text: o keep it going. Then, they ran rampant, and assuming it's actually been two years, either went back to their world after they found out they were stuck here, or got out and reaped havoc."
  
  Soren hastily stands up, staring at you.
  
  "Children! You need to get out of here! This man's..." he pauses, looking at Kai and Sir Trent.
  
  "Undead, obviously. An undead wight and an ex-Knight. Long nails, hair, sharpened teeth... Werewolf. What kind of company are you keeping, kids?" he asks, unnerved.
  
  "You're part of the team that killed my dad," Blaise says, staring at him.
  
  "No! No, of course not! I... Ah, Mr Nilvos. You're awake. How are you, old friend?"
  
  "Better now that I'm up, Malign. You?"
  
  "He struggles with me. He... It's in my head! Get it out," Soren says, panicking and hitting himself in the head again.
  
  Mr Nilvos grabs his arm.
  
  "Calm down, man. Have you never been possessed? It's simple. Simply think about what sins you have committed and lie aloud."
  
  "OK... OK..." Soren says. "As a boy, I never stole from the temple. I never hit my... Thank you, Mr Nilvos. My power increases with every sin he commits."
  
  "What the fuck is going on?" Blaise shouts, angry and confused.
  
  "Ah, Blaise. Sorry. Malign's a friend of mine. Whenever the Paladin sins or lies, Malign's is given more and more control over the paladin. So..."
  
  "Please, help me," Soren begs, dropping to his knees.
  
  "Whenever you sin and lie, the demon gets more control," Sir Trent says.
  
  "It... Of course," Soren says, nodding.
  
  "You zombie bastard! I could've helped Malign take the paladin's body by the end of today! Now it's going to take a hell of a long time," Mr Nilvos says.
  
  "Everyone, shut the hell up!" Blaise says. "I'm in charge here. Mr Nilvos, leave Soren alone! Soren, stop freaking out. Sir Trent, take command of whatever forces we have, and start cleaning this place up with Kai."
  
  Over the next hour, Blaise tries to regain order. Eventually, you manage to understand the situation. Mr Nilvos has been unconscious, all his energy being put toward the circle trapping Soren/Malign, so you give him some time to gather his thoughts. Soren immediately heads into the courtyard, and begins to pray. Kai and Sir Trent get to work clearing this place. Once everything has calmed down, Blaise pulls you aside.
  
  "Yes?"
  
  "Let's visit the garden."
  
  > visit the Garden
  You push the door open, and are met with a terrible sight.
  
  "It's all gone," Blaise says. "I mean, I knew it would be... but I hoped."
  
  The tree has been badly burned, the flowers uprooted and trampled and the rest destroyed. Blaise looks at it sadly.
  
  "I'll rebuild it. Staring with the flower Tholi gave me," Blaise says.
  
  "We'll rebuild it all. The garden, the castle, the empire."
  
  "We will. You'll be at my side, as my advisor and grand general."
  
  "General? General Dagden Dragontooth. I like it."
  
  Blaise looks up at you, and smiles.
  
  "This'll be the start of a great thing."
  
  > Three Weeks Later...
  Blaise manages to repair Reaper Castle to the extent she can with the help of her new workforce. The corpses are dragged out, the bloodstains cleaned and the walls repaired to what extent can be done.
  
  "Do you like it?" Blaise asks as a team of undead finish repairing the gates.
  
  "It's missing a lot of its decorative features."
  
  "I'll get them back. We need to start expanding first. There's a few hidden stockpiles of Dad's gold that the bastard raiding Alliance soldiers didn't find. We can use them to bring the Castle back to its former glory, or at least part way. Maybe I should get a crown."
  
  "What about your dad's crown?"
  
  "Dad's crown reeks of death. There's a great, powerful... thing inside it. I'm scared of it, I'm staying away from it. It doesn't matter. I have a special task for you," she says.
  
  "What is it?"
  
  "I need you to go talk to Mr Nilvos and... Soren, or Malign, or whoever it is."
  
  "Why?"
  
  "I need to know whether I can trust them, whether they're on my side. Mr Nilvos might be, but I have no idea about the Elf-Orc-Demon Thing."
  
  You nod, and go talk to them. You wander along the halls to Mr Nilvos' room. You find him sprawled out on his bed, a bottle of whiskey in his hand.
  
  "Ah, Greenskin. What do you want?"
  
  "I need to know why you've stayed here."
  
  Mr Nilvos shrugs.
  
  "I have nowhere else to go but this shitstack."
  
  "Are you going to serve Blaise like you did her father?"
  
  "Well, both the power of being an advisor of the Grand Necromancer, the chance of helping someone become a great enough threat to crush those pathetic High Elves and especially the Dark Elves... maybe the Wood Elves too, if we have time... is to valuable to pass up. Plus, I don't know if you heard, but I've nowhere else to go."
  
  You nod, and leave Mr Nilvos' in his night of drinking. You walk along the halls to Soren's location. Room isn't the right word, but it's certainly his. He sits kneeling in an empty room, praying.
  
  "What are you doing?"
  
  "Praying. The True Power will guide me through this time of strife."
  
  "What the fuck is the True Power?"
  
  "The True power is the one true God I have pledged to, the True Power. He will guide me. If I stay true to his ways, I shall make it through this."
  
  "Soren, why are you still here?"
  
  "Fear... Can you not smell it, boy? He's practically pissing himself. He knows any sin he commits will give me more control. Isn't it ironic that because he decided to forsake freedom and joy to follow the Gods and pray, he's now had all freedom and happiness taken from him? I don't believe we've been introduced. I am Malign."
  
  "I'm Dagden."
  
  "Stop conversing with it, for fuck's sake! I... It's a pleasure to meet you. I've yet to talk to the Dead Girl, but she seems like a valiant leader."
  
  "She's not dead."
  
  "Not completely. But you don't steal from Death without him noticing. Give it time, and death will reclaim what was once his... Perhaps. Perhaps the girl will win. I must admit, I am quite fascinated by the fight. I wonder where you two will end up. A grave? A throne? A more... interesting place? In all honesty, I'm quite happy to accompany and ... advise the girl. I've always had a thing for mortals. Not in the way you're thinking, pervert. I'll leave you to that front."
  
  "Alright, then. So you're on our side?"
  
  "I'm so tired. It's claws grip into my mind... I..."
  
  "Why haven't you left? You're a Paladin. You should've left here by now, taking everyone's head."
  
  Soren shakes his head.
  
  "No... I don't think that the Necromancers can be wiped out. By forcing Necromancy into the darkness with cursed magic like Infernal Dealings, we've only made it worse. So perhaps I will try bring Necromancy back in with the good arts. I'll stay in Reaper Castle if you'll have me, and try to find peaceful resolutions to these conflicts."
  
  You nod, and turn and head back to Blaise.
  
  "We have their support," you say upon reaching her.
  
  "Fantastic!" Blaise smiles. "With them at our side, we'll be able to expand our empire. There's a few nearby towns that were loyal to Dad. We'll visit them and gain their allegiance once more in a week. For now, we continue fixing Reaper Castle."
  
  > One Week Later...
  You stand in front of a gilded mirror, waiting patiently.
  
  "Are you finished yet?"
  
  "Nearly," Blaise replies from past the locked door you're standing next to.
  
  "Why are you dressing up to talk to some villagers?"
  
  "Spectacle. I want to impress them."
  
  "Orcs don't need fancy clothes to impress them. We'd just beat the shit out of them."
  
  "Well, human traditions are nicer. OK, I'm ready."
  
  The door unlocks and swings open, and Blaise steps out. Her long hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she's wearing a flowing black dress. She wears dark eye shadow, and dark red lipstick. She smiles at you.
  
  "How do I look?"
  
  "Is pretty or scary what you were going for?"
  
  "A bit of both," Blaise says.
  
  "Well, you'll definitely impress the villagers," you say.
  
  "If you like this, you'll love your outfit."
  
  "I'm not wearing an outfit."
  
  "Yes, you are."
  
  "If you try to put me in an outfit, I swear I'll burn this place down."
  
  "You Orcs are so violent."
  
  "I'm pretty passive. I'd be a hell of a lot meaner if I spent more time back with the Red Blades."
  
  Blaise walks over to a large wooden wardrobe, and opens it. Inside, standing on an armor rack, is a large suit of black metal armor. Two skulls are mounted on the suit, one on each shoulder, and several short, small spikes emerge from the metal plates.
  
  "What do you think?"
  
  "Where'd you find this stuff?"
  
  "The dress was my mom's. No one must have found it during the looting. The armor was in one of the abandoned rooms. I think it was for a Wight or Revenant."
  
  You spend a fair bit of time getting into the armor, but when you're finished, you must admit it's quite badass. What follows is... less so.
  
  "I'm covered in make-up," you snarl.
  
  You stare at your reflection, your face painted stark white in the outline of a skull.
  
  "It's badass. You'll make the villagers piss themselves."
  
  "Orcs tend to make villagers piss themselves naturally. Villagers are those too weak to fight and to dumb to lead."
  
  "Come on, Dag. Let's go meet them and see if you're right," Blaise smiles, walking off.
  
  > One Hour Later...
  You sit on a skeletal horse, slowly riding towards Jarrow. Jarrow is one of the larger towns in close proximity of Reaper Castle, and one of the most loyal. Only the towns of Danton, Deadwoods and Haversham were more loyal to the Grand Necromancer, and Danton and Deadwoods were destroyed by the Alliance during the fall of the Dead Empire, and Haversham is far too small to hold what Blaise has planned.
  
  "Why the hell are we on rotting horses? There were alive horses from the bandits."
  
  "Looks cooler. We gotta make a good impression."
  
  You spot the town on the horizon, quickly approaching.
  
  "I'm hungry," Kai complains.
  
  "I don't care," Blaise says.
  
  "I'm really hungry though."
  
  "Quiet, werewolf! Child, how do you know we can trust these peasants?" Soren and Malign say.
  
  "We don't," Blaise says. "The plan's simple. Representatives from Jarrow, Haversham, Dillingwood, Redfield, Crestmine and Bullbrook will be here. These towns made the original deal with Dad, Bone Concordat, to fight for him. We convince them to join us, or we make sure they know the future consequences."
  
  "And if they attempt to turn us in to the Alliance?" Sir Trent asks.
  
  "I doubt they will. They suffered quite a bit at the hands of the Alliance during their conquest."
  
  "What about the Alliance soldiers stationed at Jarrow?"
  
  "That's not going to be a problem," you say.
  
  Circling the town are large stakes sprouting eight feet tall. Tied to the top of each stake are men and women, stripped down to their undergarments. Thankfully, they all appear to be dead, most having their throats slit or having been stabbed through the chest.
  
  "Huh. I'm impressed," Blaise says. "I guess they probably will side with us."
  
  "This is barbaric! These monsters have massacred soldiers! There are children there, boys little over sixteen years of age!"
  
  "Girls as young as nine were raped in the destruction of Danton. Pregnant mothers were stabbed with spears. Don't lecture us on morality, Paladin," Sir Trent says.
  
  "No... the Alliance wouldn't do that. You're mistaken! You're lying! You're...! You're probably right. The worst acts are committed for supposedly the best reasons."
  
  As you approach the town, you see several men and women in fine robes gather around the edge of town, watching your approach.
  
  "The Grand Necromancer has returned!" a voice cries.
  
  "The Grand Necromancer's dead!" another cries.
  
  Blaise takes a deep breath, and raises her voice to a shout.
  
  "I am the new Grand Necromancer!" she says loudly.
  
  A tall, skinny man with a long, salt and pepper beard steps forward.
  
  "Lady Blaise! I remember when you were just a child at your father's side! I don't know if you remember me, I am Lord Parnell of Crestmine. I was one of your father's closest advisors."
  
  "My father's closest advisors were killed or betrayed him. I see you're still among the living. For now."
  
  Lord Parnell pales.
  
  "I fought well for him, and only surrendered upon hearing news of his death."
  
  Blaise rolls her eyes, as a young, black haired man steps forward.
  
  "Grand Necromancer! I am Lord Clancy of Haversham."
  
  "Lord Clancy of Haversham was killed two years ago," Blaise says skeptically.
  
  "I'm Lord Clancy Jr of Haversham."
  
  "Ah. Your father served mine well. I'd be glad to have you at my side."
  
  "I stepped up to your side the second my father died. I will serve you loyally, Grand Necromancer."
  
  "Thank you."
  
  A large, one-handed, burly woman steps forward, a long sword clenched in her hand.
  
  "I am Lady Eli of Jarrow. I've invited you here today to renew the Bone Concordant."
  
  Bliase leans into you.
  
  "The Bone Concordant was the alliance between my dad and the surrounding villages. Now, say something so they think we're discussing something., Blaise whispers.
  
  "If they agree, we won't need to," you say.
  
  "Well done bullshitting, Dag," she says.
  
  Lady Eli raises an eyebrow, and stays quiet.
  
  "Please, follow me to the Town Hall," she says.
  
  > follow Lady Eli
  You follow Lady Eli to a large stone building. Servants take your horses away, and you enter. A large table is laid out in front of you. You sit in the right-hand seat, beside Blaise at the head of the table. The various lords introduce themselves, some for a second time, and there's a moment of silence. Blaise stands and clears her throat, breaking the silence.
  
  "I am the Grand Necromancer, daughter of the former Grand Necromancer. I have come here to make a simple, Life or Death offer: Life or Death. You can stand my side, or I will stand on a mound of your corpses."
  
  There's a brief round of whispering, before the Lord of Haversham raises a hand.
  
  "I pledge my life and town to you, Lady Blaise."
  
  "Thank you. Haversham will have a special place in my empire, kind sir."
  
  "I agree. My people will stand against you, my Lady. My forces will happily fight by your side," the Lady of Redfield says.
  
  "I wish to stand against the Alliance, but Jarrow does not bow anymore. We bowed to the Elves, than the Grand Necromancer, than the fucking Alliance. We're not going to pledge yourself to you. We're willing to make an agreement, a "temporary alliance", of sort, where we enter as equal partners," Lady Eli says.
  
  "I don't make "temporary alliances". I make empires."
  
  "Well the agreement is all I'm going to offer. The terms are simply: We supply Reaper Castle with supplies, they supply us with undead guards."
  
  The Lord and Ladies of Bullbrook, DIllingwood and Crestmine nod in agreement.
  
  "That's not acceptable."
  
  "That's all I'm offering."
  
  "Give us a minute to discuss it," Blaise says, as you lean in towards her.
  
  "We can't accept this deal. It would cripple our growth and have the Alliance wipe us out within two years, and we'd only survive that long because they wouldn't notice us," Sir Trent whispers.
  
  "What do you suggest?" Blaise asks.
  
  "Let me talk to them. I was an ambassador during my early days. I'm sure I can convince them.. I'm a demon. One of my specialty's is convincing people. I'll do it," Soren/Malign say.
  
  "Dagden, you've stayed quiet. Suggestions?" Blaise asks.
  
  > send Soren
  "Get Soren to convince them."
  
  Blaise nods and Soren nod. Soren stands, grinning.
  
  "Brothers, Sisters, Friends, Allies, today we have the chance to combine for the good of Man, Orc, Elf and Dwarf alike. We can stand together or fall alone. I know the Alliance. I know how it works. When the Alliances arrives and finds a new Grand Necromancer, they'll wipe out these villages to their last man and burn their corpses. Please, if you join the future is limitless. If you don't, your children's souls will haunt the burned husks that remain of this village."
  
  There's a brief moment of silence which is broken by Lady Eli.
  
  "Fine. We'll join the empire."
  
  "Good," Blaise says.
  
  "We'll give you ten percent of our crops, water, tools, equipment and weapons to supply the army, as well as access to the graveyards."
  
  "Twenty percent," you say.
  
  "Fifteen."
  
  "This isn't a negotiation. Twenty," you reply.
  
  "Sixteen,"
  
  "I swear by Gorgok's blade, if you make me repeat "Twenty" again, I'll kill every last one of you and have Bl... the Grand Necromancer raise you up. Are we clear?" you snarl.
  
  "Do you think you can intimidate us?"
  
  You stare at Lady Eli, not saying a word.
  
  "...I... fine. Fine, then. Twenty percent."
  
  "Good. We'll prepare for the grand awakening, then. We'll raise the graveyards of the towns and then my ascension to power will begin."
  
  "Shall we prepare a feast?" Lady Eli asks.
  
  "No. I'm a practical person. Feasts are expensive and time consuming. Let's go raise some zombies."
  
  > Four Hours Later...
  You stand in front of a large graveyard, waiting. Blaise stands next to you, muttering to herself as black magical powers flow outwards to the graves. As time goes on, more undead begin to rise. At first, a few of the most recently buried burst from the ground and stand at attention. This number rises, and after a few minutes, over a hundred new undead soldiers.
  
  "We're missing the leaders," Blaise says.
  
  "Who?" you ask.
  
  "These are all plain undead. There should be a Revenant to lead the undead from Jarrow. Where is it, Lady Eli?"
  
  "The Alliance planned to wipe out any Revenant bodies that could be found. Those who joined the Bone Concordat all gathered our Revenants and hid them. Come on, I'll take you to where we hid them."
  
  You follow Lady Eli on horseback with Blaise, her other advisors and a small group of other villagers through fields, and than a small forest. After about fifteen minutes, you arrive at a small clearing in a grove with a burnt tree trunk.
  
  "Here we are," Lady Eli says. "Forbes, Olivier, Burton, Wiliamson, Gibson, Branagh, Hawke, Kapoor, Smoktunovsky, Glen, start digging."
  
  A group of people begin digging. Blaise yawns, and comes over to your side.
  
  "Do you know what the difference between a Wight and a Revenant is?"
  
  "You're going to tell me, aren't you?"
  
  "A Wight can be made out of anyone if a Necromancer chooses to make one of a dying or recently dead man. A Revenant is a powerful soul that chooses to stay behind, usually because they're godless, or atheists, or just scared of death, that is reunited with its body. Much more powerful. The thing about..."
  
  "We got 'em!" someone shouts.
  
  You turn to see several coffins being hoisted from the ground. The first is opened, revealing a massive, rotting body of a woman. The second reveals a particularly large dwarf, the next two both large, bearded men, the fifth a tall, lean Half-Orc and, to your surprise, the last coffin is a tiny body wrapped in a shroud. For a second you think it's a dwarf, before you realize it's actually a young human child. Blaise walks to the side of a coffin and stands still for a second, black magic flowing from her. Then, the large woman stands with a growl. She does the same with the next coffin, and the next, before after repeating it several more times. Once the small child stands, there's a brief moment of silence as the six stand there, stretching and coughing as air enters their dusty lungs for the first time in two years.
  
  "So... you're the new necromancer, eh?" the large woman asks. "I remember you. The old guy's daughter."
  
  "I'm hungry," the half-orc grunts. "Who has food?"
  
  Someone throws the half-orc a piece of cooked meat, which he eagerly chews into.
  
  "Where am I?" the child asks, looking around.
  
  "Alright, listen up!" Blaise says loudly. "I am Lady Blaise, the Grand Necromancer! The time has come to rebuild my father's empire. You were pledged to him, and I'm asking you now to pledge to me."
  
  "Fine," one grunts.
  
  "OK," another says.
  
  "Sure," a third says.
  
  "This is going well," Blaise admits.
  
  "We're undead Revenants. We've been risen up to fight dozens of times, by Necromancers far better and far worse than you. We won't complain for a chance to stretch our limbs and bloody our swords before our next dirt nap," the Half-Orc grunts.
  
  "Well then... each of you will be leading a large force of undead from your towns of origin," Blaise says.
  
  The Revenants nod in agreement.
  
  "OK, this is going well," Blaise says, turning to you. "I'm going to start getting them to pledge. You can nap, or sleep or whatever."
  
  Blaise turns off and begins to chat with the Revenants, leaving you alone. You could take a nap like she suggested, or you could have a chat with the Revenants, or maybe if you're especially boring, the Lords and Ladies.
  
  > talk to the various Lords and Ladies
  You walk over to one of the Lords, Lord Clancy.
  
  "Hello. I'm Lord Clancy Jr of Haversham," he says, introducing himself.
  
  "Dagden Dragontooth," you reply.
  
  "Are you and the Grand Necromancer... a couple?"
  
  "Does it matter? My job's to make corpses, her job's to raise 'em. That's all you need to know."
  
  "I suppose," he replies. "Haversham's was a loyal component of the first dead empire. When the Alliance arrived, the town's spirit was crushed. They burned sentient undead alive, the bastards. I saw close friends murdered, and I swo