The Apotheosis of the Liches [Lich Lore Update]

[Swgrclan 2632]

“Thus the living, lone and sobbing,

In the throes of anguish throbbing,

With the loathsome Furies robbing

Night and noon of peace and rest.

But beyond the groans and grating

Of abhorrent Life, is waiting

Sweet Oblivion, culminating

All the years of fruitless quest.”

 

The Common Antiquity

(Modern & Ancient Lore)

 

“In the beginning,

 

Liches were only known as servants of Iblees. Identified by a mastery of black arcane and a form devoid of all flesh, these masters of fire and shadow walked the old lands and spreadt havoc in their wake. They felt no pain - no burns of hot suns’ rays, no frigid chill of the winter’s cold ways, no remorse to hinder their foul, wretched acts, and no happiness when bound to their pacts. Though there were many Undead, very little of them took to the term ‘Lich’, and when they did it was to display the prowess of their dark masters’ powers.

 

One such Lich is known as the legendary Necromancer Cataris, whom upon being enslaved by the Fallen One as a ghoul, sought to ascend to higher power without the dark lord’s assistance. Through the modern-Aegisian ages, he toiled to gain power until he ranked as one of the greatest in Iblees’ ranks; and thereafter spited the Red God after the descendents fled to the Verge following the defeat of Iblees and the subsequent disconnection of the Undead. Cataris spited his old master by holding onto his undeath -- by fabricating a means to remain as he was without the gifts of a Daemon. It was in Asulon that the old Archmage delved into the secrets of Voidal Arcane and, miraculously, the first generation of Liches were borne after the completion of his studies.

 

But these Liches, while powerful, were few. The weight of time broke their backs where mortal weapons failed to. Eventually the first independent Liches fell to nothingness, with their chapter concluding as Cataris himself was subjected to the failure of his phylactery; a sudden, frightening demise in which his world was swallowed by darkness instantly, casting him finally to the throes of true-death.

 

Another age to pass, and the Liches rise once more - yet, not so much as the feared revenants that they once were. This second generation of Liches were bound to be slaves to the new brand of Anthos Necromancers, whom had been heralded by the magi Jynx and old Overlord Wrothgar. The ancient, godless art had been revitalized unknowingly, but with the return of Mortal Necromancy came also the meddlings of the Necronomicon - the book of Undead powers, borne of Daemonic secrets. This made way to lessening the Lichkind with notions of enslavement and bindings derived directly from the enfleshed grimoire itself.

 

But in the age in which Xionism was still being written, the one who would come to herald it, known only as the Ashen Lord, tirelessly scoured means to make Liches better. His efforts did not fail to bear fruit, for by his hand came the rise of the Darkstalkers - the brothers of Liches whom wield not arcane, but biting steels’ edge, and exist on a craving for life similarly to the transcendent masters they were fated to serve.

 

With the growth of Xionism later on, the Ashen Lord and the one once known as Jynx, Chrodraeos, had sought to elaborate upon the Ashen Lord’s works. To keep Liches as a staple of slavery was unfitting -- to become a Lich was to become greater, undying, transcended. In due time, they altered the properties of the common Lich ritual to embetter them; breaking their shackles and ushering opportunity for the masters of Lifeforce to become greater, to stand as the shadow of the Liches of yore.”

 

- The Book of Xion

 

The Alterations

(Changes in Lich Function)

 

Through the combined efforts of the Necromancers Nimdravur and Chrodraeos, Liches have become more than mage-slaves to the manipulators of life. It was by following the old design of Cataris’ skeletal kin they had discerned breakthroughs in the Lichforging arts, pulling Lichdom from a role of a servant to a role that a Necromancer or greater mage may seek in earnest. The changes to Lich properties are as thus;

 

- To become is Lich is no longer a matter of eternal servitude. Now, it is a feat to achieve -- to attain Lichdom is embody the subject as the greatest of magical practitioners and masters, for they are now independent and without the Necromantic bindings of old. Liches, upon creation, no longer have masters, and are not bound to follow anyone’s orders.

 

- Necromancers may now become Liches while retaining their powers at the same time. Liches are still, however, vulnerable to the power of lifedrain upon themselves, as it disrupts the dark powers which binds their decayed forms to their phylacteries.

 

- The ritual for creating Liches may now use two kinds of phylacteries - common Lifeforce phylacteries, which take the shape of dark crystals or gems, or objects of similar durability like rings, crowns or other items of value to the individual being turned. Both kinds of phylacteries are functionally identical - the object option merely adds aesthetic value to it.

 

- Liches may now learn new magic, with some arts being restricted from them (such as divine magic and necromancy - they may use it, but the learning process may harm them).

 

- Liches no longer have a life timer that they must follow.

 

The Unravelment

(Lich Lore Clarifications)

 

With this evolution, many issues once vague have been brought to light and subsequently solved. The clarifications are as thus;

 

- When reborn as a Lich, a mage does not develop a greater mana pool, and rather comes to handle the expenditure of mana vastly better than normal mortals. The loss of mana induces exhaustion and weakness - things relative to living flesh, and as Liches do not have flesh, they cannot perceive these weaknesses. This means that a Lich can simply continue to cast magic without exhaustion until their mana pool is depleted, which would merely lead to the failure of further casting. Experienced Liches may learn to “feel” their inner mana reserves in order to determine whether or not they’ll run out as to prevent their unexpected defeat. New Liches are likely to suffer sudden deactivation of their magical powers mid-casting if they cast in excess, and because they are just reborn, to quickly run out of mana at this time would induce conniptions or lapses in physical and mental stability in reaction.

 

- When a Lich’s phylactery is destroyed, their souls are set in a three-month “limbo”. It is during these three months that the Lich cannot both be revived again or pass into the afterlife. After this sum of time passes, a Lich may be revived again, but at the very least some kind of remnants of their past form must be gathered in order to call the soul back to repeat the ritual.

 

- While a Lich may be destroyed with relative ease by physical means, their resistance to some forms of damage may make it difficult to discern how they can be undone. The common misconception is that to detach the skull from the body would lead to their demanifestation, when in reality the skull itself must be decimated - but to remove the skull from the body in the first place would just lead to the total collapse of the Lich’s body, leaving them to linger as a sentient skull until it is caved in fatally.

 

- Liches cannot perceive actual feeling. Though they may suffer mentally and emotionally, depending on the individual, all physical touch is dulled and a majority of their senses relative to corporeal feeling are either nonexistent or incredibly numbed.

 

- A Lich is not bound to be completely skeletal -- their appearances may vary, though it is common procedure that flesh begins to drift away overtime as the Lich develops in it’s new form. A fleshless Lich is a sign of an experience Lich, whereas an enfleshed, decaying Lich is the sign of a new Lich; yet, puzzlingly, a Lich whom had taken the time to preserve their rotten forms can also be determined as an elder, as there may lie certain signs to point to their age which would further imply how long they have cared for their sullen, grayed corpseforms.

 

The advantages and disadvantages of Lichdom are as thus;

 

Advantages

 

• Liches are immortal undead and can exist perpetually through the ages as long as their phylacteries remain safe.

 

• Liches are aptly skilled in magical arts, as mana expenditure is not something they suffer physical duress from. This fact is also reinforced by the common tradition to raise legendary warlocks and wizards as Liches in order to assure they may reach peak power.

 

• Liches are resistant to the elements and can endure the damages brought by some whereas they are easily undone by others. Fire may scorch their bones, but they will not feel it’s burn; frost may make their brittle, but it will not deter their movements (unless frozen solid); water cannot drown them, for there are no lungs to fill; and so-on and so-forth.

 

• Liches cannot perceive pain inflicted by physical damage, such as common iron weaponry or other forms of tangible trauma.

 

• Liches provide the opportunity to return old characters back from the dead.

 

Disadvantages

 

• Lich existence is in constant peril, and there is always the chance that their phylactery may be found and destroyed. It is commonplace in ancient legends regarding Liches that if the vessels holding their souls are found, that they will bargain with the holder and offer mystical favors or wishes in order to make a fair trade.

 

• Lich bodies are skeletal and frail and therefore may be dispatched with ease. One may consider them a “glass cannon”; easily shattered, but quite powerful. Tales of yore speak of Lich hunts involving the abundant use of blunt weaponry, as that kind of direct heavy trauma may easily snap bones and rend a Lich defeated.

 

• Liches are weak to gold. Though it is a vaguely-explained anomaly, it is known that golden weaponry is able to cleave through their brittle bones like flesh and induce a shocking pain that may send them reeling to flee. In the old times, gold was regarded as a blessed metal, for in common cases it’s presence pinned an aurum-wielding knight on the same level as a master Lich.

 

• Liches are weak to divine magic, most notably that of the Clerics, Paladins and Ascended. Though there obviously lies some chance of survival for them, a face-off between a Lich and divine practitioner may as well doom them from the start.

 

• Liches may learn new magic, but they do so two times slower than normal mortals. They also cannot learn deific magics, learn Necromancy, or even Shade magic, as the soul is imprisoned in their phylacteries, therefore preventing meddling upon it.

 

• Liches are subject to the afflictions of the undead, preventing them from continuing a normal lifestyle among the mortal or partaking in the “mortal” aspects of life.

 

• Liches suffer the Curse of the Undead, where they must frequently drain Lifeforce in order to satiate their accursed, waning souls. Failure to do this will lead to insanity, where their phylacteries become so fragile that to defeat a wanton Lich would cause the phylactery to shatter, leading to the Lich’s limbo-death. To prevent this, all Liches are equipped with a minor power of lifedrain.

 

• Liches are weak to lifedrain, ironically making Necromancers a threat themselves.

 

• Liches, as they age, begin to develop distortions within their spectral mind; Elder-Liches may suffer lapses in thought or the gradual development of dementia, even if they fulfill their cravings for Lifeforce.

 

[ Document including images here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UhD7wTO25TCjTpzsFg1vYYqkoJsuqdxpZT0lTJhs59Y/edit?usp=sharing ]

[DISCOLIQUID 1956]

Terrible lore, as always. You never fail to disappoint.

 

-1

[neopsychedelia 207]

smack my lich up

[Jistuma 1995]

So... this lore removes four weaknesses of Liches, and adds an astetic soul gem that makes it even less likely to be destroyed (because it's pretty and players and characters don't know what it is)?

 

Weaknesses being removed:

• PK is no longer in effect, player only has to stop playing the lich for 3 months.
• Liches can learn new magics while in lichdom.
• Liches can now do necromancy.
• Liches no longer have a lifespam until having to be refueled.

Weaknesses not being removed, but that you probably wanted to remove:

• Liches will probably still be in the service of the necromancers, because the necromancers create the lich, they have the phylacterie, they control the lich (as in a 'do this or I'll kill you' way).

Advantages being added:

• Necromancers can now become liches and as such have a way to become 'immortal'.
• Some liches can now make new liches.

Weaknesses being added:

• They are weak to lifeforce drain. I think goes again with the fact that you wanted liches to not be in control of necromancers, but then kind of added a weakness that makes them not be a threat to necromancers.

 

 

Can't say I'm in favor of this lore, necromancers already have a powerful end goal that they can achieve, which is wraithdom.

[Heero 4077]

25 minutes ago, Jistuma said:

Can't say I'm in favor of this lore, necromancers already have a powerful end goal that they can achieve, which is wraithdom.

 

[Scuba 281]

With the addition of harbingers, ghouls, and wraiths themselves regenerating in weeks or less. If we stamped liches with perma-deaths, they'd have little attraction, if any. I mean, 3 months itself is a long ass time compared to everyone else. Not to mention people who get attached to their lich-- for them it´ll seem like forever. Not everyone is fair... then having to wait 3 months over faulty information or being meta-stalled? It seems pretty fair to me. 

 

Your point that liches are bounded to a necromancer because they have their phylacteries, well yes. The thing though, liches aren´t compelled to follow their commands. They can plot and deceive until they find a way to gain a advantage over said necromancer. It allows a chance for hope, instead of having no way around it. It also adds more RP between the necromancer or necromancers, who make them. Instead of slavery, it turns into a pact, and at the very least allows a lich room to be somewhat themselves. The necromancer has to trust the lich and vice versa.

 

I think before they were 1-dimensional, being completely enslaved with little emotions produces non-fun RP. This new lore spices everything up for multiple parties.   

Why not have wraiths and both liches? For me at least, when the word necromancer pops in my head, I imagine a eroding, powerful skeleton. People now have two paths instead of achieving one end goal not everyone likes. This is my opinion, but I'd wholeheartedly agree with you about the soul gem. Just my thoughts on Jistuma's points. 

[Harri 4813]

All I see this update as is a reason for people to actually play a Lich. Excluding the soul gem, all these changes seem to simply just change what it's like to play a Lich and make it actually appealing, giving them a personality and allowing for more diverse and interesting RP to be undertaken. I mean, on my Darkstalker I'm fairly free to do as I please, as long as it's within my given commands, and play the character I wish to. Liches right now seem as something that is a pure super magic slave that just gets one shot and shelved for 3 months.

 

Also, Swgr said they COULDN'T learn Necromancy, yet you said you didn't agree with them being able to Jist. Just wanted to point that out.

[Lhindir_ 3436]

I would say +1

[Jistuma 1995]

1 hour ago, Harrison_ said:

Also, Swgr said they COULDN'T learn Necromancy, yet you said you didn't agree with them being able to Jist. Just wanted to point that out.

 

4 hours ago, Swgrclan said:

- Necromancers may now become Liches while retaining their powers at the same time. Liches are still, however, vulnerable to the power of lifedrain upon themselves, as it disrupts the dark powers which binds their decayed forms to their phylacteries.

 

 

1 hour ago, Seriph12 said:

Your point that liches are bounded to a necromancer because they have their phylacteries, well yes. The thing though, liches aren´t compelled to follow their commands.

This isn't a change, it was like that before. Liches aren't like DarkStalkers, they have 'free' will, but they are bound to necromancers one way or another.

 

1 hour ago, Seriph12 said:

If we stamped liches with perma-deaths, they'd have little attraction, if any.

It's almost completely impossible for a Lich to be PK'ed by having the soul gem broken. Because it's ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE for someone to find it and break it. They just have to keep it in a locked chest, and never touch it. Done, no PK. No Lich has been PK'ed by having the soul gem broken (besides salamandra, and his PK was removed due to shady ways of getting the soul gem) to my knowledge.

 

1 hour ago, Seriph12 said:

I think before they were 1-dimensional, being completely enslaved with little emotions produces non-fun RP. This new lore spices everything up for multiple parties.  

Liches have personalities, they can have goals, they are characters, they aren't puppets. They are just used by the necromancers that keep them alive. Only darkstalkers are full puppets.

 

 

[Edit] Btw, by the current accepted lore, a lich CAN backstab his maker(s), he just has to suffer the consequences of it.

[Salvo 1831]

yo jistuma i know that you want to draw players to your homunculus **** but please ease off fam we're all here to have fun

[GDPR 014 23]

I like this lore. Plus 1

[E__V__O 1984]

I don't really see a point in this... 

 

It's like you just want to improve an already powerful beast to just give it more appeal to other players to become one. I would vote against this lore as it just seems like "With other dark lores being appealing we need to make this" you already have ghouls and wraiths and writes, you don't need this. -1.

[mmat 7461]

I mean, ghouls are just boring ass zombies, wraiths are just necromantic lich equivalents. What's the problem with wanting something to be more appealing?

 

And tbh, of all the ones you listed there Evark, the only 'appealing' one is Wraiths, which Swgr also wrote. Looks reasonably interesting.

[E__V__O 1984]

It does look interesting I won't lie. Though I feel like it's a bigger boost over negatives and strays further from what Lichdom was supposed to represent as with giving necromancy yet another +bonus+. Which is something it does not need.

[The Templar 195]

Ehhh, do we -need- to update liches? Y'all are already plenty powerful as it is.