Undead

**Appearance:** How the undead appear is entirely dependent on, firstly, what race they were before resurrection and, secondly, at what stage of decomposition their corpse was before re-animation. Zianites cannot be undead, due to their bodies never having been biologically "alive" to begin with. If a corpse is resurrected within a couple of days, it will appear pale and glassy-eyed, but not drastically different. After a few months, they will have rotten and decayed flesh and possibly bones showing from where insects have feasted. After a few years, unless the body was somehow frozen or embalmed, they will be entirely skeletal. Past this point, the person's body will not have the strength to hold itself and what bones are left will crumble and the host spirit will become lost and haunt the area, unable to comprehend it's existence and can only leave through guidance from someone like a cleric.

**Ecology:** The existence of intelligent undead are thought of by mages as a breakthrough in magical science. "Common" undead like the average zombie are merely mindless, animated corpses, but magic has been refined enough that there is a resurrection spell powerful enough to recover both the mind and body. They do not need sleep and their bodies are immune to toxins. A side effect of the spell does mean that many undead crave living flesh and they will eat to satiate this hunger, how they are able to break this food down with inactive digestive systems (or none at all) is still debated, but common theory points toward the similar conversion into magical energy that occurs with zianites and their food.

**Diplomacy:** Shunned by almost all others, they live in their safe-haven of Graveheim and look after themselves. This has led to a distinct unity among undead and they refer to themselves as "brethren in death". It seems unclear if the undead will ever have a place among the intelligent races of Longbirch.

**Religion:** The magic used to create undead is an affront to most deities, seeing themselves as the only ones who may create or restore life. It is also thought of as an "imperfect" spell of resurrection due to the fact that it does not fully restore life to the person and instead creates the abomination that is the living dead. Most undead Colvatchians are zealous followers of Venion who wish to follow their old leader even into undeath and continue to deify him above all things. They are the polar opposite of the modern cultist and their goal is to help in their leader's aim to rule again as a lich king, regardless of what darkness it may bring. Otherwise, undead do not have any gods of their own. Many can barely fathom their own existence, let alone the existence of some higher being.

**Naming Conventions:** If the undead can remember the name they had in life, they will sometimes choose to keep it. Some search for their own gravestones in order to seek out this information. Others either cannot remember, or wish to seperate themselves from the person they were while living and so they choose a new one for themselves. This usually pertains to the race that they were while alive, or can sometimes be something entirely of their own imagining. As such, there are no clear examples to give.

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