[AusGre]

Entry 1

My research began when I entered the lands of the Netheril Imperium, a harbor town of Hadrian was to be my home for now and from it I began my career as a adventuring wizard. While my spells were of low-grade and my knowledge even more spare, I did not dwell on this and would only seek to expand what I knew. From my days outside the Imperium, I had with me a small wealth of arcane knowledge and at least some ability to cast during combat. My favored weapon for a long time had been the Hand Crossbow, my peers always told me to focus on my cantrip spells, but there may be a day where my spells would no longer function and I'd rather some skill with a mundane weapon.

My path began with the specialization of Necromancy, one could consider me a necromancer, but I liked to consider myself more than that. I did not wish to become undead or have mastery over the deathless arts, all I wished was to understand the forces of life and death. Necromancy was one part of that, the other Conjuration. Conjuration had long since been classified as the school for which priests and clerics drew their healing abilities from, despite their chosen god. So, from one hand I would wield necromancy and the other conjuration. The Art, has not found a way to copy the clerical healing abilities of The Power. However... I do not believe it is impossible, and understanding both spectrum of the path will perhaps enlighten myself and others to that.

On that, Necromancy has long been associated with the summoning and animation of the dead. Creeps and dark beings haunted their graveyards and crypts, stealing corpses and making their domain those that have been laid to rest there. My wonder, has always been why don't people simply burn their corpses? Unless they wished (or have the coin) to be resurrected, their bodies become pointless and just... Resource after a few weeks. If they truly wished to stop the roaming, hostile, dead they would simply need to burn the bodies and restructure their methods. I doubt the gods would care what happens to the body, they already have their souls. In theory at least. Unless we understand the connection of the afterlife to the mortal plane, we simply have faith and word of religion to rely on. Let it comfort those who need it, but let it not comfort those who seek truth in these matters.

While I don't much care for the animation of the dead, it is a necessary part of the necromantic arts and one I will not forget to practice and master. Besides... If anything has been revealed to me, it's that having a meat bag in front of you who is resistant to mind magic, fear and is generally a tough sonofabitch to kill is a great thing to have. Though, I will limit my practice to those of the skeleton nature or at least something more shaped of fine flesh. Not the rotting messes that are zombies, disgusting diseased things. They'll hardly to for appearance. As a side note, I wonder if a skeleton can still be animated encased in iron or perhaps gold? I ramble too much.

[AusGre]

Entry 2

My journey so far has been to learn the necromantic and conjurative spells that have been available to me so far. Some, I've discovered on my own time and others I've purchased through the Arcanist Guild. The Arcanist Guild is not something I'm fond of, some of their members are crude and more idiots than anything, I'll note not to associate them unless I have to, nor will I join them. I believe having to serve somebody else outside of my own desire may only prolong my time here. While I am starting to learn the connective arts of using Mage Hand on different skeletal pieces, it's only enough to make a hand wiggle or an arm bend. (Curious if I can make a skeleton hand slap a barmaiden's rear? Might be fun.) There has to be more connective arts that I'm not understanding, while looking at anatomy books and learning from healers, perhaps it has something to do with the muscles and sinew that allows them to move fluidly? Magic would be only to replace the need for such soft things. Perhaps, I need more solid components to test on? I will try to gather animal parts and see if I can cause the muscles to contract and expand as they would when they were alive. I know that there is a Huntsman in Hadrian who desires boar meat for coin, I'm sure he won't need pieces of the shoulders or legs. I must admit, I'm a little afraid to see what their hooves look like. Would make me think I'm more a boar than anything else.

Aside from the self-testing and research, I have found a curious case of powerful undead that roam a graveyard beyond the swamps near Hadrian. I looked at this graveyard and found it an oddity, the surface portion was small and did not even have a wall to surround it. Yet, built into the hillside, nearly jutting form the rock was a cavernous path downward, as if it was built long ago. I wonder if the surface graveyard was added for the bandits that roam the land nearby and the crypt was discovered only because of the crater hole that breaks the land in front of it. Beyond this formation, is the Red Mist that pours out from the crater, infecting the land nearby. Strange, white leathery-skinned undead, wearing dark robes patrol these lands. I'm not sure what to call them to be honest. There are also mist-covered skeletons that seem very resistant to magic. They are also strong of arm, carrying greatswords or dual daggers. Mist Skellies. What a dumb name.

An associate of mine, Belorfin, an Elven Wizard who is specialized in Illusion accompanied me into the crypt and to gather samples of the earth, bones and mist.

On Belorfin: Belorfin is an odd elf, or at least I consider him odd. He speaks like a human and does not much care if necromancy is practiced. I assumed (wrongly?) that all elves believed themselves 'above' such arts and condemned its practice wherever they go. Though, I'll be damned sure not to judge the man because of it. He accepts and is a helpful companion when dealing with adventures and quests.

I gathered the components to study and while I need to examine and make notes and all that fun stuff, I really do not feel safe doing so inside Hadrian. Inside an inn where somebody has my room key and where the walls are thin. Gods, people are annoying cunts. I'll have to find somewhere else to do my research. Do Wizards naturally gain a paranoia for others wanting their research? Is it an effect of the Art, perhaps? Something else to study in the long-term.