The OP Lich is a Returnee, Book 25 Prologue (Patreon)

Prologue – Trade Chat

(Magical World Disharmony Server, General Chat)

UsualSuspect, manoutoftime, muon, MewTwo, Avariel, Chummer, Golddigger, CrazyCelt, Blaze, DoYouEvenLyft?, MarcoPolo, MightMakesRight, MacD, Inquisitor, OrangeQueen, Lizard, RedFox, SemiSolidSnake, BabyShark, Lichwatcher, Not_the_Face!, TheLichQueen, Scholar, Salty, Anonymous3, Anonymous4, Anonymous7, Anonymous9, WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot, DigDug, Backlog, DarkAvariel, Knocker, GrimDark, BloodForTheBloodGod, BackDat@55Up and DarkAngel are in the chat.

BabyShark: Guys! Big news! I just got my delivery from Athelian Arms!

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot: How the hell did you get that? The wait list for commissions is literally years long!

BabyShark: It wasn’t a commission piece. They have a small stock of ‘ready-made’ items that they sell, as well.

TheLichQueen: Oh, yes. The simple fact is that, while every craftsman working for Athelian Arms is a master of at least one field, they had to start as apprentices for enchanting. And the only way to progress to mastery is to practice. While we do not sell any apprentice-level enchanted equipment, as a rule, the journeyman enchantments on master-level items are worth selling. What did you get?

BabyShark: A Howa 1500 hunting rifle that is enchanted with a spell that lets you shoot lasers!

TheLichQueen: Ah, yes. Tell me, BabyShark, is there a mark on the receiver, just above the trigger?

BabyShark: Yes, actually. The Risen Athelia coat of arms, next to the Athelian Arms symbol.

Lizard: Don’t tell me—

TheLichQueen: That would be one of mine, then. Actually a reverse of how most of the pieces Athelian Arms sells are. The enchantment is master-level, but I was training my gunsmithing skills on Howa 1500s and Colt 1911s to build my skills before I earned my mastery. Of course, Kieran Gordan, my master gunsmith, checked my work to ensure that it was acceptable quality.

Salty: You actually let your employees check your work?

TheLichQueen: Of course. I may own the shop, but I started as a completely untrained gunsmith. Oh, I had related skills in woodworking, metalworking, and machining. Even some experience with trigger systems, since Onearth had crossbows. But there was still much I had to learn about firearms. And acting with the proper humility in an area I was not a master helped encourage the same attitude with the masters I was training in enchanting.

BabyShark: OMG! I have a product made by the Lich Queen herself? I’m almost afraid to take it out hunting, now! What if I damage it?

TheLichQueen: Unless you completely destroy it, the self-repair enchantment should repair most damage. You’ll still want to do regular maintenance and cleaning, of course, when using physical ammunition. Taking proper care of your equipment is important. That’s why I still make sure to do regular maintenance on all my equipment, even though there is little in this world that can damage my gear, much less me.

Anonymous4: Indeed. Respect the tools, and make sure they’re taken care of, even when you don’t think they need care, and they’ll take care of you. It is easier to prevent issues than fix them.

TheLichQueen: Well said.

DarkAngel: Hey, LQ, while you’re here, is it true that you sent a delegation to help the Romanians with their vampire problem?

TheLichQueen: The Romanian government did ask for assistance, and I sent over a team of consultants. They aided the Romanian authorities in capturing the master vampire in charge, along with most of her nest, and took care not to damage the mortal thralls she had working for her.

TheLichQueen: Unfortunately, deprogramming the thralls is going to be an extensive process, since the master vampire was using magic of the Soul element on them.

BloodForTheBloodGod: Soul element? That isn’t one of the elements the Phantomline tests talk about.

TheLichQueen: That is because it is a compound element. It is what happens when you take Death mana, and infuse Shadow into it. However, taking Shadow and adding Death gives you Entropy. That is beyond apprentice-level magics, of course, but is part of the standard curriculum at the Athelian Spire, and likely will be part of the curriculum at other institutions teaching magecraft as they develop.

Scholar: How is that different from the ‘Soul Magic’ that the church of Murena says needs to be tightly controlled, if it is used at all?

TheLichQueen: A campfire and a forest fire are both fires, yes? But would you say they are the same?

Scholar: Ah. So, it is a matter of scale?

TheLichQueen: Indeed. While the Soul element can affect souls, that is different from Soul Magic, which can directly manipulate, extract, and destroy souls.

DarkAngel: What does this mean for the people caught up in the Romanian mess?

TheLichQueen: It is good and bad news for them. The bad news is that recovery will take a good deal of time and work, much like rehabilitation from a major surgery. The good news is that the work can be aided by anyone proficient in Death or Shadow magics, provided they have a bit of training, instead of requiring someone who knows Soul Magic to see to them.

DarkAngel: So, in other words, it means that Romanian mages can help them, instead of them being SOL until you had enough free time to examine them.

TheLichQueen: Essentially. While I am not the only individual in this world that Lady Murena has sanctioned to perform Soul Magic, I am the most powerful, though not, perhaps, the most experienced.

Scholar: Uh, so who else is ‘sanctioned’ to use Soul Magic?

TheLichQueen: I will say that I am the only layperson who has been granted leave by Lady Murena to use Soul Magic. All others who have received sanction for its use are in her priesthood. Receiving that sanction is one of the final steps in becoming a Huntmaster, or the priest in charge of a temple. After all, they must be able to respond to threats to the souls of their followers, and Soul Magic can only truly be countered either by Soul Magic, or by overwhelming power.

TheLichQueen: Of course, every individual granted sanction to use Soul Magic by Lady Murena has restrictions upon how we may use it. My restrictions, as a High Contractor of Murena and Agent of the Goddess of Death, are somewhat looser than those placed upon Huntmasters, though She does pay closer attention to how and when I use those magics, which means I am quicker to earn Her ire if I use them frivolously, or in ways that displease Her.

Scholar: So, um, what are these limits?

TheLichQueen: For the Huntmasters, it essentially boils down to defense of the souls in their area, healing the damage of unsanctioned Soul Magic, and as a last resort when other magics fail when they or their pack are under attack. So, a reactionary approach, dealing with threats and returning things to a status quo. Proactively using Soul Magic is something that a Huntmaster can only do with informed consent on all sides.

MacD: Why would anyone consent to have their soul toyed with?

TheLichQueen: It has been used to prove innocence in some criminal cases, and there are times when individuals wish to make (or sever) a Soulbond between them. Or perhaps someone inherited a condition of the soul from one of their parents, and they wish to excise the corruption before it can affect them, and prevent it from passing on to their children? It is rare, but not unheard of, and typically requires either a clear threat, like an inherited Soulbond to a malignant entity, or a period of counseling between the individual and the Huntmaster, to ensure that other avenues are exhausted first.

Scholar: I notice you did not mention the limits Murena puts on your use of Soul Magic.

TheLichQueen: No, I did not.