Having been granted rulership over the city of Vanhoover, and confessed their feelings for each other, Lex Legis and Sonata Dusk have started a new life together. But the challenges of rulership, and a relationship, are more than they bargained for.
For a long moment, Lex just stared at the scene in front of him, not knowing what he should do. Finally, he came back to himself and looked over at one of the doctors. “What happened?”
The doctor, a mauve-colored stallion with streaks of grey in his black mane, looked up from where he’d just covered Pillowcase’s body with a sheet. “We can’t be certain until we, er…” He trailed awkwardly off as he looked over at Cozy, standing on the other side of Pillowcase’s body. The crystal mare didn’t seem to be aware of what was happening around her, staring at the covered form of her husband with a look of anguished disbelief on her face. The sight of her made Lex’s stomach clench.
This is your fault, came the voiceless words in his mind. You were supposed to gain enough power to save ponies who needed help. Now one of the ponies you were supposed to rescue has paid the price for your failure to do so. The taunt cut Lex deeply, making his spine stiffen. After all, that hateful voice in his mind was absolutely correct. That there was nothing else he could have done to save Pillowcase wasn’t an exoneration; it was an indictment. Ultimately, he had become responsible for the crystal stallion the moment he’d found him in that warehouse, and that he hadn’t been able to save him once he had was a failure no matter what excuses he made. And now Pillowcase and his wife-, no, his widow, were suffering the consequences of his powerlessness.
“Sir?” Forcing his recriminations aside, Lex looked back at the doctor, who nodded towards the curtain keeping them partitioned off from the rest of the medical area. Turning and ushering Sonata – who was staring at the scene in horror, eyes wide and a hoof in front of her open mouth – out of the operating-area-turned-morgue, Lex led her a short distance away, the doctor following them. Outside, the other doctors had already dispersed, doubtlessly informing the crowd what had just happened.
When they’d gone far enough, Lex turned around to regard the doctor again, Sonata doing the same. The other stallion resumed his explanation. “We won’t know the cause of death for certain until we can perform an autopsy, but the initial diagnosis is a sudden case of hypovolemic shock.”
Lex frowned, not knowing what that meant. “Meaning what, exactly?” He hated that he had to ask, but this was too important to let that be an obstacle.
The doctor seemed to have expected that question, answering immediately. “Hypovolemia is when you don’t have enough fluid in your system to maintain blood pressure. Basically, it means that his blood wasn’t pumping efficiently enough to sustain his organs.” He looked down, closing his eyes as a forlorn expression crossed his face. “We were trying to rehydrate him intravenously, but we were too late. He also had signs of malnourishment and heatstroke, and all of it together was just too much strain on his system. There were also signs of wounding on his legs. His wife said that she’d healed them when she found him, but he’d apparently already bled out quite a bit by then.” He lowered his voice then, as though talking to himself. “Maybe if we’d just gotten to him a little sooner…” It was all Lex could do not to wince as he heard that.
“Poor Cozy,” murmured Sonata, looking back at the alcove where they’d left the crystal mare. “I can’t imagine how she feels right now, knowing that she’ll never see…” She trailed off as something occurred to her, before her eyes widened and she rounded on Lex. “Wait a sec! This is just like with Waterlily!” Lex went rigid at that, an alarmed look crossing his face, but Sonata kept speaking heedlessly. “All you have to do is ask the Night Mare to br-mmph!”
His hoof planted firmly over Sonata’s mouth, Lex looked at the doctor. “Leave us.”
“I…of course.” Having seen plenty of unusual reactions to death, the doctor took Lex and Sonata’s odd behavior in stride as he turned and left.
Lex waited until they were alone before uncovering Sonata’s muzzle, letting her take a deep breath of air. “What was that about?” she frowned.
“I can’t bring Pillowcase back to life, or anypony else for that matter,” said Lex quietly, not wanting to take the chance of anypony overhearing them, “and I don’t want anyone to think otherwise.”
“But why not?!” insisted Sonata. “You talked the Night Mare into bringing Waterlily back, and you’d never met her before either, right? So why can’t you just whisk her up again and say ‘do your thing’?”
“It doesn’t work like that!” Lex tried to keep his anger down, hating that she was making him explain why he couldn’t do anything. “Even overlooking the fact that she’s made it exceedingly clear that she dislikes my summoning her in such a manner, the only reason she brought Waterlily back to life was because I cut a deal with her, one that I’m still trying to follow through on. I’m absolutely confident that she won’t want to make another, particularly since I don’t see what else I could offer her in exchange.”
“Come on, you don’t know that for sure!” Sonata frowned, trying to think of another argument. “Just, like, make it a demonstration of how awesome she is. Tell her that it’ll totes amaze everypony here and make them want to bow down to her and stuff.”
“The deal was that I convince them to do that on my own in exchange for all of this power that she gave me,” retorted Lex. “If I have to call her up to do that herself, then it’s an implicit admission of failure on my part.” His eyes flickered down to the barbed wire wrapped around his left foreleg. He could guess what his goddess’s reaction to that would be. “I’m telling you, what you’re talking about is not a viable option.”
Taken aback, Sonata lowered her ears as she looked down, but only for a moment. “Okay, but what about just going back to Everglow and getting what you need from there? I know they have resur-whatchamacallit magic on that world, right?”
“Yes,” sighed Lex, already knowing how this was going to go. “But that’s not a viable option either.”
“Why not?!” Despite herself, Sonata couldn’t help but start to get upset. “You’re the pony who, like, always does what you set your mind to, so why can’t you set your mind to this?!”
“You think I don’t want to?!” snapped Lex. “You think I don’t wish that I could just cast a spell and fix this?! I’m telling you, everything you’re saying entails an unacceptable degree of risk!” He glared at her, struggling to keep from shouting. “Yes, magic is a commodity on Everglow, and I have no doubt that if I went to one of the larger cities I could find a religious outlet that would sell a scroll with a resurrection spell.”
“Then…!”
But Lex was already shaking his head. “I don’t know the full details of what that would cost, but I know it would be expensive, and we’re completely out of bits, not that they take bits on Everglow anyway.” Nor, he knew, was digging up gemstones an option. Equestria might be a land where perfectly-cut gems could be found a few feet underground, but you still had to know where to look to dig for them. Worse, he knew enough about Everglow to know that, while such gems would have some value there, it would only be meager at best. Selling the magic items he’d acquired would be his best bet, but he wasn’t sure that would raise sufficient funds.
But Sonata wasn’t willing to give up so easy. “But you’re some kind of bigwig for the Night Mare, right?” Now it was her turn to look at the barbed wire wrapped around his leg, pointing at it. “Just go to one of her temples over there and say that, like, you’re demanding it in her name or something.”
“I doubt that would work.” Certainly, it wouldn’t work on him if somepony he’d never heard of showed up and started demanding extravagant favors on the basis of religious authority. And given that what he knew of the Night Mare’s credo emphasized personal strength and empowerment, he couldn’t imagine anypony powerful enough to have resurrection magic being so easily cowed. And that wasn’t the only problem. “There’s also the fact that the plane-crossing spell doesn’t allow for precise targeting. It’s entirely possible that I could end up in a remote location, which would require me to spend time journeying to the nearest large city, and that I’d similarly wind up in a remote location when I came back to Equestria. If I’m gone that long while Vanhoover is still in this state, I’d be putting everyone here at risk.” He let out a slow breath, trying to control the bitterness that threatened to swallow him. “I want to bring Pillowcase back, but I am not willing to gamble with the lives of everyone here on such an uncertain venture.”
Sonata paused for a long moment, trying to think of something else, but couldn’t come up with a way to counter his logic. As much as she hated to admit it, everything he’d said made sense. If he’d been gone when that big squid monster had attacked, they all would have died, and given how many disasters they’d already been through, there was no guarantee that another one wouldn’t happen if he left now…especially if he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to get one of those bring-you-back-to-life spells in the first place. That realization made her look down, crestfallen.
Seeing the disappointed look on his girlfriend’s face, Lex assumed that it was directed at him, and felt his tension skyrocket. This was why he didn’t want anypony to think that he could bring the dead back to life. Because for him – who had spent his entire life desperately trying to justify his own existence by saying what he could do for others – having someone ask for his help, hoping that he could do what no one else could, only to tell them that there was nothing that he could do, struck at the heart of his sense of self.
Especially when the one doing the asking was the girl he loved!
Unable to bear looking at her with that expression, Lex turned and started walking away from her, back towards where Cozy, the single remaining doctor, and Pillowcase’s body were. A moment later Sonata’s voice called out to him. “So that’s, like, it? There’s nothing we can do for her?”
Lex paused for just a moment before answering. “I can ward her husband’s body against decay, indefinitely if necessary.” The spell for that would only last for a few days, but he had a few instances of it stored in a gem, and could easily prepare it again before it ran out. “Other than that, the only solace I can give her is to bring justice down on the pony that caused this to happen.” He shot a dark look at the other alcove, where he knew Fencer was still being operated on. He’d had a punishment picked out for her, but now he was going to have to think of something even worse.
“I dunno how much that’ll help.” Sonata sounded heartbroken as she walked up beside him. “Cozy never struck me as the sort of mare that wanted revenge, you know?”
“It’s all I can do for her,” replied Lex, and the words were ashes in his mouth. “After that, we’re leaving.” He started back towards where Cozy was.
“Huh?” Sonata blinked as she kept pace with him. “Leaving? Leaving where?”
“This shelter,” answered Lex grimly. “As soon as I’m done with Fencer, we’re all going to head to this so-called blockade.” Even as he spoke he realized how tired he was of all this, of struggling so hard to accomplish so little, of perpetually reacting to crises instead of improving things.
No more, he silently swore to himself. It’s time for me to exert my authority over this city.
For all his power, there are things that Lex can't – and won't – do, no matter how much he wishes otherwise.
Is he overcompensating for that with his plan to march on the blockade around Vanhoover?
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Gentle Repose delays the countdown timer on Raise Dead, so it'd keep the Everglow Gambit as an option if it somehow became feasible, I guess? Assuming Raise Dead would be enough. It should be since it raises damaged stats to 1 and cures non-magical diseases... that should cover the stuff that killed him.
And a large diamond in Equestria is cheap but would get more valuable when taken to Everglow. As long as you could find a literal diamond and not just generic 'gems'.
8356394
Correct on all counts. Gentle repost would indeed keep Pillowcase's body viable for a future application of a raise dead spell, which would likewise be enough to bring him back (albeit with 2 points of Constitution loss).
This...is one of those places where the game rules clash hard with how things would actually go, as the d20 rules assign static currency values to things which should have their worth fluctuate according to the market that they're in (don't even get me started in the absolute value of gemstones when required for spell components). As such, I'm attempting to side-step the issue here, but I'll go ahead and say that I'm going to treat the ubiquitous perfectly-cut gemstones that seem to be everywhere in Equestria as being low-quality gems (worth 10 gp each), with higher-value gemstones having rarity () commensure to their distribution on Everglow. That's a sop, but it's plausible prima facie without the story being derailed by cross-planar economics.
8356447
I always figured the material component required by the spell fluctuated with the gem market, so that when all the really big diamonds had been used up, the smaller ones would get more valuable because of the increased rarity and could still be used to cast the spell.
Figured that resurrecting Pillowcase would have been unlikely, even more so given the risks Lex explained in this chapter. when, and not if, the next disaster strikes, they'll need Lex to lead them through this. Of course, I doubt those loyal to Fencer would go along with the plan willingly especially after Lex punishes her, whatever it may be.
Still, going directly to the blockade in a group is going to draw Block Party's attention and if the stallion refuses to submit to Lex, I doubt those loyal to him would be as willing to fight a fellow pony as they did with the sea monsters(Though the feeling may not apply to those who were turned away by the blockade). Speaking of which, what of those that were turned by the aboleth? Surely he wouldn't leave them undefended? And a skeleton guard would still leave them open to what Turbo and the others have in mind, especially if they don't join Lex.
Games, or at least their creators, always have problems when you can have Create Feast, a collection of complex organic materials that are edible, as a low level spell, and Mend, a low level spell, Heal etc, but dont like using that one to one to make an equivalent mass complexity healthy body thats just had their heart stopped with non impact concusion, so needing just the electrical zap to trigger a heart beat and neural firing.
Such power, much worth.
8356506 Any GM worth their salt that reads what you just wrote will be overcome with the urge to smack you around with a copy of the closest handy Dungeon Master's Guide.
8357161 That's because most of them like the idea of death still retaining at least some dramatic potential as a bad thing that should be avoided if possible, rather than a speed bump whose major impact is a medium-sized fine.
8357013 Lex figured out how to cure those ponies that were twisted by the aboleth back in chapter 109 - What Comes Next. They're back to normal now, so he doesn't need to leave them behind.
The issue of how well everypony else will react to Lex's punishing Fencer remains an open question, mostly because we still haven't been told exactly what Lex is going to do to her. That said, it's a surefire bet that there's going to be some sort of conflict with the ponies maintaining the blockade around Vanhoover. What happens when a pony vs. pony situation develops is anyone's guess, but maybe things will go smoothly for a change...?
8357255
It's a divine spell, so it makes sense for the value sacrificed to be the important part, and not the physical qualities of the component itself.
When I'm GMing I usually make it a lot cheaper in general, though. It's already enough of a drag with the negative levels and extended time-out before they can get you to a priest. Then again, I like my pseudo-medieval to have a dash of transhumanity.
...and on that note, don't forget about Reincarnation! Although it a was more fun when it usually brought you back as a talking bear.
8357573
In fact, that's a quality that Pathfinder assigns exclusively to psychic magic, rather than divine magic. Ironically enough, the example given on that page is actually with a psychic caster using an alternative component for a raise dead spell.
Insofar as the nature of divine spells go, they're still utilizing the thought-form method of casting (i.e. Vancian magic), which requires that strict forms be observed, as each spell has exacting parameters in how it's cast and what it can do, which is why that particular style of magic is able to become so powerful. Of course, that's my interpretation of it, but it fits with what we see of Vancian-style magic under the game rules. Psychic spellcasters, who have a more dedicated focus on manipulating their own thoughts, have some power to bend those rules (albeit just a little, which is why they can utilize alternative components).
That's not even getting into issues of game balance, which is an entirely different can of worms.
The transhumanism aside, what you're describing is a strongly-gamist approach to the issue of bringing dead characters back to life. There's nothing wrong with that - I once saw Sean K. Reynolds, during his tenure at Paizo, argue that raise dead, resurrection, and similar spells shouldn't expensive material components at all - but as someone who leans strongly towards simulationism, that approach makes me grimace from trying to figure out how that would change the societies of the game world.
Thank heavens Lex doesn't know about that spell (he apparently never met any druids during his time on Everglow)! I wonder how happy Cozy would be if Pillowcase was brought back as a diamond dog.
8358094
Theres the excuse that Philip Jose Farmer used in Riverworld, about wearing out of the soul, or loss of animation from, or such like. Because if the standard, soul is a byproduct of the material self at least in origin or how else did the first sould occur except by divine providence, is used, then a goo girl that could amoebic duplicate, could make any numbers who had souls. And machines, and rock complextes and coherent self sustaining solar plasma forms etc.
8358228 I haven't watched that series, but in Pathfinder (and similar d20 worlds), souls are established facts rather than philosophical/theological questions. So it's a little different there.
There's a viable long-term solution: Tell Cozy she needs to start adventuring hard and earning increased favor from her goddess. If she lives long enough and gets enough experience, she could someday cast True Resurrection. It'll take years and years, but it could work... and in the meantime it would probably make Cozy a lot more useful to Lex.
8360114 You're not wrong about any of that, but there are some circumstances there that prevent Lex from telling Cozy about that. First and foremost, he doesn't know the specifics of various life-restoring spells, as he has no ranks in Knowledge (religion). While I suppose you could say that's a function of Knowledge (arcana), I really think that divine spells should fall under the former rather than the latter (and Spellcraft is only for active magical effects that you're examining directly). So he really doesn't know the distinctions between raise dead, resurrection, and true resurrection to begin with.
I'm also not sure just how much characters directly recognize the correlation between adventuring and increased personal power. Obviously there's some sort of recognition, but it's a little awkward to say "go raid dungeons, kill monsters, and take their stuff, and eventually the Goddess of Love will reward you with greater magic." There are obviously ways around that, since characters will recognize that one does lead to the other, but the exact nature of the process doesn't seem intuitive.
I have no doubt Lex would tell her all of that if he could - even though I doubt he'd want a powerful cleric of another deity around - but at the moment that's banking on knowledge he doesn't necessarily have.
A great battle, we have them outnumbered!
the curtain?
Well, that 'blockade' doesn't stand a chance.
8388618 Fixed!