What is an undead? Here is the question me, and many of my colleagues constantly find ourselves asking.
The simplest answer would be: "Something that is animated, yet does not possess life force"
That is obviously wrong however, this definition would classify golems and some spirits as undead, yet, everyone agrees that it isn’t the case.
No, the more correct definition of an undead would be something animated by death force, something that is by all means, dead and yet, still retains functions normally attributed to the living.
Now, what is the difference between an undead and something that is simply dead? Whilst corpses create death force, they eventually just stop doing so after a while, undeads do not.
Or so it generally is, but once again, corpses that just manifest death force without stopping and undeads that don’t produce their own death force exist.
For example, the most common of zombies and skeletons fit into that second category, generally born and fueled by ambient death.
Now, you are wondering where I am going with this, aren’t you?
That is but an introduction, I have presented you with two sorts of undeads, those that produce death and those that do not.
I am simply aiming at putting down on paper the variations of undeads, necromancers shouldn’t dive into the dangerous practice of death magic blind.
When it comes to aspects nearly all beings share with one another, I classify undeads to fall into three categories regarding each of those aspects:
-Possess the same as the rest
-Lack it entirely
-Possess another version of the aspect, which shall be referred as ’undead’ for simplicity sake-
"Thomas? The- The crusader?" the captain of the guards paled, not because he was afraid of this man, he simply remembered the one time he had been in his presence.
That seemed... Excessive for a filthy murderer, a warrior as noble as a crusader shouldn’t have to be bothered for such things.
Yet, he didn’t doubt that he would heed the call.
"We’ll double our efforts sir!" the man responded and saluted, not wanting the crusader to be bothered with something so measly, he was ignited with a renewed fervour as he commanded some of his men to go on the move.
"Captain!" just as he did so, one of them came rushing out toward him.
He nodded, prompting him to explain what was so urgent.
"The villagers... They are all sick and tired of our... Hum- Incompetence! They are taking things into their own hands..." this was only to be expected.
Loimos had arisen one of the mightiest of forces, the wrath of the common people.
The undead wasn’t fazed by it however, he watched things unfold from another attic he had crawled into, the folks below him had no idea he was there.
He listened in on the people outside, he could only hear bits here and there, but it was enough to understand what was happening.
The peasants and farmers were forming a righteous mob, there was little doubt in Loimos’s mind that they would crush his bones if they caught him, though not everyone was going to rush out into the night with torches and pitchforks.
Some of them were going to be barricading themselves in their homes, such as the family living right below him at this moment, he could hear them moving furniture around and boarding up windows.
They had no idea that they were going to be the first.
The next few nights were going to be long.