Tentoa

Malineer and Varron exchange words over the missive.

Honestly I think Its good that we're all moving away from 'mwahaha' objective evil with dark magics. +1

This isn't just a religion, it is a culture and a physical place within the world. Its meant to be an origin point for human characters.

The Saltfolk of Judi and the Feats of The Black King The Climate of Judi Rain for much of the world is seen as cleansing wash from the heavens above that purifies the earth, leaving behind dewdrops, puddles and the earthy scent of sated flora. To the large isle of Judi, aptly nicknamed ‘the sea’s spittoon’ rain is seen as little more than a common occurrence whose purpose is to rock the boats of fishermen and drench the backs of the hard-laboring populace. While severe conditions are extremely rare the port-laden island has been known to suffer from waterspouts and harsh winds that blow in from the turbulent seas surrounding the isle, indeed a sunny day is a rarity, lukewarm summers, blistering winters, and soggy picnics are a staple of the isles. The History of Judi Part 1: The discovery of Judi What transitioned into pro-human, xenophobic clergy and kingdoms on Axios was the humble beginnings of Judi’s people. What began as a trade-rush for the salt-heavy shores of Judi following the natural island’s discovery at the end of Horen’s reign quickly lead into a hostile landgrab by the Lord Elijah Dunward in an effort to claim the monopoly of salt flowing into the mainland of the world turned into a struggle for survival when Dunward Bannermen came across a great totem of Ankrus nestled away in a sea cave at the eastern end of the isle; valuing the offerings left to the spirit and the totem itself the simple-minded soldiers brutalized the totem, enraging Ankrus in their meddling. Soon the isle would find itself besieged by great waves, tearing apart the trading vessels and the small fleet held by the Dunward Family and blocking any exit off the isle. In their exodus from the developing world outside the humble populace of Judi turned to their belief in the creator to grant them the strength to carry on, a prayer that seemed to remain unanswered for more than two centuries. Nearly four generations after the Dunward had made the isle their prison a sudden surge of energy tore the sky above Judi, setting the ever-present clouds ablaze in a bright golden flame, parting them and bringing the first starry night to Judi in over two-hundred years and flooding the night sky with radiance for a short while, when the clouds burned away and but the expansive stars beyond were visible in the sky a great sigil sparked itself to life and took shape, what appeared to be a stylized Lorraine presented itself to the humble, isolated and ignorant worshippers of Judi, who whether in fear or reverence fell to their knees and began to pray. Part 2: The Emergence The sky had opened for the first time in centuries, and the waters beyond the shallow surf of the isle had begun to calm. The Symbol that lingered in the sky dissipated the night after it emerged. The Topic of divine intervention had lit up the streets, Judi had not seen change in recent centuries and for the first time in those centuries a clear sky ruled the day. Bishops of Judi’s church stepped forward, to spread their ideology unto the simple saltfolk. Particularly Wilbur Wyrmwood who began preaching that the symbol in the sky was a sign of the end of all things, and that the creator came soon to reap the souls of his chosen children. While Wilber's philosophy initially only preyed upon the fearful and ignorant it quickly gained traction when upon a venture into the wilds of the isle a group of huntsmen encountered a great black creature, eldritch in nature constructed of hard chitin, brain-like tumours and tentacles of all lengths. Finding their efforts to slay the beast unsuccessfully they soon found themselves trapped by the creature’s eldritch abilities and at Its mercy. Rather than slay Its captives the creature opted to invade their minds, taking from each of them pieces of common and speaking but one word it comprehended to the terrified humans “Peace.” And with illusions unheard of by mortals forced serenity upon the frightened hunters, winding them down that it might study them in peace. With some light convincing by the creature the huntsman lead it back to the City of Dunhalls seat of both the church of Judi and the House Dunward. AMong the first to greet the great beast was Wilber Wormwood and his faithful who knelt and bowed to the beast as Wilbur took notice of the strange lorraine crosses plastered upon Its form, the very same that had lit the sky days before. Part 3: The Six Miracles Though wilber and his faithful had shielded the beast there remained a great number who declared the black creature a false prophet and a monster, and in return to their outcries the maddened wilber asked the creator for some proof it was the salvation it seemed to be. Possessing magical ability beyond that of any mortal the creature considered the tasks to be offered to it, and requested to know what it might do to ease the worries of those who reject it. In great detail Wilber told of the six great worries of the people of Judi, the first it had already solved, the sun bloomed once more in the sky above the isles. The Second would be more difficult, an unfortunate fungal infection girded the trees to the south of the isle that threatened the largest source of lumber available to the people of Judi, the third was a great hungry beast that tormented the eastern harbor of Malbu with Its presence, the fourth was the sickness of the animals nearby the City of Dunhall that caused meals beyond the basest grool to be inaccessible to any but the upper class, The fifth was the plague that plagued the district of cleanfire in south Dunhall which had earned its names through repeated burning by the King’s men as to stop the spread of disease in the cramped slums. The sixth and final problem that Wilber informed the black horror of was the wrath of the sea, for two-hundred years they had been unable to traverse beyond the bays of their island home lest the sea consume their ship and lives. WIlber pleaded with his eldritch guest to prove his greatness to those who doubted it outside, begged it show mercy in the face of their ignorance and being as clever as all voidal spawn of merit the Arch-horror agreed, seeing the ignorance of isolated island folk as an exploitable resource for Its own benefit. As a testament to Its commitment the creature promised the desperate Bishop Wormwood that if he were to gather all to come and witness it solve these issues, that once per week it would perform a great act of mercy to prove Its divinity to the populace of Judi and begin through them all a new age of prosperity for the isles. There was nearly no elbow room at the creature’s first presentation, dozens made the trek out to the tree farms at the south of the isles to witness the first of the miracles, and to no disappointment. With a crowd of the curious or faithful the horror sought out the infected trees, silently observing them at first (much to the chagrin of Its audience) and after an hour of silent study the horror curled its chitin-coated hands around the trunk of a fungus infested tree, and where its digits lay there began a soft ripple of golden luminescence across the bark that burned away the fungi rapidly and spread along the forest floor, as tendrils of light sought the trees and annihilated their infestations; chanting a strange and frightful incantation as it went the creature cleaned the forest with what seemed to be little effort. The Third Miracle came with a larger audience, none had been able to solve the issues distributed by Malbu the Bay Beast, while the eastern bay of Malbu hadn’t gone unmolested by fishermen in the past five years the bay had been unfishable due to the persistence of a trapped water dragon unable to cross out into the choppy waters surrounding Judi. Unable to pass through the high sandbars from Its new prison and had begun preying upon the schools of fish spawning in the bay whilst assaulting any Judian who dared to tread too close to the Bay, in recent months Malbu’s rage had become especially destructive, Its destruction of fishing vessels even docked in the bay or any human that had begun to tread on the bay had now begun to not only threaten the food supply in Eastern Judi but now the supplies it was able to trade between the rest of the isles was being slowed to a crawl as well. The Black King approached the bay to a few dozen pilgrims and much of the town of Malbu’s population watching in breathless anticipation. The Large black beast looming over Its home attracted the water dragon, it swam to confront the trespasser but when the beast reared its head up to blast its unwelcomed guest with searing-hot water it was instead met with a brilliant radiance, one that temporarily blinded all those in attendance. While Its foe and the simple folk were blinded the Arch horror tore a hole beneath the dragon into Its mindplane, funneling it down in the blink of an eye. When the eyesight of the onlookers was restored they saw little but the water dragon’s absence, where Its Body once rose from the water there was now just a large displacement of water, attempting to fill itself as though the beast had been pulled from creation itself. The following week brought with it a crowd larger than any other, with the safety of Malbu Harbor assured the many denizens of the Isle had grown curious, the latest miracle had seen pilgrims from a grand majority of the churches of Judi as well as hundreds of citizens journey from their respective homes to Dunhall in order to watch the supposed creator work his miracles. Much to their surprise and approval the beast performed two miracles. It called upon the sickly and broken of the Cleanfire district to be brought before it. One at a time it would see the weak, the pitiful, broken, and those stuck at death’s door and pressed one of its tendrils to their head, all at once a rush of luminescence would rush over the afflicted, disorienting them. While they described the beast’s touch as a tingling feeling that caused them to collapse and be purged of their disease, the truth was far from divinity. The Horror’s broodlings, practically microscopic was responsible for these deeds, drilling into the bodies of both the trees of the farms and the poor of cleanfire, eradicating the disease from within and putting them onto the road to recovery, however this intrusion overwhelmed the body and lead to their collapse. By the end of the day, the beast had seened to cleanfire and moved Its attention beyond the city, spending that eve performing a similar process with the animals in order to kill two birds with one stone. The final of the miracles, the sea. In the three weeks since the Horror’s emergence, Ankrus had turned Its attention away from the isle, finding more important bouts to attend to than vengeance against ignorant island dwellers, especially with a large abomination contesting it. Unaware of this, the horror initially made a plan to guide the boat along using an unearthly telekinetic talent, thankfully this wasn’t necessary. With the attention of Judi’s reigning lord, Samuel Dunward II grabbed, it had brought much of the clergy and the royal family of Dunhall along for the journey. Upon reaching the edge of the shallow water where the waves would normally pick up and threaten ships the passengers found only overcast skies and calm seas stretching far into the horizon. With what they perceived to be their freedom the clergy and royal family fell to their knees before their savior, praying forgiveness for their suspicion and ignorance. The Creature gave no offense in return for their apology, choosing instead to play the part of the merciful caretaker it graciously accepted such fawning and apology and lead them into deeper waters that they might taste the freedom given in order to convince them of its mercy. Part 4: The Fl’nthogg Inquisition The Black King’s reign upon the isles lasted a short fifty years, in this time it was a cherished leader with merely a few bishops and their flock rejecting the creature’s claim that it was the avatar of the creator. Despite these claims they were quickly and sometimes violently shouted down by the believers of the newly forming High Faith, the Fl’nthogg. With the Royal family’s support and the fear that opposing the beast might mean damnation or simply death considering it had recently opened up the possibility of leaving the isle and freed their people from the sea’s unrelenting hold. With the support of King Dunward and his vassals the creature had assured its faith would be untouchable and Its venturing puppets would return with bountiful discoveries for it to savor. In order to keep Its facade perfect, the creature would refuse petty uses of Its powers and produced religious ceremonies, study, and encouraged the embrace of magic for humankind, as they were the only ones fit to wield it and should discover the possibilities it had to offer. For Fifty years, and the passing of another king the Horror’s word became law, Its faith became the dominant and zealously defended word of the Isles, trade was established with outside forces who were not permitted to enter the isles lest they attempt in ignorance to strike down the faithful of the horror. While the horror sought no aggressions against the non-believers and canonists of the isles Its faithful did not share the sentiment, oft coming to blows and public outrage at the claims of naysayers that had threatened in the eyes of some zealots, such as the aged High Pontiff Wilber Wormwood whom the creature frequently dissuaded from targeting the unfaithful despite expressing disappointment in their reluctant. While the isles were swiftly on the way to becoming a legitimate nation once more when tragedy struck. The Black King vanished, giving no word or indication of Its departure to any of the faithful, inciting a panic. Unaware that out of sheer envy a greater horror had consumed the beast in the veil beyond the High Faith pointed fingers, they had served so devotedly and their creator would surely not abandon them. With a whisper in the ear of the newly crowned, impressionable King Thomas Dunward III Wilber sought to right the wrongs that had driven off their merciful creator, having provided counsel to the boy’s father in manners involving the Black King it was little trouble for Wilber to insist the King call upon the military of Judi in order to right this wrong. King Dunward called for the formation of an inquisition, rallying the faithful to join and hunt down the nonbelievers of the isle and either convert or do away with them. The Inquisition shortly replaced Judi’s Constabulary as the primary force of law within the city of Dunhall and beyond, aggressively pursuing and putting to the blade any who publicly opposed the high faith and the word of the Black King with extreme efficiency. In the end when the Isle’s purge failed to bring back their merciful god, the Fl’nthogg inquisition declared that the seas were opened that they might share the Black Scrolls with the world. So, through violence and intimidation did the High Faith dominate Dunwall, and sunk Its fangs into the isle’s culture for many years to come. Part 5: Modern Judi Much like all religious nations, it wasn’t long before Judi’s militaristic approach to their faith was replaced by a humanitarian approach of equality and humility. Dunhall yet stands as the capital of the bustling salt isles of Judi whose seafood, cloth, and plentiful salt allow have allowed the isles to remain a comfortable bastion of religion and trade within the world with only dotted civil conflicts of interests. Now ruled by King Anthony Mal III the stranglehold of the Dunward family has since collapsed into irrelevance, displaced in a violent revolt amidst war with Oyashima the Dunward family has been rendered a landless house while the trade family of Mal rules the isles. Magically-fueled technologies such as lifts are commonplace due to the liberal use of magic on Judi and the Isles have turned their attention on agriculture, magitech advancement, religion, trade, and the preservation of Its culture. The Isles most common exports are fish, salt, technology, and wool and these things are most often traded with the Country’s former adversary and greatest trade partner, Oyashima. It is unusual to see a Judian away from home if not on their pilgrimage but hearts and minds wander away from comfort, perhaps one may find their way toward Axios and the roving descendants eventually but for now these strange neighbors remain as such. The Fashion of Judi While helpless in their two-century isolation, the Judian’s learned to persevere by adapting to the climate of their new home, they employed insulated clothing, the emphasis of their fashion turning toward the leather, fur, and cloth coats/hats produced from the hides, hemp, and wool most plentiful on the island. (Pictured Above:The Royal Family of Dunward: Circa 1522, fashion icons and the inspiration for modern regal attire in Judi) In order to protect from the harsh winds and rains of Judi it wasn’t uncommon for sleeves to be long, frilled and consisting of multiple layers and for skirts to be widened considerably with mesh in order to better shield from the wind striking them up or rainwater sticking heavy wool to the knees. In order to avoid draft it is not uncommon for women to dawn heavy underclothing of ruffles beneath their skirts. Due to the considerable size of these dresses it came to pass that opulence was measured by the materials used, the design of the print upon the fabric, and the generosity of jewelery decorating women’s hair, fingers, and wrists. Men were judged by a simpler standard, however. Long coats of hemp, wool, and rarely silk (Very few can afford the Oyashima’s specialty fabrics) decorated with buttons of gold and multiple layers of detailed suits featuring ascots, vests, undershirts and occasional wigs made up warm, fashionable clothes on Judi whilst less extravagant, warm clothes became the mark of the impoverished. Judi’s famous button-up vests and long coats have become a staple of eccentric fashion in human and elven communities (The Average Dunward citizenry; Circa 1609) Religion With the intervention of the Black King and a violent schism following Its departure from the Isles the ‘High Faith’ or Fl’nthogg seized the monopoly of faith upon Judi. Due to centuries of uninterrupted propaganda and zealous violence against the naysayers of Fl’nthogg Its customs and traditions have sunk their roots deep into the social order of the isles. Clergy (Two Clergymen of Fl’Nthogg in formal dress. Art by Will Beck) While the Clergy of Fl’nthogg practice strange and alien methods of worship for the creator they are seen as little more than one of the many sects and schisms of the True Faith and considered mostly harmless save for their aggressive recruitment tactics in the form of missionaries. Clergymen can often be seen donning black robes and tentacled masks to mimic the avatar of their great creator, decorated with brightly colored trim featuring scripture of the Holy Scrolls translated into High Speak (Moonspeak) and embroidered into the garments by the priest himself. While prayer is oft performed in High Speak, and their robes are abnormally menacing the faithful of The Black King are oft scholars of good nature, adepts of alchemy and magic who see fit to use their expertise in order to deliver salvation and peace upon humankind. To this end it is often seen that priests use Telekinesis to aid with building of shelters and alchemy to aid in healing the needy of foreign lands and acting as the bulk of scholars and healers on Judi itself. Though similar to canonism the religion differs in the introduction of the Black Scrolls, additions penned by Wilber Wormwood which detail the creator’s return upon Judi and the Six miracles he performed before his departure. (A plague doctor and preacher of Fl’Nthogg.) It is customary for young Judians of sixteen on Judi to volunteer for a religious exodus known as the Mal’Dahoth for a year to assist in spreading the black faith to all the world. They are sent as well-wishers, relief agents, and preachers to the pitiful and suffering corners of the world in order to share the bounty of the High Faith and the Creator’s mercy. Services Being as most faithful of Fl’nthogg are adept with magic it is uncommon to attend a ceremony held within the cathedral in which one remains bored. Much to the delight and fear of those introduced to Fl’Nthogg, services are oft supplemented with magic in order for the preacher to add emphasis to his scripture and word. This often leads to theatre-like performances of great illusions performed by enchantments set upon the cathedral for specific stories from the Black Scrolls, such theatrics are reserved for important holidays such as The day of the Saint’s Year that the creator descended, called Nth’aug which it is customary for a grand festival of prayer, gift-giving and feasting Though the exact date it lost, it is usually celebrated for a month on the first Sun’s Smile following the fourth month of the Saint’s Year. (Easter). (A priest performing a Nth’aug service.) Customs, Construction, and cuisine. Due to the entrapment on the isles, Cuisine and Conversational phrases have carried on through the years as a staple of Judi’s culture. Small customs such as knocking on wood if you sneeze in order to ward off illness, hanging a horseshoe above the doorway prong-side up to ward off bad luck from a household, passing someone on the stairs is oft considered to bring misfortune. Good luck can also be brought by storing a polished skipping stone in one’s front pocket when going out of town for festivities or business, spawning the phrase ‘just a stone’s throw away’ in recent years. The re-use of bricks processed with transfiguration for reinforcement Gave Judian houses their sleek and famous aesthetically pleasing appearances as well as giving them space for family and visiting friends. It is even possible for wealthy children in Judi to have their own rooms and toy chests without sacrificing room for guests and social gatherings. Roofs are often sloped as to prevent the gather of daily rainfall upon rooftops and to reduce the resistance given to billowing winds. (Artist depiction of a Judian Merchant’s home.) Cuisine that utilizes the wasteless nature of the entrapped people of the Isles oft appears even today as, fried fish, sausage, potatoes, bread dishes and stew as the most prominent meals in the isle and are regarded as traditional and respectable meals despite their poor nutritional value. Tea from Oyashima is also considered a delicacy craved by the Judians and their ilk, and is often served at mid-day for social gatherings. Famous dishes include such things as: Sausage, Meat pies, puddings, gravy, Shepards pie, and of course crumpets. While much of these dishes are made from what most descendants would consider slop they are a point of pride for the people of Judi. (Black Pudding, a blood sausage made famous in Judi.)

"Sold." Replied the Auctioneer.

"You can reforge the core into a new construct, you'd know that were you not simply reacting for the sake of reacting and your leader not so interested in dismantling Lhindir's things. Which mind, I'll sell for just that purpose...Mayhaps I'll just throw in his research notes as well...Or I could sell those too."

You also miss the point of thematic use and true bolstering rather than being used particularly for deception and combat. The point of this magic from what I can see isn't to provide a method of duping or bothering others as with illusion, but to cause a physical effect through the manipulation of the waves. A big problem with illusion is that it isn't really fun to deal with, and quite limiting due to the restriction of everyone simply 'figuring out' that what they're experiencing is an illusion and because of its nature it is just so pointless to use illusion to help someone.

"Oh and by the by! These were Lhindir's if you want to reconsider upping your offer!"

"You'll take your stingy ass out of this auction is what you'll take, enchanter." Retorted the auctioneer "Even an idiot knows you can reforge them."

-Word of an auction for Golem cores is posted around the capitals.- "We start the bidding at six-hundred mina." Announced the auctioneer,a tired looking Mali'aheral.

Me, personally? I think its 'aight.

You mean Death Knights/gravecallers?

This rewrite extended from the overuse of the tether, it should not be used in combat and is utlitary in purpose now. The focus was to be shifted toward these shiny new undead.

Third Generation Necromancy (Pending acceptance a series of IC events will be executed to introduce this new art to necromancers) Of all the Dark Arts, Necromancy was the first, the foulest, and the blackest. The epitome of occult, the pinnacle of dark; Necromancy is the art of manipulating lifeforce into serving the will of a necromancer in manners unique to themselves including the likes of resurrection, tainting, and ritualistic rites. Necromancers, upon crowning, have a leak tapped into their very soul, constantly losing lifeforce thus necromancers must drain at least once a year (IRL week) to sustain their body. It is possible for a necromancer to be kept in fair shape and well nourished by lifeforce, but they may not avoid suffering the weakness of mages due to necromancy itself requiring the strengthening of one's own mana. However, should they forget or opt to not drain lifeforce then their body quickly degrades and after three years of abstaining they are equivalent to the physique of a sickly anorexic. This state is livable if sustained but to regress a necromancer must consume more than their fill to step backwards and return their body. A diet of pure lifeforce would leave a necromancer in this crippled state but they could be sustained by it solely because their organs can function as repositories for more lifeforce, forcing themself to live. (Abraeke, a famed Necromancer) The Powers of Necromancy Draining A power drawn from the Darkhollow that manifests within a Necromancer upon the art’s practice, it is the foundation of all of the First Dark Art’s powers. Draining is said to be the most base and primal form of lifeforce manipulation, for it symbolizes the terrible, mindless hunger that resides deep within the precipices of Man. With the power of Draining, a Necromancer may tear the very fabric of life from any corporeal mortal shape, and thereupon use this Lifeforce to fuel the spells which Necromancy boasts. Though primarily used as a utility, it has also been used as a formidable defensive power by Necromancers in peril, for when life is touched with this hexing spell it experiences the worst suffering imaginable. The only resistance a victim of Draining may ensue would be to unwind themselves from the pallid, frail grasp of a Necromancer, lest they be unraveled entirely. There exists two draining spells a necromancer can invoke, Touchdrain and Tetherdrain. Touchdrain: the first and most basic drain spell, but the most powerful. A necromancer must first open up their Darkhollow to allow change, and then seek to take hold of another life-form in their grip, be it man, beast or plant. A necromancer must then take the risk of grappling someone with it so intense, debilitating effects ensorcel their form as long as they're held. This includes intense pain, blindness, bodily numbing and other debilitations that gradually build the longer a victim is drained. The effects start dull but soon ramp up and quickly the pain of such unspeakable torment is unbearable. The way to escape is to try to throw a Necromancer's hold off of them by some manner or to break their focus the moment you realise the circumstances, and then run away. 6 emotes are necessary to completely incapacitate a person this way at tiers one and two, 5 emotes at tiers three and four, and 4 emotes at tier five. Tetherdrain: a more elaborate drain. A Necromancer must summon a tether in their hand, and then touch a victim in order to establish a drain. This is weaker than direct contact objectively, as it does not bring the degrading side effects that a Touchdrain does, but it still funnels Lifeforce out of a person or thing and afflicts them with tremendous pain. A necromancer can retain a tether at 8 feet at maximum, and the tether can be broken by holy magic or if the victim breaks away from the maximum distance. Due to its lack of debilitating effects, a victim of this spell should seek to quite easily flee from it rather than confront it. The number of emotes necessary to completely incapacitate a person with a tether differ with tier. Tier one requires 12, tier two requires 11, tier three requires 10, tier four requires 9 and tier five requires 8. Advancement through necromancy can teach a practitioner to reverse the function of these spells, allowing them to funnel lifeforce into a target through touch or tether. A necromancer must simply open their Darkhollow up to change as before, but seek to exert their power outward. If not taught how to control this exertion, a necromancer can easily drain themselves entirely and bring about their own destruction. The uses of this function include soothing and feeding ghouls or other necromancers on the brink of death, and also plays an important part in sacraments. A special variant of the spell named ‘Instill Darkhollow’ is cast very similarly, and allows a necromancer to create a Darkhollow within another person, subsequently attuning them to being able to cast necromancy. *Nimdravur lays a hand on his restrained ally, fingers like viper fangs upon his shoulder. A dark mist envelops his hand in a shroud of spitty, swelling darkness that permeates his grasp. He reaches out to take hold of Uldrivt’s frail arm. [!] Restrained and helpless, Uldrivt lets out a shriek of woesome agony as pain of the worst physical kind ravages his arm. Nimdravur’s hand swells with more of the heinous, black gas and bites at the dark elf like snake fangs. *Nimdravur drives down on his grip as Uldrivt heaves and screams. The sable mist whips around and eats away at the air as he holds onto the feeble dark elf, the man slowly falling limp and craning over. Resurrection Raising cadavers to walk and do the bidding of a necromancer, be it a skeleton, zombie, or abomination. Where old necromancy had a finger to a corpse, a string to a marionette, and puppeteered their dead a new method of greater power has been developed to forsake the need for making bones dance at the waving of hands wherein now they dance as told. By reaching deep into the shell of a cadaver, touching on the empty parts of it's core where the cradle of a soul laid, a false mimicry of it may be awoken in the form of a soul shadow. Risen from death, a zombie of necromancy is not the conscious copy of a soul shattered by trauma as a ghoul is but a mere sliver of it's shadow, a fragment in a drunken stupor sick with death. These autonomous dead obey commands delivered verbally or somatically by their necromancer and may be ordered individually, in groups, or as a whole. Different undead may pursue different orders but are limited to the best of their abilities as nigh brainless, automatic undead. They possess basic senses and may process information as a golem may albeit the more complex the task the more likely they are to fail. “Pin her down,” or, “take his sword,” function as simple, easy tasks including single word commands such as, “kill,” or, “dig,” versus much more difficult tasks that would require assistance, multiple zombies, or is simply impossible such as, “find Ulthrandl,” or, “build a barn,” wherein the minions will attempt their best and just that: their best. The dead make for durable companions due to the restrictions of mortality being lifted from them but they do not make for swift companions; they are only as strong or swift as the muscle and bone of their living forms. A final note is that all risen dead bear the a faint glow to their eyes colored by the aura of the necromancer controlling them. As well, the distance from which a risen dead wanders from their necromancer the lesser their bond, weakening the flow of lifeforce between the two; whilst still functional at extreme distances, when undead are near their necromancer they possess a greater amount of lifeforce within them which makes them more resilient to feats of holy flame or purging light, albeit not immune, for the additional lifeforce must be burned through in order to vanquish the dead. Necromancers can only raise a total of five zombies and should they attempt to raise another the oldest one falls inert and dead. Abominations crafted through fleshsmithing , of large size take up two channels and huge creations take up three. Entities larger than a troll require the control of multiple necromancers to remain stable. Entities smaller than the average person, up to half the size of a normal individual take up half a slot. Every tier unlocks another channel for a necromancer to maintain a corpse, starting at one. Branding - Necromancers possess another dark power in this realm of influence however, an utmost complex yet simple curse known as Branding can only be formed under the prowess of a grandmaster necromancer (T5). Used mainly when the Necromancer does not have any zombies at hand, they may touch a living being and impart a short lived curse upon them. This brand would make it so that should the bearer die whilst affected, they would instead rise once more as the Necromancer’s undead servant for the length of any other conventionally raised zombie. This unit takes up one of a necromancer’s five slots and will cause any excess zombies to return dormant. The curse can be applied with barely a thought, simply the brief touch upon one’s clothes is enough to brand them with a looming, terrible fate. One emote trying to touch someone with your primed spell is enough, as long as you can successfully lay a hand on them. *Malineer raised his hand before the five knights at his feet, black misame poured from his upturned palm like a fountain. Flashes of viridescent energy illuminated the smog like lightning strikes as it split into tendrils and weaved through the air into the mouths of the helpless cadavers. [!] The Knights rise from the ground, the tendrils of smog coiling around and propelling their lifeless husks skyward for a few moments before lowering the armored figures to their feet. The Minions eyes shot open, where once life was reflected there now emanate an unnatural green luminescence Tainting Twisting lifeforce into antithetical, all-consuming disease that devours lifeforce with a hunger more ravenous than a necromancer’s own. A necromancer can begin to experiment with taint upon becoming an adept. [T3] Taint comes in two varieties: Stagnation - Lifeforce can be made stagnant within an area, preventing the natural ebb and flow of the recycled energy and creating a miniature vacuum in which no lifeforce may flow, to this end the land becomes inhospitable to life, stilling the lifeforce inside mortals that pass through it and slowly sapping them of their vigor and inevitably killing them should they linger. This is a process that despite its categorization involves no taint, if left to Its own devices this divide can expand and prevent the spread of lifeforce beyond Its origin point in a creeping wave of destruction and if not pushed back and brought back into flow by a Farseer or Druid this stagnation can continue indefinitely. Afflictions - Forms of taint (corrupted lifeforce) that had been carefully treated by a necromancer in order to achieve certain disease-like qualities. It spreads and tears up lifeforce like original taint, except in different, specific mannerisms that usually lead to deformities, degradation or the general breakdown of someone's well being. Afflictions can only be cured by holy magics, and are similar to curses in their variety, but cannot be engineered to work as specifically as individual, unique curses. Stagnation The bane of life is not a force that a necromancer might control, instead it is a force that they might simply give a helpful push in the right direction. Stagnation is paired with Affliction as earthly form of taint, whereas taint can be spread upon the ground and kill what it touches it cannot spread as far as Stagnation can, nor is it as resilient. Stagnation occurs when a Necromancer touches a piece of flora, imbuing the lifeforce within with his will and bringing it to a stand still. This stilled lifeforce is modeled after the Abyss, a clot in the veins of the natural flow of lifeforce that if left unchecked will grow infinitely by feeding on the lifeforce of plants nearby or those trying to grow. This stagnation leads to rot and decay as all living beings within the Stagnation cannot pass lifeforce from use or death, leading to a dead land caked in rolling smog. Unlike most other spells which can be wielded with more ease at greater skill in the Godless Art, Stagnation is an alien and uncontrollable force that even a master necromancer could not wield effectively or even withstand the devastation it may cause. They are merely capable of putting the effect into motion. *Malineer’s hand clutched tight the bark of the tree before him, as quick as a breath a thin wave of smog, like ripples in water arched out from his hand, encompassing the whole of the tree before reversing and flowing into the Elf’s palm. [!]The Life Force within the tree grew still, the sounds of nature grew silent nearby, stagnation had begun. Afflictions Among the most vile sorceries of Necromancy are afflictions. A skill birthed out of vicious ire, Afflictions serve as the Necromancer’s lasting touch, a foulness that they might subject others to with prolonged touch or through the use of cursed objects. The necromancer begins by befouling a portion of their own lifeforce and applying it either onto an object, a food, beverage, or upon the victim themselves. The Necromancer twists the life force that they produced and cause it to take on disease-like qualities such as boils, tumors, respiratory/circulatory damage and the like. Unlike tainting which seeks only to destroy lifeforce in the most efficient method possible and spread like wildfire, the taint crafted with care would only seek to spread in predetermined manners such as through breathing, water, or saliva and to destroy their targets in specific manners before consuming their beings whole. A master necromancer can create a disease that would carry on for three elven weeks before the lifeforce fueling it would peter out or the last carrier would die. This estimated time can be extended with the aid of additional necromancers of skill, another necromancer can increase disease’s potency two-fold, adding another three elven weeks to the life span. This increases per necromancer to a maximum of two elven months of infection upon people, animals, and plants. These afflictions have their limitations however, they progress even at their strongest at the strength of your average contagion and while incurable by most regular methods can be easily peeled apart with healing of the holy variety or by the purging flames of Aeriel *Naruntah’s gloved hand pressed on the forehead of the human held in place by his minions. As his fingers dug into the man’s skin so too did a small feed of faint black miasma that burrowed into pores and set to work, after a few moments of this agonizing process the wraith released the human’s head, leaving his weakened foe to recover in solitude while his dark gift tore through the man’s body and began to form tumors and moistened pustules. Vivication Awakening soul shadows deep within mortals, a necromancer may return consciousness to a fresh corpse, lay a curse, or temporarily convert themselves into a ghoulish figure. By reaching deep into the fleeing lifeforce of a corpse, a fresh cadaver whose soul is wandering from their body and their juices split, a necromancer may touch on the empty shell left behind and awaken a looming darkness within; a soul shadow may be temporarily resurrected of the dead, returning a false imprint of their consciousness back into their body provided their skull is intact, and from it their disembodied voice may return. So long as the necromancer maintains their black sorcery, constantly draining them of lifeforce, they may take up a conversation with the newly lost. The longer the talk, the more lifeforce is consumed, and quick talk serves most efficient. These awoken shadows cannot learn new information to carry on to their next life should they be revived by the Monks nor do they remember any part of the conversation. The process of being risen briefly as shattered parcel of a soul is an excruciating thing and the time spent risen is agonizing for corpse’s soul; thus it is often found that corpses spew the truth to end their suffering to appease questioners, however lying to sate a questioner’s prying is also common. A necromancer cannot force conversation, only pry for information. This can be performed up to a total of five questions, consuming the necromancer's lifeforce whole. In the same manner of awakening a soul shadow in a corpse, a necromancer may awaken a temporary soul shadow in themself. Akin to welcoming a phantom into one's body for possession or holding one's breath underwater, the necromancer casting this spell of false death loses control of their body and become disfigured as a corpse may; fresh and pale, rotten and wormeaten, or bare and skeletal, a necromancer may appear in any way the dead may and play as them too. Mimicking a corpse is a constantly draining matter and with it the longer the spell is cast the more lifeforce is drained. This can be performed up to a total of ten emotes, consuming the necromancer's lifeforce whole. Five emotes consumes half. [!] From the depths of Cer’xion, deep in his robes, brews a gnawing mist of shadow and blackness. This dark haze leaks from the mouths of his sleeves and through the holes in his tattered robes, licking off him like ink in water. *Cer’xion suddenly begins to thin and become frail, his sleeves draping around his narrowing body as if his fat and muscle were being sucked away. His robes become splotched and blotted with bloody prints and soaked segments of bodily fluid. *Cer’xion drops like a ragdoll, limp and pale as though he were no more than a bleeding corpse. His mask rolls off his face to reveal a ghoulish and frightful visage full of holes and sinewy features. Cursing A curse is a wretched thing, a hex laid upon the living so they may suffer and nothing more. They are the product of a soul shadow being awoken in a living body outside the dark origins of the necromancer’s own signature, allowing for curses to be engineered in others rather than put upon one’s self through playing dead. A potent tool, cursing requires a great deal of lifeforce and will exhaust any well experienced necromancer and thus cannot be learned until tier 3. Curses may include blindness, deafness, madness -- paranoia, hallucinations, illusions of grandeur -- impotence, or lethargy in usual cases, often altering the life of the cursed for two years (two IRL weeks) unless the curse is aided by another necromancer, extending the duration by two more years. Whole lineages can be cursed in such a way where multiple people are cursed at once and children they bear befall the same fate; a group of five necromancers can come together to conduct a ritual to gift the lifeforce of four to one who may engineer the curse. MArts may be applied to for more creative curses. A curse is set on an individual much like an affliction, though Its purposes are more specifically destructive. The Necromancer pools lifeforce within his hand and must maintain contact with the victim (Contact must be made but it is possible through clothing/armor) for at least 2 emotes in order to instill the curse, unlike afflictions however this process is agonizing and some time must be given to the necromancer to twist awake a soulshadow within the victim and manipulate it into a dark purpose. Curses differ from afflictions in their diversity, causing a mystical blindness, impotence, it may instill an urge to throw oneself off high places, or attack human children. Rather than cause disease-like growths, it can make one's glands swell and give them a half-bloated, malformed head. *Malineer squeezed at both sides of the barbarian's head, black smog rising slowly form his fingertips in smoky trails, as though his fingertips were searing the man's flesh. Pain like razorblades dancing through his veins struck the man, causing him to flail fruitlessly beneath the grasp of the abomination. "So strong, aren't you?" The NEcromancer mused as his life-forced pressed on through the man, grasping at his soul and instilling a nefarious purpose within him. [!] Sometime later the man would awaken, though his memory would be unaffected he would feel a strange urge near his loved ones, to pounce them and try to consume their flesh from the bone. Fleshsmithing Sculpting flesh like dough and bone like clay to mold a truly horrific abomination which may be risen. Imagination is the limit. An artist may breathe life into the inanimate to create beautiful pieces of visual delights and in the same way an experienced necromancer may too in a macabre fashion. By treating flesh with saturating blankets of lifeforce, flesh, muscle, sinew, and tissue may become soft like wet clay and soupy so ready hands may push and pull the biomass into shape. Extensive study of anatomy is required lest a necromancer form a pathetic, quivering heap of skin and boundless muscle with no functionality and no purpose. The same can be done to bone, warping it into a doughy consistency so it may be structured and sculpted into horrific frames and skeletons. However, living material cannot be sculpted nor shaped, the moving lifeforce within too deep in its own current. Such an attempt is a ritual known as cauterizing. *Abraeke’s digits dance like spider legs as he runs them over the bovine’s thick, meaty leg upon the altar. Congealed blood dribbles from the cut on its top where it was severed from the body. *Abraeke’s fingers spit a heinous cloud of darkness textured with static, the black force seeping into the hairy leg’s bulging veins and stiffened muscle like hounds digging into a meal. [!] The skin of the cow leg begins to shiver and shake, twisting about at its top as it softens and becomes pliable like dough. *Abraeke works his hands into the meat of the upper thigh, shaping it into a bowl shape. He grunts as he picks up the limb and sticks it onto the ball joint of a corpse’s severed hip, the supple flesh accepting the new form like hands fitting one another. [!] With a single wet ‘shlk’ the leg fits onto the new body and Abraeke steps back to admire his craft, looking over the new cow-legged, crab-armed, boar-headed bear-man he has sculpted. Cauterizing Cauterizing is a woesome deed full of screaming and strife. The worst pains imaginable in draining are replicated here but duller, deeper, and darker; flesh of the living may be warped in a similar method to fleshsmithing to seal skin, mend muscle, and close wounds in awful scars of ruptured mass lest they be healed by divine rite. Cauterizing weaves needles into the skin, pins muscle with glass shards, and fuses bone with hot iron rods; the pain is acute and lingering, a victim feeling every motion and movement as their body is sealed. This alteration is an ugly thing and often a last resort lest people walk about with hideous scars on their bodies, hiding from public eye. *Sprat extends a sickly hand upon the bleeding wound deeply cut into Adorellan’s right arm. A noxious fog of pitch black smoke whirls out from his nailbeds and feed up along his talons. *Sprat weaves his spindly arms about as he makes occult gestures, the dark haze dancing over and into the skin of Adorellan’s wound as he works his black sorcery; veins of smoke begin digging into the flesh. [!] Adorellan’s sword wound begins to warp and wriggle like a nervous, shaken babe; his skin pales and ripples like thick soup, twisting together to seal the deep cut in a lethargic crawl. He feels every fiber of his skin stretch and move in the act, producing horrific pain. Sprat’s ebony tongue peeks out from his sewn lips as he offers the man a meek grin, eyeing his handiwork as Adorellan screams and wrenches about, stare locked upon the churning flesh mixing around the wound to form a macabre scar; a vortex of bloodied skin. Sacraments Born from primeval practices discovered again through the ancient necromancer Naruntah’s efforts within the depths of the Abyss, these rituals are not new but rather revised based on Necromancy’s adaptations. The revisions mostly involve the permanent reanimation rituals, whereas acts such as Clotting remains unaffected. As well, all amounts of sacrifices can be replaced with additional necromancers to supply the lifeforce. Morghuul Sacrament - With the power of Soul Shadow Reanimation, a strong willpower to live is planted within the depths of a corpse through the use of a Necromancer’s Lifeforce, inciting the awakening of an unfettered Soul Shadow. With this, the corpse becomes what is known as a Morghuul, or True Ghoul, where fragments of their living past are retained and a degree of their humanity is kept preserved within the Morghuul’s fragile mind. In order to perpetuate themselves, a Morghuul must hunt men for their living flesh and harvest their Lifeforces through cannibalistic feasting, making them mortal foes to any living thing, with the exception of the necromancers that serve as both their masters, and their lifelines. Morghuul can be raised by adept necromancers (T3) at minimum. Sacrament of Ordainment When a Morghuul has shown signs of great potential, a master Necromancer (T4) is able to “ordain” them, or bless their Soul Shadows with the capacity to tear true soul essences from a freshly slain or still-living mortal body through the same method of feasting. Soul essences are collected in this manner in order to heighten the strength of a Morghuul’s Soul Shadow so that they may become strong enough to ascend to one of two forms of Lichdom. In order to gain resplendent strength through being Ordained, a Morghuul must be blessed through a Necromancer’s sacrament and then feast upon seven mortal beings. Soul essence can only be taken from another mortal character’s flesh once per day. Once ordained, an Ordained Morghuul’s body will glow with a spectral sheen, increasing in intensity the further they are through their pilgrimage. Should an Ordained Morghuul be slain by holy magic, the dark blessing within them will be violently revoked as they rise again and all of the soul essence they collected will dissipate into the soulstream, requiring the Morghuul not only to seek forgiveness of his Necromancer master and become Ordained again, but also to consume seven more soul essences. This sacrament requires the necromancer to open his Darkhollow up to change and grab the Morghuul by the throat, pumping the Necromancer’s own life force into the creature with all of his power. The oversaturation of muscles and organs causes the Morghuul agony, and he must fully submit to the Necromancer’s hold over him. Once pacified, the Morghuul will radiate a ghastly aura, and burn with the hunger and ability to consume soul-essence. While this does not offer a physical advantage it prepares a Morghuul for the Sacrement of Inmortuae Sacrement of Inmortuae When a Morghuul finishes their pilgrimage through the consumption of seven people’s worth of soul essences, they may seek a master necromancer (T4) so that the nascent strength of their Soul Shadow may be unfurled to bring them to greater shape. A Morghuul may choose to become either a Lich or a Darkstalker, whereupon their Greater Soul Shadows are trapped within a phylactery for preservation. Like the genuine souls of Liches in the past, Greater Soul Shadows are capable of channeling magic and can innately use the tetherdrain spell, though not the debilitating touchdrain. Liches are still not considered to be true souls; merely fragments of the once-was, bolstered by the theft of power that is not their own. This is not the case for Darkstalker’s Soul Shadows, however, which are only capable of summoning a Touchdrain. Lichtypes born from Ordained Morghuul are known as “Lessers”, as they have not yet reached the full capacity of their being. Though Liches and Darkstalkers follow the command of the leader of the ritual that raise them, their servitude can be broken by the same maleficar’s agreement and thus they are able to exist without the burden of slavery, if it is earned. This sacrament requires three necromancers to complete, one who understands the complex intricacies of the ritual, known as the ritualist and two assistants. The process of moving a soul from body to phylactery is no small task, and requires immense power; more so in fact than one necromancer can even output. It is because of that fact two additional necromancers must join the ritualist to fuel him, that he may execute a spell consolidating the power of three people by himself. A great reserve of energy is needed to be drawn from, either a great golden obelisk charged with life of an oversaturated natural area. The ritualist will slay the saturated Morghuul and begin to drag over a sliver of his soul-shadow into the vessel that will soon become its phylactery, and the soul-essences the Morghuul consumed will be absorbed into the ritualist, causing additional strain on them. The ritualist and the assistants must form a tether to the obelisk and all begin draining it at once, the assistants spare hand will form a reversed tether to the ritualist and pump life force into them. The assistants act as conduits for life force, allowing it to flow from the obelisk, through the assistants and into the ritualist. The ritualist’s spare hand grips the gem that would be the ghouls phylactery. The influx of life force threefold into the ritualist quickly exceeds his capacity for the primal resource and overwhelms him, causing him to release it all at once, along with the soul essences in one sharp shockwave down his arm and into the phylactery, transporting the Morghuul’s soul with the jolt of energy. The sheer intensity of the sacrament so violently teared at the body of the Morghuul, that little to no flesh would still exist upon it, promptly rising entirely skeletal. Sacrament of Wholeness True Lichtypes (hereby referred to as ‘Graveborn’) can be made through the ascension of a Morghuul through the ranks of servitude until the holder of their phylactery judges them worthy the Graveborn will be granted their phylactery and freedom from their master. To do this the graveborn must enter the Aurum ritual circle and stand in the center clutching their phylactery to them. The Grandmaster Necromancer[T5] Must then provide two live sacrifices to the circle and funnel them into the phylactery, this overload of energy if carefully controlled collapses the body of the Graveborn and purges the soul-shadow from the gem. This extreme surge of power trapped within the circle is then used to call forth the graveborn’s true soul into the phylactery, making them whole at last and capable of learning the godless art to completion, completing their long journey to the status of DeathKnight or Gravecaller. Sacrament of Transference Should a Lich or Darkstalker be displeased with their current form it is indeed possible for their soulshadows to adapt to a similar form with the aid of a necromancer or by themselves should they be a graveborn undead. Once every elven month it is possible for the soulshadow/soul of a Darkstalker to be converted into that of a Lich or vice versa with minimal difficulty. This is an imperfect art however, with this transference a lich’s soul will lose their prowess with every art save for Necromancy, forcing them to start from scratch should they wish to re-learn their lost arts. Sacrament of Desperation Unlike Morghuul who must slowly ascend with the will of their necromancer ally, A master necromancer [T5] has a much faster method transforming themselves into the greater form of both paths of ascendancy almost immediately. For a necromancer, skilled with the manipulation of their own lifeforce and those around them all that is required to become a Death Knight or a Gravecaller are two unwilling participants, a hefty sum of aurum, a knife and a crystal tainted to absorb loose lifeforce from the dead. It begins with two captives tied and bound at the edges of a great circle constructed of aurum, between them is rested the crystal. One at a time the Necromancer must slay the tied captives and guide their departing lifeforce into the crystal, when this task is complete the necromancer must tether the crystal itself and funnel their own lifeforce into it, establishing a drain for the crystal to feed from, once this is established the Necromancer must commit the greatest taboo, ending their own life. When the Necromancer’s corpse falls, so too does their darkhollow inflicted soul follow the stream of life force to consume, inadvertently trapping itself with them gem, breathing false life into the necromancer’s corpse and bringing their new dark form into being. Though this serves as a last resort, as a necromancer can ascend through a similar but much more stable ritual. Sacrament of Ascendancy While it is possible for a grandmaster necromancer to bring themselves to a greater form of undeath, it is also possible for a less-skilled necromancer [T3 and Greater] to ascend via similar methods. Substituting two live sacrifices for Three skilled Necromancers [T4 or Greater] around the circle it is possible for a reverse-tether to be formed to the subject of the ritual, tasked with holding the lifeforce gem to be their phylactery the Necromancer in the center of the circle is pumped rapidly with lifeforce while forming a tether of their own upon the crystal in hand. With an overflow of lifeforce the Necromancer is struck with death from the excess and all being funneled into him is very rapidly shot through his own tether upon the gem into it, trapping his soul. The aurum circle prevents the life force from violently escaping, naturally being directed into the gem. This Sacrament also conveniently readies the body for ascendancy as the excess of lifeforce suddenly thrust upon the body causes the flesh upon it to quite literally explode off the bone. With his fellows disgusted, a large clean up project, and his new form achieved the Sacrament is complete. Sacrament of Silence (Clotting) A power drawn from the maddening depths of the relic of the Old Lords, the Black Nexus, the Sacrament of Silence (also known as clotting) is a secret rite that only the most powerful of necromancers are entrusted with.. With Clotting, a necromancer’s control over Lifeforce may be completely eliminated, shattering their capacity to use the art until the affliction is redacted with a similar ritual. Clotting is often a spell imparted to those destined to become Coven leaders or those who wish to act as greater overseers over all of necrodom. Red Lines: Necromancers remain physically feeble and must drain to keep up their physical strength (though this is no more than the average mage) Cauterization cannot be used to add any body part save for reattaching a freshly severed limb (Within one elven day unless the limb is preserved) Curses beyond instilling mental urges or crippling someone must be approved by the MT through use of a MArt Curses can be healed by Paladins/Clerics/Ascended Stagnation can be cleared by Druids/Farseers Slots for undead are capped at 5 at tier 5, creatures 12ft or slightly bigger are worth 2 slots. Halfling Sized or smaller are worth 1/2. Anything larger than an Olog requires more than one necromancer. Resurrection of a corpse requires time, 3-4 emotes must be given to raise zombies with the exception of smaller undead such as rodents and branded individuals who die. Branded individuals count as taking up a slot but lose their brand if more than fifty blocks away from the necromancer who branded them. Keepers/Ascended/Itharel cannot be branded, cursed, or afflicted Holy magic can be used to break a tether. Undead within 15 blocks of their necromancer are resistant to holy arts, it is far more taxing and time consuming (2 emotes extra) to burn down an undead with the necromancer fueling their creation. While Draining is painful, it is not capable of paralysis Afflictions/Curses cannot be used to instantly kill. Mental-illness based curses or afflictions require OOC consent. DeathKnights and Gravecallers are not new creatures, merely liches and Darkstalkers empowered with the ability to wield necromancy. If a lich becomes a darkstalker using the Sacrement of Transference , they must re-learn their magics should they switch back save for necromancy. Liches no longer suffer from a slower rate of learning magic due to the extra effort now needed to become one. No dual casting. Ghouls still decay over time, no matter the amount of life force they consume. Their decay can be slowed, but never stopped. Furthermore, ghouls are zombie-like and are prone to animal-like behavior. They have trouble remembering the most basic details, and are unable to recall some of the most major memories of their life before ghouldom. Ghouls are also unable to speak normally, as their body is decaying and mind is fragmented. Their speech seems slurred or mumbled. Notes: The Weirhent style of necromancy is still possible. Clarification: Credits (in alphabetical order): Geoboy66- Writing and consultation Swgrclan- Writing and consultation Tentoa- Writing and consultation Zarsies- Writing and consultation (We all worked very hard, Swgr didn’t bring up Dark Souls, there was progress.)-Tentoa (I nearly killed them all) - Tentoa (This has been a long time coming. Too long.) - Zarsies Lore links https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/133593-necromancer-lore-the-exegesis-of-lifeforce/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/143128-necromancy/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/144322-the-darkhollow-the-yoresigil/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/142149-the-apotheosis-of-the-liches-lich-lore-update/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/132278-playable-the-darkstalkers-of-xion/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/150590-morghuul-ghoul-revision/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/146019-the-suspension-of-life-the-power-of-clotting/

The Mage’s Institute [Description] The Mage’s Institute is the reformation of the long dead mage’s guild beneath new leadership, those responsible have seen fit to be rid of the concept of a guild entirely and focus the efforts of the Institute upon the teaching, research, cataloging, and advancement of arcane arts. This new doctrine serves a twofold purpose: Firstly that the best and brightest among the descendants are not shunned for social standing when there is the potential for their works might better the world, secondly it provides a common fellowship of scholars devoting their attention toward a single field of study in contrast to the universal interests of the Library of Dragur ensuring quicker results. [Ranks] Dean The highest ranking member of the Mage’s Institute is the Dean, the head researcher and administrative officer responsible for the financial, disciplinary, structural, and social upkeep of the institute. Also responsible for the sorting, review and acceptance of applications as well as the interview process, alongside the promotion and installation of instructors and scholars. Instructor A Scholar that also enlists to teach student-applicants a method of the arcane arts from any of the list of approved magics. While also participating in the education of students instructors are to instruct their fellow instructors and scholars for the furtherment of their own studies. The secondary duty of instructors is research, compiling records of experiments and findings for the Institute's archive which is a duty shared amongst all members of the Mage’s Institute. Scholar A student who has mastered a magic beneath the study of an instructor and has received their Honors -- a staff and a diploma -- as proof of their achievement. Expectations lie for scholars to be staffed to continue research and delve deep into their mastery of their respective magic as well as expand their horizons into new magics to thusly become, inherently, masters of the arcane. Schoalrs are expected to research and catalogue for the Institute's records. Student An individual seeking the knowledge, practice, and ethical use of a magic who is taught by an instructor. Students are entrusted to be exposed to numerous magical arts, feats, and constructs with an air of hope; investments made into students are for the greater good of the Institute but made carefully in the fear of dissenters, defilers, and agents of chaos. Students are observed closely to ensure their learnings go unhindered and that they strive to avoid delving into the forces of Light or Dark for the Void is the one, true neutral. [Location] The Institute is based in Veris and maintains an apiary for contacting the Dean with questions related to applications or courses. Pyromancy Hydromancy Geomancy Aeromancy Fulmenmancy Arcanism Atleration Artificery Displacement Conjuration Illusion Mentalism Void Shifting Translocation Hemomancy may be practiced by established scholars provided no blood save their own or Void-spawn be drawn upon. [Application] RP Name: MC Name: Known Arcane Arts: Position Desired: When is the best time to contact you for an interview:

*Sibala screams externally.* +1

"You should probably actually bid at the auction house at the cloud temple." Commented a paladin.

the main point is: Holy magic doesn't harm most because of good/evil most Anguedaemons are assholes with their own agendas. It hurts them because certain things are unaligned with an anguel's interests. Which, by the way, yes: Every angudaemon is a prick in their own way, none of them are exempt.

Within a dimly lit manor a voidal beast, a true horror labored away, after many moons of toiling and experimentation the creature had hatched an idea. With feverish murmuring it set upon its task, tendrils writhed as they gathered the reagents to the most important discovery the eldritch being had ever made. It had spared no expense, vanilla from the garden, rock salt, saucepans, a clean wooden bucket modified with a makeshift crank of similar material, cream, eggs and fresh ice scavenged from the chilled depths of its home. For hours the creature, labored prepping its product with unwavering diligence, the rattling of its crank disturbing the quiet of the dark outside. The eggs were beaten, the ice packed into the bucket, the cream and salt mixed with the beaten custard, vanilla and sugar and poured into the beast's crucible for its long hours beneath the constant motion of the crank until the horror's task bore fruit. Achan-Chatla looked upon its creation with pride, featureless ivory tendrils curled around the crucible of culinary achievement and in the wee hours of the morning the Horror rushed deeper into Its home, calling for all those present to join it, to test its new creation as it announced with pride. "I call it...Ice cream."

Agreed.

I might be biased but I like it. +1

I mean yeah the religion is fine, though I'm not too keen on the magic. A little too close to the imp parasite but much too convoluted, a bit difficult to understand.

MEta lad, you know they can bless and enchant weapons if you ask, da?

If that's the case, then instead of making gold useless on wraiths, simply make it less effective on them than it currently is. A good scale to go by would be that gold weapons are as effective on dark beings as steel is on humans (i.e Witcher logic). That way, to mortals with gold weapons, fighting a wraith is the equivalent of fighting a very powerful mage, as opposed to fighting something that literally cannot be killed. Expecting to be more powerful than that is a little unsportsmanlike IMO. Every other school of magic allows you to become immensely powerful, but still killable by conventional means, or if ganged up on with superior numbers. Wraiths should be no different. Recall though Leo. There can only be four wraiths at any given time. No more. You aren't fighting a mage, you're fighting something that has transcended mortality. The effectiveness of gold is neat, but I like the opportunity to reach out to your fellow mages, the clerics and paladins and make them actually relevant again. Those are magic types which at the moment are losing traction due to lack of threats. Giving them something they can hard-counter and have to be sought out for generates roleplay. You can still get a weapon that can be used to bastry a wraith you just have to seek a fi, cleric or paladin magic user out. I like that, it makes special weapons special again.

@Filavandrel Fi now counters wraiths and necromancy. It can disrupt life-force. I think that won't be much of a problem anymore.