>>33621525
east

>>33621525
>Go east for a visit

>>33621525
>>Go east for a visit

>>33621525
I think we should bring some food on our visit, maybe.

Seems polite, yanno?

>Go North and resupply.

>>33621525
>Go north and resupply

A friend to Gwydion is no doubt a benefactor, probably. With any luck I can puff my cheeks and get something to eat, in the worst case scenario I should hope he didn't make friends with a child-eating demon. The sounds of the dead have spoken, and I will listen to. East it is.

The Sun is long gone, but I'd best wear Gwydion's cloak to avoid any unwanted attention. His sleeves are too long and the hem drags on the dirt but I imagine he won't be too angry should he ever raise from the grave for a visit. I burnt his body and crushed his bone as instructed, but I'm not convinced that'll stop him.

The clouds hide the eternal night sky, but there's a certain glow to the dead lands. A lantern in hand should keep me safe enough from the dark, but I'll have to count on my magic to protect me from any assailants...

It doesn't take long to reach the mountains, I'm already practically living at the base. Gwydion said there used to be a village here once, but I was born long after the world ended. Now it's just a stretch of dirt, and as lonely as the rest of the land. Rather than loneliness though, I've got the worry of finding a way to scale it; the peak extends quite a ways up, and the path doesn't look inviting. Stakes crop out of the ground with skulls sitting on them, I can see skeletons in rest along the trail. A large owl hoots at me from a tree nearby, as if gesturing me forward.

Maybe...

>Walk the trail
>Revive a skeleton and ask it to guide me

I don't wanna write write-in every time but let's assume it's always an option.

>>33621844
>Revive a skeleton and ask it to guide me

>>33621844
>Revive a skeleton and ask it to guide me
Can't think of much else to do.

>>33621893
Yes mad skeles bro

>>33621844
>Kill the owl and revive it to guide us
Owls are way cooler then skeletons, and it being a zombie has more HP.

>>33621844
Can we do non-dead-raising necromancy stuff?
Enervation and debuffs and such, I mean.
Also, you might consider making a post to tally up votes and inform the players that you're writing. Just sort of a nice thing to do, lets everyone know you're still around.

>Revive a skeleton and ask it to guide me.
Make sure to give him/her a silly nickname if he/she doesn't remember his/her own (or if he/she/it isn't intelligent)

>>33621844
>Communicate with skeleton and ask it how did it die.

No sense not making use of my talents. Let's see... it looks like one of these skeletons is still intact. I grip the skull lightly and hold my face in front of it, softly I blow magic off my lips and into its lipless jaw...

"Yaaaaaaargh!" The skeleton pops up, filled with unlife. It rattles its knees in the air before landing, rather clumsily. I must admit, this still catches me off guard every time it happens. "What's this!? What's this!? What's all of this!?"

"I have brought you back from the dead, my name is Fianna and I am your new mast-"

"ALL OF MY SKIN IS GOOOONE!" The skeleton yells, smacking his hand-bones to his jaw-bones with a clink.

"Yes. You've been dead for ages and now you've ret-"

"Ah, but I feel a lot lighter now. Real chipper like, though I suppose I'm more of a chipped. HAW HAW HAW!" Each motion of his laugh rattles his teeth loudly.

I don't think I'll like this guy. At least he's taking to this nicely...

"So boss-lady, what'dya want?" The skeleton gives me a salute and a bow, "Name's... what was it again?"

"Your name is whatever I decide it to be... Bonesley... yes. Bonesley, guide me up this mountain."

"Yes boss-lady." Lucky me, he's taking to this change well... almost suspiciously well. None the less, I'll let him take me up...
The path is long and would-be quiet, if not for what I assume to be a new love of dead-jokes that Bonesley is exploring. The sound of the night birds cawing and hooting breaks the monotony a little, as do the occasional wailing of ghosts.

"How did you die Bonesley?" I make idle conversation.

"Don't recall, but if I had to guess, asphyxiation."

"Asphyxiation?"

"Of course, how else would you explain it being so hard to breath? HAW HAW HAW!" Ignoring him, I look ahead to the end of the mountain path, it was much shorter a walk than I expected from the base, but a tower at the peak extends the height onward. A large skeletal dog guards the way...

>CONT

"So how'dya suppose we get in, boss-lady?" I might need to consider having Bonesley call me something else. What shall I do, if that hound can still smell I can't imagine he'd like my scent...

>Communicate with the guard-dog
>Distract the guard-dog with Bonesley and sneak in
>Try to take command of the guard-dog

>>33622078
>Communicate with the guard-dog
Tell him our name and titles and that we need to cross to visit a friend

>>33622078
>Communicate with the guard-dog
Tell him that we're the apprentice of Master Gwydion, and here to see our Master's friend.

>>33622078
>Bonesly
I love you, OP.

>Communicate with the guard-dog
You don't have to sneak into a friend's house!

>>33622061
>Communicate with the guard-dog
Let it smell Gwydion's cloak scent, we are friends.

I step out until the open. There's no reason to hide myself, sneak about, or waste my talents here; I am a visitor and I will be accepted!
The bone-munching bone-beast crawls towards me when he sees me, I can hear Bonesley's knees rattle with each step the behemoth takes. It's a lot bigger close up... easily four times my size--twice Bonesley's. But I'm not afraid.

Definitely not afraid.

"I am Fianna, apprentice necromancer to Gwydion the Grey! My master has passed and I seek to meet yours on his last request!" Wait, if Gwydion is dead then does that make me a full necromancer? Am I Fianna the Grey? This isn't the time for that, I tuck my hand under the permanantly-borrowed cloak and bring the cape of it forward for the hound to smell.

The guard-dog pushes its head forward, I can see that the edges on the bones from its maw, through it's neck and down to the tip of its tail are sharpened. But I am absolutely not afraid.
After a few tense moments, the thing turns tail and walks back to the tower laying down. It seems that I am fine to continue, and leading Bonesley I do.

"Wow boss-lady! For a moment there I thought it was gonna eat you. Or you'd pee yourself, one or the other."

"Should I leave you to it?" My opinion of Bonesley is hovering up, and down, and down.

"No boss-lady! I'll be quiet as a dead man. HAW HAW HAW!"

The insides of the tower are carved in black stone, nothing here but a spiral stairwell lined up with torches that burn emerald flame. I start the walk up the dreadfully dreary steps...

At the top of stairs, a room no larger than my own. Bookshelves line most of the walls, and various tables covered in regents are pushed against them. A pedestal sits centre, with a glowing rock upon it; but more eye-catching than that is the cone-shaped cylinder in the corner that extends out a window into the night sky, and the robed skeleton looking into it...

>Greet it...
>...talk about Gwydion's death
>...ask for food
>Sneak up on it

>>33622305
>Greet it...
>...talk about Gwydion's death

>>33622305
>wait... let him speak first.
Do not disturb his meditation/mourning.

>>33622305
>>Greet it...
>...ask for food
Gotta fill up before we get to serious talk.

>>33622305
>Greet it, ask if it has any food- explain that Gwydion has died (having decided not to become a lich), and ask if it's looking at the sun or the (now-darkened, I guess) moon.

"Ahem." I clear my voice, tapping my foot lightly on the stony ground. Slowly, the skeleton turns around revealing its face to me... as well as the thick beard seemingly growing from its jaw.

"Hello?" It; or he rather speaks in a deep gravelly voice, bringing his ivory fingers to comb through the mess of faceless facial hair.

"HAW HAW HAW! IT'S A BEARDED SKELETON!" Bonesley laughs, I knock his knee out with a kick.

"I am Fianna, appre- former apprentice necromancer to Gwydion the Grey!" Don't laugh, you're too hungry to laugh Fianna, "I'm hungry, feed me."

The bearded skeleton takes a long pause, in what I can only hope is deep thought on what dish he'll prepare. Strained minutes past before...

Grooooowl, my stomach whines. De-legged, Bonesley still lets out a laugh. The bearded skeleton nods once and shuffles over to one of the his work tables, and crouching down to open a drawer. From within he pulls out a small ornate chest, and carries it over to me. Slowly... he opens it, and to my hungry eyes it seems to shine from within...

Biscuits! Delicious biscuits! Maybe delicious, I haven't tasted them yet. A gold baked colour to the dough and ruby-like candy decorating the centre. They definitely look delicious.
I snap one out of the chest, if he thinks me greedy then he shouldn't have offered--I rush my teeth into them...

"Oooow, it's haaaard, how long have they been theeeeere?"

"...hm..." The bearded skeleton paws at his beard before giving me a shrug. Still, I'm hungry so I'll eat...

With my stomach not full, not sated, but not empty; I move onto business, "Gwydion has died." I explain.

He nods.

"I have come to pay my respects as his apprentice to the great..." What was his name again?

"What's your name?" Bonesley asks from the cold floor.

"Eld." He answers.

"To the great Eld."

"Is that so..." Eld shuffles back to his cylinder, "Do you want a look?" A look at what?

>Take him up on his offer
>Leave, still hungry, must feed

>>33622582
>Take him up on his offer
Probably his phylactery, or the universe. Whatever

>>33622582
> "Look at what?"

>>33622582
>Take him up on his offer

>>33622582
>What am I looking at, exactly?
>then look

He probably doesn't need them anymore, and he might know food-making spells or something equally cool and useful!

Unless, being a Lich, he never learned that kind of thing.

>>33622582
>who made these biscuits ? can i have the recipe ?

"A look at what exactly?" I step on over, and Eld steps away, gesturing to the end of the cylinder.

"The suns of the worlds that have not yet ended. You can only see them here at the top of the mountain." That did not answer my question in any way near satisfactorily. "Gwydion used to come here just to see, if you are his apprentice, you may find it quite the sight."

There's a slight shine on this end of the cylinder, the glimmer of glass. I put one eye up towards it, and close the other to see...
At the top of the tower, at the top of the mountain; and through the looking glass I see them. Twinkling lights peeking through the eternal night's sky; gold, red, and white; they decorate the pitch black like jewels in obsidian. It's a sight I've never seen before, and when one of the myriad lights drops from the sky...

"EEK!" I stumble backwards. "What a ploy! You l-lured me in so you could drop the sky on me!"

Eld looks towards me, he grabs at beard with his boney hand and holds it over his mouth; it does nothing to hide the sounds of his snickers. "Those are stars, little Fianna. And though they may drop, I promise they will not drop on you."

"Stars? I know what those are!" Bonesley gets up, it seems he's got his knee attached... but it's facing the wrong way entirely.

"Well then! Enlighten me, stupid skeleton." How dare he get all smug with me! With that smirk on his face... well, I suppose skeletons can't smirk, but I feel it.

"They're candies in the sky." Eld says softly, "They taste great, though I've not had them in centuries."

Candies? Sky candies? Perhaps this warrants further investigation. But then...

>Begin preparations to catch a star immediately!
>...by catching some birds and having them carry me
>...through further questioning of the skeletons
>...by communing with the spirits
>Leave, my business here is done.

>>33622782
>>Begin preparations to catch a star immediately!
>>...by catching some birds and having them carry me
The way of little necromancer girls.

>>33622782
I don't think we can just catch a star that easy.
It's pretty dark, probably.

Maybe we should try resurrecting the sun first?
That'd give plenty of light to catch sky-candy by, right?

>>33622782
>Begin preparations to catch a star immediately!
>...by catching some birds and having them carry me
Is this little girl like 10 or something? I thought she would be like 16..

>>33622829
No matter the age, she is a girl that has just seen the stars for the first time and was told they are are sky-candy.

"Bonesley, make preparations. We're going to find some sky-candy!" With all the nobility in my rankless body, I direct my finger at the sky.

"Boss-lady. I don't know how to tell you this but..."

"Quiet now Bonesley, I've a craving for sweets and an empty stomach to fill with--let us catch some birds and take flight."

"Well, I suppose I've got the time. Can't say I'm growing old any time soon, HAW HAW HAW!"

......Eld came with us out to the "courtyard" of his little tower, although this mountain isn't much of one on its own, but there should be birds of some sort laying around. I've sent Bonesley ahead to look, while I wait at leisure.

"So you mean to say that the sky candy tastes like saccharine dreams?"

"Yes."

"But what do saccharine dreams taste like?"

"Sky candy." Eld explains to me my quarry, I note it down in my head for safe keeping.

"Boss-lady!" Bonesley yells as he hops on back from the far side of the mountain on one-leg. "I found a bird!"

"Fantastic. Where's your leg?"

"Keeping watch on the bird." Bonesley twists and leads the way, he's fairly spry on one foot; and for a man who hasn't moved in who longs how long...

"Chacaw! Chacaw!" I spy on the bird from the far-road's side. It sits at a nest of bone, alone with a few eggs. Large enough to seat three of me, with long legs and black feathers; most curiously it lacks any sort of beak, and instead on its head lays the face of a wrinkled old man. Rather strange looking, but as long as it flies...

>Talk to the bird, if it has a man's face it must have a man's head
>Entrap the bird with the bones of its nest, it'll have no choice but to help
>Forget the sky candy, those eggs look delicious. Use Bonesley as a distraction and steal one

>>33622936
>it lacks any sort of beak, and instead on its head lays the face of a wrinkled old man
not creepy at all...

>Talk to the bird, if it has a man's face it must have a man's head

>>33622936
>Entrap the bird with the bones of its nest, it'll have no choice but to help

this is getting weirder and weirder.

>>33622936
>>Talk to the bird, if it has a man's face it must have a man's head

Logic!

Oh, shit, the sun's rising. I'd better go to bed. I'll trawl the archive real good, I promise

"Bird!" I yell to the old-faced thing to catch its attention, passing my lantern to Bonesley. He may be missing a leg but no sense keeping his hands free when I need mine to point.

"Chacawha?" The bird-thing shakes its head left and right before turning to me, it scratches at the nest of bones beneath its feet with its talons.

"That's my leg!"

"Which one?" The thing's head rotates on its side, but the rest of the body stands still. It stares at Bonesley and I on an odd angle.

"The one right there! Don't you see it? Obviously mine."

"Ahem. I demand you lend me your wings, else I will be forced to take them for myself."

"Miss, I do not know if you are aware of this but you will not be able to fly even if you wear my wings."

"I know that! I am telling you that if you do not comply, I will kill you and ride the corpse."

"Corpses don't fly."

"I'll make them fly!" Stupid bird knows nothing of my magic!

"Well you make for a compelling argument, except for the part where I get nothing out of this."

"You may have a share of the sky candy once we procure it. Also, you can keep Bonesley's leg."

"But I need that to walk." Shut up Bonesley. I don't say it, but he knows.

"Sky candy?"

"Tastes like saccharine dreams. Now, surrender quickly or I will make your face uglier than it already is!"

"I am pretty ugly already..." The bird scrit-scratches, it sticks out a tongue and touches it to its nose before, "Alright, I've never had sky candy but I have had saccharine dreams. I will be your wings--figuratively, don't kill me."

...The thing's name is Dug, although in my opinion it's more of a Flew. Bonesley asked about its wife with a glance towards the eggs, but it seems it laid them itself, I know well enough not to ask about the details.

"This might be a little late in the game, I mean I'm already marching back on one foot, but I really feel I should tell you boss-lady... sky candy is bogus, those are stars, just good for looking at."

>CONT

"Don't lie to me Bonesley, you're just afraid of heights." What a cowardly skeleton, he must have a funny bone where his back bone should be to tell me a lie like that.

"Yes, don't lie to her Bonesley." Eld chuckles, preparing a saddle on Dug. I climb up onto the thing, sitting down on the leather seat. There seems to be little black hairs tucked between the rows of dark feathers, blending in almost invisibly. Gross, I'll need to not touch that.

"This is your last chance to join me Bonesley."

"I will wait down here boss-lady... find myself a replacement leg." Dug was fine with the ride, he was not fine with parting with a piece of his nest.

"Fine then, we ride!" On my mark, Dug sets off into the air. Not the fastest, nor the most graceful of rides, but enough that we pass over the top of the tower quickly and make spirals over the roof. Still, the clouds seem so far away and there're no stars in sight and the thin air carries no scent of sweetness...

"Miss, I don't see any candy any here or any there." It's not a quarter-hour into our flight that Dug is growing tired, we hit our peak just above the tower-top before he can fly no more, and my little tummy is growing more discontent each second. I can see the shape of Bonesley down near the bottom, but Eld has vanished from sight...

>Give up, Bonesley was right
>Try harder, Eld couldn't have lied

>>33623231
>Try harder, Eld couldn't have lied
Rest a minute at the top of the tower and go higher.

>>33623231
>Try harder, Eld couldn't have lied
Everyone disappeared? Whatever, I just got here so let's do this.

I direct Dug onto the top of the tower, letting it take a perch on the wide end of the Eld's giant looking glass while I sit on over the tower's centre. Eld couldn't have lied to me, he's a complete stranger who I have no reason to trust that fed me stale biscuits; but there's no way he lied to me because sky candy has to be real.

"What do saccharine dreams taste like anyways bird? Other than sky candy?" I'll let Dug take a breather, but I'll make baby steps towards my bounty even if only in my head.

"Mmh, sweet and fluffy, pink-flavoured I'd like to say. Sometimes it's a little bit spicy, but that really depends on whose dreams you eat." Dug bends over backwards, looking at me upside-down. His legs bend twice, if he's got knees enough like that he really ought to stop stealing them.

"I've never eaten a dream before."

"It's been a long time since I've had one as well, but that's how it is these days. The night is restless and so are it's people." At The End of the World, most had to stay awake or never awaken again... My eyes are growing heavy, making up for the weight my stomach doesn't have......

"CHACAW! CHACAW!" Dug yelps, flapping his wings up and down, "SKY CANDY!"

My eyes were closed for barely a second, but in that second the night sky was lit. Before my widening eyes, were the countless sparkling gems falling from the air, sugar-coated lights slowly floating down from above the tower. I don't need a word, Dug bends himself back forward and I jump onto its back, we take off from the tower-top.

We cut through the sky on black wings, Dug snaps at the sweet stars with his wrinkled lips and I open my satchel to catch the falling candies. There're too many to grab in all, but I'm sure Bonesley is hard at work plucking them off the ground. I'm sure I can eat them if I dust them.

When my satchel is full and Dug's stomach alike, we sail towards the ground...

>CONT

>>33623407
Don't leave us hanging man!

"Bonesley, you lying thing! There was sky candy abundant! I told you!"

"I don't believe it, I just don't believe it; when I saw it rain drops, I was ready to fall over dead... but I suppose that isn't happening, HAW HAW HAW!" Bonesley bends down to slap his knees, but with only one of them he comes toppling over. Dug takes the opportunity to drop the gem in his mouth and snap away at one of Bonesley's arms, before making chicken-skips away towards his its nest.

"Did you enjoy yourself? How does it taste?" Eld steps out from his tower gate, stroking his beard as he walks.

I plop a piece into my mouth, and take a moment to explore the flavour before answering. "Deliiiiciooooous!"

"Is that so. If you ever run out, then just come back here... you were... are, Gwydion's apprentice, so do not be afraid of visiting." Eld nods twice, before turning into his tower again. "Ah, go ahead and let Oad take you home if you'd like." He gestures to the quiet guard-dog once before his body vanishes...

Early and late no longer exist, with The Sun long missing so too has time vanished; but my body knows that it'll soon be time to rest. The sugar high should carry me home just fine but...

"H-hey! Boss-lady! Help Bonesley out here would you? He doesn't have a leg to stand on. HAW HAW HAW!"

>Take Bonesley home
>Leave Bonesley here
&
>Ride home on Oad
>Walk home

>>33623478
>Take Bonesley home
>Ride home on Oad
Fine, fine.

>>33623478
>>Take Bonesley home
Get him a new leg bone from those corpses on the way home
>Ride home on Oad
Eld kindly offered, so why not take him up on it?

>>33623478
>Take Bonesley home
>Walk home

>>33623478
>Take Bonesley home
>Ride home on Oad
It has been a good day, all things considered.

>>33623478
>Take Bonesley home
>Ride home on Oad
>pet Oad

"You know boss-lady, I might not have any legs but other than that, this undead thing ain't half-bad. I mean, I can't compare it to much with no memories of my life and I wouldn't be surprised of some curse were forcing me to be all chipper-chip-chipped but..." Bonesley is talking up a storm, I'm already regretting my decision to take him along. With my master gone though, the cobwebs are slowly gathering up. Cleaning regrettably is not a... hobby of mine, I've better things to do with my time after-all.
Oad's ribcage has been shaped into a carrier and a layer of thin netting makes for something similar to a hammock to rest in. What remains of the world outside my home is so little compared to what Gwydion said once was, but today I've already seen sights unknown to the books on my shelves.

Master Gwydion is dead, but I will not cry. I'll meet him again, in our line of work death is seldom the end. My name is Fianna, and it is my duty to succeed Gwydion the Grey as a necromancer of Nowhere, at The End of the World...

I can't imagine all this candy is much good for me, and I'll be starving tomorrow morning, but still it was a fine day all things considered. Tomorrow, I'll see what else there is to learn.

The world is dead, but I am not.

>END

>>33623604
Thanks for running.

How old is Fianna ?

Thanks for playing, my apologies for those that hoped for more today. I'm running this quest at off hours because my schedule is a mess right now, and even when it clears up I'll probably keep it fairly late for consistency and to put priority on other projects. I will try to run tomorrow starting a little bit earlier than this though, something about 9-10PM on PST, but I can't make any promises.

I wanted to experiment a bit with this, so I'll apologize in advance if things feel different from session to session. I'm trying to keep each session episodic so that no archive binging will be required to read it, avoiding any overarching narrative if I can. The intention is for a sombre-saccharine slice of life quest in a bizarre setting, so it'd probably be best to jump ships early if you're expecting grimness. Nobledark I guess?

For those of you still up, I'd really enjoy any feedback. This is stepping out of my comfort zone in regards to how I'm writing it, so things about it on a technical level as well as QMing practice would be largely appreciated.

Again, thank you for participating.

>>33623635
I'm not really settled on how I want to take her character yet, but probably somewhere in the 10-13 range. At inception the protagonist was actually going to be a grown man, but I thought it'd be a lot harder to get the tone I'm trying to set since the character would be expected to be much more experienced then. Plus I want to avoid romance entirely here. /tg/ loves little girls anyways.

>>33623604
Thanks for the run OP. The end was good. Any idea when you'll run next?

>>33623667
>/tg/
>avoid romance
>little girl
laughinggirls.wmv
Good luck though!

>>33623717
I figure if I don't introduce any other little girls I have a chance.

Also I just finally realized now after thinking over it for a week that I probably could've just made the protagonist an adult necromancer and just given him a little girl to take care of and it'd have been safer... I'm pretty sure /tg/ isn't pedo, just little girls... pretty sure.

>>33623761
>I'm pretty sure /tg/ isn't pedo, just little girls... pretty sure.
I'm so sorry, anon.
But your one saving grace is /tg/ prefers cute to anything else so you can safely ignore pervy or romantic votes anyway.

>>33623761
>just little girls... pretty sure.
AHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHA

>>33623761
Yeap. You could've convinced us into playing the father figure to a little girl.

How successful your current scheme will be I don't know. I hope it goes well.

>>33623761
>>33623804
>not single mom quest
See, /tg/ can play dad and son or mom and daughter fine. But cross the streams and things get pedo real fast.