Okay, but. Here’s a (SPOILERY!) thought that occurred to me in the shower this morning, after last night’s episode of Critical Role.
The “going rate” for a dragon’s egg doesn’t exist, as it’s a Legendary Item, but the general consensus seems to be “tens or hundreds of thousands of gold”.
Create Undead costs something like fifty gold per hit dice per creature being raised (like how Resurrection costs the destruction of an item worth at least 10,000 -- Create Undead requires the destruction of gems worth at least 50 gold, which are then turned into useless shells).
The spell description for Create Undead - the necessary method of creating more powerful undead - specifically states that the created undead are not automatically under the caster’s control (not like with Animate Dead, which can make instantly obedient skeletons or zombies).
Raishan got three questions with Thordak’s corpse, by virtue of Speak With Dead, and “how do I restore myself” is only one, right?
So Raishan’s posthumous conversation with Thordak begins, which Vax’ildan is of course overhearing, although Vex’ahlia’s the only one who speaks Draconic in the party (aside from Kima, who I assume can, because she is The Best, BAHAMUT LYFE) so instead of stabbing, Vax creeps a bit closer without being seen, and the conversation goes out over Vox Machina’s earpieces (general merriment ensues when Matt describes Kima grabbing Percy’s ear and hauling him low enough for her to listen, too).
Raishan, naturally, asks how to restore herself. Thordak’s body -- not really built for Greater Restoration -- answers that the human who previously resided in his lair, the fair-haired one from the Ivory Tower, could do it.
Raishan does that little chuckle Matt does when Ripley’s just noticed something funny, and says that if that’s the case, she and the human will have a nice long chat, later. But first...
Kima recognizes “he’s talking about Allie, SHE’S TALKING ABOUT ALLIE, KNEW WE COULDN’T TRUST HER, I’LL KILL THAT RAAAARGYL”, and while the rest of the party tries to keep her from charging into immediate peril, Vex is still listening, and hears question two.
Raishan’s second question is “Thordak, Cinder King, murdered by humans and their worthless kind, for what do you hunger?", and there’s a long silence.
As somebody smooching somebody who’s been inhabited by Orthax (even if Thordak isn’t; Matthew Mercer just knows how to make everyone at the table shit a brick at once), and also somebody who knows better than maybe anybody, that the dead have to be convinced to return to life, Vex recognizes this immediately as A Bad Thing, and begins screaming over the earring that brother, you’ve got to stop her, you’ve got to kill her now --
Raishan reveals a tiny phylactery - a wondrous item crafted over the very long, long, game she’s been playing as Vox Machina scampers around the globe collecting treasures - and asks, “If you knew that returning to life would mean returning as my slave, but I could promise you revenge on Vox Machina, on their families, on all who have ever sheltered them or loved them, would you willingly return and serve me?”
“BROTHER, PLEASE, YOU’VE GOT TO KILL HER NOW!”
And while Vax is scrambling up Thordak’s corpse to try and stab Raishan in the nose, and everyone starts running down that steep tunnel, Raishan casually crushes a clawful of immeasurably valuable dragon eggs under one foot to pay the resurrection piper, and so rises Thordak, cheesed-off dracolich.
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