The Edicts of the Dead

The Edicts handed down for millennia in the lands of Tarthus that govern the practice of Necromancy

Purpose

Originally written by the Tarthan High Lords in a time so unfathomably ancient that even the act of fathoming its creation well over 8,000 years prior to the modern day stretches the limits of mortal understanding, the Edicts of the Dead were carved onto the side of the first Pyramid Palace of the High Lords in a place where all the public could see, massively emblazoned in stone as edicts from the mighty demigods of Undeath themselves - rules which were set in stone to guide the formation and pursuit of the Necromantic Arts.
Though whatever true intentions the High Lords of Tarthus had when they created the Edicts so long ago was never truly known, common theories hold that they were created to guide the Tarthan people in their pursuit of Necromancy and all of its related studies - to give them ground rules and bylines with which to abide by so that the dominion of the High Lords would never fall victim to the hatreds and biases the rest of the continent would fall victim to.
By establishing these ground rules, it is thought, the High Lords of Tarthus in the days of yore ensured that the study and practice of the Necromantic Arts could continue relatively unabated well into the modern day by establishing rules rather than simply outright ignoring or outlawing the Necromantic Arts, as The Spirit Kings themselves and/or those that followed them after the Advent of the Spirit Kings were believed to have done - leaving those in the modern day to make their own assumptions about Necromancy in lieu of having surviving commandments from on high.

Document Structure

Publication Status

In perhaps the oldest standing monument left on the face of Zheng-Kitar that survived the Age of Desolation and the atrocities that led up to the Advent of the Spirit Kings, the Edicts of the Dead are preserved in their original format in a titanic stone wall that now stands in the town square of the capital city of the Kingdom of Tarthus-Tetsu that was once a portion of the wall of the palace of the High Lords of Tarthus, carved into the massive wall with chisel and hammer in ancient Tarthan.
However, for posterity, they are also written in the actual legal books of the Kingdom of Tarthus-Tetsu.

Legal status

Though originally written well over 8,000 years ago, the Edicts of the Dead have been enforced by the ruler of the Kingdom of Tarthus-Tetsu ever since their originally inception - even after the disappearance of the High Lords who originally wrote them and the ascension of Amenmeses Ra-sen Shakanasa I to the throne of the Kingdom of Tarthus-Tetsu, these ancient Bylaws have remained an honored and well-respected establishment of Tarthan law ever since their inception.

Historical Details

Background

Ever since its creation, the Edicts of the Dead have governed the practice and study of the Necromantic Arts in Tarthus for almost 10,000 years - shaping and helping guide all those who would pursue a mastery of Necromancy in doing so in a way that is both ethical and moral, but also allows for freedom in the art's pursuit.
Though many do not truly appreciate the impact of the Edicts, it is little exaggeration to say that their implementation saved Necromancy as a whole from being stamped out and eliminated long ago - for it is through their influence and by abiding their laws that Necromancers in the Kingdom of Tarthus-Tetsu have come to enjoy such a high public standing.

History

In truth, much of the history of the Edicts have been lost to time, as they were first set in stone over 8,000 years prior to the modern day by the High Lords of Tarthus who once ruled its sands - and with the disappearance of those very same High Lords when Amenmeses Ra-sen Shakanasa I took power, it is little wonder that much of their history has been lost.
If any yet recall such a time, it would only be High Lord Rakthumos - who is believed to be one of the original creators of the Edicts...though, if this is true, would place the mysterious Lord as being well over 8,000 years old.

Public Reaction

The Tarthan people have ever held the Edicts close to their hearts - they treasure them as a cultural touchstone of their people, and hold them in incredibly high regard.

Read the Document

The Edicts of the Dead

1. Any Necromantic Spell used to raise the dead shall not infringe upon the soul or mind of the deceased, nor the autonomy of either such component after their death. The usage of either of these parts to imbue intelligence, consciousness, or awareness(Either Benevolent or Malicious) constitutes nothing less than treason against the High Lords or acting Ruler of Tarthus-Tetsu, and shall be met with appropriately swift and merciless punishment.
• In such cases where an intelligence can be crafted, found, created, forged, or otherwise imbued into a corpse without breaking the above or following edicts, approval may be given out by local authorities on a case-by-case basis provided that the raised corpse shall not be left to its own devices, is proven to not be intrinsically malevolent, and is not self-aware, sentient, and/or free-thinking.


2. Any corpse raised via Necromantic Magic shall have its flesh removed for sanitary and public health reasons, especially if the corpse is to be used for business purposes. Any who are found to be in violation of this edict shall face appropriate fines.
• In cases where the nature of the raised corpse itself makes upholding this edict difficult or impossible - such as in the case of Bloody Bones, Blood Wights, and so on - exceptions may be made on a case by case basis(pending acquisition of proper permits) by the regional authorities so long as the master of such a creature can prove themselves capable of keeping such a creature as sanitary as is feasible such that the raised corpse shall not negatively impact the health or sanitation of others.


3. Any attempting to raise a corpse via Necromantic Magic must first gain informed consent of the being to whom the corpse belonged to in life to use their body after death for whatever purpose is required or desired.
• In cases where consent could not be gained before death, appropriate use of magic to commune with the dead to inquire as to permissions to use their body may be used in lieu of pre-death consent.
• In cases where such magics are not viable or possible, the consent of the corpse's next of kin shall serve in lieu of pre-death consent.
• In cases where the corpse in question has no next of kin AND such magics are not viable or possible, it may only be raised after one hundred years has passed since its time of death.


4. All undead in the care of practicing Necromantic Casters must be properly cared for, tended to, and upkept as all possessions and belongings are required to be under Tarthan Law. This includes but is not limited to keeping them clean, unbroken, free of excessive wear and tear, given proper means of storage not harmful to its physical form, and providing proper equipment suited to the task or service they are intended to perform or be used in the service of. When these conditions can no longer be met, the master of said undead must return the corpse in question to rest where they were found or in a suitable resting place if the previous one was not or is no longer suitable for holding a corpse.


5. For corpses of sentient, free-thinking creatures who meet all above criteria, it shall henceforth be customary for those who use such corpses for their own means after raising them to provide due recompense to a next of kin as payment for the corpse's services rendered.
• The amount of this recompense is left up to the master of such a corpse's scruples, but shall most commonly take the form of a small stipend with monetary value paid regularly so long as the corpse is in use. In situations where this matter cannot be resolved via verbal agreement, local authorities are empowered to make legally-binding decisions between raiser and the recipient of the recompense.
• In cases where a next of kin cannot be established, use of appropriate magic to commune with the dead may be used to ascertain a proper charity or organization that the deceased would like the recompense to be directed towards.

Close

Type

Manuscript, Magical (Tome/Scroll)

Medium

Stone

Authoring Date

4382 BSK

Ratification Date

4382 BSK

Authors

• High Lord Rakthumos

Signatories (Characters)

• Amenmeses Ra-sen Shakanasa I

Signatories (Organizations)

• Kingdom of Tarthus-Tetsu

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