Necromancy and Necromancers (updated 2004/05/13)

  A Decaying Book    Malakov, "Master of Hounds"    Tomes of Draconic Darkness    Tov Morden, "Master of Thralls" 

Necromancy is a combination of the words "death" and "divination", and in its lesser forms involves communication with the spirits of the dead. Death in itself is not an evil thing, despite the opinions of the many who fear death. The spirits of the dead are ancient and wise, and can reveal many secrets, or provide glimpses of loved ones who have passed on. However, Necromancers are greatly feared, and most lands forbid Necromantic practices of any kind, calling for the death penalty on any who would consult mediums to speak with the dead.

Indeed, Necromancers are greatly feared and reviled the world over, except in the dark lands of the Avathars. The reason is that under the Avathars the practice of Necromancy has grown into a collection of abstruse magic arts that can be used to gain complete control over the dead, summoning their spirits or binding them into servitude. When bound into a physical form the spirits can provide great power to their evil masters, using the energy of the soul to fuel dark magics. Such an existence is anathema to all but the darkest of Necromancers, for it is not only an excruciating torment, but will eventually consume and destroy the unfortunate bound spirit. These later uses are more properly referred to as Nigromancy, literally "black magic", but only rare scholars make such distinctions. It is believed that most Necromancers are indeed wholly evil, for their arts too easily corrupt their practitioners with ever-increasing power. Many Necromancers turn to the worship of Reshuk in order to divine ultimate knowledge of their dark arts, and such forbidden knowledge nearly always brings madness and corruption to mortals.

While even a brief divination can reveal priceless information, the dead are not always willing to give up their secrets. Summoning and binding them with spells can force them to reveal all, and while this is unpleasant, at least the spirit can be released back to rest. However, true power requires that spirits are bound into unnatural, permanent servitude in some physical form. Any sort of object could contain a spirit, such as a bone staff, ring, dismembered hand, or a set of urns. Such terrible relics are commonly found amongst societies where Necromancy is commonplace, such as with the Avathars, and are called Phylacteries, or "canopic urns". Such containers are commonly found in ancient Avathar tombs and were originally used to store organs and viscera which Avathar priests believed were necessary to remove in order that the dead be protected in the afterlife. Phylacteries are usually discovered in sets of one, four, or thirteen. Necromancers later discovered that these contain the soul, and adapted the practice to their own purposes.

The most infamous and evil power of Necromancy is the ability to summon spirits of the dead into corpses, transforming them into grim parodies of living humans known as the Deurg'Gul, or "undead". Those who have been consigned to such fates are wracked with torment and have no semblance to their former selves--they are wholly thralls of the evil Necromancers. The only hope for such tormented souls is that they be laid to rest by a priest.

A variety of ancient Necromantic tomes are rumored to exist and highly sought after by Necromancers, such as the Book of Iod, A Decaying Book, the Account of the Witch of Endor, the Testament of Carnamagos, the Tome Of Draconic Darkness, the Cultes des Ghuules, the Saracenic Rituals, the Liber Ivonis, and of course the famed Necronomicon. Nearly any of these tomes would be priceless to a Necromancer, but also truly terrible for the world...

A Decaying Book

This mouldering tome was found in the library of Vardinaard. It contains historical descriptions of the Eye Of Reshuk and instructions for the use of the Lanthorn Of Dark Souls.

Malakov, "Master of Hounds" (updated 01/05)

Malakov was a powerful necromancer who co-led the Dagorite Cultists with Tov Morden. He had a proclivity for animating and subsequently exploding skeletal remains and was known as the "master of hounds".

The cult was defeated by House Cennyth in 871 while restoring the Yr-Stone of Dagore, the necromancer slain. However, the journals Malakov revealed that he was a powerful necromancer with several phylacteries cached away. Daegonis Corvix perused the journals for clues to track them down for final destruction, and learned that Malakov had discovered and claimed the "Tower of Bone", also known as the Tower of Jha'Daffar. House Cennyth undertook their `Expedition to Jha'Daffar`_ in 871 to destroy Malakov's phylacteries.

Also within Malakov's journals was a ritual for binding a phylactery to a place of "deathless sleep" as a means to achieve eternal life, and similar rituals for binding a "thrall phylactery" to ensure the obedience of a servant. [ more... ]

Tomes of Draconic Darkness (updated 2004/05/13)

These ancient and forbidden texts speak of rituals describe methods of binding spirits of dragons through Necromancy, or more accurately, Draconecroalchemy. There are thirteen rituals contained in the book, which can be used to create "black skeletons", become a Liche, become a Shadowlord, create forms of Hobgoblyns who fear not the sun, create undead dragon servants, or attain a state of demi-godhood. Most of the rituals require the construction of a Phylactery to contain the blood and soul of a Dragon. This appears to be the chief weakness of such creatures, for the destruction of the Phylactery also undoes the magic of the ritual.

One of these books was recovered by the Einhernjar. It appears similar to the book originally seen used by Tavik. It is likely that the Shadowlord Er'Aliion, and Baal'Shem lord Si'Anwon also posses copies of this evil book.

Tov Morden, "Master of Thralls" (updated 01/05)

Tov Morden is a powerful necromancer, sometimes known as the "master of thralls".

Tov Morden co-led the Dagorite Cultists with the late Malakov. The cult was defeated by House Cennyth in 871 while restoring the Yr-Stone of Dagore, and the journals of the necromancers claimed and perused for clues to track them down for final destruction. In the journals Daegonis Corvix learned that Tov Morden had a penchant for performing and documenting experiments on the townsfolk.

In 874 Magalan Krieger found journals found in the Valley of the Shrines that proved Tov Morden was also responsible for the Dorthonien Plague Blight.

Magalan pursued the necromancer to Lyonesse (where Magalan goes by the name Der Drachen), where in 879 he found the necromancer near Kyrgar and Gnar. Tov Morden has made a new set of enemies by ensorceling the companions of Der Drachen. It appears that Tov Morden manages a spy/scrying network for the Kurg'Rhi of Nan-Avathar, and was creating a scrying compass on a node within Gnar Wood.