Undead

The **Undead** are one of the base races that can be selected by clicking the red block at spawn. Undead are an ancient race, one that predates many other races of the world. Just as there are different types of Elves or Orcs, there are different types of Undead, each with different origins, shapes, and sizes. Not all Undead were unfriendly, but the number of friendly ones have always been few. Some even retain memories of their past lives (it is believed that all **wraiths** do), and must watch themselves slaying their own kin.

*The information on this page is regarded as "official" and is compliant with the official Elysium events which are hosted by members of Staff. Players may choose to use as much or as little of this lore as they like. There is no requirement for players to follow the lore during a personal RP.*

## Summary

Defined as beings who have been reanimated *after* death, rather than having been changed during their life - in the manner of werewolves or vampires - Undead come in a variety of shapes and forms. Potentially the most diverse of races, they may have been formed from any race, having been reanimated by a variety of different causes after their natural death. Most commonly those retaining flesh upon their bones are classed as **zombies**, whereas those without are classed as **skeletons** or **wraiths**. Wraiths for the most part were a separate class of Undead who were under the control of the malevolent personification of the Void, known as the Darkness or Ityaak Ortheel, and cannot be played by regular players.

## Origins

### In the Age of Dragons

Before the first Darkness War, there was another great conflict between different tribes of dragon, assisted by mages - who were initially humans exposed to, and transformed by, dragon magic. When Drakon the leader of the dragons of Light was slain, the tribe was in retreat. Bryagh, leader of the dragons of darkness, sensed victory and pursued his advantage, and to the surprise of the other dragons his forces appeared to come with new force, as if each were no longer fighting under their own individual strength alone. When the mages saw that their advantage was lost they were slain in great number, Many of them, lying upon the battlefield, found themselves bitter that their effort had been for nothing, it was then that a voice came to them and offered them victory in exchange for allegiance. Hence Ityaak Ortheel made himself known to the mortals of Elysium. Many took up his offer and fought again.

When a Dragon died in battle, all of its power was released in what can only be described as an explosion. While some of the magic would scatter across the lands, most of it was absorbed by the being that killed it. When multiple dragons were slain in great battles the effects were amplified, and if a mage's power was not strong enough to resist the force of the blast then they would find their skin stripped away leaving only the blackened husk of a skeleton. Mages who had made an agreement with the Darkness found that even after death they were able to direct their skeleton, and the skeletons of the dead who were slain around them, to move. From this came the first Undead, dubbed '**Skeleton Kings**' by the general population, these were powerful beings who brought chaos with them where ever they went, raising skeletons from the grave to serve as their army, their power had a short range however, and after they passed on their army would fall back to the ground, only animated by the skeleton king's proximity.

### During the Darkness War

When Ityaak Ortheel began the largest and most devastating war in Elysium history, millions of lives were lost or corrupted by his power, those who were lucky enough to survive their encounters were changed. Some were changed into savage werewolves, others, such as Telo Darkmoon became the first vampires, but the majority would simply die and be resurrected as the Undead. Many who were slain in combat against the Darkness became Wraiths, continuously resurrected to serve as his minions in battle, each time they were slain they would return again once more in a never ending cycle of military torment. Stripped of their free will they could do nothing but follow the Darkness's bidding. Men who gave themselves over to the Darkness to serve him found themselves to be wraiths upon their deaths, including Telo Darkmoon and the first werewolf Mathis Blackfyre.

Due to the influence of the Darkness, dark magic began to be experimented with by those who either sought to follow him or had been stained by their encounters with him. Among these, many powerful mages learned the art of Necromancy, raising the dead, and raised swathes of innocent dead - who had not been felled in battle - to serve as additional battle fodder. From these came Skeletons and Zombies, and after the war ended and the Darkness was finally entombed by Nithral, it did not mean an end to the corruption, and many of its effects can still be felt into the current Age.

As a race, the Ancient Elves were shattered, many of their ancestors taking on vastly different forms, be it Wood Elves or Dark Elves or lesser known species, and while the Wraiths fell silent, no longer driven by the Darkness, the remaining Undead who survived the battles still roamed the lands, killing anything that was intelligent. Eventually it was just expected that the Undead were another factor of life, one more creature to watch out for and be prepared to deal with, just as one may deal with a wild wolf or bear. Droves of hunters would go out to exterminate the Undead that emerged each night, as they would any other pest. And bounties were offered, paid by the number of pelts that were slain. It became a steady source of income for many warriors after the war, keeping settlements and cities clear of the persistent Undead infestation. Necromancers continued to contribute to the numbers of Undead, but their servants were usually short-lived and dependent on proximity to their power.

### During the Second Darkness War

With the return of Ityaak Ortheel, the number of Undead began to increase and Wraiths emerged again, as the Darkness reanimated the corpses of Wraiths who had lain still since his entombment centuries before. Once again the forces of Elysium had to band together to fight off the Wraith army. But confusion was sewn by the return of Nithral, now a Wraith himself, he claimed to be using Undead as his servants in order to prevent any living being from having to die for his cause. With this persuasive reasoning he caused many who were unhappy at the level of slaughter in the war to switch sides, and join Nithral's cult, believing him to be the more merciful of the sides.

### Emergence of the Hooded Figure

During the battles against the mysterious Hooded Figure, the wraiths emerged again, descending from portals over every major city. Great battles were fought to try and push them back. It was only after great losses that Finn, the heir of Castamor, discovered the means by which the wraiths were entering Elysium, and taking a band of warriors with him, they took the assault to the wraiths' dimension itself. After a desperate battle they were able to destroy every last crystal that powered the portals the wraiths were using. William Randle, a ten-year-old boy who had secretly joined the ranks of Finn's hired warriors, destroyed the final crystal, and the wraiths could enter Elysium no more. William was carried back to Elysium a hero, and ballads were sung in his name.

## Features

**Undead Construct**: necromantically summoned Undead warriors, created by Dark Magic, they are like puppets for the summoner, and without their creator’s input, simply are useless corpses on the ground. Often seen under the command of a Necromancer or Skeleton King.

**“Common” Undead:** Also known as Skeletons and Zombies, they are seen during the night, typically attacking small isolated areas, while for the most part weak, they are still a threat to the average person.

**“Rational” Undead:** Also known as intelligent Undead. A very broad category due to the fact that there are so many different kinds. Such beings are the reanimated of any previous species and so may take on a variety of appearances depending on what race they were before they were slain. All of them have in common that they can think for themselves, to a certain extent, and make decisions. Some have the same abilities as a living being, others are limited to being simple servants following instruction and slow to change their plans when encountering an obstacle.

**Withered Undead:** Also known as Skeleton Kings or Withers, these Undead are perhaps one of the rarest of all the Undead Types. It is thought that they are ancient warriors who were slain in battle during the dragon wars, becoming withered corpses, who’s only purpose is chaos.

**Wraiths:** The most dangerous type of Undead, they are dead warriors who are controlled by the Darkness.  If one is seen, it was advised that one should leave the area and seek help immediately, due to the fact that such creatures are typically associated with a rip between Elysium and the Void, much like pus near a wound is a sign of infection. Following the closing of the rift between the void and Elysium, no wraiths have been seen in the realm.

## Base Skins

For those who need a little help getting a proper skin, use these as a template for your own creation.

* Undead Male
* Undead Female
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