They left the treatise at the tavern, available for anyone stopping by. As the hours passed, they would replenish the pile, their smile ever wider.
"And so it begins", they think to themself, as the pile of pamphlets becomes smaller and smaller. "Someone... Someone out there will understand. A single person would be a win."
((It is up to you to decide whether or not your character found one.))
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Ars Necromantica - A Treatise On Necromancy
Introduction
This article attempts to elucidate on the topic of Necromancy, as well as dispel misconceptions associated with it. This author recognizes such topic is taboo in many nations and creeds, and invites the readers to delve in with an open mind.
A largely unexplored field of magic, often persecuted due to ignorance and the fear of the unknown. It is this author's intent to educate and alleviate concerns the readers might have. Even those who seek to combat necromancy will find the read enlightening for their purposes. Because, yes, just as there are those who misuse arcanism, or pyromancy, or cryomancy, or even a sword or a sewing kit, naturally there are those who misuse necromancy. These rogue mages have condemned entire generations of practitioners to suffer from prejudice - it is time for a much overdue historical reparation.
Lexicon & Etymology
Necromancy derives from the Old Common words, "necro" and "mancia", which mean respectivelly "dead" and "divination". It refers specifically to the ability of contacting the spirits of the departed to predict the future or ask questions.
The preffix "mancia" seems to have changed over time into "mancy" and took on the broader meaning of "magic". Hence, pyromancy, cryomancy, etc. "Necro", on the other hand, resisted the test of time. In modern age it is sometimes used to mean "death". But it never detracted from its original theme.
Simply put, in present times, the term "Necromancy" is commonly used as "death magic".
General Spells
As is often custom for every school of magic, spells from the basic repertoire were adapted over time by past mages. While other schools tinkered more basic spells into more advanced versions, necromancy only focused on two.
The popular Fireball lost its fiery nature. Just as death saps life, the fire was extinguished; warmth replaced by cold, light replaced by darkness. Thus, the "Shadow Bolt" variation came to be. A spell that invokes a single shadowy missile that emulates the decay of a cadaver, by inflicting cold and poison damage to its target.
The Poison spell, however, saw the most improvements. It was combined with the arcane formulation for Magic Arrow, creating a long range, single target, fast casting variation - the "Toxic Arrow" - a spell capable of infecting its target with a lasting toxin.
Summoning the Dead: Animation
But, of course, the main contributions from this school do not lie in the realm of evocation, but rather on conjuration. This is indeed the most controversial aspect of necromancy, on which this article will focus on the most.
Firstly, this author wishes to comment on a limitation of arcane magic. Mages can control and alter Aether to create effects. There is no way to invoke, manipulate or otherwise transform souls via arcane magic. While communication with spirits is still attainable, affecting souls directly is really the realm of divine magic.
To provide a few examples to this statement: the power of Soul Summoning; the power of Corruption, capable of directly cursing one's soul; and the popular Resurrecion spell, capable of calling a soul back to a corpse, returning it to life.
One of the greatest misconceptions about necromancy is the belief that the undeads summoned are vessels to entrapped souls. This is wrong. The undead created via necromancy do not possess a soul to give them a will of their own - they are simply animated. Infused with just enough Aether so they can stand and obey commands, such as attack, protect, carry an object or keep watch. This process also has limitations of its own - the souless corpse can withstand no more than an hour of animation, after which the Aether will disperse and the remains will rapidly wither.
This author uses the word "corpse" deliberately, as a general term, since that isn't always the case. While the undead can indeed be created from corpses, more often than not the animated dead will be an amalgam of bones the necromancer collected and carries with them. The cliché and stereotypical imagery of graverobbers awaking your ancestors in a graveyard, while prevalent in popular imagination, falls short due to the impracticality and inefficiency of the action itself.
The components do not even need to be from humanoid residue. Carrion or carcass of animals or even monsters can be arranged into a humanoid form before animation, giving it the likeness of a humanoid skeleton, zombie, mummy or ghoul. The only exception to this being the skeleton dragon, an advanced battle undead, which takes a large quantity of bones to create.
The readers might be asking themselves: why humanoids, then? It is simpler to animate a being in our image and likeness. That makes them more capable of performing certain tasks, as well as doning armor or wielding weapons. Just as the other schools can conjure fire elementals, air elementals or ice elementals from Aether, this author suggests that the creations from necromancy are viewed as no more than death elementals.
The difference here is a social one. Because necromancy utilizes remains as its matter, it is perceived as crossing a moral line. And, yet, even that isn't entirely truth. Not everything is pure black and white, as this author will demonstrate on the next chapter.
Necromancy & Morality: A Reflection
A necromancer does not need to take lives to perform their rituals and spells. A simple walk in the wilderness will provide one with enough material for study or practice for months, be it the carcass of animals or monsters alike. There are those who animate the corpses of enemies exclusively, temporarily turning opponents into allies - truly the best way to combat rogue necromancers is by using their own creations against them.
Another misconception is the belief that necromancy alone can corrupt and subvert. This is true for every school of magic, every martial art, every crafting type; truly, for every thing in life. We're all subject to perversion. A blacksmith who provides equipment to a band of brigands is no better than the criminals he enabled. A warrior using his skills to warmonger or pilage is just as corrupt.
Ultimately, necromancy is just a tool. What makes it moral or imoral is how the tool is utilized. To claim the materials used by this art are some sort of defiling is no less than hypocrisy. Many of our armors use the skin or scales of beasts in their making; some even use bones. The leather in our boots and clothing. There is leather in something as small as a sword handle. Our bows, staves and furniture are nothing but dead trees. The food we consume was the muscle of a living creature. These remains were collected and rearranged in a practical way to serve a function. An animated dead is just that: remains arranged in a certain disposition, infused with Aether. A death elemental; nothing more.
Are we to believe every single one of those tools are imoral? Or that a soul is trapped within them? Within a chain mail or a chair? What about elementals? Are they elements given shape and infused with a soul? I do not think so. An earth elemental is mineral given humanoid form, infused with Aether. What is the difference between using the dirt from a road to using a dead bird you found in a meadow, to summon your elemental of choice? Reflect upon this for minute, dear readers.
There are evil necromancers. Just as there are evil druids, evil warriors, evil crafters. Evil exists and it manifests itself in every way. This author believes we all lose by deeming something naturally evil. In doing that, we're clearly the ones to lose the most - we lose the opportunity to learn how to better control that art and we alienate those who will try anyways. Instead of creating an environment of acceptance and providing an infrastructure for proper education, we're persecuting and denying them a chance to learn a different path. One must ask oneself: doesn't that make us partially responsible for the presence of rogue necromancers in the world? Food for thought.
Death is an integral part of life. It happens daily. It is happening now, as you read this article. We all could benefit from studying it.
Golems
These are a less temporary, more durable, advanced form of undead. It requires a greater understanding of the art, given how taxing their maintenance and summoning can be, to such an extent a necromancer can only have two. The Aether required to sustain them is so great, it is only possible to control one at a time.
Golems can be manifested from blood or bone. The quantity is of no consequence. The component will determine the golems' shape and capabilities. The blood golem is a fierce combatant, whereas the bone golem is a sturdy protector. In a sense, they're an extension of the necromancer themselves, and many use their own blood (such as a single drop in a pendant or vial) or bone (such as a broken tooth) to summon such creatures. Different from animated undead, the body of the golem is created from a combination of the reagent and Aether, giving it form and purpose.
Golems do not decay. If destroyed, though, given the amount of energy required for their summoning, chances are the necromancer won't be able to invoke them again for a time. Their animation is more controlled as well, connected to the necromancer through a telepathic link.
Advanced Spells
Three new spells were developed by the necromancy school: Pain Spike, Death and Decay and Vampiric Embrace. These signature spells complement the necromancer's grimoire and their mastery over toxic effects which negate life.
Pain Spike infuses a target with a strong, but short-lived toxin, that can spread to three nearby targets.
Death and Decay (often referred to as D&D) has a similar effect to Pain Spike, affecting an area instead, with a longer duration, but lesser destructive power. Undeads under the control of the necromancer who stand in the area also have some of their decay reverted, restoring them.
Vampiric Embrace makes the necromancer immune to poison and stops bleeding. It has a very short duration, but while active it has a chance to convert any damage caused by the necromancer into self-healing.
The Process of Lichdom
This is, most likely, the reason why necromancy is so persecuted today. And has been the downfall of many necromancers.
A lich is a necromancer who suspended their life, achieving an state of undeath; neither living, nor dead. The body of the mage, however, is pretty much dead, deprived of metabolism and other bodily functions. As such, it decays, like any cadaver. While this may gain the necromancer more years in this unlife (sometimes centuries), the consequences are drastic and irreversible. In time, the brain too will decay, and the lich will succumb to madness, until nothing is left of their humanity.
Most of the liches found deep within crypts or dungeons are the result of this process. There isn't a definite standard way to perform the ritual of lichdom. Every lich will find their own means, although this author advises aspirants to avoid such pursuit. One ritual, however, stands out the most, because it is the only way to bend a limitation of the arcane in regards to souls.
Through a transmutation enchantment, a mage is capable of storing their soul away, into an arcane focus (a gem or crystal of great power). This object is referred to as Phylactery. The enchantment is largely secret and unknown, the formulations lost to time or destroyed by inquisitions or by rogue necromancers concerned with rivals achieving their level of power. Few of these conscious lich still exist in the world, no doubt hiding away to continue their experiments and machinations.
Not all necromancers see lichdom as a goal. Most would agree that to live in hiding, decaying for all eternity, is an undesirable lesser form of life. As a matter of fact, responsible necromancers employ their skillset to locate and hunt down these powerful liches. The world is safer without them.
Conclusion
And, with that, we reach the end of the article. This author wishes to thank all readers who reached this point and hopes the read was enlightening. If nothing else, it should give you something to ponder about.
Necromancy exists. Attempting to destroy it has proven an unsuccessful, fruitless endeavour throughout the ages. How long are we going to promote this endless war? This very battle may be responsible for the quantity of rogue necromancers and liches spread across the realm. It is time to change that and the way to start, is by evaluating how you, the reader, view it.
Why aren't there as many rogue pyromancers, cryomancers or arcanists? Because they are accepted. Consider this carefully and thanks again for reading.
