[He answers her joke with a warm smile. Emmrich doubts she's going to try stealing it, but even if she did he has faith enough in his abilities to get it back. If all else fails, the spirits will hold her for him.]

Did he?

[he asks with continued amusement as he takes her staff and weighs it in his hand. The way she said 'adored' leads him to believe that too is a joke. He passes it back, and much of the amusement fades away as she keeps talking.]

It should never be making evil undead eat villages, or be about grinding anyone under a heel. Necromancy should involve respect for the dead, living, and otherwise. There are always those who will strike out with whatever fragments of power they can obtain, but that is not unique to corrupt necromancers.

[Emmrich knows he has a higher ideal of necromancy than many in the mortalitasi, but the Mourn Watch is different. Or it at least should be.]

Let that be your first lesson regarding necromancy. Respect is key. If you respect the spirits and the other beings you work with, they will, for the most part, respect you. And the first step in stylishness should be your stance. Stand stably, with clear confidence. You are magic. It is yours to wield, and with it we show the world what it can be.