Undead
Undeath is a state of being between life and death, brought about by arcane means. An undead creature's Soul has either departed for the Outer Planes or been captured or destroyed in some way. Despite this, its body continues to function in some way, though it is often fragile and even still decaying.
There are two basic types of undead creatures: corporeal undead and incorporeal undead. The most common forms of corporeal undead are zombies and skeletons, both of which are created by simply animating a corpse with necromantic magic. The primary difference between a zombie and a skeleton is the amount of flesh left on the body. Simple skeletons and zombies are not uncommon for menial tasks, either informally or within the practice of Corpse Conscription. Other, more complex types of corporeal undead warp the once-living bodies to make them better at hunting and killing the still-living; examples include ghouls, ghasts, wights, and vampires.
Incorporeal undead are a much more mysterious phenomenon. These beings are able to affect the Material Plane to at least some extent, but they pass through most objects and are difficult, if not impossible, to defend against with ordinary weapons. Theories abound as to the origins of incorporeal undead: whether they are souls too damaged to pass to the Outer Planes, souls either bound to or intentionally choosing to remain after their death, projections from the Ethereal Plane or the Shadowlands, or the living embodiment of the spells that summon them made manifest. Likely, a number of these factors are at play, and sages have grouped multiple disparate phenomena under the umbrella of "incorporeal undead."
The most powerful undead creature is the Lich, a humanoid steeped in magic who trades their mortality for eternal life, so long as they continuously feed the dark magics that fuel them with souls. Lichdom is most frequently associated with wizardry; however, liches who twist holy or sorcerous magic are not unheard of. The first lich, Navec the Bryght, was initially a holy scribe.
Comments