Security_

I guess I’ll respond to this since it’s one of the only comments actually making a case against the amendment. While not all necromancers are considerably evil, the act of practicing a magic centered around the tampering of corpses brings with it both physical and mental barriers that dehumanize necromancers from other mortals. The magic itself ages the necromancer, worsening with each tier as they master their art. By tier 3 the necromancer is already geriatric- bringing with it the obvious bane of impotence. Even outside of the effects of the magic, the very effect of puppeting corpses, feasting on people’s lifeforce, and molding flesh like clay would hold substantial mental effects, ranging in many different ways depending on the necro. Some would have trauma, others would have their egos fed by the power- either way, the longer they practice the magic the more human emotions and relationships grow distant. This is not to say necromancers cannot love, or cannot lust- but that they simply are unable to act upon these emotions, whether due to impotence, or by the despicable actions of the magic that would constantly build that psychological barrier between them. This can be roleplayed as a once-perfect father slowly growing distant to his wife and kids, perhaps even growing to disdain them. There’s far more story that can be built with conflict, rather than hugbox love rp. People should not expect to roleplay a character that regularly cuts opens people or who sees rotting liches and darkstalkes walking capable holding mundane social relationships. Necromancers are not one dimensional simply because they are unable or unwilling to romance- it’s silly to perceive lust as some requirement for a well rounded character. Many LotCers prefer to never engage in romance RP, mostly because of the increasing playerbase of young, impressionable kids on the server. Character growth is also not restricted to romance- necromancers can still be fond of another mortal (even barring all the obvious reasons both in the magic and psychologically why it wouldn’t work well.) This amendment gives the in-lore justification as for why necromancers are unable to sire children, and as to why they lack the ability to truly “love.” It feels like a false equivalence to say no romance = no room for your character to grow. Much of the necro playerbase and I opt to find the hundreds of other ways to advance and flesh out our characters. So far most of the covens have survived with little to no romance RP, and it has always been reasoned that necromancy, the undead corpse magic, would generally get in the way of love.

characters are only good if they can **** -1 cant believe you'd take away the best part of lotc???

A literal skeleton feigns crying for his favorite aaunic prince atop the hull of his boat. With a handful of rope the undead tugged, unfurling a sail as the wind swept the vessel from the coast. Off he was to ransack the silly bourgeoisie ship with a handsome soon-to-be hostage in tow. “Argh kekekeke”

Now we have official propaganda 💪🏼

If the map wasn’t so giant and empty road running wouldn’t be a problem. Athera was great since it only took you 1-5 minutes to find a settlement, instead of the Almaris experience of running for 15 minutes on a road just to find inactive dead city #24

The Witchbound Those who seek to evade the grasp of death are cast with an accursed lot, doomed to be inevitably quelled by the hand of their own craft, for the lifebanks ultimately reclaim all back to itself — and even those who toy with life are no exception. But not all those who toy with death need be zealous scholars dedicating themselves entirely to the darkness, and there are some who seek reassurance in the powers of undeath before fully committing themselves to it. Thus, Rh’thorean necromancers devised a means by which the living may be brought closer to the dead, establishing the Witchbound: mortal men who have been marked for death. Explanation The Witchbound are mortals who crave immortality, so much so that they are willing to forfeit their own soul in order to achieve it. These are descendants who have pacted with a necromancer in exchange for eternal life, albeit at both the cost of their material vessel, and their subservience to the necromancer. Many who are bound as a witch are led to see it as a blessing at first, oblivious to the ill that has befallen them; and it is only the eldest of witches who truly understand the folly they have undergone — that their life is no longer their own. Each time the scion returns to the necromancer, their need for prolongation grows more and more intense, as they are gradually pulled away from the very humanity they had hoped to retain. Witchdom is a Dark Magical feat that acts in conjunction with Rh’thorean Necromancy. It is less so a ‘magic’ and more so considered a blessing of necromancers upon living mortals. To be made a witch requires a necromancer to perform the Rite of Branding as detailed in Necromancy lore. Connecting a witchbound requires OOC consent from the player being turned. Taking on the feat and its boons also obligates the user to capably roleplay all of its traits and weaknesses, as well as understand the clauses that come as a result of dropping the feat. To be made a witch is an atrocious undertaking, wherein a willing individual is bound to the lifebanks through the fissure that lies within a necromancer. This would grant the scion the unprecedented capacity to even evade the clutches of age, albeit at a cost far beyond mortal reckoning. By appearance, the witch seems like any other man; walking as man, walking among them, and yet man he is not. These mortal scions are neither living nor dead — but instead a loathsome in-between still overcome by hunger, thirst, drowning, and fatigue as regular men or women; and yet for their suffering they seldom gain any true token of merit. The scion is prone to many afflictions as a result of their pact, which are stated below: Degeneration This degradation of a witch’s physical body progressively worsens with time, and might even be accelerated should they desire to take up physically taxing arts such as those of the void or the sorceries of malflame. Witchbound who have lived beyond the confines of mortal age eventually reduced to but a mere husk, with rotting flesh clinging desperately to their festering bone. In such a state, the witch is no more living than the very death which they had desired to escape in the first place. Abandonment The thread of lifeforce which binds a witchbound thrall to its necromantic master are relatively thin, and thus may be expelled with relative ease should the witch’s will to remain in their lord’s employ fail. General Abilities Beyond life, beyond death, the Witchbound pride themselves on their ability to supersede the bond which restrains man, allowing them vast expanses of time with which they may weave their twisted creations and serve their nefarious master. Embraced by the occult, the grotesque, and the abominable—be it living or dead—these scions attempt to defy the inevitable fate all must face. Life Feeling Bearing an innate attraction to life essence, those endowed sciondom are granted a particular sensation for it, drawn to it alike to a hound and their prey. Even so much as bringing their decrepit hand to touch a blooming flower would tingle the scion’s fingertips with the ebbing and flowing of lifeforce within. This would grant them a transient sensation, that would attract the scion to the lifeforce and make them crave it. Were the scion to indulge upon the feeling, they would receive a brief euphoria which reminded them of their former self for only a few moments, wherein they may recall a cherished memory or beloved aspect of the life once-lived. Scions can passively ‘feel’ lifeforce when they are near to it. This is limited to touch-based sensory which activates only when the individual is touching the object. Scions cannot ‘see’ lifeforce through walls or ‘smell’ it from afar. Scions cannot ‘feel’ the lifeforce of someone behind them. It is not a ranged sensory. Feeling the touch of lifeforce would be like akin to a smoker’s addiction to nicotine, causing the scion to crave the nearby lifeforce; requiring some effort to quell. Touching a living person’s flesh can cause their skin to crawl if the witch so desired, though this would have absolutely no effect upon combat or harm them at all. Plague Touch By funneling corrupting lifeforce to the palm of their hand, witches may inflict cancerous growths upon an individual, causing them great amounts of disturbance. This requires three emotes of the scion amassing a blackened sludge of lifeforce in the palm of their hand, before making direct physical contact with the target individual upon the third emote. This would cause a searing pain in the region applied, turning the flesh red as bulbous growths fester across the skin. Depending on where the mark was inflicted, it would moderately hamper the typical function of that region; for example, a mark placed upon the forearm or shoulder would make it painful to wield a sword effectively in that hand, a mark placed upon the leg might cause one to stagger or have a limp, etc. These growths fade away over the course of four emotes, though can leave scarring if the wound is not treated promptly afterwards. Alternatively, the wound can be soothed by holy magic or medical/alchemical remedies that would be capable of dispersing disease or cleaning wounds. This ability cannot kill a person no matter where it is placed. It will not paralyze or cripple them entirely, but merely make it more difficult for that area to function. The attack must make contact with direct flesh in order to be effective, though effects can still take place if the flesh is protected by no less than half an inch of cloth. It cannot be delivered via a punch, hit, or other brief motion. The witch must place their hand on the victim’s skin for a solid three to five seconds before retracting it. All damage is external. The attack will not cause internal hemorrhaging, internal growths, etc. and will always disperse upon the fourth emote following its application, leaving only scars. This ability has no effect upon undead, both corporeal and incorporeal (unless husked in flesh). Can be used once per combative encounter. Anathema Like necromancers, the Witchbound are refused by the Monks of Cloud Temple by merit of their usage of lifeforce to extend the span of their own age. As a result, witches, too, are wholly reliant on their inner circle in order to be returned from death. The ritual, though similar to the necromancer’s own Rite of Resurrection, requires only the efforts of two other witches, or a single necromancer. Fallen witches may call out to their masters where scars of Heith-Hedran are thin, soliciting them to perform the ritual and return them to the living — though this cannot be used in any way to acquire details regarding the event of their death. Should a witch be denied return, their soul remains lost to the lifebanks and the character is effectively PK’d. A single T3 necromancer, or two witches, may return one a witch brethren by amassing a corpse-worth of flesh. This may be done up to one OOC day following their death. Witches cannot be resurrected at Cloud Temple and must undergo resurrection by hand. If a witch is refused resurrection, for whatever reason, they must PK. Whispers of dead witches can only inform a necromancer that they are in need of revival, and cannot reveal any information pertaining to the nature of the event of their death. All server rules pertaining to character death (i.e. lacking remembrance of events) still apply. Witches killed by suicide, life starvation, or old age cannot be returned. Life Weaving As scions of the necromancer who marked them, witches are granted the ability to participate in any rite of necromancy labeled as an Intercession, unless stated otherwise. This is limited to participation alone, and requires that a practicing necromancer be present in order to lead the ritual in question. The only rites in which a witch is unable to participate are Revilement and Rite of Heith-Hedran; they also may not replace participants in the performance of Sacraments, which require actively attuned necromancers to perform. Witchbound can participate in most Intercession rituals (unless stated otherwise) as listed under Necromancy Lore, assuming there is a necromancer of the proper tier present to lead it. Witches cannot lead these rituals. Only a fully attuned necromancer of the proper tier who knows the ritual in question may lead it, with the witches only participating. Witches cannot participate in rituals labeled as Sacraments. For the sake of tier effects in rituals, the witch would be equivalent to a T1 necromancer. Witchdom Rituals Though infamous in their ability to persist beyond the confines of mortality, a Witchbound mortal is nothing without the aid of their coven and their necromantic lord. From the creation of relics to damning cities to disease, necromancers and scions are cunning and powerful in groups. Their affinity for working together to achieve great power is only rivaled by the coven politics of hierarchical backstabbery. Below is a list of rituals which witches may come together to perform on their own without the need of a necromancer present, save for the Rite of Rejuvenation. Rite of Rejuvenation In order to cheat death, a witch must periodically return to a necromancer in order to be suffused with life, allowing them to once more take on the guise of youth. The necromancer must first procure a unit of liquid lifeforce, either a pylon, or from a living sacrifice. The aesthetic form if this is relatively open, and may be done in the form of some extravagant ritual, or a mere exchange between the necromancer and their witchbound thrall. Once the lifeforce has been woven from its source it would seep into the witch’s flesh, their youth and health returning for the span of one IRL month until the rite must be performed again. This will foster a terrible addiction to liquid lifeforce as a result of its use in the ritual, a subtle ploy to make the witch even more dependent upon the necromancer than they already were. The purity of liquid lifeforce necessitates that only half of it be used to gain the full effect; thus making it possible to rejuvenate multiple thralls with only a few units. Only a T3 or higher necromancer can perform this ritual assuming they have learned it. This does not need to be done by the necromancer who first made the witch; any necromancer can perform this rite upon any witchbound individual to the same effect. Rite of Tithing Three witches, of their own will or by command, may come together on their own to create one count of liquid lifeforce for a necromancer’s use. This requires the two to apply their meager knowledge of lifeforce manipulation and pool it together — creating the thin, vaporous liquid known as liquid lifeforce, which may then be stored within a suitable vessel, such as a bottle or even a ritual bowl. The effects of this would leave the participant witches weakened and sickly for the remainder of the IRL day as they recover their lost lifeforce, rendering them unable to participate in other rites until they have recuperated. This can only be performed by three willing witches with one another. It cannot be used to force lifeforce from a non-witch, as such falls under the Rite of Darkening. The produced liquid lifeforce must be ST signed. Alternatively they may deposit the lifeforce within a designated pylon if one is available. Purpose & Credits

💀

New cum lore? :o

“An interesting development. Corbin’s writing was prettier,” rattled the neutral skeleton Wick.

Creeping his way through the dead of night, an ancient Wick tacks another missive to his wall. “Stirring the pot as always!” He cackled.

Flam would be proud

Yiff yiff hotfixes

THE RUINOUS EXPANSE Rolling from the peaks of the eastern mountains of Almaris looms a cloud of tenebrous darkness, clambering and creeping along the land as it paints the earth black. From the shores of Ando it spawns thunderous umbral lightning that bellows from the sky, hissing and cracking through the endless night that permits. The sun is blotted within the malevolent haze that looms over the scarred expanse, unable to sear through the clouds that choke the land. Trees bend and bear fruitless harvest, as grass grows gray, wilting to the blight of nature. The fields once lush grow barren, as death claims all. It did not cease, rather it continued onward west by the command of something sinister, something hidden. This was the Ruinous Expanse.

An ashen skinned olog within the far reaches of the uruk wildlands rip and tears through the local fauna, continuing his search for the remaining Rams. "LUP'ENROHK," it bellows, awaiting the boon of horns- until struck by the festering stench of rot.

Exploding eyeballs are metal af, +1

#freekincaid

An ancient fiend cackles from the gloomy woods of Dobrov, clapping, amused at the sight of ruin.

“I haf’ nae idea wot some o’ these words mean, but ah can respec’ aneh man preachin’ o’ peace ‘nd harmony,” Bull croaked, turning the paper slightly to the side to read before a fly distracts his attention.

Garagrim sets down his smithing hammer, nodding at the news of another dead wig-bearer. “Yemekar’s balance always finds a way.”

Counting the minutes until the Blue Tag Gestapo comes to silence you for your insolence. A shame this happens once more, until the server raises its age to 16+ and stops harboring content for children, this entire server is a mixing pot of degenerates, pedos and underage adults. The issue of having underage players needs to be tackled, before the FBI starts doing it for us.

Garagrim Starbreaker melts down another ingot of steel, pouring it into its molded cask. Taking a moment away from the forge he heaves a breath, “Ah pray t’is blade will scalp ah few wigs. Is ‘et even scalping if ‘et’s ah fake set o’ hair?”

From tombs long clandestine, within the twisting depths of the blighted arcades toiled a fleshless thing. A mirror, ancient and greater than any in the land cast a pallid beacon of waning sapphire light, illuminating the sunken features of a skull; hollow, and deathless. Souls passed the face of shattered glass harbored by the soothsayer, coaxing the spirits’ path. Some told of the checkered King, others whispered the sleeping Prince, familiar and alien crossed his endless sight. A particular few languished words unspoken of one kin to Carrion, of Rh’thor, One of Man returned to the eternity, absolution. One never did cross the harrowed looking glass, for the wastes could never take a soul so black and twisted.

NECROTIC SIMULACRA - DARKSTALKERS AND DRAUGARS Beckoned are those poor souls, far beyond the soulstream where great knights of renown are called upon to serve a Lord once more. Clandestine from the reaches of mortality, beyond the abilities which sow dread and grief within the hearts of man lie the greatest feats of necromancy- to revive the damned to walk the plane forever more. Fully aware of their demise and the life they once lived, the hollow shell that they inhabit is but a grim reminder of the totality of eternity, and its uncaring vice. Simulacra, the undead slaves of the Rh’thorean necromancers are but a mimicry of their former selves, granted great feats of strength and sorcery to aid in the accursed rites that the Gravelords command. The land of Rh’thor lays in isolation, far beyond the lands of Almaris on the cusp of a river which stagnancy prevents the resoluteness of death. The art of necromancy was sacrilege, its damned touch was believed to have spawned the very ocean of entropy that crossed the lands of East-meets-West. Cast out to the lands of the unknowing descendants, the covens of necromancers quickly adapted, fashioning their own legion of the undeath. It was not long until the once isolated rituals were tainted and molded by the mortal hand, advancing the art beyond what even the Old Lords had achieved. Usage of scrapped and forgotten sacraments were combined with the ancient knowledge of Rh’thor, forging not only the blackest of souls, but a resurgence of the Resonant Knights and Arcane Draugars that Almaris had yet to witness. ARISEN AD AETERNUM The enslaved undead risen by necromancers require Sacraments that are taught and learned by teachers. Such Sacraments must explicitly be taught, and cannot be learned by simply participating in the ritual. Sacrament of the Usurer Ageless, from a time of yore the fabled days of Devirad, lived endless knights of Xion caught between the stagnant realm of life and death. Purposed to be the puppets and undead slaves of the coven, so is their forging one of deception and dread- as who would willingly give themselves to such a grim existence. A vessel that is worthy to house a resonant knight must be found, whether living or not. The unwilling soul must be bound and shackled to the realm, making the cadaver it inhabits its prison. This is done by inscribing runes and glyphs in the black tongue upon the body, and applying the needed reagents to prime the corpse for a new soul. A whole descendant is needed, culled to drain their life essence into the primed cadaver as their own soul is used to beckon another. Should a heinous coven opt to use a living person as the vessel for a darkstalker, they must simply carve the runes and hexes into the skin and muscle of the living. Requiring a scar of Heith-Hedran to weaken the barrier of life and death, the rite must be done near an active rift as to allow free passage of potential souls. With the corpse fully prepared, a tier four necromancer and three of his acolytes must draw forth their lifeforce, funneling it into the soon-to-be darkstalker. The body is forced into faux-life, as the soul clambers from the depths of Heith-Hedran to rejoin its mortal vessel- tricking the damned. As the darkstalker is first awakened, a trinket of their life must be shown and presented, enwreathed in lifeforce to cauterize itself spiritually as a grim reminder of a life once had. Redlines Four necromancers in total are needed in the ritual, one being T4. A scar of Heith-Hedran must be utilized, and within range. One descendant’s worth of lifeforce must be drained into the primed corpse- or, the living sacrifice itself is used as the vessel. This will then either be used to house the alien soul, or the soul of the very sacrifice if they are so unlucky. A momento mori must be chosen and made in the darkstalker’s awakening. Memento Mori For those whose soul has been returned to the mortal realm, the tool of their resurrection acts as the method of their subjugation: the memento mori. It is a grim reminder of mortality, something they will never be able to experience again. They exist in variety, no two are alike, for these trinkets were personal affections that signified something close to them in life. They can be in the form of a portrait, a necklace, a ring or anything else that a person could conceivably fathom to hold dearness to. For when the reanimated are exposed unto this item, they are overwhelmed with emotions and feelings they cannot grasp—the mortality that they once possessed. The act of such incomprehensible memories causes grave mental duress and agony. Until the item is destroyed, a Darkstalker is forever at the mercy of its wielder. Redlines The memento mori is chosen by the Darkstalker OOCly when their CA is posted. This item is specific to the Darkstalker it creates and will not function on another. The memento mori must be Story Team signed. The memento mori is not a phylactery, and ultimately the goal is for the undead attached to it to have the item destroyed to forever be free of its presence. Orders cannot be issued without the object within the presence of the Darkstalker. Merely averting the gaze from a memento mori will not detract from its agonizing presence. Using the memento mori as a tool for subjugation requires it to be exposed to open air and for the Darkstalker to be within its presence. These orders do not have to be strictly followed as this tool is merely a form of pain compliance. Momento Mori’s must be destructible, and are unable to be made of thanhic steel, carbarum, or any other ‘strong’ materials. Likewise, memento mori’s cannot be inaccessible, such as hiding them in a voidal pocket, or placing them in another plane of existence. Sacrament of the Thaumaturge The art of necromancy is not without sacrifice, as the soul of a weaver is forever black. Locked away from pursuing a multitude of magics, the Rh’thorean coven lacked the unknowable chaos of the Void. With a need to forge their own sorcerers from ages past has the ancient art of trapping souls within a phylactery been born anew. Coaxing a soul of a long dead mage, or using a renowned arcanist is the Draugur born by a mix of deception and the mortal fear of death, as few would give up their soul to the twisted maniacism that is prone among such vile creatures. The raising of a Draugar differs greatly from that of their resonant knight counterpart. Created in essence by a botched darkstalker ritual, the souls of once great wizards are sealed by the earth-rendering will of Heith-Hedran. First, the body of the mage or whatever remains of it is to be found prior to the ritual. If the body of the mage is lost to the ages, or their corpse somehow obliterated, a living sacrifice is needed to rip the magi’s own soul out of the soulstream. Such a sacrifice would be killed just before the ritual commences, acting as the vessel and its beacon. Secondly, a phylactery is needed to act as a prison for the soul, branding Draugars as soulless husks. In a similar fashion to darkstalkers, notations and inscriptions are placed- yet with gold shavings in patterns on the ground, not the body. Aurum dust is traced in a circle around both the body and phylactery, preventing any ethereal escape. The corpse is then covered in the shavings, preventing the soul from reuniting with its own vessel. In the midst of a scar of Heith-Hedran, the ritual is set to commence. Requiring at least one tier four necromancer, four necromancers fuel the corpse with an excess of lifeforce as the soul is beckoned from its slumber. In a horrid display is an endless miasma ripped from the scar, pouring a constant thread into the phylactery as the soul is ripped from its slumber. When the tail of the tenebrous mass is finally consumed, the phylactery radiates with the aura of its captive, the very husk beneath it awakening for its last time. Redlines The ritual to raise a draugar requires four necromancers in total, one being T4. The corpse of the mage is needed, otherwise requiring a living sacrifice to beckon the magi’s soul forth. A phylactery must be forged before the ritual commences. The intended vessel must be covered in aurum shavings. Phylacteries These massive lifegems, or anything crafted to store large reserves of lifeforce, are formed in one of two ways- first, by crafting a reservoir such as a huge urn, chest, sarcophagus, or etc. Whatever container is chosen, it must be composed mainly of aurum, that which will not allow for the soul to escape. After this, it must be primed by draining a total of three units of lifeforce into the object, with two continuous drainings leading to death for a descendant. This means two or three people may be used, depending. The other method to forge a phylactery is by constructing a lifegem. Lifegems are created by pouring three counts of liquid lifeforce into a bubbling cauldron, where it is heated to a boil. A mold fashioned out of blown glass, jade, crystal, or any gemstone is crafted to fit the massive reserves of lifeforce, with phylacteries often ranging from beach ball sized crystal balls to boulder sized diamonds that have been masterfully hollowed out. The liquid life essence is then poured into its cask, where it’s allowed to settle before the ritual. Phylacteries are brittle, even with those composed of gold taking only a slight battering to collapse, and the soul with it. Lifegems will break if they fall from any median height, are hit with any blunt force weapons, or are otherwise brute forced. No matter the make of the phylactery, all share the same brittleness akin to stone. With stone brittleness, a lifegem would only take four hits from a sword before shattering, and two strikes from a warhammer or mace. These strikes are shared with the reservoirs, with urns or chests harboring the same brittleness as their lifegem counterpart. A phylactery must be completely destroyed to PK the draugar soul it houses, as heavily damaging the phylactery has no effect, requiring the assailant to fully desolate the lifegem or aurum to finish the job. Item phylacteries are freeform, and may be compromised of anything within reason that can “hold” something as long as they are forged mostly of gold. Lifegems may take on a range of shapes and sizes, and simply require three counts of liquid lifeforce which is harnessed from the rite of draining. All phylacteries must be at least one cubic meter large to harbor the required lifeforce, unable to be put in chests. This means that all Draugar phylacteries are built in game, and must be represented appropriately. Redlines Phylacteries are used to house the soul of a draugar within. Should the phylactery ever shatter, the soul is forever lost to the Ebrietaes. All phylacteries will break after 2 direct strikes from a warhammer/mace, or 4 direct strikes from a sword/edged weapon. A phylactery must be completely destroyed to PK the draugar soul it houses. Heavily damaging the phylactery has no effect, requiring the assailant to fully desolate the lifegem or aurum to finish the job. Phylacteries are either lifegems, or aurum constructs such as a massive urn or chest. All phylacteries, no matter their make, are as brittle as stone. One would simply need to tip the massive thing over, or directly hit it with a bludgeoning weapon to shatter it. Aurum phylacteries must be composed of mostly gold, but may have details and other materials in its composition. Lifegems are created by pooling three counts of liquid lifeforce into a cauldron, before pouring it all into a glass or crystalline molding. Aurum phylacteries are created by tether draining three counts of lifeforce into the vessel. Phylacteries must be at least a cubic meter in total size, capping at three cubic meters maximum. For this reason, phylacteries are unable to be hidden within chests. Phylacteries must have a physical build and be marked by an ST sign. Due to the size of phylacteries, two players are needed to move or haul the thing, with only ologs and large constructs able to do it solo. Phylacteries must be placed in accessible areas, as it is where the draugar respawns upon death. They may not be voidal pocketed, or placed in collapsed caves or inaccessible tombs. Darkstalkers Resonant knights with souls as black as night, woe to the darkstalker which harbors great feats of strength at the cost of sanity and flesh. Often risen against their will, these skeletal foes are the prize guards and knights of the necromancer covens, many having been heroes or veterans in their past life. With an altered form and a weary mind, these servants of weavers are prone to lapse into the extremes of emotion, while others hold a strange resoluteness in the face of undeath. Each darkstalker varies in their visage and psyche, yet one thing binds them all in their Order - a black soul. The Darkstalker Existence Entropic and all consuming is the ravaged soul of a darkstalker. While the souls of the living may emit energy in the form of mana or auras, the black soul of a darkstalker is instead an inward drain of lifeforce and energy, craving constant nourishment that feeds off the prey and environment of the knight. This self-cannibalism is largely due to its traumatic and unnatural creation, dooming the knight to forever hunger for that which nevers satisfies. A mark akin to the stagnant abyss itself is embellished, twisting the soul which urges the corpse to shamble on, while also being the very cause for their visceral urge to feed. Ironically enough, this entropic soul is what grants the darkstalker their knightly strength, as the lifeforce within them is constantly consumed and recycled to strengthen the otherwise brittle bones of the skeleton. Physical Description Bearing a deathly visage, all darkstalkers are clearly identifiable as undead whether they are mummified corpses or fleshless skeletons. The stench of rot and decay may often linger about their cadaver, enticing some to fill their empty cavities with bundles of sage and incense to little avail. Few can recognize what once was, as who may stare into the empty sockets of a skull and find familiarity. Darkstalkers harbor limitless endurance, never to tire or falter, meaning they can spar for days if not weeks until their bodies succumb to the destruction of battle. Their height and stature are the same as they were in life, viable to change under the keen eye of a necromancer who wishes to fleshsmith the guard to their liking. Their strength is comparable to the peak of their living race, bearing an unnatural aptitude for combat and knightly prowess. The resolute nature of the darkstalker is largely due to the excess lifeforce present, strengthening the body far past an average corpse. The durability and resilience of their body is likewise increased, making slashing and piercing weapons rather benign against the undead, save for crucial ligaments. One well placed hit from a greatsword may sever or crush a limb, offering a more precise attack to their frames. Their bones may be cut, maimed, or broken, with blunt force trauma often bringing about the most damage to their structures. This entices the undead to equip armor, adding some resilience to their otherwise brittle disposition. When unburdened by excess weight, darkstalkers are spry and quick, easily capable of outrunning encumbered mortals and even some elves. Capable of bearing plate armor and not much more, darkstalkers do not tire- yet they are burdened by armor all the same at the cost of skill and rotational movement. Undead constructs such as these have no ability to sleep, breathe, burn, etc. With no blood they cannot be poisoned or used as a source of genus, and feel no pain- or anything physical for that matter. Only sunlight and holy magic may bring about pain to these otherwise unfeeling foes, with sunlight offering a burning sensation to uncovered undead. This burning sensation turns from benign to the feeling of outright immolation over a few minutes, forcing most to don cloaks or skulk within shadows. Mundane fire acts akin to sunlit fire when near an uncovered darkstalker. First it will simply bring the sensation of a tingling pain, growing over the course of ten narrative minutes to the sensation of complete immolation. This can come from any light source as small as a torch, all the way up to a burning pyre. It should be noted that destroying the body will not kill the darkstalker, as their skull will continue to live on. Only by smashing or obliterating the skull will a darkstalker finally succumb to death- no matter how temporary it is. It requires the full destruction of the darkstalker skull to riddance the soul of the abyssal knight. This means three direct shots from a crossbow, or hits with a sword, would likely obliterate the skull. Rather, two hits from a warhammer would likely crush the skull, with blunt weapons offering a more resolute hit to the cranium. Should the skull be forcefully rendered from the body, it will simply fall inert and crumble until the skull is set back into place. Darkstalkers due to their strength and vacuumous ashen soul are unable to learn magic in its fullest, save for specific knowledge-based feats. They are permitted to learn alchemy, further alchemy (animii crafting, anthroparion crafting, etc.), arcane displacement, and sorvian crafting. Redlines Darkstalkers are visibly undead when unveiled, with sunken and tepid flesh hanging from their structures. Only with the flesh facade spell is this correctable. Darkstalkers are undead with no muscles, meaning they have limitless endurance and may run or stay in combat for longened periods of time. Only the wear and tear of such activities may hinder them. With a lack of weight, they are fast and spry. Even with armor they are still quick, yet cumbersome with the constricted movement plate armor gives. Darkstalker bones are strengthened by the residual lifeforce they garner from draining, making their structures less brittle and tougher. A well placed sword hit may crack some bone, but blunt weaponry will achieve better results. Darkstalkers may withstand some hits to their skull, allowing it to chip away. Only when the skull is completely obliterated, or fragmented, will the darkstalker die. This requires three well placed shots from a crossbow or sword to destroy the skull. A warhammer only needs two well placed hits. A warhammer strike against an unarmored darkstalker, when pinned against a solid surface, would only require one hefty strike to obliterate the cranium. They are not harmed by poison, fire, drowning, etc. as there are no lungs to drown or blood to clot. Only sunlight and holy healing brings pain. Direct sunlight will bring about a burning sensation, feeling as though their entire body is on fire with enough exposure. Holy healing includes paladinism, and any other magic that directly attacks dark beings. They need not eat, sleep, and have dulled if not completely benign senses. Knights are as strong as their peak, living descendant counterparts and are unable to grow physically stronger. Any darkstalker that does not harbor a natural skeleton, or is larger than a descendant requires an Mart; i.e. a swarm of insects, an olog, or a serpentine abomination. Darkstalkers require a valid CA to play, and must be properly raised by the Sacrament of the Usurer. A darkstalker is unable to learn any magic, and any 'magical' feats. Only knowledge based feats such as alchemy, arcane displacement, or sorvian sculpting may be learned. This list is exhaustive, and permits feats which don’t specifically require a pure soul. Mind of the Damned Darkstalkers exist with a sliver of their humanity remaining, with emotions such as empathy and love lost to the void of nearly all sensation. Without touch, taste, or smell, they may often act cold or bitter, appearing as apathetic to the warm blooded. Some may never come to grasp their unlife, with few darkstalkers growing sadistic and mad in their eternal torment which was forced upon them. For the constant gnawing hunger of both flesh and lifeforce, it is not uncommon for them to lapse into their bestial nature, to satiate their unending appetite. Their moods may swing with the day, apt to change under the fleeting emotions that remain in the skeletal vessel. The few times they seem lighthearted may come after inflicting grief upon a poor soul, or with the euphoria that comes with draining. Outcasts in consequence to their unnatural existence, however dreary they may appear, the personality of a Darkstalker is not always grim, but rather twisted and derived from their original selves. Their mental state deteriorates the longer they are deprived of their lifeforce feedings, also possessing an Achilles' Heel towards their memento mori. That Which Hungers The constant vacuum of entropy that is a darkstalker soul requires fuel to keep the knight resolute, both physically and mentally. Every two OOC weeks, a darkstalker must drain one unit of lifeforce from a living being, requiring at least a descendant’s sum of energy in total. Should they refuse or are rather unable, their body will begin to weaken to the strength of a scholar, as armor becomes more unwieldy to don. Not only are they more frail and bones grow more brittle, their mentality turns to that of a starved lunatic. They may appear ghoul-like, frantic to find their next meal as to even tear the flesh from their victims in pleading hunger. Redlines Should a darkstalker go two OOC weeks without feeding, they grow enfeebled as their bones weaken. Enfeebled darkstalkers are incapable of Flesh Facade, conjuring Abyssal Flame, and from participating in rituals when Paramount (all detailed below.) Feeding is done by draining one unit of lifeforce from a living descendant. For reference, descendants hold two counts, dying upon being drained a second time. Armor becomes cumbersome to don. Their mentality grows closer to a ghoullike insanity until they feast once again. The Infallible Curse Those afflicted with the Infallible Curse—some in their pursuit of immortality and others against their will—are forever cursed to walk the realm. When the undying are disposed of, their soulbound lifeforce lingers in the world, unable to find peace beyond in the soulstream or the certainty of Ebritaes. Doomed to the fate of the mortal plane, this energy coalesces over a year before it finds a new host to inhabit. After this time has passed, the residual energy of the slain undead is forced to once again inhabit a random corpse, the soul forcing upon it the burdens of the body the undead once had. Even for those who willingly succumb to the fate of the Infallible Curse, it exists as a hellish purgatory for the damned dead, as one may find undeath is not so easily escaped. Redlines: Darkstalkers and Archliches can never be truly slain. Normal hard PK rules still apply, such as killing one’s self or otherwise. An undead that PK’s according to these rules cannot be brought back. After one 30 IRL minutes from the point of their death, the Archlich or Darkstalker will inhabit a new body. This body takes the augments of one’s soul, whether it be a necromantic modification or the capacity to wield mighty powers of undeath. Dying takes a toll on one’s psyche when the once again awake to find themselves in a new body, capable of causing one to feel numb and disillusioned to reality. This process does not require the assistance of a necromancer. A body is just found, where the undead simply awakes with their new body narratively in Cloud Temple or a soulstone pillar they are bound to. THE RUNGS OF UNDEATH The eternal life of a darkstalker is not only a miserable existence of stagnation; likewise to the living, they may climb and clamber to higher aspirations. Awakening The undead has only just been awoken and pulled back into life from their terrible slumber. A state of confusion, guilt and regret, undead of this tier are prone to emotional outbursts and other mental ailments characteristic of an unstable, tormented mind. Nascent Darkening A relic spell that had been passed down through eras, first from the Old Lords and before them an obscure source of power lost to time. Perverting the teachings of Rh'thor, a darkstalker is capable of conjuring an abyssal aura upon one hand and stealing the victim’s lifeforce, inducing painful necrotic disease equivalent to being doused in fire, intensifying the longer the touch is maintained. Consumption To escape and climb the rungs of death, a freshly born darkstalker must fuel their twisted soul with the life of others. Over a narrative four years, three counts of lifeforce must be drained to fuel their ascension, wherein on the final day of their first year, they may strengthen their ties with Heith-Hedran and become Regressed. Mechanics and Redlines Longing Having grown accustomed to their damned existence, undead of this progression possess a better temperance of their bestial tendencies and depravities by virtue of the proverbial equilibrium they have reached between life and true death. Regressed Flesh Facade A corpse may be utilized as a husk, sometimes matched to mimic the living vessel which requires the aid of a necromancer. Such is achieved through a specific variant of fleshsmithing where, after the process is initiated, the malleable vessel (forged of whatever corpse or meat scraps are within reach) miraculously “aligns'' itself with the darkstalker’s soul to restore their original appearance, albeit pale, uncanny and deathly. This process becomes less and less perfect as an Undead becomes less mentally sound, and wears off much quicker under the duress of battle. Consumer of Consumed A grand rite of “ascension” with the aid of at least three necromancers and two living sacrifices is required for a Darkstalker to achieve Paramount through ritual. Consuming the soul of the sacrifice, the resonant knight is brought to the lead of their orders, gaining knowledge and power rarely seen by the enslaved undead. Mechanics and Redlines Totality Apotheosis of undeath, only Darkstalkers possess the resilience to withstand the ritual for this state, and rarely do they truly obtain the means to do so. Their hunger grows more ravenous than before yet they are also endowed with more boons, glimpsing further into the powers of necromancy and gaining a mastery of mortal will unparalleled amongst the living, and even the dead. Paramount Abyssfire The soul is but an image of mortal will, a force of change and synonymous with the ravenous and bestial desire to consume by all things dark. So does its flame possess no temperature, nor does it emit light beyond a pale moonlight glow; only force that pushes and gnaws. Harkened of the black sea that tapers endlessly from the shores of Rh’thor, ascension brings forth echoes of the Abyss. Khôr Blades Black blades, a sign of merit sworn to each darkstalker that achieves the apotheosis of their existence. Carrying an aura of entropy and ruin, khôr blades are forged for the sole purpose of inflicting heinous wounds upon mortal Man, harrowing them with abyssal blight. Mechanics and Redlines Draugars Rekindled are the flames of the once called “voidal-lich” the lesser of its Rh’Thorean counterpart. Aptly named are these once dead Draugars, a coy play on words of Dragur, collectors of both knowledge and wisdom. They are mummified corpses which are risen to act as the mages of the coven, swept into servitude by no fault of their own. Capable of practicing void magic among some dark magics, these wretched undead bear a heavy burden that no mortal should bear. Their soul is forever trapped within a phylactery, held under the whim of whichever cruel master holds it within their vice. Physicality Trapped within a limbo between life and death, the faux-undead is attributed its odd disposition due to the soul being kept outside of the corpse. Draugar appearances range from one another, though one unifying trait is they hold some semblance of life. They appear often as they did while living, yet with horrid aberrations such as fetid flesh, or ravaged skin that has been torn apart. Whether a mummified body or a rotting corpse, wrinkled and treated skin clings to the frame of every Draugar as a mark of their imperfection, their complexion the pallid image of rigor mortis. Even if all flesh is burned off or flayed, upon reforming from death, they will be born anew with skin forged by their phylactery. Acting as a patchwork, the flesh would stitch and mend itself about the horrid cadaver in most vital areas, notably the head and torso. Though it needn’t cover the entire body, the flesh of the dead mage is always there to some degree- with some sorcerers donning the flayed skin of their enemies, or using the aid of necromantic fleshsmithing to alter their appearance. Clear undeath sits within their eyes, or a lack thereof, with some harboring a misty and endless gaze, while others deal with insects boring through their skull. These undead are ghoulish in image, clearly identifiable if not by their looks, by their reeking stench of molding flesh. Cast out from society due to their lifeless visage, these craven few find refuge in the hearts of covens. A draugar retains the same height and general appearance as when they were alive, though such may be subject to change under a necromancer’s expertise. Their strength is scholarly at best, with all undead sorcerers damned to the strength and resoluteness of a void mage should they take on magic. An upside is the loss of exhaustion and endurance many mages face, with a draugar never tiring due to their undead nature. Their muscles are atrophied, requiring tendon and muscle for locomotion; something that is unusual for most undead. This means that they may be stopped physically by burning off their muscle, or by simply rending it from the bone. Unable to properly wield a sword or lift heavy objects, a draugar is meek compared to their knightly counterpart, relying on spells within battle. Brittle are their bones which may easily be rendered with a well placed sword swing, or collapsed with a heaving warhammer. The sensations of touch, smell, and taste are numbed, if not completely riddanced from the undead. Only in the presence of gold and sunlight will a once dull sense rebirth, as pain wracks the point of contact. The means to kill and inhibit these imperfect, half dead creatures comes in two ways. First is by simply crushing the skull of the draugar with a bludgeoning weapon, shattering easily with any direct force it comes into contact with. Bludgeoning weapons only take a single direct hit to crush the skull, with bladed weapons and projectiles typically requiring two. As soon as the skull is shattered, the draugar is dead and reforms at their phylactery after 30 minutes. The other means to purge these creatures comes from ancient practices used by hexers and witchhunters alike. Burning or eviscerating their rotting corpse will temporarily hinder the draugar, as they are unable to move without the machinations of muscle and sinew. Should they be left alive after having their body immolated, or otherwise hacked and slashed to pieces, it will require the aid of a necromancer to fleshsmith the draugar a suitable body. The skull must be kept intact, and should the skull lack the sustenance of lifeforce for more than a week whilst lacking a body, the draugar dies and reforms at their phylactery after 30 minutes. This works the same if a draugar is decapitated, unless the body is kept in range and intact. If the body is still capable of locomotion after combat, it will slowly inch towards the head, placing it back on. The draugar otherwise requires a necromancer to find them a new body before they perish of starvation. If a draugar is to have their skull severed from their body, the corpse will simply turn inert. Once combat is over, it will ever so slowly clamber to return by twitches and spasms. Redlines Draugars are set to the strength of a voidal mage, no matter the magic they know. Draugars require a valid CA to play, their souls bound to a phylactery forged during the Rite of the Thaumaturge. Draugar retain all magic/accepted MAs they had just before death, including feats such as alchemy. Only if the magic is incompatible, detailed below, will it sever its connection. Draugar may learn new magic just as any other, with the same five magic slots to spend. Should they have no magic, their strength is scholarly, meaning they are simply bested by trained and knightly opponents. Due to a lack of operational organs, magics that require living operation such as Kani, Bloodmagic, and otherwise are unable to be learned by the draugar. Draugar are unable to learn any holy magic, save for Seer. Draugar are incapable of learning Necromancy, other than the darkening spell. All draugar are similar to a mummified corpse, bearing sickly flesh that may differ from each. Draugar still utilize the muscle and ligaments in their vessel, meaning that stripping their muscles from their appendages will cease movement in such areas. If their entire body is burned away, they remain “alive” but are unable to move. Only by smashing the skull, or by starvation of lifeforce for one week without a body will a draugar die. Draugar do not feel pain with only dulled sensations at best. Only aurum, sunlight, and holy magic are exceedingly painful. Draugar are unable to be poisoned, drown, suffocate, and die by means of the flesh. If a draugar is decapitated and the body still harbors locomotion after combat, it will slowly inch its way to meet the head and place it back on. Draugar require to drain a count of lifeforce once every three weeks, or else they are unable to use their mask (detailed later) and are further enfeebled. After a draugar is slain, they will respawn at their phylactery after thirty minutes. For a whole OOC day, their spellcasting is limited to T3 at most, even with their veils, and if their veil was destroyed in death, they must remake it. Mentality The mental state of one trapped between an entropic soul and a husk of decay is one damned to the far throes of mental strain. Many are not completely insane, but rather hold manias and phobias, mimicries of their former life which bleed through the veil. An obsession with a pursuit of knowledge is not uncommon, with some sorcerers pledging themselves to an unending destiny of collecting books or procuring relics. Morals may wane depending on who they were in life, with some never coming to grip the hunger for lifeforce that beckons them, or the cruel master which presides over their wretched existence. Undying and undead yet far less bestial in inclinations, the mental workings of a Draugar are one defined by prevailing woes of distant longings dependent on the individual. Often born of a desire for eternity, Draugar will dedicate their static existences to whatever fealties or goals they coveted whilst living. In spite of this it is not uncommon for one to conversely pursue different paths over the course of centuries until one falls to their liking and contentment. Weakness Although their senses are dulled, few vices and mundane pests may cause anguish in the decaying hearts of the things. Most prominent is direct sunlight, with a dull burning sensation felt when they are revealed to broad daylight. The pain shifts from dull to outright excruciating after prolonged exposure, feeling as though their very skin were aflame. Often this requires the draugar to shroud itself under robes and rags, with many opting to do so with their unsightly appearance. Fabled for its utility against darkspawn, aurum brings a grim reminder of agony to draugars, even from afar. When pure gold is pressed against the flesh of a draugar, a searing pain will wrack their body. Aurum dust works to a lesser extent, only bringing a dull sensation save for in large amounts. Even when in the vicinity of gold an unsettling anxiety begins to gnaw at the mind when an ingot’s worth of aurum is within three meters of the undead. Holy magic, that of Paladinism also harms the undead as it would any other. Its effects are typical to that of darkspawn, and will harm draugar. Should a draugar use up all of their mana reserves in casting, causational reactions are prone to occurring. First, the draugar will suddenly immolate as their flesh is ravaged by the wanton powers of the void, using up the last of their mana to consume their body in their spells. This results in the draugar losing all movement, as locomotion comes from their tendons and muscles. When this occurs, it harbors the same drawbacks as a draugar being burnt or flayed of their sinew. They will be unable to move, and will starve of lifeforce if there isn’t any living flora or fauna nearby. Draugars require a descendant’s worth of lifeforce every three OOC weeks, but when only a skull/immobile will starve to death after 1 OOC week without feeding. Redlines Direct sunlight will at first cause an uneasy pain, which over the course of minutes will turn to the feeling of agonizing immolation. This is simply mental damage, yet it feels as though their entire body is on fire, pure torture. Wearing a cowl or half plate will suspend this as long as it covers appendages. Aurum in any capacity brings a certain pain to these undead. Gold dust brings a numbing, pin prick pain wherever it is applied. Gold trinkets ranging up to the size of an ingot bring a burning pain akin to touching a hot pan when pressed against the skin, or when stabbed into the draugar. Any amount of aurum at or above an ingot’s worth brings an unsettling anxiety to the mind of the draugar within three meters. Anything larger than an ingot still causes great pain, yet large statues or relics made of aurum increase its range of anxiety to around 10 meters. Paladinism effects draugar as it would any other darkspawn. Crimson Veils Crafted and molded individually for each Draugar, the veil is both a conduit and embodiment of their very soul. Tailored specifically for the undead, no two masks are alike as it takes shape and form based on the imprint of the Draugar’s soul. Their past life and the emotions that most often lead them are likely to express themselves through the shape and imagery on the veil. They may appear in whatever guise is favored by the Draugar, taking on the faint color of their aura. The purpose of the veil comes in its close bind to the trapped undead soul, specifically allowing the draugar to fully utilize their magic. Without it, they are but amateur spellcasters- but with the crimson veil, they may be the very masters of the arcane. So too does it forge a minor illusion, bringing life to the otherwise fetid countenance that rotting corpses bring. By donning their veil, draugar are capable of warping their appearance to one of a living descendant. This “illusion” only affects sight, as if one were to reach out and grace the cheek of the undead sorcerer, the cold chill of death would meet their touch. Should the mask take any major damage, or the draugar utilize draining, the illusion would shatter to reveal the mummified corpse beneath. Minor strikes and scrapes upon the mask instead shimmer and obfuscate the illusion momentarily, allowing for some to see through the cracks. These masks hold the brittleness of stone, no matter their composition, and may never be stronger. Should a mask ever be destroyed, the ritual to create one must once more be commenced. Particularly wroth draugars may have a red veil in the likeness of a bull, or a facade of pure rage. Some don leper masks, others are neolithic ego masks- no two masks are alike, with each crafted and bonded personally to the soul. Mechanics: The mask is necessary for a draugar to go from using tier 3 to tier 5 spells of the magics they once knew, acting as a crutch for their magical abilities. Wearing is not necessary for this magical empowerment, only a constant harbouring in their presence. Should they wear them however, it also doubles as a form of husking, utilizing illusion and lifeforce to fuel their rotted husk, rather than using a true corpse. A draugar may imbue a person's worth of lifeforce to act as a projectable image of their original self, with imperfections similar to a Darkstalker husk. This means that a draugar must be fed to cast the illusion, requiring them to drain a unit of lifeoforce once every three weeks. Casting dark magic or direct disruptions in the form of mask damage will dispel and disrupt this husk. The mask must always be visible for the effects to take place, both for magical empowerment, and for the illusion it must be worn directly on the face. To increase spellcasting tier, the mask must simply be visible, and on the draugar’s body. It may be worn, or simply looped through a necklace that rests on their chest- either way, it cannot be hidden beneath robes or cloth. To activate the illusion of life, the mask must be worn on the face of the draugar. The veil will remain under the illusion, on the visage of the draugar as it works the facade. The draugar appears as they did in life, with all visual features of their living form present- even their face. The illusion simply falls over the veil, and the illusion will break if the veil is taken from the face, or if it is severely damaged. Creation: Garnering a necromancer and the elder draugar, the two must surround a living sacrifice, and have the mask already carved out of a chosen substance. Blood of the victim must be slathered on the veil, hence its crimson moniker. With the draugar donning the mask, the necromancer tethers the sacrifice to the mask, as their essence is drained into the veil. Once the victim is fully drained, their soul is consumed as excess lifeforce pours from the crimson veil, binding itself to the soulless husk of the draugar, acting as a conduit for feats of wizardry. Redlines Crimson veils are created individually for each draugar, and are required to raise their spell casting from T3 to T5. Without a veil, a draugar cannot cast any spell greater than tier 3, for any magic they know. A mask must always be visible when in use, unable to work when hidden. A crimson veil is as brittle as stone, breaking with any hefty strike that is centered to hit. Should a veil be shattered, a new one must be created. Crimson Veils require an ST sign. The illusion created by the mask is only visual. The illusion would not break, but rather 'glitch' or warble when directly touched, feeling the cold corpse beneath the illusion. If gold touches the draugar, or if they utilize draining, the illusion will break. If the mask takes direct damage of any kind, it will break the illusion. To create a veil, a living sacrifice must have their blood placed onto the mask, before their lifeforce is drained into the object. This ritual requires a necromancer, and the draugar. Purpose & Credits