dard 726 Popular Post Share Posted October 4, 2019 Spoiler Preface The goal of this rewrite is to once again bring about a staple of LotC’s history, being necromancy, while at the same time addressing previous problems that other editions ended up running into and making it new. This iteration of necromancy will operate on following these conditions: A total wipe of all previous TAs, CAs, and MAs. Necromancy becomes a 4 slot magic. Necromancy will be enforcing aging as well as a strict PK and revival system. Necromancers exist not as a player-run server antagonist, but to create interesting narrative through both player events and ST event efforts. Additionally, if an ability does not detail emote counts it can be assumed that it is meant for out of combat, unless otherwise stated, and the process of going about the ritual is freeform and up to the user. Reasons for why these choices are made can be seen below in the “Purpose” section. “...Bone to flesh, life to death, and Gods to Men — until a time would come when such things fated to be lost would make themselves found…” — Sorrows and Sacriledge, part two Origin It was the Old Lords who once placed their fate unabated in the tidings of mankind. The Lord Malkaathe among them, who took with his brothers the art of necromancy from the Betrayer, would become the living embodiment of all vengeance, all hatred, scorn, and blackness that was felt towards the corruption of aengudaemonic scourge. It was Malkaathe who churned the soul of a forsaken dragaar, Mordring, into an aberrant abomination. It was Malkaathe who spurned the first Khorgul, the Abyss Wraiths, and with them the capability to forge an army, headed by Wraithlords and elder Resonant Knights. And it was Malkaathe who became the first among the Old Lords to forsake all of mortalkind. Origins of Rh’thoraen Necromancy, detailing the origins of the foreign form of necromancy and how it arrived in Arcas from the antiquity of Rh’thor. Magic Explanation Unburdened by Darkhollows of ages past, Rh’thoraen necromancy still finds itself afflicted with side effects from meddling with the agents of death. In the shadows of East-Meets-West, a forbidden brand of necromancy developed and evolved separately from the original form the Old Lords stole from Iblees. Through sheer will alone, macabre agents twist and weave life into death. The Craft of Heith-Hedran, explaining the concepts of Rh’thoraen Necromancy and its effects on the mortal body and spirit. Abilities Maledictions, defined as abilities in a necromancer’s arsenal that they can utilize directly in combat. Corpsecrafting, defined as the process of building vessels for reanimation and the manipulation of all that is dead. Pestilence, defined as necromantic plagues to inflict lasting torment on a necromancer’s enemies. Thaumaturgy, defined as rituals and sacraments that utilize the support of one’s coven. Black Alchemy, defined as brewing potions and devilry with Liquid Lifeforce. Pale Curses, defined as malignant and wretched maledictions that may be scourged upon the living. Undead Creatures Simulacra, defined as undead warriors and mages who have been raised from the crypts Archliches, defined as necromancers who have achieved the apotheosis of undeath. Tier Progression As a necromancer begins to utilize lifeforce more frequently, their capacity to control greater sums of it increases in turn. While the total amount of lifeforce a necromancer can utilize never truly increases, they can more finely tune it to use in increasingly more powerful abilities. Refer to the references at the bottom for generalized information, and refer to each individual tier section below for details. Spoiler The following is a restatement and compilation of everything posted in the various subcategories of the lore. It is here for reference. References This information is detailed in the text below but can be viewed here for quick access. 1st Tier At the first tier, a necromancer begins to visibly age a bit faster. Their bodies, while still well within what one would imagine their age group to look like, look as if they have begun to become stressed out. It is common to experience graying of the hair, typically taking on a peppered appearance. Mentally, a necromancer will notice an odd affinity for more raw foods. Where one may consume beef or venison, they would prefer it rare. Vegetables and bread will begin to taste bland and do little to solve a growing thirst and hunger for something more visceral. Ability Progression Darkening Embalm Lesser Corpse Reanimation of Lesser Corpses Plagues (At any point once learned) Participant in any Ritual or Sacrament Redlines: The first tier is the first week after being Ordained. Darkening can only be performed once per combat scenario. Only one lesser corpse can be reanimated. 2nd Tier At the second tier, a necromancer has an outwardly salted appearance—crows feet and slight bags under the eyes. Their hair appears much more gray, akin to someone having reached their middle ages if they haven’t already. The mind has begun to have noticeable shifts towards the subsumption of raw meats. Foods that a necromancer once enjoyed cooked they now prefer raw. Additionally, vegetables and bread now is completely tasteless and does nothing to quench one’s appetite. Ability Progression Branding Embalm Average Corpse Treat Skeleton Reanimation of Average Corpses Rite of Returning Redlines: The second tier is usually the second week of having the magic, lasting one more weeks. Darkening can be performed twice per combat scenario. Only one lesser corpse, average corpse, or skeleton can be reanimated. 3rd Tier At this stage a necromancer’s hair is completely grayed and showing signs of whitening. Their bodies appear much older than what someone their age would be, comparable to two decades having passed for the average human. There are noticeable bags underneath the necromancers eyes. The mind has become completely infatuated with the idea of consuming raw meat. The concept of eating grains or vegetation seems completely foreign to consider. Consumption of any non-meat tastes like bitter ashes and is completely unpalatable. Ability Progression Cauterization Molding Rite of the Oculus Rite of Communion Boneforging Multiple Reanimations Redlines: Darkening can be performed three times per combat scenario. Two beast or humanoid corpses can be reanimated at a time. Plagues can be administered once a day. 4th Tier At this stage a necromancer has begun to look wrinkled and elderly. Their skin is tightly clinging to flesh and bones, and their face appears somewhat gaunt. The hair appears nearly corpselike, bleached a supernatural shade of white. Necromancers feel the urge to constantly consume raw meat at this stage, though many will find that the hunger that stirs within them is losing its ability to be sated so easily. A much darker hunger lingers just beyond thought, barely gnawing at the subconscious. Ability Progression Flesh Golems Rite of Ordainment Rite of Draining Rite of Sealing Black Alchemy Bursting Modifications Sacrament of Heith-Hedran Sacrament of the Usurer Redlines: Darkening can only be performed three times per combat scenario. Ability to have two reanimations bound to their oculus at once. Only one flesh golem can be reanimated, though an additional reanimation of lesser size can be bound as well. Plagues can be administered once a day. 5th Tier Necromancers at this stage appear to be old and frail, despite moving as they would on average. For most, the hair has begun to grow wispy, if they have not opted to shave their heads, though it is to no certain rule. Their faces are completely wrinkled, seeming like a human well in their hundreds. Most necromancers have become aware of the dark yearning within themselves to subsume the flesh of humanoid beings. Though still capable of eating animal meat, the hunger to cross that boundary will never truly fade. Ability Progression Gargantuan Abominations Rite of the Aberrant Sacrament of the Vicar Reanimation of multiple Flesh Golems Redlines: Darkening can only be performed three times per combat scenario. Ability to have two reanimations bound to their oculus at once and the ability to reanimate two flesh golems. Plagues can only be administered once a day. General Redlines Necromancy is a four slot magic, becoming a three slot magic with the capability of learning two slots of magic if one becomes an Archlich. Once a player learns necromancy it cannot be dropped; there is also no disconnection ritual. Necromancers are marked as having a black soul for the purposes of other magic or events. Necromancers adhere strictly to a PK clause system that requires you to be brought back by your fellow necromancers upon death (see Thaumaturgy, Rite of Returning). In order to use reanimations, a necromancer must have a lore signed oculus on their persona. If animations are using any kind of specialized weaponry, such as a bow or a diseased boneforged item, they must have those items in their own inventory to represent such. The apocryphynium can be brought into the game to justify bridging gaps in knowledge if all teachers ever go inactive, provided the Story Team lore members agree to such. In extreme scenarios, it can be utilized to self-teach in order to revive the magic (should it ever go inactive). Purpose Spoiler The purpose of this piece was something I personally feel has been lacking in LotC: ritual magic. Every aspect of this lore revolves around a central idea of creating roleplay for other players and for would-be necromancers. Each reagent, whether it be something simple that can be obtained through a player event, or something that requires coordination of multiple individuals and Story Team Actors, is meant to create a sense of having goals that need to be accomplished. One of the major issues players had with necromancy prior was that it felt like there wasn’t much to do with the magic. The entire basis of this magic is structured around creating activity and ensuring that people do not feel left out. Any ritual, so long as the person conducting it knows it, can involve a necromancer who was freshly ordained. While I am sure that there will be criticism on this aspect, it is true that I’ve structured things to feel a bit like its “hard mode,” such as the PK system for necromancers. I wanted to ensure a way that players could punish people in roleplay who went rogue, however, without the drama that ensued over disconnection and hoarding artifacts that went along with it such as the Black Nexus. While I ideally would like things to remain centralized around one group, the possibility exists for splinter groups to emerge and sustain itself, as well as the possibility of being wiped out. As someone who feels that main goal of a magic should be to create roleplay, it then becomes possible for entire covens to be wiped out, even the main one—and doing would creates an interesting narrative. There will be some sections that stretch the guidelines given by the Lore Team, such as the number of active reanimations. I wanted to present this rewrite first as my own vision, and if there are major issues with some of the liberties I’ve taken I will be mindful of the criticisms and hopefully reach a compromise after it has been posted and reviewed. Citations Spoiler Lore Sorrows and Sacriledge Writing Me, Dardonas (Writer) Zarsies (Fourth Generation Necromancy for much inspiration and a sentence on how to word commanding) Geoboy ( Necromancy Rewrite for much inspiration) Swgrclan (Rh’thor as a concept) Parkins (Preliminary ideas) Skylez (Darkstalker consultant and preliminary ideas) 40 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chthonian_ 99 Share Posted October 4, 2019 DO IT ******* DO IT! ACCEPT THE ******* MAGIC DOOOOOOO IIIIT! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jentos 6884 Share Posted October 5, 2019 As a matter of fact, I wasn’t too satisfied with most necromancy rewrites. But this however seems a simple, and satisfying re-boot to the magic. You’ve my support. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurferDurfer1 2584 Share Posted October 5, 2019 but where are the regular liches dont **** me like this man 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dard 726 Author Share Posted October 5, 2019 Just now, HurferDurfer1 said: but where are the regular liches dont **** me like this man 41 minutes ago, Dardonas said: Black Phylactery Dust While most avenues of lichdom had become lost, few rare individuals managed to pry secrets from eldritch tomes and lost, forgotten pages of lore to achieve lichdom similar to what was lost. The phylacteries of these liches possess nameless potential in harnessing lifeforce, making them a prized artifact for elder necromancers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
squakhawk 7945 Share Posted October 5, 2019 LOOKIN FORWARD TO IT DARD 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
z3m0s 1773 Share Posted October 5, 2019 2 hours ago, Dardonas said: The purpose of this piece was something I personally feel has been lacking in LotC: ritual magic. Wasn’t there a type of blood magic that was based off rituals? From memory it failed because it was hard getting people together and staff for the rituals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dard 726 Author Share Posted October 5, 2019 3 minutes ago, z3m0s said: Wasn’t there a type of blood magic that was based off rituals? From memory it failed because it was hard getting people together and staff for the rituals. no it failed because the only teacher was someone who was in a european time zone and was stretched for time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
z3m0s 1773 Share Posted October 5, 2019 1 minute ago, Dardonas said: no it failed because the only teacher was someone who was in a european time zone and was stretched for time. ok, thanks for the info Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkins 549 Share Posted October 5, 2019 I was brought back from death by this lore post to give it my official support. +1 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamma 588 Share Posted October 5, 2019 It begins ... +1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemonke 1873 Share Posted October 5, 2019 Love it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maclunkey 453 Share Posted October 5, 2019 ?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandNewKitten 2789 Share Posted October 5, 2019 I have always wanted to be a necromancer :0 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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