Modern Necromancy Quest Redux: Thread Six

Back from hiatus and ready to rumble!
Welcome to Modern Necromacy Quest: Redux! This time we follow Liz Shepherd from Olim, Maine, an 18-year-old high school graduate who’s just received a tome of unending horror in the mail, and is on a quest to become the best damn necromancer she can...or at least have some fun. So far we have
>Summoned a sassy cat ghost
>Claimed and secured a secret tree-house lair for all our dark needs
>gone to Portland to investigate a possibly supernatural library explosion
>failed a stealth check and got discovered by a guy digging around the library
>gotten pulled through a portal by said guy (Argus) and brought to the Seelie Court, one of two warring factions of Fae
>received an “invitation” to join the Seelie, and politely asked to meet their enemy, the Unseelie, before taking them up on it
>come home and discovered that somebody from the Unseelie is using a Stygian imp to spy on us (and quite a nice imp he was, too)
>gone to a garden store and nursery with our Dad to pick up a few things, imp and cat-spirit still in tow
>narrowly avoided eating an all-too enticing apple at said nursery
>received a small white seed from a wizened old store clerk as a result
>studied up on raising multiple summons at once and googled some good info about wards
>found out that your sister is a lying jerk and decided research was more important
>lurked moar in a chat between two real life magic users like yourself and got a tip to look for Ulysses' grimoire to learn more about warding
>got tired and went to bed
>woke up, went to the garden store to get some aconite for your lesser physical form summon (skeletons, basically)
>refused the pushy store clerk the chance to grow the seed herself
>went to portland to look for Ulysses' grimoire so as to learn warding from it

MNQR #1 - http://archived.moe/qst/thread/747132/
MNQR #2 - http://archived.moe/qst/thread/766214/
MNQR #3 - http://archived.moe/qst/thread/803791
MNQR #4 - http://archived.moe/qst/thread/829337
And #5 is still alive (Steph-ah-knee), just autosaging on page eight.

Discord: https://discord.gg/ksY4q87 (for cool skeletons only)

>>909378
Partial truth

>>909442
Writing.
It's not like I wanted more people in my quest, b-baka!

You flash your most winning smile and give an answer with what you hope is just enough truth to sound good.

“Oh, I’m a student at the University of Southern Maine. I’m here trying to find some books about witchcraft and magic for a research project I’m doing over the summer. In particular, somebody told me to look for a book called Ulysses’ Grimoire?”

The woman gives you a look that makes you just a little bit uncomfortable before turning on her heel and heading back to the front desk. Not sure of what she has in mind, you follow her, stopping when she goes behind the front desk to fiddle with some kind of archaic card-catalog system. After a few moments she scuttles off into the rows of books without a word.

She returns in just a few moments, a surprisingly new-looking tome clutched to her chest. It’s neither particularly large nor thick, and she sets it on the counter so softly you don’t hear it happen. She marks down the title of the book and tells you the price—and you freeze. It’s ridiculous. Absurd. Far beyond what you’re at all capable of paying. Maybe if you hadn’t gotten the aconite earlier you could have afforded it, but even that would have absolutely emptied you out. Now? You’d have to work for weeks to make that kind of cash!

She’s starting to give you the stink-eye as you stand there, thinking through your options.

What do you do?
>Give it up. (Sorry, nevermind, I didn’t realize it would be so expensive.)
>Try to grab it and run. (Will require a roll)
>Try to negotiate a deal to work for it (Will require a roll)

>>909550
>Try to negotiate a deal to work for it
She might have other interesting books around we could read when she isn't looking. If we get to work here, that is.

>>909564
Roll for charisma

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>909631
With Cat-like tread?

>>909634
Not today, dice gods. Not today.

>>909634
>>909640
TAKE A BREAK FROM PIRACEE And what do we say to the god of dice?
Writing

>>909646
To go suck a lemon, they gave me very shitty rolls before.
I am my own man now. [Tips scapula]

You decide to be forthright with her. After all, the worst she could do is say no, right?

“Look, I’m sorry to say this, but I had no idea it would be so expensive--” Her face puckers, and she starts to slide the book off the table. “--is there some way I could work for it?”

For an instant she looks at you as if you’d suggested trading the grimoire for a rendition of Yankee Doodle Dandy done entirely with burps, then pauses and seems to consider the idea. A sly grin begins to creep up across her face, curling at the edges.

“Perhaps...we could come to some sort of arrangement.” Her voice sends shivers down your spine, and you start to regret suggesting it. Still…you really want that grimoire.

“What did you have in mind?” you ask.

“Well, you see,” here she leans forward in a show of mock secrecy. “This shop has something of a reputation. They say we’re...haunted” That unpleasant smile from before still plays about her lips.

“Is that so.”

“Why yes, it is! I have seen the unfortunate poltergeist with my very eyes, moments before it attacked me! Thankfully it remains in the basement, or my poor shop would surely fall into bankruptcy! But surely you would help an old woman in desperate need?” The smile is less subtle now, and she takes your hands in her cold, wrinkled, bony ones. “Just go downstairs and see what you can do about the ghost, and when you come back up, you can have the book free of charge!”

This seems suspicious, to say the least. Free of charge sounds really nice though, and you do have Cat with you. Burn an offering for him and he’ll be back to full strength soon enough. Hopefully it’s an actual ghost and this isn’t some sort of child slavery ring…

>Take the deal
>Don’t take the deal
>Steal the book and run (will require a roll)

>>909711
>Take the deal.
We can't affor to go to jail now.

>>909711
Fuck it, take the deal.

>>909742
>>909791
Writing

>>909791
Yes, you are back!

>>909812
I'm always here, except when Floors is up. *checks watch* Which is ina few hours/days.

>>909820
Floors?

>>909828
Skirmish, fun, very fun.

“Okay, I’m in.”
There’s no pretense of sadness or desperation at all now. The woman is smiling quite openly, ostensibly because you agreed to help her.

“Oh, thank you so much my dear girl! It means so much to me that you would choose to help me in a time like this! Now, I’ll show you the basement so you can get to work!”
She bustles out from behind the counter and leads you to a large, imposing oaken door, painted a deep purple. It’s tucked well out of sight between two thinly-spaced shelves, making it appear even wider than it is. The woman reaches down into her dress and pulls out a shining brass key, inserting it into the lock and twisting it three times. On the third turn, there’s a loud click, and the door swings open.

The first few steps down are visible, but beyond that it’s pitch black. You feel more than a little uneasy, to the point that even Cat’s normally-chilling touch feels comforting. After a glance at the old woman, you take a step forward onto the stairs. They’re bare concrete, with a splintery wooden railing mounted on the right side. The moment you’re through the door, the woman hastily pulls the key out and begins to shut the door. It closes with a strange finality, leaving you in what would have been total darkness if it wasn’t for Cat’s pale glow.

You fish your phone out of your pocket and turn on the flashlight. As nice as the cat-spirit’s light is, it doesn’t go very far. Even your light doesn’t reach all the way to the bottom of the stairs though. You start to head down, then hold yourself back and think for a moment.
You shouldn’t go into this without planning. What to do first, once you’ve brought Cat back up to strength with an offering?

>Have Cat look around as quickly as possible, determine what you’re working with and see if there really is a ghost
>Keep Cat close and explore yourself. If the ghost comes around, you don’t want to be defenseless.
>Forget this, leave the basement. Deal’s off.

>>909888
Have cat look around, never hurts to have a scout.

>>909888
>The woman reaches down into her dress and pulls out a shining brass key
We have to ask this woman where she buys female clothing with pockets. It came from a pocket, right?


>Keep Cat close and explore yourself. If the ghost comes around, you don’t want to be defenseless.

"You are theoretically able to see other ghosts, right?"

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>909905
>>909913
Rolling for tie break
1 send Cat ahead
2 keep Cat close

You decide to keep Cat close by. If there is a ghost, it’d be better to have your only means of supernatural defense near at hand. Equally it’d probably be best for him to be at full strength as well. So you dig around in your bag until you find the baggie with libation and the little morsel of meat you managed to tuck in there earlier. It flares up as usual, and Cat returns to his usual radiance, his circle of light growing larger and brighter.

You begin to walk down the stairs, then pause. He hasn’t said anything so far, but…
“Cat, you could theoretically see a ghost, right?” There’s a pause, and you don’t even have to look back to know he’s acting offended.

“Of course, my lady! I am able to detect all natural shades, spirits, and general deathly energies. What use would I be otherwise?” he gives you a positively Chesire grin.
Well that’s reassuring. You hold your phone a little higher for a better view and head down the stairs. They’re much longer than you would have thought, and switch back on themselves more than once. By the time you reach the bottom you’re wondering how the hell the old lady got a permit for them.

They open into a large room, walls floors and ceiling all concrete, same as the stairs. You find a light and snap it on, a flat white light illuminating part of the room from a lamp in the corner. It seems this is only one part of the basement, with two open doors leading forward and to the left respectively. Almost immediately, a scraping, dragging sound comes from the left door. You look quizzically towards Cat and he shakes his head.

“It is not an ethereal presence.” he states, his oily voice showing a hint of uncertainty for the first time.

>go through the forward door
>go through the left door
>stay here
>writein

>>910020
Stay here and hide to see what's crawiling around.

>>910020
Stay here and send cat to take a look

>>910078
>>910039
Writing for hiding and sending Cat

This basement is definitely not the below-ground rec-room with a musty smell and an old couch that you were expecting. Best not to test your luck by plunging deeper into the place. So you stay where you are, heading back up the stairs just a little so as to be as hidden as possible in such a bare concrete box.

“Cat, go check out whatever’s making that sound, and come back ASAP, got it?”
He nods, and flies through the opening on the left, returning after just a few moments. Disgusted would be the wrong word to describe his face; it’s closer to contempt.

“It appears to be a spirit bound to a physical shell, my lady, but one badly degraded. The binding was poorly done, and the shell unsuitable.” he sniffs “Whoever did it was completely inept, of course.”

“What?! You’re telling me the lady upstairs was a necromancer?” Your head is spinning. Did she see Cat? Maybe that was why she was so willing to cut you a deal! Your desperate wonderings are interrupted, Cat shaking his head emphatically

“No, this is not true necromancy. It is a sham, a crude attempt to reach the same ends with less subtle and exact means. In simple terms, a natural ghost has been made to possess a corpse by some rudimentary process. My lady, it is a Rembrandt reproduced in finger paints.”
That’s...interesting.

The shuffling sound is getting louder. Necromancy or not, the thing is getting closer. Just as you peek around the corner, it comes into view. ‘Degraded’ was putting it lightly. The body is rotted almost completely away, yellow-stained bone peeking out here and there, flesh hanging in loose tatters that swing as the creature walks. It moves but slowly, one of its mangled feet producing the sound that alerted you to it.

Apparently following you by some means other than sight, the thing comes closer, closer to your hiding spot on the stairs. There’s nothing in the room but a halogen work lamp in one corner, too unwieldy to use as a weapon, and you doubt Cat would be much good against a physical form like that.
What do you do?
>leave the room (specify front or left, will require roll)
>attack the thing barehanded (will require roll)
>head up the stairs
>writein

>>910221
Wait until it comes closer, then smash it repeatedly with the door.
If that fails to kill him, go up the stairs, wait until his head is on top of the border of the step, jump and curbstomp him with all your weight.

>>910221
Also, Cat knows about art.
We should ask him what else is he aware of in the real world. Can spirits know things from the living world while they are... Wherever the hell they are?

>>910244
Roll 2d20 for attack please. First for door, second for curbstomp. Best of three, assuming others roll.

Rolled 58, 64 = 122 (2d100)

>>910345

Rolled 10, 3 = 13 (2d20)

>>910380
shit

This one coming up will be ast post of the evening gent. Hopefully thursday is a little more populous
>>910389
Writing

Goodnight anon
Time to go on the offensive. If this thing follows normal zombie rules (and it certainly looks like it does), running and hiding won’t do you any good. If you can destroy the physical shell, Cat should be able to help you deal with whatever ethereal remnants are left over.

So you scramble up from your hiding place just as it comes through the door, rushing over and slamming the piece of wood against its body as hard as you can. You’re hoping for a broken head, or at least some crushed bones to limit its mobility.

Unfortunately, this door isn’t exactly a slab of solid hardwood like the one upstairs. In fact, it’s pretty generous to call the particleboard abomination a door at all. Suffice to say, it does very little to the creature besides slowing it down a little. You retreat back to the stairs; time to gain the high ground. You bide your time, waiting until the creature is just at the bottom of the stairs, and attack!

You leap downward, planning to deliver a devastating kick to the creature’s face. It chooses this exact moment to lurch forward and you sail over it, missing completely. Your momentum carries you forward and you trip on the bottom step, crashing into the concrete wall at the bottom of the stairs with a considerable amount of force. The wind is driven from your lungs, and you sit down hard, struggling to take a breath for a few seconds before accomplishing it. Your chest is incredibly sore, and it hurts to bend over when you get to your feet. The monster has turned around, coming down the stairs now, almost within arms reach.

You can see its rotting face, nose long since decayed or ripped off the face. Lips too dry to cover yellow-black teeth writhe as the jaw snaps open and shut, arms outstretching with cracked or nonexistent fingernails scratching the air.

>run (specify which door)
>attack again (requires roll)
>have Cat attack while you run (requires roll)

>>910465
Go inside the room the creature was in
Kick the door so as to hit the thing
If the zombie falls down, try to stomp on his knees.
If the door breaks try to grab the doorknob mechanism and use it as a makeshift bludgeon

>>910465
>>attack again (requires roll)
goodness gracious

>>910465
Oh dang looks like I just missed the thread. Oh well.

>attack again

>>910465
>attack again (requires roll)
We should tell Cat to scout the rest of the basement for us and let us know if there's anything useful beyond this room. Meanwhile, we can kite this thing and preserve ourself until we know if there's any better options than unarmed fighting.

I'm not sure crippling this thing's body will be enough to sever the spirit's bond to it. If beating on this thing doesn't give us the results we want, or if we can't find a weapon down here, I say we shut it inside the room again, go back upstairs, go buy some gasoline and a box of matches, and do this shit up like Postal 2.

>>911320
You want us to also pee on it?

>>911333
Yes. In its face.
Before we kill it.

>>910673
>>910771
>>911320
>>911333
Could we try to talk to this thing?

If it is a spirit bound to a body, it might have SOME sentience left, I know it was shoddily done but we might be able to convince it that we can help it by releasing it from its physical shell so that it would be happy to let us torch it.

Might even get a free ghost bro out of the deal.

>>915236
I doubt that it has sentience, but we can certainly try.

>>915236
Maybe that thing is so desperate to keep existing that it will cling to this meager existence?
Now that i think about it.
It didn't do anything until cat got near him. Maybe he is too rotten to percieve the world using his sensory organs and can only detect other ghosts. The fact that it wasn't made with necromancy doesn't help.
Besides, i want us to kick the living shit out of this thing. If only on principle

Running again in an hour and 15. See you then, folks

>>910516
>>910673
>>911320
Roll for attack. 3d20. One to get past it, others for the other attacks suggested.

Rolled 6, 12, 13 = 31 (3d20)

>>916330
Rolling!

>>916330
Forgot to say, but rules are as usual, best of three unless there's a crit (1 or 20) which takes prioroity.
>>916337
Man, Liz has such bad luck.

Rolled 2, 9, 20 = 31 (3d20)

>>916330
Time to redeem myself

Rolled 7, 19, 1 = 27 (3d20)

>>916330

>>916362
Goddamnit. Crit fails don't override crit successes do they?

>>916337
>>916352
>>916362
Writing for 7, 19, 20/1

Even as it lurches towards you, you try to duck under its arms and run past it into the room proper. It swipes at you as you pass, catching your shoulder and throwing you off balance. You take a tumble, falling down barely beyond its grasp and scraping your knees and palms on the concrete. It turns, swaying as if drunk, and falls to its knees, hands grasping at one of your arms. Its grip is surprisingly tight, and you can’t yank free. It raises your arm to its rotting mouth, teeth starting to close on your flesh. You think you should scream, but you can’t do anything but watch in mute horror, still struggling to pull away, as it starts to eat you.

Just as those jagged, blackened teeth break your skin, a flash of familiar blue light slams into the thing’s head. Cat’s desperate attack doesn’t do any damage, but it seems to daze the monster, giving you enough time to push against it and pull your arm free. The bite marks are beginning to bleed, shallow though they are, and you see red. You march over to the room the thing came from, standing in the semi-darkened doorway next to the half-broken particleboard door. You bait it towards you, jeering and shouting until it’s close enough.

You slam the damaged door against it again, with more force than you think you would have been able to muster. The door finally breaks for good, snapping in half just above the knob where it impacts the aberration’s torso, but the creature is forced backwards, stumbling and falling to land hard on its back against the concrete. Not one to let the opportunity go to waste, you look for something, anything to attack with, and your eyes land on the brass doorknob, barely attached to the broken door.

You rip it off, finding the metal surprisingly heavy considering the cheapness of the door. You take two steps forward and bring the short knob down as hard as you can against the monster’s face. It doesn’t make a sound, just flailing its arms trying to grab you. You straddle its chest, holding down its rotten arms with your knees as you pound against its head. You almost wish it would scream, make some sort of sound to muffle the muted meaty thuds of its own skull collapsing.

Finally, it gives one final lurch, its whole body contorting like a seizure victim. Its arms break free, suddenly possessed with some demonic strength in its last moments. You try to scramble backwards but it grabs hold of your wrist, squeezing harder and harder until you think it’s going to break. You manage to get to your feet and pull, and your hand slides free of the thing’s grasp with an audible pop, and a flare of pain like nothing you’ve ever felt. Cradling your throbbing wrist, you collapse against the side of the room, tears of pain and terror sliding down your face.

>>916516
What now?
>go upstairs. You need your wrist looked at and that skinny bitch needs to be dealt with
>look around for a weapon, then go upstairs. If she’d sicc this thing on you, you need a way to subdue the owner of the shop or at least get out safely
>try to figure out what was going on down here, explore the left and forward doors
Note: Nearly all rolls will take a penalty due to the pain from your wrist.

>>916523
>try to figure out what was going on down here, explore the left and forward doors

>>916523
>go upstairs. You need your wrist looked at and that skinny bitch needs to be dealt with
Demand some sort of medical treatment. We can't go home like this.

>>916523
>try to figure out what was going on down here, explore the left and forward doors

>>916551
>>916568
Writing for exploration

Cradling what you strongly suspect to be a dislocated wrist, you stagger to your feet. No matter what that lemon-faced bean pole upstairs had planned, you need to figure out what’s going on down here. Cat is shimmering again, clearly not at full power after his attack against the rotting monster. He watches you dispassionately as you step gingerly over the creature’s body, and speaks.

“The trauma associated with being banished from its physical body was enough to dispel it temporarily, but the spirit will return in a few minutes, maybe less.” he says, none of the usual playfulness in his tone. “It would be best if you were prepared.”

You nod and grit your teeth. You couldn’t just get lucky, could you? You head over to the stairs and pick your phone up from where it fell, somehow unbroken. Little miracles. Turning the flashlight feature on again, you explore the left-most room, where the creature came from. It’s about 15 feet long, perhaps 10 wide and 10 high, roughly the same dimensions as the central room. It’s almost bare, except for a small burlap sack near the door and a pile of gory bones towards the corner. They too small to be human...you hope. Emptying out the sack reveals some chalk, candles burned almost all the way down, a book of matches, and a small muslin bag of what proves to be salt upon tasting.

You leave it all there and try to open the front door, only to find it locked. You try breaking it down, but it’s made of much more serious stuff than the left door and holds firm. You suppose you could ask Cat to try unlocking it, but that’d risk him using too much energy and getting unsummoned, maybe not a good idea with the ghost about to re-materialize.

You lean against the wall, trying to ignore your throbbing wrist and thinking about what to do next.
>prepare for the ghost returning (specify how)
>try to leave before it gets back. All bets are off at this point, forget the deal.
>have Cat open the door. Could be something useful behind it, if whoever did this bothered to lock it.

>>916702
>prepare for the ghost returning (specify how)
With our working arm break the joints of the creature
And its jaw
also, ask cat if there is anything of worth behind the door, we could unlock the thing after we are done with the zombie


>They too small to be human
I'll take "What are babies" for $100

>>916718
To clarify, the physical shell is no longer able to be used by the ghost.

>>916718
This, maybe try and find a weapon to make this easier

>>916702
Ask cat what is behind the door, and what should be done about the ghost's return.

When we're done, bigger than shit though, the woman upstairs is responsible for taking care of our injuries. We have her dead to rights if we need to call the police into the matter, and she ain't got shit on us.

>>916724
Fuck, scratch that.
Instead
>Ask cat if he knows anything about banishing ghosts
>Take the salt and create a circle of sorts, it might work
>Ask cat to look inside the room
>Burn the offering if we haven't before


My comment about babies still stands

>>916748
I support all of this. Especially the salt circle.

>>916748
Yea then if it can't use the old body I'll switch to this.

>>916759
>>916748
>>916797
Writing

“Cat, do you know anything about banishing ghosts?” you ask, moving forward and heading back into the left room. He follows you, taking a moment to think before answering.

“Some, my lady. When I struck it, I sensed some of its power. It is primitive, but strong. Even if I do succeed in banishing it, I would likely disappear as well.” He sounds almost apologetic towards the end, though it’s subtle.
You dig through the sack again and find the bag of salt, carrying it back into the main room and creating a small circle around you, and making it as thick as you can manage. You’re not exactly up to date on your ghost lore, but you’re pretty sure there’s a general agreement on salt and ghosts not getting along well. Cat seems to approve, so that’s a good sign.

A thought strikes you, and you turn back towards the summoned spirit.
“Hey, could you go through there are see if there’s anything useful?” you ask, nodding towards the forward door. He nods and phases through, returning after a moment or two.

“A number of cadavers, my lady, all quite rotten. It appears one of them fell and knocked the door closed. There were more candles and chalk, and a number of quite complex-looking diagrams I did not understand, but could replicate.”
Just as he finishes speaking, a glow begins to form in the middle of the room and the lamp flickers. It’s similar to Cat’s glow, but noticeably different. Different shades of blue permeate, from a dark indigo to something almost white. It shapes into a ball, and then a ragged looking torso, ending in a jagged blur where it should join with a waist. The face looks like something drawn by a child, with long slash-like mouth and drooping eyes that are no more than a darkening of the face. The head is stretched out and thin, the arms nearly rope-like. It doesn’t appear to be fully materialized yet, though it’s growing more and more solid as every second passes.
>have Cat attack. No sense letting it get to full strength. (Will require roll)
>throw salt. Preemptive, but lets you save Cat in case something goes wrong (Will require roll)
>run (Will require roll)
>writein

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>916935
>throw salt. Preemptive, but lets you save Cat in case something goes wrong (Will require roll)

>>916935
>>throw salt. Preemptive, but lets you save Cat in case something goes wrong (Will require roll)

>>916935
>throw salt. Preemptive, but lets you save Cat in case something goes wrong.

And ask Cat how we can banish this thing without losing him.

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>916935
>>throw salt. Preemptive, but lets you save Cat in case something goes wrong (Will require roll)

>>916935
>MLG HORNS
Pocket salt!

Roll 1d20 for salt throwing skill.
Best of three, crits prioritize.

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>916983
Shit, those corpses are our predecessors, right?

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>916983

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>916983
If we screw this up, I'm gonna be salty as fuck.

>>916996
Writing.

If the thing’s taking so long just to materialize, you’re not going to give it a chance. Digging your good hand into the bag of salt, you stand up, take a second, and huck a good handful of it at the ghost. It doesn’t hold together very well in the air, but you’re not far from the apparition so a good chunk of it hits, dead on target.

You’re not sure whether it’s because it’s not fully formed yet, or if all ghosts are just that vulnerable to salt, but it’s a hell of a first strike. The salt falls through the ghost like it wasn’t there, passing through its torso just below the center and clipping an arm on the way out, and everywhere it touches, that turbulent blue energy sparks and fizzes before disappearing. The ghost screeches, so loud it sets your teeth on edge, ragged holes in its torso trying to stitch themselves back together with thin lines of blue light.

“How can we banish it without you disappearing?” you demand of Cat, digging for another handful of salt and realizing with a sinking stomach that have maybe one more good throw’s worth.

“Holy water or blessing or burning its remains are surefire ways.” he replies, speaking quickly “Iron can weaken it, and it can be trapped in a circle of salt.”
None of those sound exactly easy...even if you had enough salt to create another circle, baiting it in wouldn’t be easy.
>have Cat attack
>try to trap it in your own circle
>run
>writein

This approximates the ghost sound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk1mAd77Hr4

>>917161
>>try to trap it in your own circle
Kick a little of the circle off so it can come inside.
Lure it
Dump the rest of the salt to close the circle again
After that, we could try to communicate

>>917161
>try to trap it in your own circle

>>917176
>>917177
Supporting. We can do this shit.

>>917176
>>917177
>>917186
Roll 2d20 please. Best of three, crits prioritize.
Sorry for the delay, real life interrupted

Rolled 20, 14 = 34 (2d20)

>>917285

Rolled 11, 5 = 16 (2d20)

>>917285

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>917285

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>917335
oops

>>917311
Writing
>>917339
>>917335
Point and laugh, everyone

You take a deep breath. If you don’t have enough salt to make another circle...you’ll have to use this one. You really don’t like what that entails, but you definitely like it better than having to go upstairs without so much as an animal shade to help you. You can do this.

The ghost screeches again, its wounds nearly vanished, and rockets towards you, deflected by your barrier of salt. It tries again and again, clawing at Cat, who manages to avoid its attacks, keeping its attention off you for the time being. You move forward and, heart thudding a wild rhythm in your chest, drag your toe through the line of salt. The poltergeist stops at once and stares at you, its slash of a mouth widening into a hideous grin. It spins around, lamp from the corner caught in its grasp and yanked from its plug in an instant. Abruptly black, you can’t see a thing, fumbling for your phone light. By the time it’s on, the ghost is almost on top of you, whipping the lamp towards you.

There isn’t much force behind it, as it seems too heavy for the ghost to throw properly, but it knocks you back. You recover immediately and stand stock still, waiting for the spirit to move closer. It does, gaping black eyes locked on you as it floats forward slowly, as if it’s savouring the moment. The instant it’s inside the confines of the circle you kick the bag of salt forward, what’s left inside spilling through the air. The ghost, more alert now, darts out of the way, and charges forward—and stops. Confused, it circles its new prison, searching for an opening, but you’ve already closed the circle. Once more, it screeches that awful sound, bouncing off the edges of the circle, trying in vain to escape.

You take a deep breath and close your eyes, daring to relax for just a second. In the momentary silence, you hear the great oaken door at the top of the steps open, the hinges creaking ever so slightly. No rest for the wicked.

>Climb the stairs to tell her you’ve captured her ghost
>turn your phone light off and hide in the dark, wait for her
>write-in
New Discord, join this one for even cooler skeletons than were previously available.
https://discord.gg/NwGKtYc

>>917445
>>turn your phone light off and hide in the dark, wait for her

>>917445
>Climb the stairs to tell her you’ve captured her ghost

>>917470
>>917524
Five minutes before I roll to break the tie

>>917445
>turn your phone light off and hide in the dark, wait for her
If she's here to ensure we don't leave alive, I'm sure we can beat an old woman in a race up a flight of stairs.

>>917548
>>917470
Writing.
Probably only 2-3 more posts before I call it a night, folks.

You have no idea what the old woman’s plans for you were, or if she knew about the ghost possessing a body. You have a sneaking suspicion that she was far from honest about her intentions though, and you doubt she would have been bothered had you turned into Casper-the-homicidal-ghost’s dinner. So you decide to play it smart.

Turning off your phone light, you press yourself against the wall parallel to the stairs. If she has a light, you have the best chance to stay hidden here, and if she doesn’t you might be able to make it up the stairs while she searches for the lamp. Either one gives you a chance to get some leverage on her, maybe get some answers. You haven’t quite given up on Ulysses’ grimoire yet either.

So you wait, hearing her sensible heels clacking as they come down the stairs.
“Oh Brutus!” she calls merrily, giving a faint giggle “It sounds like you got a good bite of the girl already. I’m sure you’ll grow big and strong like—oh no, Brutus, you’ve knocked out the light again! How many times do I have to tell you to be careful?”
Well that rather answers any questions you had regarding her role in this. You hear her fumbling with something, and a small penlight shines from the base of the stairs, leaving you in shadow. You hardly dare to breathe, waiting for her to realize what’s gone wrong. Her light runs over the line of salt, then the smashed-up lamp, and finally the body, its head pulped in and the doorknob laying next to it.

She gasps in a horrified breath, rushing towards the circle of salt at once.
>Tackle her! You can’t let her free the ghost
>Run up the stairs as fast as you can go, and trap her in here
>Have Cat trip her while you run
>write-in

>>917615
>Tackle her! You can’t let her free the ghost!
We still have the doorknob. You're fucking done, woman.
Fucking. Done.

>>917623
This guy gets it, fuck her up, time to take the next step in necromancy.

>>917615
>Tackle her! You can’t let her free the ghost

>>917623
this p much

>>917623
Doorknob time

Roll 1d20 for grabbing doorknob, followed by brutal fucking rugby tackle and subsequent attacks. Best of three, crits take priority.

We really need some way to get a hold of Argus, or someone else Seelie-aligned. We need to keep this away from the cops.

As a necromancer, we don't want to get dragged into an investigation.

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>917681

Rolled 9, 19, 4 = 32 (3d20)

>>917681

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>917681
Rolling to knock this bitch out and drag her upstairs.

>>917697
>knock this bitch out
thats funny, shes gonna die for trying to kill us.

>>917694
Roll again please, only 1d20 this time

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>917681

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>917694
FINE

File: dethkek2.gif (2MB, 360x270px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 360x270px

>>917728
Writing
mfw

There’s no way in hell you’re letting that piece of garbage old woman let that ghost free. You risk your life and get a dislocated wrist, and she tries to free him? Fuck. That.

So you sprint forward, grabbing the doorknob up off the ground where it lay next to the ghost’s physical shell. The woman turns at the sound, penlight blinding you for an instant, but it’s not enough to stop you from slamming into her midsection at a full tilt. She goes down hard, hitting the cold concrete with a loud thud. She starts to push you away, clawing at your face. One of her nails catches the bite mark from earlier and you hiss in pain, clocking her in the head with the doorknob as retaliation. She goes out like a light, totally limp. You wait a few moments to make sure she’s not faking, but she’s out.

Leaving Brutus where he is for the time being, you grab her arm with one hand and hold the penlight in your teeth, dragging her up the stairs. It’s not easy with one hand, no matter how skinny she is, but you make it to the top, sweating and tired. You open the door, thankful you didn’t have to use Cat to unlock it, and pull her out into the shop proper. You check the front door, but she already locked it, and turned out the Sorry, we’re closed! sign, so you should be alright. You lay her out near the basement door and sit down, panting, to figure out what comes next.

While you think, you find some twine and tie up the woman’s arms and legs. She might be out now, but you don’t like taking chances, and you have no idea how long it’ll last.

You try to think of what to do now
>Look for the grimoire. It has to be here somewhere, and maybe you can even find some other useful books
>Try to wake up the woman and question her (specify what you’ll ask)
>head back downstairs and either
>>open up the door or
>>try to talk to Brutus

>>917732
First things first:
>Find the key, lock the damn door, and hide it.
Once that's done, we can tie her up and ask Cat if there's a way we can find some kind of trustworthy magical contact nearby to ask for help here.

>>917821
This is fine

>>917801
>>Look for the grimoire. It has to be here somewhere, and maybe you can even find some other useful books

>>917801
>>917821
Also when we're done locking the door and hiding the key, tie the bitch up.

I figured we'd be doing that anyway, but just in case.

>>917821
>>917848
Writing.
Last post of the night coming up

First things first. Make sure she can’t get down into the basement, and nothing can come up. You think back to when she first unlocked the door, and sure enough, find the key around her neck on a thin chain. You snap it off and head over to the door, closing and locking it tightly before picking a random shelf and tucking the key between two books, making sure to remember which ones.

That done, you slump down at the chair behind the desk, trying to figure out what to do from here.
“Hey Cat?” you ask, chewing on your lip as you try to think things through. “Would you be able to find Argus if he was nearby? Or any of the Seelie?”
He gives you the best shrug you’ve ever seen from a cat.

“He was quite heavily warded when last we met, my lady. I doubt I could find him even if he was close. The same goes for many of the Seelie, I am afraid.”
You sigh. Just your luck. The only people in the magical community you can even think about trusting, and you have no way to contact them. You really should have asked Argus for his phone number. Just as you’re musing about cell phones and how they interact with magic portals, the woman wakes up.

“Untie me you little whore!” she shrieks, kicking and struggling against her bonds until she falls over, and writhing on the floor after that. “Brutus will tear you apart! I command the undead legions, and they will destroy you!”
All of this is markedly less impressive coming from a woman currently tied up and seeming a few nuggets short of a Happy Meal.
G'night folks, have a good one. If I decide to run tomorrow night I'll let y'all know

>>917952
"I saw your undead legions, the rotting husks. Rembrandts reproduced in fingerpaints, all of them! They are a trunkful of puppets for a one-handed puppetmaster, and you are a pretender unto the throne!"

>>917952
I made better undead than that the very first day I learned magic.

>>918697
"... But seriously, tho'. I learned this stuff from a book. In a single evening, how can you fuck it up so badly?"

>>918697
>the rotting husks
I seriously believe those were out predecesors, not her atempts at necromancy

Kill her and raise her with necromancy.

>>919142
I'm not insulting them, and we don't know for sure that they were our predecessors, beyond Cat's provided information or with, even.