Swgrclan

Very interesting, though I am skeptical on the definition of Fay - specifically it's involvement in necromantic corruption or taint. Any corruption that stems from necromancy is just necromantic taint itself, which at it's base is just a distortion of Lifeforce which fades after a period of time. I've often referenced the nature of taint as just "chaos", as the creation of taint itself contradicts the existentialities of Lifeforce, of which had been shaped by the Creator himself. I would like to speak further on this to prevent any conflictions.

I most definitely agree with this work. It is creative and does not fall into a confined part of the cultural spectrum that a lot of Elven culture/history lore tends to do. Well done!

[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0PvZGVPiJU ] In the beginning, Men were shaped by the Creator, and were split by the four curses; and though the sons of Malin, Urguan and Krug remained together as ken in the ancient days, the sons of Horen became diversified and many, and bore curiosities of the beyond. So they abandoned the stoney compounds of archaic humanity and went off to forge their own glories in lands yet taken. It was by the sail that human Men came to an icy place they would come to know as Esheveurd, far beyond the reaches of the old Aegisian world. Here, they became accustomed to the lifestyle of barbarians, but failed to erect kingdoms as grand as their forebear amid the cold. Thus they suffered in their tribes and clans but were hardened by the fjord’s chilling bite, and lived off the land as hunters and warriors. It was upon the fifth year of settling this place that they named themselves the Eshænveurd (Ashford) - “Men among the Ashen Glades”, as it would translate from their form of elder-common. The Eshænveurd indeed existed as barbaric clans; and they survived in that roughening isle amid frozen seas for generations, becoming strong as they endured the constant winter. It was upon the tenth year of settling their newfound land that upon the coldest of days they knew to have come, the gray clouds parted above, and revealed the sun - shining upon the suffering folk a heavenly warmth that warded off the cold and brought to them the salvation of a season of harvest, the first true time of such things since they settled on the assumedly dead soils, only to survive on berries and sparse game. The Eshænveurd became strong under the visage of the sun, and therein deemed it their savior and god. Under the deific incandescence of the sun, the Eshænveurd peoples thrived and grew to populate a sizeable portion of the land. With their growing numbers, the Eshænveurd erected stone effigies to honor the sun and after every season offered tributes of fresh game and crude metal workings to their shining god in order to appease it and allow for another bountiful season to come to them upon the following year. With each passing generation, the Eshænveurd folk grew more attuned to the sun; decorating their clan settlements with crude sigils of linen sewn to bear a solar image. It was their light in the darkness- a whiteness in a place of black. The Eshænveurd were far from the troubles of the inner-world; disconnected and at peace with their pagan ways. This was their way for countless years. But then a harrowing presence arrived to Esheveurd, stirring both trepidation and intrigue among the sons of the sun. It is said in decrepit records of the Eshænveurd that this presence took the shape of four lords of shadow whom came to share godlessness among primeval man, and therein left as quick as they came. Those that accepted these occult teachings split themselves from the Eshænveurd; settling upon the other side of the countryside, and thus naming themselves the Vækr (Vaiker) - “Men of the Gloom”. In time, the ways of the Vækr became unlike that of their Eshænveurd brethren, as they forged a grim culture of solemn and dark nature. Though both clans stood on opposite sides of the frigid domain and shared differing creeds, they respected their designated spaces and the beliefs their own peoples held. Admiration of the incandescent sun was still prominent amid both Eshænveurd and Vækr, for the sun favored no man over the other, and blessed them all with it’s warming rays. But the nature of human man was tumultuous and distorted in the face of adversity and difference, and thus tensions arose. A man of the Vækr, by name of Adovacer, had arisen among his people and, after displaying feats of courage and strength to the Vækr, proclaimed himself King of the Vækr and therein all the land that his people encompassed. This was seen as a peril to the leaderless pagan Eshænveurds, whom only sought guidance from elders most attuned to their radiating god in the sky, and therefore feared the possible subjugation under Adovacer. Another man of equal strength and vigor among the Eshænveurd rose up from their ranks, by name of Helvegen, and proclaimed himself King of the Eshænveurd. Within a year, these two kings at the east and west sides of Esheveurd, built up their people and nation, by the way of their doctrines, into formidable states of pagan sovereignty. Knowing their territories could one day mesh, Adovacer and Helvegen issued the tradition to meet at a border between the kingdoms’ two lands at the end of every passing year, and forge a blood pact of peace as to promise, by the honor of the sun, to never incite conflict between the Eshænveurd and Vækr peoples. This was repeated every year for ten years; insuring a decade of peace and prosperity for all paganhood within Esheveurd. So they coexisted for a decade under these blood pacts, both the godless and the godly, all equal under the rays of the sun. But amid this decade of peace, a joint exhibition had been led by Eshænveurd and Vækr in order to explore the lands between their eastern and western territories - the neutral zone in which the two kings met every year to settle peace. In the middlelands, the expeditionists discovered a cove which descended deep into the ground-- lightless and wide, it was large enough to house all twenty of them, two tens of either kingdom, between it’s spacious walls. Guided by intrigue, the expedition trailed through the dark of the cavern before halting abruptly at the tunnel collections’ broad center chamber. Within the chamber, of which they had deemed the “Dim Kiln”, the expedition of twenty came across three relics forged of gray gold and ancient iron. Together, they took shape as a bow, a blade, and a helmet - and in the hands of the kin of Esheveurd, they carried a heavenly warmth as soothing as the sun’s touch itself. Even in the darkness of the deep-earth, the relics shone like a distant glowing star; and thus, the expedition named them the Sunforged Remnants. Through the passing decade, the team dedicated itself to discerning the secrets of the three artifacts, and to much astonishment -- for they found magnificent powers bound to the Remnants, of which they’ve never seen or heard of before. The helmet could defy the bright rays of the sun against the sight of Man; the arrows of the bow could keep the day bright for an Elves’ Week; the blade could burst into flames. The more they found, the more the relics were known about; and soon after the Sunforged Remnants were deemed by the collective kin of Esheveurd as sacred, coveted items, the more either kingdom wanted them. Soon, the desire for the relics became demands. Demands became debates on who should vanguard them, and then these debates became debates on who held the right TO them; inspiring ideological conflict and tension between the peoples of the Gloom and the Ashen Oaks. At the peak of this tumultuous quarrel, violent duels between Vækr and Eshænveurd transpired across the frigid land, where debates and discourse on the rights to the Remnant and which ideology held them came to the spilling of brotherly blood. This grasped the attention of the two kings -- those whose ire rose upon the notion of conflict being stirred between their borders. Thus, to end the conflict, either king sought to claim the relics for themselves so the bloodshed would stop. But they too sought the relics for themselves and their kingdoms, and when a brief struggle led to the three Sunforged Remnants being split in the hands of the kings, true conflict came to rise. King Adovacer first claimed what was named as the Sunfire Bow, while King Helvegen claimed both what what were known as the Glaring Blade and the Helm of Sun’s Sight. True warfare was on the brink of sparking into a terrible flame, but even the wisdom of the two monarchs could understand what would come of their foolish choices. War came, certainly -- but it came in darkness. King Adovacer brought the Sunfire Bow to his Seers, whom using their dark, mortal magics, had devised a means to cast a shadow over the bow, and warp all that it stood for. It was with the new form of the sacred relic, the Blightfire Bow, that Adovacer stood atop the tallest of Esheveurd’s mountains, shot at the sky with an arrow of black fire, and blotted out the sun. Thus, the War of the Dark Sun began. In this time, lord betrayed lord, brother killed brother, and father abandoned son. The War of the Dark Sun was a long, bloody feud, it's’ ire inspired by an amalgam of conflicting barbarian-sovereign interests. Adovacer sought to rule all of Esheveurd, for he sought to become the prophesied Provident of Mankind, yet King Helvegen thought little of his enemy’s ideological rights; fighting instead for the right to rule Esheveurd itself, and to honor the sons of the sun with the Sunforged Remnants that the Eshænveurd had claimed they’ve the true rights to. It was a savage, bloody war of constant sunlight and darkness, in which brothers slayed brothers for five decades - half a generation of human Man, leading to the deaths of ferocious youths to sagacious elders alike. It was more a war of acclamation than anything else, for the sole reason behind the crescendo of tension was whether which kingdom deserved the hallowed Remnants; therefore, the dynamics of war were twisted as both sides stole a single or two relics away every other year, leaving one or another to their enemy so they may plot to claim the others while their enemy did the same. But upon the last year of the war of five decades, the kings Adovacer and Helvegen assembled their greatest forces and marched their regimes into the middlelands. Both the kings and their kingdoms have aged over the course of their conflict; what were once youthful, charismatic men were grimaced and grayed by the cruelty of time and perpetual, bloody conflict. This battle was destined to be the last, for all of the Sunforged Remnants were upon the battlefield: Adovacer, whose godless seers corrupted the relics with their dark powers, held the Gloaming Blade and the Blightfire Bow - the distorted reflections of the relics, whose true nature still shined, never able to be truly consumed by tumultuous, uncertain shadows. Helvegen, wizened by the passing of ages, wore the Helm of Sun’s Sight upon his head. Though he stood outmatched by the lord of the Vækr, he met him as an equal on the battlefield, and as the armies of the Vækr and the Eshænveurd clashed, the two kings battled amid the center of bloodshed and chaos; exchanging blow for blow, strike for strike, and extending their noble duel through time until a day and night had passed them by. But as their armies grew weak from the constant fighting, the two kings too grew weary; they were matched, equal men beneath the sun that now rose from the edge of the world. It was at this moment that Helvegen was invigorated by his faith, and therefore converged upon Adovacer the Vækr king, whom would respond in turn with arrows of black fire. But his helmed adversary would be too quick, stealing with force from Adovacer the bow he wielded, and in soon time the Gloaming Sword, whose blade ensnared with dark flames did not frighten the King under the Sun. Thus, King Helvegen stood against Adovacer with all Sunforged Remnants; and though two of them which he held were darkened by the magic of the godless Vækr seers, their powers were still aligned with man, and therefore bade no harm to Helvegen just as they hadn’t to the Vækr king. But Adovacer bore other legendary weapons beyond that of the old relics. It was with a great, furious call, weakened by the wounds that Adovacer suffered, that forth from the clouds came a great dragon ensnared in chains bewitched with black magic; enslaving the timeless beast to the grim lord’s will. Acting as the master of the remnants of the ancient days, Adovacer commanded the monstrous dragon to make Helvegen undone; but when the dragons’ flame blasted upon his person, the King under the Sun stood unscathed. Bearing the three Sunforged Remnants had made him immune to the destruction of the winged leviathan’s breath, and at the same time, purged the sword and the bow of their corruption. Thus, King Helvegen pierced the dragon’s breast with blazing arrows of the Sunfire Bow, and cut Adovacer down with his Glaring Blade - yet, sparing him of death, and offering a dismal mercy. Thus the War of the Dark Sun had been won. In the coming months, the Vækr were expelt from the land of Esheveurd, condemning the sparse remainders of the godless people to the very edges of the harsh, gelid country. There, they suffered the cold in temples forged of frigid stone, while the Eshænveurd built their pagan kingdom into a strong nation, set back little by their barbarian ways. For an age, there was an untimely peace; where man governed himself and and suffered not the chill of Esheveurd, blanketed by the warmth of the sun. Adovacer, whom had survived his searing wounds in his defeat, was banished; cast out from Esheveurd, and condemned to the unknown lands beyond. There lies one speech that had been spoken by the good king, which fragments of it had been passed down through the ages; words passed by mouths, and preserved by ink. Helvegen spoke this before his battered kingdom - as the sun shined the brightest in the sky. “To our godless brethren, we brought them sword age; axe age; we splinter shields asunder. They challenged our rights, and thus we fought them for what was belonging to us. It was under the warmth of the sun that we won this battle - by the will of our rightful relics that I survived the scorching flames of a gelid beasts’ flame; and, by the will of the incandescent heavens and the toils of we the Eshænveurd, that we had taken victory from the gloaming night. We have won - not with words, but deeds.” It was only several decades later that King Helvegen had passed - and with his death, the Sunforged Remnants had miraculously disappeared. Five years were dedicated by the Sun King’s heir after his crowning to their rediscovery; yet, to no avail. It was under the reign of Helvegen’s one son, Wulfsige, that appraisial of the sun had waned, and upon the final year of one decade of his rule, Wulfsige’s kingdom and people were visited by men from the seas; pious, bitter folk, who bore the cross of the Canonist God upon their sleeves, their banners, their blades; and it was through their silver-tongued ways that Wulfsige cast the covenant of the sun aside, and shepherded his people to follow the ways of the Creator. ~:;:~ This lore has been written with the intention to concrete the origins of the Ashford line - the noble human family which had splintered into small sects such as de Savoy, de Bar and de Saltpans, all of which had become prominent in Orenian and overall human history. At this time, I wish to portray the contents as this history as valid -- but specific aspects, such as details on the powerful artifacts defined as the Sunforged Remnants, to remain vague and unexplained until I write lore justifying their existence.

Interesting. I am curious as to how Thanhic explosives are to be handled, now that this lore standardizes them - if one is concocted of massive proportions, and then set upon a city, will the owners be forced to suffer the blight it's detonations bring? Or must they give consent before that kind of wide-scale discord is set upon their nation/town/hamlet?

To act as an antagonistic presence or a challenge for players to confront or interact with however they choose to. Necromancy only acts as their structure and the means to achieve that kind of role, it does not define it.

You keep speaking about power enhancement when there is no mention of that in the first place; that's not how Necromancy works. If an adept Necromancer becomes a Lich, they're still an adept Necromancer. If a master Necromancer becomes a Lich, they're still a master Necromancer. How would letting the current concept stew in it's flaws justify a "you should've done it before" argument? No one knew that Liches would be so dull after all this time, but we do now, so we're gonna fix it and this is how it'll be done. Edit: Wraiths =/= Necromancers. It's improper to claim Wraiths are a viable means for Necromancer immortality when there's a number cap on them (only four can exist) and that Wraiths aren't intended to be for Necromancers in the first place. This change is for Necromancers.

I had addressed a lot of these points privately, but for the sake of public understanding I'll repeat a few of them here. 1; No, the PK clause is still wholly under effect. In fact, this change suggests that it becomes harsher by preventing the Lich from being revived soon after their phylacteries had been shattered, which by my experience had shown to be a wholly viable option when the security of a Necromancer's Lich was threatened. This now prevents that and puts a buffer zone between the point of phylactery-shattering and the point in time when the Lich can be revived, not will be revived. It's up to the choices of the Lich player and the Necromancers whether or not they should return the Lich after the three month limbo-death period has passed. They may learn new magics under heavily restricted context. Not only has learning rate been doubly-slowed for them, but they also cannot learn certain magics. Divine (of any Aengudaemons) magics, Shade magic and Necromancy are the most prominent types that Liches would be unable to learn. To compound upon both that point and another, yes, they may practice Necromancy under this revision - however, only if they knew it pre-Lichdom. As for longer lifespans, that was a flawed aspect of the last lore revision. Immortality is a given as long as they are "fueled", which happened as to prevent the Lich's death. So... this cuts out the middleman and makes Liches less dependent on what this lore aims to disconnect them from; enslavement. 2; I won't dwell on this too much, because a lot of this was based on miscommunication. The idea of literal Lich enslavement via claiming their phylactery is more of an RP dynamic, not an actual weakness in relation to the past-utilized commanding system. 3; Yes, they now have a proper goal to work towards instead of conforming to the struggles related to Wraithdom -- of which I never actually defined as the primary means for Necromancers to transcend. I only wrote it as one way to, and clearly established that seeking Wraithdom would never bring assurances of Wraithdom. This does, though, if a Necromancer is willing to sacrifice themselves for fleshless undeath. 4; This weakness had already been the case for a long time, it's just being clarified now. If you read the lore proper, it doesn't actually add any bonuses besides the removal of Necromancer enslavement and the allowance of Liches practicing Necromancy by having been Necromancers before their turning. The same lore still applies, it just makes the concept better because this proposal removes the Lich concept from the boring, grounded, dependent role it's been forced to take - which it is all of those things. Continuous observation of Lich activity has shown the current model is simply uninspired and a bore to play without Liches clinging to Necromancers, whom themselves may go inactive sometimes and subsequently cause their Liches to go inactive. If you think making an already existent concept better and more cohesive for players interested in it, I'm not sure how to make any further approach on that, but this claim that Necromancy is just getting another "bonus" is but a farce. It's the same thing that has existed, only better. Also, Wights don't fall into Necromancy. Do we need more holy powers, or more magic types, or, more relevant, fixes to the canon of already existing magic types? Well, no, not really, not if we don't want to improve what is known to be flawed. I wrote this update because I know Lich lore is flawed - because I've observed it being flawed, and others whom also watched it exist for two years agree with it being flawed. So it needs to be fixed so it isn't a general waste of time to dedicate a character to.

“Thus the living, lone and sobbing, In the throes of anguish throbbing, With the loathsome Furies robbing Night and noon of peace and rest. But beyond the groans and grating Of abhorrent Life, is waiting Sweet Oblivion, culminating All the years of fruitless quest.” The Common Antiquity (Modern & Ancient Lore) “In the beginning, Liches were only known as servants of Iblees. Identified by a mastery of black arcane and a form devoid of all flesh, these masters of fire and shadow walked the old lands and spreadt havoc in their wake. They felt no pain - no burns of hot suns’ rays, no frigid chill of the winter’s cold ways, no remorse to hinder their foul, wretched acts, and no happiness when bound to their pacts. Though there were many Undead, very little of them took to the term ‘Lich’, and when they did it was to display the prowess of their dark masters’ powers. One such Lich is known as the legendary Necromancer Cataris, whom upon being enslaved by the Fallen One as a ghoul, sought to ascend to higher power without the dark lord’s assistance. Through the modern-Aegisian ages, he toiled to gain power until he ranked as one of the greatest in Iblees’ ranks; and thereafter spited the Red God after the descendents fled to the Verge following the defeat of Iblees and the subsequent disconnection of the Undead. Cataris spited his old master by holding onto his undeath -- by fabricating a means to remain as he was without the gifts of a Daemon. It was in Asulon that the old Archmage delved into the secrets of Voidal Arcane and, miraculously, the first generation of Liches were borne after the completion of his studies. But these Liches, while powerful, were few. The weight of time broke their backs where mortal weapons failed to. Eventually the first independent Liches fell to nothingness, with their chapter concluding as Cataris himself was subjected to the failure of his phylactery; a sudden, frightening demise in which his world was swallowed by darkness instantly, casting him finally to the throes of true-death. Another age to pass, and the Liches rise once more - yet, not so much as the feared revenants that they once were. This second generation of Liches were bound to be slaves to the new brand of Anthos Necromancers, whom had been heralded by the magi Jynx and old Overlord Wrothgar. The ancient, godless art had been revitalized unknowingly, but with the return of Mortal Necromancy came also the meddlings of the Necronomicon - the book of Undead powers, borne of Daemonic secrets. This made way to lessening the Lichkind with notions of enslavement and bindings derived directly from the enfleshed grimoire itself. But in the age in which Xionism was still being written, the one who would come to herald it, known only as the Ashen Lord, tirelessly scoured means to make Liches better. His efforts did not fail to bear fruit, for by his hand came the rise of the Darkstalkers - the brothers of Liches whom wield not arcane, but biting steels’ edge, and exist on a craving for life similarly to the transcendent masters they were fated to serve. With the growth of Xionism later on, the Ashen Lord and the one once known as Jynx, Chrodraeos, had sought to elaborate upon the Ashen Lord’s works. To keep Liches as a staple of slavery was unfitting -- to become a Lich was to become greater, undying, transcended. In due time, they altered the properties of the common Lich ritual to embetter them; breaking their shackles and ushering opportunity for the masters of Lifeforce to become greater, to stand as the shadow of the Liches of yore.” - The Book of Xion The Alterations (Changes in Lich Function) Through the combined efforts of the Necromancers Nimdravur and Chrodraeos, Liches have become more than mage-slaves to the manipulators of life. It was by following the old design of Cataris’ skeletal kin they had discerned breakthroughs in the Lichforging arts, pulling Lichdom from a role of a servant to a role that a Necromancer or greater mage may seek in earnest. The changes to Lich properties are as thus; - To become is Lich is no longer a matter of eternal servitude. Now, it is a feat to achieve -- to attain Lichdom is embody the subject as the greatest of magical practitioners and masters, for they are now independent and without the Necromantic bindings of old. Liches, upon creation, no longer have masters, and are not bound to follow anyone’s orders. - Necromancers may now become Liches while retaining their powers at the same time. Liches are still, however, vulnerable to the power of lifedrain upon themselves, as it disrupts the dark powers which binds their decayed forms to their phylacteries. - The ritual for creating Liches may now use two kinds of phylacteries - common Lifeforce phylacteries, which take the shape of dark crystals or gems, or objects of similar durability like rings, crowns or other items of value to the individual being turned. Both kinds of phylacteries are functionally identical - the object option merely adds aesthetic value to it. - Liches may now learn new magic, with some arts being restricted from them (such as divine magic and necromancy - they may use it, but the learning process may harm them). - Liches no longer have a life timer that they must follow. The Unravelment (Lich Lore Clarifications) With this evolution, many issues once vague have been brought to light and subsequently solved. The clarifications are as thus; - When reborn as a Lich, a mage does not develop a greater mana pool, and rather comes to handle the expenditure of mana vastly better than normal mortals. The loss of mana induces exhaustion and weakness - things relative to living flesh, and as Liches do not have flesh, they cannot perceive these weaknesses. This means that a Lich can simply continue to cast magic without exhaustion until their mana pool is depleted, which would merely lead to the failure of further casting. Experienced Liches may learn to “feel” their inner mana reserves in order to determine whether or not they’ll run out as to prevent their unexpected defeat. New Liches are likely to suffer sudden deactivation of their magical powers mid-casting if they cast in excess, and because they are just reborn, to quickly run out of mana at this time would induce conniptions or lapses in physical and mental stability in reaction. - When a Lich’s phylactery is destroyed, their souls are set in a three-month “limbo”. It is during these three months that the Lich cannot both be revived again or pass into the afterlife. After this sum of time passes, a Lich may be revived again, but at the very least some kind of remnants of their past form must be gathered in order to call the soul back to repeat the ritual. - While a Lich may be destroyed with relative ease by physical means, their resistance to some forms of damage may make it difficult to discern how they can be undone. The common misconception is that to detach the skull from the body would lead to their demanifestation, when in reality the skull itself must be decimated - but to remove the skull from the body in the first place would just lead to the total collapse of the Lich’s body, leaving them to linger as a sentient skull until it is caved in fatally. - Liches cannot perceive actual feeling. Though they may suffer mentally and emotionally, depending on the individual, all physical touch is dulled and a majority of their senses relative to corporeal feeling are either nonexistent or incredibly numbed. - A Lich is not bound to be completely skeletal -- their appearances may vary, though it is common procedure that flesh begins to drift away overtime as the Lich develops in it’s new form. A fleshless Lich is a sign of an experience Lich, whereas an enfleshed, decaying Lich is the sign of a new Lich; yet, puzzlingly, a Lich whom had taken the time to preserve their rotten forms can also be determined as an elder, as there may lie certain signs to point to their age which would further imply how long they have cared for their sullen, grayed corpseforms. The advantages and disadvantages of Lichdom are as thus; Advantages Liches are immortal undead and can exist perpetually through the ages as long as their phylacteries remain safe. Liches are aptly skilled in magical arts, as mana expenditure is not something they suffer physical duress from. This fact is also reinforced by the common tradition to raise legendary warlocks and wizards as Liches in order to assure they may reach peak power. Liches are resistant to the elements and can endure the damages brought by some whereas they are easily undone by others. Fire may scorch their bones, but they will not feel it’s burn; frost may make their brittle, but it will not deter their movements (unless frozen solid); water cannot drown them, for there are no lungs to fill; and so-on and so-forth. Liches cannot perceive pain inflicted by physical damage, such as common iron weaponry or other forms of tangible trauma. Liches provide the opportunity to return old characters back from the dead. Disadvantages Lich existence is in constant peril, and there is always the chance that their phylactery may be found and destroyed. It is commonplace in ancient legends regarding Liches that if the vessels holding their souls are found, that they will bargain with the holder and offer mystical favors or wishes in order to make a fair trade. Lich bodies are skeletal and frail and therefore may be dispatched with ease. One may consider them a “glass cannon”; easily shattered, but quite powerful. Tales of yore speak of Lich hunts involving the abundant use of blunt weaponry, as that kind of direct heavy trauma may easily snap bones and rend a Lich defeated. Liches are weak to gold. Though it is a vaguely-explained anomaly, it is known that golden weaponry is able to cleave through their brittle bones like flesh and induce a shocking pain that may send them reeling to flee. In the old times, gold was regarded as a blessed metal, for in common cases it’s presence pinned an aurum-wielding knight on the same level as a master Lich. Liches are weak to divine magic, most notably that of the Clerics, Paladins and Ascended. Though there obviously lies some chance of survival for them, a face-off between a Lich and divine practitioner may as well doom them from the start. Liches may learn new magic, but they do so two times slower than normal mortals. They also cannot learn deific magics, learn Necromancy, or even Shade magic, as the soul is imprisoned in their phylacteries, therefore preventing meddling upon it. Liches are subject to the afflictions of the undead, preventing them from continuing a normal lifestyle among the mortal or partaking in the “mortal” aspects of life. Liches suffer the Curse of the Undead, where they must frequently drain Lifeforce in order to satiate their accursed, waning souls. Failure to do this will lead to insanity, where their phylacteries become so fragile that to defeat a wanton Lich would cause the phylactery to shatter, leading to the Lich’s limbo-death. To prevent this, all Liches are equipped with a minor power of lifedrain. Liches are weak to lifedrain, ironically making Necromancers a threat themselves. Liches, as they age, begin to develop distortions within their spectral mind; Elder-Liches may suffer lapses in thought or the gradual development of dementia, even if they fulfill their cravings for Lifeforce. [ Document including images here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UhD7wTO25TCjTpzsFg1vYYqkoJsuqdxpZT0lTJhs59Y/edit?usp=sharing ]

Where is the history regarding our neato-evil demon guild clan in Aegis, Salamandra? I see no mention of our neato-evil demon guild clan here. Shame on you.

Jesus ******* Christ. https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/133593-necromancer-lore-the-exegesis-of-lifeforce/ After reading, I want everyone to find the nearest cliff and jump off it. Thank you.

A list of currently canon magical essences is necessary to define a variety of magical arts in LoTC lore, so therefore, I have devised a list and a means to organize them. In total, there are [undetermined number]; Mana, Lifeforce, Genus (unofficial), Aengudaemonic Energy, Spiritual Energy, Souls, Ectoplasm and Taint. These terms are defined as thus: Mana [Outdated, refer to https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/151276-✓-the-states-of-mana/]: The enigmatic, underlying energy of the cosmos which seems to occupy the mortal worlds in abundance, and specifically mortals themselves. Mana is only used as a means to achieve magical feats -- this means it’s expenditure encompasses all magical arts that exist and will exist under the premise that it is a “background fuel”, or essentially the fuel to enable magical acts or processes which therefore may also use additional forms of magical essences as fuel, such as Necromancy, Aengudaemonic magics or Fi’ magic. Mana is also only reserved for the self; so the Mana of one individual cannot be passed to another and therefore used by whatever means devised. Lifeforce [https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/133593-necromancer-lore-the-exegesis-of-lifeforce/]: Known as the raw essence of all life, Lifeforce exists as a strange, mistual black quintessence which confines itself within all organic matter within the mortal worlds. It acts as both the upkeep and life and a form of autonomous moderation of life itself in the fact that every organ, every limb and every aspect of organic life is powered and willed by the obscure reign of Lifeforce itself. Like Mana, it may be considered a Creator-fabricated essence; however, Lifeforce is only confined in the mortal worlds themselves, and cannot be made by outerlying forces such as Aenguls, Daemons or Spirits - only controlled. As an essence of a magical art, Necromancy (and moreover life manipulation) is subject to Mana in order to be controlled and used, for the act of life manipulation or control itself is a magical process and therefore powered by the fuel of Mana. Genus [Outdated, refer to https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/151276-✓-the-states-of-mana/]: Found hidden in the blood of mortals, Genus is a magical essence that, as explained by the “archdragon” Malghourn, is what allows mortals to cast magic; that which enables Mana itself to be used, in order for Mana to allow magical acts to occur. It is essentially a catalyst, and it’s application in Blood Magic is why the dark art is called as it is; found within the blood, it must be taken from it via it’s thievery from others, making the arcane-empowering magic a most macabre and condemning one. Within mortals, Genus is naturally dormant in the fact that a majority of the Genus within mortals only partially act upon the enabling of Mana use in order to keep the magical power of the caster from exploding in his very face. It is by extracting Genus from blood, and thereafter “awakening” it from it’s dormancy, that it may be applied to spells of all magics, therefore amplifying them a great deal. This ranges across all forms of magic, in theory; both dependent on the function of the magic which uses Mana, as well as the source of the magic itself. Aengudaemonic Energy [citation of reference needed]: The power channeled from Aenguls and Daemons can only be defined as the embodiment of variety; the rise of endless Aenguls and Daemons makes rise to endless forms of immortal magics, with examples standing as the Aengulic arts (of Tahariae, Xan, Aerial) which often exist as the control of light or heavenly powers which bear differing purposes, or the Daemonic arts (of Iblees [Undead]) which often embody great aspects of change such as destruction or ruination, or other such chaotic powers. As Aengudaemons, or immortals, may fabricate any form of magic that adheres to the laws of the mortal worlds and therefore grant them to mortals, Aengudaemonic Energy may be relayed to take any shape - even replicating separate arts themselves, like Necromancy, of which Iblees himself had heralded before the second generation magic’s creation. However, just like arcane magic must be funneled through a connection to the Void with the use of Mana, those who are deemed the champions of Aenguls or Daemons must too bear a similar connection to their heavenly lords and expend Mana in order to utilize Aengudaemonic Energy to shape their patron’s given powers. Spiritual Energy [citation of reference needed]: Spiritual Energy is akin to Aengudaemonic Energy in the fact that the Spirits of the Spiritual Planes act as higher beings able to forge a connection with mortals, and therefore relay their powers through them. Interestingly, as the Spirits are the unruly creations of the Daemon Apohet, one may assume Spiritual Energy bears direct relation to Aengudaemonic Energy -- as if the Spirits were mimicking the method in which Aenguls and Daemons relay their blessings to chosen mortals. The use of Spiritual Energy through a connection to the Spiritual Planes demands the expenditure of Mana. Souls [https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/133892-superior-inferior-and-lesser-souls/]: Not exactly able to be defined as a fuel for magic, mortal souls are an ethereal, abstract form of magical essence which bears the imprint of the mortal they belong to - from knowledge to identity and unknown aspects beyond. Little use has been found in the soul beyond that of two dark arts - namely Soul Puppeteering and high-elven Fi’ magic, which utilizes the soul for means to either torment victims or to steal the Mana from casted magic in order to nullify the magic itself. To use the little understood essence of souls demands the expenditure of Mana - even when they are used to steal the Mana from the magic of others. Ectoplasm [Outdated, refer to https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/151276-✓-the-states-of-mana/]: Acting as the corporeal essence of spectral entities of various forms, Ectoplasm is quite literally a soup of lifeforce and mana, often seen condensed into fragile structures in order to embody ghosts, gravens or other such undead beings. The uses of Ectoplasm are thin, but those whom call themselves Mystics have devised an art which enables them to hold reign over the spectral world, with Ectoplasm acting as their primary means to utilize their ethereal arts. Taint [citation of reference needed]: Unable to be defined as one sole form of essence, “Taint” is a dark presence in which a variety of powers encompass. Otherwise known as corruption or blights, taint may take differing forms but often involve one loosely-relatable aspect; chaos. Able to be shaped from a majority of dark arts (Necromancy, Setherien’s Boon, Iblees’ Boon, Shade Magic and likely more), Taint or corruption often embodies havoc and heralds the doom of that which it touches - eroding the land, destroying the flesh, and even corrupting the souls of mortals, turning them into shadowed husks of what they once were. These forms of magical energy act as the primary means to cast a variety of magical arts in the mortal worlds, and with extensive knowledge of them I have fashioned a system of magical organization aimed to make understanding types of magic easier. The system is thus; all magics are pulled under three types, of which are known as Arcane, Deific and Mortal. I will elaborate them, as followed; Arcane; All that which derives from the power of the Void, and directly uses Mana alone in order to utilize connections to the Void and therefore draw upon it in order to practice elemental evocations and other such “temporary” powers. Arcane magic is considered the first of magical types to exist, and is foremost the most neutral of any, for it stands sole and independent in itself, drawing from the Void which bears no master. Arcane is also known as Voidal Magic. Deific; All that which derives from the power of deities, or higher beings beyond the veil of the mortal worlds. Deities are various in form and the magic types that fall under Deific are often based on Spiritual and Aengudaemonic Energies, as both the Aenguls, Daemons and Spirits are beyond the mortal worlds and therefore disconnected from them, demanding a connection to their planes in order for their arts to be accessed. Other magics identified as Deific before, such as Setherien’s Boon, are false-Deific, for those such as the wyrm Setherien were able to simulate power-granting processes and connections akin to Spirits and Aengudaemons, but was a mortal being himself upon the mortal planes, giving away a mortal power he made with knowledge of the mortal worlds’ intricacies; therefore deeming his false-Deific, or by sheer definition Mortal. Deific is also known as Aengudaemonic Magic. Mortal; All that which encompasses power from the mortal or material planes, of which often utilizes essences in these material planes in order to fabricate often independent, often darker or macabre forms of magic. Among the Mortal arts are Necromancy (Lifeforce control), Blood Magic (Genus/blood control), Mysticism (Ectoplasm control) and Fi’ Magic (Soul control) just to name a few. Other types, namely Deific, often play into Mortal powers, as Aengudaemonic Energy is capable of achieving the same kind of control that Mortal powers may themselves. Mortal magic may also play into the Arcane type, particularly for Fi’ Magic which makes use of souls in order to steal Mana from a specific magic that is being cast in order to send it back into the Void. With all canonized magical energies and magical archetypes established, here is an example of how magic as a whole would be organized: Arcane; Fire Evocation Water Evocation Air Evocation Earth Evocation Electrical Evocation Arcane Evocation Telekinesis Alteration (Enchanting, Transfiguration, Wards) Conjuration Illusion Mental Magic Cognitism Deific; Druidism (Nature’s Communion, Nature’s Healing, Control of Nature, Blight Healing, Shapeshifting) [The Aspects; Cernunnos, Cerridwen, Nemiisae(?)] Shamanism (Elemental, Latauman, Witchdoctor, Farseer) [The Spirits] Divinism (Paladinism [Xan], Clericism [Tahariae], Ascended [Aerial]) Muun’Trivazja [Metztli] Undeadism [Iblees] Runesmithing [?] Mortal; Necromancy Blood Magic Mysticism Soul Puppetry Harbinger’s Boon Fi’ Magic Shade Magic Frost Witch Magic

This document serves as a means to clarify the mortal races and entities that exist in the world in an objectively canonically tiered system. Transcendents (Soulbearing, Greater Mortal Entities) Beings which once existed as descendent mortals, but whom have ascended to a higher point of existence with the use of godless magics. They hold Superior Souls, and thus are capable of great feats of magic while retaining moderate strength in most instances. As per their greater nature, the Transcendents have surpassed the Four Curses and do not suffer their effects. Daeva Wraiths Wights Liches Darkstalkers Revenants Archons Frost Witches Descendants (Soulbearing Mortal Races) Beings whom were shaped by the Creator and borne of the Four Brothers. They bear Superior Souls and thus have minds and may cast magic of all forms at the cost of natural strength. Descendants suffer the Four Curses cast by Iblees. Humans Elves Orcs Dwarves Immortal Heirs (Soulbearing Immortalborn Races) Beings whom exist as Descendents do, but with Immortal origin; whether by bearing Aengulic blood or being shaped directly from the hands of Daemons themselves. As races either borne of Immortal meddlings of the Descendants, or merely shaped into what they are from nothingness, they do not suffer the Four Curses, and rather likely bear their own form of plight. Immortal Hears bear Superior Souls, and therefore may cast magic and are subject to it’s effects similarly to normal mortal Descendants. Mori’quessir Kharajyr Dragonkin Undead (Soulless Mortal Entities) Beings that have died as mortal, but by some means, continue to linger on as remnants of their former selves, even after their souls departed to the Soul Stream. Undead hold soul shadows, the remnants of a soul that had passed to the Soul Stream. Soul shadows allow undead to retain pieces of their old, living psyche, permitting them to linger on as dull reflections of themselves, but without the ability to use magic, for soul shadows are not truly souls. Undead do not suffer the Four Curses, as their tangible forms are both incompatible with the afflictions, as well as that their remnant spirits do not retain the corruption of the curses that once tainted the souls that the soul shadows mimic. Ghouls Ghosts Gravens Apparitions Homonculi

Your claims are unrealistic and unreasonable, and not very applicable to the purpose of this lore at all. If people are confused, they may read this for five minutes, and then understand, and if they're confused further they may contact a Lore Master - or, even better, the person who wrote this, me. But I digress, I don't see this discussion going anyway else now, so no matter.

I'm not exactly sure of your position, considering that you say in one hand that everyone is already acclimated to using real life sciences to explain the deeper intricacies of this fictional universe, and in the other say it's improper to "dissect" the fictional universe with explanations as to how some of the stuff in this fictional universe works. This proposition aims to replace what people think that there is, with something that is more aligned with server canon. By no means will it disrupt roleplay in any reasonable circumstance, because the temporal theory just replaces the loose assumption of what there is, and settles into the gap I addressed in my last post. Unless someone creates a microscope in roleplay, uses it and discovers the world is not made of essences beyond the 4th wall, and subsequently is upset about it, this will not deter roleplay. It is a means to better explain what there is, and to make sure mistakes are not made in the future. Even then, while your point on revealing the secrets of the universe can be prone to disrupting the flow of roleplay in some sparse aspects, it's not like I wrote up a textbook on magical sciences here. What is defined is how matter, both nonliving and organic, exist in the mortal worlds. I probably used the most simplistic way of portraying this, whereas the currently-used alternative of real life science application does not follow a simplistic design, and instead is host to a vast array of details to understand and thereafter try to incompatibly apply to LoTC canon.

If there's going to be a legitimate fantasy canon with concepts that range to existential levels, magical concepts included, then there must be an explanation as to why things are as they are in this universe. I wrote this to prevent people from piling real life sciences into a fictional universe. If they start doing that, things get messy, and people get more confused from that than they would from something like the temporal theory. Some things cannot be explained without other things remaining empty or without explanation. Voidal magics operate on a temporary function, where what they may summon may interact with the world but is not apart of it, and therefore leaves once focus on the evoked thing is lost. Conjurationists fabricate falsities and therefore follow the same rule - the physical things they summon aren't "real" in the traditional sense. So, no, lifeforce is not needed to keep conjured life alive. Conjured life is alive by the will of the conjurationist. Mana doesn't exist in canon as a sole means to cast magic, it is the primary "energy" of the Creator's cosmos. The reason I applied mana as the way matter was formed was because I was following the logic of the prior-mentioned fact; creating another form of energy or the like to explain what Dormant Mana is would be confusing. Also, I thought I made it clear in the lore that Dormant Mana is an ancient, altered form of mana, therefore explaining why it was used to create matter and turn the material worlds into corporeal planes. If you want it even more simplified, Dormant Mana is matter. It encompasses all forms of matter in the mortal worlds, and all physical elements included within it. It's not literal mana you may draw and use - it's different, and it's tangible, because it was used to made up all matter at microscopic levels. At the end of this point, however, it doesn't really matter what Dormant Mana is or what exactly it derives from, because it's just our explanation as to why things are physical, and I just needed a way to relate it to server canon so I went with what I have now. I had tried to make it distinct and unlike usable mana by giving it it's current name. As for the coalesce of Dormant Mana and Lifeforce, I thought that I defined that well enough as well - maybe not. The compounding of Dormant Mana (or matter, whatever you wish to call it) and Lifeforce was my attempt to convey how organic life works. Dormant Mana can take shape and form things such as elements, but elements are lifeless and nonorganic. They are lifeless because they have no Lifeforce. When Dormant Mana and Lifeforce are bound together, they create corporeal shape but this matter may be considered "alive" and not desolate as what Dormant Mana alone may create. So, in summary, the system is this: Dormant Mana may create earth, fire, water, air, and all barren corporeal things that may come of these physical elements. Dormant Mana and Lifeforce may create fields of tall grass, boundless forests, organic entities from beast to man, and organic necessities like blood or other various bodily or lively fluids come from the very same combining of Dormant Mana (matter) and Lifeforce. Lifeforce alone, however, cannot achieve anything beyond fueling these organic forms of matter. That is explained in separate, canonized Lifeforce lore, which is also public. To address the last point, necromancers already sap "alchemical laws" by pulling Lifeforce from an area where it is organically compatible. They draw Lifeforce from living things made of Dormant Mana (matter), and then the Dormant Mana falls apart - it decays. Their powers only encompass all that which is powered by Lifeforce, which is... living stuff. Not elements or the earth itself. As for bloating lore, I don't think this would do that at all. If you think about it there's actually a gap in the universal canon and this is a means to fill it, because all that currently occupies the gap are loose applications of real life sciences. Which triggers me. Changing the name of Dormant Mana isn't an issue to me, but if it's current design is deviated from then more terms would have to be devised and then it would actually, truly, become confusing. This lore provides a simple alternative to explain a part of the universe instead of apply zany, out-of-wack real life science **** which doesn't really connect to anything, akin to how you can't push two magnets together without struggle.

As the intrinsic makeup of the physical realms (Aerios and Axiom, known before as Aos and Eos, or the two worlds which host the lands of Aegis, Asulon, Anthos, and so on) is vague and undefined, and the mistake of applying real life sciences to these physical realms is reasonably common, I therefore wish to define this intrinsic makeup myself in the most simple means possible - which, of course, will involve cemented canon of the LoTC universe. Thus, I propose the following: The physical planes of Aerios and Axiom exist suspended in the orderly cosm known as Creation, which is all that the Creator formed after his coming from the Void. Using the power of Creation itself, he formed the universe and defined two forms of heavenly bodies: material, and nonmaterial. Realms defined as nonmaterial usually consist of Immortal, or Aengudaemonic realms, of which the Immortals themselves rule as varying planes based on the Immortal whom rules them. These realms are loose and not bound by a defined physical law, and therefore are only and totally bound by Aengudaemonic jurisdiction, or the jurisdiction of otherworldly beings of higher celestial status (such as spirits within the spirit realm). Material realms are the heavenly bodies that had been shaped most likely for the purpose to host mortal or material existence. Of all planes which may be identified as material realms, the mortal worlds (Aerios and Axiom respectively) are the most prominent, for these two planes were shaped by the Creator in the beginning times, predating even Aengudaemonic manifestation. The mortal worlds of Aerios and Axiom had been shaped with a form of pure mana - the energy which encompasses all function in the universe - which had been made to form material structures and apply order and shape to the material realms -- essentially why material realms are material. This clandestine, unknown form of mana is called Dormant Mana, for it predates the use of magic, and had been given boundaries and existential regulations that would have it keep it’s orderly, uniform structure and therein keep the mortal worlds bound together. [ Under the premise of Dormant Mana, the use of real life physics is null for atoms and all that come of them do not apply, as they are canonically displaced by this form of mana. ] Therefore, when the material worlds were formed, they were given shape and structure by being shaped by this untappable Dormant Mana. However, a world forged solely of Dormant Mana is flawed and embodies utmost order and structure -- planes of crystaline lands, all uniform under the use of Dormant Mana alone. So, the material realms were given truer expression and shape, and most prominently life, by the cosmic creation of Lifeforce; a quintessential, black energy that solely exists in the mortal worlds alone. As Lifeforce, and it’s self-moderating cycles of life, were applied to the material planes, endless varieties of material shape took form like uncountable shades of colors painted upon the face of a canvas. Organic material life came about by this compounding of Lifeforce and Dormant Mana, making the world now what it is. [ Under the premise of Lifeforce, the real life use of biology and chemistry sciences is null, for cells and other biological aspects are displaced by the functions and intricacies of Lifeforce. ] By this logic of compounding, all things, even the descendents themselves, are made of Dormant Mana at their very base. It is what gives them structure and material form, and it is Lifeforce that allows them to exist as organic entities. The coalesce of Lifeforce and Dormant Mana bring about a grand form existence, impossibly replicable for it’s forms are infinite in variety and endless in possible shape. The bond of Lifeforce and Dormant Mana is so closely knit, in fact, for when their product of organic shapes are without one or the other, they simply fall apart. Such an event has been known since the dawn of Man as decay -- for life to wither when life itself leaves what it inhabited. It is why corpses, both of mortal (Man and beast) and natural (the trees and the flora) make rot; Lifeforce leaves it’s vessel of structured Dormant Mana, and thus the Dormant Mana fails to retain it’s enfleshed form, and collapses and falls apart until it is all but nothingness. Without Lifeforce, it is said in texts of the old times that mortal form would be stoney and shaped of but clay and water; lifeless and cold, and bound to the restricted uniformity of sole Dormant Mana. But Dormant Mana has not come to take single, uniform shape anymore. Dormant Mana is the very base of all elements and the forces which act behind them; the chaos of flame, and the heat risen from it; the water, and the life it fuels; the rigidity of earth, and the structure it imposes; and the freedom of the air, and the space it occupies. What Dormant Mana does not make up in the mortal worlds are other forces that act alongside Dormant Mana and Lifeforce; time, space, and the invisible impetus which may defined simply as ‘gravity’. These five aspects of existence are called the Temporal Forces -- however, as only the prior-spoken two are what primarily make up the material realms, the other three shall not be detailed here. Miscellaneous Notes - If a form of microscopic-viewing technology is ever developed, and therein used to examine matter at intrinsic levels, all that would be seen would be the orderly, almost crystalline structures of Dormant Mana keeping the observed material in corporeal shape. Likewise, for the compound of Lifeforce and Dormant Mana, such an observation would be similar, yet loose; the Dormant Mana could be seen being shifted by the Lifeforce, willing it to make change and develop life as it is known to. - Under the logic presented by the temporal theorem, alchemy would be subject to the forces of Dormant Mana. One may surmise, if Dormant Mana is to ever be discovered and defined, that Dormant Mana may be freed from it’s rigid form to allow the elemental workings of alchemy to transpire. - The Spirits could be considered to have some degree of reign over the material Temporal Forces, and therefore Dormant Mana and the elements it encompasses, as there lies a direct connection from them (elemental spirits) to the mortal or material planes themselves.

Necromancy or anything derivative of life control, and most dark arts in general, do not depend on arcanic or otherworldly connections that this device would make use of in order to enhance, so it's very unlikely indeed that something like a superpowered lifedrain spell would be possible with this amplifier. The use of blood, however, as a makeshift replacement for ruibirum seems reasonable if fresh and applied similarly to the amplifier's primary means of spell enhancement. It would require a blood mage to make it work with blood though.

Interesting, though try to abstain from using real life scientific elements or biological aspects such as oxygen or blood cells when writing lore about this kind of stuff.

This exists. It is called "air" and does not require lore.

Username: Swgrclan Group: The Necromancers (& therefore Necromancy).By applying, you agree you were elected through a fair system?: I had issued a vote among the main Necromancer group and it had concluded with a total of fifteen (15) votes, with thirteen (13) being for the notion and two (2) being against it. I am thus eligible for the role of Necromancy Representative.