Necromancy

Necromancy is a form of magic practiced by Necromancers. Necro meaning dead, it specifically deals with re-animating dead things and returning dead souls from the Underworld.

Terminology and Belief System

Necromancy is practiced by mages called Necromancers, to whom it is both a religon and a form of magic. Their entire culture revolves around this practice.

The group noun for necromancers is cult, so a bunch of necromancers would be called a cult of necromancers. This term can be used to describe either a number of necromancers or a specific settlment. A permenant settlement is called a Temple, this refers both to the structure and to the necromancers inside of it as a group.

Necromancers worship death, understanding that it is not an end but a change, and one they can reverse to a degree. They value history and are known for extensive record-keeping. Much information about the Mage Wars written at the time was chronicled in Necromancer temples.

Ideologies in Necromancy

Grey Temple and Green Temple describe two differing ideologies of Necromancy, with all Grey Temple necromancers having been put to death by the end of the fifth century of the Third Age at the order of Pendragon Soratami. This followed the Necromanic Wars.

Invention

Necromancy was invented by Rubiceye in the early part of the Mage Wars, roughly 3500 B.G.A., though it is well known that the sorcerer began work on the magic long before. It is also well known that he made numerous failed attempts before perfecting the technique.

After it's creation, Necromancy became hereditary, existing in familial lines. Unlike other magics which could be learned and practiced by any, Necromancy could only be performed by

History

For a period of roughly five hundred years, from B.G.A. 3528 until 3021, everything was going swimingly. This era is often known as the Golden Age of Necromancy. Rubiceye was widely known to have many followers in the early days. Though not considered a politician, he was a good leader and an entire nation had formed around him. He was a powerful mage and had many other powerful mages following him, and with the Mage Wars already in fullswing, it was not hard to see why so many people flocked to him.

The original name of his people group is now lost to history, though it is believed to have been similar in pronunciation to the name of the magic Rubiceye was to create. The customs and practices of those people, while not initially magical, were later addapted into the rituals of Necromancy.

Because of the millitary and magical might of the Necromancers, they were able to defend their borders fairly well during the First Chaotic Period.

However, around the name most nations that had existed before the start of the Mage Wars had completely collapsed, the Necromancers began to schism. The Grey Temple ideology championed by Kozek forced a split, and fractured the nation.

It took many years of transition. The Necromancers began a mass exodus from the land they had controleld for over five centuries.

The Temple system had been perfected, but it was not until the B.G.A. 2950s that the Grey Temple emerged.