Lazarus

Lazarus is the first zombie to ever be created. Once a mortal man native to the village of Bethany, outside Jerusalem, Lazarus's existence was forever altered when he was raised from the dead by Jesus of Nazareth. Lazarus was resurrected after four days of being dead, his soul forcibly brought back to his body and his flesh restored. Later in life, Lazarus would once again experience death once more, though the power that had raised him initially prevented death from keeping its hold on him. Lazarus endured for centuries, the trauma of his soul being forced into his body over and over again shattering his mind, and the power that reanimated him being so strong as to spread to others he made contact with, resulting in the rise of zombies.

## Biography

### Life

Lazarus was born in a town outside Jerusalem known as Bethany, modern day Al-Eizariya, to a pair of Jewish parents. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha, and worked as a mason. He became a follower of Jesus of Nazareth in adulthood, and befriended the prophet upon meeting him. Though not one of Jesus's Disciples, Lazarus often spent time in his company, and Jesus would reside at his house whenever he travelled to Bethany. When Lazarus became mortally ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus to come and heal him. When Jesus did not arrive, Lazarus lamented that he had been abandoned by his friend, and died with tears upon his cheeks.

### Resurrection

Lazarus was resurrected four days after his death by Jesus, Lazarus was at first angry that he had been used as a demonstration of Jesus's power, but was quickly mollified by the prophet's words. For many years, he continued on revering Jesus, even after word arrived of his death. However, that reverence would begin to fade when Lazarus once more experienced death.

## Physical Appearance

On the extremely rare occasions where he is not bogged down by misery, Lazarus's ordinary form is that of a short, plain faced Middle Eastern man with short black hair and a hooked nose, who looks to be in his twenties. Otherwise, he appears as a rotting corpse.

## Personality

Most of the time, Lazarus is a mindless, hateful creature, consumed with the need to inflict his misery on others by spreading his curse. However, in the rare moments where he regains his lucidity, Lazarus is a horribly remorseful being, anguished by all the destruction he has caused in his many centuries. Above all, he longs for the release of death.

## Relationships

### Jesus of Nazareth

In life, Lazarus was a devoted follower of Jesus. When he became terminally ill and Jesus did not immediately rush to help him, the seeds of resentment were planted, though Jesus resurrecting him briefly renewed his faith in his idol. However, as Lazarus found himself repeatedly denied death, and worse still, that his curse was spread to any who he touched, he began to loath Jesus, lamenting the curse that had been thrust upon him by the man he had once idolized. Memories of Jesus still haunt Lazarus, as thoughts of him have been known to cause Lazarus's physical form to deteriorate and incite furious rage.

## Powers

* Curse Spreading: By making skin to skin contact with another human being, Lazarus is capable of passing on a weaker version of his own curse, causing them to die of the same disease that killed him in life and rise later as a zombie. Unlike Lazarus, however, these lesser zombies can be destroyed permanently, and must make contact with the blood of another person to spread the curse. Additionally, Lazarus's mere presence causes corpses to rise as zombies. Curiously, this power has no effect on any being who was not once human.

* Eternal Resurrection: Lazarus is for all intents and purposes immortal. No matter what injury is inflicted upon him, his body will eventually reconstitute itself. This power is tied to his mental state, as the more miserable and angry Lazarus is, the more his body will deteriorate. Sadly, Lazarus spends the majority of his existence in constant misery, resulting in his appearance being that of a rotted corpse.
	+ Regeneration: Lazarus's body will naturally heal from practically any wound within moments, allowing him to even regrow lost organs and limbs. However, the healed body parts will remain rotted and decomposed if he is still in a poor mental state.

* Undead Resilience: As a risen corpse, Lazarus does not undergo any sort of bodily function, and does not require food, sleep, or air.
	+ Pain Immunity: Without a properly functioning nervous system, Lazarus feels no physical pain whatsoever.

## Triva

* Lazarus is the first zombie.
* The cruelty of Jesus.