Undead
Last updated
Last updated
Undead are creatures who have been unnaturally preserved, reanimated, or sustained beyond death through dark magic, contagion, or cursed will. They exist in defiance of the natural cycle, sustained by necromantic forces that sever them from life without granting them death. Some are little more than mindless husks, although many retain parts of their former selves—memory, will, and power. Whether cursed, created, or infected, the undead share one trait above all: they are no longer truly alive, yet not fully dead.
The types of undead are:
Revenants are undead beings who retain their intelligence and autonomy after death. Unlike mindless undead, they possess self-awareness, free will, and the ability to form societies. Most are reanimated through necromantic rituals or dark bargains, their bodies preserved by magic, alchemical treatments, or other means both mundane and arcane.
Aware that the living often perceive them as unnatural, revenants are often pragmatic. Some are disdainful of the living or envious of their mortality, while others seek coexistence, forming enclaves or integrating into mortal societies.
While some revenants struggle against their condition, seeking a cure, redemption, or release, many accept undeath as simply another state of existence—one free from aging, pain, and mortality.
Indeed, the have forged a vast, structured society around the belief that undeath is salvation. They see life as suffering and undeath as transcendence, evangelizing their philosophy to the living... and sometimes enforcing it upon those who would resist the truth.
The ghoul virus is a rare and highly contagious pathogen that transforms infected beings into ghouls—mindless creatures driven by an insatiable hunger for flesh both living and dead. As the virus progresses, sentience deteriorates, leaving only a primal urge to feed.
The infection causes progressive decay, giving ghouls a rotting appearance that worsens over time. Feeding slows this deterioration but never reverses it, and some ghouls are rumored to have persisted for centuries. The virus spreads easily through bites, scratches, and contaminated remains, making even minor wounds a potential death sentence.
Liches are powerful undead spellcasters who have used dark magic to achieve immortality, binding their souls to a phylactery to prevent true death. Their bodies are withered and decayed, often with exposed skeletal features and flesh in various stages of decomposition. Most wear robes rather than armor, relying on their magic for protection.
Nearly all liches are evil, as the process of lichdom requires the sacrifice of sentient souls to sustain their existence. They maintain their immortality by continually feeding on these souls, ensuring their phylactery remains charged with life force.
Becoming a lich is a complex and horrific process that requires mastery of necromantic magic and a willingness to commit atrocities:
Acquire Knowledge. The spellcaster must learn the secrets of lichdom, either through a dark pact with an evil entity, receiving a dark gift, or self-discovery of the ritual.
Craft a Phylactery. A phylactery, often an enchanted reliquary, is created to house the lich’s soul, anchoring it to the material plane.
Bind Souls. The phylactery must be filled with the souls of sacrificed sentient beings, which will sustain the lich after death. The only way to permanently destroy a lich is to find and destroy its phylactery.
Perform the Ascension Ritual. The final step requires drinking a potion of transformation, a lethal concoction that kills the spellcaster. Upon death, their soul is drawn into the phylactery, and they rise again as a lich.
Once the transformation is complete, the lich is soulless, its existence tied to the phylactery. As its stored life force depletes, the lich must consume additional souls to avoid decay or oblivion. If its physical body is destroyed, its soul remains bound to the phylactery, allowing it to possess another form and return once more.
Specters are incorporeal undead, lingering remnants of the dead who failed to pass on. Unlike shades, a distinct race of fiends, specters are the disembodied spirits of once-living beings, bound to the material world by unfinished business, violent deaths, or overwhelming emotion.
Lacking physical form, specters appear as ethereal, ghostly figures, sometimes resembling blurred, translucent versions of their former selves. Many are driven by hatred, sorrow, or vengeance, haunting the places they died or pursuing those they once knew.
Unlike other undead, specters do not decay and are immune to physical harm, passing through solid objects with ease. However, they remain vulnerable to holy magic, exorcisms, and enchanted weapons. Some retain their intellect, while others are mindless echoes, endlessly reliving their final moments.
While most are malevolent or tormented, rare exceptions exist. Some specters cling to their former identities, serving as guardians, messengers, or reluctant wanderers, trapped between life and the afterlife.
Vampires are beings infected with the vampiric virus, existing in a state of undeath and sustaining themselves by feeding on the blood of the living. Almost any creature can become a vampire, except for constructs, which are immune to disease due to their artificial nature.
Most vampires are gaunt and pale, though appearance varies based on race, pigmentation, and biology. The virus causes elongation of the cuspids, resulting in distinctive fangs. All vampires experience an overwhelming biological urge to consume blood.
Due to their immortality, many sapient vampires amass vast wealth and knowledge over centuries. They are often charismatic, calculating, and ruthless, as the virus severs their ability to form genuine emotional connections. Detached from moral concerns, they pursue personal interests without remorse, showing little regard for the rights or suffering of others. However, rare exceptions exist. Some retain vestiges of their former principles and choose to sustain themselves on the blood of livestock and beasts rather than sapient creatures.
The vampiric virus spreads through infected blood, typically via a vampire’s bite—provided the victim is not drained to death—or by consuming tainted blood. Contrary to superstition, the virus is not transmitted through other bodily fluids, such as saliva, or intimate physical contact. There is no known cure, though certain preventative measures can inhibit transmission.
Vampires are highly allergic to garlic. Silver, sunlight, holy artifacts, and consecrated grounds also act as potent deterrents, causing severe allergic reactions. Additionally, a vampire cannot enter a home uninvited; however, once welcomed, they may return freely. The reason for this remains unknown, though scholars speculate it is linked to the sanctity of the home and the virus’s aversion to the holy.
While vampires cease aging and are functionally immortal, they are not invincible. They can be killed by a stake through the heart, decapitation, prolonged exposure to their known weaknesses, attempting to enter a home uninvited, blood starvation, or extreme temperatures such as fire and molten metal.
Vampires do not cast reflections in mirrors, though contrary to common myths, they are neither harmed by nor fearful of them. In undeath, they gain enhanced abilities, including immortality, heightened strength, senses, and speed, as well as preternatural healing. Some vampires are also vespertiliothropes, a subtype of therianthrope that allows them to transform into bats or bat-like creatures, though they remain classified as vampires rather than therianthropes.