Necromancy

The **Restorative Arts** **of Magic**, or **necromancy**, is the theory and practice of restoring “life” by means of magical systems, specifically warding, to a person or body that is deceased.

## Necromancy

The study and art of re-animating dead bodies using magic and arcane apparatuses. A practitioner of necromancy is called a *necromancer*.

Originally *necromancy* referred to the practice of speaking to spirits of the deceased to gain special knowledge and visions of things to come, a form of augury which was labeled heresy by the Stephedist Vistern. During the Ruin of Iotheme, people began to report apparitions of the dead visiting them. Modern science has deduced these 'ghosts' to be demons impersonating mortal relatives hoping to take advantage of the superstitious.

### “Perfect Resurrection”

The theory that the body and consciousness of the deceased can be completely restored to a sustainable, living state after brain death for an indefinite time; effectively, immortality. Perfect Resurrection means perfect—no loss of motor function or mental capacity, and primarily, no bodily decay or decomposition.

As of yet, revenants are simply reanimated corpses with significant setbacks in the preservation or recreation of organic systems and cognitive retention.

## Revenants & Ghouls

The Awakener Movement coined the term *revenant* (“coming back”) for any dead body brought back by magical apparatuses, with Alcer Deirse positively commenting on the similarity between it and the word ‘reverent’. Oppositely, opponents to necromancy prefer the pejorative term *ghoul* in reference to the undead, a carry-over of the word *gahuli* from Janican beliefs.

In ancient past, the Pnardic dwarves called the concept of a resurrected mummy a *draugr*.

### The Construct

A revenant is the physical remains of a corpse reanimated through a complex array of ward systems inscribed on the bones that primarily dictate locomotion functions in the absence of soft organic tissues (muscle, nerves, etc.).

Cartilages are preserved as best as possible to prevent joint friction. The skin and viscera of a corpse is most often removed and disposed of when creating a revenant. This is because the rot and decomposition of these tissues is not only grotesque, but rank. Some necromancers might even keep those features in as a scare tactic.

Weak spots of a revenant include its skull, which is where its masters mark is usually located; its ribcage, which houses the canopic sac; and any limb joints where coffin nails are hammered in. Necromancers will sometimes spare the time and expenses to outfit their revenants with armor to cover these vulnerabilities, depending on how valuable they are to him—which should be very, since a single revenant can take weeks or months to put together, due to the amount of time and attention needed to inscribe each major bone, not to mention the cost of powering the construct.

In order to conserve mana, later masters marks incorporated a failsafe that puts the revenant into a state of dormancy where it's power flow is cut off and its wards are deactivated.

Revenants rely on a form of arcane vision similar to echo location or sonar to visualize their surroundings and detect enemies, since they lack eyeballs and a brain. Using the mana from their canopic sacs in conjunction with a special ward sequence in their masters mark, the revenant generates a pulse of mana through the aethos and is able to 'see' based on events of aetherization around it. For example, the resonance of the mana pulse against a living animus would be recognized as a person, just as it would detect spellwork or non-living objects. By extension, the animus-less itzhin are completely invisible to all revenants.

#### Canopic Sacs

Each revenant’s wards are powered by mana which is siphoned from a pouch filled with ioun which is fastened in the thoracic cavity of the revenants, protected by their ribs. The sac connects to the construct’s distal body wards through tubes threaded through the bones.
Coffin Nails
Most revenants are linked to their masters mark, or even further to their creator necromancer (demagogue) via a hegemonic animic network, and thus for their (literally) dead limbs to receive directives, mana-receptive iron rods are hammered into the joints and bones of the revenants’ skeletons. The name comes from the practice of some grave-robbing cults recycling the nails they harvested from the graves of their stolen cadavers.

#### Phylactery

A necromancer sometimes decides to create revenants that are loyal to his or her command, and so the revenants are created with an animic hegemony scripted into their masters mark that links them to the demagogue (the necromancer) via a nexus, called a phylactery in necromantic circles. They are kept and guarded in reliquaries.

A phylactery is a treasure or amulet a person keeps to remember something. In Awakener writings, it is symbolic of the life they once lived that is giving them the power to come to life a second time.

### Homunculus

The broad term *homunculus*, for all intents, is defined as a piece of, or simulated copy of a person or a part of them and used for remote magical experimentation. Also sometimes referred to as a *Marble Model* or *Scaffold*, a homunculus in necromancy refers to a corpse being used as the template for an ascendant necromancer to hopefully transfer his soul (animus) into after-death, since he cannot otherwise inscribe ward sequences on his bones whilst living. The homunculus then is sometimes the corpse of a relative or friend, the remains of someone they admired, or some cadaver stolen from a graveyard, and the necromancer devotes his time and study to the development of his masters mark which he cautiously etches into the bones for the rest of his life, knowing it will be his vessel in undeath and thus any complication or defect in the ward sequence could result in paralysis or the whole resurrection to fail.

## Masters Marks

The warded schematic for the revenant’s arcane assembly & animation. It appears as a concentric band of elaborately connected ward sequences, often inscribed on the back of the revenant’s skull (as a flat, enduring surface is required).

The **masters mark** is the life work of an Awakener leader; it is the thesis of every pioneering necromancer’s pursuit of Perfect Resurrection, and thus each has its own history. Each cult revolves around the research, design, and experimentation of their leader’s marks, which they trust will be the answer to their eventual posthumous ascension.

Different masters marks have been authored by various mage-scholars and Awakener theologists, each known by the names of their creators (Sokolov Mark) or by a characteristic unique to it (Dread Mark). The different masters marks have their own distinct advantages and shortcomings, recognizable to each brand, and it is typical for necromancers to experiment with them, eventually gravitating towards favorites based on specialty and need.

The more complicated and intricate the ward sequence, the more intelligent and capable the revenant. The most advanced masters marks, kept expensive secrets in the Skirts and Underworld, are rumored to allow speaking revenants.

Some masters marks incorporate instructions that establish an animic hegemony over the revenant, serving as the binding seal that connects the construct to its creator or to a medium. This is generally only done on lesser revenants; necrolytes and necromancers would not appreciate their corpse being made into a puppet after dying.

The characteristics of revenants as ‘shambling horrors’ (limp limbs, hobbling, missing body parts, slack-jawed, moaning, etc.) are the result of malfunctions in the ward sequences that generate locomotion or ‘life’ to those areas. Such problems include errors in writing the ward sequence (which can often be edited and corrected); damage to the ward sequence, as from a battle; or the necromancer simply did not have time to finish the inscriptions on the revenants’ bones.

### Known masters marks

* **[Classic] Mark** - originally, “undead” were simply convenient, humanoid scaffolds for [sorcerer]s to drape around, control, and feed off of. They invented the [Classic] Mark to preserve the mana-producing [magic organ] in the skull after brain-death, substituting the necessary neural commands with sophisticated ward sequences.
	+ ((black, spiny snakes slithering through a skeleton, flexing meatily as they twisted through the bones

* **Awoken Mark (I, II, III, VI)** – the very first masters mark designed for a benign, independently-motored revenant, created by Alcer Deirse and presented to the Oberlin Society in DATE. The mark was a rough and basic ward system, resulted in crude, clumsy revenants with terrible posture which, when on their own, simply staggered awkwardly in place. Their debut inspired fear, ridicule, and abhorrence more than it did hope for a worthy afterlife. When under a demagogue’s command, Awoken revenants are treated as expendable fodder, empty puppets with no sense or purpose.
* **Goering Mark** – introduced the echo location-like ability to revenants. The Goering Mark enjoyed a short stint in popularity before the mana pulse mechanic was successfully replicated and shortened. Since then, it has been a component of all new masters marks and has been retrofitted into older ones.
* **Sokolov Mark (I, II)** – The second version incorporated a ward sequence that allowed for the revenant to go dormant and conserve mana.
* **Barrigans Mark** – also called the Bowman’s Mark, the Barrigan is a specialized evolution of the Goering Mark that focused the mana pulse in a concentrated cone instead of in a weak 360º burst. The pulse would be powerful enough to stun and disrupt manic entities in the aethosphere, temporarily incapacitating enemies.

> Tactically, Barrigan revenants are equipped with bows & arrows to easily pick off confused enemies from a distance.
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* **Proctors Mark** – a breakthrough in necromancy, the Speakers Mark achieved the preservation of conscious thought & memory by preserving the mental imprints of the deceased’s animus before animic decay destroyed any vestiges of identity from the mana. It has the particularly useful application of being able to revive murder victims to identify their killers, but legal barriers have prohibited its official use by authorities.

> The main drawback to the Speakers Mark is that, while it successfully conserves the memories associated with the animus being revived, the revenant cannot process new memories or yet function as a free-thinking, sentient being. And thus it is a husk, a grotesque echo of the person now-dead.
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* **Dread Mark** –
	+ » more agile, adaptable, clever. better retention of animus.

* **Colossus Mark** – the Colossus revenant is the nefarious invention of a military scientist and madman. Through the complex arrangement of multiple skeletons’ bones, both humanoid and animal, a risen Colossus Revenant is a monstrosity of skulls, spines, limbs, and fear. Because of their size, slowness, and lumbering gait (not to mention the taboo of mixing animal bones with humans), Colossus revenants are a rarity.
* **Sorcerer Mark** – a favorite for use on the remains of dead magi, the Sorcerer Mark most efficiently preserves the animus of the deceased, resulting in a resourceful revenant that is more attuned with channeling mana. Sorcerer revenants are powerful spellcasters, but uncreative and prone to self-destruction. The Sorcerer Mark still has not discovered how to gauge the Sorcerer revenants’ reckless mana expenditure, drawing from their own canopic sacs to fuel their spellwork, but often till they burn themselves out.
* **Beauty Mark** – an expansive, intricate mark that preserves the lifelike look of skin, hair, and eyes and protects against mortification. Authored by the scholar Naestor Haafgard in DATE, used for the mummification of important individuals. Use of the Beauty Mark is legal in some countries, but unpopular among many cults because it does not animate the corpse or restore brain function, being completely cosmetic—which isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t the priority.
* **Sitaran Mark** – a masters mark derived from Sitaran magic that preserves the flesh for mummification / medical / cosmetic purposes.
* **Steelhand Mark** – invented by orcish necromancers during the Orc Wars, the Steelhand Mark was used to create revenants that could functionally carry and make use of a weapon. Inspired by the execution of Elek Fir’khol the Steelhand (originally Firehand), whose right hand was cut off and replaced with an old sword as a mocking fulfillment of his last request to die with a sword in his hand.

## Death cults

There exist dozens of different belief systems and dogmas revolving around death, the afterlife, immortality, and the necromantic arts, and from there spawned thousands of comparable academic circles, religious sects, insurgent triunes, and even military contractors and some criminal investigators. Most distinct and ignominious are the various necromantic cults, secretive cells of worshipers, disciples, and apprentices (specifically referred to as necrolytes, although not by themselves) who attend to, learn from, and serve a necromancer (sometimes called a necrolord by outsiders) as he or she studies and drafts their ultimate masters mark.

Affiliation with necromancy can be controversial, and so many supporters are discreet about their beliefs. Some necrolytes are counted among influential positions throughout the world, businessmen and nobles who launder funds to their leader, or even politicians litigating in the arenas of New Column.

### Necrolyte

The followers, disciples, apprentices, and patrons of a necromancer.

1. grave-robbing
2. religious ceremonies
3. osseous inscriptions
4. attend to needs
5. defending & maintaining the compound
6. fundraising & financing
7. political lobbying & proselytizing in surrounding areas

### Necrolord

A necrolord must be charismatic and educated, embracing spiritual zealotry or a scientific agenda to persuade followers to their cause. They must be literate in Promatlean script and devote themselves to the study and experimentation of different masters marks on cadavers in pursuit of Perfect Resurrection, for himself and his beneficiaries (followers, patrons, and financiers). A necrolord wields a tremendous influence over the cult, but can still very easily lose the faith of their constituents if they fail to produce results—or at least keep their interest. It is the nature of the necrolyte to wander between cults, studying under different necromancers, until one day they finally decide to design their own WARD and accomplish what their previous masters failed to do.

### Communes

The crypts, campgrounds, temples, compounds, castles, or manors that necromantic cults will congregate in and practice their art. Often erected in or close to a place where humanoid remains can be easily acquired, such as a cemetery or catacomb network.

Features of a commune often include:

* Scriptorium – the study and laboratory of the necromancer and his apprentices where bones are tediously inscribed. Manuals and anatomically-illustrated grimoires detail the different ward sequences applied to each bone of the body; different species have different sections or books.
* Chapel – a ceremonial space in spiritually-inclined cults, used for sermons, prayer, and mass gatherings.
* Ossuary – bone pit where looted remains, bones, and body parts are stored.
* Reliquary – a secret vault or even altar where the phylacteries are stored.
* Dormitories – living spaces where the cultists reside. Usually a special apartment is set aside for the necrolord of the group.

## History

The first recorded instance of people purposely seeking a means to immortality originally began with dwarves, particularly a Pnardic group located in Biuvkia. The concept was referred to as *Nolexan* (“Halting Death”).

Biuvkia was a subsidiary grade that was a part of the Shardam Empire, and thus was exposed to the archaic studies of runescript. The early pioneers in the subject would dwell in the necropolises of their kin and research the deceased and their trappings.

Later, around DATE, some enterprising *jarcodin* (the embalmers of the dwarven necropolises) began to experiment on the corpses entrusted to them using magic in the form of runes (warding). In its conceptual nascence, the bardomme was abhorred at the idea and purged the group and its research. The Biuvkian bardomma at the time justified that death was the purest ideal of permanence—the core of Canonical living—and challenging it was not only abominable but against the "progressive nature" of the dwarf. Undoing death would be a step backwards in pursuit of personal perfection.

### Sargat Wars

Necromancy before Alcer

•    Necromancy in Hephestia from the ERA century to the ERA was always regarded as a theoretical practice—potentially possible, but currently just an idea. The science was prohibited by ArEm restrictions as a category of dark magic.

•    Necromancy’s illegality in the East and its taboo reputation in the West made the practice a thing of the Underworld, pored over by superstitious and power-hungry magi who futilely compacted with demons in the hopes of achieving immortality. Unfortunately, the demons themselves knew close to nothing about bringing the dead back to life, so most of their contributed knowledge formed the basis for modern day revenants—crude, reanimated skeletons through the use of wards. No actual ‘life’ or sense of identity or sentience is preserved.

Peter Lorell’s Three Estates Theory - discovery of the soul

First Awakener Movement (Orc Wars)

•    The Arais Emodun's discovery of the animus inspired Lorell's Three Estates theory, which in turn birthed the Awakener Movement in Hephestia, as it exposed a recognizable—and manipulable—relationship between magic and what many believe to be the soul.

•    The Awakener Movement found significant traction in Salavia and surrounding areas, where Awakeners practice freely. As well, there is strong presence of Stephedism in the region (x Spain, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ireland), which is the foundation for Awakener belief systems. The Vistern of First Life is located here.

•    In Salavia, the Awakener magi are called Moritorsi (s. moritor), which means "death turners."

•    In [Spain], moritorsi wear face masks fashioned like skulls.

Second Awakener Movement (Ushanran conquests, [World War II], Doban-Shardam War, Valpriot War) / The Reawakening Movement, or Second Awakening

## Groups

Grand Warlock Abranata's undead army of raised teloren and vereskars

The Awakener Movement

— Vistern of Life

Gurst

### Valprus

•    The previous sovereign of the Valprus region originally supported the Awakeners for their potential military application in the interest of creating an immortal army, issuing an invitation of amnesty to any magi acquainted with the movement. The necromancers' efforts proved fruitless, but they retained their presence long after their original mission, establishing a strong congregation in the area.

•    The devastation of both the Ushanran occupation and the Alvard Incident ignited a surge of the Awakener Movement in Valprus. A large population had already established themselves in the country, and the gathering death toll only increased the movement's following.Awakener cults in the Setauchus and other regions of Valprus.

Oberlin Society

Some demonic triunes

Awakener cults

Military contractors – many independent military companies and independent necromancers sell their services outside of the incorporated zone, espousing the benefits of a casualty-less drone army of expendable soldiers. Many companies in [Spain] that descended from the displaced wayfarer guilds of years before have dabbled in the art, hiring magi to inscribe for them.

• Aorun-Camun Lishacon – it has been reported that the royalist Lishacon under the joint leadership of Prince Nobedan ao Camun and War Minister Rimana du Aorun has secretly endorsed the construction of a revenant army from the remains of enemy fighters.

## Controversy

>> loved ones; is it right?

>> Drone soldiers argument – expendable, cheap, no (more) lives lost

Cons: ethics of recycling the corpse of a dead individual for war

Liashan death-singers

– Sing to the dead; visit grave-trees.

– Claimed to commune with the deceased through song; in Cremalia, they were popularly received to conduct séances among the necromantic-curious.

– In Cremalia, particularly the Tivar nomadic clans, elven death-singers offer their mystic services to the common men of [Spain]. Many are accused of being charlatans and thieves, but are wary of the curses they are notorious for dispensing for even mild insults.

Fleshy revenants vs. Bony revenants

Lich

Death’s Head Cult

aka “the Heads”

summoner

sacrificial chamber

•    (?) One of the warring factions of the Liashan Civil War has resorted to experimenting with an army of revenants, raised from the huge amount of dead bodies scattered throughout the forests from its bloodied past.

kuzzzzco: (6:45:39 PM) I had the idea of having different 'models' of undead based on different magic circles used on them

kuzzzzco: (6:45:54 PM) so like, the Toyota Brand is known to make agile, stealthy undead warriors

The Pirate Eli: (6:46:05 PM) heh

kuzzzzco: (6:46:26 PM) but the Mitsubishi Brand preserves the animus and produces decent spellcasters, if only for a short-time, since they burn up their mana too fast

kuzzzzco: (6:46:48 PM) and every necromancer is always working to improve on the shortcomings of the last one

kuzzzzco: (6:47:29 PM) trying to make the "perfect brand" that will result in true resurrection; the person dies and then comes back immortal, no brain damage or decay.

kuzzzzco: (6:48:21 PM) It's a religion, science, and military dream—all illegal and a huuuuge hot button issue in my setting's politics.

kuzzzzco: (6:48:41 PM) "What is life?" and who has the authority to decide it.