Lich

**Liches** are artificial undead. By splitting their life force and mana core in half and sealing them into a phylactery, they are forever suspended between life and death. This is the reason many consider Liches an aberration and why they don't share any of the weaknesses typical of Baba Yaga's children, not even the hunger. They have a set of rules of their own; for example, turning into a Lich is much easier for a fake mage than for an Awakened since their mana flow is static whereas an Awakened's phylactery needs to be able to preserve the mana flow indefinitely and even allow it to grow with Accumulation. Unlike Baba Yaga's children, however, Liches can never revert back to a living being. Once the path is taken, they have no way back.

Aylen Nagaar is the First Lich and the Maker of Liches. She cracked the remnants of Odi technology after the Guardians wiped them out and discovered the method to turn any living being into a Lich. Then, she spread such knowledge to the rest of Mogar, hence why the other Liches consider her a hero.

If a non-Awakened Lich manages to Awaken, they need another complex spell to transfer their essence into a suitable phylactery or they die. Some non-Awakened have tried to go straight for a phylactery suitable for Awakened, but it never ends well. The few that survived had their essence unfocused due to the vessel being unable to keep their core and life force compressed, leading to terrible consequences. Best case scenario, they become much weaker than what they were in life and will stay that way until they find a way to Awaken. Worst case scenario, they fall into a vegetative state from which there's no return.

* Aylen Nagaar (First Lich)
* Inxialot Nagaar
* Zolgrish
* Veeza
* Breganoth
* Wynwald

## Phylactery

Liches split their core into two - one remains with the body and the other needs a special vessel to seal it from all external influences, even time, becoming a **phylactery**. Even if their bodies are destroyed and their core shattered, as long as the vessel remains, their body can be regenerated anew. The stronger the lich, the longer it takes for a phylactery to store enough world energy to regenerate them. Their mana core is safely stored inside a white mana crystal that provides it with all the energy it needs while the pressure exerted from the crystal also keeps the core from dispersing.

The phylactery is their weak point - it can't be stored in a dimensional item and can't be too far. If the link between a lich and their phylactery is cut off by a space-sealing array, their magical and physical strength is halved and they are unable to recover their mana.

## Traits

Liches are artificial undead that, unlike Baba Yaga's true children, have no need to feed. Without nourishment, their body would rot but not die. No matter how weak their life force becomes, as long as the mana core is intact, they can always convert part of their mana into life force to replenish their strength and continue existing.

Liches usually choose not to eat simply because it is a waste of time and because, unlike the other undead, they can absorb life force but not mana from an external source. Their blood core is just an extension of their mana core and feeding like a Vampire would cause them mana poisoning instead of making them stronger. A Lich's magical prowess is no different from that of when they were still alive - fixed if they are fake mages and capable of growing over time if they are Awakened, but still dependent solely upon their own mana core. However, back when she devised Lichhood, Aylen made sure to imitate the undead's ability to feed upon others. Absorbing life force temporarily grants a Lich not only a greater mass and physical prowess compared to that of their original body, but also access to the bloodline skills of their victims. For this reason no one dares to fight a Lich in close combat even though most of them have no training outside of magic.

### Appearance

To look like a skeleton, a rotting corpse, or exactly as they were on the moment of their death, is just a matter of choice for a lich.

### Personality

**Liches** are extremely powerful and will do anything to further their quest for knowledge. They are also fickle creatures and one of the few even more impatient than mortals. Liches tend to be extremely temperamental. Disturbing a Lich during a critical phase of their research is a deadly feat, and Liches always think of themselves as being in a critical phase of their research. Young liches typically descend into madness due to their prolonged isolation or at least lose their common sense until time stabilizes their mental condition.

Liches rarely have any interest in conquest. The only thing that drives someone to become a Lich is the obsession with the magical research since by the time one achieves Lichhood things like love or revenge lose any meaning. Undeath clouds most of their mortal feelings, making only their obsessions survive. Usually, raising Greater Undead is a problem as they need to be fed and somehow kept at one's side since they have a will of their own. Typical signs of the Lich race are a lack of care for their environment but their lab, the loss of track of time, and most of all, the indifference towards their offspring.

### Weaknesses

Aside from their phylactery, Liches only have two weak points. The first is their madness that makes them oblivious to the point of stupidity. The second is that by working alone, no matter how brilliant a Lich is, their magical knowledge outside their fields of interest will become outdated. Moreover, human bodies need maintenance which usually leads Liches to turn into rotting corpses to not be bothered with chores like feeding and personal hygiene.

## Abilities

Unlike common undead, Liches have no fear of sunlight, no problem with solar cycles, and most importantly, no problems practicing Forgemastering or dimensional magic. They don't feed on the living, only needing to keep their phylacteries safe. They don't fear sunlight or darkness magic and they can use all six elements freely. Liches' physical prowess is superior to that of all other races with the same body mass, but not only are they able to manipulate their own body with their mind just like Baba Yaga's children, but they can also turn mana into life force to temporarily increase their mass.  Additionally, once a Lich feeds upon an enemy, they will inherit their abilities until the lifeforce is spent or the lich forgets about them.

While all undead can convert the life force stored in their blood cores into mass, only Liches are capable of converting their mana into life essence, making their potential mass limited only by their magical prowess. Whereas undead suffer from hunger instead of fatigue, liches don't suffer from anything - their mana can run low, but their mind will always be at its peak.

Liches are among the only species along with Abominations that can safely conjure the cursed elements because their phylactery makes any kind of damage, even those to their minds, just temporary.

## Lich's Handshake

Liches have a secret handshake that signifies one of their kind: bump right fists up, down, and then frontally. Hold nose while bending knees and moving the upper body in a wave motion as if drowning. After that, stand up, making a finger gun with the left hand that shoots a beam of light that both dodge and say: "Dead on time."

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chapter 1324: The Secrets of Undeath (Part 2)
2. ↑ Chapter 1606: Odd Friends (Part 2)
3. ↑ Chapter 234: Worries
4. ↑ Chapter 540: Master Plan (Part 4)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chapter 1608: Food Chain (Part 2)
6. ↑ Chapter 619: Raid (Part 1)
7. ↑ Chapter 548: Bloody Revenge (Part 2)
8. ↑ Chapter 460: Foul Moon (Part 2)
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chapter 823: Battle of Wits (Part 1)
10. ↑ Chapter 537: Master Plan (Part 1)
11. ↑ Chapter 846: Hard Times (Part 2)
12. ↑ Chapter 1284: The Mark of the Lich (Part 2)
13. ↑ Chapter 1607: Food Chain (Part 1)
14. ↑ Chapter 1503: Early Rankings (Part 1)
15. ↑ Chapter 1301: The Thickness of Blood (Part 1)
16. ↑ Chapter 1088: Darkness versus Chaos (Part 2)
17. ↑ Chapter 2876: Black Tide (Part 4)
18. ↑ Chapter 1394: One Mind, Five Bodies (Part 2)
19. ↑ Chapter 1550: Fire and Metal (Part 2)
20. ↑ Chapter 976: Madness for Hire (Part 2)