femurlord

On a sweeping gale, that script blew into an underdark bustling with devils, skeletons and robed cultists. There atop a derelict throne, lingered the crimson, Gashadokuro who had been immersed in the overwhelming ranks of monsters. It laughed.

The dirt roils, pebbles shift and a decayed hand bore through, as if a bass breaching water. The dead rise again, forever to walk the earth.

In Aevos’ Northwest, a region captured by scorched rocks and flowing magma had felt the aftermath of battle between an ensemble of devils, undead, men and dragonmen alike. A sprawling, volcanic cavern now simmered with the searing blood of both forces, yet the former struck true. Across Aevos, robed undead swept the continent, click-clacking down highways and byways, scattering yellowed, crinkled scripts for all to bear witness to. Inked across that page, scratched in a deep crimson which exhumed a sulfurous air read, “The Betrayer’s Eye lingers over your realm, Man. As Iblees en-shackled Dragur's favored, Azdromoth, seizing him with cursed flames, I too strike the Dragon King's favorite, the prince-prophet, An-gho with My own. He will join my legions, as Drakes kneel to their greaters, the Dragon. Let his third-eye be fanned not by dragonsflame, but hellfire. Azdromoth’s children strayed from the Betrayer’s dark light, they now know pain. Many more will know it next. Know my name, Gashadokuro.”

In Aevos’ Southwest, where the veil between life and death thins beneath the thicket of roots and mud, an imposing headstone stands, weathered by time’s indifferent passage. At its peak, it reaches a height that defies nature, its sharp edges slicing through the fog that clings to the marsh at night. When the moon hangs its lowest and the night is at its darkest, the marsh transforms into a realm of eerie luminescence. The headstone is bathed in an ethereal, ghostly light emitting some otherworldly aura. The marsh itself seems to writhe in unrest at behest of that ominous stone, as phantasms of both beast and men manifest from the black, opaque mist and brackish waters, flocking to that enigmatic rock, drawn to the mysterious energy which pulsed from it. Shimmering across that stone tablet, written in a fading grey-blue script; “Here rests Gashadokuro. May He never rise again.” OOC: We are reaching the third time around that we’re seeking to expand our ranks. We are seeking people willing to main their character, creating narrative and pushing conflict that influences the world we players interact with. Do not expect much, if you intend to play them as a side character As of last time, don’t go into this seeking a cool MA, that is a perk. Instead pproach positively, wanting to expand roleplay and drive narrative. [PM femurlord to interact if you find this site.]

yeah I wrote this

Honestly, I'd just self-deny it at this point with how much appeasing there is. In regards to a disconnection mechanic requiring OOC consent, it will never work, as considering time invested to learn this magic will lead to an automatic denial from the player, respectively. Alongside adding mechanics to shelf the Undead CAs when there is already a method to deal with them makes actually no sense. At most, this should be knowledge locked akin to the Rite of Sealing, and incur drawbacks due to the nature of the connection. Plus, in regards to OOC, there is plenty of stigma on that which would incur investigations on staff due to the nature of a situation, but if there is IC motivation and that character is caught lacking, it is fair game. No-one wants to be disconnected, but sometimes, its the way it is. As time grows on, this lore piece adds on tumorous growths which proves it to not be a good inclusion, so with that, I'm out.

atrocious-day-to-be-an-opp [!] This is a lore-compliant Prophecy, and as such only users with accepted Mysticism, Vivification, Farseer, Naztherak, or Seer applications may bear witness to it. The sun, in its final moments, cast a warm, golden smile over the land as it descended behind Aevos' tallest peak, gently embracing the world with its fading light. Day reluctantly surrendered to night, ushering in a canopy of twinkling stars. In the shelter of your bunk, you sought refuge from the world's weariness, your body throbbing from the day's toil as you gingerly sank into your bed. Your gaze wandered longingly to a weathered, cracked window. Through it, the scents of nature rushed in, carrying with them a symphony of sounds – frogs serenading from their marshy homes, the earthy aroma of petrichor rising from vibrant grasses, and the rhythmic whir of cicadas. The nocturnal world, rich and tranquil, enveloped you as you claimed the well-earned respite. However, in the midst of this familiar and comforting night, an unsettling hush descended abruptly. The usual nocturnal serenade ceased, leaving you peering curiously into the darkness, as if seeking answers. Your vision, then, was warped and distorted, swallowed by an all-encompassing blackness that sent a chill down your spine, leaving you momentarily blinded. Gradually, your sight began to return, albeit in an altered state. An earth-shaking groan, accompanied by the acrid scent of sulfur, jolted the foundations of your abode. The comforting sounds of nature were replaced by the cacophony of objects crashing from their shelves. Panic propelled you to your feet, but the floor itself betrayed you, and you plunged into utter darkness, the howling wind robbing you of your breath. Adrenaline surged through your veins as you descended further into this abyss. The seemingly endless free fall stretched on for what felt like an eternity, punctuated by a gradual drumming sound that grew louder, resonating through your very bones. It was an oppressive, haunting noise that accompanied your descent, filling you with dread and hopelessness. You gradually became aware that the walls surrounding you were alive, and your throat tightened with a mixture of terror and despair. "Boom... boom," these sounds reverberated down your form, assaulting your ears until they rang painfully and rattling your joints until they ached. The shifting walls and these eerie sounds took shape in your mind, forming an image of a grotesque beast, covered in scales you had only heard of in ancient legends. Deeper into this nightmare, you tumbled, carried by the monstrous entity, your own death seemingly imminent. As you descended through the abyss, your senses heightened, and a growing, ominous sound filled your ears. It was a relentless pounding that seemed to reverberate through your very soul. The realization dawned on you that the entity through which you fell was alive. Your tongue felt heavy with dread and hopelessness. Boom... boom... The relentless pounding continued, stinging your ears, and rattling your bones. Yet, gradually, the throbbing groan of the beast ceased, replaced by a different sensation – the steady ticking of a clock, echoing in the eerie silence. Desperation gripped you, and two pale hands reached out before you, fumbling in the darkness as they searched for an escape, a way out of this inconceivable nightmare. Goosebumps prickled your skin, your breaths became visible in the chilling air, and your skin stung as you ventured further into the abyssal darkness. Then, the chill of cold steel met your fingertips. Shivers coursed down your tense spine as the chains tightened around your wrists, guiding your hand to grasp the steel object. The darkness began to unravel before you, revealing that you were ensnared in the iron maiden's clutches, surrounded by cobweb-covered barrels and forgotten trinkets, all shrouded in dust. Any fleeting relief was quickly extinguished as inky tendrils crawled from the shackles, winding their way up your forearms and entangling your upper body. You felt like a puppet in the grasp of some malevolent force, compelled to open the iron maiden. The metal screeched against the floorboards as you struggled against the unseen power, but it was in vain. The sarcophagus groaned open, unleashing a torrent of blood that swept you away. You found yourself on the battlefield, blinded by the deluge of gore. Your homeland lay in ruins, consumed by pestilence, famine, death, and war. What was once lush greenery had withered to a desolate brown, and the heavens above were eclipsed by bat-like creatures. The soothing music of nature had been replaced by maniacal laughter and chilling screams. Arrows whistled overhead, and the earth shook with thunderous cracks as chaos enveloped Aevos. You watched in horror as peasants armed with pitchforks valiantly battled both the undead and demonic forces in the distance. With the weight of armor upon your back, you rushed toward the fray, witnessing the relentless advance of green infernos, consuming everything in their path. The familiar groan rumbled beneath your feet, threatening to topple you. Amidst the chaos, as men fell and demons reveled, a massive form burst from the hillside, hurling rocks into the sky. It was Feldamfir, the World Eater, a colossal monstrosity, whose mere presence promised untold devastation upon the land. As you gazed upon the monstrous form of the Serpent, a sense of impending doom washed over you. The colossal creature, its scales gleaming darkly in the eerie light, dwarfed everything around it. Its very presence radiated an overwhelming malevolence. As Feldamfir emerged from the hillside, the battlefield was thrown into further chaos. Rocks and debris from its ascent rained down upon the already beleaguered combatants, adding to the mayhem. The earth quaked beneath its colossal weight, and the air grew thick with tension. You stumbled backward, caught between the horrors of the demonic forces and the looming threat of Feldamfir. The battlefield had become a nightmarish tableau of death and destruction. Peasants fought valiantly, but their efforts seemed futile against the relentless onslaught of the undead and demonic entities. In the distance, you could hear the wailing of tormented souls and the guttural roars of demons. The once-green fields were now engulfed in green infernos, casting an eerie, sickly glow over the landscape. The sky remained shrouded in darkness, with the bat-like creatures blotting out any remnants of the sun's majesty. You struggled to make sense of the apocalyptic scene before you, torn between the urge to flee and the desire to stand and fight. The ground beneath your feet continued to rumble as Feldamfir moved, its every step sending shockwaves through the earth. Desperation and terror gripped your heart as you realized the enormity of the threat posed by Feldamfir. The World Eater was a force of unimaginable power and destruction, and it seemed that your world had been plunged into an unending nightmare from which there might be no escape. In the midst of chaos on a nightmarish battlefield, you were drawn toward the colossal and malevolent creature. Despite your struggles, an invisible force inexorably pulled you closer to its gaping maw, and you were swallowed whole. Darkness enveloped you as you journeyed through Feldamfir's throat, a nightmarish descent into a fate beyond imagination, filled with vile fluids and suffocating confinement. Your hope dwindled as you prayed for a miracle to save you from this gruesome end, but none came. A terrible omen had befallen Aevos, what would come of it?

A tomb of iron bound in chain and leaned upon by abandoned crates rattled, whispers woven with reverence cut through the silence; "He has come!" Choked laughter followed. Within the recesses of that room, the hooves of a stowaway worked an hour-glass, time counted with each dropping particle of sand.

A decrepit persona exchanged murmurs and missives with Ayako, over acrid pits of magma. @Lockages

Will your young grow into barbarians that will overthrow current man and the world we live in?

Crowds gathered to noticeboards, gawking at the contents of the pinned parchment, exchanging hushed, frantic mutters. A keen eye found amongst them an unsightly man, whose eyes were glassy and dead, betraying dried lips tugged in an unnatural smile of decayed teeth; a wolf among the sheep.

when did you first discover your latent ability to mind break people or is it a bushwhacker trait?

As Lemon Hill charted their expanse, a skeletal creature decorated in fine jewelry and ash plotted deep within the earth. A cauldron nearest seethed with a green mixture, before long a lemon found its way in, "It will not be Lemon Hill when I am done, but Hill! Kyuh-kyuh-kyuh!"

Anyone who says Aevos is a confirmed dummy, we all know Quentin Brae discovered the continent.

I wanted to take my time to consider writing this instead of the average shit-spew that leaks from my brain and interpreted through my fingers. You are amongst the couple of players that squats in this mud-pit of a server that I cherish and consider a positive influence on the things around you, even if you're an Anglo. But, my time on this server has been shorter compared to many others, I've found many qualified people who serve to the narrative and longevity of the server where others oft fail; you amongst the holy gathering. Often, I have looked to people greater than I for inspiration, attempting include some aspect they utilize in-order to maximize what impact I think my presence will have on the server as a whole; albeit sometimes falling short. Your passion to pursue avenues not outfitted for the majority of the server has woven an intricate and finely crafted web of pieces that contributed to players, now that your passing onto the next hobby or whatever it may be, i hope you do not allow your passion and enjoyment of writing to die. Wherever the tides of life takes you, you'll do fine, stay safe!

"Wherz Brappah, Spirid uv duh Nethur Winds?" A lone orc scribbled in red ink, written as if a child.

I think I'm going to raid.

Will bloat be taken from Paladinism and transferred into here, to fully give it the niche it deserves?

Fixed

Done, if you see anything else lmk

[Main Lore] The Necromantic Simulacra Through fel arts which herald from the age of Aegis, the undead have stood as a vile testimony to what once was, brought about by the beckons of occult magic and necromantic incantation. Whilst a persistent spirit may choose to linger in the form of a phantom or fleeting specter, these dastardly products of necromancy are instead brought from death, often against their will, as spirits torn from whatever fate they lingered in, or simply denied the Soulstream altogether. Thus, they are forced to bear a coil, whether their own or perhaps another fashioned as some flesh-wrought amalgamation, bound to permanent desolation in a withering host. The Infallible Curse Those afflicted with the Infallible Curse — whether of their own accord or against their will — are forever bound to walk the realm. When the undying are disposed of, their restless spirit lingers in the world, unable to find peace beyond in the soulstream or the certainty of the Ebritaes. Doomed to the fate of the mortal plane, their spirit toils for days before it finds a new host to inhabit. After this time has passed, the residual energy of the slain undead is bound once again to some random corpse, the soul forcing upon it the burdens of the body the undead once had. Even for those who willingly succumb to the fate of the Infallible Curse, it exists as a hellish purgatory for the damned dead, as one may find undeath is not so easily escaped. Undead have no ability to sleep, breathe, burn, etc. With no blood they cannot be poisoned or used as a source of genus, nor do they feel pain – or anything physical for that matter. Sunlight and holy magic will bring great physical pain to these otherwise unfeeling foes, with sunlight offering a burning sensation to uncovered undead which gradually turns from a benign tingling to a feeling of total immolation within a few minutes of exposure. Fire acts like sunlight to undead in terms of pain, yet causes no physical damage. This aversion to flame is present no matter its quantity, from a meager torch shoved before the creature, to a grandiose pyre seeking to reduce them to ash. Aurum causes an excruciating pain for undead, who experience a terrible degree of pain from the material should they be cut by it. Destroying or otherwise smashing the skull of an undead will always ‘kill’ it. The undead can never be truly slain. That said, hard PK rules such as suicide still apply. Following thirty OOC minutes after being slain, an undead will inhabit a new body, not requiring the aid of a necromancer. Upon awakening, the undead will feel numb and disillusioned to reality, unable to recount the events leading up to their death just as anyone revived by the monks. This process does not require the assistance of a necromancer. A body is simply found, the undead awakening with their ‘new’ body at their soulstone pillar or CT, though narratively they would simply have woken up somewhere else, presumably in the wilds. As undead monstrosities, necromantic simulacra are without genitals and incapable of FTB. All undead, bar those listed as Cadaverous, require an accepted CA to play. The Cadaverous Bearing no semblance of consciousness, these mindless undead are driven by primal disposition, kindled by lifeforce, and bound entirely to the necromancer who bound them. Whether immediately conjured amidst the fevered pitch of battle, or meticulously embalmed beforehand, these creatures serve as meager omens of the true powers of undeath. Cadaverous undead take many forms, from zombified horrors, to skeletal pawns, to the grotesque shamblings of animals raised from the dead. The Darkstalker Born through profane sacraments, the Darkstalker is considered the penultimate achievement of undeath, brought forth by necromancers as an eternal knight-errant. Often the shells of once-great warriors or veterans, these spirits constantly wander the realm in the form of a derelict, yet resolute husks of undeath, their wrath and hunger tempered only by a deplorable trinket known as a Memento Mori. Few would dare to willingly give themselves into this deranged and twisted form of existence, and even those truly unsound of mind would surely hesitate at this notion of eternal enslavement. The Memento Mori For those whose soul has been returned to the mortal realm, the tool of their resurrection acts as the method of their subjugation: the Memento Mori. It is a grim reminder of the mortality they have lost — and that which they will never be able to experience again. They exist in variety, and no two are alike, for these trinkets were personal affections that signified something close to them in life. They can be in the form of a portrait, a necklace, a ring or anything else that a person could conceivably fathom to hold dearness to. For when the reanimated are exposed unto this item, they are overwhelmed with emotions and feelings they cannot grasp, being no longer among the living. The act of such incomprehensible memories causes grave mental duress and agony. Until the item is destroyed, a Darkstalker is forever at the mercy of its wielder. Redlines: The memento mori is chosen by the Darkstalker OOCly when their CA is posted. This item is specific to the Darkstalker it creates and will not function on another. The memento mori must be Story Team signed. The memento mori must be assigned as a Significant Lore Item. The memento mori is not a phylactery, and ultimately the goal is for the undead attached to it to have the item destroyed to forever be free of its presence. Orders cannot be issued without the object within the presence of the Darkstalker. Merely averting the gaze from a memento mori will not detract from its agonizing presence. Using the memento mori as a tool for subjugation requires it to be exposed to open air and for the Darkstalker to be within its presence. Memento Moris must be destructible, and are unable to be made of thanhic steel, carbarum, or any other ‘strong’ materials. Likewise, memento moris cannot be inaccessible, such as hiding them in a voidal pocket, or placing them in another plane of existence. Physical Description Bearing a deathly visage, all darkstalkers are clearly identifiable as undead whether they are mummified corpses or fleshless skeletons, and as time passes the creature becomes more and more unsightly – though will never expire from mere age. As undead, darkstalkers harbor limitless endurance, never to tire or falter, meaning they can spar for days if not weeks until their bodies succumb to the destruction of battle. Their height and stature are the same as they were in life, viable only to change through fleshsmithing done by their necromancer. Though the darkstalker’s raw strength is only comparable to the peak of their living counterpart, their resilience is heightened and they feel no pain. The durability of their body is likewise increased, making slashing and piercing weapons rather benign against these undead, save for crucial ligaments; one well placed hit from a greatsword may sever or crush a limb, offering a more precise attack to their frames. When unburdened by excess weight, such as armor or heavy weapons, darkstalkers may be incredibly spry and quick, easily capable of outrunning encumbered mortals and even some elves. However, while untiring, should a darkstalker equip plate, they would do so at the cost of skill and rotational movement. It should be noted that destroying the body alone will not kill a darkstalker, as their skull will continue to live on. Only by smashing or obliterating the skull will a darkstalker finally succumb to death, albeit temporary. Three direct shots from a crossbow, or hits with a sword, would likely obliterate the skull. More blunt objects, such as a hammer, are more effective in crushing the skull, accomplishing such in a mere two hits. Should the skull be removed from the body, it will simply fall inert and crumble until the skull is set back into place. Mental Description Though these creatures experience little physical pain, the mind of a darkstalker is ailed by perpetual anguish. No longer among the living, darkstalkers are incapable of experiencing the emotional constructs of mortals, now made apathetic, if not even cruel, immoral, or evil as a result of their detest for those who live. Though they may feign some moral code or conscience as to integrate themselves amongst society, this becomes increasingly difficult as their despondency and hunger for mortal flesh quickly overcomes them, perpetuating the fear of those living dead that walk. As a result, these cursed warriors are burdened, forever knowing that their spirit was not meant for the vessel they now inhabit, whether or not it was once their own. They are forced to witness the joys that all who experience life without a second thought, whilst the dakrstalker is left in woeful envy as they would give anything to partake of that which they are now so deprived of. This leaves the darkstalker entirely divorced from human emotion, leaving them sadistic and cold, caring little for the world. When placed in the presence of their Memento Mori, however, the anguish of the darkstalker is amplified tenfold, causing inescapable agony of the mind and leaving emotional scarring in its wake. Perennial Hunger The constant vacuum of entropy that is the darkstalker soul requires fuel to keep the knight resolute, both in body and in mind. Every 2 OOC weeks, a darkstalker must drain one unit of lifeforce from a living mortal, requiring at least a descendant’s sum of energy in total. Should they refuse or are rather unable, their body will begin to weaken to the strength of a scholar, as armor becomes more unwieldy to don, even barred from abilities gained in their ascendancy. Not only are they more frail and bones grow more brittle, their mentality turns to that of a starved lunatic, driven mad at the mere touch of lifeforce flowing within the living. They may appear ghoul-like, frantic to find their next meal as to even tear the flesh from their victims in pleading hunger. Darkstalker Growth The eternal unlife of a darkstalker is not only a miserable existence of stagnation; likewise to the living, they may climb and clamber to higher aspirations. The first step of this journey entails the budding Darkstalker consuming three additional drainings of lifeforce over the course of four narrative years, before allowing them to fully ascend to the state of Regressed. To become Paramount, however, the Darkstalker must strike an accord with a necromancer, undergoing the Sacrament of Culmination. General Redlines Darkstalkers are undead with no muscles or living flesh, meaning that they have limitless endurance and may run or stay in combat for longened periods of time. Darkstalker bones are strengthened by the residual lifeforce they garner from draining, making their structures less brittle and tougher against physical force. Only the wear and tear of such activities will hinder them. Darkstalkers may exert physical strength equivalent to that of a knight; knights are as strong as their peak, living descendant counterparts and are unable to grow physically stronger. With a lack of weight, they are fast and spry. Even with armor they are still quick, yet cumbersome with the constricted movement plate armor gives. Darkstalkers may withstand some hits to their skull, allowing it to chip away. Only when the skull is completely obliterated, or fragmented, will the darkstalker die. This requires three well placed shots from a crossbow or sword to destroy the skull. A warhammer only needs two well placed hits. A warhammer strike against an unarmored darkstalker, when pinned against a solid surface, would only require one hefty strike to obliterate the cranium. They are not harmed by poison, drowning, etc. as there are no lungs to drown or blood to clot; only sunlight, flame, and holy healing bring pain. They need not eat or sleep, nor do they age. Direct sunlight will bring about a burning sensation, gradually feeling as though their entire body is on fire with enough exposure, yet cause no true harm. Fire has a similar effect. Holy healing includes paladinism, and any other magic that directly attacks dark beings. Any darkstalker that does not harbor a natural skeleton, or is larger than a descendant requires an Mart; i.e. a swarm of insects, an olog, or a serpentine abomination. A darkstalker is unable to learn any magic, and any 'magical' feats. Only knowledge-based feats such as alchemy, arcane displacement, or sorvian sculpting may be learned. This list is exhaustive, and only permits feats which don’t require a pure soul. Should a Darkstalker not feed every 2 OOC weeks, their physical prowess is reduced to that of an enfeebled scholar, simultaneously barring them from any ability in their ascended arsenal, save Darkening. This regression proves it is unwieldy for a Darkstalker to champion armor or wield a blade. Darkstalkers require a valid CA to play, and must be properly raised by the Sacrament of the Usurer. They are not an open CA race. Darkforging There are a great many things which inflict mortal toil; from the dashing of one’s foot against a stone, to the venomous bite of a wretched serpent. An infallible presence, the iniquitous aspect of man’s pain cannot be denied, and such may even be drawn upon to the advantage of the damned. Thus, those wrought from the grave by lifeforce, in knowing ultimate pain themselves, may grapple with human suffering — whether under a cloak of ash in some dark forgotten forge, or perhaps before an altar as an offering to some dark sovereign. Such objects would often be condemned as objects of dark invocation, which remain riddled with curses and maledictions the likes of which man has often feared. Yet these objects remain far greater weapons to those few who would be the wiser of their true nature — and still be so bold as to wield them. The Archlich Empowered far beyond mortal scale, the first Archliches came to the realm stolen from the far away land of Rh’thor. Being elder necromancers who bargained and schemed their way to the top of their hierarchy and achieved immortality, an Archlich differs from a lich through the mastery they hold over the dead. It is for this reason that knowledge on attaining the power of the archlich is safeguarded to only the most venerated of necromancers. The Archlich exists beyond the lichdom of yore, in a state that garners and attracts the quintessence of death, acting as a beacon to the damned and commanders of their coven. Physical Description The shrewd Archlich can take many forms – ranging from fleshy half-skeletons draped in ceremonial shrouds, walking corpses covered in linen as mummified demons, or the rotted, gaunt reflection of the image they held in life. They have no organs to puncture or wound, nor blood to spill- though their bones are brittle to blunt-force trauma, making heavy attacks a distinct liability. Being undead, however, the Archlich cannot be defeated entirely unless their skull is completely destroyed; even should it be separated from their body, they may still go on ‘living’ in the remotest sense of the word. Having retained their practice of necromancy, as well as gaining an affinity for studying other arcane techniques, the Archlich is much less durable than that of other undead, though still possesses physical strength similar to that of a living, starving necromancer. Because of their weakened structure, Archliches cannot don any armor nor wield weapons with great proficiency; but while not particularly regarded for their martial prowess, the Archlich is infamous for its mastery over the dark arts. Though unable to equip armor, they may choose to wear thin layers of gold for aesthetic assuming it does not make direct contact with their ‘flesh’, and bone armor curated to their necrotic form may also be donned. Like most undead, should only the Archlich’s body be destroyed, their skull may continue to live on. Only by smashing or obliterating the skull will an Archlich finally succumb to death, albeit temporarily. Two direct shots from a crossbow, or from a sword, would likely obliterate the skull. Blunt objects such as hammers and maces are more effective in crushing the skull, which may be accomplished in a single hit. Despite its great power over undeath, the Archlich is still susceptible to numerous effects. Holy magic causes inherent harm due to its unholy nature, and successfully enacting a full purge upon their corporeal body would result in it demanifesting for a time. One of their greatest banes is that of the sun, with its shining rays causing burning sensations after short periods of time. Only a few minutes of exposure would encompass the archlich with a horrid pain of immolation, as though their exposed form was engulfed in flame. Gold and fire both inflict similar pain, though cause no physical damage to their forms. The greatest liability of the Archlich is their susceptibility to being drained by fellow necromancers, or even opposing liches. Despite their soul’s close connection with the lifebanks, the corporeal presence of the Archlich is easily consumed by the effects of Darkening. Even at their full capacity of lifeforce slots, an Archlich needs only encounter four consecutive drainings to have their skeletal body crumble into a heap of bones and dust. Mental Description More often than not, the Archlich is a violent, cruel, and sadistic thing. Their minds, perverted by undeath, are wracked by a hunger for lifeforce that inevitably consumes them, driving them to the brink of madness and occult dabblings alike. Even the wisest among these powerful undead are numb to the realities of life, divorced from the human empathy they might have once possessed. Despite this, these creatures are not inherently evil, nor do they exist hellbent on seeing the world burn, but rather are driven to extreme lengths to achieve their own goals, advancing goals that they themselves might view as ‘beneficial’ for the rest of mankind. Regardless of how the Archlich has been marked as an aberrant monstrosity and coldhearted perversion of undeath, many exist with logical convictions that can give a facetious semblance of morality — feigning moral codes in order to reach to something that they fully understand to be lost. Frail when outside a stagnated domain, Archliches are often reclusive and make recourse to the support of their coven or bound Darkstalkers in order to get things done. Nevertheless, their rule from the shadows is one to be feared. Walker of Heith-Hedran Unlife incarnate, the Archliches of Heith-Hedran walk a terrible line between the mortal realm and the veil of lifeforce they have torn. In desperate attempts to receive limitless power, the Archlich seeks to bind themselves to these faults of the Life Banks, serving as both the anchor and font of their dark powers. This interaction with the Lifebanks renders the Archlich similar to that of a wound in Heith-Hedran, albeit inferior in scale — their presence dampening the veil of the Lifebanks rather than outright tearing it asunder. Thus, to further their power and influence over the realm, Archliches often seek to build great monuments where the pylons of their covens stand, a testament to their desire to hold all life in the palm of their fetid hand. General Redlines Archliches are necromancers granted a greater capacity to practice other dark arts. This does not mean their magic is necessarily more powerful than that of a regular mage. As undead, Archliches are unable to sire living children. An Archlich possesses the physical strength of a sedentary old man, completely unable to adorn metal-plated armor. They may still equip boneforged armor. With a lack of weight, Archliches are fast and spry even despite their enfeebled prowess. Archliches may withstand only two strikes to their skull. Once the skull is completely obliterated, or fragmented beyond function, will the Archlich die. This requires two well placed shots from a crossbow or sword to destroy the skull. A warhammer only needs one well placed hit. An Archlich may use their suspension within the lifebanks as a means of levitation, allowing them to passively float up to a few inches off the ground to no mechanical or combat benefit. They are not harmed by poison, drowning, etc. as there are no lungs to drown or blood to clot; only sunlight, flame, and holy healing bring pain. They need not eat or sleep, nor do they age. Direct sunlight will bring about a burning sensation, gradually feeling as though their entire body is on fire with enough exposure, yet cause no true harm. Fire has a similar effect. Holy healing includes paladinism, and any other magic that directly attacks dark beings. An Archlich cannot learn any holy magic or magic requiring a pure soul. They may not learn Blood Magic, as their bodies do not harbor the genus necessary to do so. Archliches require a valid CA to play, and must be properly raised by the Sacrament of the Vicar performed on a T5 necromancer. They are not an open CA race. As necrotic undead, Archliches are unable to foster meaningful and emotion-filled relationships, they're deprived creatures willing to exploit others for their own ideals. Modifications By blurring the lines between life and death a necromancer is capable of becoming one with his macabre creations and increasing the capacity of their own mortal bodies. From achieving forms of false lichdom for more powerful manipulations over the lifebanks or enhancing the cherished and perfected reanimation, a necromancer prides themselves on being the maestro conducting the symphony of bone. Through this, they may embolden their undead armies, granting them feats unattainable to most of the living and the dead.

Necromancy: The Gift of Widukind Necromancy is among the few primeval arts which has based itself within the mortal realm since the days of antiquity, festering as some rotting tumor within the unlit corners of the world. Those who dare to tamper with its power are the sort recanted in woeful tales and fables seldom sung, amassing great legions of undeath and laying waste to empires all in the pursuit of their own vainglory and empowerment. Those who dare to tamper with its power are the sort recanted in woeful tales and fables seldom sung, amassing great legions of undeath and crumbling empires all in the pursuit of their own empowerment. But over an age the art adopted a more subtle role, inspiring its practitioners to amass in unseen convocations, quiet and reserved as they enact their blasphemous rites, fashioning for themselves a foothold in this realm so that when the time came to rise again they would not so easily be weeded out. Now, illuminated by the flames of revelation, the necromancers and their wretched cabals have once more sought a means of expanding their fell gospel, propagating their legions of undead to pave a road for their pagan ideologies, from Promised Lord to come forth in all his glory. Lifeforce and Heith-Hedran Necromancy is powered by the esoteric substance lifeforce, the primordial energy which passively flows through all living things in an eternal cycle, unseen. From mortal men, to insects and grass, each and every creature is filled with an esoteric vitality that grants them the privilege of life. This energy cannot be created or destroyed- nor manipulated in phantoms, but rather, when a lift is at its close and all vitality has expired, lifeforce will return to a metaphysical reservoir deep below the earth to replenish itself – this wellspring is known, in abstract, as the lifebanks. Necromancers have learned to harness this raw energy to fuel their dark sorceries, rupturing the metaphysical veil which confines lifeforce to its primordial cycle and thus turning it black and malignant. Thus they may use it, not only to control the life to which it would flow, but to grant modus to things that would otherwise be dead. In the land where the veil between the lifebanks and the living realm is torn, the world is choked by the grasp of the undying. Forces of death seep into the land itself, plaguing it with famine and disease. Blackened bile seethes from the ground, arising in a culmination of tumors, cancers, and maladies on the land, before consuming the sun in a tenebrous shadow of thin, blackened haze. What’s left behind is a quasi-ethereal wasteland where fiends and ghoulish horrors flourish. It is where death itself has become visible in the realm of men, where the esoteric residue of life can call upon forsaken souls, where one may simply reach out to pluck the damned themselves from the heavens or hells below. It is the necromancers of Rh'thor that have learned to utilize the scars of this reservoir, dubbed by Rh’thoraen sects as Heith-Hedran, permitting them to conduct their soul-rending sacraments and use the power here to fuel their insidious art. Through this weakened fabric of the lifebanks, a necromancer can fuel their power here, molding vitality and life to be twisted into death. Overview of Lifeforce Lifeforce varies between beings, ranging from size and spiritual energies that result in variance. Necromancers are only capable of manipulating lifeforce, unable to manipulate other manas such as ectoplasm or genus- though notably, necromancers may drain spectral beings just as any other lifeforce-containing entity, with the caveat that the euphoria gained is only half as satisfying. Listed here are creatures ranging from small to large, as well as CAs that contain lifeforce- or lack thereof. Entity/CA Units of Lifeforce Sorvians / Homunculi / Machine Spirits / Golems / Atronachs / Voidal Horrors 0 Musin / Zevnka / Small creatures, ranging from mice to house cats. 1/2 Halflings 1 Descendants / Ghosts / Eidola / Bryophytes / Anthroparions / Kharajyr / Vargs / Frost Witches/ Frost Mothers / Corcitura / Zar’eika / Tree Lord Husks / Darkstalkers/ Medium creatures, ranging up to a Descendant. 2 Lifeforce Pylons / Large creatures, scaling upwards to Ologs. 3 Wights / Palelords / Azdrazi / Zentherak 5 Tree Lord Phylacteries / Djinn 7 Gigantic creature, scaling upwards to dragons 10 Archliches 12 As a rule of thumb, each mortal typically possesses 2 units of lifeforce, and will be rendered unconscious upon fully draining 1 unit. Upon draining two total 2 units consecutively, the individual will shrivel up into a dried husk and perish. While lifeforce is found in nearly all living things, certain entities lack such esoteric energy, typically as a result of being animated by some other force. These include, but are not limited to, machine spirits, constructs (i.e. golems, sorvians), and Voidal Horrors. Incorporeal undead still possess lifeforce just as corporeal undead do. Lifeforce manipulation has no unique effect on phantoms, impacting them as much as it would any other entity. Inversely, certain creatures possess an abundance of lifeforce as a result of magical saturation, such as Tree Lord Husks, Djinn and Azdrazi; both of which possess larger than average lifeforce pools. These creatures will state so in their respective lores. The Lifeforce of animals and flora do not feed a Necromancer, only giving feelings of slight euphoria. They must garner it from Descendants in-order to count towards feeding. (see Darkening). Stagnated Land Rifts of Heith-Hedran may be opened by a coven of necromancers (see Rite of Heith-Hedran), stagnating the flow of lifeforce where it is present, as well as the land adjacent. Stagnated regions consist of anywhere that has been “touched” by the expanse of a rift of Heith-Hedran, and can vary given the size of the rift and the extent to which it has been used; the more actively a rift is employed in necromantic sacraments, the more it may incrementally grow, though some may choose to expand it simply for the sake of a greater reaching effect. Here, the land grows barren and cold; grass dies, trees wither, and animals become sickly, lying about as half-corpses just barely clinging to life. The sun may appear black or entirely consumed by clouds of a thick, suffocating haze. Aesthetic appearances of said terrain are widely open so long as they pertain to the nature of corruption/darkened land and retain no unique benefit. Pools of water within stagnated land may be poisoned and given a designated plague of the necromancer(s) choice (see Plaguecrafting), so that any who drink from it would suffer the effects of the chosen malady. Ghouls and other undead creatures may prowl the lands, able to be utilized for event purposes, though not to defend necromancers themselves. The terrain should be marked by a region message and (if possible) a mechanical alteration of blocks or biome in the terrain. The rifts used to corrupt land must be approved by ST management. Druids are unable to manipulate flora within a successfully stagnated region, as the plant life is dead; attempting to commune with stagnated flora/fauna would only result in them hearing a sort of “whimpering”, much like a wounded animal. All living mortals within this region will find themselves to develop minor flu-like symptoms such as coughs, sneezing, nausea, a “stuffy” head, etc. These effects are tertiary and have no substantial bearing on combat, and will immediately dissipate should they exit the region. Redlines: Ambient undead creatures present in the area have no allegiance to living necromancers (unless bound to an oculus), and are to be used for the purposes of DIY or ST-run events. Stagnated land can only exist in regions adjacent to an active Rift of Heith-Hedran. Stagnated land must be marked with a region descriptor, builds, biome change, etc.; poisoned/plagued pools must be marked with a sign in those lands designating who to contact for interaction. Rifts of Heith-Hedran Should the one come within 50 meters of the rift itself, the following effects will begin to occur: The Individuals feel nauseated by the rank and fetid air. Individuals develop coughs, sneezing, and other minor flu-like symptoms. Individuals will begin to feel “stuffy” in the head, as though subject to an intense cold. Individuals begin to feel lethargic and slightly sapped of stamina (not necessarily strength). The onset of psychological maladies begins: the individual will start to hear faint whispers in their mind, formless shadows may flicker briefly in the corners of their eyes, etc. Individuals may feel as though it becomes hard to breathe, though realistically no less air is reaching them. Hallucinations grow more intense in the individual’s mind, making it difficult to focus (but not impossible). Individuals will begin to develop paranoia and delusions, having a distrust of even trusted fellow company. Redlines: Each stage of symptoms takes place over the course of 10 sustained emotes of being in the rift affected region. Full effects would take place after roughly 20 narrative emotes within 50 blocks of the rift itself. All lifeforce-bearing entities will suffer these effects, bar necromancers and undead. Effects of lethargy are not debilitating, but may affect combat performance. An individual would be able to act at “peak strength” but may run out of stamina about a fourth as fast as normal if performing an exhausting task; these would include running, dodging a blow, attacking with a sword, etc. Sealing Heith-Hedran It is far easier to rend something than to mend it, and for a rift of Heith-Hedran to be successfully sealed, a circle of blight-healers or farseer shamans (via a blessing of Scorthuz) are required. The number of participants must be at least double the number of necromancers initially used to tear the fissure, though may be slightly more should the rift have been expanded – this is up to ST managerial discretion if needed. Artifacts curated for the intent of sealing rifts may be used to decrease the minimum threshold of participants if written into the MArt’s mechanics, though never to the point of letting a single individual seal a rift by themselves. Once the necessary number of participants is met, they may “circle” the rift and begin to seal it, pulling at the fringes of the aperture shut and binding the veil back together like suture over a wound. While this will effectively seal the rift and prevent the persistence of stagnation, corrupted land must still be purged by hand. The result sealing a rift will leave all participants afflicted with a benign form of blight that appears like a blackened rot, beginning on their hands and slowly creeping up along their flesh over the course of one IRL week. The rot makes the flesh numb as if it were experiencing ‘pins-and-needles’, making dexterous acts increasingly more difficult until the individual eventually loses proper use of corrupted areas. However, the corruption may easily be warded away by the appropriate blight-healing methods, spirit blessing or mundane herbology, though if treatment does not begin within 1 IRL week, then the scarring will be permanent, and any CAs afflicted that are fully corrupted will be officially made into their “blighted” form. Removing the rot from oneself will take three sessions (which must be at least 12 IRL hours apart), and with each session the spread of the corruption ceases and gradually recedes. Redlines: The number of shamans/druids needed to seal a rift is at least double the amount of necromancers that opened it; whether or not a larger rift should require more is up to ST discretion. The rot as a result of sealing affects all participants, though it is not deadly. Its scarring will be permanent if treatment does not begin within 1 IRL week of contracting it. Healing the rot can be done with the proper herbs, druidic blight-healing, or farseer blessings; it would take three sessions, each of which cannot be within 12 IRL hours of one another to prevent spam-healing. Explanation Necromancers are mortals who have harnessed the power of lifeforce: the esoteric vitality which ebbs and flows through all living things, rushing to grant animation at life’s beginning and departing when life is at its end. Generally, lifeforce exists within an unseen cycle as it springs from the earth to endow life and returns back to the metaphysical banks below to replenish, before once more returning to birth the cycle anew. Necromancers have learned to harness lifeforce by forcefully tearing it from its perennial cycle, making it assume the appearance of seething black mist which yields rot and decays what it touches. This does not mean lifeforce is a solely malevolent thing, for without the flow of lifeforce, there would be no life; grass would not grow, flowers would not bloom, men and beasts could not be born, and all things would exist in a perpetual state of stagnancy and decay, yet would be unable to die. Those who practice the occult art of necromancy are learned in the ways of manipulating that same essence, tearing it from living things so as to further their own power, for with it they spoil the land and make it wretched, deviate lifeforce to yield unnatural plagues and pestilences, and most infamously, puppet effigies of decayed flesh and bone as reanimated undead. Because of this, necromancy needs no outer forces to facilitate its use, for it is mortal in its principles, yet perilous in its employ. In addition to the powers of traditional Necromancy, Rh'thorean Necromancy oversees certain expansions and spun tales of dark and undead power, namely including the following: Sorrows and Sacrilege, how Necromancy was pried from mortal hands on Atlas. The Chronicle of Rt'horaen Necromancy, the saga of this dark art's rebirth, where in the lands of East-Meets-West, a deity of Oak returned necromancy to the living again with the prior iteration's pass into myth eras ago. The Implications of Lifeforce, the flow and ebb of the esoteric vitality fueling this dark art. Black Alchemy, the use of dark alchemical reagents to create malevolent tonics and vile elixirs for the purposes of rituals or their own empowerment. Ordination Necromancers are formostly servants of death, doomed to be inevitably quelled by their own craft – for the lifebanks ultimately reclaim all things back to itself, and even the necromancer is no exception. For the necromancer, fear absorbs each step, and every breath the pale visage of death looms closer. Thus, these foul occultists find themselves flocking back to their decaying havens for fear of what might transpire should they remain alone. spurning any companionship that lies beyond their dark, somber walls and deep, forgotten vaults. Through the Rite of Ordainment, a newly ordained necromancer’s soul is forced to harbor a metaphysical wound which connects them to the Banks of Heith-Hedran. Thus, becoming a necromancer is irreversible by any and all means, as their soul is permanently claimed by the lifebanks. Redlines: Necromancers’ souls are rejected by monks, meaning their deaths are PK deaths unless revived by other necromancers via the Rite of Returning, detailed further below. Necromancy consumes 4 magic slots to perform. It is incompatible with any deific magics (bar Seer), Naztherak (as they cannot retain the brand), shamanism, and mysticism (their soul is already bound). Necromancers may practice blood magic, and Voidal arts. On becoming an Archlich, necromancy is lowered to 3 slots. Aging is enforced for necromancers, as lifespan is a crucial part in playing a master of death. All necromancers are held to the standard of practicing their respective race’s aging. Necromancers appear to age faster as they climb through their mastery. A 35 year old necromancer will look as though they are in their mid 70s at tier 5. Alchemic potions and other magics cannot be used to circumvent the effects of aging. While a necromancer could use cloning to preserve their life, each husk would still age faster than normal and eventually die, requiring the necromancer to have multiple in store. Necromancers shoulder a scholar’s strength. They are capable of using weapons to defend themselves, but they cannot proficiently fight with one who has studied the blade. Their deterioration renders them incapable of championing anything more than bone-forged equipment or thick leather armor. This is not an ability mechanic, but an enforced roleplay mechanic. Necromancers are first scholars, it is uncharacteristic for them to be martial powerhouses who go around wearing armor and swinging Zweihanders. A Necromancer's seeping soul, depleting their youth and vitality in return for these deathly arts proves them incapable of retaining any alchemical alterations to their constantly deteriorating form. (i.e major Tawkin Mutations and Grafting.). Yet, a Necromancer is capable of retaining minor alterations to their body's, albeit distorted and withered. This requiring reapplication every 1 OOC weeks as it fails and decays with their withering being. (i.e. minor Tawkin Mutations, Grafting and Moulding.) In their withering, a necromancer is incapable of siring children, completely infertile and unable to FTB. Additionally, to what mental changes fester over their growth in this art, a necromancer struggles to foster any romantic relationship. A necromancer which dies due to casting past their lifeforce reserves is considered a suicide, resulting in a permanent PK. Tier Progression Hunger and Lifeforce Slots Necromancers have the capacity to retain a greater sum of lifeforce than most mortals, which they may use to fuel their dark spells. However, this expanded capacity is finite, and a necromancer’s “spell slots” are proportional to one’s tier of mastery. These expanded slots do not replenish on their own, and should a necromancer expend all their excess lifeforce they would need to drain the lifeforce from other objects and people to replenish it. T1: 2 Slots + 0 T2: 2 Slots + 2 T3: 2 Slots + 3 T4: 2 Slots + 5 T5: 2 Slots + 6 Necromancers who spend all their excess slots and continue to cast would begin to use up their base reserves of lifeforce. Because they are still living, necromancers possess two base slots in addition to their extra ones, which will replenish over the course of one IRL day if the necromancer still lives. In the event a Necromancer is returned via the rite of Returning, their spells slots will be fully replenished. However, it is ill-advised for a necromancer to go beyond this threshold, as it would begin to draw upon their own personal lifeforce; the first of these would cause devastating fatigue and weakness akin to a Voidal mage, and using the last slot would result in the necromancer’s demise, one from which they cannot return. In exchange for the power they claim from the lifebanks, the body of a necromancer demands copious amounts of lifeforce to ensure its upkeep. As a result, necromancers must drain 1 unit every four IRL weeks if they wish to remain in their “healthiest" state. Going on six IRL weeks without draining would result in the necromancer withering away and perishing, resulting in a PK. At this point, the necromancer will be rendered “mad”, lacking focus and viciously seeking lifeforce. In such a state, the necromancer is entirely barred from casting any magics or spells save for Darkening. Redlines: A necromancer which dies due to casting past their lifeforce reserves is considered a suicide, resulting in a permanent PK. Lifeforce slots passively replenish over one IRL day. A single descendant holds up to two units of lifeforce which may be drained by necromancers to regain lifeforce. A lifeforce bearing creature, fully depleted of all their units would appear shriveled and mummified. The Lifeforce of animals and flora do not feed a Necromancer, only giving feelings of slight euphoria. They must garner it from Descendants in-order to count towards feeding. (see Darkening). Maledictions Maledictions: Darkening (T1), Reverse Tether (T2), Cursing (T2), Bursting (T3), Summoning (T3), Cauterizing (T4) The earmark skills of the necromancer, by which they may manipulate lifeforce to various effects in themselves, mortals, or their reanimated thralls. Maledictions are the purposeful disturbing of lifeforce within a target, particularly with the intent of causing suffering and impairment. In order to fuel their spells, necromancers possess a number of “spell slots” proportional to their tier of mastery. Spell slots may be recovered by means of Darkening, or passively over the course of one IRL day; consuming liquid lifeforce may also fully replenish a necromancer’s slots, albeit at the cost of addiction. Because they are still living, necromancers possess two base slots in addition to their extra ones. However, it is ill-advised for a necromancer to go beyond this threshold, as it would begin to draw upon their own personal lifeforce; the first of these would cause devastating fatigue, and using the last slot would result in the necromancer’s demise. Unless specified otherwise, every spell or ritual consumes at least 1 spell slot. Darkening - [Combative] A perverted sign of Rh’thor, Darkening is a wicked, albeit primary instrument of necromancy which embodies the occult desire to consume. It is this testimony to darkness, passed down from heretic sects and malignant guilds, that remains a staple of the necromancer’s power, permitting them to tear lifeforce from the living and sew it among the dead. Redlines: A necromancer’s draining can be disrupted if the touch of the necromancer is removed, or if the tether is severed by gold, fire, holy magic (bar Druidism). A target can still wrestle with a necromancer to break free from their darkening; they are scholars, and anyone with superior martial prowess could easily escape their grasp. Cantrip darkening cannot induce combative disadvantages if done preemptively. Cantrip darkening requires 2 contact emotes: one for channeling, and one for casting. Cantrip darkening on a descendant/humanoid requires a single emote of skin-to-skin contact, as it is purely non combative and flavor. Combat Darkening cannot be hidden like Cantrip Darkening. Tells must be visibly emoted. Combative draining refers to the draining of any humanoid, mortal, or otherwise player character that is not explicitly weaker or more resistant against necromancy (i.e., epiphytes). Combat Darkening can be used on lesser spectral undead (ex. Phantoms, Poltergeists, Specters.) to banish them, however, it would do nothing to replenish their lifeforce slots. Although, higher spectral undead might be used to replenish a necromancer's slots. Upon a higher spectral undead (ex. Wights, Apparitions.) being drained of half of their overall Lifeforce slots, they'll become incorporeal. Should the entirety of their Lifeforce reserves be depleted, the spectral in question will be banished. Upon a spectral construct (ex. Eidola, Palelord) being drained of half of their overall Lifeforce slots, they'll become incapabale of attacking, defending or moving; totally inert. Should the entirety of their Lifeforce reserves be depleted, the spectral in question will crumble into rumble; thereby banished. The euphoria gained in draining higher spectral undead/constructs sates a Necromancer's hunger, replenishing their Lifeforce slots. A lifeforce bearing creature, fully depleted of all their units would appear shriveled and mummified. Does not kill the victim the first time, only renders them unconcious. Darkening does not consume/occupy a Lifeforce slot. Reverse Tether - [Combative] The Necromancer's poised wielding of lifeforce extends not to only themselves, but to what unwieldy necrotic allies surround them. At personal expense, they might lend out their lifeforce, bolstering any ally within their proximity. Redlines: Combative or exchange effects will not occur up until the third emote. Cannot be used to exceed a necromancer’s maximum lifeforce slots. Tethers have a maximum range of up to ten meters. Should it be struck with gold, or fire, holy-based magics, or the maximum range be exceeded, the tether would break. When used upon a living, non-necromancer, the individual might experience a gradual tingling, which eventually becomes an excruciating sting, but suffers no other adverse effects. Necrotic undead will gain a maximum of 1.5x strength and 1.5x durability for a duration of 4 emotes. Every additional slot fed will double the initial duration, but not stack the effects. Necrotic undead may never surpass a peak Uruk in strength when bolstered by Reverse Tethering. The durability flesh and bone becomes chitin-like, capable of surviving two or three blunt strikes before cracking and shattering, though is more resilient to slash attacks. Necrotic undead can only ever bear the burden of 2 extra units of Lifeforce with Reverse Tethering in a single combative encounter, anymore rendering them useless for a narrative emote. This can only be used up to a maximum of 8 emotes per encounter on the same target. The combative effects of Reverse Tether cannot increase a flesh golem’s strength or durability. A minimum of 1 unit of lifeforce is exchanged in combat use. Theoretically a necromancer could feed all of their lifeforce slots, albeit at the expense of their own life. The combative effects of Reverse Tether are only relevant to Necromantic Undead. Bursting - [Combative] The defining recourse in how necromancy earned a name for its grotesque machinations lies in its manipulation of cadavers. By inverting the process of Branding, Bursting is the crudest of these techniques that causes a corpse to bloat until it bursts forth, spewing infectious gasses to the living. Redlines: Those caught in the explosion radius suffer maiming wounds based on their position to the corpse. Point blank range will suffer lethal or permanent damage, while those within five meters suffer infectious wounds based on positioning to the exploding corpse. Small corpses are unable to cause lethal damage, but may mar, wound or render someone otherwise unconscious depending on their guile. Iron armor will protect the wearer from damage when at a distance, though they can still become infected by the cloud of disease unless they have some alchemical filter. Shrapnel can pierce armor when at point blank range, though this will never be fatal. If untreated (any medical roleplay is sufficient), infection will persist and can cause pneumonia, respiratory infections, or even death within an IRL week. This is caused by receiving direct damage or by breathing in the toxic fumes while within the radius of the explosion. Treatments may include T3 shamanic or paladin healing, herbal, or alchemical remedies. Bursting can be cast upon a non-skeletal corpse, a branded reanimation, or an active reanimation that has been prepared and reanimated, following commands until it explodes. Embalmed reanimations afflicted with Bursting will fall inert an emote prior to their explosion. The third emote is the “tell” where the corpse visibly expands. This may be delayed for narrative hours to allow for a trap to be set. At least 1 additional emote is required to burst flesh golems. A singular emote prior to the explosion, any reanimation primed will fall inert and be unable to move. Bursting consumes 3 lifeforce slots to perform. Cauterization - [Non-Combative/Combative] Derived from the vile practice of fleshsmithing and honed in the depths of Devirad, Cauterization is a more crude employment of necromancy, yet not one without its merits to the servants of death. Redlines: Cauterization can only seal and stitch together flesh. Critical organ damage can only be “repaired” through surgical roleplay where a necromancer takes freshly harvested organs and cauterizes it into the body. There does not need to be a “donor” match. Brain transplants or “body swaps” cannot be performed through Cauterization. An individual cannot die of blood loss or grievous wounds while Cauterization is being performed, as they are sustained by the necromancer’s own lifeforce. This is not to say a Cauterized individual is immune to death after being ‘healed’ if the cauterization is incapable of saving them, such as having a stabbed throat or crushed lungs. After being successfully cauterized, the victim will be unable to effectively participate in combat due to the amount of pain and the time it takes for their body to readjust, only capable of fleeing. This effect lasts for up to one IRL day afterwards. The cancerous scar left by Cauterization is untreatable even by holy magic, being both incredibly noticeable and lasting for the remainder of the individual’s life. Monk revival does not remove this unless they were to have died in the same encounter. Cauterization consumes 2 spell slots to perform. Cursing - [Non-Combative/Combative] In their defiance of the natural, the necromancers bequeath grotesque invocations and anathematic weavings to sow suffering among mortal men. Though delicate in practice, the scythe of death is unforgiving, and woe to those who’ve been plagued with such misfortune as to have themselves set in the presence of he who has delved into the arts of undeath. Redlines: Aging could never be used to kill someone by bringing them above their maximum racial limit; it would cap at what would be their maximum age just before death. Targets of distanced cursing must be able to hear the chanting/invocation of the necromancer, meaning you cannot curse someone sixteen meters away and be speaking in #quiet. This range cannot exceed #talk distance, or twenty meters. Lesser Maledictions will only slightly affect combat, never being fully capable of incapacitating or fatal blows. For example, a sensory impairment would make one’s vision blurry or cause floaters in their eyesight, though it would never cause full-on blindness. A necromancer can only move as fast as a brisk walking pace (3 blocks) whilst summoning a curse by touch, with dodging or running breaking the spell; pain will also disrupt the cursing. Ranged cursing makes the necromancer fully immobile so long as it is being performed, save for ritualistic dancing or other aesthetic movements. Greater curses require at least 4 emotes to perform both in and out of combat. If done while combat is occurring, the necromancer cannot be actively fighting while invoking the curse. Curses are never fatal outright, though greater curses can be rather disabling and cause regular day-to-day tasks to be significantly more difficult. That said, curses may never force an individual into suicide or death, but may subtly push one closer to these options on their own full accord. Should the target escape the necromancer’s grasp while casting, the greater curse is broken. Summoning of curses, especially those done from a distance, should always be clearly emoted and telegraphed. Examples of tells are chanting hexings in blackspeech, lifeforce spilling from fingertips, the skin of the necromancer growing pale as black mist seeps from their pores, etc. Lesser Curses consumes 1 lifeforce slot, while Greater Curses consumes 2 lifeforce slots per use. Summoning - [Non-Combative/Combative] In their proficiency over lifeforce, a necromancer harbors the capability of reanimating unprepared corpses cradled in the earth or scattering the battlefield to enact their whim. This inversely can extend to the living, where upon congealing their lifeforce, which they may inflict a brand that'll be activated in the event of a Victim's untimely death. Redlines: The necromancer must have access to a deceased corpse, either immediately in front of them or in the general vicinity below. In the case of the latter, a necromancer may only summon corpses in regions that would make reasonable sense, such as a graveyard or an ancient battlefield; you would not be able to summon undead from the ground in a stone castle. The commands capable of being carried out by a summoned reanimation must be simple, generally only two-three word statements, such as “attack Jim” or “defend me,” they will simply stand deaf to anything complex such as “write a letter to the Duke of Adria.” (Reference Reanimation, Commanding.) Necromancers must maintain focus while piloting unprepared reanimations. Should they experience pain or attempt to cast other spells, the reanimations will fail. Summoned undead cannot be larger than the size of an orc (if descendant) or a direwolf (if quadrupedal). You cannot summon flesh golems or olog sized undead. A necromancer may only utilize up to two summoned undead simultaneously. Summoning cannot be performed in the event a Necromancer has lifeforce slots occupied by an active Oculus controlling other reanimations. They may only do so when their oculus is broken, stolen, left behind or otherwise not on their person. A summoned corpse is only a shell, unable to assume or disclose memories of who or what they were. With summoned undead, other spells/magics cannot be used unless particularly designated. Once a summoned undead fails or is otherwise defeated, they will crumple into heaps of bone and ash, incapable of being used again. Upon a Necromancer stepping out of a 12 meter proximity to the summoned corpse, they will crumple into heaps of bone and dust. Summoning cannot be learned until at least T3. Reanimation Reanimation: Embalming (T2), Bonecrafting (T2), Fleshsmithing (T3) The power from which Necromancy derives its name: the revival of the dead in order to serve their wicked living. It is by reanimation that a necromancer may feign life within corpses and cadavers, creating their own faux children born of undeath in the dark, secluded places of the earth. The practice is tedious, and men so bold as to call themselves necromancers must go about weaving bone as if it were clay and flesh as though it were thread, for to the heretic lots of Rh’thor this is an art, and with it even the dead are made anew with a perverted perfection in mind. The Simulacra, a compendium of all that is raised as undead by a necromancer and his coven, from knights and magi of old to the terrible and primordial Archlich. Plaguecrafting Plaguecrafting: Plaguing (T1) In pursuit of the “Infinite Malady” — an affliction that harbors every type of disease simultaneously — plague doctors and necromantic pathomancers have besought numerous means to bring about great suffering upon men. Though no such devices exist within the realm of men, this foul pursuit gave birth to many other dark and deathly afflictions that may appeal to the necromancer’s fancy, thus allowing them to instill terror and misery within the living. Through weaving their own corrupting lifeforce, necromancers may exploit life to become twisted and vile, divorcing it from its natural function to instill these dark maladies. Woe to the man who hath killed a necromancer’s mercy, but vengeance to the tribe that wrought the ire of death. The Apocryphynium Inherited by each generation of necromancers, the Apocryphynium is a tainted compendium of forgotten scrawlings and forbidden lores, each hand to which it passses furthering its iniquity. The knowledge contained within such a volume pertains to that of necromancy’s most intrinsic practices, deeply revered and passed from each timeworn master to budding apprentice; entailing each and every rite and reagent of the necromantic which might allow one to further empower their black craft. Any individual who inherits this deposit of the occult, no matter their mastery, is obliged to expand upon it, sustaining it further so that future generations might know — recalling that which eternally binds them. Dark Reagents The Apocryphynium details most known reagents of the dark craft, each of which hold some mechanical use or contain latent power that is necessary to enact the path of the occult. This knowledge, shared with acolytes of necromancy and added to by their masters, is commonly known throughout practicing covens and often reproduced several times over, allowing them to employ its wisdom in rituals and rites. Redlines: 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). Thaumaturgy Though infamous in their ability to weave death and decay, a necromancer is nothing without the aid of their coven. From the creation of the lich to damning cities to disease, necromancers are cunning and powerful in groups. Their affinity for working together to achieve great power is only rivaled by the coven politics of hierarchical backstabbery. Intercessions Intercessions: Bidding (T1), Draining (T1), Returning (T2), Coagulation (T3), Cursing (T3), Pestilence (T3), Continuity (T4), Petrification (T4), Sealing (T5), Heith-hedran (T5). Severed from the living, the dead and those who command them have none to turn to save for their brethren, with the vile agents of death congregating in both meager covens and vast assemblies of their own fallen ilk. United, these wayward sorcerers form mighty and baleful circles which may perform innumerable feats of darkness and undeath, from ordination upon acolytes, to mastery over the fabrics of life and death itself in heinous, blasphemous fashion. Yet they must all be wary, for even amongst their own kin they only rival to their power remains within the coven itself, imperiled by the apostates and serpents which are drawn to these impious assemblies — and one must fear not to anger their accursed servants, for the dead do not forget. Black Sacraments Sacraments: Aberrant (T4), Thaumaturge (T4), Usurer (T5), Culmination (T5), Revilement (T5), Vicar (T5) Though through intercessory rites necromancers may indulge in malignant corruption, such rituals are far inferior to the true power harbored by its art. The Black Sacraments are what truly grants necromancy its notoriety, enabling covens to convene in droves to bring about terrible feats, namely those which foster, nurture, and empower the undead. And whereas generations of necromancers once thought themselves to hold dominion over death, it was inevitably revealed that those mortals who toyed with lifeforce harbored a more particular role, and that death had in fact made servants of them. Purpose Three years ago, during the Lore Games, Dardonas returned necromancy to the lore stage, something unexpected under Flamboyant’s notorious scrutiny. Unfortunately, the harsh criteria and simplistic demand of that era caused there to be many oversights and a lack of clarification regarding core concepts in the lore. However, the lore set a seemingly wonderful precedent for what necromancy roleplay should revolve around: the use of necromancy to empower individuals as a coven. The underlying problem with this though was that, while it allowed for more group oriented roleplay, the roleplay was solely limited to interacting with other necromancers. There was not really a tangible way for common players to interact with the magic outside of perhaps being drained or used as a sacrifice; and, as mentioned before, the administration at the time of the lore’s passing made it difficult to explore new concepts regarding interaction. Undead CAs also received a noticeable overhaul, particularly Darkstalkers. As they stood in the previous lore, Darkstalkers were very shallow in terms of what they could do — and whereas Archliches and Draugar had other means of giving themselves purpose and application within the coven — Darkstalkers were little more than knight errants serving at the behest of their necromancer. Most had little reason to log on outside of feeding, and were limited in the amount of encounters they could have. Security remedied this in one of his additions, and it helped encourage their independent progress dramatically. Thus we incorporated those concepts, as well as added on a bit more, to encourage Darkstalker roleplay outside of service to the coven. Overall, the intent of this lore is to expand the means by which players can interact with the lore without necessarily being themselves a necromancer, as well as encouraging the users of the magic to seek out individuals who are willing to serve as thralls or cultists — truly giving it the amount of interaction it needs to thrive as a community and a concept. We have plenty of expansions and additions planned for the future of this magic, but for now we hope to set this foundation as a means of achieving those additions without being restricted by the vague, and at times incoherent, lore with which we’ve had to work with for the previous three or so years. Citations Rh’thoraen Necro Hub Ancient Necro Lore Denied Necro I Denied Necro II Zarsies’ Fourth Gen Necro Credits femurlord (Co-writer) Sorcerio (Co-Writer) Security (Co-Writer) Dardonas (Old Gen. Writer) Slic3man (Support) Lockages (Support) Megavoltar (Support) Angmarzku (Support) Christ2man (Consultation) Lhindir_ (Consultation) Squakhawk (Consultation) The Necro Community (Consultation & Support) The Player Community (Consultation) Changelog: