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: Welcome back, my fellow scoundrels, outcasts and miscreants. Allow me
to summarize what's happened thus far. I left the town
of Willow's Bend with my best friend Frank and the
thief Anya. I didn't know she was a thief while
we strolled down the Spike Tree Highway, but as we
reached the spot where the advents were investigating the bandit attack,
Anya disappeared, and so did my coin. I followed the
Advents as they tracked the bandits back to the camp,
where the Highway Raiders claimed they were innocent of murder
and their only crime should be looting, but the Advents
didn't believe them. Just as the scene began to escalate,
both parties were attacked by a monstrosity that bled black Icher.
In an attempt to save them, I ran back to
the bodies of the recently deceased merchants and reanimated their corpses,
you know, necromancer stuff. The vivified assisted in the combat
and were able to destroy the abominations, saving the Advents
and the leader of the bandits. Katamis, the leader of
the Advents party, then proceeded to murder Gouval, the leader
of the Bandits, and Frank and I fled before we
were discovered. We returned to Willow's Bend. The innkeeper Mike,
offered me a job cleaning the stables and told me
about a watcher recently arriving in town. The Advents returned
shortly after me, bringing the heads of Gouval and the monstrosity.
They spun a fantastically inaccurate tale about how the combat
unfolded and gave themselves the most ridiculous party name I've
ever heard, the Faded four. My name is Charts. I
have the ability to reanimate the dead, and I'm on
a quest to kill the most powerful man in Price
scene Chapter four, Black Magic. I woke before dawn, my
mind already running through the day's meager agenda, which included
cleaning the stables for Mike and somehow finding more money.
My original plan of resupplying my travel packs was out
of the question until I did. I laced up my boots,
scrabbed a few leftover bread rolls that Mike had left out,
and headed to the stables, munching on one as I walked.
The stables weren't much to look at, twelve stalls, several
occupied by the mules and horses belonging to the advents,
Big George's cousins and the Watcher. There was only one
large and which was used to bring horses in and out.
Stable tools hung on the wall to the left just
past the entry, and the place reeked of pist soaked
sawdust and Horseshit perfect. Before I started the dirty work,
I checked on Frank. He was still tucked away in
the backstall the unit dedicated to storing extra sacks of sawdust,
which were used in place of straw. I offered him
one of the bread rolls, which he took without hesitation.
My friend didn't eat often, so I was pleased when
he took the bread and bit into it. Hey, Frank, Hi,
you holding up poalt. Did you get a good night's rest? Now? Yeah? Me,
neither and a nightmare. Those damned advents were killing the merchants,
but in the dream they weren't vivified. They were just
normal people. Anyway, It was just a dream. We have
real world problems on our hands, like how to make money.
Mike's gonna pay us to clean stables, but that won't
get us far. We'll need more coin to resupply before
we can leave this town. After we're done here, we
should head back to the Bandit hideout. Maybe the advents
missed something. They were in a bit of a hurry,
so there might be a secret stash they didn't notice. Also,
get this, those pompous idiots call themselves the Faded four.
How pretentious is that? God's a puff and there's a
watcher in town, So you should stay out of sight
just in case. When we get back, we'll find someplace
for you to stay outside of town. Right to the
widow that it doesn't rain. All right, that's enough procrastinating.
Have you finished your role? Okay? Good. I'll start cleaning
the stalls, and you should carry the fresh sawdat sacks,
stack them right there, and try to avoid the horses
if possible. It took us slightly longer than anticipated, but
we completed THESS just after dawn. The town of Willow's
Bend was waking, and the cheerful sounds of children running
through the street made me want to get out of
there fast. Too much noise and far too many eyes.
Frank and I set off, retracing our steps from the
night before. The Spike Tree Highway seemed almost pleasant. This morning.
Birds chirped and squirrels chattered. It was as if the
forest had forgotten the bloodshed from the night before. The
world felt lighter, but I couldn't shake the tension from
my chest. Frank trudged along beside me, still cloaked in masks.
Despite the beautiful morning. We walked a short distance, saying
nothing and listening to the forest life. The sharp snap
of a twig caught my attention and I spun around
to see Anya stepping out from the woods. The brown
eyed fieft stood wearing a mischievous grin, with her hands
raised in a mock surrender. Hey you boys, you've gotta
be fucking kidding me. Don't be mad, mad, curious. Give
me back my money.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna just let me explain.
Speaker 2: Okay, I don't care about your explanation. I want my coin.
Speaker 3: Okay, okay, here take it.
Speaker 2: It better be all.
Speaker 3: Here, It's all in there, promise.
Speaker 2: Good now, fuck off.
Speaker 3: Look, I didn't steal it for no reason. Let me explain.
Speaker 2: I don't care why you sold from me or why
you gave it back. You're lucky. I don't turn you in.
Speaker 3: Too constable, l arun or the advance what a joke?
Speaker 2: Just piss off charts.
Speaker 3: Give me five minutes.
Speaker 2: Not interested, three minutes. We're going No, wait, please fuck off.
Speaker 3: I know you're a black mage. Whoa what I saw
what you did last night? I know what you are.
Speaker 2: You don't know anything, and I'm not a black mage.
Speaker 3: Okay, listen, I only stole from you because I thought
you were trying to steal from the advents.
Speaker 2: I already told you that I wasn't stealing from them.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but how do I know that wasn't a lie?
I thought you might steal from them or even try
to kill him. You could have been a bandit for
all I knew. I mean, Frank was hiding in the
stables and wearing that hood and mask all the time.
That's pretty banded, like you both were hiding something.
Speaker 2: So because you didn't know everything about me, you stole from.
Speaker 3: Me exactly Zorida. I assumed you'd do something stupid and
get yourself killed by the advents or the bandits. And
I said to myself self, do you really want the
people who murdered Charts to have his money? To course not,
so I lifted it just in case.
Speaker 2: You know, Oh, how kind of you.
Speaker 3: Then I stuck around to see what would happen. But
after seeing you're a black.
Speaker 2: Mage, I'm not a black mage.
Speaker 3: Sure, whatever you say. I just figured if you can
do that, you can handle yourself, So I gave the
money back.
Speaker 2: What else did you see?
Speaker 3: Nothing much. I saw you raise those dead merchants back
from the under realm. I saw you command them to
follow you then attacked the big monster thing. I saw
him doing everything you commanded, which means that you have
to be a Black Mage for.
Speaker 2: The last time. I'm not a Black Mage.
Speaker 3: So where are we going? Yeah, I'm tagging along. No
you're not sure, I am. I'm much more useful than
you think, so I'll be tagging along if you don't mind,
I do mine. That's okay.
Speaker 2: Normally people do not enjoy my company, or Franks for
that matter.
Speaker 3: Really, I ain't normal.
Speaker 2: No, you're a thief.
Speaker 3: I gave the coin back, so I'm ignoring that statement.
But to answer a question.
Speaker 2: I didn't ask a question much like.
Speaker 3: Normal people or people normally. But I like you.
Speaker 2: What I'm not gonna get rid of you? Am?
Speaker 3: I lead on chots the Black Mage.
Speaker 2: I traced my steps from the night before, leading us
back to the bandit hideout. The smell of rot and
death lingered in the air. The monster's corpse had been
dragged to the edge of the clearing, its remains already
teeming with flies. A freshly filled grave sat in the
center of the clearing, no doubt the work of the advents.
A smaller grave was filled near the entrance of the
bandit's cave, likely the location of the severed bandit and
merchant's heads. Inside the bandit's cave. The place was a mess.
Decaying supplies, torn blankets, and dirty mugs were scattered everywhere.
Looked less like a hideout for dangerous bandits and more
like a refugee camp for desperate men. I found a
few torches just past the cave's entrance. I lit one
and began my search. These men looked more like they
were on the run instead of the highway villains the
town made them out to be. If they were on
the run, who were they running from and why A
chest was hidden below a crumpled pile of clothing at
the far end of the one room hideout. A cursory
glance told me I would likely be disappointed by its contents,
or lack thereof. The clothes had been half heartedly tossed
on top of the chest, and after moving a pair
of trousers, I saw that the lock had been busted.
With little enthusiasm, I lifted the lid and found what
was expected nothing. The advents must have stripped the chest
of its contents after the fight last night. I let
the lid slam closed and continued my scavenger hunt.
Speaker 3: Oh hey, you chots, what you're doing? The hideout right right,
smart thinking, what are we searching for?
Speaker 2: Anything? The advents might have missed. It was dark and cold,
and they were likely exhausted from last night's fight. I
bet they wanted to get the bodies buried and get
out of here as quickly as they could. Nothing in
the chest, non they cleared it out, But Gouvall may
have hidden something more precious away. That chest could have
been a decoy.
Speaker 4: Oh, that would have been clever.
Speaker 2: And if the chest is a decoy, then there'll be
a secret stash of the real valuables here somewhere. It's
just a matter of finding it.
Speaker 4: What makes you think the bandits were that clever?
Speaker 3: They may have been simple thieves stealing stuff from poor,
unsuspected merchant folk.
Speaker 2: I don't think so. Govall the bandit leaders said they
didn't attack the merchants, they found the bodies and took
the valuables. I tend to believe in after seeing what
that monstrosity did. On top of that, if they were
planning to be legitimate highway bandits, they wouldn't be hiding
in a cave with a single room and exit. They'd
be building an actual camp. They'd also need a fence.
Someone to sell the stolen items too. It's highly unlikely
that they would have such a person here in the forest.
These towns are too small. Everyone knows everyone else.
Speaker 4: So who do you think they are?
Speaker 2: Well, my guess is that they're on the run for
something in group this size, hiding out in the forest,
killing time, living off the land the best they know how.
My guess is they got into some trouble and are
waiting for the dust to clear before returning to wherever
they came from. What kind of trouble, Well, if I'm lucky,
the kind of trouble where they stole something very valuable
from someone very wealthy and then stashed it away in
a secret place, A secret place a little like this.
I pulled a fake boulder away from the wall, dragging
it along the dirt floor. The stone matched the color
of the interior cave walls, but the texture was significantly different.
It was a light and porous material, which made it
easy for me to shift this time. I moved enthusiastically,
sliding the knee high boulder to the left and inspecting
my find. The backside of the boulder had been carved
out with sharp lines and grooves reflecting the abuse of
the chisel used to gut the stone. The bandits had
carefully hammered out a flat spot as a shelf. The
only problem was that, much like the chest, the shelf
was empty. For the love of Blade, why can't anything
go right?
Speaker 4: Hey, don't curse Blathe, He's my favorite.
Speaker 2: It's gone, damned advents.
Speaker 4: Coause it's gone and I already stole it.
Speaker 3: You did what I came back after the advents were
finished last night.
Speaker 4: Then you're on the treasure. But how your glever charts?
But so am I?
Speaker 3: I also pegged the bandits of thieves, obviously and assumed
the events would be satisfied. After finding the merchant's goods
in the chest, I was right after they cleared out,
I took a peek around, found the secrets dash and
nabbed it.
Speaker 2: What the literal fuck on me? Why didn't you tell me?
Speaker 4: It was way more interesting to see you work this out.
Speaker 3: I know some pretty good thieves who would have taken
much longer to piece this together.
Speaker 2: You could have told me way earlier and saved me
all this time.
Speaker 4: I don't be getting mad at me. It's not like
you asked.
Speaker 2: Is this why you gave me my money back. You
found something better.
Speaker 4: Nah, I already.
Speaker 3: Told you I gave the coin back because you were
a black Maige and I don't fuck with black mages.
Speaker 2: I'm not a blackmage.
Speaker 4: If you say so.
Speaker 2: By the gods, I'm cursed.
Speaker 3: Hey, now, don't be upset. I'll make you a deal.
I'll give you some of the treasure if you tell
me how you do it, how I do what? How
you bring people back from the under realm, you know,
back from the dead.
Speaker 1: The Necromancer of Pricene will return after these messages. Hey, everyone,
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Speaker 2: I collected my thoughts as we traced our way through
the foliage back to the main road. Besides, Frank, I
had never told anyone about the Tree of Life. When
the seeds it bears, I slipped my hand into the
hidden pocket of my cloak and retrieved one of the
life seeds. Rolling the seed between my fingers, I decided
on where to begin. Anya, Are you familiar with the
legends of the Tree of Life.
Speaker 3: I've heard the name, but don't know the story. Is
it a mountain folk thing?
Speaker 2: No, I don't think so. It's an old story about
the way the world began.
Speaker 3: I don't think I know it.
Speaker 2: The story goes like this, When the world was young,
the gods lived among us, sharing the planet as they
saw a fit. At that point, there were many more
gods than we know today.
Speaker 3: Was Blade alive back then?
Speaker 2: I think so. I think all the gods like Rowan, Morn,
and the Widow were alive back then.
Speaker 3: Good.
Speaker 2: I like Blade anyway. The gods had different roles in
creating Turnlem. Some helped form the planet itself, raising mountains,
growing forests, and designing rivers. Others cared for the animals
and wildlife, ensuring every ecosystem was in perfect harmony. There
were many other roles, but you get the idea. So
the gods worked together for thousands of years to cultivate
Urnlay as they saw fit, and for the most part,
they worked well together. There was only one major problem.
They disagreed on what to do with the people. Some
gods wanted to make all of Turinlay a utopia for
humans as long as they paid homage. Other gods believed
people were a blight upon the planet. They despised the
way we cut through their forests, dug through their mountains,
and hunted their beasts. To those gods, we were in aberration,
a flaw in the natural ecosystem of the world. The
ancient gods bickered amongst themselves about whether they should kill, quarantine, enslave,
or cherish us slowly humans. Because they could not agree,
the gods did the only thing they felt they could
what No, that would have been cataclysmic. No. They decided
to all go their separate ways and never talk to
each other again. They began splitting up the land into
islands where they could live however they saw fit, But
in their haste to carve out their kingdoms, they didn't
consider the impacts it would have on the planet. Urnlay
was thrust into turmoil. The land was being ripped asunder,
and the planet became unstable. The volcanoes erupted, earthquakes destroyed cities,
Hurricanes swept through entire countries. There was death and devastation everywhere.
Speaker 3: So what did they do?
Speaker 2: Rowan, the god of life and nature, saw what was happening,
and he called out to the other gods to stop
their attacks on Turinlay. He scolded that in their sanctimonious exploits,
they become worse than the very humans they wished to
separate from. In their shame, the gods listened to Rowan
and ended their secession, but the damage had already been done.
To repair the world, Rowan poured a piece of his
eternal soul into one seed, which he then planted in
the centermost island. From this seed, the tree of Life
began to grow. The roots of the tree reached out
to the neighboring islands, and then the islands beyond them,
and so on, until the tree had latched onto all
the broken lands of Turinlay and held them in place.
It took time, but eventually the tree of life stabilized
the planet and the destructive forces of nature subsided. And
that is how Rowans saved turinlay and formed the continent
of Pricene.
Speaker 3: That's a very fun story, but I don't see what
it has to do with black magic.
Speaker 2: It's not black magic. Do you see this the acorn? Yes, well, no,
it's it's not an acorn. This is a seed from
the Tree of Life, well, one of its.
Speaker 3: Offshoots, off shoots.
Speaker 2: When the Tree of Life spread its roots across Pricene
in order to stretch out to other countries, new trees
began to sprout from the earth, but they're all connected
through its roots. This network of roots is called the
wood web, and it spreads all over the continent. I
found one of these trees and collected the.
Speaker 3: Seeds, and that's how you bring people back from the dead.
Speaker 2: Yeah, sort of. I placed the seed of life in
their body and say an incantation. It's more like a
prayer to row it. Then they come back and I
can tell them what to do and they obey me
to the best of their ability.
Speaker 3: Oh so could I do that too, bring someone back
from the dead by saying the magic words? Why? I
don't Ooh, and do you think someone gave one of
the seeds to the monster?
Speaker 4: Thing?
Speaker 3: Is that whitehead? Black blood.
Speaker 2: No, I don't you.
Speaker 3: Undid people have black blood too? Or is it just
the monsters that get created?
Speaker 2: I call them vivified, not any one.
Speaker 3: I feel at other black mages around, or if you're
the only one. If it's just acorns, it should be
easy for anyone to do it. Well, I guess they're
black magic acorns, and they would have to know the
magic words too, I jots. Do you think I could
see the Tree of life? How far away is it
from here?
Speaker 2: Anya, you make a really good point.
Speaker 3: Of course I do. But uh, which one?
Speaker 2: The thing about the black blood?
Speaker 3: Oh? Right? What about it?
Speaker 2: The vivifi don't have black blood. Their blood is normal,
even though they don't actually need blood anymore. That creature
thing had black icher for blood. It was a mammal,
I think, so it should have had red blood.
Speaker 3: Some things have different colored blood.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but I don't think anything has black acher blood.
I'll need to read more about that.
Speaker 3: Oh you have a book about blood?
Speaker 2: No, but I'm sure I can find one.
Speaker 3: Huh. Not likely to find one in Willows Bend. You're
gonna need to find a city with a library.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're probably right about that, of course, I am
all right. I told you how I bring back the VIVIFID,
So now you need to keep your end of the deal.
I get some of the treasure.
Speaker 3: Fair enough, Here you go. It's a bag of gems.
You can pick one, but it can be whatever one
you want. Just one, yeah, any one of those gems
is worth more than all your money.
Speaker 2: All right, I'll take this one.
Speaker 3: That one, are you sure?
Speaker 2: Yep?
Speaker 3: It's just an emerald. Several other gems in here are bigger, prettier,
and worth more. Why not take one of those?
Speaker 2: Oh no, I like this one.
Speaker 3: Whatever, Just don't try to sell it when we're back
in town. No one there can afford it anyway, and
it'll be suspicious. Okay, now let's get back to town.
I there's going to be a festival for the advents.
Speaker 2: Her smirk returned, And I couldn't help but mirror it.
A festival for the advents. Perfect, Nothing like a little
celebration to watch their web of lies unravel.
Speaker 1: Charts is voiced by Josh Allen. Anya Esh is voiced
by Blithe Renee. 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 Pricing
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 creative typo
dot com. And thank you for listening. A very special
thank you to our executive producers from Patreon, Nick Me
and Patrick t Arsenal