Lewascan2

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

@Lewascan2 I should mention that as a point of contrast, the djinni does actually care about the warlock’s well being, unlike a certain Changeling Bard.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

Heh, true as that may be, best count on Malcer to constantly be the voice of caution in any situation, just on principle. There's a reason his WIS is higher than his CHA. He's basically made to be the voice of reason and restraint from more "enthusiastic" elements in the party. And he just inherently sees power that isn't entirely one's own as inferior. So, he generally looks down on the idea of making deals for power, whether it be Warlock, Cleric or otherwise.

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

<Snipped quote by Lewascan2>

Ciel: "...If we were given a second life here, then it was for a reason, right...? What if we were brought here for a specific purpose? And besides..."

*raises lamp and gestures to it*

"He's probably going to give me some kind of request, sooner or later..."

@Guardian Angel Haruki

Malcer: "If we were brought here for a reason, then we find that reason and work to accomplish it alone. If there is a price for our power, we pay it and be done with it... But there's no reason to go out of our way to solve every injustice in the world. Why increase our burden needlessly? Why court conflict unprovoked? If there is a task before us, then no other concern matters. Rather than risk our lives, should we not quietly improve and prepare? Certainly, there's something to be said for experience, but nothing says we cannot acquire that experience carefully, rather than inviting disaster by reaching above our station."

His dark pits for eyes stare at the lamp in what might have been a glare if he had flesh.

"And you would be served well in discovering the exact terms of this 'pact' of yours... assuming they are not clear already. Understand fully what may be expected of you, what you are obligated to provide and what you are entitled to recieve in return."

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

Daniel: "So... Do you think this world has an Empire we can take over and turn into a Constitutional Monarchy?"

@Letter Bee

Malcer: "Aiming a little high, are we? I don't see any compelling reason to make such waves."

Bartholomew: *To Malcer* I believe Undead counts among them, right?
*To Daniel* Why go for a Constitutional Monarchy when we can be the Dictators in a Dictatorship!

Ciel: *sighs*

@Guardian Angel Haruki

Malcer: "Rulership sounds like a chore... And Necromancer I may be, but I'm no megalomaniac. Let tyrants be tyrants. As long as it's not our problem, I don't see a reason to overthrow them. Why should we risk our lives for a crown of thorns? Better to fly under the radar and live fruitful, unobtrusive lives. This is a second chance, after all. We shouldn't be so quick to throw it away."

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

<Snipped quote by Letter Bee>

In the Isekai World though...he doesn't have to be nice.

Bartholomew: "I'd like to see you try, Shrimp!"

Ciel: "Daniel, No. He's not worth it,"

@Guardian Angel Haruki

Malcer: "There are far more productive things to kill than each-other, so let's keep things civilized?"

Internally: Fight, fight, fight-

Deeper Down; Just give me a reason, motherfu-!

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

<Snipped quote by Lewascan2>

I'm thinking they probably met when Ciel was in late Middle School to Early High School considering the three year gap, and Bartholomew appeared during her college years.

Ciel was up for trying new things before Bartholomew, and realizing that it's easier for him to connect, so she would have been more than happy to try out Tabletop RPG if she had the invitation. After that, she would definitely stay connected with him online, until Bartholomew intervenes.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

Read my mind.

I would say for maximum dramatic impact from Barthalomew's interference, they met in high-school, yeah, and that way, they'd have been able to know each-other for 3-4 years before Ciel hit college and Asshole McSmarm entered the picture to cut her off from everyone else.

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

@Lewascan2 Oh! Just to check with you, how do you think Malcer and Ciel became friends?

I was thinking maybe it would be a combo of meeting at school and online for the both of them.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

Malcer's got three years on her, so the most likely time for them to have met was either in college or in high school. Either way, the age gap means they likely only knew each-other a year or so at most before Malcer would have to move on due to graduation, and they'd have had to stay in contact online past that. Malcer was probably hosting -or participating in- some form of tabletop RPG in either case that he might have invited her to try out if they hit it off, as it's the way he'd have found it easiest to connect to people back then.

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

Even though we technically aren't using the stats for much of anything in an official sense, might as well... XD

Malcer Stats (Point Buy)

9 Strength
14 Dexterity (Racial +2)
12 Constitution
16 Intelligence (Racial +1)
14 Wisdom
10 Charisma

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

<Snipped quote by Lewascan2>

Ah! I see what you mean now! XD

@Guardian Angel Haruki

This is why he has WIS 14 and Insight/Investigation proficiency. lol
I considered trying to squeeze some CHA skills in to play off his roleplaying history, but there were better choices.

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

<Snipped quote by Lewascan2>

Yup. She would have said "I'm fine,", but Malcer would easily be able to tell that she wasn't.

Bartholomew would probably notice that Malcer isn't generally the most "in-person socialized", and would use that to his advantage. He probably would have answered his clarification questions in a way that would have seemed like a save to others, but would have been a deliberate diss that only Malcer would pick up on.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

When I say Malcer isn't "socialized", it's a bit of an odd thing. See, he's a role-player, right? He uses voice-chat. He does actually talk to people and understand socialization, engages with people and understands social nuance. He just doesn't like doing it in person. He gets uncomfortable, does that thing where he doesn't look people in the face and talks to them with them in the corner of his vision. Before the isekai, he had a bad habit of not paying attention to the body language of other people (or, in fact, sometimes looking like he's not paying attention to them at all), which is why he comes across as "living in his own head" at times.

But he does pay attention to tone of voice, to the actual words coming out of someone's mouth, the context. He's an overthinker, a hyperfixater. The reason he doesn't pay attention to body language is often because he subconsciously considers it "unnecessary", because he's learned how to do with reading people without it via his preferred online interaction. So, when he does actually pay attention to body language, when he actually starts trying, he's very keen eyed. It's just that most of the time, he doesn't bother. It all comes back to that lack of empathy in him. He normally doesn't care what other people are feeling, what they're trying to convey...

But when he does-

D&D Isekai: Render Unto Them A New World

<Snipped quote by Lewascan2>

Oh yeah, Ciel would have come off as drastically different. Before Bartholomew, Ciel was much more cheerful and a little more outgoing. She wouldn't have been the type to just drift away when it came to her friends and family. At the theme park, she would have been quiet, self-deprecating, and apologetic to Malcer. She probably have apologized to him for a normal conversations they had in the past, with her thinking that she insulted him somehow, while Malcer clearly remembers it as a normal conversation.

As for Bartholomew, it might have been obvious that he was a piece of hot garbage from the start. I imagine he tries to endear himself to her friends at first, while subtly undercutting them with backhanded compliments. When he sees that the friends see him for who he truly is, he stops trying to make them like him and simply focuses on Ciel.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

I'm sure Ciel's new attitude would spark some measure of confusion in Malcer at first, which begins to transition into concern the more he is exposed to the new her and how she acts around Bartholomew. Being nonconfrontational, Malcer wouldn't have been the first to make accusations or anything, but he would perhaps have asked her "if she was alright" if he ever got her relatively alone. And I'm sure her response would be less than encouraging.

Owing to the fact that Malcer wasn't generally the most "in-person socialized" and kinda lived in his own head a lot of the time, he's the kind of person that when receiving one of these backhanded compliments would either humbly shrug it off, miss the compliment part entirely, or directly ask for clarification if he's confused on the intent. Which, naturally, Bartholomew wouldn't really be able to do without digging his hole deeper. Malcer's lack of socialism in some respects leads him to be blunter at times and cut through social shenanigans. A short "I'm sorry?" or "in what way?" and so on might start to see Bartholomew's facade unravel in Malcer's eyes.

Now that I think more about it..I imagine Bartholomew went behind Ciel's back and sent a message from Ciel's phone/email to all of her friends. While pretending to be her, he basically tried to tell everyone that Ciel doesn't need them anymore and that she was never going to speak to them again.

The potential giveaways that it wasn't Ciel writing those messages?

1. Bartholomew tried to make Ciel sound flippant and uncaring so that her friends and family would be angry and not want to speak with her anymore.

2. He used emojis in the message when Ciel doesn't use emojis for serious messages like that.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

You bet the first thing Malcer would think is to ask "Did you get hacked?/What's this about?" on some alternative social media connection if he received such a weird message, complete with screenshot. Although, if Bartholomew was already that deep, it's certainly questionable if that inquiry would ever have reached Ciel.