(no subject)
Foreword
Chapter I: Fundamentals of Souls
Chapter II: Denizens of the Undead & Containers
Chapter III: Preparation
Chapter IV: Patchwork
Chapter V: Astrals and Souls
Chapter VI: Wraiths
Chapter VII: Pale Death
Chapter VIII: Undead
Chapter IX: Bindings
Foreword
If there is anything an artist must strive for, it must be for art. For perfection. For the grandest of performances--and that is what I have done. With the world's stage open to me I begin the grandest of any spectacle ever seen. With the Belief of the people as my starting tool I've composed a score to be heard the world over...all shall hear my symphony and despair.
"Necromancy."
It is the sound of the dead, their bodies mine to play as instruments of destruction and decay. Through them I may pluck at the strings of this land as I please. Then, now, and forever.
Chapter I: Fundamentals of Souls
All living beings within Minoa are comprised of several key elements. Though they vary distinctly from race to race it is my observation that all beings, even such contemptible parasites as Demons, possess a Soul. And what is a soul? What comprises it, makes up its entirety and maintains its foundation? I have yet to answer such questions... But it is a universal truth that any that pass first from the realm of the Living into that of the Dead will carry a soul. Exceptions to this "rule" includes the natural spirits of the world; those which Elves seem to find camaraderie with. Elementals also carry no discernible soul. It is my belief that they are tied to the inherent magics of this world and as such return to it when they are bested or banished. However I will speak little on these for they have little to do with the practice and study of Necromancy.
Although the true nature of a Soul may never be coherently understood the way one might understand a tome of knowledge there is still much that has been revealed through various experiments. The first to note is that all souls exist both within our own plane of existence and a parallel Realm of sorts. By no means do I claim they exist separate from one's body unless removed--it is simply that they are beyond our basic senses. Only when a soul is interacted with by external forces does it become visible to the naked eye. To my knowledge only those of Holy Light and Demons may do so--sans Necromancy, of course.
I shall skip the effects of Holy Light on a soul, for it matters little to a Necromancer. Any can be tainted with the right application of power so there is little point in wasting time. On Demons I will say only that there appears to be some whom will fast upon the souls of man and beast, and some who abstain from this practice altogether. As to why this is I have yet to discern but it is a good rule of thumb to avoid Demons whenever possible; an easy task, as the dead husks of the living are ill-suited to the dry wastelands of Turia. Should one encounter a demon, I would suggest the use of a Wraith or Reaper as they are beings which also feed upon souls and therefor do not possess any. Again, I shall not speak to the possibility of entities without soul for I care little concerning such things.
Back onto the topic of souls.
Another key property of a soul is its uniqueness as the "key" to a person. Although our bodies may remember actions and movement it is our souls which carry who we are. One's memories and experiences are collected and stored within souls and as such when manipulating them it becomes possible to "read" these experiences. However, the medium by which one does so is of great importance. A soul seen from the flesh can be heard aurally. But a soul separate, on its own is chaos and absolutely indiscernible to mortals. It leads me to believe that perhaps it is impossible to fully understand them in this world. In order to unlock the secrets of the soul they must be heard through the lips of the undead...
This also poses another problem. Although obedient when under the thrall of Necromancy it is impossible to leave it untainted as that is magic's very purpose. All tainted souls will lose pieces of themselves, or become corrupt. A tome weathered by time is the best manner in which to understand it. It is always possible to glean some insight into the inner workings but without a body, the contents of a soul are meaningless.
Souls separated from the body are also quite prone to deterioration. There appears to be a symbiotic relationship between body and soul. The body provides a host which protects it from outside elements of the world which pull at it--of this I can only assume, but many experiments have shown separated souls will simply dissipate into nothingness, their flame snuffed out. Once this occurs the soul and entity are entirely lost and cease to be. This conclusion leads me to believe that although Holy magic would have one believe a burial is the way to send off the souls of the deceased, it is not this practice that carries them from this world to that of the dead but another entirely. I have observed burial practices within my sanctuary and noted that although the method was carried out flawlessly the soul in fact remained within the body. It was only when a Wraith arrived to feast upon it that the soul was finally removed.
Curiously, this seems to be an occurrence distinct to my dwelling. Burials observed in other areas continue exactly up until the point where the soul lingers. There, it seems, another source of...being comes to collect it. Rather than being fed off of the souls are freed from their bodies and escorted to the realm of the dead. It is a most curious occurrence...
Knowing how magic now affects a Soul and what it is comprised of, it is important to know where such a thing resides. From observation there is no one area in which a Soul resides. One cannot simply cut off an arm and claim to have captured a soul. Such a thing permeates the entire body seamlessly like a second skin. But there is one way in which they can be removed with minimal damage to the soul and to this discovery I simply must credit Demons, for without a direct observation I would have had much work to do myself.
If they eyes serve as windows into the soul then it is one's mouth that serves at the gateway to it. However strange it appears the best method in removing a soul from the living (and here I must clarify that the only ones exempt from this rule are those already close to death. I will say more on this shortly) is to draw it from their oral cavity. It is quick, relatively simple given practice, and provides a most exquisitely intact soul. I have tried various other methods but this is by far the most fruitful.
Death and the closeness of it also affect how one's Soul behaves. I have observed that the healthier and more longevity one possesses the closer their soul remains bound to their body. In this instance any attempt to remove it will cause damage and it is most unfortunate, as the souls of these sorts often produce the best results when used. The more intact a soul, the more powerful the effects of using it become. When one nears the end of their lifespan however souls begin to lose their "grip" on their human hosts and the bonds between these two entities weaken to the point where it is hardly a difficult thing to detach them with minimal damage to the soul. Unfortunately these souls I consider widely sub-par; they are best used on simple Undead.
Chapter II: Denizens of the Undead & Containers
Although there are many, many kinds that are listed here I shall name only the important and ones relevant to any prevalent Necromancer (myself being the one and only, and thus, serving only in importance to myself).
By far the most common, though quite useful of these undead beings are those I shall dub "Denizens". These constitute the souls of Humans and Human-like beings whom have passed on from the Realm of the Living to that of the Dead (see Chapter I for further delving into the manner of "passage"). Souls I have known to encounter include Humans, Elves, Half-Elves, Muttbloods (some call them "Welwynn"), and Half-Witches.
There is nothing distinct about one soul from the next, only that curiously the souls of Half-Witches are almost impossible to recall without great effort and sacrifice. Never have I seen a soul of a pure blood, though I regret to admit I have yet to try due to certain...complications with locating any for of burial site. Much about these curious beings remains unknown to me. For now.
As for Denizens in general there is not a great deal to say. Almost all require the soul of another to tempt them into this realm (again, I shall speak on this further at a later point) and they can all be used for any form of Necromancy. The only difference that makes one soul more potent than the next is the state the host was in prior to death. Those in good health and in their prime serve much more effectively than those of the weak and feeble. Both have their use of course and no soul ought to be wasted--even if deemed useless souls remain a fair source of power and energy and can be used to animate simple skeletons or sealed within Containers.
Containers are artifacts enchanted specifically to fulfill the purpose of holding a soul while preventing deterioration while separate from a host body. Practically anything can serve this purpose: a vial, a tome, a monument, even the body long since deceased. It is possible to use things such as plants and animals, however this is not recommended as they serve rather poorly in the long term and have the unfortunate side-effect of killing living things... It is a curious event. At first there appears to be no issue and the parasite soul lives within its Container without incident.
However any living creation is built only to house within it one soul; they do not carry the capacity to support another, and so eventually the parasite will begin to feed and devour its host until it becomes the dominant soul within the being. Unfortunately the act of killing off the previous soul causes great strain and drains the life and energy right out of its host...so by the time the parasite has become dominant, its host is dead and can no longer support it. Death is inevitable.
Curiously, there seems to be some discrepancy in these events when it is the soul of one sentient being's soul being placed within another equal host... I am currently researching such effects and will write more when my results become more conclusive.
Thus for now I deem it best that when using a Container to store and house Souls the most effective way is to do so with an object devoid of life.