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THE UNDEAD
MAGICAL ALIGNMENT: Dark.
METHODS OF CREATION: ​
- Ritualistic Reanimation: Through the art of necromancy or a similar ritual, a highly skilled sorcerer may be able to reanimate the dead. Those who are ‘brought back’ in such a manner are often echoes of their former selves.
- Contagion: Several magical diseases, including vampirism, exist with the ability to entirely hijack each and every organ, both killing and reanimating the host. Pathogens like this exist in viral, bacterial and fungal forms, with the latter almost solely affecting light-magic beings (like nymphs). Worry not, however! Prior to full transformation, almost* all necrotic infections are preventable and curable. It is a coin flip whether or not those who have transformed retain sentience. Those who do not are often committed, for the safety of others.
- Born: While it is reasonably rare, the undead are not left entirely incapable of reproducing, especially those who are infected rather than ritualistically reanimated. This guarantees that their offspring will inherit being undead, whether fully or partially.
​
- Possession Of A Corpse: Only occurring in the case of shades, this specific subspecies of demon is capable of puppeteering the deceased. As they do
not have a corporeal form, this is common practice for them. Although
illegal, it is also common practice for a shade to ritualistically bind
their offspring to a deceased infant - ethically questionable
at best.
*Namely, vampirism and The Glitching Plague, a newly recorded illness caused by timeline instability, are both incurable.
Glitching does not always cause death and the resulting reanimation.
LIFESPAN: ???
In the case of reanimation, a necro's* lifespan depends on the skill level of whoever returned their soul to their body. Some may experience the usual rate of decomposition, and some may adjust well to their magically altered circulatory system. A successfully necromanced being can often withstand the removal of, or even reattach limbs.
As for those who are infected, their lifespans may be shortened from that of their original species due to decay and decomposition, but not greatly so.
Those who are born undead are the most resilient, experiencing a constant cycle of decay and magical repair, and may live for centuries with proper maintenance. This does, of course, depend on which species' they share genetics with.
APPEARANCE AND OVERALL BIOLOGY: ​​
Although their appearance again varies widely, the undead often share similar characteristics to that of a corpse. Green, brown or grey-tinged skin, visible, enlarged veins, receding gums, and glossy, dull eyes. Their skin is more often than not mottled, also, resembling a heavily bruised peach as blood pools in inconvenient places.
The most obscene part of the undead's appearance is that they commonly feature open wounds, missing limbs, or may even be missing parts of the face, revealing the bones beneath. Though not exactly aesthetically pleasing, this is not usually detrimental towards their health. All forms of undead have a far lower blood volume than the living, and some do not bleed whatsoever. Unless an individual is only partly undead, chances are, they have no living cells and therefore, cannot get sick. There is no living tissue to infect, and no immune system to respond to such pathogens.
The Undead are technically not a standalone species - this means that all information given below will be a generalised summary of how an undead character may function.
Organ function differs from person to person, but in most cases, the respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive systems remain in tact, operating without any real input from the brain. In the case of a reanimatory infection, the pathogen itself plays puppeteer. In the case of ritualistic reanimation? It is the magic nesting itself within their tissues. As the arcane within them behaves almost as life support, a successfully necromanced individual no longer requires any of their internals.
*A common nickname for those reanimated through external means, not through infection.
SLEEP/REST: Though most choose to sleep to retain some semblance of normality, this is not necessary for the majority of undead. Some even decide to follow a nocturnal schedule, especially if particularly insecure about their grotesque appearances. It's a good way to avoid the general public, and to avoid accelerated decay due to sun exposure.
DIET: Both necromanced and possessed undead do not require nourishment. Some may choose to eat and drink in order to fit in, but doing so often may cause; moderate to severe abdominal cramping, bloating, fluid retention, a searing headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, coughing up a tar-like substance, impaction and even paralysis.
In the case of the infected, their diets are usually specific to the type of infection. A parasitic fungus may cause the host to need constant nutrition from soil, and a more 'typical' necrotic infection may cause extreme cravings for uncooked meat.
The diet of someone born with undead traits is again very dependent on heritage, though herbivorous beings may still experience the aforementioned cravings for particularly rare steak.
REPRODUCTION/HYBRIDISATION:
Though both necromancy and corpse possession usually render the individual completely unable to reproduce, a small handful of undead folk have little issue conceiving and carrying offspring. This rings especially true if someone is born undead and has a living parent, as they are far more likely to develop ordinary organ functions. Some may even look living, with only small patches of greying or greenish skin, so it's no surprise that they face little to no difficulties procreating.
Although being undead, or having an undead 'section' of the body is a dominant trait, it is usually possible to breed these traits out over several generations.
​
Species that can hybridise with the undead include: Animalfolk, werebeasts, merfolk, sirens, nymphs*, silicans*, seers, dreamwalkers, coulrobans, demons, angels* and kitsune*. All light magic combinations will produce a dark-mana hybrid.
CULTURE: Though the undead themselves do not follow any specific cultural rules, they are often viewed as a bad omen or as 'less than' by other beings. Many have campaigned for further tolerance and acceptance of their steadily rotting peers, but as of present day, little progress has been made. Fear of a widespread infection still prevails over empathy. The undead make up a very minor portion of Embers Edge's population, and as a result, misinformation is rife.
*An undead nymph is considered a 'false decayed nymph'.
*This produces a 'cracked silican', with a constant flow of bloodied innards.
*An undead angel combination produces a 'false fallen angel'.
*This produces a 'void kitsune', a dark magic subspecies of kitsune.
