After having brought my horse with my bags to the lair I start arranging my items in what used to be beanpole’s and before that their founder’s room. A few interesting trinkets here and there, it is obvious beanpole was not stupid enough to try using this stuff since he would be killed by the protective wards and sheer necromantic energy infused. However to me these are trifling items of no use to me, regardless I take control of these items by imprinting and hand them to the skeletal mage which I decided to name Or’tharn simply because I can. Or’tharn is strong enough to use them now after my work and I have him start familiarizing himself with some of the artes I imprinted him with during creation. My skeletal knight I named Cor’lothen is organizing a watch and guard schedule for the lair along with ensuring he can move properly according to my imparted combat knowledge.

With time free as the acolytes are busy with their own affairs or studying I think back once more to the soul link. I myself used to have one with master when I was his apprentice, after being dropped off at the academy I kept it until I grew. After enough time I grew strong enough to remove it but did not until I had made a breakthrough with my research, in that case it was the array magic formation for transmitting knowledge to creations. While necromancers could always impart their knowledge to more intelligent creations I wanted a more in depth and organized fashion to it and that was the array and rune formations. After that point I felt confident enough in my own personal strength to sever the connection, I did so in such a way for him to know that I did it on purpose because I felt strong enough to walk on my own two feet.

Master may have been mercurial at times but he did what he could to both teach me and ensure my safety, it was a symbolic coming of age ritual to me. I was now my own man and did not need protection and made sure that such feelings were there before severing it. Judging by the fact that there was no further contact after finding a grimoire with his life’s work in it on my doorstep he understood the message, wherever he is I hope he is doing well for himself.

As for apprentices I will be running these acolytes through their paces, while necromancers rely on their creations and spells that is no excuse for not being able to survive by themselves. I want to slowly get them used to stronger sources of necromantic energy along with the basic spells for necromancers. After their core foundations are done for necromancy I intend to throw them through imperial army training, that way even if they get forced into melee they can survive long enough to change the situation. Being able to handle yourself in a brawl is good for anyone who may get into a battle to know, I myself had to learn at the sharp end of it when leading my soldiers or creations into battle. One learns to survive on the killing fields of war, also during the aggressive requisition of enemy commanders and mages. I owe much of my success to such events both in experience, material, and merit. I am hoping that they will know this lesson as well in the future for it will serve them well, leave as little as possible behind for almost anything can be used.

As it is right now I will be a bit delayed but so far no sign that others are on the way to the agros de mortis just yet, after getting them through their paces for a few days I will move out to scout the area in person. They will join me after a week and a half at the outskirts where I can get them used to the miasma there. First it is ensuring that I can get them all geared out with apprentice items and then it is checking if my two intelligent creations can keep them working and safe. The three core disciples are doing well so far, the two females Liliana and Roxanne have done well with the spells while the male Steward has progressed with controlling undead. Everyone has a skeletal worker to practice and study and the core members get an extra one each to work with.

Steward has managed to start getting a grasp for finer control of undead, instead of just roughly implanting his energy into an undead and giving it orders he has started to thread out his energy into all parts of the skeleton. Soon he will be able to actively control it with fine motor skills but one cannot control only one undead, well they can but it is not the typical action of necromancers. Liliana is making good progress with controlling her miasma into causing paralyzing fear in a target while Roxanne is using her miasma into an attack on a person’s life force and soul. Both are valid routes for progression and I feel good promise so far in everyone, they are embodying separate aspects but so far no one among the acolytes is showing proficiency in soul magic which would be troublesome for the inexperienced. The rest of the acolytes are progressing slowly but surely and I feel they will make good necromancers in the future.

Now that the acolytes are relatively accounted for I begin my own preparations, making lots and lots of scouts. A variety of mice, bats, and other small animals get turned into my eyes and ears for the times ahead along with some skulls on a stick to use as wards. If I am going to go on a recon by fire into enemy territory I will need good troops but I need my elites to watch the acolytes, with only low quality bodies and limited equipment I have limited options. I think some bone claws will be of good use, these creations are skeletal warriors with massive meter long claws that are good at both slashing and bludgeoning targets. They are also able to run on all fours and are good against both low level undead and humans.

Besides these I also ready some skeletal slingers for other enemies due to lack of better material. With these troops even if either party gets attacked by the adventurers they will be well protected. Actually I welcome any challengers to come to me, I could use some good quality bones for middle tier minions. If I can get my hands on what I need for a high tier undead then this place will be on lockdown for a long long time, still no use wishing for what I do not have.

With what should be massive amounts of latent miasma and death mana my undead will be able to sustain themselves indefinitely in the wild, a powerful force especially when I am finally able to get calvary. On that note I should make sure that my acolytes can get as many bones as possible for when they come to rejoin me especially horses and other beasts of burden, that way I do not need to search out for more materials to use. If we are establishing a base in the agros de mortis we will need supplies enough to sustain us for a long time, hmm money. I can craft a few decorative and exotic trinkets to sell off, purely only for looks but should be enough to get some money for what we need. I do not wish to set up a base in the fields only to find out that I cannot sustain a force there for long enough to be meaningful.

Now my scouts still have found no trace of anyone else who would be after the fields so I am 95% sure that I am the very first to try something. As it is now with my resources I can murder anyone Orichalcum and below with some room to spare, if they are so insane as to send someone adamantine then forgive me for running to my patron god for help as a double suicide does not sound appealing before I have established a phylactery for myself, simply because I can kill them does not mean I want to be heavily injured for weeks afterward.

On that note though turning my ring into a phylactery if I get permission would certainly be effective, I suspect that only a demigod can damage this ring and of course dealing with an annoyed goddess will be a concern. I could also make my grimoire a phylactery such that any who know it’s value will hesitate to commit such an act. Hmm is being a chosen of a goddess a formal position or do I need some sort of initiation ceremony. Well that is another point to explore in the future for now I must get to crafting some merchants trinket for supplies.