Drinks With Friends (Invite)

[KingOfDoma]

It was a cold and crisp day in Doma City. The cold air swirled through the town, seeping through even the securest of doors. The Black Fox Bar and Inn was no different, an inviting, orange-hued atmosphere belying the drafty nature of the building. Its patrons, hearty, hardened men, salt of Gaera types, sat about near warm fireplaces, downing lager and speaking of the day's events.

And then there was Layne Cooper.

Layne entered the bar, all smiles and green robes, and, as usual, he got looks from every person in the bar. At this point, having seen Layne several times, the looks were just as quizzical, but thankfully far more brief. Layne didn't mind. He knew he was different to most folks around, but he didn't mind. Standing out meant he was special.

And special people always had GREAT fun in Doma.

Walking happily to the bar, he said to the bartender, "The usual, Luke!"

Luke, knowing the young mage's habits, reached under the bar for a ginger beer... and pointed towards a newcomer to town.

"Thanks, pal," he said, and hopped over to the new guy.

Extending a hand and giving a smile, the mage offered his traditional greeting. "Hi! I'm Layne! Nice to meet you!"

[Ether]

Ilyis Tern looked up to the...kid talking to him. He looked at him glassy-eyed for a moment, sort of drifting, and not really paying attention. He blinked a couple of times and then realized that he should say something back. His eyes focused in and he shook his head. Ilyis pushed his chair back and stood up. He was roughly the same height as the stranger, although noticeably more muscularly built. Not that Ilyis was by any stretch a muscular man, but the kids was almost painfully skinny.

Ilyis smiled a warm smile and clasped Layne's hand firmly. "Likewise. I'm Ilyis. Have a seat, if you wish." He broke the handshake and sat back down. He looked over the kid with pale violet eyes and wondered what his motivations were for talking to him. He scratched his thick silver-white beard for a moment, then kicked back another swig of the mead he had been nursing for a while. He decided it would be best to let the kid steer the conversation for now, until he learned more.

[KingOfDoma]

Layne liked this guy. He seemed... sleepy. But that was fine. He was good at waking people up.

The kid hopped onto a bar stool, almost losing his balance as the stool spun a bit upon his landing. A quick arm and a sheepish look brought him to a halt, and he reseated his hat on his head after it almost flung itself to the floor. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Anyway... where was I... right! What brings you to town? Most newcomers have worse taste in bars..."

[Ether]

Not the most co-ordinated guy, it seems. But that wasn't really something Ilyis could fault him for. He hadn't been terribly dexterous when he was an awkward teenager either. And he had never been that lanky. Ilyis considered his question for a moment. How much was safe to tell him? Could this be an act to kill him? He considered it for a moment, but dismissed it as unlikely. Ilyis didn't really have any enemies, yet.

"Bit of adventuring. Working on a degree. What about you? What're you doing in these parts?"

[KingOfDoma]

"Oh, this is home sweet home," he answered. "I actually grew up not too far from here. Heck, if you got on the roof, you could put a rock through my mom's window. ... did that once. I couldn't sit for a WEEK after Mom found out about that one!"

Layne stopped for a second. He missed something. What was it? It came to him quickly... almost as quickly as the smile came to his face. "Wait... what was that about a degree? ... and ADVENTURING?"

[Ether]

Ilyis nodded softly. "Yeah. I graduated from Gunrir not too long ago, and I'm working on a secondary Adventuring degree to supplement. Requires a lot of field work, obviously. But it's a big plus when you're looking to get an Academy post." He sipped his mead.

"Why'sit matter to you, anyway?"

[KingOfDoma]

"I am an old hand at adventure!" he boasted. And he was! He really was! He just... he hadn't done it in a while, sure, but his spellcasting was still spot-on, and he could even swing that katana he found and keep his footing. It was still better for summoning up dark magic, sure, but still...

"So that means I, good sir, am your best bet for finding some sort of danger-filled romp. THIS is your lucky day!"

[Ether]

How old could he possibly be at adventuring, given his age. But, then again, he was from Doma. So he might have very well been adventuring in the womb. Ilyis bit his lip for a moment and looked him over. Well. Nothing ventured....

"Sure. If you're up for a spot of adventuring, I'm not in the spirit to say no."

[KingOfDoma]

Layne grinned. "See, THAT'S why I LOVE this town! You could lift up a ROCK and find a heart-stopping adventure! Now...!"

Layne stood for emphasis...

... then sat back down.

"... we finish our drinks before we go. What degree are you getting, exactly?"

[Ether]

Ilyis lifted his mead in agreement with the idea of finishing their drinks, then took a long swig of his drink and smiled.

"Oh, my degree? Well, I already have a basic degree in Theoretical Necromancy, with a subdegree in Mathematics, and a supplemental certification in fencing. But the degree I'm working towards is a Sageship in Applied Necromantics with a particular focus on Adventuring Applications. SANAA, for short."

[KingOfDoma]

"Ooh! Sounds like fun!" Layne said. That was FASCINATING... zombies for use in adventure!

... wait. Zombies for use in adventure? How would THAT work?

"Wait... I gotta ask... and, I'm SURE you're ready for this one, but, how does that work?"

[Ether]

"Well," He began, "let's say that we're in a forest, and the exits are North, South, and East. Normally, we'd have to pick one path and take what comes. However, with the idea of Applied Necromantics, we can pull wisps from the spirits of dead trees and use them to scout each direction before we make a decision. That's the first concept of SANAA. Using the Dead for information gathering. Now, let's say it's pitch black, and we're in grave danger of being eaten by nasty beasties. With Necromancy, we can surround ourselves in near-infinite revenants so that we have prior warning to an attack. That's the second concept, where we use the Dead as shields. The final concept is that the many varieties of the Dead have a wide range of skills that can be used to make up for whatever shortfalls an adventuring group has." He took another drink.

"Obviously, there's a lot of sub-concepts and technical information and theories, otherwise it wouldn't take years to obtain the degree. But that's the basis."

[KingOfDoma]

"Wait," Layne said. "How can there be exits north, east and south in a FOREST? It's a forest! You just push through trees if you don't like the direction you're going! And do you ASK the dead to help you? I mean, a lot of them can still THINK. Do you get their permission to use their souls to keep you alive? That's kinda like asking a lot of random people in a room to die for you. Oh, and what if none of the souls around you have any skills? That's like, again, hoping a random group of people all know how to fight and cast magic. It might not work out!"

Layne took a sip of his drink, and finally breathed. "Sorry. Just... I think, y'know?"

[Ether]

"The situation was simplified to make the concept stand out more. Also, some you have to ask. The ones with enough will left over to oppose you at all, that is. Others, you just tell. The most powerful, you bargain with. To keep me alive? Well, I'm not a Lich, so I don't directly use them to power my own life. But in terms of sacrificing them to save myself? The dead are pretty mallaeble in things like that. Besides, most forms of physical dead will simply become pure souls if their physical forms fail, and will not really be any worse off. And it is unlikely that no souls have any skills. And even so, different variants of the dead come with their own inherit skills they gain upon death."

He smiled. "Thinking is a good thing, m'boy."

[KingOfDoma]

"... so, wait," Layne said again. "When you die... you get SUPERPOWERS. And then can get turned into putty by a guy. That's... honestly, FASCINATING! What else is there to this?"

Layne sipped his drink some more. This guy was so fascinating. Especially for a... oh! Another question! "Oh! And you're Valthi, right? What made you leave home?"

[Ether]

"There's really too much to get into. I spent years on my first degree. The best way to learn is to see it in action. So when we get the adventure underway, you'll probably get to learn a fair bit more." He downed the last of his mead and frowned.

"I didn't. Well, not that I remember. My parents left when I was a baby. They died of some sickness when I was a small child, and I was taken in by a healer in a small town, until I got old enough to go to Gunrir."

[KingOfDoma]

"Wow... that's CRAZY," he asked. "Have you ever BEEN to Valth? I hear they like to shoot people there..."

[Ether]

Ilyis shook his head. "Nope. Never been. Don't particularly care to. I like feeling unique-looking."

[KingOfDoma]

"Works for me," he said, polishing off his ginger beer. "So! All done our drinks, AND you can put yours on my tab..."

"Where do you want to go?"

[Ether]

Ilyis nodded his thanks and then looked off in the distance for a moment before answering. "Oh, anywhere's fine with me. You're the one who's got the field experience here."

[KingOfDoma]

"Well, we should start up somewhere basic..." Layne thought. "Dangerous, but not toooooo dangerous...

"... Cave sound good?"