Undead

A group of undead warriors, bound to the will of their necromancer.

Through a variety of dark, mysterious rituals, necromancers are able to summon the souls of the dead and then bound them to a vessel. The undead are the deceased that have been revived once again. Typically, as the summoner, a necromancer's commands become absolute.

Necromancy

Human necromancers, even if they're a master in the art, can typically summon no more than three hundred undead, with the average being at around ten for an experienced Magi. This number becomes lower depending on the power of the souls they've revived, for instance, if a powerful Magi is brought back, this may count as a hundred average undead.

Relics of Azrael, scattered throughout Eternia, and legendary for the destructive events they've caused, greatly enhance a necromancer's power. A novice to necromancy can summon hundreds of undead if they possess one of these tools, for instance. A master necromancer scales into the thousands.

History

The founder of this magic is Azrael; the strongest Angel, excluding Kraus. His desire was to use it to destroy all of humanity and then revive them all, bound to his command as immortal beings. Azrael's abilities in necromancy were so great that his undead possessed flawless bodies which could regenerate entire limbs almost instantly, and was able to command hundreds of thousands of undead.

Azrael's initial creation of necromancy comprised of rending apart the barrier between the earth and the heavens- Permanently scarring and rending the barrier that would ordinarily protect the stars from mortal meddling. The very act lead to his fall, staining his wings black with the selfish shortsightedness and utter madness it required.

Whilst many undead have practiced their art throughout history, the most notable of Valmasian history are Samael Cnila, the devoted Azraelite who unearthed Azrael's Fist and unleashed it unto the world to raise a horrific army to serve his dark deity- The east from Byson to Tilandre was summarily conquered, to be defeated by the convening of Valmasia's living in Danarium. Namarre Sakete and her rise to power through the same artifact and the reclaiming of Alteros.

Two major necromancers created horrific fodder and monstrosities for the mimics that arose, the copy of Namarre, and the doppleganger of a rising |Malpercian occultist of great power, Kudlak Malpercius. The Lich King Dominic Falco, childhood friend and advisor to Empress Aria Hirano, commanded terror and obedience from the people of Nostvale with the aid of the coldstar, Acrux he created as an amplifier. Known for his ruthless killing and exploitation for the corpses of the most potent drakanites of his era, a triad of bone dragons heeded his call.

Binding an Undead

To conjure an undead, the summoner must either possess a physical link or the soul itself to bind. The most reliable physical link is a piece of the intended's flesh, or ideally, the entire body. This includes ash from the bone.

Once used to summon an undead, the remains of circuits are burnt out of what is left of the body if the soul departs. They may never be raised again.

Mimics are unable to be revived through necromancy- These magical aberrations, forged of meteors and orichalcum, are an utterly accidental byproduct and twisted corruption to the lifestream. As a result, necromancy has no result on their usually rapidly deteriorating bodies.

Undead

The undead are the result of the necromancer's work, shambling, dying or dead abominations with their soul half sewn into their body to serve once more.

Regardless of the person's personality, as an undead, they produce unnatural amounts of depravity that can interfere with the life stream's flow. In large numbers, an undead horde can bring forth an onset of natural disasters if they're not stopped.

'Life' as an undead is either painful, or numb. Sensation and feeling remains regardless of the state of decomposition, and until the body fully rots away, is painful, aching and agonizing as they feel themselves slowly die. Oftentimes, they are plagued with phantom aches, pains, and urges, with no satisfaction.

When they become nothing but bones, sensation is robbed from them, as well as most methods of expression. The ties of mana circuits, invisible as they are, will hold the bones together as the nature of necromancy involves the soul's hold on the framework of the body to use it akin to the living.

Letting undead try to eat is generally inadvisable.

Necromancy itself does not restart the organs no matter how much healing is done or how intact the corpse is, it merely binds the soul to the body.

Unless an undead is summoned by Azrael, their soul is unable to co-ordinate itself and sync with the body to maximum effect. This typically entails slightly reduced battle abilities and the rotting of the body itself.

Autonomy

The necromancer is able to determine the amount of free will their summoned undead possess, in most cases. A powerful necromancer can strip them of their will completely. In most cases, the dead are half spared their indignities due to the suppression of their will, and perhaps being mostly processed of their memories by a star to little more than hazy attachments.

Depending on the power of the soul, they can refuse the necromancer's commands to be summoned. In addition to this, they can also resist the will of a necromancer, especially during plagues, a time when they're empowered by the depravity. An especially powerful warrior may end up defeating their summoner and regaining control.

The bonds that tether the undead to this world against the lifestream can only survive so long without a necromancer to provide them mana. Without a necromancer or some form of link, undead begin to crumble and weaken within a few years, most dead by five.

Liches

Liches are usually the pinnacle of a necromancer's art; Preserving themselves for eternity, or so they hope.

Binding themselves as undead through a complicated ritual of confining their soul to an external focus to manipulate their remains, a lich is effectively the master of itself and theoretically capable of 'living eternally'... If eternal life as the undead counts. Nonetheless, they are their own masters, and are often not diminished from their power in life. Such creatures are fearsome and most assuredly, no longer human.

Destroying the lich's body leaves it 'powerless', but the powerful, depraved magi trapped within the soul gem should not be underestimated. While it has never been explored, these objects may be capable of influencing or possessing a bearer, if not destroyed.

Known Undead

These individuals no longer may be revived by necromancy.

Destroyed

• Samael Cnila, lich
• Konaa Hirano, raised by Namarre Sakete
• Alexandra Akinseer, raised by Namarre Sakete
• Eline Sakete, raised by Namarre Sakete
• Kaida Blackburn, raised by Dominic Falco
• Azor Qaelchel(Rachel von Samson II), raised by Dominic Falco
• Angus Kathal, raised by Dominic Falco
• Antolynn Avharain, raised by Eutan Haruke
• Theodore Brennte, raised by Eutan Haruke

Intact

• Demergo Veltican(?), raised by Namarre Sakete
• Ulfdyr the Fair, raised by Dominic Falco
• Dominic Falco, lich
• Olivia 'Tinker' Falco, raised by Dominic Falco