The 'ghosts' look at Jacob, as if he were a madman.
"Boss, only one Maker. Cain't ever be more than one Maker. If there were, the whole place would spin out of control and boom, nothin' left."
"One Fool, One Knight, One Maker, One Doctor, One Birth, One Death, One Thief... You need 'em all boss, can't play cards with only part of a deck..." The gambler in the corner holds up a card. The face is blank, completely white. He tosses the card into the fireplace in disgust, where it explodes into a puff of smoke. He holds up a second, also blank, and it also explodes into a puff of smoke in the fire place. The gambler spreads out his remaining cards, which look more like Tarot cards than playing cards. "Death... The Fool... The Knight... but now the Knight don't look right..." He holds up the Knight's Card, but it looks like there's a faint overlay over it. A dragon now looking down on the Knight, and instead of a lance, the Knight is charging with a hammer.
Kong considers the irony for a moment - they become undead...he can control undead...
...but they want to be slaves. So be it.
...slavery for the lot of them.
After Kong goes through the first 5 or so sending them to compounds...
Judge you fool... don't hand out rewards for nothing... unless you want no more children to be born...
Idiot, jou tell me I haff ziss job, knowing I haff almost no understanding of jour vorld, and offer no understanding, but vant to criticise vhen I don't do it like jou vould. If jou haff advice, giff it vhen I need it, not after ze fact. Zo, vat happens if I chust choose to ztart builtink my own undeat army?
Kong stops partway through, thinks to himself for a minute, then heads to the tavern and orders the strongest drink they serve, looking annoyed.
That's ... well, this is starting to make a bit of sense now.
"The rules of things can change. Such is the power of gods and devils. But even though the cards may not be as you expect," Jacob nods at the holder of the malformed knight, "They can still be played to their own effect."
The gambler shakes his head. "But a single Knight Builder is not as powerful as a Matched Set Knight Builder." He flips over a card, and on it is a face that's a crazy amalgam of multiple cards. "Assassin Blademaster Priestess is a very powerful card, but less powerful than a matched set of Death Musician Spellsage Mageblade and Thief. But take two of those away... and she can slaughter the rest. Even if you merge them." The card, as Jacob looks at it, seems to move. The pale white haired woman with six arms on the card stares at Jacob with blood red eyes, tears of blood welling down her face. Then her arms move in a blur of flashing blades and her mouth opens to show razor sharp teeth as the blades seem to drive for Jacob's eyes.
Then the moment passes, and the card is turning into a poof of ash in the fireplace.
After draining the mug, Kong goes back and picks out the most physically capable of the group - no more than four or five - the rest, he sends to the compounds.
If they're going to turn into undead if he waits, that's what he'll do. He's supposed to be able to control undead. This world is dangerous, so he'll take advantage of his abilities. He'd be stupid not to.
One thing Kong is not - stupid.
Neri's volcano becomes very crowded with new people.
Kong sends them on except for the four or five he picks.
Either send them to a compound, or disperse them. If you don't, they'll become wraiths, you idiot.
I knew it. Now I know how to control you. Jou vill answer my questions.
Kong laughs...a wicked laugh...looks to see if any have Neri's brand - crowded over there - and sends the rest to compounds.
Any more with Neri's brand get sweet oblivion.
The ones not selected let out a sigh, and turn into mist and float away and vanish.
Kong get's a sudden feeling that four children were conceived somewhere in the world.
Oh really?
"But a single Knight Builder is not as powerful as a Matched Set Knight Builder."
As time progresses, Lina pops in occasionally to check on the village, although she's spending the majority of her time back at her compound or hunting for an elusive mighty deer.
As strong-looking builders, she sets Harry's former folk to smithing and construction, practicing constructing and deconstructing siege catapults and melting down weapons and armor to practice reforging them. Her people, the warriors and rogues, she instructs to lead themselves in weapon drills, setting the boldest and toughest to attempt caring for and breeding the carnivorous beasts in her stables.
For any player who wishes, she should have no trouble getting steel masterwork weapons or armor made, as well as horses for the truly brave.
Every time you see her, Lina has made a new addition to her weapons or armor. Harry's chainmail has been painted a dark police blue; when she summons it (and only rarely), it bears a large metal badge reading "Peacekeeper." To her own armor, in contrast, she has added decorative spikes of black iron to her shoulders and boots, as well as an impressive helm decorated with large metal antlers. Her mount begins to carry more and more weapons and shields hung from the sides of its saddle, and she can occasionally be seen training with a bow as she rides.
And eventually, after a few more visible scars, you see her riding a gigantic, terrifying deer, also armored in black. Her banner and shield crest have changed: now, her arms consist of a red stag on a black field, standing above the three-crowned badge of the Swedish police.
If someone asks her why her people are spending so much time training and building weapons (most likely Neri), she has a straightforward response. "This place is still fragile. It needs our protection, now, but there is so much we still don't know. And if the time comes that we need an army, I intend to have one."
Luna would spend most of her time at the new town, Normally coming back to the compounds for food or the like, helping rebuild, training, or gathering supplies for her new knowledge of potions and bombs.
She would ask the others to keep an eye out for certain things she could use and provide a list to each if able.
She would keep to herself most times but never make an attempt to avoid anyone should they approach her.
JES, really!
Kong heads back to the inn for round two.
Kong falls to the ground, an intense pain in his head as the gem begins to drill it's way out of his skull. As it begins to push out of his forehead, he manages to force his hands to it, to push it back into his head. It's a near thing, but he finally manages to get the gem to go back in. By the time the struggle is done, Kong is weak, sweating, and his limbs feel like noodles.
In response to his comment, the voice comes back droll.
So, shall we start round two? It asks dryly. Do not play with me boy, I saw your kind arise... I can wait for another vessel who is smarter... Can you wait for another to give you power?
Do zat again and I vill smash ze gem. Get it? Are jou zat ztupit?
Kong orders two.
Go ahead boy, smash it. You've already lost two. I am death, death has no fear for me. Now say one more word that disrespects me boy, and we are done. You are the child here, throwing tantrums. I am tired of dealing with a child. Grow up and be an adult. Or I'll find another.
I am not trowing tantrums jou ztupid fool, I haff asked for information I need, vhen I need it, und if jou act like a child und don't giff it, get used to being ze failure jou obviously are. Oh, und ziss is my head, I vill live free or die fighting.
Kong slams one beer and waits for his arms to quit trembling.
Neri headed back to the tavern at this point, bringing Luna along with him. He'd promised to take her anywhere she would like to go after they'd eaten. Neri looked to Kong, eyebrow raised. He didn't think he'd ever seen the guy that bad off. Judging souls must be really hard work. He wondered what exactly he was there for. Surely he had a job of some sort... "That bad, huh?"
He didn't really have any reason to worry about the playing cards, though. He ordered a light meal, not caring over much for food after everything that had gone on. "Kinsalia, and Barrius. If any of you could give me information on who those names belong to, please? And on what the word Capital-e Elder means to you?"
If you don't want me, I will wait for another vessel.
One of the patrons looks at Neri with a slightly confused look. "Mr. Kong is right over there." He nods at Kong, who suddenly has a very bright red face and bloodshot eyes, with blood dripping from his nose.
Another patron nods. "And Ms. Luna is right over there..." He nods at Luna, who's in the corner eating breakfast before heading to the village again.
A couple of others begin discussing various elders, most of them seem to be specific people, Elder John, Elder Marisstha...
Kong won't fight to keep the gem in, instead growling out, BRING ME A HAMMER!
Be prepared! Zere vill be an awful lot of wraths arount here!
Neri moved over to Kong, "Wait. What? No. Not even a little yes. What are you -doing- Kong?"
There is a rush of wind in the tavern, and the locals twitch.
The gambler in the corner suddenly stands up, a dirk in his hand. "Alright you rotten cheaters, I had a matched set, Fool, Runemage, Thief Surgeon, Knight Builder, and Death. And someone replaced Death with the Knave of Cups! Now who did it, so I know who's throat to slit?" He looks around the room, and his eyes settle on Kong. "You, Stranger, what's in your pocket? If it's my Death card, you're a dead man..."
"No, no. This is my friend." Neri interjects.
Come und try. I'll show jou death.
Kong stands to his full height, mug in hand, and glowers at the gambler.
Neri slips between them.
"Jacob would kill us all if we started a brawl in his tavern."
"Kong. What's going on, and why is the gem... outside of your body?"
Of all of us, I zeem to haff a very spezific, very important job to do. No instructions on how, but vhinink vhen I do it...in a vay zat makes zense to me, but IT fails to understant. I tell it to inztruct me zen, but no, more vhinink. Vinally, I do vhat I can to get IT to giff me information - und it does, but hates me for it - and trows a tantrum. I tell IT zat I vill not put up viss zat, it trows a bigger tantrum, and I let ze garbage go. Giff me one goot reason not to destroy ze garbage.
Kong glares at Neri, not making an actual threat, but simply fuming.
"Because it's the gem's job to handle what happens to souls. That gem is Kinsalia. She's responsible for keeping this world populated, without her... it'll just end. Probably in a bad way."
He looked away from the glare, it reminded him of a lot of bad times. He wasn't a fan of bullies, but... to this point Kong hadn't really been a bully, so he looked back to him.
"Whether you like the gem or not, doesn't mean you should destroy it. It has a... person inside of it. It'd be as bad as taking a life, except that that person has a really important job. It'd be like killing a surgeon in a hospital to break it. Maybe you can't get along with it, but... breaking it is just a really bad idea."
He breathed a weary sigh. "It's the same thing I deal with with Id, really. They have really insightful tidbits at times, and then at others, they're... close to useless. No offense Id. And yes, I know I'm useless most of the time, no need to say it. They... don't really think like us. They've been disconnected for... by my guess... centuries. Pretty much no interaction with the outside world. I'm fairly certain that as we deal with them, they'll become more lucid and coherent... or maybe it's just the old age destroying their minds... but I don't think they mean to be the way they are."
Vell, it vill be interesting to zee how ze chob gets done vith nobody to do it. I sink ze logic here is flawed.
Kong glares at the gem for a moment, then picks it up an looks at it as if it was under a microscope.
If I HAD to do ziss job...vat now, huh? Vat before me, but after...her? Some of ziss hardly adds up.
"Well... probably she did it, and doesn't need you. I can't be positive of that, but maybe when she was in the wall, she could continue doing her job. I mean... Barrius.."
He tilted his head back towards Luna, "Seemed perfectly capable of... bringing people here... while he was in the wall. And that's -their- major role. So maybe each of them were just fine in the wall... I'm not sure why they're bringing us here. Maybe to act as their instruments of revenge? Maybe so that when we die they can repopulate, if only a little? What happened to Harry and Sterling's souls, anyway?" He frowned.
Zat doesn't reality make zense, but neither dit magic, not zo lonk ago.
Kong looks over at Neri.
Vait. Jou zaid it vas ze same for jou. Vat job dit jou haff?
"I was more referring to the fact that the only good he is, a lot of the time, is berating my actions. Every now and then he has a really useful idea. Like... I'd have never figured out how to light the volcano and power up my compound if he hadn't suggested we needed a -lot- of fire to do it. Or even that I could put the sword in fire to make it store heat. I... have no idea what my job here is. His shrine is empty. The only thing he has, besides a bedroom, so far as I can tell... is the pool of lava. My best guess is that it's for watching over our allies and our surroundings. I really don't know what a live-action map of the world around us can really be useful for. I can find caves, animals, stuff like that, but I can't see into compounds. Your guess is really as good as mine."
The gambler calms down, although Neri does notice a playing card in Kong's jeans back pocket (hes back to wearing his jeans and shirt). "Tell your friend if I catch him switching out my cards again, I'll slit his throat." The gambler looks at his cards, gathers up the ones on the table, and throws the entire deck into the fireplace with a poof.
Another deck appears on the table and he begins mixing them up. "That hand don't count, fragging smart asses changing the cards mid game."
Neri notices smoke coming from Kong's back pocket.
Lina has been minding her own business at the tavern—a drink after a long day of hard work being a universal police tradition—but there's only so much fighting between guardians and crystals she can take before she stands up and looks over.
"Now, hold on. Everyone. Before you remove that crystal, Kong, think about what you're doing. The worst thing that crystal has done is told you when you've done a bad job. It won't give you the information you want? Then ignore it. Trust me, they're all unhelpful. Take that crystal out, and anything you get to replace it will be just as bad, but we'll have lost the power to judge souls."
"Seriously, don't be a brat about this. You want to live free? That's fine. The best way you can make a difference is by doing your job how you think it's right, even if your crystal can't advise you on it. Without that power, the job will be done worse than any choices you could make, but if you get rid of it you're only hurting those around you to prove a meaningless point."
"Are you familiar with the 'silent treatment?' It is a great way to hurt people's feelings, even as adults. If you want revenge on your crystal for being unhelpful, cease talking to it, and do your job how you like. If you give up because it says one or two mean things (like my crystal loves to), that's not rebellion, it's weakness. If you want to be a rebel, well, you currently control the nature of death itself, and there's no better way to leave your personal mark than the afterlife than that. What kind of metalhead are you if that doesn't sound appealing?"
And then, in English: "And if you just need help talking to it, you could try asking. CONCENTRATE, Kong, and try talking to your crystal again."
Kong stares at the gem a bit longer, then makes a decision. I vouldn't ztart zat hand jet. I really don't vant to have to bust jour skull open.
Kong places the gem in his mouth, and swallows it.
Zere jou go. Zo, death, either kill me or...I don't know, maybe giff me a chance to learn vat I am zupposed to do...chust don't vhine about it vhen it doesn't get done jour vay vhen jou von't efen tell me vat jour vay is.
Kong is actually pretty cool-headed at the moment - not enough beer to get him drunk, but enough to relax a bit.
I chould be dead. Maybe she'll kill me...at any rate, it vas an interesting second chance. Death vas alvays fascinating...
The gem doesn't get past the back of his throat, it then burrows through the back of his throat and back into the back of his brain, sending a gasp of pain from him, and some bloody spittle on his lips.
You do not like me attempting to change you, do not attempt to change me, boy. I am Death, and I am what I am. You do not change Death, you simply accept it is what it is. Do you have any idea what would happen to the soft fleshy sponge you use for a brain if I were to unlock my knowledge? I have perused your life and measured and judged it boy. The voice says sternly, then softens with a dry sense of humor. Imagine, just for a second, a tomato in one of your microwaves... on high... Then ask me again for knowledge. Of all of my kind, I am the only one who could give you all the knowledge you think you want. Your brain cannot handle it. Accept Death boy, don't court it. Knowledge is not like your kitchen faucets. It is like your fire hoses. Think of trying to fill a thimb... a shot glass with a fire hose..
Kong rolls his eyes, after a few moments of obvious pain, then orders the day's special for dinner.
Damn indigestion. Oh...und no tomatoes.
His voice is a bit hoarse, and he looks as though he's close to collapse, but he refuses to do it.
"Um. right. That was all -really- awkward. Now... I'm going to go investigate my shrine... err... compound... fully. I never really did get around to searching it top to bottom."
And... so Neri did.
The land they are from is called Aspenspire, and it's the realm of Shalevarnia. There are three towns that they know of near the wall. Demonreach, Demonwatch, and Demonguard.
Demonreach you know has now been destroyed. It was supposed to be an outpost to punish apostate and force them to be the first fodder in a war with demons.
Demonguard is a fortress ran by the Church of the Trinity. It is not it's main fortress, but it is the bulwark of the Demon defenses. The soldiers that destroyed Demonreach were from Demonguard.
Demonwatch is another village like Demonreach.
There is a fourth 'demon' city, where apostate are made to fight the forces of the Demons. Demonshales. It is supposed to be on the ocean, and it fights the Apostate of Rantherius. That's all they know on that subject.
Elsatha is the Capital of Aspenspire, and is a port city on the ocean.
Beyond the ocean are the Alvas Wastes. The wastelands are rocky sandy wastes, per legend, nothing lives there.
Luna would have stayed silent during the outbreak at the bar but had her weapons ready to be drawn if something happened, once everyone seemed to calm down she would relax as well and unless stopped when Neri left she would head to the new town if able if not she would go to assist Neri.
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Over the months they spend around the village, Jacob made it his goal to learn what he could while keeping his sanity.
He was not one to believe in gods or prayer, but he found himself doing the equivalent just outside the limits of the compound one day, looking up at the sky. What is the point of all this? When will we meet again, Drake? A short beard grew on him, easier to trim at that length than shave outright. It had been a few years since he'd had one. It bothered him less for the appearance than for the reality he was accepting the ways of this world.
And though he didn't want to be starring in Cast Away, he made the people in his tavern into a makeshift Wilson against his better judgment. He grew attached to them over time. He helped them with chores, and though he was used to being called boss on occasion in life when visiting his shop, he didn't want the term to take on that medieval-era level of authority here. He bonded, talked, and learned.
The bard did go about the village, studying the different stations. The rainbow tower particularly fascinated him. I wonder what purpose it holds? It was like a Tower of Babel. And given the old testament nature of Lord B, I wouldn't put it past them.
One night, he returned to a near fight in the tavern. "ENOUGH! We have plenty of problems without causing our own." Lina had the sense to request a de-escalation of events. I'm glad she has her wits about her.
Though Jacob shared his informational findings with the group, he didn't rely on them overmuch. The reminded him of the real world and the things he lost (for now at least) there. It saddened him, and he fought despair as best he could.
One of the best ways he kept his mind off his problems was practicing his magecraft. Water is so useful. Though Sterlings bombs had power, I can clean and heal with this. With the crafting of metal and magic about from the others, Jacob felt assured the martial aspect of survival here was covered. After their hard days at work with their creations, Jacob was happy to dine with them, helping serve some food he helped make. He'd worked in a restaurant when he was younger - it was oddly therapeutic to do so again, and he didn't mind the cutting, seasoning, and stirring; it also helped him feel less indebted to the people of "his" tavern.
Yet the last major occupation he had was with this gambler, this mystery man who seemed to know the rules of a game. A deadly game. He broke the tavern's fourth wall when referring to the change of cards, and this fightened Jacob. Are the gems - and perhaps our lives - so common to lose their effect is reduced to a mulligan in a card game?
"Sorry about the yarborough my friends caused. An honest mistake on their part. Care to teach me the rules of your game? I've never used cards quite like yours, I'm afraid. And I'm Jake - we haven't met."
If he know the rules, we can play for a better lot.
The old gambler tips his hat up. Jacob had not noticed him before, for some reason, until the card game came up. As he looks at him squarely, he also realizes the gambler isn't dressed like the rest of the inn folk.
He's wearing a black stetson, and a gold pocket watch. He looks like he's out of a western from back home.
"Yeah, locals been singing your praises for weeks now. No skin off my nose. At least I get drinks and cash out of it." He clinks the gold coins in front of him with an idle finger. "Damn fools messin up the cards, makes it hard for a man to make a livin off of 'em. My name's... ah hell, it ain't no import. Jest call me Doc."
The bard takes a seat next to him. "If I go around looking for "Doc" though, people might not know who that is - unless you've been doctoring them." He left the implication there for the man to reply. And if that's the case, it looks like this world refills its niches when they're voided.
"You keep saying they mess up those cards. How do they work?"
As Luna Helped build the new town she would try to make a home of her own if time allowed and move as much as she was allowed, by the others and by the magical barriers, to the new town in her attempt to relocate.
Lina's hunt for her new mount is successful, and the training of it also (although it isn't exactly happy about being domesticated, and if anyone other than Lina get's too close to it's mouth, it shows exactly how nasty it's disposition is (along with how sharp that mouth full or razor sharp teeth are!).
The Village is expanded enough for the few people living there. Mahb and her family are perfectly fine with one big house between them. However, they assist Luna in rebuilding a smaller house nearby. It's not a great house, considering they group has no way to generate more building supplies. However, they do manage to get the place livable (1700's house livable). The mute daughter manages to get the well working again by calling forth some creature that looks like a cross between a pile of rocks and a troll from a bad SyFy movie. But it sinks into the ground, and an hour or so later water begins to flow into the well, which no longer has any debris or roots in it anymore.
Indeed, they end up having to dig a trench with another similar creature, as the well overflows. Now there is a small creek bubbling up out of the well. The creature digs a trench three feet deep leading away from the small village, and towards a depression in the ground a half-mile away. It begins to fill in, and by the end of the four months, a small pond has formed.
Neri, after spending two months on other things, finally gets around to working in his volcano, exploring. It helps having people there now. The interior lava doesn't seem to bother the new people at all (although Id mutters constantly about having idiots underfoot). Soon they are showing him where things are. In addition to the gem vault he found earlier, Neri and his people find that he can extract pure molten metal from the volcano, as well as molten glass. Having something to put the molten metal in proves something of a problem, however. For now, all he's really able to do is pour it in his stone bowl and wait for it to cool. Then he has a disc shaped piece of metal.
The people now 'living' in the volcano seem to have no issues making their own homes in the lava. They don't seem to 'need' anything from Neri anymore, and seem more concerned about helping him with whatever task he's doing, even the kids. He get's a lot of 'Ok Boss' responses. After awhile Id stops complaining, he seems to like being called 'boss' a lot.
The new arrivals *do* seem to be more mobile than the old inhabitants. They can't leave the compounds, they vanish at the door like everyone else. However, they do seem to be able to actually go to the other active compounds in the area. In fact, they seem more like Jacob's hunter than the rest of the compound inhabitants. When they are in other compounds, the marks on their foreheads glow brightly.
Luna is able to set up a minimal alchemy area, with Mahb's help. She doesn't have enough resources and equipment to do a great job, but she can brew up potions (due to lack of equipment, she has to take twice as long as normal, which given her class ability to go twice as fast, means she produces one potion per day spent on it instead of two).
There is nothing salvageable from the other compounds, those that you can enter. Anything taken from them vanishes upon leaving it. There are some interesting bits though, the tower with all the spiky rooms sticking off at the top (that looks a bit like a dandylion) is active, and there's a room with maps and a bowl of quicksilver that looks a lot like Neri's lava bowl. However, nobody can get it to work, and the inhabitants just tell the rest of the PCs that the Headmaster of the School is on a Sabatical, and that they can't let them visit without he..his permission.
At about the third month and a few days, the tower detonates, raining stones down around the compound. Luna would be in the Village, having refused to come back. Lina, Neri, Kong, and Jacob might be in the clearing when it detonates.