Redthorn Anvil Member
The Abyssal Troglodyte
STATUS: I wonder about status bar commenters sometimes 5 yrs ago
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puddingpunter
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5 yrs ago
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I wonder about status bar commenters sometimes
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6 yrs ago
is it just a me problem where you own all the art/office supplies in your house so you basically become the pencil cartel
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6 yrs ago
One of your issues with Fallout 4 is you're not playing Fallout: New Vegas
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Bio
That's me. I also go by Anvil.
Art Ordering: Open [by availability only. I have a life too yanno]
DM me for availability and detaillss
OR
You can order art from me heeeere ---> The Art Forge
Most Recent Posts
Welcome to the Forge, where I take your character concepts and turn them into drawings! Trust me, I know how hard it is to find an image floating around on the internet that's just right for your character. So, I offer you my drawing services right here! No need to go spend hours browsing DA or Google for halfway-decent faceclaims...
I had an old thread devoted to this very topic a while back but due to my horrible time management skills, I couldn't keep up with you all. So, I'm back, and things are a little bit different this time around.
Most of you out there think a lot about your characters and developing them, and it comes to a point where you know exactly what you want, and you can see it in your head, buuuuuuuuut... there's no reference art out there that's exactly what you want.
Well, that's what I do! I draw references. Just for you.
Please, please keep in mind that these are references, not rendered illustrations. It's not that I don't want to make epic drawings for you, it's because it's very expensive, and I am very much aware that nobody here is made of money. I want to make it as cheap for you as possible, so it's my policy to only draw character references.
What you'll get is a fully detailed character reference. Full body, with color, clean lines, any size you like, any common file type you like (default height is approximately 1080 px, which is quite large), and I'm extremely flexible with most aspects of the finished design. Hell, I'll even give you a full turnaround of your character if you really want one. You want an accurate reference, and I want to give it to you! There's only a couple policies regarding content that I won't budge on. I don't draw any explicit content or incorporate any controversial themes, and only one character per commission. You want multiple characters? They have to be separate images. Sorry about that!
Ok, so what actually is the price tag, right?
It's a measly $12.00 per hour. That's it.
(protip: if you want the cheapest price, ask me for a sketch!)
Anyway, I'll try to get some references up so you can see exactly what you'll be getting. In the meantime, feel free to lurk or ask questions! You can also visit my instagram for some of my work! Check back here once in a while for my latest updates.
I had an old thread devoted to this very topic a while back but due to my horrible time management skills, I couldn't keep up with you all. So, I'm back, and things are a little bit different this time around.
Most of you out there think a lot about your characters and developing them, and it comes to a point where you know exactly what you want, and you can see it in your head, buuuuuuuuut... there's no reference art out there that's exactly what you want.
Well, that's what I do! I draw references. Just for you.
Please, please keep in mind that these are references, not rendered illustrations. It's not that I don't want to make epic drawings for you, it's because it's very expensive, and I am very much aware that nobody here is made of money. I want to make it as cheap for you as possible, so it's my policy to only draw character references.
What you'll get is a fully detailed character reference. Full body, with color, clean lines, any size you like, any common file type you like (default height is approximately 1080 px, which is quite large), and I'm extremely flexible with most aspects of the finished design. Hell, I'll even give you a full turnaround of your character if you really want one. You want an accurate reference, and I want to give it to you! There's only a couple policies regarding content that I won't budge on. I don't draw any explicit content or incorporate any controversial themes, and only one character per commission. You want multiple characters? They have to be separate images. Sorry about that!
Ok, so what actually is the price tag, right?
It's a measly $12.00 per hour. That's it.
(protip: if you want the cheapest price, ask me for a sketch!)
Anyway, I'll try to get some references up so you can see exactly what you'll be getting. In the meantime, feel free to lurk or ask questions! You can also visit my instagram for some of my work! Check back here once in a while for my latest updates.
"Now then..."
While everyone else was busy dealing with the aftermath of the attack, the Judge had taken it upon himself to tie up his new prisoners with strips of bedsheet torn from the bed in the room he was keeping them in. It wasn't ideal, but he needed to make sure they wouldn't figure out that the door wasn't actually locked...
The pirates themselves looked wary - maybe a little nervous, but not terribly frightened.
That was going to be fixed momentarily.
"Let's have a little conversation, just the three of us."
He slowly circled the pair, getting a look around the room.
The bed was pushed up against the far wall, and on the opposite side was a desk, a monitor sitting on top of it. The wires there could be useful...
"Let's start with your names."
Judge stepped towards the monitor, examining it. He could feel the eyes of his prisoners watching him intently.
One of them spoke up.
"I'm Sweep. He's Kode."
The one called Kode was eyeing the Judge suspiciously while he unplugged the monitor and removed the cables from the back of it.
"You look like you have something to say, Kode."
The prisoner reluctantly dropped his gaze, so Judge approached him, cables in hand.
"Perhaps you'd like to be the first to explain why I shouldn't just kill you?"
"What do you want? We're just scavengers! We take whatever we can get our hands on!"
"If you're just scavengers, wouldn't it have been easier to simply... starve us out, instead sacrificing your own crew?"
Kode snorted.
"Yeah, sure. Why does that matter?"
"Because that isn't what you did. In fact, it seemed to me like you weren't even after our cargo at all - as I understand it, the typical strategy of pirates is to steal the cargo out from under our noses while we're distracted. But you specifically targeted the crew - and additionally..." It just occurred to Judge, "you just happened to be waiting for us when this ship was sabotaged. That's a bit too clever for scavengers, isn't it?"
Sweep was sweating profusely.
"So then we're just smarter than most," Kode sneered.
He cried out when Judge whipped him across the face with his cables. There were now three angry scratches on Kode's cheek. Sweep flinched.
"I was just testing it," Judge explained. That earned him a seething glare.
There were few minutes of silence as Judge continued circling his prisoners. Finally, he asked them in a low voice, "do you know what I think?"
When they didn't respond, he suddenly twisted the cables around Kode's neck, a glimmer of fear glinting in his eyes as he started gasping and struggling.
"I think you're hiding something from me, and I want to know what it is."
"Don't -" he choked, glaring at Sweep, who looked like he was about to say something.
"Ah, so there is something." The Judge stared at Sweep.
"Your friend here is running out of air. If you want to save his life-"
"We were hired!"
"By who?"
"I don't know!"
Judge tilted his head - and then dropped Kode, who lay motionless.
"Seems you might have answered me a little late..." He prodded Kode in the side.
"I swear I don't know who he was - he had money, and told us to sabotage your ship. I don't know anything else!"
"We'll see. But that will be enough for me, for now."
Judge hogtied both men on the off-chance that Kode might recover, and left them.
Something was significant about this ship, and he was going to find out what it was.
"Waitwaitwait, can't you give me local anesthesia or something before you - ow!" Cyrus' entire frame twitched every time Persephone poked or prodded his arm socket with her tools. She chatted with him about a variety of subjects, and it seemed to him that she was trying to get him to relax (though, how could he relax when his arm was off?), but he wondered how much of it was nervous chatter on her part. Still, she seemed to be a nice girl. In no time at all, she declared him "functional", mentioned something about finding the captain, and skipped off, leaving him slightly overwhelmed and befuddled.
Scratching his head, he looked down at his newly-repaired (or patched, at least) arm, and gave his fist an experimental squeeze - then cringed. It didn't hurt - actually, it felt nothing at all, and that's what made it feel so weird. It was going to take some getting used to, but for the time being, at least, he had both his arms.
"Ah, but..." he looked around, "she ran off before I could thank her, didn't she? Well..."
He stood up, brushing off his obnoxiously green pants as he did so - again cringing at the deadness of his new arm - "I guess I better go find the captain too. I find her, then I'll find her."
Cyrus soon discovered that the ship itself wasn't very large - or it's layout was extremely efficient, because he quickly found an irate-looking engineer standing in front of a doorway, talking to the captain - about him. He peeked around behind the man's shoulder to see inside the room - evidently the sickroom.
"Err, there's no tin in me as far as I know.... mainly just steel, tungsten, and chromium - ah, never mind," he cut himself off after seeing the look on the engineer's face.
"Anyway I didn't even know I was... er, dead to begin with. I don't have a switch so... it's not like anyone can just, turn me on," he chuckled nervously, then made a sound of clearing his throat.
"Ah, anyway, captain, I noticed Persephone isn't here, did she see you already? Where'd she run off to? Do you know?"
"Name's Graves," he said quietly in response to Flick's last comment.
More clearly, he added, "'course I don't expect any of you to be comfortable sit'n down to a chat with the departed... I don't mind doin' that part on my lonesome - but I can't do anythin' if I don't know who to be chat'n with beforehand. So, seems t'me that we oughtta be, as Faint there suggested, lookin' t'see who's been found dead most recently."
"If one o'you can get in t'see a body, I can make it talk."
The Goliath behind him creaked as it shifted its feet.
It seemed to Graves that Mr. Garrick was perhaps much more clever than he appeared. He'd somehow managed to single out all these people for their unique talents - He wasn't sure about some of the others in this group yet, but Faint appeared to be very thoughtful, perhaps insightful - Nemorad had some apparent status, Soot perhaps had some advantage on his side due to his size and outwardly charismatic nature... And perhaps his own abilities would also prove advantageous. Time would tell.
Regardless, there was quite a mix. It seemed everyone here may have something to offer - provided everyone worked together.
He still wasn't convinced on that point.
"Unless anyone has any better ideas..."
More clearly, he added, "'course I don't expect any of you to be comfortable sit'n down to a chat with the departed... I don't mind doin' that part on my lonesome - but I can't do anythin' if I don't know who to be chat'n with beforehand. So, seems t'me that we oughtta be, as Faint there suggested, lookin' t'see who's been found dead most recently."
"If one o'you can get in t'see a body, I can make it talk."
The Goliath behind him creaked as it shifted its feet.
It seemed to Graves that Mr. Garrick was perhaps much more clever than he appeared. He'd somehow managed to single out all these people for their unique talents - He wasn't sure about some of the others in this group yet, but Faint appeared to be very thoughtful, perhaps insightful - Nemorad had some apparent status, Soot perhaps had some advantage on his side due to his size and outwardly charismatic nature... And perhaps his own abilities would also prove advantageous. Time would tell.
Regardless, there was quite a mix. It seemed everyone here may have something to offer - provided everyone worked together.
He still wasn't convinced on that point.
"Unless anyone has any better ideas..."
Collab with Shiva
Even working diligently, it was taking Maria the better part of an hour to get the cargo bay completely cleaned up. She'd settled on at least shoving stuff out of the way so that Persephone could land, and then she'd sort through and figure out what went in which crate later. The crates she'd lined up were quickly becoming filled with odds and ends, random bits of cargo that she'd sort eventually. Closer to the airlock was where Teg had been shot. Maria had been putting off clearing that area, not particularly keen on seeing the blood of her crew staining the ship, but alas if Persephone was going to get in that needed to be cleared as well. Maria made her way over, spotting what looked like an arm in the rubble. Must be a shipment of cybernetic parts. The Glao were pretty big into body mods, so she wasn't really surprised. It looked to be in somewhat decent condition, at the very least. Maria bent down and picked it up- but it didn't budge from it's spot.
With a thoughtful scowl knitting her eyebrows, Maria pulled a little harder, and when that didn't work she shifted away some of the trash and debris, and discovered that the arm was in fact connected to something. A body. The body of what appeared to be a highly advanced robot - an android, an earth antique of some historical value.
This would have been one of the items the Veritas was smuggling off for a deal - though the contents of the now smashed crate the android had been shipped in had certainly been unknown to the crew before now.
The android itself was in surprisingly good condition - probably either meaning it was a later model or hadn't gotten to see much action before it'd been decommissioned, or killed.
It had a coat of matte black paint, save for a few scratches and a double stripe of purple down the middle of its head.
The android was essentially a solid chunk of heavy alloys and complex machinery, and would definitely be impossible for Maria to move by herself at this point.
"For the love of all that's good n' pure in this forsaken 'verse..." Maria muttered to herself as she came to this conclusion, continuing to clear as much of the debris as she could while working around the android. Why couldn't even the cleaning up go smooth? Now she'd have to get some of the crew to help her with this, and the gods knew they had enough work to do already. Two crew members down, a newbie coming on board, recovering from a battle, and trying to get cargo delivered. It had been one hell of a day.
As Maria was doing this, a zap of electricity from a loose wire nearby jumped across, striking the android in the eye - causing his whole body to flicker briefly with violet light.
After a moment or two, the bright purple glow returned, though slowly, seeming to illuminate the android from within, seeping between metal plates and wiring.
One of his eyes - the one that hadn't just been fried - blinked on with a vibrant blue.
All of a sudden moment, the android sat up with a shake of his head. With his right arm, he tapped the side of his head, and the dead eye blinked to life.
"Ugh, I feel like a bear just woke up from hibernation..."
His voice sounded peculiarly natural, for a complex piece of machinery.
Looking around at the cargo bay, he spotted Maria.
"Well hi!"
The captain stayed silent for a solid twenty seconds while staring at the hunk of metal that was, evidently, alive. She didn't even look surprised, just irritated and exhausted, and completely done with whatever crazy curse had apparently befallen her boat.
"What the hell are you? And why the hell are you alive?"
Several of the android's face plates adjusted to form a face of confusion as Maria asked both those questions.
"Well why wouldn't I be alive? You telling me you've never seen someone like me before? Cyrus Three. Uh..."
He paused to take another look around.
"Where am I anyway?"
"You're on my ship. You were a piece of cargo, but for some reason you're awake now. I reckon that flicker of electricity had something to do with it."
Maria also wondered if perhaps the energy blast that took out Teg might have had something to do with it, but it didn't really matter anyway.
"And no, I haven't seen someone like you before. Well I mean I've seen something like you in a museum, and the Ithlo have androids to assist them in all of their fancy medical nonsense, but nothing quite as... Animated, as you."
Cyrus looked shocked.
"Piece of cargo? Museum?"
"... How long was I out?"
"..." Maria regarded the android for a moment, heaving a sigh before deciding to put some effort into being understanding and her version of kind with him.
"What's the last date that you remember?"
"Well it was the year... 352. I think. My memory's a bit fuzzy."
He frowned.
"That's not really supposed to happen."
Finally the captain did look somewhat surprised. She'd expected a few decades perhaps, thinking that maybe he'd been booted up a couple of times for general software maintenance, but it had been hundreds of years since this android had last been conscious. Far, far before humanity was in this universe. It was no wonder that his memory was a bit fuzzy, his circuits were probably rusted beyond belief.
"The year is 526 AE, and you've been asleep for somewhere around 170 years."
The android looked like he wanted to say something, but then decided against it.
He stood up with a grunt, brushing off his clothes, again with his right hand.
"Well, uh... Since it looks like I'm not really going anywhere for now, d'you need help cleaning up around here? Looks to me like there was a right scuffle. I'll do what I can anyway! Seems my memory isn't the only malfunction I'm experiencing."
He grabbed his left arm with his right hand and shook it in a sort of limp wave. Dropping it with a visible shudder of several plates, he added, "seems my arm's dead. But uh, I can still carry some stuff."
She thought about arguing with him for a moment. After all, she had no idea what this android was, what his programming was, where he came from exactly, but then another voice in her head piped up and said he couldn't possibly be much of a threat. He'd been a piece of cargo for crying out loud, and wasn't exactly in shape to take out the entire ship. She was also beyond exhausted, and the offer of help was too much for her to pass up.
"Sure. Help me get this area around the airlock cleaned up. We have a friend who needs to dock their ship."
"Oh, friends are nice! ... Right?"
Putting his good arm over the top of a fallen crate, he lifted it without too much difficulty and stacked up and out of the way.
"... Sure."
The cleaning process went by much more quickly with Cyrus Three helping out, and before too much time had passed they had cleaned up the cargo bay to the point that Persephone could safely dock without breaking anything, and Maria gave her the okay. After a few minutes, Persephone had maneuvered her tiny fighter in through the airlock, the airlock pressurized again, and she was officially on the Veritas Lux Mea.
A piece of paneling on her ship popped out, evidently being the "door," and a head of pink hair quickly appeared as she shimmied herself out of her ship- though Maria was beginning to get the impression that the hunk of metal barely fit that classification.
"Do you not have a hatch?" She asked as the woman —evidently a pink Ithlo cyborg— stood up.
"Oh, I did, but I got into this bad fight a few weeks back and it kinda fused shut. I've been screwing and unscrewing that panel just until I could get to the point of fixing it. Most of my tools are shot, so..." The cyborg shrugged a little. "Hi by the way! Wow I love your hair. Also who is this guy?? Are you an android???? Oh my gosh that's so cool!"
"..."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Yes I am! Though I'm starting to question the plausibility of my being alive..."
He made a sound of clearing his throat.
"You mentioned repairing your ship? Sorry this is sudden, but you don't think you might be able to have a look at my arm, do you? It's not listening to me."
Persephone looked like a giddy child at his request.
"I'd love to!" She went over and started inspecting where his arm should be, looking at the wiring and the way things worked together.
"Woah this is some super weird human stuff. Do you know if your parts were made to function more like cybernetics or traditional mechanics? It's not a huge difference, but it changes the types of tools I'll need to use."
"I have no idea. Isn't that the doc's job to know which parts go where? I mean I ain't a walking encyclopedia, I just shoot heads, yanno?"
Looking at the severed part of his arm with a genuinely disturbed expression, he added, "if I had to guess though, looks like a bit of both. The plates seem to be more cybernetic and the... Well, the "bones" and the rest of it... Seem mechanized to respond to computer data - that'd be my head."
He handed it back to her and looked away.
"Ugh, please don't make me look at that again, I feel queasy... I think I'm going to faint..."
"That's interesting..." Persephone commented, mostly focused on his arm and the parts. "You feel queasy? You're sentient? Sorry if that's an insensitive question, I've just frankly never seen anything like you before. Also humans aren't a very technologically advanced species, so it's surprising that they've managed to make sentient artificial intelligence when the pinnacle of technology in the galaxy hasn't. No offense, captain."
"None taken," Maria replied. It was true humans were on the bottom of the pile as far as technology was concerned, but from what little history Maria knew, that hadn't always been the case. Before they had stripped the universe of everything it produced, humanity had been a highly advanced society. But evidently not advanced enough, as evidenced by where they currently found themselves.
"If you need some tools, go down that catwalk to the right and look for an angry Scotsman in the engine room. He'll probably have a few things you can barrow. Name's Ansgar."
"Thanks captain! Will do, once I get things straight around here."
"Yeah, well, I think I'm sentient. What's the definition of sentience again? Free will? Reasoning? Emotion? As far as I'm aware of, you humans scrapped together our bodies and we just kinda... Woke up, and that was that. Far as I know, no one ever dug into my brain and rewired it. They just wound us up and let us run. I mean, sure, the Cyrus series were built for more tactical purposes in mind, but, I still made my own choices. They put me through the military academy, and in-between I went to school like everyone else. We ain't born knowing everything. Didn't take me long to figure out how to talk, though! Graduated college with a major in... I forget. Probably something to do with the Navy. I hope I'm not dying... What if I've got brain cancer?? Doc, you wouldn't know how to test me for that, would you?"
"Now don't panic," Persephone said, finally standing up straight. "Your circuits are probably all messed up from being asleep for so long. I mean all things considered, you're in fantastic condition, so you should be happy and proud! I'm gonna grab those tools, and then I'll come back and start looking you over, okay?"
"Okay, doc, I'll try to stay calm... I've just never been... Well... dead before... I don't know what's wrong with me."
He held his stomach with a grimace.
"Oh, that doesn't feel good..."
She nodded, smiling sympathetically at the poor android. "Don't worry, you're alright. Just sit down for a few minutes and I'll be back as soon as I can."
With that she dashed off, going in the direction that the captain had pointed her in. Meanwhile Maria went over to the ships comms and made a shipwide announcement.
" Attention all hands: We have two new members on board, so don't get spooked if you see a pink chick and an android running around. Get yourselves as stabilized as you can, and then come to the cargo bay so we can get a plan of action discussed and get on our way again."
So many questions, too few answers. Graves thought the old man was looking tired as he was handed a bill, same as everyone else, but he didn't stuff it away immediately as a few of the others had, considering all that had transpired thus far.
He considered a few options of his own on how to proceed.
Quietly, he left the room.
"So, there be no witnesses, and little evidence other than a trinket or two and 'course, missin' persons."
The Goliath rattled his teeth.
"The ol' man's likely said all he can, what with all those questions thrown at him. And them officers aren't ones to chat too much about legal business. And there's other hunting parties out there lookin' for the bounty."
Silence.
"Best to stay outta their business. Not real interested in tangling with them. If they want the money, they can bleed each other over it. Our concern is the ol' man's wife. We find her, we find the others. Right?"
Nothing.
"S'what I thought."
The odd pair headed downstairs and saw three of the group sitting at table together. The quiet girl, the otter, and one of the genasi. The quiet girl was telling them about the questions she'd posed to their employer.
Uninvited, he sat with them also, listening quietly. The Goliath stood looming nearby.
After the girl had finished speaking, the genasi spoke up, and introduced himself as Flick Ignatius.
"You all say there's no witnesses. Living ones maybe... Have you thought about asking someone who's dead?"
He considered a few options of his own on how to proceed.
Quietly, he left the room.
"So, there be no witnesses, and little evidence other than a trinket or two and 'course, missin' persons."
The Goliath rattled his teeth.
"The ol' man's likely said all he can, what with all those questions thrown at him. And them officers aren't ones to chat too much about legal business. And there's other hunting parties out there lookin' for the bounty."
Silence.
"Best to stay outta their business. Not real interested in tangling with them. If they want the money, they can bleed each other over it. Our concern is the ol' man's wife. We find her, we find the others. Right?"
Nothing.
"S'what I thought."
The odd pair headed downstairs and saw three of the group sitting at table together. The quiet girl, the otter, and one of the genasi. The quiet girl was telling them about the questions she'd posed to their employer.
Uninvited, he sat with them also, listening quietly. The Goliath stood looming nearby.
After the girl had finished speaking, the genasi spoke up, and introduced himself as Flick Ignatius.
"You all say there's no witnesses. Living ones maybe... Have you thought about asking someone who's dead?"
Disclaimer: I got permission to use A.G. from Shiva.
Graves listened and observed silently from where he and his thrall stood near the door. There were certainly a variety of characters present, which instantly allayed his skepticism about the letter he received. Clearly this was a serious endeavor - and whatever they'd find, this... Mister Garrick clearly believed that his services would prove beneficial in some way. He still wished the Goliath would at least watch the shop while he was gone... but it seemed there was no way of convincing it. He still wasn't really sure how the Goliath could even make decisions at all - but it unnerved him slightly. Still, it had never given him trouble before.
The shadowy woman, he noticed, seemed to become increasingly more reserved as others joined the group. A timid sort, she seemed to him. The male Genasi struck him as a selfish sort, judging by his line of questioning - but many men were, so he spared the man little thought.
As for the two other ladies... something about both of them made his eyes narrow. There was something going on there, and it made him wary.
Mister Garrick struck him as a reasonable man who had sincere intentions, and Graves would be sorry indeed if any of these here would take advantage of the man's situation. It wasn't his job to protect their employer's interests, but if anyone here attempted to undermine the goal of this job, he would certainly intervene.
After a pause, he addressed Mister Garrick in a soft voice.
"N'truth, I just came t'see what this whole business was about. First I thought it was some... joke - but seein' it's not..."
There was a rattle as the Goliath shifted its feet.
"Sincerest respects to your wife, sir - but reckoning since you inquired after me... What exactly did you expect us to do if we found her and she were... sleeping?"
"I don't want you to reanimate her, if that's what you're asking. I'm worried that there might be some necromancer nonsense involved in this, what with the undead abominations there have been popping up. I figured a necromancer would be the best person to spot that kinda stuff and deal with it should the need arise."
"'Course..." Graves nodded slowly. A perfectly reasonable response - though he wasn't very confident that he'd be able to necessarily deal with any undead that they came across. He only knew how to bring them back - not destroy them.
Though perhaps this would be a good opportunity to find out. If the Goliath ever suddenly decided to turn on him...
He knew shooting at them didn't work - they're not really alive, so they have no life to lose.
The skeletal Goliath clicked its teeth absently.
Graves listened and observed silently from where he and his thrall stood near the door. There were certainly a variety of characters present, which instantly allayed his skepticism about the letter he received. Clearly this was a serious endeavor - and whatever they'd find, this... Mister Garrick clearly believed that his services would prove beneficial in some way. He still wished the Goliath would at least watch the shop while he was gone... but it seemed there was no way of convincing it. He still wasn't really sure how the Goliath could even make decisions at all - but it unnerved him slightly. Still, it had never given him trouble before.
The shadowy woman, he noticed, seemed to become increasingly more reserved as others joined the group. A timid sort, she seemed to him. The male Genasi struck him as a selfish sort, judging by his line of questioning - but many men were, so he spared the man little thought.
As for the two other ladies... something about both of them made his eyes narrow. There was something going on there, and it made him wary.
Mister Garrick struck him as a reasonable man who had sincere intentions, and Graves would be sorry indeed if any of these here would take advantage of the man's situation. It wasn't his job to protect their employer's interests, but if anyone here attempted to undermine the goal of this job, he would certainly intervene.
After a pause, he addressed Mister Garrick in a soft voice.
"N'truth, I just came t'see what this whole business was about. First I thought it was some... joke - but seein' it's not..."
There was a rattle as the Goliath shifted its feet.
"Sincerest respects to your wife, sir - but reckoning since you inquired after me... What exactly did you expect us to do if we found her and she were... sleeping?"
"I don't want you to reanimate her, if that's what you're asking. I'm worried that there might be some necromancer nonsense involved in this, what with the undead abominations there have been popping up. I figured a necromancer would be the best person to spot that kinda stuff and deal with it should the need arise."
"'Course..." Graves nodded slowly. A perfectly reasonable response - though he wasn't very confident that he'd be able to necessarily deal with any undead that they came across. He only knew how to bring them back - not destroy them.
Though perhaps this would be a good opportunity to find out. If the Goliath ever suddenly decided to turn on him...
He knew shooting at them didn't work - they're not really alive, so they have no life to lose.
The skeletal Goliath clicked its teeth absently.
The dry sound of thread being pulled through cured skin was almost hypnotic. Graves had been doing this long enough that by now his hands were on auto-pilot, and his mind often wandered to other things. Despite his other more unique abilities, traditional taxidermy remained his top business practice. Likely it was the price point. Being the only necromancer around for miles had it's advantages in a city where such things weren't necessarily shied away from.
Presently he heard the bell on the front entrance ringing as someone entered. The goliath would come get him if he was needed.
He heard a voice speaking hesitantly to the thrall, but was unable to hear what was being said. After a minute or so, the bell rung again, signifying the visitor's departure, and the large skeleton came shambling into Graves' office.
Graves put down the pelt he was working on and turned around to see a letter in his thrall's bony fingers, outstretched for him to take.
"Somethin' for me, eh? 'Nother special request?"
Of course, the skeleton couldn't answer him. Not having any vocal chords did that to people.
"Let's see here..."
Graves' eyes scanned through the letter, one hand stroking his chin.
"This be rather outta the ordinary, don't it? I dunno any "A.G.". D'you?"
The goliath shook it's skull slowly.
"Dunno how you still think with no brains in that head o' yours, but it's no business o' mine."
He considered the letter.
"It pays a pretty penny, for sure, but what use does an A.G. have for a taxidermist?"
The goliath stared at him.
"No need to be insultin'. But you're right, he probably don't need a taxidermist. Hmm. Shady as hell, but maybe worth at least lookin' into. Watch the shop, I'm gonna go see what's this all about. Likely some hoax, I reckon."
The Caraway Inn was in fact not too far away from Graves' Taxidermy and Services, a short enough distance that it was no bother for him to simply walk. Not that he had a choice. He wasn't sure he wanted to pay for a horse, and horse corpses not picked at by vultures were hard to come by. Though if this letter proved to be a serious venture, he might have to spring for one anyway. Just as he was heading out into the street, he heard a familiar rattling and clattering behind him.
"Thought I told you to stay at the shop... Yeah well... never mind then."
He could command the thrall to do many tasks, but for some reason he refused to stay put when he was going out somewhere. He didn't think it had anything to do with the necromancy - every animal he brought back always seemed to retain free will - but the goliath was the only sentient creature he'd ever brought back. He certainly did act differently, but was that because he wasn't sentient any more? Or perhaps he still was? Graves just hoped that the goliath wouldn't someday stab him in the neck in his sleep. He certainly displayed at least a little bit of intelligence - and they say anger is the basest feeling of all.
He was accustomed to the inevitable pause as the two of them entered the Caraway Inn. People generally weren't accustomed to a large skeleton waltzing into an Inn - but fortunately the patrons were quick to resume their activities, and Graves approached the bartender, who didn't seem at all phased, but appeared to be sizing him up.
"You one of them?"
Graves paused, confused.
"One of who?"
The bartender snorted, evidently amused.
"You're looking for room 310. Should be unlocked already."
The goliath had already started upstairs, so Graves followed, still a little bewildered. When the pair reached the room in question, there seemed to be a a bit of a traffic jam. A genasi, a human, and an otter, to be precise.
Presently he heard the bell on the front entrance ringing as someone entered. The goliath would come get him if he was needed.
He heard a voice speaking hesitantly to the thrall, but was unable to hear what was being said. After a minute or so, the bell rung again, signifying the visitor's departure, and the large skeleton came shambling into Graves' office.
Graves put down the pelt he was working on and turned around to see a letter in his thrall's bony fingers, outstretched for him to take.
"Somethin' for me, eh? 'Nother special request?"
Of course, the skeleton couldn't answer him. Not having any vocal chords did that to people.
"Let's see here..."
Graves' eyes scanned through the letter, one hand stroking his chin.
"This be rather outta the ordinary, don't it? I dunno any "A.G.". D'you?"
The goliath shook it's skull slowly.
"Dunno how you still think with no brains in that head o' yours, but it's no business o' mine."
He considered the letter.
"It pays a pretty penny, for sure, but what use does an A.G. have for a taxidermist?"
The goliath stared at him.
"No need to be insultin'. But you're right, he probably don't need a taxidermist. Hmm. Shady as hell, but maybe worth at least lookin' into. Watch the shop, I'm gonna go see what's this all about. Likely some hoax, I reckon."
The Caraway Inn was in fact not too far away from Graves' Taxidermy and Services, a short enough distance that it was no bother for him to simply walk. Not that he had a choice. He wasn't sure he wanted to pay for a horse, and horse corpses not picked at by vultures were hard to come by. Though if this letter proved to be a serious venture, he might have to spring for one anyway. Just as he was heading out into the street, he heard a familiar rattling and clattering behind him.
"Thought I told you to stay at the shop... Yeah well... never mind then."
He could command the thrall to do many tasks, but for some reason he refused to stay put when he was going out somewhere. He didn't think it had anything to do with the necromancy - every animal he brought back always seemed to retain free will - but the goliath was the only sentient creature he'd ever brought back. He certainly did act differently, but was that because he wasn't sentient any more? Or perhaps he still was? Graves just hoped that the goliath wouldn't someday stab him in the neck in his sleep. He certainly displayed at least a little bit of intelligence - and they say anger is the basest feeling of all.
He was accustomed to the inevitable pause as the two of them entered the Caraway Inn. People generally weren't accustomed to a large skeleton waltzing into an Inn - but fortunately the patrons were quick to resume their activities, and Graves approached the bartender, who didn't seem at all phased, but appeared to be sizing him up.
"You one of them?"
Graves paused, confused.
"One of who?"
The bartender snorted, evidently amused.
"You're looking for room 310. Should be unlocked already."
The goliath had already started upstairs, so Graves followed, still a little bewildered. When the pair reached the room in question, there seemed to be a a bit of a traffic jam. A genasi, a human, and an otter, to be precise.
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