Types of Undead

The magic of Necromancy focuses primarily around the creation of the differently-living. Undead fall into three basic categories.

Minion

The most basic type of undead is the Minion. A minion in life begins as any form or organic material with flesh and bones. Human corpses are the most common source of minions as they are the easiest to control with Magic; but any creature so long as it has a skeleton can be raised up and turned into a minion. Sharks, and other creatures with only cartilage cannot be reanimated. Shells or any sort of exoskeleton are not considered skeletons for this purpose.

Minions are primarily used as a work-force and preform any neccessary task around the temple. Minions placed inside walls are even able to act as a security system, recording and playing back memories of for necromancers able to access them.

They have no souls. To a necromancer, a dead body is an empty vessel, a tool to be used.

Blood-Braid Minion

A subtype of the minion is called a blood-braid minion. This is created whenever two or more formerly living creatures are combined into one and reanimated. Blood-braids are the most difficult to control and are used primarily in war or for highly specialized tasks.

Shade

A Shade is an ectoplasmic entity summoned from the Underworld by a Necromancer. They usually appear as a ghostly shadow of a person, and provide a link to that person's soul and memories. Shades are challenging to contain, and can possess living people. When summoning them, Necromancers often prepare elaborate wards and defenses, sometimes even employing guards.

Shade Possession

When a Shade posses a living person, that person takes on some of the appearances of the dead, such as hair and eye color. If the shade had in life a similar build to the person they are possessing, those who do not know the individual may easily mistake them for the shade.

Lich

A lich is the re-animated corpse of a necromancer that has had its soul restored. Contrary to popular belief, becoming a lich is not required to become an Ever-Living Lich.

Process

To go from living, breathing necromancer to lich can take as much as a decade to complete. First, upon death, the necromancer's remains must be carefully mummified and preserved, and placed in a special sarcophagus while rites are carried out. The mumification process may take anywhere from 120 days to 3 years, depending on the importance of the individual and the level of detail involved.

The spells and enchantments that form the lich can be completed in thirty days, but require much of the temple's stored energy. Typically the process will be spaced over a number of years.

The completed lich is fully autonomous and no longer requires the temple or an otherwise enchanted area to survive. The soul, complete with the memories and abilities of the original necromancer, is fully installed in the lich.

They can live for centuries and often continue to carry out roles within the temple community. Liches are also typically more powerful than living Necromancers.

Selection

Typically only moderately high-ranking priests become liches. Because the process relies on other necromancers completing the rituals after the death of the individual wishing to become a lich, it is uncommon for any other than community leaders to be given those rites.