40 A Conversation (1/2)
Goblins were scattered about the encampment. Most, but not quite all, of the goblins outside of the hole in the ground loomed close to the skeletons of the stags.
The flesh and fur that once covered the bodies of the creatures I had delivered to the goblins were gone, and the skeletons of the creatures were visible. Before I said another word to the goblins, I targeted the two skeletons and envisioned twin beams of obsidian energy shooting from my hand and infusing them with unlife, reanimating them as skeletal servitors in my service.
With that potent, imagined image my main focus, I began to attempt to use one of my divine powers ”Create Undead”. I was determined to use it without asking for guidance since I had asked for help so many times before, and I was doing it by instinct and by inferring that activating my powers tended to be done mentally.
For a few moments, nothing happened. I was silent, as were my undead minions, and the goblins I had just fed chattered away amongst themselves. A few of them gave me awed looks, but whenever I turned to look at them and smile they'd turn away in a blur of motion.
But then the newly visible skeletons of the truly deceased stags began to vibrate and radiate an eerie, yellow light. The sight of this was so odd that my other undead followers revealed themselves and approached the encampment. Their eyes were collectively locked on the vibrating piles of bones.
Mentally, I sighed in annoyance at them and told them to step back. Grudgingly, they acquiesced to my demand and stepped back out of view, hiding in the shadows of the forest.
And it was at that moment that I received a notification.
[New Title Received: The Resourceful One
Title explanation: This title has been bestowed upon you by the subdomain of necromancy. It has been given to you because of your odd instincts regarding violence, namely that you don't seem to like it, and that you are perfectly fine with the creation of and even modification of undead and corpses you didn't create.
The Resourceful One passive powers:
Natural undeath: Undead you create lose the drawbacks of being magically animated creatures, such as growing weaker they are hit by anti-magic effects. This would apply even if they were actually created through magic. This also causes corpses in your presence to have a chance to spontaneously arise as undead beings under your control unless you opt to not allow this to occur.
Heal The Undead: You can use unlife energy to inject unholy vigor into the undead. This grants you greater effectiveness at healing the undead.
The Resourceful One active power:
Infusion: Once a day you can grant an undead servant of yours a twenty-four-hour boon based on the domains and subdomains you have influence over.]
”Oh hey, my first undead-related title. Nice.” I thought, in the safety of my mind as I read through the notification. While I was doing that the skeletons of the stags completed coming into unlife once more. They rose to their feet and looked majestically at the goblins. And the goblins looked at them, with terror and awe-filled eyes. I chuckled and turned to address the crowd of tiny creatures.
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”Fear not little ones. The creatures you see here are not your foes. In fact, they are your friends.” I arrogantly declared, channeling pride and self-confidence into my voice so that I may burn a majestic image into the minds of the tiny creatures.
”I am an endlessly resourceful master and I have come to you with a number of gifts. The food you just ate was only one of what I come bearing.” I explained, smiling at the skeletal stags.
I studied them and focused on their eerily empty eye-sockets. And I began to reflect on an unexpected but noteworthy benefit of my decision to supply the goblins with the skeletal stags.