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{| class="wikitable"
|Other Names
|Zombie, Walking corpse, Abomination
|-
|Specialty
|Chronic Disease
|-
|Classification
|Necropathology
|-
|Prognosis
|Lethal
|-
|Causes
|The revival of one’s corpse
|}
== Introduction ==
== Introduction ==
Reconstructed, patched up, and forcibly brought back from the grave, the undead are the leftovers of the living. Reanimated bodies, torn from the embrace of death who had their eternal rest denied by the will of necromancers who wished for them to continue existing.  
Reconstructed, patched up, and forcibly brought back from the grave, the undead are the leftovers of the living. Reanimated bodies, torn from the embrace of death who had their eternal rest denied by the will of twisted necromancers who wished for them to continue existing. They are feared and reviled, seen as abominations that disrupt the balance of nature itself. These individuals now lack the life force that animated living creatures normally have. Instead, they are sustained by magic and the soul who got granted to them as some sort of battery for them to keep going.
 
They are feared and reviled, seen as abominations that disrupt the balance of nature. These individuals lack the life force that animated living creatures have. Instead, they are sustained by magic and the soul who got granted to them as a sort of battery.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|“Those things are abominations, plain and simple! A curse across Eden! It is our mission to purge them all from this world, to ensure they don’t spread their corruption any further.”
|“Those things are abominations we must stop, plain and simple! It is our mission to purge them all from this world, to ensure they don’t spread their disgusting corruption any further.”


* Attian guard stationed in Lunburg.
* '''An Attian guard stationed in Lunburg.'''
|}
|}


== Infection Cycle ==
== Infection Cycle ==
Initially, to become an undead, any person of any race must die. Their body must be in a decent state; ashes or extremely decomposed remains are ineffective.  
Initially, to become an undead, a person of any race must first die. However, the body needs to be in a decent condition; ashes or severely decomposed remains can’t be used for any kind of revival. That being said, the body can be restored if necessary, be it due to missing pieces or open injuries remaining in the corpse. A necromancer will find the corpse and cast a spell or activate an ability to reanimate the deceased. In the process, the necromancer may choose to grant the revived individual free will or bind them as a servant, permanently making their bodies dependent on magic as their new sustenance. Depending on the soul used at the revival process, the reanimated person will retain their memories and personality they once had in life. However, if the necromancer is using a different soul, the undead’s memory may flicker, leading to phantom memories of their new soul or gaps in the person’s past life. Regardless of the soul, there’s something that will always happen, and it is the transformation into a necromantic creature, gradually losing touch with their former self.  
 
This corpse will be found by a necromancer, who will then perform a spell or activate an ability to reanimate the deceased character. The necromancer bringing the dead person back can choose to grant the reanimated corpse free will or keep it as a servant.
 
This spell will bind a soul to the former body, which is now sustained by magic.  
 
Depending on the soul, the reanimated individual may have phantom memories or missing chunks of their own, previous life. If they retain their previous soul, the person will remain with the same personality they once had in life.
 
Requirements & Conditions:
 
* There has to be remainings for the spell to work, if it’s just ashes it won’t work.
* The head has to be attached to a body before being revived.
* Once revived, the character loses any magic they had in life.
* If the undead wishes to learn elemental magic, they have to know their trials will be harder.
 
Just like expected from such a process, the undead transform into voidal beings, gradually losing touch with their original personalities and memories. Additionally, since they become voidal beings, they become more susceptible to certain attacks.
 
=== <u>Symptoms</u> ===
 
==== Appearance ====
Undead typically exhibits a wide range of different characteristics, but they almost invariably evoke an uncanny, almost inhuman vibe. The specific appearance of an undead can vary greatly depending on the condition of the corpse at the time of reanimation and the care taken by the necromancer who reanimated them. This variability means that while there are common traits among them, each one can have unique features.
 
As expected from a corpse, the skin of undeads is noticeably paler compared to the hues they could’ve had in life. Adding to their appearance, their eyes often take darker shades of their original color, their scleras turning yellow or a gross, olive green, and there are a few cases in which the complete eyes take a crimson bloodshot color and have taken an almost completely rotten appearance.
 
One of the most important features of the undead is their inability to regenerate or age naturally, which means they’re perpetually locked in the physical state they were in at the moment of death. The cause of death frequently leaves permanent marks, such as stitches and scars, unless these are healed through magical means.
 
This may vary from individual to individual, and if an undead’s body is well preserved, there’s a high chance they’ll resemble their former, living self. However, in these cases, the undead’s eyes will often appear unnatural and unfocused, betraying their state of undeath.
 
The movements of the undead might be stiff or jerky, and their bodies are typically cold to the touch, lacking the warmth that characterizes living beings.
 
==== Life Expectancy & Reproduction ====
No longer in a pure, alive state, the undead are unable to reproduce or produce life in any form. They are entirely infertile, lacking the biological processes necessary for conception and gestation.  


The process of creating new undead beings is complex and often morally dubious, involving the manipulation of voidal energies and the violation of natural laws. As such, it is not undertaken lightly and may carry significant ethical implications. Some view the creation of the undead as an abomination, while others see it as a necessary means to achieve certain ends.
=== Appearance ===
As expected from a creature brought back from death, undead typically exhibit a wide range of different characteristics from one another. Still, there’s an invariably uncanny and almost inhuman vibe to their presence and a clear lack of living warmth, as they are as cold as a corpse. Adding to this, the appearance can vary depending on the corpse's condition at reanimation and the care taken by the necromancer who reanimated them. This variability means that while there are common traits among them, each has unique features, some undead even having bare-bone limbs connected to their bodies.


Once brought into existence, undead beings do not age or deteriorate in the same way as living creatures. They are effectively frozen in a state where their bodies and minds are preserved in an eternal twilight between life and death, a limbo of sorts.  
An undead's skin is noticeably paler and has more opaque hues compared to the ones they had in life. Their eyes get hazy, betraying their state of undeath, often taking darker or duller shades of their original color, the sclera of their eyes may turn yellow, an olive green, a bloodshot red, and in some cases, the eye may even take a fully rotten appearance.


==== Side Effects ====
One of the most remarkable features of the undead is their inability to regenerate their bodies or age naturally, which means they’re perpetually stuck in the physical state they were at the moment of death. The cause of death frequently leaves permanent marks, which may include stitches, scars, and open gashes unless these are healed through magical means, they will remain permanently. Because of these perpetual, and most of the time permanent scars, the movements of an undead might be stiff or jerky.  
This disease is unique in nature, making the infected individual exhibit a unique set of characteristics stemming from their altered state. One of the most clear and notable advantages of this illness is their independence from basic human needs such as food, water, air, and sleep. Sustained solely through magical energies, particularly voidal magics.  


It is given that due to this freedom from physiological requirements, they are allowed to focus entirely on their objectives, persisting until their goals are achieved or their bodies are broken beyond repair. Moreover, it's been found they have the ability to replace damaged limbs with those from other bodies.
=== Symptoms ===
Undead have a unique biology due to their altered state. Firstly, they are entirely free from the passage of time and do not age, allowing them to remain in a state of physical preservation. Their bodies neither deteriorate nor succumb to illness, being immune to all diseases that plague the living. However, with this comes the total loss of fertility, as undead creatures cannot reproduce or create life in any form. Poison also has no effect on them, as their systems no longer function in a way that can be affected by toxins. However, the lack of regenerative capabilities means that any damage they sustain must be repaired through external means, often requiring magical intervention to restore their bodies.


However, these benefits come with notable drawbacks. Unlike living organisms, undead lack the inherent regenerative processes that allow wounds to close and injuries to mend over time. Instead, they rely on external sources of intervention, to repair bodily damage, often requiring skilled mages.  
Another defining feature of the undead is their physical numbness. They are largely unaware of typical sensations, such as touch or pain, which might seem like an advantage in battle. However, they are highly susceptible to magic. And overtime, there has been found another effect; mind deterioration. If an undead is neglected for long enough, their minds may begin to decay. Memories become fragmented and their thoughts more chaotic, and eventually, the sense of self may erode completely. Thus, while the undead may persist indefinitely, they require constant maintenance to avoid total collapse into madness.


Furthermore, undead beings experience a perpetual numbness to physical pain. This condition renders them largely unaware of injuries unless magically induced, which causes extreme pain to the diseased individual, limiting their ability to sense and respond to physical threats. Lastly, but not less important, as voidal beings, undead creatures possess a fundamental weakness to lunarmancy.
__NOTOC__
[[Category:Plagues and Diseases]]

Latest revision as of 15:15, 5 October 2024

Other Names Zombie, Walking corpse, Abomination
Specialty Chronic Disease
Classification Necropathology
Prognosis Lethal
Causes The revival of one’s corpse

Introduction

Reconstructed, patched up, and forcibly brought back from the grave, the undead are the leftovers of the living. Reanimated bodies, torn from the embrace of death who had their eternal rest denied by the will of twisted necromancers who wished for them to continue existing. They are feared and reviled, seen as abominations that disrupt the balance of nature itself. These individuals now lack the life force that animated living creatures normally have. Instead, they are sustained by magic and the soul who got granted to them as some sort of battery for them to keep going.

“Those things are abominations we must stop, plain and simple! It is our mission to purge them all from this world, to ensure they don’t spread their disgusting corruption any further.”
  • An Attian guard stationed in Lunburg.

Infection Cycle

Initially, to become an undead, a person of any race must first die. However, the body needs to be in a decent condition; ashes or severely decomposed remains can’t be used for any kind of revival. That being said, the body can be restored if necessary, be it due to missing pieces or open injuries remaining in the corpse. A necromancer will find the corpse and cast a spell or activate an ability to reanimate the deceased. In the process, the necromancer may choose to grant the revived individual free will or bind them as a servant, permanently making their bodies dependent on magic as their new sustenance. Depending on the soul used at the revival process, the reanimated person will retain their memories and personality they once had in life. However, if the necromancer is using a different soul, the undead’s memory may flicker, leading to phantom memories of their new soul or gaps in the person’s past life. Regardless of the soul, there’s something that will always happen, and it is the transformation into a necromantic creature, gradually losing touch with their former self.

Appearance

As expected from a creature brought back from death, undead typically exhibit a wide range of different characteristics from one another. Still, there’s an invariably uncanny and almost inhuman vibe to their presence and a clear lack of living warmth, as they are as cold as a corpse. Adding to this, the appearance can vary depending on the corpse's condition at reanimation and the care taken by the necromancer who reanimated them. This variability means that while there are common traits among them, each has unique features, some undead even having bare-bone limbs connected to their bodies.

An undead's skin is noticeably paler and has more opaque hues compared to the ones they had in life. Their eyes get hazy, betraying their state of undeath, often taking darker or duller shades of their original color, the sclera of their eyes may turn yellow, an olive green, a bloodshot red, and in some cases, the eye may even take a fully rotten appearance.

One of the most remarkable features of the undead is their inability to regenerate their bodies or age naturally, which means they’re perpetually stuck in the physical state they were at the moment of death. The cause of death frequently leaves permanent marks, which may include stitches, scars, and open gashes unless these are healed through magical means, they will remain permanently. Because of these perpetual, and most of the time permanent scars, the movements of an undead might be stiff or jerky.

Symptoms

Undead have a unique biology due to their altered state. Firstly, they are entirely free from the passage of time and do not age, allowing them to remain in a state of physical preservation. Their bodies neither deteriorate nor succumb to illness, being immune to all diseases that plague the living. However, with this comes the total loss of fertility, as undead creatures cannot reproduce or create life in any form. Poison also has no effect on them, as their systems no longer function in a way that can be affected by toxins. However, the lack of regenerative capabilities means that any damage they sustain must be repaired through external means, often requiring magical intervention to restore their bodies.

Another defining feature of the undead is their physical numbness. They are largely unaware of typical sensations, such as touch or pain, which might seem like an advantage in battle. However, they are highly susceptible to magic. And overtime, there has been found another effect; mind deterioration. If an undead is neglected for long enough, their minds may begin to decay. Memories become fragmented and their thoughts more chaotic, and eventually, the sense of self may erode completely. Thus, while the undead may persist indefinitely, they require constant maintenance to avoid total collapse into madness.