necromancy, but experience has taught me that life just isn't that simple."

"Tell them that they'll be able to go to the temples to mate with the priests more, if any of these necromancers are female. Most temples don't let necromancers partake of those 'services', and a bit of mating can take a female dracon's mind off of anything. Believe me, as a female dracon, I can promise you that it works" Aurescia added. "It won't work for the male necromancers. Seems like male mages are more into power than sex these days."

[Shadow Dragon]

He rubs his chin. "I highly doubt that would work, but I could give it a try. As for telling them to abandon necromancy, telling them not to while I'm a pure monster made of necromancy isn't going to work. That's just make them even more frenzied, most likely sending them into either a larger cult that sees me as some great champion, a voice of Death, or they'll be enraged, and start a war between the temples. That would count up to countless meaningless deaths. I could try to control them, send them out of the city to make a different life on their own, away from the good people of the city." He sighs. "I just don't want to start a war."