Undead
Undead are beings that are neither technically living, nor dead. Undeath defies nature, and is generally magic in origin. Most often, it is necromancy to blame; sorcerers who call the dead forth from their graves to serve their will. At other times, spirits can possess the bodies of the recently deceased—either of their own accord, or by being called forth by a shaman or other magician. Some undead can also inflict their condition upon others, creating more of their own kind. Intelligence varies as well, some undead are completely mindless while others are as intelligent as a person, if not more so.
Undead can often sustain more damage in a fight than a living person. With so many bodily functions that are no longer necessary, they are not crippled by wounds that would be fatal to a living being. They can be crippled by breaking limbs, and in many cases, taking off the head or destroying the brain can return it to its grave. However, the best way to deal with undead is through holy magic and exorcism, be the body controlled by magic or spirit.
Living Skeletons
Risen purely through the summons of a necromancer, skeletons of the dead become subservient puppets to the one who summoned them. With no brain matter, they cannot think for themselves, and are completely controlled by the magic that animates them through the will of their necromantic master. Skeletons are put to use for melee purposes, acting as soldiers or guards for their master.
Necromantic Mummies
A mummy, in general, is only a body that has been well-preserved. However, some cultures intentionally mummify their dead, and some may even employ magic to turn these corpses into undead. Mummies are created by necromantic scriptures that line the sarcophagus and linens they are wrapped in. Before being laid to rest, the corpse goes through the rituals of being drained of fluid, the soft tissue removed, embalming, and then wrapping in linens before being sealed away in their sarcophagus. If the area is disturbed, the mummy is activated by the necromantic magic it is entombed with and defends the burial ground. Often, mummies are placed to protect the bodies and treasures of a king or spiritual leader, being either slaves or underlings whose lives were sacrificed so that they could serve in death. Mummies have no real intelligence. They are driven to protect what they were charged to protect, and when that duty is completed, they are returned to a dormant state.
Ghouls
Ghouls are a rather varied category. In general, they are reanimated bodies, decayed corpses, and mostly intact, but not complete skeletons as they still must have most of their brain. They are mostly controlled by magic, but have some varied intelligence, as opposed to utterly mindless skeletons. They fall rather loosely within three categories:
- [i]Sterile[/i], where they are summoned and controlled by stable necromantic magic.
- [i]Infectious[/i], whereas ghouls can infect the living with their condition through biting or scratching. This is usually the result of unstable magic, or a curse or ritual that went wrong.
- [i]Intelligent[/i] ghouls know they can infect others, and do so consciously. There can also be considered to be somewhat of a sub-category of highly intelligent ghouls which are aware of what they are, accept it, and can attempt to rule over other ghouls as a kind of king or lord, then mobilize their underlings against the living to absorb more ghouls into their “army.”
Wights
Wights are bodies of the dead that have been “repossessed” by spirits. This occurs in areas where there has been a great amount of death, such as a battlefield. The passing of the souls of those killed into the ethereal plane attracts other spirits that inhabit it. These spirits, in turn, possess the fallen bodies. The spirits responsible are often ghosts of the dead who have long ago turned into something more malicious. By inhabiting dead bodies, their goal is to create more carnage and a larger area of death so that more of their kind can invade more fresh bodies. They have intelligence, but they are often mad and cannot be reasoned with. Their only desire is to create more death and shed blood.
Vampires
Vampires are individuals who are returned to life through divine powers from the Dark Gods. Originally created by Yoma, they are now ruled over by Craeseth, Sai'ras, Suldra, and Belas. Vampires rely on the blood of the living for sustenance and maintaining their appearance.
Liches
Liches are sorcerers who use necromantic magic to sustain their life indefinitely.
