Tomb Kings

[Warhammer Fantasy: Tomb Kings]

Drawbacks: Need That Nagash, Brittle Old Bones, Macrotect, Tomb Raided, Came Back Wrong (1800).

[spoiler]"I am thou. Thou art I. Hear me, and inherit my glory"[/spoiler]

Scenario: The Golden Empire

Prince (1700)

Equals Among Equals (Free)
I Shall Remain Behind (Free)
Beloved of Asaph (1600)
Million Year Reign (1400)
Jumper Does Not Serve (1100)
Jumper Rules (800)
Deathmask (Free)
Tomb (0, +500 TP)
-Make It Bigger (900)
-Reservoir (700)
-Magically Charged (300)
-Alternative Materials: Essence of Pearl (0)

NO! I shout at nobody. YOU'RE. NOT. MEEEEE. This tomb's too dark, and I feel woozy. My fires are dim; if I had an elbow I'd be leaning against something right now. I feel my thoughts quickening as I "lean" on the walls. Somewhere, someone's knocking on it.

...dimly, I become aware of a hard knocking on my tomb's walls. I find myself hesitant to expand beyond the tomb; inside, essence swirls in comforting spirals that keep my mind intact. And with my miracle mastery, no stranger would know the difference. Woozily, I start to realise people are probably concerned about the giant tomb where their prince used to be.

It's at that moment I'm awake enough to remember what's probably why I've picked a Shadow.

I remade myself in the image of a Primordial. If I'm destined for undeath, does that mean I'll become a NEVERBORN?

(1/4)

The next day, a nucleus of liquid sorceries floats precariously over the city. Together I, Elune and Ashunera shape it into a rain of liquid immortality. By royal decree, every member of the citizenry and nobility has come to see-except one faction. Their loss, I suppose.

After the rain, my prince-avatar asks for a volunteer. I painlessly saw him in half-and lo, his immortal flesh mends quick as it's cut.

You are free, I or-tell them, over thunderous applause. Free from death and chaos.

I announce my plans for the creation of grails to refine the water, controlling life and death. I also teach them to breed the Ilfa plant with immaculate seeds planted in a Lunar's flesh so retirement from flesh is possible without risking the soul. Without hunger, thirst or tiredness a nationalistic ferver grips the city. At my behest, Medusa quietly hunts down the Mortuary Cult before they can leave the city. The next target: A relatively young Nagash.

Battles against an immortal army are daunting. Battles where the gods appear to bless the opposing side smash morale. Lybaras surrenders peacefully after the first engagement following one such revelation, and Lahmia joins forces right off the bat after the queen saw a grail in action.

Wherever my armies go, the rains follow. The gods ask me to challenge Settra in fair combat because he has also been pious, and I oblige-a spark riding into battle on a chariot of flame. We joust, we curse each other, we demand each other surrender for the greater good. The man salutes my daring even as he skewers me through the shoulder. In turn, I kill his mounts painlessly.

The battle lasts exactly as long as it takes the rains to catch up. As he feels eternal life on his skin, the man is shocked enough for me to hold a blade before his throat. He silently drops his weapons. In turn, I shake his hand, and offer a place of honor for his dynasty. I'll need a good governer during my conquest.

(2/4)

The years wear on me near the end of a mortal's lifespan. My mind is sharp as ever, but now Beatrice, Ange and Maria have to take turns dragging me back from the brink of slumber.

I have to keep convincing myself this is merely necessary, not enjoyable.

I can feel new Charms trying to save myself by adopting prayer-symbiosis. I force them back into the spiral of evolution.

I dimly remember the campaign. The orkz were the easiest; I rained fist-shaped barbadium meteorites on them until they called me boss, then I geomantically converted their spores to be more tractable. Daemonkind already feared me, and gladly accepted a Taboo on their trespasses once the energies of the Liferain proved impassable. Morathi's collusion with her counterpart brought over the dark elves; this world's Malekith proved tractable when I openly shared Chaos-defeating countermeasures. And Isha remembered my aid from another world; at her behest, Lileath's manifestation led the Brettonians to kneel.

It was the other humans, dwarfs and high elves that united against me. As I put chaos cult after chaos cult to the pyre, they announced their decision not to be ruled.

On that day, my light /danced/. The thrill of crushing rebellion is /intoxicating/.

I can barely hold my excitement back at the final battle; I must beg my attendants to neutralise their leaders as fast as possible. before I'm tempted to enter the fray. I contain myself to twisting a gap in the multiverse, and summoning my ogre paladins from a different universe; with their fortune distortion powers, they wreck havoc in the alliance's headquarters, allowing Nehekhara's finest to win the day.

It has been seventy years of hope my companions can change my destiny. As my Charms start to calcify from the outside inwards I should be terrified of being trapped in a finite husk of myself, but all I can feel is exhaustion. And then, the cold.

(3/4)

How strange. I thought it would be, you know, agonising but mostly I just feel at peace. It's like always being on the cusp of falling asleep. Or maybe a coma?

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*CRASH*

That's apparently all it takes for a desperate Abyssal to break into your tomb-world with the intent to hug and sob over you. As I form coherent thoughts, I realise I'm alive.

Ah. It worked?

"Of course it worked dummy! WE'RE STILL WORRIED" she shouts. "Um. Anyway, five hundred years have past. As you predicted, time lost it's effect on you. And yet, the suffering is almost at an end. Nehekhara's grasp chokes the past, present and future. Um. Congratulations? Settra was good as his word"

Awesome. The crushing weight of undeath sloughs off me like melting ice, as I begin to resume my cosmic infinitude. Back to business, then. Actually, exactly how DID you get me back in action?

"She helped"

She?

A crystal sphere pops into existence next to me.

(I helped, my liege. Your Shadow is no longer cast. The program was most effective)

First, please stop calling me that. Secondly, thank you. Third...why am I /green/ around the edges?

The sphere leans closer. (Because) she snaps (your rejection of the Empyreal was what caused it. Do you know know how hard it is to apply the principle of recuperation to a Primordial, when that Primordial is holding back?! You could have DIED)

I look down at my flames. I listen to the hymns outside my tomb.

Oh crap, I can't get the green off.

>FIN