Witchers of Nifelheim - Part 2

Rain frowns, "Goddamn." She shakes her head and rests her helmet in her hand a silent sigh could be heard and her sudden stress was palpable, "Do you know why they opened it." She crosses her legs, "If you know... I may be able to complete the story for you." She tilts her head.

"Some from the machine world would see that story in a different light" Radiance takes a seat at the fire "You can call me Radiance by the way. And, I have to ask. In these stories do they tell of children mysteriously appearing?"

"Travellers on the road, that knew Sorenese?" Rogue asks Kaznachey "Travel between our worlds is limited... Do you happen to know who they were, these people, did they give you their names? And when did you meet them? Please, it is very important."

After Radiance speaks, Rogue continues, "We are actually on a rescue mission of sorts, you see, several of our children, innocents without any connection to this terrible event, disappeared some time ago, and we have reason to believe they may have ended up here. If you met any of them, or heard of them in the stories you have collected, it would be a great help to our effort."

Kaylee sat hunched over by the broken wall, staring off into space. She was eerily silent.
Johan was sitting next to her, his body language indicating he was severely worried. He kept throwing glances her way.


Kaznachey sighed: "I'm afraid I don't know why the Witchers sought to open the portal.
They rarely share their plans and guard their secrets jealousy"

He waited a moment, staring into the glowing coals of the camp fire:

"Soren. Is that what you call this language? We didn't have a unanimously agreed name for it. Most folk simply referred to it, as the 'Machina Language'.
Scholars and students who travel to and from the grand university of Lieselotte, often study this language.
I picked it up from them, along my travels.
Their names were so numerous and spanned so many decades, I'm afraid I don't remember each one" The man released a sad smile.


Several moments passed in silence, as the man stared at the fire. Only the wind and the crackling of ash could be heard:

"...stories of children, appearing mysteriously... huh..." Kaznachey slowly repeated:



"...yes. There was a story like that, but it happened, a long, long time ago. I doubt that story is the one you seek, but it is the only one I know. I'm sorry"

He waited a moment, then looked at you again:


"I know, since we already met, lets make... a story exchange" he released a small smile: "I will tell you any story you want to know. And in exchange, each of you can tell me a small story of their own.
It can be anything you want. As big as saving a life, or as small as growing a flower.

What say you? I have to keep my job alive, after all" the man released a small smile.

“I think that sounds like a good idea. I’d like to know about the children who appeared mysteriously, and I can tell you anything about my life.” Mist offered, sitting down and curling her legs into her body. The suit she wore was bothering her, but it was better than dying.

"Actually, I have a more direct interest in directions to this university of "Lieselotte"." Twilight says. "The language barrier will prove to be difficult as long as we have no grasp on what they say. And we can't expect everyone to speak a language from our world."

She looks at the storyteller. "I don't want to trade stories with you, sir. But I can provide a story in exchange for some knowledge of the languages spoken in the... How would you describe this world compared to our mechanical one?"

Rain looks down, "We... couldn't stop it..." she starts, "The shelling... we were there on giant floating machines... they float on water." She pauses, "What happened long ago to you happened only a few days ago for us. Apon the pillars opening they fired... an admiral of the army, Firing volly after volly at the portal, clearly leveling this entire city..." she looks around, "We... tried to stop him, we called and we cried, we pleaded for him to stop his attacks but he just kept firing." She shakes her head, "The witchers appeared, their bodys engulfed in flames as they fired themselfs at the fleet of floating machines bringing them all down." She looks up, "It was... horrifying." She shakes her head, "...But I was relieved in a way." She sounds saddened, "The witchers attacks..." she pauses, "...I dont think they were attacks at all. Everyone is suffering back at home, people killing each other." She looks up, "Glysiclara or something... a witcher mentioned them and I think they are devouring our magic. Driving people insane." Her head hangs low, "I dont..." her voice shakes, "Looking at all this, I dont know how I feel..."

Twilight wrote:"Actually, I have a more direct interest in directions to this university of "Lieselotte"." Twilight says. "The language barrier will prove to be difficult as long as we have no grasp on what they say. And we can't expect everyone to speak a language from our world."

She looks at the storyteller. "I don't want to trade stories with you, sir. But I can provide a story in exchange for some knowledge of the languages spoken in the... How would you describe this world compared to our mechanical one?"

"....this world had many names, that spanned many, many millennia..." Kaznachey quietly said, staring into the fire:

"I believe the folk call it... Nifelheim.. now...


Most know only one language here, Nifel. Yet, you may find a rare scholar that speaks Machina-.. ehh.. Soren, as you call it"

Kaznachey looked at you: "The path to Lieselotte is not a short one. It is located south-east of here, 2 months of travel. But, to get there, you must first reach the shore of this island and cross the sea. It is.. a difficult journey"


He looked up at Twilight: "I suppose.. I could teach you some basic words on Nifel, but, learning a new language can be quite the undertaking. You will require many weeks of feverish study, before you can speak it fluently."

Rain wrote:Rain looks down, "We... couldn't stop it..." she starts, "The shelling... we were there on giant floating machines... they float on water." She pauses, "What happened long ago to you happened only a few days ago for us. Apon the pillars opening they fired... an admiral of the army, Firing volly after volly at the portal, clearly leveling this entire city..." she looks around, "We... tried to stop him, we called and we cried, we pleaded for him to stop his attacks but he just kept firing." She shakes her head, "The witchers appeared, their bodys engulfed in flames as they fired themselfs at the fleet of floating machines bringing them all down." She looks up, "It was... horrifying." She shakes her head, "...But I was relieved in a way." She sounds saddened, "The witchers attacks..." she pauses, "...I dont think they were attacks at all. Everyone is suffering back at home, people killing each other." She looks up, "Glysiclara or something... a witcher mentioned them and I think they are devouring our magic. Driving people insane." Her head hangs low, "I dont..." her voice shakes, "Looking at all this, I dont know how I feel..."

"War, is a horrible thing" Kaznachey quietly said: "There are no winners, in the end... only survivors.
Thank you for sharing your story with me... I will remember it" he looked at Rain and nodded with understanding.

Mist wrote:"I think that sounds like a good idea. I’d like to know about the children who appeared mysteriously, and I can tell you anything about my life.” Mist offered, sitting down and curling her legs into her body. The suit she wore was bothering her, but it was better than dying.

"Lets see.." Kaznachey looked down: "I believe... this happened some 18 years ago.

One fateful night, the local woods were filled with screaming. A group of confused people and infants, appeared out of nowhere, just between the trees.
They were scared and panicked, yelling and calling for help, trying to find their way through the woods.

But, it was their misfortune, that horrible creatures were out hunting that night. The panicked screams of the people, served only to attract the monsters around.
It was a horrible, miserable night.


Most of these people had perished, under the claws of the monsters. They were unaccustomed to Nifelheim and unaware of its dangers, so they were methodically hunted down by the monsters and killed.

Some folk say, that none of them had survived the horrible night.


However, some swear to this day, they saw local villagers running out of the forest, carrying small children with them.
What became of those children, is unknown to me, but, the nearest village of Beauclair, seems like the best place to start looking"



Kaylee slowly took hold of her head: "...18... years?... are you serious?...
They were alone for... 18 years without us??..."
She desperately looked up at him:

"Are they even alive?!"



Kaznachey looked down in sorrow: "I do not know. I'm sorry"

"18 years..." Twilight repeats. "... We have to look out for adults then..."

She lets out a sigh. Then, something clicked in her head. "Wait... 3 Days ago we lost what they got 18 years ago... If that's the case..." She's muttering numbers to herself, until she suddenly jerked up.

"Did something like this happened before? Like say, 1700 years ago?!"

Kaylee Brown wrote:

Twilight wrote:"Actually, I have a more direct interest in directions to this university of "Lieselotte"." Twilight says. "The language barrier will prove to be difficult as long as we have no grasp on what they say. And we can't expect everyone to speak a language from our world."

She looks at the storyteller. "I don't want to trade stories with you, sir. But I can provide a story in exchange for some knowledge of the languages spoken in the... How would you describe this world compared to our mechanical one?"

"....this world had many names, that spanned many, many millennia..." Kaznachey quietly said, staring into the fire:

"I believe the folk call it... Nifelheim.. now...


Most know only one language here, Nifel. Yet, you may find a rare scholar that speaks Machina-.. ehh.. Soren, as you call it"

Kaznachey looked at you: "The path to Lieselotte is not a short one. It is located south-east of here, 2 months of travel. But, to get there, you must first reach the shore of this island and cross the sea. It is.. a difficult journey"


He looked up at Twilight: "I suppose.. I could teach you some basic words on Nifel, but, learning a new language can be quite the undertaking. You will require many weeks of feverish study, before you can speak it fluently."

Rain wrote:Rain looks down, "We... couldn't stop it..." she starts, "The shelling... we were there on giant floating machines... they float on water." She pauses, "What happened long ago to you happened only a few days ago for us. Apon the pillars opening they fired... an admiral of the army, Firing volly after volly at the portal, clearly leveling this entire city..." she looks around, "We... tried to stop him, we called and we cried, we pleaded for him to stop his attacks but he just kept firing." She shakes her head, "The witchers appeared, their bodys engulfed in flames as they fired themselfs at the fleet of floating machines bringing them all down." She looks up, "It was... horrifying." She shakes her head, "...But I was relieved in a way." She sounds saddened, "The witchers attacks..." she pauses, "...I dont think they were attacks at all. Everyone is suffering back at home, people killing each other." She looks up, "Glysiclara or something... a witcher mentioned them and I think they are devouring our magic. Driving people insane." Her head hangs low, "I dont..." her voice shakes, "Looking at all this, I dont know how I feel..."

"War, is a horrible thing" Kaznachey quietly said: "There are no winners, in the end... only survivors.
Thank you for sharing your story with me... I will remember it" he looked at Rain and nodded with understanding.

Mist wrote:"I think that sounds like a good idea. I’d like to know about the children who appeared mysteriously, and I can tell you anything about my life.” Mist offered, sitting down and curling her legs into her body. The suit she wore was bothering her, but it was better than dying.

"Lets see.." Kaznachey looked down: "I believe... this happened some 18 years ago.

One fateful night, the local woods were filled with screaming. A group of confused people and infants, appeared out of nowhere, just between the trees.
They were scared and panicked, yelling and calling for help, trying to find their way through the woods.

But, it was their misfortune, that horrible creatures were out hunting that night. The panicked screams of the people, served only to attract the monsters around.
It was a horrible, miserable night.


Most of these people had perished, under the claws of the monsters. They were unaccustomed to Nifelheim and unaware of its dangers, so they were methodically hunted down by the monsters and killed.

Some folk say, that none of them had survived the horrible night.


However, some swear to this day, they saw local villagers running out of the forest, carrying small children with them.
What became of those children, is unknown to me, but, the nearest village of Beauclair, seems like the best place to start looking"



Kaylee slowly took hold of her head: "...18... years?... are you serious?...
They were alone for... 18 years without us??..."
She desperately looked up at him:

"Are they even alive?!"



Kaznachey looked down in sorrow: "I do not know. I'm sorry"

"The creatures that attacked them, do you know exactly what they were, were they Glystaria, we've heard the name, but don't really know what they are?" Rogue asks Kaznachey.

Radiance raises his hand to scratch his beard but ends up making the same motion just on his helmet. 

"If they're adults then it might help us to all learn how to speak the language here. Finding our children will do us no good if we can't even communicate"

He then directs his attention to Kaznachey

"That seems like a fair trade. I'll offer my own first." 

He shifts his body and begins speaking "Roughly six years ago I met someone. A batpony who had escaped a terrible place known for its slavery. Not fully accustomed to how society worked and starving, our first encounter ended up with me arresting her. 

The walk back to the police station, which anyone else would have kept silent, ended up with her asking why I was arresting her? She seemed confused that a place that didn't have ownership over people still had ownership over food. Maybe it was because I was still nieve or something else came over me but I decided damn the law right now.

So I decided it would be better to let her off with a warning and I offered to show her how things were different to where she came from. To make a long story short, two years passed and now I'm supporting a family."

"My daughter would have been four when she vanished," he speaks the last words barely above a whisper. Then returns to fully audible "And now I'd like to hear a story from you Mr. Kazenachey. I'd like to hear the story you hold most precious out of everyone you've heard"

“My little baby girl..... only a few months old.... is now an adult?” Mist asked quietly. By her voice, she sounded completely devestated. She had missed the chance to raise her daughter, and was faced with the possibility that she wouldn’t be able to even communicate with Melody.

“Anyway....” she shook her head firmly “You want a story from me I presume?”

Twilight wrote:"Did something like this happened before? Like say, 1700 years ago?!"

"...I believe... the number you're looking for is 1288" Kaznachey nodded:

"1288 years ago, the human race first appeared on Nifelheim. They marked it as Year 0.
Consecutively, the current year in the Nifel folks calendar is 1288"



Johan looked down, seemingly thinking: "It was more 4 days, since the pillar disaster. Give or take.
Lets see... if we want to be precise... taking into account the exact date that Ragnveig vanished...
And 1288 years that went by in this world...

It would mean that...




1 day on Earth, equals 4.7 years in Nifelheim" Johan firmly said, nodding.


"God" Kaylee covered her face with her hands: "Zoy..."

Rogue wrote:"The creatures that attacked them, do you know exactly what they were, were they Glystaria, we've heard the name, but don't really know what they are?" Rogue asks Kaznachey.

"I'm afraid I don't know the details" Kaznachey sadly shook his head: "The local woods are teaming with many local creatures. Most are carnivorous.
Glystaria is but one of the living beings, native to Nifelheim. It could have been them"

Radiance wrote:"And now I'd like to hear a story from you Mr. Kazenachey. I'd like to hear the story you hold most precious out of everyone you've heard"

"Oh, my goodness, it seems you've caught me off guard" Kaznachey released a small laugh:
"Having lived for so long, I've heard so many stories, to single out one as the most previous, would be.. a challenge for me.
I will have to think on it. But I promise you-"

Kaznachey brightly smiled:

"Next time we meet. I will tell you, a very good story"

Mist wrote:“Anyway....” she shook her head firmly “You want a story from me I presume?”

"Yes, please" the elderly man nodded: "It can be anything you want"

He chuckles and nods.

"Well then, if you'll answer me this in the meantime. Would it be safe for us to remove our helmets?"

“Well, when I was very young, barely old enough to fly.-” She paused, glancing backwards at where her wings had once been, several years earlier. “I remember going on an adventure into a cave. It had been at the edge of my family’s estate for years, we were rich a long time ago you see. Anyway, I remember being horrifically bored, so I grabbed one of the lanterns from the shed and headed down into the cave.” She smiled a little and leant back, it was one of the few memories that stuck with her.

“I found all sorts of magnificent gems, but I think the most impressive thing of all was this beautiful gateway of sorts, and what I thought was more cave behind it. Being a bit stupid, I walked through it, and ended up in a completely different country. And I distinctly remember what I saw next. This beautiful unicorn, a deep blue with dark purple hair, frozen solid in gemstones. Her eyes though, they were green and red, burning with dark magic and hatred. I ran back home, but when I returned the next day it was gone.”

Fire bites her lip, "Well... their gone." She frowns, and turns around, "ALRIGHT PEOPLE LETS GET THE TENTS SET UP!" She looks to her truck, before quitely talking over her radio, "Can somebody check on Toms cybernetics to make sure they dont explode... thanks." She begins walking towards her research team.

Rain sighs, "Nothing we could have done." She shakes her head, "Is there any warnings you can give us... creatures... diseases we should worry about?"

Kaylee Brown wrote:

Twilight wrote:"Did something like this happened before? Like say, 1700 years ago?!"

"...I believe... the number you're looking for is 1288" Kaznachey nodded:

"1288 years ago, the human race first appeared on Nifelheim. They marked it as Year 0.
Consecutively, the current year in the Nifel folks calendar is 1288"



Johan looked down, seemingly thinking: "It was more 4 days, since the pillar disaster. Give or take.
Lets see... if we want to be precise... taking into account the exact date that Ragnveig vanished...
And 1288 years that went by in this world...

It would mean that...




1 day on Earth, equals 4.7 years in Nifelheim" Johan firmly said, nodding.


"God" Kaylee covered her face with her hands: "Zoy..."

Rogue wrote:"The creatures that attacked them, do you know exactly what they were, were they Glystaria, we've heard the name, but don't really know what they are?" Rogue asks Kaznachey.

"I'm afraid I don't know the details" Kaznachey sadly shook his head: "The local woods are teaming with many local creatures. Most are carnivorous.
Glystaria is but one of the living beings, native to Nifelheim. It could have been them"

Radiance wrote:"And now I'd like to hear a story from you Mr. Kazenachey. I'd like to hear the story you hold most precious out of everyone you've heard"

"Oh, my goodness, it seems you've caught me off guard" Kaznachey released a small laugh:
"Having lived for so long, I've heard so many stories, to single out one as the most previous, would be.. a challenge for me.
I will have to think on it. But I promise you-"

Kaznachey brightly smiled:

"Next time we meet. I will tell you, a very good story"

Mist wrote:“Anyway....” she shook her head firmly “You want a story from me I presume?”

"Yes, please" the elderly man nodded: "It can be anything you want"

"So the Witchers and everyone else in Nifelheim, are all the descendants of the citizens of Ragnveig?" Rouge summises "That would explain how a completely different planetary ecosystem, cut off in isolation from our own, would have humans in it. But it still doesn't explain why they were brought here, are there any legends describing the origins of the first settlers, like creation myths?"

Radiance wrote:He chuckles and nods.
"Well then, if you'll answer me this in the meantime. Would it be safe for us to remove our helmets?

"That depends if you're allergic to local plant life" Kaznachey grinned: "Some people get the sneezes"

Mist wrote:“Well, when I was very young, barely old enough to fly.-” She paused, glancing backwards at where her wings had once been, several years earlier. “I remember going on an adventure into a cave. It had been at the edge of my family’s estate for years, we were rich a long time ago you see. Anyway, I remember being horrifically bored, so I grabbed one of the lanterns from the shed and headed down into the cave.” She smiled a little and leant back, it was one of the few memories that stuck with her.

“I found all sorts of magnificent gems, but I think the most impressive thing of all was this beautiful gateway of sorts, and what I thought was more cave behind it. Being a bit stupid, I walked through it, and ended up in a completely different country. And I distinctly remember what I saw next. This beautiful unicorn, a deep blue with dark purple hair, frozen solid in gemstones. Her eyes though, they were green and red, burning with dark magic and hatred. I ran back home, but when I returned the next day it was gone.”

"Thank you" the elderly man nodded with a smile: "I will remember your story"

Rain wrote:Rain sighs, "Nothing we could have done." She shakes her head, "Is there any warnings you can give us... creatures... diseases we should worry about?"

"Well.. there's a few of those" Kaznachey grimly looked at the fire:
"You will most likely get sick, in the first days of your presence in Nifelheim. It is a natural process of your body acclimating to the new environment. Nothing you can do about that.

I would recommend heading north-east. A weeks travel on foot, you will find a small village named Beauclair. You should stay there, until your bodies have fully recovered from the stress of entering a new world.
Gather information there, the local hunters can tell you more about the dangerous creatures that roam these woods.

Be warned however" Kaznachey became very grim: "The biggest threat in Nifelheim isn't a scary monster.
It is a Witcher.

Be very careful around them. They are very powerful and they don't like people who are different from them.
A Witcher is a very strong foe. Provoking their ire would be... catastrophic."

Rogue wrote:"So the Witchers and everyone else in Nifelheim, are all the descendants of the citizens of Ragnveig?" Rouge summises "That would explain how a completely different planetary ecosystem, cut off in isolation from our own, would have humans in it. But it still doesn't explain why they were brought here, are there any legends describing the origins of the first settlers, like creation myths?"

"...they call it... The Great Exile" Kaznachey nodded:

The story goes, that 1288 years ago, the machine folk had exiled us to Nifelheim. For reasons unknown or long forgotten. Some local folk are still bitter about it, even though it happened many, many generations ago"





Kaznachey finally looked at Twilight and released a small smile:

"Well, what say you? Would you be willing to tell me a story of your own? It can be anything you want, as short as you want.
In exchange, I promise to teach you some important words in the Nifel language" the elderly man slightly smiled.

Kaylee Brown wrote:

Radiance wrote:He chuckles and nods.
"Well then, if you'll answer me this in the meantime. Would it be safe for us to remove our helmets?

"That depends if you're allergic to local plant life" Kaznachey grinned: "Some people get the sneezes"

Mist wrote:“Well, when I was very young, barely old enough to fly.-” She paused, glancing backwards at where her wings had once been, several years earlier. “I remember going on an adventure into a cave. It had been at the edge of my family’s estate for years, we were rich a long time ago you see. Anyway, I remember being horrifically bored, so I grabbed one of the lanterns from the shed and headed down into the cave.” She smiled a little and leant back, it was one of the few memories that stuck with her.

“I found all sorts of magnificent gems, but I think the most impressive thing of all was this beautiful gateway of sorts, and what I thought was more cave behind it. Being a bit stupid, I walked through it, and ended up in a completely different country. And I distinctly remember what I saw next. This beautiful unicorn, a deep blue with dark purple hair, frozen solid in gemstones. Her eyes though, they were green and red, burning with dark magic and hatred. I ran back home, but when I returned the next day it was gone.”

"Thank you" the elderly man nodded with a smile: "I will remember your story"

Rain wrote:Rain sighs, "Nothing we could have done." She shakes her head, "Is there any warnings you can give us... creatures... diseases we should worry about?"

"Well.. there's a few of those" Kaznachey grimly looked at the fire:
"You will most likely get sick, in the first days of your presence in Nifelheim. It is a natural process of your body acclimating to the new environment. Nothing you can do about that.

I would recommend heading north-east. A weeks travel on foot, you will find a small village named Beauclair. You should stay there, until your bodies have fully recovered from the stress of entering a new world.
Gather information there, the local hunters can tell you more about the dangerous creatures that roam these woods.

Be warned however" Kaznachey became very grim: "The biggest threat in Nifelheim isn't a scary monster.
It is a Witcher.

Be very careful around them. They are very powerful and they don't like people who are different from them.
A Witcher is a very strong foe. Provoking their ire would be... catastrophic."

Rogue wrote:"So the Witchers and everyone else in Nifelheim, are all the descendants of the citizens of Ragnveig?" Rouge summises "That would explain how a completely different planetary ecosystem, cut off in isolation from our own, would have humans in it. But it still doesn't explain why they were brought here, are there any legends describing the origins of the first settlers, like creation myths?"

"...they call it... The Great Exile" Kaznachey nodded:

The story goes, that 1288 years ago, the machine folk had exiled us to Nifelheim. For reasons unknown or long forgotten. Some local folk are still bitter about it, even though it happened many, many generations ago"





Kaznachey finally looked at Twilight and released a small smile:

"Well, what say you? Would you be willing to tell me a story of your own? It can be anything you want, as short as you want.
In exchange, I promise to teach you some important words in the Nifel language" the elderly man slightly smiled.

"And nothing more is known about it?" Rogue asks "No theories, no reasons?"

"My story..." There was a sigh coming from her.

"Okay... This happened when I was eight years old. I got a test from my magic teacher to show her how much progress I had made with the studies. I accepted, yet did not know what to do at the time. But that day, two pieces of information came in my head together to form a plan I thought was brilliant at the time..."

She looked at the fire. "My older brother had sustained an injury during his triaing as a soldier. The wound was not anything severe, but it was big enough that he needed rest. The other was a horror movie, about a zombie apocalypse. Zombies usually are immune to pain and only fall after destruction. Thus, the twisted idea came into my head."

she let out a sigh before continuing. "Soon thereafter, I went to a pet cementary in the night and dug up the corpses of a few animals. I made those my test subjects for my real idea, an army of walking dead to fight in the place of the living, under control of the living. I thought back then, why let our loved ones be hurt and waste space to these useless bodies if we can send those to be hurt in our place? They don't stop and have no nerves, it's a win-win.

Eventually, I did manage to raise these stolen animal carcasses and I proudly went to my teacher and showed my result. I expected a lot of things from the scenario, but I was still caught of guard... As she obliterated my work with the heat of the sun and when I screamed in disbelief, I was struck across the face. I didn't understand it. What made her so upset? Why did she destroy my hard work like it was nothing? She shouted at me, but I heard nothing. The throbbing of my cheek and the loss of my project numbed my senses. So I ran away from her, to the people I did trust... My parents."

She took a deep breath. "When I got home I was so upset I couldn't tell what caused me to be this way. All I could say is what my teacher had done. They went to have a talk with her, while I stayed at home. It felt like days what was only an hour. When they came home, they told me we needed to talk. I sad down, two dissapointed pairs of eyes looking down at me. I didn't understand why, but I soon did.

They told me my idea was well-meaning, but that I had delved into forbidden magic. When I asked why it was forbidden, there was silence. I had to ask my teacher, who was also there. And after a long, disturbing detailed explanation, it was finally clear to me what I had done."

She briefly opened her helmet to let some air in, then closed it. "Since that day, I had sworn to never delve into necromancy every again, while hunting and punishing those that tries to subvert the circle of life in any way, no matter the reason."

She then looked at Kaznachey. "Anyway, that is my story."

Disgruntled purple wrote:"My story..." There was a sigh coming from her.

"Okay... This happened when I was eight years old. I got a test from my magic teacher to show her how much progress I had made with the studies. I accepted, yet did not know what to do at the time. But that day, two pieces of information came in my head together to form a plan I thought was brilliant at the time..."

She looked at the fire. "My older brother had sustained an injury during his triaing as a soldier. The wound was not anything severe, but it was big enough that he needed rest. The other was a horror movie, about a zombie apocalypse. Zombies usually are immune to pain and only fall after destruction. Thus, the twisted idea came into my head."

she let out a sigh before continuing. "Soon thereafter, I went to a pet cementary in the night and dug up the corpses of a few animals. I made those my test subjects for my real idea, an army of walking dead to fight in the place of the living, under control of the living. I thought back then, why let our loved ones be hurt and waste space to these useless bodies if we can send those to be hurt in our place? They don't stop and have no nerves, it's a win-win.

Eventually, I did manage to raise these stolen animal carcasses and I proudly went to my teacher and showed my result. I expected a lot of things from the scenario, but I was still caught of guard... As she obliterated my work with the heat of the sun and when I screamed in disbelief, I was struck across the face. I didn't understand it. What made her so upset? Why did she destroy my hard work like it was nothing? She shouted at me, but I heard nothing. The throbbing of my cheek and the loss of my project numbed my senses. So I ran away from her, to the people I did trust... My parents."

She took a deep breath. "When I got home I was so upset I couldn't tell what caused me to be this way. All I could say is what my teacher had done. They went to have a talk with her, while I stayed at home. It felt like days what was only an hour. When they came home, they told me we needed to talk. I sad down, two dissapointed pairs of eyes looking down at me. I didn't understand why, but I soon did.

They told me my idea was well-meaning, but that I had delved into forbidden magic. When I asked why it was forbidden, there was silence. I had to ask my teacher, who was also there. And after a long, disturbing detailed explanation, it was finally clear to me what I had done."

She briefly opened her helmet to let some air in, then closed it. "Since that day, I had sworn to never delve into necromancy every again, while hunting and punishing those that tries to subvert the circle of life in any way, no matter the reason."

She then looked at Kaznachey. "Anyway, that is my story."

"Wait... that's why you object to necromancy? Because you just accepted that old bogus argument banning it at face value?" Rogue asks Twilight.

"So messing with the dead, desecrating grave sights, creating a slave army. That's not evil?" Radiance counters. 

There is a hiss as he unseals his helmet of his own armor. Still keeping it on to provide warmth he's letting the new air fill his lungs.

Radiance wrote:"So messing with the dead, desecrating grave sights, creating a slave army. That's not evil?" Radiance counters. 

There is a hiss as he unseals his helmet of his own armor. Still keeping it on to provide warmth he's letting the new air fill his lungs.

"It's no more evil than any other type of magic, it just gets a bad rap because the only ways to get large numbers of dead bodies are usually through criminal means, so only those willing to go that low bother to pursue it" Rogue handwaves

"If it were legal to donate bodies to legitimate certified and licenced necromancers in the same way as organ donation and medical research, and undead were extended the same rights they enjoyed in life, necromancers would just be very late doctors and there wouldn't be any problems, but the whole world seems just so rooted in old outdated beliefs that they won't even consider the idea."

"In my naive mind back then, no, it wasn't." Twilight continued. "The idea behind it was to not send living people to do dangerous things, but the dead. Disgusting, amoral, but the losses would mean significantly less. The practical issue would be to maintain control over the animated puppets."

Her face then darkens. "Of course, it means that other groups can raise their own undead armies, even nations. And if every country would copy this strategy, you'd have eternal wars as corpses are send to fight eachother to no avail. The control over life and death is an amazing power, both in utility and quantity. Nothing is more addictive then power, that's why we seek to improve, that's why we reach desperately to get it back once lost."

She looks back at the fire. "And animating the corpses is just the first part of revival magic. Tell me, once one becomes skilled and powerful enough in necromancy, does it mean... That they can decice who lives and who dies?"

Disgruntled purple wrote:"In my naive mind back then, no, it wasn't." Twilight continued. "The idea behind it was to not send living people to do dangerous things, but the dead. Disgusting, amoral, but the losses would mean significantly less. The practical issue would be to maintain control over the animated puppets."

Her face then darkens. "Of course, it means that other groups can raise their own undead armies, even nations. And if every country would copy this strategy, you'd have eternal wars as corpses are send to fight eachother to no avail. The control over life and death is an amazing power, both in utility and quantity. Nothing is more addictive then power, that's why we seek to improve, that's why we reach desperately to get it back once lost."

She looks back at the fire. "And animating the corpses is just the first part of revival magic. Tell me, once one becomes skilled and powerful enough in necromancy, does it mean... That they can decice who lives and who dies?"

"No more than any doctor can, and you don't see doctors trying to take over the world using their patients, because that's not the attitude they're brought up with as children or students." Rogue says

"And it's the same arguent used against autonomous weapons, that they would lead to eternal war by lowering the thresholds by which we judge what is acceptable, with the dead fighting instead of the living.

And whilst it's true that that's a possible scenario, it's also possible that those same armies would be paralysed at the borders, unstoppable forces capable of totally and mutually wiping out their opposing nations, a MAD deterrent that they wouldn't dare use, terrible to be sure.

Or maybe none of that will happen, and we'll all come to our senses before then and armies won't be necessary or something, with the cohorts of bodies going into factories and fields to work, ending world hunger and inequality. The possibilities are endless and unguessable.

It would mean a fundamental change in our society, it would change what it means to be human, but it's open to abuse just as much as any other magic or technology, and we can't right it off completely simply because of those fears. As with anything else, it must just be used sensibly, and properly regulated."