Liches

Zombies

### Description

Undead mages who have stored a portion of their souls in a physical object to anchor themselves to the physical world.

Liches are among the most potent forms of undead. First conceived within the ancient nation of Tekuperu, liches are created when an extremely powerful Tellurian mage (most often a sorcerer) splits their own soul in two, and stores it in a physical object, known as a phylactery. The existence of the phylactery anchors them to the physical world, making them virtually immortal so long as it remains intact.

## Physiology

### Appearance

Liches are corpses, with part of their soul still in their body, forcible anchored to it by its bond to their phylactery. This means that while the lich is functionally immortal barring the phylactery's destruction, the magic which sustains them does not preserve their body, meaning that their physical form is fully subject to decay. Some liches are willing to take steps to preserve their flesh, but most simply let their bodies decay, as the unique necrotic energies which sustain them will keep their body intact enough to still be functional.

### Bodily Function

Liches, being literal corpses, are not plagued by many bodily needs of mortals. They do not require air to breathe, they do not tire, they do not need food or water, and they do not experience lust. Additionally, the physical senses of a lich's body no longer function, and they perceive the world entirely through magic.

### Creation

The ritual for the ascension to lichdom is accomplishable to only the most powerful and knowledgeable necromancers. First created in the ancient civilization of Tekuperu, the ritual is dark and profane, first requiring one hundred living victims, or a number of beings with the equivalent soul power. Additionally, an alchemical potion called the Draught of Spiritual Severance, must be brewed, consisting of the mashed heart of a newborn humanoid, some form of extremely magical venom, and the blood of a highly magical creature, such as a dragon. The lich-to be must spend several days (the number of which vary based on their magical skill) taking hold of the souls of their victims, and then tearing them all free in one simultaneous act. The lich will then imbibe the Draught of Spiritual Severance, and channel all the souls into themselves, using their energies in combination with the potion to split their soul in two. This horrific act results in the death of their body. Once the soul is split, they must have the necessary willpower to keep themselves from succumbing to total madness, forcing one half of their soul to remain in their body, and the other to insert itself into the phylactery, which can take the form of nearly any object. Once this is complete, they will have completed their ascension to lichdom.

### Immortality

Liches, so long as their phylactery remains intact, a lich is essentially immortal. They will be able to exist for all eternity, with their minds being unaffected by the ravages of time, and gifted with an unlimited capacity for informational storage. Additionally, if a lich's physical body is damaged or destroyed, they will simply be able to concentrate some magical energy to reform it. If their phylactery is damaged, however, the lich will be vulnerable to destruction, until they reanchor the part of their soul that was in their phylactery into a new one.

## Abilities

Undead Resilience: The astounding necrotic energies which sustain a lich prevent it from feeling pain from any sort of mundane physical attack, including flame, the bane of the undead. Only magic is capable of causing them true harm or pain. Damage to a lich's body by mundane means will not hamper it. Additionally, due to the fact that their withered forms are held together and moved solely by necrotic energy, they are capable of moving with strength and speed disproportionate to what one would expect.

Immortality: A lich will endure for all eternity, unless both it and its phylactery are destroyed.

Life Drain: A lich has the innate ability, due to it being a void of necrotic energy, to drain the life force of nearby life forms.

Magical Senses: A lich senses their environment entirely through magical means. This allows them to detect all but the most powerful illusions, detect ghosts and other such spirits, and sense the life force of nearby individuals.

Necrotic Magic: Liches, due to the circumstances of their creation, have a natural affinity for necrotic magic.

Phylactery Connection: Due to the fact that a lich's phylactery contains part of its soul, a lich is always aware of its exact location, any damage being done to it, and any individual interacting with it, at all times. Additionally, a lich is able to project some magic through its phylactery, and is able to drain the life force of anyone within its presence.

## Weaknesses

Phylactery Destruction: If a lich's phylactery is destroyed, the additional destruction of their body will result in their destruction.

Potent Magic: A lich can be made to suffer pain and true harm when extremely potent magic is directed at it.