Undead
The undead are a created race, not a naturally occurring one. Their culture is based on the facts of unlife. Every undead has chosen to enter into a pact with a powerful necromancer in order to preserve their soul and prolong their life, potentially indefinitely. Because of this, a newly created undead will have the cultural background of the creature it was before becoming undead. Once an undead has made its pact, died and been restored to life by a necromancer, it begins a new life as a minion and learns its place in the society of the Lichfells. Undead are very different to orcs and humans and have specialized rules governing them in play the details are set out in Undead Rules. They generally develop new abilities as a result of changes made to them by their necromancer so their progression is very different. Death for undead is generally not the end as they can be restored by their necromancer.
No one knows for certain where the undead hordes originate from. One thing is certain, however, it began with the devastation of a noble and ancient civilisation.
Before the Days of Fire, Sobek stood strong in the north-east, a proud province of the Qadaq Republic and a bastion for progressive thought for many generations. It was a time of many beliefs and ways of life, with the ruling aristocracy offering their patronage to whichever popular cults and philosophies were in vogue.
When the Days of Fire had passed, the people of what are now the Shield Lands looked up at the huge escarpment that had swallowed Sobek, and heard the screaming, icy winds that swept over it. Nothing of the ancient region remained, save for the hordes of the undying that swept down from the north, led by the lichs, who could command strange new magic to create undead minions, and drain the very essence of life from the land.
The dark country that exists where ancient Sobek once was is now known to humans as the Lichfells. It is a cold and forbidding land, standing on a high plateau to the east of the Shield Lands. The dead do not die here, and life is silenced by the dark power of the lichs from their great necropoli.
The armies of the Lichfells pour forth regularly, raiding to bring more and more captives for the glory of the Lich King. These poor souls are given the choice of death or unlife, or finality as the lichs call it, in an undead form that can be remade and live again, even if slain by mundane means.
At the head of a council of seven of the most powerful lichs in the region, is the being known only as the Lich King. Seldom seen in physical form, (even by the other lichs), his power is based on the simple fact that his phylactery contains the greatest population of souls, both in power and number, including the souls of many other lichs. From the Nightspire of the necropolis of Sobek, he holds dominion over all other lichs and their undead minions. He is advised by the six most powerful of his kind, with phylacteries almost as potent as their ruler.
In many ways, undead society is an irony, in that, despite the stagnant nature of undeath, all positions of responsibility in the Lichfells must be proved on merit. Even though the Lich King holds the souls of most other minor lichs in his phylactery, the seven are constantly in rivalry with each other. Thus, each lich with a place at the council must carefully prove their own position whilst managing the ambitions of the servant lichs who operate below them.
It is rare however, for the seven to meet together in council. The last time this happened was when the orcs were encountered, quite accidentally, by shades acting as scouts in the south lands. Convening an immediate council, the Lich King saw an opportunity to ally with the Khanate against their mutual foes. Though this angered many of the lichs, (most notably the Desolate and its life-hating followers), the opportunity to collaborate to deprive the humans and their forces of valuable resources in the wider war-effort was too appealing to resist. It was decided that an allied expedition would commence, led by the speaker of the Lich King, known as "The Voice", a lich of no small power, whose role it is to mediate and communicate between the seven. Whether or not they can trust the Great Khan of the Orclands remains to be seen, but it is important that they take the measure of their new allies before they introduce them to The Great Below and ultimately the gift of finality.
The Lich King and the lichs who constitute the seven each have a great seal to mark their authority over the undying. These symbols are borne by all followers of these terrible beings, marking them out as the chosen progeny of the lichs and showing to all where their loyalty lies.
Arkad of the Iron Mantle is the first warrior of the Lich King, a general of unsurpassed skill with a passion for the martial conquest of the living lands. True to their name, Arkad’s fighting progeny, the "Iron Mantled", encase their undead forms in the blackest of trappings and metal, using only the bleached bones of the vanquished to adorn their dark armour, along with the great seal of Arkad, a circle of white thorns on a bone white seal.
Undead of the iron mantle can appear in various states of decay: from newly-exhumed corpses, to revenant husks with nothing but spirit energy burning in their hollow eye-sockets. They rarely engage in diplomacy; preferring to confront their opponents directly.
Of all the seven, it is the Desolate, Nihil, who is perhaps the most insidious and resentful towards the mortal races. Disgusted by the joys and vitality of mortal beings, the Desolate has a special hatred for the healing and procreative abilities they possess. Nothing should impede the process of Finality. To this end, this lich has made great use of disease and decay, for the followers of the Desolate never cease in their search for new ways to blight, corrode and rot all of existence. A bitter enemy of healers and the natural world, Nihil is said to be the greatest master of illness and the process by which life-essence is drained. In this, Nihil's diseased form spreads through its chosen, who inherit the hatred of vitality and creation. Using the energies of The Great Below, it is said that Nihil's ferrymen can travel quickly to diseased and corrupted areas of the world from Karudinash. Such ferrymen are highly regarded by other undead and have been instrumental in many attacks on targets that lay behind enemy lines such as a famous and horrific attack on the Kingdom of Elland's capital, Ironmark. The energies needed to perform such a task are huge however and thankfully these occurrences are rare indeed.
Those of the lineage of the Desolate always appear unhealthy in pallor, green or blue tinged and sometimes peeling skin. Their equipment appears tarnished, worn or rusted, and their robes are filthy. When not busy, those of the Desolate take almost religious fascination in broken and damaged artefacts, which they see as beautiful.
The great seal of the Desolate is a Crow Skull, set within a bone white circle.
The quietest member of the seven is the mysterious lich known as the Pale One. Little is known of this being who serves closely as the eyes and ears of the Lich King and is also known as, the Lord of Secrets and The Steel Eye. There are even some rumours amongst the undead that the Pale One may even be more than one lich, masquerading as a single being. The entire lineage of the Pale One appear ghostly and grey, or even blackened and obscured by fell energies. Almost all show an aptitude for intelligence gathering, theft and sabotage.
The stealthy followers of the Steel Eye take care to subtly display its great seal of undeath, a black eye within a dark circle, as this is not easily seen by mortals.
Over the past decade the Pale One has assembled a fleet that challenges even the Fjordsmen of the Northlands, making any trade off the coast of the Shield Lands and the Kingdom a very hazardous proposition. Sailing and plundering settlements up river or a short distance inland, the pale fleets are only after one thing; slaves, for souls and for meat. The Crucible in the shadow of Sobek needs fresh meat for the arenas and the souls of the enemy swell the ranks of the legions if they choose the gift of finality. Like the iron mantled and the ferrymen of the Desolate, they plunder their neighbours for this vital resource. The bone ships of the Pale One are always shrouded in a fog and are unnaturally fast. They don’t take on food or supplies, so their holds are often empty and their ships much lighter. Rumour has it that some ships of the Pale are creations that shriek like a banshee as they sail into battle, creating fear in all living things that hear...
The warped and unpredictable Architect is perhaps the most ancient and wise of the seven. Known also as Hammurabi the Mad, it is said that this lich would be as powerful as the Lich King, were it not for the fact that some part of its essence has broken and vanished and with it, its sanity and composure. Despite this, the Architect still possesses unbelievable magical talent, pioneering the process for undead to construct stronger, more effective bodies and armour. The other lichs generally fear the sporadic, capricious nature of this eldest lich, but tolerate its position as one of the seven because of the benefits gained from Hammurabi's meticulous, albeit deranged, studies. Undead who call Hammurabi master, tend towards crafting and complicated rituals. Such gifts comes at a price however, as they inherit a fragment of the Architect's mad genius.
The seal of the Architect is a black tower in the centre of a bronze disc.
The final lich on the council is Ur-Namu, known commonly as the White Sepulchre. It is rumoured that the White managed to secure its place on the council through careful dealings with the Voice. Of all the lich-lords, the White Sepulchre and its ilk are the most amicable and diplomatic of the undead. This contrasts with the warlike nature of the iron mantled; who see such negotiations with the living as unbecoming of one of the path to The Great Below. Nevertheless, followers of the White Sepulchre are not keen to spread the blessing of undeath unless it suits their aims. Indeed, they believe that Finality should never be given away, but earned only by those who truly deserve its favour. Those of the White Sepulchre are usually seen in white or the palest shades, due to the neutrality it suggests. They will go to some lengths to display their Great Seal, a white rose within an unblemished roundel, both in reverence of their patron, and as a representation of the perfection that finality provides.
Joreth of the Dying Rose, Necromancer of the White Sepulchre.
The fractious nature of the seven somewhat hinders the Lich King's agenda to dominate the realm and turn it to dust. This is of great relief to the humans, who would surely have been overwhelmed in the north, were it not for the rivalries of the lichs and their necromantic vassals. There are many arguments to be had as to how to achieve the ultimate expression of finality with The Great Below:
The desire to exterminate all life wherever it is found is shared fanatically between the iron-mantled and the ferrymen of the Desolate. Both groups see the Vale as a new battleground, where the living can be supplanted by the forces of undeath.
The followers of the Pale One are not so robust in their outright loyalty, but they support the agenda of the seven because it suits them. These undead are the most neutral and inherently mercenary, quick to take advantage of others. They see great possibilities in the Vale to raise their status in the eyes of the Seven.
Those who call Hammurabi their progenitor know that something isn't right about the agenda. They don’t know what it is, or particularly care as these secrets were lost by the Architect. Besides, there are too many exciting new weapons, siege engines and edifices to experiment with. The resources in the Vale promise even more chance to experiment and create anew.
The White Sepulchre, led by Ur-Namu believe that The Great Below and the unchecked spread of undeath as per the original agenda is a mistake. They believe it is unbalanced and threatens the purity of undeath. They accept Finality as the correct path, but the systemic annihilation of all life and end of death itself would create an ultimate stagnation, and there is no calculation as to what impact that would have on The Great Below or the world of the living. Nevertheless, they do not question the other lichs of the seven - for to question the decision of the King is to face true oblivion. They go to the Vale with a mind to continue this view and try to keep balance.
The Voice, has been charged with gathering resources from this magical place in the name of the Lich King. The politics of the Lichfells make this a two edged sword. On the one hand, there is the opportunity to gain vast status and power. To fall short however, would be to risk the position it holds with its master. Failure, therefore, is not an option.
This system of tiered control and rivalry is the very essence at the heart of undead society in the Lichfells. From the Lich King at the very top of the pile to the newest minion, the currency and driving force behind them all is the collection of souls for the necromantic phylacteries. Without these captured lives, they are simply drudges and corpses walking the land, who eventually fade into obscurity.
Ultimately, the life of every undead being in the Lichfells is one of servitude to a master. They are totally reliant on the holder of their soul for all advancement and power. They cannot take power for themselves and all that is given is provided at the whim of their owner.
That is not to say that the existence of these creatures is one of slavery. The benefits of undeath are a fair price to pay for those who choose to accept the gift, which is why so many mortal creatures do. The immortality and resilience that finality brings are not to be dismissed, and there is every chance that the lowliest minion could one day rise to be granted the strength of the reaver, the stealth of the shade or even the rank of necromancer and begin assembling a phylactery of their own…
All undead pay homage to their lineage and can trace themselves back via Necromancer to their source, represented as one of the Seven. As such they will wear the seal of their progenitor associated with that council member as a badge of honour.
The Path from Undying Minion to Deathless Champion(top)
"I have lived and died so many times that your attacks no longer mean anything to me" – Khrenon, Undead Reaper
There are three known paths for the undead to advance once they have become immortal. Any minion can follow any path with the right attitude, proven performance and a mentor. A bartered deal will lead to unlife but the different lichs of the council generally attract certain followers in different proportions.
The path of the reaper is the warrior path of the undead forms. They are shock troops and act as champions and generals in the armies of the King. The majority of the iron mantled and a fair few of the Desolate's progeny walk this path.
The path of the shade act as the spies and assassins of the lichs and carry out their will from the shadows. Those of the Desolate and a very large portion of those of the Pale walk this path, with no small representation in the White Sepulchre.
The Path of the Necromancer, the creators of others, ritualists and essence users are most heavily represented in the Architects lineages however they are universally spread over all the lines by necessity.
All undead player characters originate from one of the existing cultures and races; they will normally begin play as a "dead" version of those styles. As play progresses, the undead may wish to adapt to a more "pure" style and dress, in line with the dark, constructed forms of their lich masters, but this is not mandatory.
No player character may play an undead created before the Days of Fire.
Below is a short guide to how to properly represent the different types of undead characters in the Khan's camp.
Minions
Minimum phys rep: All exposed skin white, dark lines radiating from the eyes like veins. Based on single other culture and race.
Some players may wish to go further and adopt a more rotting look which is perfectly fine too along with those who prefer a more mummified or embalmed feel.
Necromancer
Minimum phys rep: All exposed skin white, dark lines radiating from the eyes like veins. Increasing amount of script on the skin as more souls are acquired within the phylactery, the names of the souls appearing in an ancient script as they grow in power.
Necromancers prefer the magic-imbued robes of a spell-caster; marked with arcane symbols and warding, however this is not a requirement. Although necromancers do not usually "rot", some iron mantled or vassals of the Desolate may prefer to have a more deathly persona.
General costume note
All undead characters have their soul held by one of the seven or their necromantic vassals. To show this affiliation, each undead character wears at least one representation of the great seal of their master as part of their equipment. This marks their allegiance and devotion, and is usually an indication of the sort of role they are likely to fulfill in the Khan's Camp. Failure to possess a mark of the lich would likely provoke serious questioning, or mark out the undead character as an easy target to unscrupulous orcs and elves.
