Revenant

**(This page may be subject to a lore revision soon)**

The Reaper Eternal and late husband of Illinth.

Necros

Necrowalkers

Zombies/Zeds

**Revenant** is a collective term for corpses that have come back to life as undead, hostile creatures. Other names include the Red Horde/Revenant Horde or The Returned. Revenants share a connection to the Nightmare Realm, though what that connection is is not currently understood, same with their origin and how they come to be.

## Overview and Background

Revenants are the corpses of humans/animals that have come back to life. Their origin is unknown, as history details that they appeared all of a sudden and instantly starting laying waste to nearby towns and settlements. Revenants vary between having dark, charcoal-like skin, greyish-bluish skin, ghostly pale skin, or even the same skin pigmentation they had when alive. Many of them share blackened eyes with glowing red pupils (sometimes a different color depending on the type), and usually have their lips and cheeks either rotted or ripped out, exposing their teeth. Aside from this, their bodies do not age or decay, even when killed again.

Regardless of their previous human form's condition upon death, all Revenants possess superhuman level strength, durability, and agility. They can easily throw humans around like ragdolls and rip off their limbs, survive multiple gunshot wounds and having their own limbs severed, and even jump high enough to scale walls. Revenants only move at normal speeds however, with some even being more sluggish due to being crippled. Revenants typically attack their prey by biting them and trying to tear off their flesh, whether it be human, animal, or possibly even their own kind if they get in the way. It should be noted that being bitten cannot turn a living human into a Revenant, they are only at risk of becoming one if they die. When all humans in the area have been killed, they have been observed to eat the bodies of the dead until they turn. They also seem to attack animals as well. Interestingly, Revenants do not appear to need to actually see their victims, as those with no eyes or blindfolds appear to sense humans through some other unknown means. While uncommon, some Revenants pick up whatever tools/weapons are nearby to use them at a similar or equal level of deadliness as a regular person. While usually highly aggressive, they're no strangers to playing dead in order to fool their enemies and catch them off guard.

Revenants typically attack in large hordes consisting of hundreds to even thousands of them, easily overwhelming any human outpost save for a few. Some being so aggressive that they break their own bones in pursuit of their prey. Due to their incredible durability, the best ways of killing any Revenant is to destroy the brain or via decapitation. Burning them is another viable option, though it's best saved for corpses since setting a living Revenant on fire will make them to go into a frenzy.

Despite food shortages thanks to the siege, it has been discovered that the flesh of Revenants is safe to eat, so long it has been prepared properly. This extends to both human and animal Revenants. It has to be cooked first, less the consumer gain food poisoning from eating raw, decayed flesh. This is also largely avoided in major settlements due to it still being considered cannibalism, and desecration and improper disposal of a dead body. Plus, strange behavior has been recorded from those who have eaten their flesh.

Examination of both living and dead Revenants have yielded a surprising discovery, their body temperature seems to be higher than that of a regular person, which logically should result in an increase in decomposition of the body, and yet it just... doesn't. It seems the larger or more powerful the specimen is, the higher the body temp. Contrary to this, Revenants seem to have an aversion to bright light, fire, and even direct sunlight seems to cause discomfort/pain, with smoke coming off their skin. This increase in temperature might play a part in another factor of Revenants, their extreme combustibility. Setting a living or dead Revenant on fire seems to cause more flames than setting a human on fire. This might also provide an explanation as to the Bombers origin. During the night, Revenants have been documented as being far more aggressive, with a strange bioluminescent glow coming from under their skin and bones.

Revenants only seem to come into existence 7 years before disappearing for another 7, thus renewing the cycle.

The strangest detail related to Revenants would be "auditory and visual hallucinations, mostly related to trauma, and violent, murderous, and suicidal behavior." Often referred to as Revenant Psychosis, more research is required to better understand this strange phenomena.

## Creation

Revenants only come into existence from dead bodies, mostly humans. When a human dies, or more specially, experiences brain death (which occurs around 10 minutes after the person expires), they begin the process of turning. The process itself seems to vary, but for most, it takes about 7 hours for a corpse to turn. During that time, the body will show no signs of decay (with the exception of the lips and cheeks splitting rotting in a form similar to a Glasgow Smile to expose their teeth for most variants). Screening has shown that the first organ that shows any activity during this process is the brain around 5-7 minutes after initial brain death, as time passes more organs begin to resume activity as the corpse still remains comatose. Around the 5 hour mark is when the facial mutation occurs which forms their most well-known feature, the terrifying grin which allows their jaws to spilt open unnaturally to encompass an entire human head. When the time is up, it will immediately awaken and attack any living creature nearby. Depending on certain preset conditions, modifications, or environmental factors, a number of mutations or alterations could occur. Dead Revenants, even those who are cut up or have had their brain destroyed, could still be gathered in large piles of corpses that will begin merging and fusing together to create even more disturbing and deadly forms (it's worth mentioning that corpses that have been completely burned to a crisp tend to be avoided).

The only way to prevent this is to either burn the body, or at least immobilize it by cutting off the limbs, removing the head, or destroying the brain. Harboring any corpse without proper disposal is considered treason of the highest order, and is punished by death and having the person's converted corpse being burned at the stake in front of friends and family (at least in the olden days, though recently this law has seen a resurgence, though it often conflicts with a specific group's outlook on Revenants).

With this in mind, any corpse is at risk of becoming a Revenant if not taken care of. This has caused many old burial traditions to be forcibly abandoned, and entire gravesites to be burned or razed to the ground.

## Mythology (The Story of Illinth)

It is said that over 150 years ago, there was a woman named Illinth. She had a husband who she loved dearly, as well as 4 children that they had together. They lived a happy, fulfilling life until tragedy cut it short, the husband dying in an accident. Illinth was so distraught, she refused to believe her husband was fully gone forever, she shut out her friends and even her own children. Until one day, while visiting her late husband's grave, wishing that she could give anything to have him back, she made contact with dark being, one that can only be described as a Devil.

The Devil asked why she was sad, and she explained that her husband died. The Devil opened his dark eyes in surprise, and told her she could bring him back, for a price. She said she would give anything, and the Devil seem pleased, but asked her if that was all she ever wanted in this world, that the world at that moment was her oyster, and the Devil, her concierge. Illinth was a kind and sympathetic soul, so she wished that everyone could have their loved ones back from Death. The Devil agreed, and listed his price, her soul, and the souls of her children and husband to be under his possession, in exchange for bringing her husband and everyone's loved ones back. Illinth was worried, questioning the Devil on how she and her family could live a happy live while he had their souls. The Devil laughed, saying he understood her concern, but assured her that their lives would be fulfilling even after the exchange. Illinth finally accepted after hearing so, and a contract was enacted.

The Devil used her blood to open a rift, the skies turned red and dark clouds with crimson lighting bolts struck the ground, striking the world's dead sleeping in their tombs. One bolt struck her husband's grave, bringing him back, but as a deformed, rotting corpse with dark eyes and hellish red glowing pupils. Illinth screamed in horror as her husband devoured her, her soul, his soul, the souls of their children, all bound to Hell. And the dead would walk the Earth once more to feast upon the living, with the Devil at the beck and helm.

Thus the Revenant Siege would begin.

(Note: This is a local folklore tale told by a civilization that no longer exists. This story has not actually been proven, and therefore is subject to change and speculation)

## The Revenant Siege

The Revenant Siege is a strange, poorly documented event that seems to occur for 7 years at a time before ending for another 7. What is known is that every Siege causes corpses to come back to life after 7 hours, and that these corpses can take a variety of forms and types. Every Siege is said to be worse than the last, as an unknown and hellish dimension strengthens it's link to our world. Upon it's end, every Revenant formed at the time seems to disappear. Every Siege also seems to be headed by the arrival of a unique Revenant known as the Reaper Eternal, which if supposed documents are to be believed, is the late husband of Illinth and the first ever Revenant created.

Regardless, every Siege results in a massive loss of life and major destruction across the entire world. It is liken to a natural disaster or force of nature rather than some sort of invasion, apocalypse, or plague.

## Types of Revenants

**Standard Revenants:**

Wasters

Ghouls (Ghul)

Bombers

Flyers

Soldiers (Soldat)

Stalkers

Sirens (Shriekers)

Kolonie (Kolonien)

Fused Mass (Verschmolzene Masse)

Frenzies (Frenzy) (Raserei)

Goliaths (Bergs)

Necromancers (Nekromant)

Wraiths

Reaper Eternal (Ubernerco)

**Animal Revenants (Carrions):**

Crows

Wolves

**Demonic Revenants (Necrodemon):**

Wyvern Revenant

## Overview and Background:

Ghouls are the most common type of Revenant encountered. Formed from the mast majority of deceased humans, they are numerous in number, typically recorded in hordes of hundreds or even thousands. They are mindless, rushing toward their target with no regard towards self-preservation, and tearing apart any living creature they get their hands on before feeding on them.

They mostly use their claws and brute strength, though can occasionally pick up weapons to assist them, but this is uncommon compared to the Soldats or Wasters.

Ghouls will always attempt to pursue their target at full speed, even when one or more of their limbs are broken or lost, typically making shrieking noises. Regardless, a single Ghoul is easy to put down, it's dealing with the entire horde that's the problem.

## Variants

Within the ranks of Ghouls exist a couple of subvariants, dubbed the Waster and Soldat (Soldier) respectfully.

Wasters are uncommon, seemly resembling Ghouls but with much lower agility. They often stumble to their target, much like a stereotypical zombie. When close, they will outstretch their arms to try and grab a person before biting them in a lethal area (like the neck). They make quiet groaning and wheezing sounds, making it more difficult to determine when one is near. Still, when spotted, they are much easier to kill due to their slow speed. Although Wasters are well known for picking up weapons more often than Ghouls, so they have the potential to be more dangerous if allowed to get too close. It's believed that Wasters come from Revenants or corpses that are damaged to the point of being weaker.

A Soldat is the complete opposite of a Waster, being highly agile and more intelligent than both Ghouls and Wasters. It's unknown what specifically creates a Soldat, though as the name implies, their appearance and mannerisms are very reminiscent of human soldiers. They appear to communicate both through screaming and hand signals, but their most notable feature is carrying a ranged weapon. Soldats will take cover, firing upon any humans they find, some even throwing grenades. This makes Soldats far more dangerous due to how much range they can cover, especially if they have something like a sniper rifle. They have also been observed jumping great heights, able to lift themselves from the ground to a nearby rooftop.

## Soldat Variations

Soldat Rifleman

Soldat Rocket

Soldat Sniper

Soldat Melee

## Overview and Background

A Frenzy is a rare, but highly lethal variant of Revenant. They can be easily spotted among a group due to their behavior and appearance.

## Overview and Background

Goliaths (working name, subject to change) resemble massive humanoids lacking skin, only being comprised of bone, some muscle, and internal organs similar in function and appearance to humans (some possess hair, but this is a rare occurrence). Overall, the behavior of Goliaths is somewhat different than other Revenants, rather than try to eat people, they will attempt to crush them underfoot or smash them with their arms. Plus, they seem to be much less aggressive than most other Revenants, typically ignoring humans unless directly confronted or attacked, though this isn't always the case. Some Goliaths seem to let out constant eerie groans, suggesting that they are in pain. When not roaming aimlessly, they sit dormant, either frozen in place or splayed across the ground.

Goliaths vary in height, all being between 20-60 meters tall. Regardless, they all have similar levels of durability. While simple cannon fire and explosives can dislodge limbs, they can regenerate these parts within about 30 minutes. Much like other variations of their kind, they can still be killed via decapitation or destruction of the brain, though dismemberment is only viable for temporarily slowing them down or disabling them, and fire seems to have less of an effect on them.

## First Sighting

The first recorded sighting of a Goliath is often disputed as with many things regarding Revenants. Though evidence (or lack thereof) determines that they were not at all present during the first Revenant Siege. A recovered journal of an unknown author who lived during the 1800s tells of a strange massive humanoid creature resembling a skeleton with other skeletal creatures seemly being "birthed" from its body. This is the earliest mention of such a creature.

Other sightings throughout history have been recorded and therefore confiscated for the sake of research. What's interesting about these earlier sights is that most Goliaths are described as massive skeletons that lack any internal organs, whereas more recent sightings describe Goliaths as having organs.

## Overview and Background

Wraiths appear as ghostly humanoid creatures that float a few feet above the ground. Wraiths are intangible, like Shadows, only visible to specific individuals with varying conditions. There is much speculation as to what Wraiths are, some misinterpret them as Shadows, while others believe they are the souls of the recently deceased that are trapped in the living world, unable to find peace. Whatever the case, Wraiths make their presence know with their raspy breathing. Wraiths are mostly nonaggressive, simply floating around and wailing to themselves. Should one be provoked, as unlikely as that may be, the Wraith will lift the victim up in the air (making them seem like they are floating up towards the air by an invisible force *~~you'll float too you'll float too you'll float too~~* ~~)~~ before a strange bright light begins to erupt from them, then the body drops to the ground, turned into a steaming Husk. This results in the death of the victim, and the Wraith will return to its previous state, though strangely sobs are heard from the Wraith, suggesting that it's remorseful of it's previous action.

## Overview and Background:

The first ever Revenant created as well as the leader of the Horde, the Reaper Eternal had originally been dismissed as a myth. Though recently, there has been far more terrifying evidence to suggest that this entity is not only real, it's far more powerful in incompressible than we ever could have guessed.

According to the widely accepted "origin story" of the Revenant Horde, the Reaper Eternal is the supposed husband of Illinth. Though this is still unconfirmed. Regardless of it's origin, it's recorded appearance is very deceptive. Aside from the pale skin, red bloodshot eyes and wide jaw with razor-sharp teeth and long tongue, the Reaper Eternal resembles a human male.

## REAPER ETERNAL

### Aliases

World EaterNecro God

Manipulator of the Dead

Flesh Entity

## Trivia

* The arrival of Revenants/mass resurrections and other phenomena are often marked by the sudden appearance of an glowing red inverted cross appearing in the sky. Why this symbol appears is unknown.
* As with the Nightmare Realm, a sea of blood along with blood rain can manifest where Revenants appear. This seems to be more random concerning Revenants however.