Necromancer (Lords of Shadow)

The are one of the three main groups controlled by the Lords of Shadow, the others being the Lycans and the Vampires.
==Background==
Necromancy is the most evil of all the schools of magic and can only be performed by the followers of the Dark Lord of the Dead. Unlike vampirism and lycanthropy, the powers necessary to control the energies of the deceased are not easily acquired. The Dark Lord only shares a small part of his power with his followers, who themselves must die in order to use the abilities given to them. Once dead, they become his thralls and their master is able to control them with his own considerable power.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania: Lords of Shadow===
The Necromancers are ruled by the Lord of the Dead, Death himself. Three Necromancers are encountered, two as bosses, and one impersonated the Dark Lord, and raises the Dracolich Titan.
====Strategy====
The Necromancers are bosses near the end of the game. The first two Necromancers fight alike, with the second being more powerful. Both can summon Zombies, while the second can summon Reapers as well. Unlike other bosses, their health is measured by "Necrotic Energy". This can be depleted by attacking them or forcing them to waste it on summoning enemies. They can also use their powers to transform their scythes making with them a form very similar to a spear which they use to attack physically their opponents with quickly sharp movements or with a fast and unblockable run.
The third Necromancer fights differently, and instead, fuses with a massive dragon skeleton, the Dracolich Titan and prompting another titan battle.
===Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate===
The Necromancer who summoned the Dracolich titan seemed to have survived and is encountered during the events of Mirror of Fate. After Simon Belmont recovers the old Combat Cross of his father, the Necromancer intervenes, stealing the Combat Cross and battling Simon, making it clear that his master, Zobek, wishes to obtain the weapon. The Necromancer taunts Simon while fighting him and even steals the Spirit of Belnades to hinder his actions, but Simon smashes his staff and kills the Necromancer, recovering the Combat Cross from his remains.
====Strategy====
The Necromancer within Mirror of Fate employs a different strategy. He now has a normal health bar, which must be depleted by manual means. He summons various undead enemies while battling Simon, and throws his staff (which he can create a scythe blade of energy from) like a boomerang. After taking a significant amount of damage, he surrounds himself with a shield - the shield has two layers which both rotate, and Simon must enter the openings when they line up. The Necromancer steals the Spirit of Belnades, and adds a new magical attack, dropping energy spheres. After taking more damage, Simon shatters the Necromancer's staff and the Necromancer retreats, only able to hurl energy waves that must either be rolled over or jumped over. He teleports to the other side of the screen and repeats, and then shields himself with a shield of even more layers. After Simon penetrates the shield, he can grab the Necromancer and kill him.
==Similarities to Death==
The Necromancers of Lords of Shadow are comparable to Death. Both have powers over the dead and wield scythes. However, there are multiple Necromancers and they do not seem to be held in high regards. In fact, only one Necromancer speaks in the game, and has little dialogue.
==Trivia==
*Because Zobek's character was inspired by both Death and Shaft, the Necromancers wear robes that are similar to Shaft's.
*Guido Szandor also wears similar robes, although it's unknown if there is any correlation between him and the Necromancers.
*The Necromancer shares similarities with the Reaper in the Lords of Shadow series, in that both enemies resemble common depictions of Death, being levitating skeletal beings shrouded in long, hooded robes, and holding either a scythe or a scythe-like staff.
*The third Necromancer from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow appears to have survived his encounter with Gabriel Belmont and is later encountered by Simon in Mirror of Fate. He makes multiple references to Trevor and appears to know a lot about the Belmont line.
**In addition, he can be seen hiding in the background just before Simon gets to the Combat Cross, disguised as one of the drapes. When Simon returns to the room housing the Combat Cross, the drape he was disguised as is missing, replaced by normal curtains. This method of hiding could be a clever Metal Gear reference, as Hideo Kojima worked on the previous game with MercurySteam.
*It's possible that this Necromancer is the reason Dracula knows necromantic spells, and that it joined him in order to share its knowledge of the dark arts with him in exchange for "protection" from its former master as a ruse, when in reality it worked to find a working Combat Cross for Zobek. This would also explain the Toy Maker's treachery, as the Necromancer might have compelled it in the first place, it's likely that the dark pain was an attempt at a Combat Cross capable of killing Dracula.
==See also==
*Death
*Necromancer
*Reaper (Lords of Shadow)
==References==
Category:Antagonists
Category:Deceased Characters
Category:Male Characters
Category:Necromancers
Category:Lords of Shadow Bosses
Category:Lords of Shadow Characters
Category:Mirror of Fate Bosses
Category:Mirror of Fate Characters