Undead
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.
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.
“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.”
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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.
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.
Symptoms
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.
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.
Side Effects
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.
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.
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.