A Necromancer's Research Notes

OOC: I often have Drustai sit down and write stuff down in her spellbook. I figured it was about time to actually show what that stuff is, in case anyone were to happen to glance at it at some point. I mostly did this because I was bored, and will probably add to it whenever boredom strikes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[The following is written down in Draenei on some of the note pages in the back section of Drustai's spellbook. It is written with a spidery hand]

(02/28/12)
"It has been several months since I discontinued my studies into becoming living again. Though we made some remarkable success despite several major setbacks, the project hit a dead end. I have begun a new avenue of research, though, which I pray will have more success. Further details will be provided, but first I shall summarize the facts of my existence now for the sake of recap and ease of reference.

· Type III Unliving Construct: Corporeal, preserved, vampiric.

· Contingent sapience. Sapience level is determined by frequency of consumption and conversion of life energy. I have modified standard Life Drain spells to be able to affect plants, and my garden provides most of my required sustenance. I am not capable of restoring this energy via digestive process at this point of time. Replacement of digestive tract with one built on the principles of ghoul cannibalism remains on my to-do list.

· Instinct-based modifications on the emotional center of the soul. Modifications encourage natural “fight or flight” response mechanisms. Adherence to the fight response resulting in consumption of life energy awards activation of otherwise limited pleasure centers. The infusion of life energy is routed through the pleasure center of the soul, briefly reviving these aspects before the energy is converted into necrotic fuel.

· Stage 1 decay. Weekly application of embalments and preservative spells have been capable of maintaining this level since my raising significantly. However, traits of stage 2 have begun manifesting with increasing regularity. More than once I have caught the beginnings of insect infestations and spongy tissue indicating cellular autolysis. Application of localized time reversal spells have been able to undo most of this process, though my limited knowledge on chronomancy renders such means to be of unsure sustainability.

· Soul remains linked with the body, but in an imperfect form that dulls many sensations. I dub this the ‘silver cord’, in homage to astral projection rituals, as it operates in much the same fashion. Unliving sapience is governed by the stability of the link. Many zombies possess only an extremely tenuous link with their original soul. Obviously, stable links are far more difficult to produce than unstable ones, and therefore it is much more difficult to create a sapient undead such as myself. Manipulating the silver cord is a very risky process and therefore one that I have done little of. As mentioned before, regular infusion of necrotic fuel through the consumption of life energy is required to maintain the stability of this link. Reduced intake of life energy will weaken the link, causing insanity and, if left long enough, a complete break down of the undead form. It is unclear if this starvation actually can kill an undead creature, or simply sends it into torpor. None of my test subjects have lasted long enough to determine this (no thanks to Sanara for destroying all of my previous experiments and forcing me to start over…)

· To continue the above, my soul remains anchored to a less finicky material object than the body. There was some worry when my runeblade was destroyed, but we were able to successfully locate and bind the soul to a spirit totem, constructed of deadwood, Terokkar vulture feathers, clefthoof bone, and other materials. I had intended and still would have preferred a proper phylactery due to its self-resurrective properties, but the requirement of demon blood for the construction triggered Sanara’s zealous refusal. I have since made do with a contingent resurrection spell, which I have placed upon my physical form and which can provide a single automatic resurrection shortly after death. Sadly this is one use, and happens on the spot—thus the possibility of being ended by the same threat immediately after remains. It functions much in the same way as a soulstone, but extensive research enabled me to develop a spell that does not require demon blood. As a replacement, I used a mixture of blood, arcane powder, powdered red dragon bone, and the dormant ashes of a phoenix. The consumption of a soul sadly remains a requirement, however—no other substance is capable of providing such concentrated spiritual fuel.

· Necrotic energy, provided it is kept fueled, provides immense physical strength and endurance. Though muscles are stiff due to stage 1 decay, the necrotic energy circumvents this easily. This is accomplished by the necrotic energy overcoming the standard definition of the soul. Though a normal soul would carry a configuration that prevents movement without the proper application of blood and the necessary tensing and loosening of a healthy, undamaged muscular structure, necrotic energy fills this gap and ‘tricks’ the soul into believing that these elements are present. The soul configuration is edited so that ‘necrotic energy’ stands in for ‘blood’ and ‘health’.

· Sadly, therein lies the issue. Reconstructing the soul blueprint in such a manner makes it cosmically unnatural, much in the same way that shaping arcane spells without runes makes them unnatural and causes arcane corruption. This makes the soul incapable of properly merging with the body, as stated before, preventing resurrection. Additionally, the modifications made have, as mentioned before, ‘damaged’ the emotional center. I say ‘damaged’, because while the emotional center still maintains a stable foundation, its pattern is noticeably different from the standard used in most sapient beings. Attempts to remap the emotional center based on ‘healthy’ souls, even from other Argus-born females, have so far been unsuccessful.

· Indeed, attempts to rework the soul into a proper living configuration have so far had limited progress. The infusion of shadow in the soul creates a very unstable pattern as a result—this is even more of an issue when it is necrotic energy rather than simple shadow. Considering the very strict and precise nature of a metaphysical construct as complex as the soul, even the smallest instability in the pattern quickly spreads and ruins the entire effort. It is like a cancer… once it has been imbedded into the organism, attempts to undo the damage become almost impossible, especially when it has spread to the lymph nodes. Cutting out a tumor often causes just as much damage to the body, and does not stop another tumor from growing elsewhere later on. Thus, it can be said that the soul of an unliving being is possessed of a spiritual cancer. Any attempt at resurrection requires completely cleansing the soul of any 'necrotic tumors', which has proven impossible so far."

--------------------------------------------------

(03/23/12)
"These notes have been sadly neglected of late, due to unfortunate events at the city of Dalaran. Suffice it to say, one does not have the time to conduct experiments while fleeing from hiding spot to hiding spot due to being hunted for the use of necromancy to save a man’s life.

Quite telling, it is, that this world would rather hunt healers than killers. Known demon-suckling warlocks are allowed to walk freely, while necromancers like myself are imprisoned and executed for using our talents to heal. Human society sickens me.

Regardless, these notes are not for the purpose of ranting about other transpirings. Soon I will be taken to the floating city and be unable to continue any research for quite some time, so it is prudent that I write down my thoughts now.

As I mentioned before, I have considered the prospect of seeking to return living functions to my undead form, rather than my previous goal of reversing my unliving state. While Larem has gotten some leads, I must admit that I lack her faith in uncovering anything of value. It is not the first lead we have gotten, and they have all met dead ends before. Therefore, I shall continue on my other avenue for now.

There are two primary considerations for any solution I devise. First, it must be capable of presenting me as lifelike as possible to other individuals. Secondly, it must be able to actually activate the emotional and sensory centers of my soul.

For the first consideration, I must greatly expand upon my current illusion. While what I use works well enough for now, it is insufficient due to only providing visual and tactile sensations—I must supplement these with auditory, olfactory, taste, and thermal aspects. This must also extend to the sensation of moisture in the appropriate places, and perhaps breath.

The second is the more difficult aspect to realize. Due to the poor link between body and soul, physical sensations are poorly recognized. The metaphysical distance deadens the sensation by the time it actually reaches the soul. In addition, death renders other aspects completely impossible.

My theory is this: Instead of attempt to increase the ‘volume’ of the sensation, we instead deliberately activate the appropriate center of the soul at the same moment as the body is touched. Consider it from the standpoint of a bridge. Right now, it is a very long bridge that a messenger must travel far to cross. What we instead must do is turn it into a light. A light flashes on one end, indicating that a sensation has been felt. This light travels instantaneously, but does not itself do anything but signal. The other side, then, activates its own corresponding light in response.

Instead of one messenger, we have two lights.

Doing this is theoretically possible. These centers of the soul can be activated, and I have done so through various means. Committing acts of violence, for example, triggers an arousal of the pleasure center. Carrying this on to actual murder is akin to achieving a state of orgasm. Thus, intimacy should be possible if I can devise a method to activate the pleasure center once the appropriate ‘light’ is given. Namely, I must trick the soul into believing that the body is killing, when in reality it is having sexual contact.

There are, again, two considerations in this. First is that the soul must believe it is actually killing. Second, there must be an infusion of life energy, to provide the ‘rush’. The first is easy to achieve, I can merely 'flash the appropriate light' that informs the soul that the body has committed a murder, even though it has not. The second is trickier, but should be doable.

There are three methods for the second. The first would be to expand upon my current capabilities, evoking life energy from the surrounding environment. This is typically hit or miss, though, and typically provides only a sliver of fuel. This will likely be a supplementary source of energy, just as it is for my normal feeding.

The second method is a reverse conversion of the necrotic energy within my body already. Necrotic energy is defined as the unnatural merging of life and shadow energy into one singular essence. By separating these two forces—as in the Undeath to Death spell—living essence can be acquired from the body’s reserves. The de-conversion will be only temporary, it is actually the re-conversion of the life energy back into necrotic energy that will fuel the sensations. In other words, I will be recycling the energy already in my body. Such a process will be very inefficient, and drain me quickly, but I would rather be able to feel again. Coupling this with evoking life energy should help to offset some of the energy drain, however.

The third method is more personally intriguing, though likely not a very endearing prospect to those I am with. It involves more-or-less rewriting the code that requires killing, and replacing it with another form of energy sustenance. I already do this in a way by absorbing life energy from plants or evoking it from the environment, but this can be extended into activities with a living being. In other words, drawing energy through touch, much like a ghost. I hesitate to use such a method during casual encounters, as it would likely be noticeable by the other individual, but in intimate encounters, where fatigue is already expected, it would go unnoticed.

I must admit, that the prospect is both intriguing and somewhat disconcerting. I would have to dub it the “Succubus Theory”, for it operates in much the same manner as a succubus or incubus: feeding on another’s life energy through sex.

Emotions are more difficult. I am unsure if this will be possible to realize. I can, in fact, feel positive emotions, albeit quite rare and usually in a dull form. I would have to do more research to determine if it is possible to encourage these like I do with the physical aspects. However, it should theoretically be possible, seeing as I am not completely cut off from such things.

Due to the complexity involved in this spell, it will likely be very difficult to develop, as well as to cast. My initial calculations may be off, but in order to make the effect permanent I will need to draw upon a significant portion of my necrotic fuel, as well as my soul. In fact, I am unsure if it would even be possible for me to cast such a spell in a single sitting on my own. The expendure would simply be too great. It will likely require a ritual, taking course over a month or two. Alternatively, circle magic incorporating the assistance of several archmagi—which I do not see happening in my current predicament.

And speaking of archmagi, it seems my captors have arrived. Therefore I shall have to finish this writing at a later date. I shall consider more details during my likely long stay in Dalaran’s vault. Proper spell development shall begin once I have been released."

Interesting! This Draenei displays analytical aptitude approaching that of a gnome, which is to say impressive.

Drustai wrote:localized time reversal spells

Ruby might be able to help you here >.>

Intriguing.... The Sorceress approves....

Dru, this is the reason Lex is the better person

Great to read and shows the inner Dru.

Lexgrad wrote:Dru, this is the reason Lex is the better person

But it's [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Why did you have to link me to tv tropes of all places.

ohh this is very good a very enjoyable read wonder what monn would think if she ever had a quick nossie

Notice: The above notes, along with the rest of Drustai's spellbook, is now in the hands of the Stormwind Regiment and thus is available IC for those with association to the Regiment and who can read Draenei.

Drustai's spellbook is once again in her hands. It is not longer available IC for anyone else.

((OOC: The following has been added to the original post. Do note that it is not available for anyone IC, as Drustai's spellbook is currently hidden.))

----------------

"These notes have been sadly neglected of late, due to unfortunate events at the city of Dalaran. Suffice it to say, one does not have the time to conduct experiments while fleeing from hiding spot to hiding spot due to being hunted for the use of necromancy to save a man’s life.

Quite telling, it is, that this world would rather hunt healers than killers. Known demon-suckling warlocks are allowed to walk freely, while necromancers like myself are imprisoned and executed for using our talents to heal. Human society sickens me.

Regardless, these notes are not for the purpose of ranting about other transpirings. Soon I will be taken to the floating city and be unable to continue any research for quite some time, so it is prudent that I write down my thoughts now.

As I mentioned before, I have considered the prospect of seeking to return living functions to my undead form, rather than my previous goal of reversing my unliving state. While Larem has gotten some leads, I must admit that I lack her faith in uncovering anything of value. It is not the first lead we have gotten, and they have all met dead ends before. Therefore, I shall continue on my other avenue for now.

There are two primary considerations for any solution I devise. First, it must be capable of presenting me as lifelike as possible to other individuals. Secondly, it must be able to actually activate the emotional and sensory centers of my soul.

For the first consideration, I must greatly expand upon my current illusion. While what I use works well enough for now, it is insufficient due to only providing visual and tactile sensations—I must supplement these with auditory, olfactory, taste, and thermal aspects. This must also extend to the sensation of moisture in the appropriate places, and perhaps breath.

The second is the more difficult aspect to realize. Due to the poor link between body and soul, physical sensations are poorly recognized. The metaphysical distance deadens the sensation by the time it actually reaches the soul. In addition, death renders other aspects completely impossible.

My theory is this: Instead of attempt to increase the ‘volume’ of the sensation, we instead deliberately activate the appropriate center of the soul at the same moment as the body is touched. Consider it from the standpoint of a bridge. Right now, it is a very long bridge that a messenger must travel far to cross. What we instead must do is turn it into a light. A light flashes on one end, indicating that a sensation has been felt. This light travels instantaneously, but does not itself do anything but signal. The other side, then, activates its own corresponding light in response.

Instead of one messenger, we have two lights.

Doing this is theoretically possible. These centers of the soul can be activated, and I have done so through various means. Committing acts of violence, for example, triggers an arousal of the pleasure center. Carrying this on to actual murder is akin to achieving a state of orgasm. Thus, intimacy should be possible if I can devise a method to activate the pleasure center once the appropriate ‘light’ is given. Namely, I must trick the soul into believing that the body is killing, when in reality it is having sexual contact.

There are, again, two considerations in this. First is that the soul must believe it is actually killing. Second, there must be an infusion of life energy, to provide the ‘rush’. The first is easy to achieve, I can merely 'flash the appropriate light' that informs the soul that the body has committed a murder, even though it has not. The second is trickier, but should be doable.

There are three methods for the second. The first would be to expand upon my current capabilities, evoking life energy from the surrounding environment. This is typically hit or miss, though, and typically provides only a sliver of fuel. This will likely be a supplementary source of energy, just as it is for my normal feeding.

The second method is a reverse conversion of the necrotic energy within my body already. Necrotic energy is defined as the unnatural merging of life and shadow energy into one singular essence. By separating these two forces—as in the Undeath to Death spell—living essence can be acquired from the body’s reserves. The de-conversion will be only temporary, it is actually the re-conversion of the life energy back into necrotic energy that will fuel the sensations. In other words, I will be recycling the energy already in my body. Such a process will be very inefficient, and drain me quickly, but I would rather be able to feel again. Coupling this with evoking life energy should help to offset some of the energy drain, however.

The third method is more personally intriguing, though likely not a very endearing prospect to those I am with. It involves more-or-less rewriting the code that requires killing, and replacing it with another form of energy sustenance. I already do this in a way by absorbing life energy from plants or evoking it from the environment, but this can be extended into activities with a living being. In other words, drawing energy through touch, much like a ghost. I hesitate to use such a method during casual encounters, as it would likely be noticeable by the other individual, but in intimate encounters, where fatigue is already expected, it would go unnoticed.

I must admit, that the prospect is both intriguing and somewhat disconcerting. I would have to dub it the “Succubus Theory”, for it operates in much the same manner as a succubus or incubus: feeding on another’s life energy through sex.

Emotions are more difficult. I am unsure if this will be possible to realize. I can, in fact, feel positive emotions, albeit quite rare and usually in a dull form. I would have to do more research to determine if it is possible to encourage these like I do with the physical aspects. However, it should theoretically be possible, seeing as I am not completely cut off from such things.

Due to the complexity involved in this spell, it will likely be very difficult to develop, as well as to cast. My initial calculations may be off, but in order to make the effect permanent I will need to draw upon a significant portion of my necrotic fuel, as well as my soul. In fact, I am unsure if it would even be possible for me to cast such a spell in a single sitting on my own. The expendure would simply be too great. It will likely require a ritual, taking course over a month or two. Alternatively, circle magic incorporating the assistance of several archmagi—which I do not see happening in my current predicament.

And speaking of archmagi, it seems my captors have arrived. Therefore I shall have to finish this writing at a later date. I shall consider more details during my likely long stay in Dalaran’s vault. Proper spell development shall begin once I have been released."

Here's hoping 'oll Drudru is going to be locked away for a long time. I shudder to think what would happen if the "Necromancer" would turn into the "Succubus".

World will end.

Many of them.

Dru can be quite creepy.

Lay off the Chi, woman!

an undead succubous?? Oh Derry me . Scary thaught

Such lengths she is ready to go to 'feel' again. Regardless of that i love reading the notes.

this still going on btw? was quite enjoying reading the notes on her trying to become semi-alive

It is to my knowledge. She is just currently spending her time in Violet Hold without any book to write on