Necromancy

Often seen as taboo, Necromancy is the broad term given to all magic to do with the dead, but is in fact so much more. The Necromancer does not only need to have a deep understanding about anatomy but also a great understanding of Life Force and how it may be manipulated. Morality aside, with such knowledge it is possible to heal wounds, broken bones and even severed limbs, but may also be used to communicate with the dead, animate and control corpses and even defy death itself.
Recognition of Life Force is much the same as the recognition of any other element, be it fire or water and so forth. To say that Life Force is the same as the Spirit may not be entirely accurate, although the two are very much connected, specifically at the physical level. If the Life Force is taken away from a living creature, it dies, and it's spirit departs, but it is important to understand that when Life Force is returned to the body, this does not necessarily draw the spirit back, leaving the body living, but not alive. This is commonly known as the state of being “undead”, though it may also be used when the spirit has returned to the body, yet the corpse remains a corpse, animated or otherwise.
As imagined, the ability to manipulate Life Force takes immense concentration and effort of will, as the energies of Life are resistant to alteration. Only the very few have such willpower within them to resist their own death, even if it means continuing to exist within a body that is no longer living.
In much the same way as Telepathy is possible, communicating with the dead is performed in much the same way and also poses further difficulties. Without the corpse to act as an anchor point for the Focus needed, the search for the dead Spirit can be difficult and take much research and preparation. Indeed, the spirit may not wish to communicate at all, and dominance across a Rift may expose the Necromancer to dangers unforeseen. It may be stated, however, that in being dead, spirits often have knowledge of things they did not in life, making the risk appear tempting.
There are two ways in which to raise the dead. The first is by simple animation of the corpse, instilling within it a temporary force to perform certain actions. The other is to bind the spirit back into it's body, to which it may attempt to continue to fulfil tasks given in life or at the time of reanimation, or, depending on the creature or person, be resistant to commands, and act in a way in accordance with it's own will and motivations. It is also possible to reanimate scores of corpses, so long as the Necromancer is able to maintain concentration and exert the willpower necessary to achieve such a task.
Of course the greater details of Necromancy can be found in a large number of Tomes, but such is the nature of disturbing the dead, that in many places, and for good reason, Necromancy is forbidden. To most of those that witness the magic of Necromancy, it is regarded as horrific and against the Natural Order of Life.