Speaker 1: The Necromancer of Pricene contains adult content and may not
be suitable for children. Parental guidance is suggested. In the
world of Turinlay rests an enormous island called Pricene. The
nation of Pricene is governed by a king and council,
though the real power rests in the hands of ten
cursed immortals, powerful supernatural figures who serve only their self interests.
The land is plagued with black blooded monsters, corrupt political leaders,
and bloodthirsty bandits, and the one man who is willing
to stand up to them all just so happens to
be an unholy abomination, a summoner of the undead, The
Necromancer of Pricene.
Speaker 2: Chapter two, Brown Eyes. The Spike Tree Highway stretched from
east to west, the only road to cut through the
entire hare in Witch Mountain Range. It was wide enough
for two wagons to pass side by side, which was
an impressive feat considering the thick forest and steep terrain
at carved through.
Speaker 3: I walked with Anya.
Speaker 2: Esh on my left and my best friend Frank Mullentide
on my right. Anya's prediction that the forest would be
dark soon turned out to be true, the sun sank
behind the makeshift horizon of jagged tree tops, casting the
forest in shadows. While the rest of Pricene would enjoy
a bright summer evening, dusk always came early in the
hair in which forest. My two traveling companions couldn't have
been more different. Where Frank was a little taller than me,
around six feet, Anya was much smaller, somewhere around five
three or five four. While Frank lumbered along with the
hood of his brown cloak pulled over his head in
an ashen mass, covering everything but his eyes, Anya walked
with a light, graceful step, her cloak hanging open to
reveal two black hilted daggers in leather holes.
Speaker 3: Seeing daggers worn near.
Speaker 2: The ribs instead of the belt was strange, but Anya
was strange, so I guess it makes sense. As for conversation,
Frank only grumbled the occasional grunt, while Anya rambled on
about the town of Willow's Bend, gossip she'd heard from
drunk patrons of the rusted saw, and rumors of scandals
involving Big George, the proprietor of the local lumber mill.
Not for lack of trying I had barely managed two
full sentences since I'd let Anya join.
Speaker 3: Something. She seemed to notice.
Speaker 2: Too, because she abruptly cut off her story about Big
George's alleged mistress and turned her attention to me.
Speaker 4: So you definitely knew to Willow's Bend? What brings you here?
Speaker 3: I'm just passing through, just.
Speaker 4: Passing through and following a squad of advents as you go.
Speaker 3: It's not like that.
Speaker 4: So what is it like?
Speaker 3: None of your business?
Speaker 4: Did you know that the advents got horses from Willow's Bend?
Speaker 5: What?
Speaker 3: No? I didn't.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's why they're so far ahead us.
Speaker 2: The constable gave them horses.
Speaker 4: They paid him for the horses, but a room said
he'd give him the money back if they arrested the
bandits or brought the horses back unharmed. Damn, Why do
you want to follow them so bad? I don't you
clearly do? Are you trying to join them?
Speaker 5: Fuck? No?
Speaker 4: Are you trying to rob them?
Speaker 6: No?
Speaker 2: Then why would you just drop it by the stars?
Speaker 4: Okay?
Speaker 7: Okay?
Speaker 4: Message received? So where are you from?
Speaker 3: A town called Ekadon?
Speaker 4: Never heard of it?
Speaker 2: Yeah, not many have. It's a small mining town in
the Raketail Mountain.
Speaker 4: Really, you are quite a ways.
Speaker 5: From home, Yeah, I am.
Speaker 4: Do you always make Frank's in the stables because he's
kind of rank?
Speaker 3: I didn't answer that question, but she wasn't wrong.
Speaker 2: He was malodorous at best and did need a bath.
The next time Frank and I were alone, we'd need
to find a river or lake to dunk him in.
I tucked the task away in the back of my mind. Then,
without warning, Anya looped her arm through mine and drew close.
The gesture was bizarre, considering we had just met. As
she leaned in, I noticed her eyes dark brown, a
rarity in price scene, where most had blue, green or
gray eyes. She saw me looking and gave a sly grin.
Speaker 4: I've never been to a mining town in the Raketeal Mountains.
What's it like?
Speaker 3: It was nice.
Speaker 2: The winners get cold in the mountains, but the sun
almost always shines. When I say it was a small town,
I mean very small. There were about thirty families in all,
and the nearest mining town to us was a little
over forty miles away.
Speaker 4: Oh sounds peaceful, it was. What did you mind?
Speaker 3: Well?
Speaker 2: I called it a mining town, but we didn't have
to mind that often. Frank's father owned the mine. It
was a family business, and his grandfather had been very
lucky to discover a large quantity of Tiger's eye gemstones.
Are you familiar with the gem?
Speaker 4: Yeah? They're lovely, but raa from what I understand, very rare.
Speaker 2: And they can be difficult to work with. Merchants rarely visited, echoedence.
So once a month we would send one of our
traders out to sell a gem or two and come
back with supplies for the town. We had a rotation
of twelve traders that would journey out, my father being one.
Speaker 8: Is that what you are?
Speaker 4: A gem trader?
Speaker 5: No?
Speaker 3: I was supposed to be, but not anymore.
Speaker 4: So what are you now?
Speaker 3: Traveler?
Speaker 4: You don't seem like just a traveler?
Speaker 3: And what do I seem like?
Speaker 4: I haven't figured you out yet, but I will.
Speaker 3: Oh, I can't wait.
Speaker 4: Do you hear that?
Speaker 3: Hear what?
Speaker 4: Up ahead around that bend? There horses, stamp and feet.
Speaker 3: I didn't hear anything.
Speaker 4: You gotta be quiet, listen for it. You'll hear them
up there.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna get closer and check it out.
Speaker 4: There's a tree down in the woods at the bend.
We could get off the road and sneak up to
see what's happening.
Speaker 2: That sounds like a good idea, Frank, you stay back here,
I'm gonna look ahead.
Speaker 3: I'll be right back.
Speaker 2: The forest floor, thick with pine needles, muffled my steps
as I crept closer to the crime scene. I knelt
behind a fallen tree. It's trunk already soft with decay,
a perfect spot to watch the advents without drawing any attention.
Four horses clustered near the shattered remains of a merchant wagon.
The advents had dismounted and were inspecting the wreckage in
the nearby tree line. I was surprised we'd found them
so quickly. After Anya mentioned they'd been given horses. I'd
expected them to put leagues between us. Luck had finally
shown me some favor. Finch the archer called out to
the others, saying something I could not understand. They all
paused and moved to order as she pointed to something
on the ground just beyond a vine covered bush. From
where I hid, I couldn't see what had piqued their interest.
I turned to ask Anya if she had a better view,
but she was gone. I glanced back toward the road.
Frank stood precisely where I told him to, but there
was no Anya. Panic tightened in my chest. I reached
from my coin pouch and found only the severed leather
strap dangling inside my coat. Anya was gone, My money
was gone, and I was the fool. The little sneak
had stolen the money right out of my cloak without
me feeling a damned thing.
Speaker 3: It must have been.
Speaker 2: When she looped her arm through mine and was batting
those big brown eyes, that dirty, no good, lying demon
of a woman. A fresh wave of panic surged through me.
I quickly checked the hidden pocket in my cloak. Thank
the widow, the bag of seeds was still there. Anya
must not have noticed them when she was pilfering my coin.
I hurried back to Frank, hoping he'd seen where she
had disappeared to, but he was no help. Instead of
paying attention, he'd been staring at a line of ants
marching around his foot. Then the thought occurred to me,
what if she was working with the advents. I hadn't
seen her with them before, but that doesn't mean she
wasn't part of their crew. She was a sneaky little
shit after all. I dragged Frank back to my hiding
spot behind the fallen tree. If she were with the Advents,
she'd likely make her way to them. I waited a
short while, stewing in my anger, curious at Anya for
stealing my money and at myself for being so gullible.
But she never appeared to the Advents, so maybe she
wasn't working with them after all. Either way, I would
have to track her down. Once I returned to Willow's Ben,
the Advents had finished their investigation and started speaking loudly
enough for.
Speaker 3: Me to hear.
Speaker 7: Katamis, we must give them a proper burial before anything else.
Speaker 5: Aurora. You know we can't do that.
Speaker 8: He's right, Aurora. I've picked up the trail for the bandits,
but it's old. We need to track them as quickly
as possible.
Speaker 6: We can't come back for the bodies and give them
a proper burial once we deal with the bandits.
Speaker 7: It's inhumane. Those bodies were ravaged.
Speaker 5: And we will bring them justice.
Speaker 8: They're already dead, Aurora. It's not like they'll mind waiting
another day.
Speaker 7: Finch, you're a monster.
Speaker 6: Seriously, Aurora, what's the big deal.
Speaker 7: The big deal is that they were dumped into a
shallow grave.
Speaker 6: They're mostly buried.
Speaker 7: Clyde, someone tossed a little dirt on them. It would
take one hungry wolf to drag them out of there.
And how would you like it if a wolf was
dragging your body around, munching on it as they.
Speaker 8: Go, Aurora, you're so dramatic.
Speaker 7: You mean empathetic. You should try it sometimes.
Speaker 5: Okay, everyone take a moment and relax.
Speaker 8: I'm as cool as the hair in which peak kade.
Speaker 5: Aurora. I know you want to bury these bodies and
give them their last rites. But if we do that,
we will lose what's left of daylight. And if we
have to come back tomorrow, Finch might lose the bandit's trail.
Speaker 7: But what about the wolves and coyotes?
Speaker 5: I understand, But wouldn't you rather find these bandits and
take care of them so no one else has to
suffer the fate of these merchants?
Speaker 7: Yes, of course I do.
Speaker 5: Then let's focus on that. Let's do what we can
to protect the.
Speaker 6: Living, Aurora. Would it make you feel better if I
put a couple of these wagon boards on the grave.
Speaker 5: Yeah, Clyde, that's a great idea.
Speaker 7: Okay, just for now, just for now, and we will
come back tomorrow and bury the bodies the right way.
Speaker 5: You have my word, bandits, then bodies.
Speaker 8: Would you three? Hurry up? We are losing daylight and
this trail isn't going to be easy to track.
Speaker 6: Come on, Aurora. The corpses won't mind. They're already dead.
What's the worst that could happen?
Speaker 2: I watched as the advents disappeared into the forest one
by one.
Speaker 3: I checked their.
Speaker 2: Path to see if it would be easy to follow.
I wasn't much of a tracker, but Clyde's heavy armor
had left a wake of destruction. It'd be easy to
follow him at least. Turned back to the scene of
the ambush, the wagon was in shambles. Thoughts raced through
my mind, distracting me from my recent misfortunes. Why would
the bandits do that to the wagon? Were they that deranged?
Couldn't they have used some of the wagon's parts for
their own supplies. I hadn't crossed paths with many bandits
in my travels, but I knew enough to understand they
were usually opportunists or disgraced soldiers. Brutish, yes, but not
needlessly destructive slaughter. The merchants steal their goods and burn
what was left. That was typical, but this seemed different.
I moved to the shallow grave that had unsettled Aurora
so much, and my opinion of the bandits shifted quickly.
I lifted the board Clyde had placed over the bodies
and brushed away some of the dirt from the top corpse.
The brutality was staggering. The people who did this weren't
just bandits, they were monsters. I hoped the Advents found
them easily and dealt with them quickly. Whatever horrific fate
awaited these brutes, they deserved it. Upon closer inspection, I
saw Aurora's concerns were justified. An animal had already started
digging at the grave, likely the night before. It hadn't
managed to reach its meal before something scared off, but
it would be back.
Speaker 3: The feast was too tempting.
Speaker 2: I whispered a few words, hoping their souls could find peace,
then grabbed Frank and began after the advents.
Speaker 1: The Necromancer of Pricene will return after these messages.
Speaker 3: Hey, everyone, if.
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Speaker 2: Frank and I trudged through the woods, following the path
left by Clyde, the heavily armored giant. I listened intently
to the forest around me, hoping to hear the Big
Man or the other advents before we got too close.
The last thing I wanted was to stumble right into them.
That might be a little difficult to explain. We moved slowly,
avoiding anything on the forest floor that might make a sound.
Frank wasn't usually mindful of where he stepped, but in
situations like this he picked up on my need for stealth.
At times, he could move as quietly as a mouse.
Well maybe not a mouse, more like a large badger, but.
Speaker 3: You get the idea.
Speaker 2: After about twenty five minutes, we heard the advent's voices.
I clung to the shadows, edging closer until we were
within earshot. And then I found a place for us
to hide. The bandits were holed up in a cave.
Not the cool, dramatic sort you hear about in fairy
tales where dragons or treasure might be hidden. Now, this
was a narrow cave that sloped sharply into the earth,
with a small, angled entrance. The advents stood outside the cave,
weapons ready. The bandits stood guarding the mouth of the cave,
weapons still sheathed. But the tension thickened the air. Except
for Clyde, who in his clunky armor would have difficulties
squeezing through the entrance, the group could have easily forced
their way into the hideout. Voices began to rise as
the conversation escalated.
Speaker 9: I'm telling you, sir, we didn't kill those merchants.
Speaker 5: You really expect us to believe that you simply found
them like that?
Speaker 9: I don't give two shits what you believe. We didn't
kill them. We haven't killed anyone. Then, what did How
in the under realm should I know? And why would
whoever did kill them leave all the merchant wears for
you to loot? Maybe it's a creature instead of a person,
and you consider that maybe it doesn't care about possessions,
just food. A creature, You say, yes, did you see
what it did to those people? Other humans bandits or not?
Would not, could not be that terrible to others. It's grotesque.
A bandit with scruples. Fuck you.
Speaker 10: We're survivors, not bandits. And the thing that did that
was a monster.
Speaker 5: If there was a beast out here hunting people, why
hasn't it eaten you and your men? Probably because we're
armed and well hidden. So a large creature capable of
killing a group of traveling merchants but smart enough to
avoid a well armed group of survivors is lurking within
the forest attacking random travelers for personal pleasure.
Speaker 9: You have the right of it.
Speaker 5: You must take me for a fool. I'm arresting you
with all the power invested in me by Constable a
rune of Willow's Bend.
Speaker 9: You've got to be kidding me, I kid.
Speaker 5: You not now come out of there before Finch decides
to send an arrow in.
Speaker 2: Well, shit, did you hear that? Of course you heard that.
Everyone from here to Willow's Bend heard it. The bandits
were right, Something big and nasty was roaming these woods.
I grabbed Frank and ducked down into our nook. Just
as the advents drew their weapons. They exchanged a few
tense words with the bandits, asking what kind of creature
could make such a noise.
Speaker 3: The bandits, of course, had.
Speaker 2: No answers, but they did offer the advents shelter, and
offer that was swiftly declined. Moments later, I heard the
creature charge into the clearing. Ever one to give into
the call of curiosity, I risked a glance. The thing
was enormous, twice the size of a black bear, with
thick black fur and a jaw that unhinged far too wide. Lovely,
it charged on all fours like a bear, But as
the advent spread out in a half circle, the monstrosity
rose up to a towering height of over ten feet.
Finch loos an arrow as Pride charged forward, the giganta
bear lifted its shoulder, deflecting the arrow, and then swung
its massive arm down to grab Clyde. With the ease
of a giant, the creature lifted him into the air
and hurled him across the clearing. Clyde hit the ground
hard and rolled. That was all the motivation I needed
to get my ass moving. I told Frank to stay put,
then darted back into the woods, retracing our path. The
twenty five minute trip to get here quickly shrank to
fifteen as I sprint into the destroyed merchant wag. Ignoring
the scattered wreckage, I made straight for the shallow grave.
Using my hands, I clawed a corpse free and dragged
it up onto the ground beside me. I shoved my
hand into the hidden pocket of my cloak and pulled
out the bag of seeds, the life seeds. The bag
was secured with twine. I quickly untied the knot and
then extracted the first seed. The man's mouth hung open,
as if dislocated in the struggle with the bandits or
possibly the creature grimacing.
Speaker 3: I shoved the seed down his throat.
Speaker 2: Pushing it in as far as I could reach. Then
I spoke the words severed soul of the fallen. I
summoned thee from the domain of death returned to me
with the seed of life from the tree of Rowan.
I bind you once more to flesh.
Speaker 3: And bone, Rise and obey.
Speaker 2: Satisfied the rituals complete, I turned away from the corpse
and began digging for the next body. Shallow as the
grave was, it was still a lot of work. It
might be best if you jump back over to the
advents and the bandits to see how they're handling things.
Speaker 5: Binch, move back to the tree line and use your
barbed arrows Aurora, go check on Clyde, you bandit leader.
My name is caval whatever. Get your men out here
and surround this thing. What no deal with it yourself.
If you help me defeat this, I will give you
a full pardon and allow you to keep the stolen goods.
Speaker 9: Are you allowed to do that?
Speaker 5: Yes? Now get out here.
Speaker 10: Okay, we're coming. You heard the man surround the beast.
Speaker 7: Clyde is fine. He's just a little banged up and
just going to give him a little.
Speaker 9: Straight from the under realm. What was that?
Speaker 7: It was a wake stick. You were knocked out and
I had to wake you up.
Speaker 6: Why does it smell so bad?
Speaker 9: That's how it works, Cride.
Speaker 5: Could you give us a hand and coming to fall
organize your men, By the gods, man, they're dropping like flies.
Speaker 9: I told you we aren't killers.
Speaker 5: We are survivors.
Speaker 8: You're about to be dead if they don't stop charging
in like idiots.
Speaker 3: Okay, I'm back.
Speaker 2: Oh, it doesn't look like the bandits are doing well.
I crashed back into the nook where I'd left Frank,
only to find him standing tall watching the fight. I
yanked him back down and told him to stay put
against the monstrosity. The bandit party was about as effective
as a child fighting Clyde, but they weren't entirely useless.
They served as a good distraction for the beasts, allowing
the Advents to make more strategic attacks. The creature was
now riddled with wounds, oozing black ichor its movement noticeably slowly.
From my hiding spot, I watched as the Advents chipped
away at the grizzly feed. There was a fluidity to
their movements, deadly dance. Katamis struck out with his sword,
while Finch peppered the creature with arrows. Clyde, with his
shield up, spun his warhammer in large, sweeping arts. Even
the bandits played a role in that dancing death, mostly
as cannon fodder, but they were doing their best. Katamis
scored a vicious blow, tearing a dory hole in the
beast's chest. Black icker gushed from the wound, and the
creature reeled back in pain, before fleeing toward the bandit
cap it leaped forward with astonishing speed, clearing the entrance
and landing on the rise above. Three of the advents
regrouped to catch their breath, while Aurora checked on the
bodies of the fallen. Only two of the bandits well.
The survivalists remain. Guval, nursing a bite to his thigh,
limped with one of his lackeys toward their fallen comrades.
Frank let out a grunt, and I turned to see
him standing again. A stupid man never listens. I was
about to give him a quiet but firm tongue lashing
when I saw his eyes fixed on something at the
far end of the clearing. The monster was charging back
at full speed, and by the children of Mourn, that
creature was fast. Frank wasn't the only one to notice
the monster's return.
Speaker 3: Finch loosed two.
Speaker 2: Arrows as she backed toward the far side of the clearing.
The first arrow deflected off the creature's high but the
second struck crew embedding itself.
Speaker 3: In its neck. The beast didn't even slow.
Speaker 2: It launched into the air just as it reached the
top of the cave, and with a sickening crunch, it
landed squarely on the nameless bandit, crushing him under its
massive weight. Snarling, it turned its head searching for its
next target and found Aurora backing away at the edge
of the clearing. She drew her two daggers, lifting them
in a defensive stance, embracing herself as the creature charged.
Katamus and Clyde sprinted toward the alchemists, but they were
too far away. The monster covered the distance in a
more massive strides than Aurora, only to be intercepted by
two unholy abominations. My undead merchants had finally arrived.
Speaker 3: Hi there. My name is Charts.
Speaker 2: I have the ability to reanimate the dead, and I'm
on a quest to kill the most powerful man in Pricey.
Speaker 1: Charts is voiced by Josh Allen. Anya Esh is voiced
by Blithe Renee. Aurora Kaja is voiced by Elizabeth Phillips.
Katamis Sendler is voiced by Dan Stabb. Finch is voiced
by Taylor Shah. Clyde is voiced by Troy Cram Gouval.
The bandit leader, is voiced by Meng Fang. Audio engineering
by Adam Culbertson and Richard Collins, editing by Tisha Zang.
Music provided in part by Elizabeth Blakeley and written by
Nico Rodriguez. The Necromancer of Pricene is a Creative Typo
Entertainment production. For more information about this show, our cast,
or other shows under Creative Typo, please check out our
website at www dot creativetypo dot com and thank you
for listening. A very special thank you to our executive
producers from Patreon, Nick Mead and Patrick t Arsenal