It was late summer when Aeziel and Kaere approached Lakota.

Lakota was working on a pile of paperwork - new residents of Splintyr, both dragon and non-dragon alike, had to be recorded, and the paperwork seemed never-ending. She looked up as the fox and the other wolf approached her, and a grin spread across her yellow-furred muzzle. "Hi, guys," she said. "What's up?"

Aeziel glanced at Kaere, and Kaere stared back at him. Neither spoke. The grin vanished from Lakota's face. "Oh, gods," she groaned, flopping her upper body onto the table in front of her. Paperwork scattered everywhere. "What now?"

Kaere said, "Aeziel found a necromancer."

Lakota blinked.

"In one of the Deep Pit caves," the fox said, as if this phrase somehow clarified everything.

"A necromancer," Lakota repeated.

"Yes," Aeziel said. "Actually, not IN the Deep Pit caves, but in one of the dry caves accessed through the shallows nearby. Linger's telepathy sensed the necromancer's mind, and Linger told Remyn-tyrr and Argentuss, and they told me."

"A necromancer," Lakota muttered, still splayed over the table. "It isn't even October yet!"

----------------

Aeziel's dragons brought Lakota and Kaere to the cave with Aeziel, the fox's water-magic abilities providing the two wolves with temporary waterbreathing. After the dragons had swum through the opening to the cave, which was underwater, they emerged into a large open area that felt almost like a subterranian colosseum. Linger was nowhere in sight, the Lavindwurm preferring deeper waters and deeper caves.

After the canids spent an inordinate amount of time shaking the water out of their fur, they looked around the cave.

The cave had numerous shafts that apparently led all the way back up to the surface, as daylight was filtering through them, lighting the entire cave in a dim way. Taking up a massive portion of the cave was a positively gargantuan stone altar, which looked like something you might find in a dictionary next to the phrase "stereotypically evil".

"Oh, come on," Lakota grumbled.

Bones and skulls littered the altar's surface, seemingly from numerous species, Schattarneki and anthropomorphic animals included. Half-melted candles were everywhere, all of them (of course) made from black wax. Scrolls were littered across the altar with no more organization than Lakota applied to the chaos of her paperwork. ("Very funny," Lakota muttered towards the cave's fourth wall.)

Shattered soul gems lay on the sandy ground surrounding the altar, and the canids picked their way cautiously around them as they approached the giant stone structure. "Linger says the necromancer is gone," Aeziel said. "He says the necromancer has been gone for a while now, but he senses other minds present. He says they feel strange. Unformed, he says."

Kaere was staring off to one side at an especially-sandy patch beyond the altar. "I think I know what he's talking about," she said slowly.

Lakota walked up to her and looked in the same direction. After a long moment, she said, "Kae, are those... plastic jack-o'-lantern buckets?"

"Yes," Kaere replied. "Yes, they are."

"And are those dragon eggs stuffed into the buckets?"

Kaere sighed. "Yes," she replied. "Yes, they are."

----------------

Skelenekki/Schattarskel Information:
(Partially-Skeletal Undead Schattarneki. Yes, they are technically "dracoliches".)

Feel free to refer to their species as whichever term tickles your fancy the most: Skelenekki, Schattarskel, Undead Schattarneki, Schattarneki Dracolich, or "haha, bone derg".

They are around the size of typical Schattarneki - between 10 - 15 feet (3 - 4.5 m) tall at the head, and 20 - 30 feet (6 - 9 m) long.

Basic Abilities:
Breath Weapon (poisonous mist), Verbal Speech, Telepathic Speech, Immunity to Poisons and Diseases, Immunity to Mind Control/Psychic Abilities, Ability to Speak to the Dead, Magical Flight, Cold/Ice Magic

They can fly, despite lacking wing-leather. None of them have "elbow spikes" (in traditional/living Schattarneki, Schatties that are born male possess elbow spikes.) This is because Lakota forgot to draw elbow spikes onto the lineart.

The fancy translucent magicky bits wafting from their wing-spikes are portals to Beyond. Don't stick your hand - or any other appendage - into them. Skelenekki can control this portaling ability, so they don't constantly send their riders Between every time they flap.

They are relatively impervious to damage and are nearly unkillable. They do possess a phylactery, a "soul jar" that was created simultaneously with each individual Skelenekki egg. Their spirit essence is contained within this phylactery (which looks suspiciously like a cheap plastic jack-o'-lantern Halloween candy bucket, because it IS a cheap plastic jack-o'-lantern Halloween candy bucket) and they can only be truly killed if the phylactery is destroyed. Yes, you can use the phylactery to store candy.

They CAN bond, but don't need to. They can bond to any sapient (does not need to be humanoid.) They're fine with multibonding. You learn to share when you're undead.

Despite being technically undead, they can still sire clutches and lay eggs. No one asks how. No one wants to know how.

dammit, Lakota!

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