video | un: haltham

[aprescoup]

( Friends, family, travellers: you might remember this friendly speaker, eyes bright and wild while blood's drenched the better half of his grinning face. )

Hello? This is Haaaaaaltham. How do you do? Me... I'm — ( The pendant briefly slips from his hands, showing glimpses of Haltham and a rolling, feral dead creature he subdues with a final snap of its neck. Patiently, after recovering the pendant: ) Fine. You, um... you're fine, yeah? Also? You're good people. Good people.

So I told m'friend, I told her... said, me, these are good people, and they will help you. ( Another pause, as a rabid goat jumps over Haltham's head to crush a dead man. Behind him, rows of burning homes distinctly different from the snowed-under peaks of Haltham's native Sa-Hareth. ) Goat says hi. Good goat.

Now... now, my friend, yeah? She's... last we met, she wasn't that, she was... riding hard. In the fancy magic city. And them others coming after, her old friends. One of them. Only... now she's not feeling friendly with the Brothers no more. Now, she's wanting to be friends with us. All of us. Cause she's... in a bit o'trouble with that one. The mean one. The one that brays like animals... and... that's no nice way to treat a lady. Me, I always thought... you got a lady friend, you treat'er well.

She's got to stay in Krrrr-Croak-Weeeey-who? Couple o'days. Call it... three? Four weeks? But she doesn't want no finding, when the animal comes. And she's a little... slimmer in her strengths. Til the old man mountain breathes fire again. So, you know. If you can be nice to her, our huntress. She'll make it worth everyone's while. Yours... mine... ( Another undead creature assaults his back, only to solidify in pure ice within half a heartbeat. Haltham points behind himself: ) His.

What do you say? ( All at once, warmth wanes from Haltham's voice, hollowing it: ) ThIn K. Th ErE aRe BenEfitS o F Gi vInG HER tHre E weEks o F shElt Er. WhaT Do YoU saY?



( ooc: — cast an IC vote until 23:59 GMT on 2 April if the party should hide and protect the Huntress for a few weeks in Ke-Waihu, during the Beastmaster's upcoming visit

— new characters can assume party NPCs Asgeirr or Hatisse have shared told them about the Huntress, Haltham/Anurr and Beastmaster

— feel free to spam/threadjack/discuss IC opinions in this post — Haltham will respond sporadically; no input from the Huntress at this time! )

Comments

[unpurposed]

It is built into my very nature.

[ And he doesn’t have a natural aversion to undead or necromancers. Have to be biologically living at some point to be undead, don’t you? He doesn’t actually know. And that’s part of why he is so curious. By its definition, necromancy could be the ultimate in palliative care. Even though it seems to give most humans the heebiejeebies.]

You may give her my name, and I will endeavour to offer what assistance I can upon her arrival. I am Cato.

[aprescoup]

You're not the first one who's kindly, friend. Miss Winnifred's been awful nice, too. Have a word, maybe.

[unpurposed]

I will speak to her.

May I asked an unrelated question?

[aprescoup]

Won't be me stopping you.

[unpurposed]

The undeath condition.

Is it something that can be applied to beings who were never flesh and blood?

[aprescoup]

...what, now?

[unpurposed]

Hmm. I was attempting to ask this question as unscientifically as possible. Perhaps I should attempt a different approach.

What are the conditions that allow something to become undead?

[aprescoup]

First... they're dead. Then, depends how they died. Takes... power. Hurt. An opening. If it's their want to live, or yours. If it's their will, easier. If it's yours, you fight it, the body. And the soul. And what's... the mind. All that, you're fighting. Better if they be willing.

[unpurposed]

Fascinating.

I presume it requires the physical body of the deceased? Is it possible to bring back someone who died violently but there is no access to their remains?

[aprescoup]

Without a body? No use.

[unpurposed]

I see. [ His voice did not give away his disappointment. Mostly because he was never supposed to feel such things. ]

And the body? I assume it must have first been flesh and blood?

[aprescoup]

...what else?

[unpurposed]

Metal, oil, gears, wires. I am made, and not of flesh and blood.

It is a good question if I am alive or not.

So can something be undead if it was never alive in the animal sense?

[aprescoup]

Takes a bigger fool than me to make it.

[unpurposed]

[Cato gave a low sound that was somewhere between a chuckle and electronic beeps. ]

I see. It is a mute point regardless, I suppose, as it is not a common state for this world.

Thank you for answering my questions. I have noticed a hesitancy or distaste for discussing such matters, but I understand you are an authority.

[aprescoup]

Never been... tried.

[unpurposed]

Hmm. I see.

Well, unfortunately I am not able to replicate my processors, and as far as I can tell the technology required to do so doesn’t exist here. So testing may not be possible unless I myself am destroyed.