Maxwell took a moment as he senses had to take in light for the first time in what he felt was a very long time. Maxwell slowly looked around the new place he found himself in and for the first time in what felt like centuries saw something other than unending void though the new place he found himself in was no less strange.
It was a strange ever changing landscape where the hives of different giant insects where constantly colliding with the mountains belonging to dragons which were pushing through oceans belonging to kraken. Maxwell wasn't entirely sure how any of what was going on around him worked but before he could start to lose his mind to the constantly shifting landscape he heard a polite cough behind him.
So Maxwell turned and beheld the being that the hand that had guided him to the new realm belonged to. It just like the landscape around him was constantly shifting gaining and losing limbs as it formed shifted from a hybrid of a centaur and ogre to that of a dragon and a crab. For a moment the two just stared at each other taking in the others presence before the being before Maxwell spoke.
" Welcome lost soul Into my domain. I am the god of monsters Phabium for the world of Zostrora I have called you here to bargain for your aid." Said Phabium who waited with trepidation for Maxwell's response to a possible offer from a being as terrifying as him.
Maxwell merely stared at Phabium for a moment before responding. " Yes." Maxwell said agreeing to whatever Phabium wanted not bargaining at all on his end of the deal. The sudden agreement clearly shocked Phabium who was currently in the form of an eight headed harpy.
Phabium looked at Maxwell for a moment trying to think of the words he should say but found he could only ask one. " Why?" Phabium asked wanting to get to the bottom of the sudden agreement considering what little he knew was what his colleagues had told him about these summonings which had told him that he should be offering an arm and a leg not getting an easy yes.
" You saved me." Maxwell said with a blank stare and suddenly Phabium understood this soul was not some normal person torn from their world and offered great power as compensation. No this was a lost soul that had been trying to escape being to devoured in the void for who knows how long.
Seeing the pain in the stare of Maxwell Phabium spoke again. " I am in need of a ruler to lead my people in age where they are slaughtered for sport would you lead them in thisbdark hopeless time." Phabium asked again being sure that Maxwell knew what he was getting into to which Maxwell merely nodded and eager yes to.
Seeing that Maxwell was still eager to return the favor of freeing him from the void whether the task was doable or even survivable. So to try and return Maxwell's blind eagerness he began to show Maxwell the hundreds of options he had available to him as Phabium was the god that ruled over the entire monster pantheon and so could provide any monster race as a starting option.
For a while the near limitless possibilities scrolled in front of Maxwell in a blue light. For a long moment the endless options caused Maxwell head to spin as he saw monsters he'd heard off ones he could guess the nature of and hundreds more he couldn't even pronounce.
Phabium saw that Maxwell was overwhelmed by his options and decided it would be better to ask if he had preferences for a specific monster. " My brave lost soul would you perhaps have a favored you would like to choose?" Phabium asked to which Maxwell nodded rapidly causing Phabium to stop the floating blue scroll to stop showing its endless options and both it and Phabium to wait for Maxwell to tell them what monster he liked best.
Maxwell took a moment to shake of the dizziness the endless list clgoing by his eyes had caused once he did he spoke. " I would like to choose an undead race." Maxwell said wanting to become the ruler of a race he played the most as. Phabium nodded to the request and had the scroll show basic undead races for him to rule over as the more advanced ones would have far too specific requirements to function.
Zombies - those who have been brought back through flesh tend to be far tougher and stronger than other undead of similar power but in return for their toughness and strength they lose their intelligence and speed meaning as a ruler of them you would be expected to be the brain behind everything
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Starter building: flesh pit- simply throw any loose flesh you can find into it and watch as the zombies began to flow out of it.
Lord form: great grey brain- a giant brain made out of grey flesh that is usually found deep within a zombie horde it is able to command and controll every zombie in the horde as well as use their senses ti view the world.
bonuses to simple siege building and hard labor negatives to research
Skeletons- these undead are made from the bones of the deceased and in a pinch they do not even be a full skeleton and can be made from a pile of spare bones. Skeletons lack the strength and toughness of their zombie counterparts but they muchup for such short comings with their skill as they carry the skill of the bones they are made from slowing them to master craftsman or warriors of legend depending on the bones their made of though to a lesser degree than to their living counter part.
Starter building: bone chamber- a stone cavern is dug deep into the earth where bones are thrown in and form together to form a new skeletal undead once they have enough pieces.
Lord form: giant bone amalgamation - the greatest bones of the skeletal legion are found and gathered for their lord to form his form so that he may march upon the world with only the greatest of the collective might of the legion.
Bonuses to skilled labor negative to hard labor
Ghost- more the memory of someone than actually being someone ghost are living memories of those who once were. Their incorporeal state keeps them from being hurt by your standard warriors but easily slain by any basic mage. As such most ghost are only threat to societies that don't respect mage craft.
Starter building: hall of memories- a hallway filled with dark items that call forth ghost related to the objects stored in the hall.
Lord form: visage of the past- the darkest of memories from the most broken of spirits are gathered to form the horrific body of the Lord.
Bonuses to research negatives to building and labor
Maxwell looked at his three choices for the starting options that branches of to all manor of undead. Looking at them he had already figured a few things but if he wanted to accomplish his task he should be sure so he decided he should ask. " The great Phabium would you mind going over how the status of monster ruler works so I'm sure I've what I'm choosing." Maxwell asked politely to which Phabium nodded.
" Of course I would be glad too." Phabium said before pointing to the list of options. " Each undead race had it's advantages and disadvantages as you no dought know." Phabium stated to which Maxwell nodded his agreement.
" Well then since you know the obvious we can move into the advance. Each of undead races will provide you a body for your new undead life as a ruler. Each of them provided different benefits and weakness they will also be affected by the strength of the kingdom you build." Phabium explained to Maxwell who gave a happy smile at the thought of such a cool form after so long being a glowing light in the void.
" That sounds awesome great Phabium but just to be sure if everything how do the starter building work. I figure there the building I start with but surely not the only I can have." Maxwell asked politely to which Phabium quickly gave his assurance to.
" Your of course they will be the building you start off with in your new undead land but you will build others as you grow and expand your undead kingdom." Phabium said answering Maxwell question and putting any fears he might have had about his building option to rest.
" Well then that's all the question I had the only thing to do now is decide." Maxwell said for a moment thinking on it then remembering his old skeleton knights and wanting to create real ones to command which ended up being the deciding factor. " I chose skeleton." Maxwell said in a confident voice.
Phabium nodded and raised his hand causing a portal to form." Then go forth new ruler of bones and build your kingdom!" Phabium declared to which Maxwell with firm eyes walked through the portal and found himself in a tunnel of pale light that carried him for a long time.
Eventually the light show ended and he found himself about to land in a pile of bones in an old cave when a gold hand covered in pictographs swatted him to the side sending him somewhere far from where he was suppose to be. He found himself as a skeleton flying threw the air and shattering against several tree his bones scattering across the forest until he was just a skull.
Maxwell took a moment to let the agony to pass as him as he felt the pain of all his bones having been violently broken off. Once the pain finally passed he looked around with the undead sight all skeleton had and saw he was in forest that was very much the magical kind of the fairies dancing around the forest creatures were anything to go by. "Well that could have started better." Maxwell said to himself as he tried to figure out how exactly he was going to start his undead kingdom as he was? Or had he already failed at the start.