text;

[necromanswers]

Hey folks. PSA for you. Name's Lup, I own Affurgato. Congrats to those who've already met my fabulous self.

As a heads up: I'm a lich. Other terms include: undead, corpse-walker, monster, abomination. Someone screamed "The Raven's Misfortune" at me once and I thought that was delightfully poetic.

If you have a problem with this, you can eat my entire ass. If you want to BRING your problem to me, I'll be happy to set YOUR ass on fire.

Now, are there any deeply personal details I ought to know about you in order for us to be friends? Apparently I have trust issues and aren't accustomed to mortal cultural norms.

that's all, have a great day or whatever

Comments

[necromanswers]

You're very sweet, and I appreciate that.

[And she does mean it; genuine sentiment is difficult to convey over text, but there's no lie in her words.]

Regarding life and death, I'm sure it's not that different, though there are some who can defy it with the blessings of their gods if they're trained in divine magic. Liches are rare, and we're called abominations because we defy the laws of life and death. The deities ruling over those laws would very much like us to be hunted down and destroyed for those crimes.

I don't say all this to be a downer about it, I just don't want you to misunderstand. Death is just as shitty and inevitable in my world as any other, I just happen to have an escape route from the astral plane when someone kills my ass.

[iustaegis]

[ That gives more context...

But if the gods don't like it, why did they make a world where it could be done, period?

Of course, even if she doesn't understand that part, she's grateful for however the makers composed their universe to allow for that leeway, even if it is taboo. ] Lup!!

Let's not have anyone "kill your ass" anymore, okay?!

[necromanswers]

I wholeheartedly agree! Dying sucks, cannot recommend.

[Plus after the first few times it gets kind of old.]

[iustaegis]

[ At least it's not permanent death... ]

You're the only one I know who would say that so casually!

[ It's hard to tell if she's even effected! ]

[necromanswers]

Oh, I'm sure I have a hella unhealthy attitude about death, I won't deny that. It loses a lot of impact when it becomes more impermanent than it is for most people. The first feels very different from the tenth, if you get me. But what choice does a girl have but to adapt?

[iustaegis]

[ She supposes that's true. ]

That does make you more resilient than most. I imagine that dying just one time has the potential to truly harm someone's resolve.

[ Even for some, living is too much. ]

Not everyone is so strong. It's very impressive.

[necromanswers]

Don't give me too much credit. I've shed my share of pointless tears over deaths, believe me! It's just a matter of circumstance that I've had enough experience to care a little bit less.

Still, there are worse things than death in the universe. Not sure that's any comfort, but them's the breaks.

[iustaegis]

[ The longer you remain immortal, the more likely you are to end up stuck somewhere indefinitely. --Some philosopher, probably. ]

Um, I was thinking about it earlier.

I'm assuming most or everyone wants to live and not die.

Wouldn't everyone want to become a lich one day? That way, they could remain with their families and those they love. 

[necromanswers]

[HahahahAHAHAHA about that.]

That part's tricky. In theory, anybody would love the idea of having a back-up life, not dying, etc. There are actually spells and items that can revive you automatically if you happen to kick the bucket before your time, though they're usually one-and-done.

Becoming an undead isn't the same thing. Most people who become liches can't stay who they were before. The power is overwhelming, and it can corrupt the soul beyond recognition. It's a huge risk to undertake, and that doesn't even take into account living out the rest of existence as a walking taboo against the order of life and death. Most people know better than to try something so extreme.

Anyway, even if they did want it, it requires not just a mega-precise magic ritual but a high-level necromancer to perform it. Can't find those just lying around willynilly.

[iustaegis]

[ ...She sees the issue now. It's not that simple, then. ]

May I ask how you were able to retain your you-ness?

[necromanswers]

Yeah, sure.

Liches are corrupted through the heart and soul, created when both are combined with one's magical essence. The magic power overwhelms the other two and all that's left is remnants and a whole lot of insane energy that needs an outlet to burn. I bypassed the crazy by tethering myself to the two most important people in the universe. My heart, and my soulmate. My connections to them are what holds me together.

[iustaegis]

[ It's sad to hear, yet strangely romantic. Pyra recalls their conversation before the Affurgato's opening, when the cafe was still being set up. She had seen the tattoo upon her back, how a group of birds flocked towards a light, and... ]

That's beautiful, Lup.

You're able to remain yourself because of that bond to others.

[ Alone, she would have perished. With others, she is herself. It's poetic as much as it sounds like wisdom a sage might impart to a pilgrim, that she might remain whole because of her heart and soulmate. ]

[necromanswers]

There's nothing stronger than a forged bond between yourself and your found family. A power like that can make someone immortal- proper immortal, not this undead lich shit.

[iustaegis]

[ She doesn't follow, but she is interested in learning. As it is, Pyra interprets "proper" immortality metaphorically...

So, like a student attempting to decipher what Lup means beyond the term, she asks: ] 

Because they remember you after you're truly gone?"

[necromanswers]

I guess in a metaphorical sense, for normal people.

In our case I did mean literally immortal, though, in that our bonds brought us back to life.

1/2

[iustaegis]

[ The power of bonds.

Of family.

Of love.

That such a thing exists in Lup's universe is-- ]

[iustaegis]

That's such a beautiful power!!

[ SHE'S... TEARING UP. It's so lovely to hear. ]

[necromanswers]

[lol. Pyra, please.]

Yeah, it's pretty good. It was also formed using something called the "light of creation", and what else is creation but the bonding of love and energy?

[iustaegis]

[ THIS IS THE MOST WONDERFUL FORCE IN ALL THE UNIVERSES SHE'S EVER HEARD OF...

Imagine bringing a deceased loved one back to life, because of love. She thinks of Jin, she thinks of Addam, she thinks of Lora-- and all else who have lost someone and suffered for it. ]

I'm in awe, Lup, that a power like that exists is overwhelming to think about! But it's amazing!! I'm so happy it's a force in your world. I never knew love and bonds could be so powerful, but I'm glad that it is!!

[necromanswers]

I'm... happy you're happy?

[She hasn't seen anyone so excited about the bond engine since Barold at the press conference. It's kind of adorable. Although, the thought does remind her-]

I'd better put out a nerd alert, you're going buck wild over there.

[iustaegis]

And I'm happy for you! That this force exists so you can be here with us, too. And that your friends can be with you again in your world. That sort of thing!

Is there any way to tell if there's a force like that in Aellyn??

[necromanswers]

I guess the easiest way to find out would be for someone to die, but that's not really a method I'd recommend for anybody.

I've tried sensing for the same type of magic as the bond engine. So far, no dice, but that sort of spell has limited range, so I can't say one way or another for sure.

[iustaegis]

"Bond engines"?? This energy can power machines, too?

[ In addition to bringing back someone from the dead. ]

[necromanswers]

That's what it was invented for- to bring a spaceship out of our planer system and into another, to explore. The revival stuff was just an unexpected side effect.

[iustaegis]

[ 'what it was invented for'-- ]

Oh, wait, what?

The system was made to also travel to different worlds??? Who made it? Did you?