Lichdom

Lichdom in Talonn is a condition achieved or, in one known case, afflicted upon a living creature. The common perception of undeath as evil is not entirely unfounded, but in the case of lichdom a distinction must be made: inflicting lichdom is neutral as an act. The nature and behavior of the individual who has become a lich is variable, and surely evil liches such as Incarnate have and will continue to exist. There is, mechanically, no difference between a "good" and "bad" lich any more than expecting a "good" person's physiology to be different from a "bad" person's. The process of becoming a lich is variable, and every outcome is different, but there are some common properties contained within it:

• The creature performing the process thus far must be capable of casting 9th-level spells. For most this requires deep knowledge of the arcane school of magic, but Radia the Anointed is well-known as a divine lich.
• The ritual requires the creation of a phylactery. These objects can be anything that holds key significance to the soul which it is meant to contain. The creation of a phylactery is an extremely expensive, time consuming, and draining process. It is, in essence, a prison meant to contain a soul and prevent it from traveling to the The Raven Queen's domain in The Shadowfell. They are also capable of capturing other souls in addition to the original.
• The ritual itself is the creation of a spell (almost always unique to the individual, with the notable exception of Lirael Coldmourne, who based hers on her research into Iason von Seres). Usually a reverse-engineering of True Resurrection, the ritual invariably requires the caster to die during it so that their soul can be caught in the phylactery. If the lich's ritual death was caused by a physical injury, the wound will remain on their body, although it can be masked with illusion or other means.

Due to the unique rituals that created them, every lich is slightly different. Depending on the tradition of magic their ritual descended from, they have different physiologies and abilities. Abyssal liches like Incarnate, for example, are known for their rapid regeneration and teleportation abilities. "Taproot" reportedly would reincarnate into a different decaying body every time she was killed. Radia was said to have a mesmerizing effect on people, able to sway opinion with a wave of her hand.
Any lich is, technically, immortal. At their most basic level, they are higher undead creatures who are able to reform infinitely as long as their phylactery is in working order. Other than that, they retain all traits of their former living selves except their soul is no longer housed in their body, and instead tethered on a metamagical level to their phylactery. Thus, they have the ability to sense the general location and condition of their phylactery at all times, as well as feel when it is being touched. However, if the phylactery is not maintained correctly this tether will fade and eventually snap. The lich, untethered from their soul, will no longer be capable of reforming at their phylactery if killed and either must find it and reestablish the tether or die. If a lich dies but their phylactery still exists untethered, their consciousness is destroyed and only the traces of their soul remain in the phylactery. If the lich is less than 200 years old (since their ritual), the soul remains intact enough to be resurrected via normal means. If they were older, the soul is too shredded to undergo such a process and its energy will dissipate, if freed, to the Shadowfell.
A lich's phylactery is actually a magical construct formed from the physical "skeleton" of the original model object. The construct cannot be destroyed except through magical means-- or so it is said. In order to maintain a phylactery, the lich must reinforce their original soul as it degrades over time. This can be done by a variety of methods, but usually involves adding souls to the phylactery's prison in some way. This can mean literal sacrifice of the living to the phylactery, pulling in whole souls to reinforce their own, which is the most effective method and enables the lich to survive and expend magical power almost infinitely as long as it is done every so often. Another method is drawing on ambient soul energy as it travels to the Shadowfell, which would leave the lich only enough magical power to maintain their body and not much else. A lich might also accept Infernal contracts, offering their services in exchange for souls.
The phylactery serves as the seat of the lich's power and also its greatest weakness. Imprisoning one's soul in an object lays it bare for inspection by others; possessing a lich's phylactery holds their entire being hostage. If one has enough arcane know-how, the interior of the phylactery can be delved into; however, this process is incredibly dangerous and can result in the delver's soul being trapped in the phylactery to reinforce the original soul inside. Even if one was to aspire to do it, the phylactery must first be found-- and that is no easy feat. Liches are incredibly protective of their phylacteries and they can be almost anything; they can be hidden on any plane of existence anywhere in the world, as the metamagic tether can pass interdimensionally. The only thing that can suppress the link is an antimagic field.
A lich's body, maintained by its phylactery, is a soulless vessel for the consciousness of the lich. As an advanced undead creature, it is theoretically possible for a lich to control their body functions on a granular level. If a lich chooses to devote their magical attention and focus elsewhere, the body's natural inclination is to begin to decay. "Taproot" was known for her inclination towards nourishing fungal colonies on her rotting body, maintaining it just enough to function until she decided to die and be reincarnated at her phylactery again. A lich who chooses to maintain the "living" state of their body must funnel a massive amount of their focus and magic into making all the appropriate systems function properly: heart, lungs, digestive system, etc. Such a lich's body would be almost indistinguishable from a living person's. There is, of course, a range of practices in between these two opposites.
A lich untethered from a phylactery or with a derelict phylactery will begin to experience symptoms of magical atrophy over time. The balance between maintaining their body and using their magic for other means may be disrupted, and a lich who might choose to neglect their body will begin to decay as the magic keeping their bodily functions functional goes haywire or simply evaporates.

History

Across the millennia, only a few have achieved lichdom. The few known are listed here, along with the source of magic used in their rituals and any other notes of interest:

• Iason von Seres, Age of Glory, Arcane. The first known lich.
• Idwan Mordus, Age of Flood, Arcane. Later ascended to godhood through unknown means.
• "Taproot", Age of Silver, Fey. Theoretically still active, although not sighted in millennia.
• Lirael Coldmourne, Age of Magic, Abyssal & Arcane. Vanished on the Northern Continent and said to reside on the Isle of the Wizard, but has not been sighted in millennia.
• Incarnate, Age of Tempest, Abyssal. A horrifying, destructive lich who was banished to The Nine Hells to be imprisoned by Asmodeus himself for his sins.
• Radia the Anointed, Age of Beasts, Divine. Turned into a lich by her diety, Tempus, in order to help the combined legions of the Dragonborn and the other humanoids of Estenwald defeat Archus.
• Thanata the Fearful, Age of Beasts, Draconic. A dragon turned into a lich against his will by Archus.
• Pocket of the Loch, Age of Crystal, Infernal & Arcane. Theoretically still active, but like Taproot has not been seen for millennia.
• Tres Fangrys Eyel, Dawning Age, Arcane & Scientific. The first known lich to combine modern medical science and the arcane to complete the ritual.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Extremely Rare

Affected Species

• Humanoids