Xibalba

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

Ah, there it was! It wouldn't hurt to be polite now that he was going to meet the actual leader of this place. It was quite interesting to see the actual laborers behind all the smoke and mirrors at least. The undead... such a hassle really. Unchanging, eternal, lifeless in every sense of the word. Only someone who really, really desired control would bother with them. It meant you could manage everything you wanted and be certain that it would remain that way. Oh well, he wasn't here to judge.

His shadow swallowed him up, and soon he bubbled up right before the entrance to the tower. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

[Aiden]

Sur Carys

The ghouls at the entrance were, for all their other flaws, evidently quite strong and well-preserved. They were chained to the metal of the gates, and based on the scuff marks on the stone they had the task of dragging the heavy door open for those welcome here. At first Joseph received no answer, and all was silent save for the shuffling of laborers.

Then one of the corpses at the door looked upon him with a flicker of malevolent intellect, witnessing him. Soon after a plume of shadows emerged from under the minuscule cracks beneath the door, and took on a shape. A hunched over figure supporting itself with a wooden staff, wrapped in thick black robes with long pointed ears coming out through little slits in the sides.

Empty white eyes stared at Joseph from under that hood, and a faintly echoing rasp greeted him. "I do not believe her majesty is expecting any guests."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

He clapped his hands together with a grin on his face. "Well, I'd hope not. It was supposed to be a bit of a surprise for the both of us. You wouldn't so happen to be polite enough to let me in, would you? I've already been gnawed on a bit by that bit of spellcraft that forms the outer layer of this place. It's pretty impressive, but somehow I doubt it was also your leader's magic. It's quite... distinct. Although I would be pretty impressed if it was!"

[Aiden]

Sur Carys

A rasp escaped the undead greeter's throat. "Unfortunately, the inner sanctum is off limits to any who are not part of her majesty's Order of Storms. Or duly invited guests."

He tapped the metal of the door with the end of his staff. "If you would wait, I shall inquire with her if she desires to grant you an audience - though it would be from afar."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

"Sure, sure. If that makes it more convenient. It wouldn't be fun to wander around by myself anyways." So he plopped himself down onto the ground, patiently waiting with a serene smile back onto his face. That Italian food was pretty good. Maybe he'd head back after this.

[Aiden]

Sur Carys

Eventually Joseph's patience managed to pay off, and one of the corpses chained to the door stood up straighter than before. Its dead eyes grew dark with a power that seemed to suck the warmth and light in a short radius from it, and then it opened its mouth. The voice of... a woman? Yes, a woman came out of its dead throat.

'What brings a traveler such as yourself to my home? And while I am away, at that - quite rude.'

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

He clapped his hands together just once in excitement. Long range possession? Or just using it as sensory mouthpiece? Either way, very interesting. "I am Joseph, a traveling alchemist and healer of sorts. I was wondering if such an illustrious ruler such as yourself would have any desire to serve as a patron for my... services. Although you do have a very excitable flora! I'm curious whether it is you who wove magic into the life here. The populace is quite interesting as well."

[Aiden]

Sur Carys

If the flattery offended the creature possessing the corpse, its resonant voice and elegant tones didn't suggest it. 'Some is me, and some are others in my employ. You approach someone so blatantly versed in the arts of death while practicing those of life? I wonder, why would you consider this?'

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

"Why not? I need a place to work and it looks like it would be appreciated here. Necromancy can be a pretty stale art. It's really dependent on the creativity and power of the wielder, and even if you start introducing more mages it's too sterile for an evolutionary element to enter the field. It's also still dependent on living flesh. I can make more than enough of that." He wrapped his coat tighter around his blood stained body. "Sure you don't want to let me in. It's chilly like this."

[Aiden]

Sur Carys

The corpse seemed to pause and consider, before becoming just another mindless husk. Joseph was left standing there for a moment until a voice, the raspy hollow one of the subordinate from before, appeared behind him. "Her majesty has... approved of your request. On a probationary status. Please follow us to your temporary quarters and await further instruction."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

"Wonderful!" His briefcase leapt out from his shadow into his hand. "You have a very interesting operation here. I was very tempted to experiment on some of your civilians. I'm sure they're working on more abstract processes than the usual necromancy. It would be very enlightening to pry one open and see how they work."

[Aiden]

Sur Carys

"The details of your work, and the resources that will be made available to you, shall be disclosed in due time." The robed elf cadaver began to walk, with the aid of its staff, toward a large mostly-finished villa. The structure was tall and elegant in its circular layout, but not so tall that it would surmount the height of the wall when it was finished. It was wrought of brick and stone and yet given the facade of being made of all traditional materials.

The door was made of solid wood, seemingly grafted on from somewhere else.

"Forgive the... inconsistent quality. It is all a work in progress at this time."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

Well, he didn't really have that much in truth. He tossed his briefcase onto a nearby table before propping it open, revealing a plethora of minor alchemical substances and ingredients. Those alongside with some of his more basic notes and bits of flesh were soon being put in various different places in the villa. "Are you sure you don't want to add an organic quality to the construction? It'd be less haphazard that way. Probably."

[Aiden]

Sur Carys

"Her majesty wishes to witness a sample of your work before she provides you with further support - or further access to the ongoing construction." The robed emissary motioned through the large foyer, and its many stairs and chambers. "You have full access to this structure here. We will provide you with basic amenities - and raw materials - so that you may work undisturbed."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Joseph

"A sample? Alright!" He picked up several vials from the case before tossing them right onto the ground. They simmered and before going into an outright boil. Then he started tossing chunks of flesh, crushed insects, and a few syringes of blood wholesale. Then he took a seat on one of the wooden chairs and began to hum a tune to himself. Over the next few minutes monsters began to crawl out of the pit. Jaws that housed mandibles, carpaces breaking through flesh, black spheres sitting in place of eyes. Antennae stretched into the air as they sniffed around, chittering and growling all the while.

"There we go. Some pure canon fodder. They can be mass produced easily enough given the facilities. They're not really my preference, rarer materials are better after all! But still, you could keep the things going for a while. Fast as a cheetah, strong as a gorilla, can resist a good amount of bullet shots before going down. They still have a few tricks but they're... fairly stupid. I would send them in with the zombies. Maybe even before them."