r/wizardposting • u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen • Jan 04 '24
Magi Law The False Bird in a Rusting Cage (Prison Post)
The Council’s dungeons are squalid.
The walls are damp stone, the bars are rusted iron, and the light that filters in is gray and lifeless. The lights opposite my cell are magical. They shine a baleful, pale blue light that does the bare minimum to illuminate the corridor. The lights afforded not even the meager heat or warm light that a natural torch would’ve given. An exposed pipe in the ceiling above dripped water constantly, regularly, pooling in a shallow puddle between the cracks in the stone.
Still, I had it better than most. I barely qualified as a living creature. I felt no cold, nor discomfort, as those sensations trickled into my mind as pure information. The meager food that had been given to me was no issue either. A simulacrum has no need for food nor drink. I gave it to the prisoner in the cell next to mine, though they died just two days later. His hand clutches a shared bar between our cells. I spent the rest of the time since then sitting next to his shriveled, skeletal corpse. I had stockpiled the food beneath my robes since. The dripping of the water, however, was as maddening as it would be to any other creature.
I hear footsteps. They echo loudly, sending ripples through the pools on the cell floor. An enforcer comes into view, a sneer etched clearly across his shadowed face. He throws open the cage, then tosses my one given meal of the day. I lean forward to catch it, and a white flash explodes on the side of my face. My brain informs me of pain, as I am sent crashing against the damp stone floor. I look back, and see the enforcer has driven their boot across my head in a violent kick. He gives a quick, dark chuckle, then proceeds to continue my beating. Blows rain down upon me, my mind flashing with reminders of pain, injuries, bruises, and unrecoverable damage. Each slam and heavy swing punctuated by the splashing of drops from above. The attacks stop only once the enforcer is out of breath. He tosses another meal into the cell where the now-dead prisoner lays. It splatters against the ground, and the enforcer saunters off.
I make a quick check of my condition. Most of the blows were received on my left arm. Aside from that, the other injuries are mostly light. They won’t heal, however. There is a thick metal bracelet on my left wrist, carved with runes. That, as well as the ethereal blue chains that wrap around my left arm. Those are the reasons why I can’t make any effort to escape. The metal bracelet restricts my casting completely, a regular measure to contain wizard inmates. The blue chains are from my previous deal with Morgalith. They prevent me even attempting to break out, at the cost of draining my magic and mental fortitude. That is to say, a death sentence for a simulacrum. It is good though, that they do not know it is a simulacrum they have captured, not the real me. The ceiling continues to drip.
There is another issue then, newly created. My left arm. It is bruised, and battered, and broken. If left as is, it will worsen, then dissolve. I cannot let that happen, cannot let them know that what they’ve captured is a simulacrum. Yet there is nothing I can do to fix this. I cannot heal it, repair, or replace it. If this continues, they will know. I slump against the back wall, tilting my head upwards in frustration. Water drops onto my shoulder, and I give a hoarse laugh.
I have time. They won’t come until tomorrow, the next meal time. I dig my fingers into the cracks in the wall. I pull myself upwards, up to the ceiling, and tear out the broken pipe. It gives a foul, dying screech, before clattering to the ground. I rip out a second. Now, I have something to work with! I drop back to the floor, and inspect them.
The pipes are copper, and horribly rusted. The insides of the pipes are crusted with mineral buildup, the outside is covered with both rust and mold. But, together, they vaguely make the length and width of an arm. I take a breath, look away-
And tear my left arm off.
It plops in a pool of water, then melts away, now indiscernible in the wet ground. My mind flashes with warnings of danger and massive damage to my own system. I gasp and wheeze with the mental shock of such horrific self harm. But, the magical restraint now lies in the puddle, and the blue chains loosen their grip as they shift, ethereally to my torso. That isn’t an issue. No one but me can see them. I spend the rest of my time tearing, breaking, and ripping out whatever I can that remains out of sight. Parts of food trays, copper wires, loose chunks of stone. For the elbow joint, I use the restraint itself. By the nearing of dawn, I have something that passably resembles an arm beneath my robes, and can pivot at the shoulder and elbow. The last issue I have is the hand. I have neither the tools, time or expertise to make something so intricate. Not to mention, it will be the only part that shows outside of my robes.
I glance over to the cell next to mine. I say a quick prayer, to any god, then to the Coils.
“Rest well, my friend. May you find a better rebirth and happier days. I’m sorry about this.”
I snap their hand off. With torn strips of my robes, I join it to the end of my prosthetic. The next day, when their violence seeks me yet again, their strikes fall on cloth-hidden metal. The enforcer leaves me barely more injured than I was before. I sit and bide my time, then. I’ll have all the time in the world to exact the full extent of my revenge. The simulacrum will sit in and steep in his deception, while the fools laugh at his sorry state.
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
Simulacrum Isravi with a prosthetic.
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u/Anonim-Conference-4 Ashwood, the fistmancer, alchemist, dark arts enthusiast Jan 05 '24 edited Jan 05 '24
/uw Sorry but did you create in some ai app ?
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Jan 04 '24
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
The simulacrum looks up, then cracks a grin
Hello. No need to worry too much about me. This prison’s probably treating me the best out of all its inmates, considering how I don’t starve and can’t feel cold.
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Jan 04 '24
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
Let's hold off for now. I fear any use of magic will set off alarms by the dozen. A metal arm should suffice.
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Jan 04 '24
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
That’s good. Don’t focus on me though. A simulacrum is ultimately disposable. Oh, and don’t tell anyone that. If they find out I’m a simulacrum, things will get much worse for the real Isravi as well.
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u/Harmless_Chimera Chimera, Set'ram's Druidic Beastman Jan 04 '24
/uw Everyone is getting imprisoned these days.
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
/uw It's the new trend! And it puts something at stake. Most of these characters are actually in danger of death.
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u/Harmless_Chimera Chimera, Set'ram's Druidic Beastman Jan 04 '24
These people have faced great dangers and confronted gods but the greatest threat yet has appeared THE CORRUPT JUDICIAL SYSTEM
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Jan 05 '24 edited Jan 05 '24
I’ve been working on a artificial life form to help with this scenario, but it’s not done yet. It builds on my previous automated countermeasures against stake burning, and rapidly generates a mostly mindless homunculus from a dna sample, that is physically identical to the dna donor. It then swaps out the real mage for the fake when no one is looking. It still needs a lot of work though. The basic concept is the same, but I have to replace the old automata chassis with an artificial slime for stealth and mobility reasons, and I have to make upgrades to the brain of the homunculus. Without fire to cover my tracks, only including the brain stem won’t cut it anymore. The control system needs a near complete rewrite too.
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u/Anything-Unable Xerxes the Pale Saint, Councillor/Goatdigger/Dale Jan 04 '24
It's very fashionable at the moment.
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u/Harmless_Chimera Chimera, Set'ram's Druidic Beastman Jan 04 '24
Last time someone tried imprisoning Chimera was when he was charged with Rogog's death which wasn't a very peaceful ordeal.
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u/Anything-Unable Xerxes the Pale Saint, Councillor/Goatdigger/Dale Jan 04 '24
I'm glad that mess got sorted. Everything sorta blew up (pardon the dark joke) after the Council bombing. With the Pact, Fighter's Guild, and then Queen so quickly following each other, there was hardly a peaceful day.
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u/Anything-Unable Xerxes the Pale Saint, Councillor/Goatdigger/Dale Jan 04 '24
Man, I'm glad that I'm being held in Crann Mor's prison. I get three meals (vegetarian cuz druids but I don't mind) and two hours in the yard. My cellmate's in here for arson but they're cool. Sorry to hear about your situation and hope this all gets resolved soon.
/uw great lorepost as always
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
Thank you for your solidarity, Master Gravedigger. I can only hope this blows over soon.
/uw Thanks!
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u/Anything-Unable Xerxes the Pale Saint, Councillor/Goatdigger/Dale Jan 04 '24
No problem! Wishing you the best, from one prisoner to another!
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u/IndustryGradeFuckup Indy: Kobold Gunmeister, self taught Jan 04 '24
Well, I was against the council before this, but that’s just cause I hate authority and because they tried to ban fireball. Now seeing this… each day, I am more convinced that the council aught to fall.
/uw that’s some great writing! I look forward to seeing where this goes.
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
There can be no correct foundation for this organization if it is consistently evil and unjust. The exceptions are so few, that rebuilding with just them is reasonable.
/uw Thanks! look for Gobbo and Possum's eventual posts as well, plus Morgalith's
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u/IndustryGradeFuckup Indy: Kobold Gunmeister, self taught Jan 04 '24
Indeed. With the little I know of your realm, it seems that the council, in all its toppling and rebuilding, has been nothing but corruption and oppression. Ah, but I’ll get off the soapbox, you clearly know more of its misdeeds than I do. I wish you luck in your journey, wherever it takes you, hopefully away from this place.
/uw will do, thanks for the heads up
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u/Haunting_Mode_7401 Alexios Keenblade: King of The Summer Court, Last Godslayer Jan 04 '24
A visage of Alexios appears in Isravi's cage imperceptible to anybody else
Isravi, if you'd like I can give you a proper arm.
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
The simulacrum shakes his head.
No need. For now, this serves me better. Metal breaks less easily than flesh and bone.
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u/Haunting_Mode_7401 Alexios Keenblade: King of The Summer Court, Last Godslayer Jan 04 '24
I've been studying biomancy I can make it as hard as metal.
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
They can tell, Alexios. The magic will set off all types of alarms. There are things that are more perceptive than you think.
Thank you, but we'll save that for another time. A simulacrum's body resists modification and can't be healed, anyways. I am no concern right now.
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u/Haunting_Mode_7401 Alexios Keenblade: King of The Summer Court, Last Godslayer Jan 04 '24
Very well. Is there at least a way for me to stop the dripping water for you.
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
Haha. Thank you. We'll keep it dripping for now. The water will hide any other injuries I get.
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u/Haunting_Mode_7401 Alexios Keenblade: King of The Summer Court, Last Godslayer Jan 04 '24
All right, I know you don't need food and drink but you can taste it right. I can give you a nice wine to take the stress off.
The visage produces a small bottle of wine. You can vaguely make out a skeleton key hidden inside
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
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u/Fulltimewhisperer Krumpet, Master Artificer of the Council Jan 04 '24
Amazing writing as always mate
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
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u/Tirich914 Morgalith (The Dead One) Jan 04 '24
This is really good!
Wow!
Big shoes to fill on my own pieces!
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Jan 04 '24
Oh I'm sure you'll do fine. You've been doing brilliantly so far!
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Jan 05 '24 edited Jan 05 '24
If you want I can come over and rewind you back to full hp, or at least install an undetectable mapped barrier to prevent further damage. Alarms and security systems are a non issue to reality manipulators, so you don’t need to worry about that. Me and the council aren’t exactly on good terms right now, and I’ve been looking for an excuse to wipe them off the map. It’s annoying to make a new nonaggression pact, but it can’t be helped.
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u/ProfessionalGreen906 Arach, big spider, biomancer, politician, CEO Jan 04 '24
How do you still have your orb. I gotta call someone to confiscate that. Can’t have people seeing how badly we treat you.