A Primer On Kermoria's Necromantic Cults, Volume II: Modern Cults/Contents
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SPOILER ALERT! |
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A Primer On Kermoria's Necromantic Cults, Volume II: Modern Cults
By Nimaltesh Oakenfalcon, 420 AV
The Oshu'ehhrsk Family
In addition to his studies as not only a Moon Mage, including that of the Skin Dancers and Bone Dancers of the Steppe, the High Council member Lasarhhtha practiced additional necromantic arts -- ones that may very well have propagated the misconception that all Bone Dancers are Necromancers. He allegedly came from a long line of Necromancers, though, when asked, clarified that his family had all been Clerics, Warrior Mages, and Moon Mages. There is no historical evidence to denote that this was untrue on its face, but it is perhaps more accurate to outsider observers to say that they were these professions in a way similar to how he was a Moon Mage, albeit one dabbling heavily in the necromantic arts.
His manor is evidence enough of his prowess at the creation of undead. Hand-sewn and animated Germish'din guard the manor grounds accompanying mundane zombies. Most impressive amongst his creations, though, is the Seordvar Kartais -- a flying undead insect not matching a description of any natural insect known to me, though they bear some passing physiological similarities to the Vykathi.
Lasarhhtha's largest accomplishment outside of his unique undead was in the form of magical poison, capable of flaying the soul from a victim and forcing it to the Red Spiral, regardless of the person having previously gained the favor of the gods. Largely undetectable even by those on the Moon Mage council, Lasarhhtha's necromantic poisons and diseases are some of the most well-developed seen to this date.
After a number of very public incidents in which Lasarhhtha attempted to steal powerful magical artifacts, he appears to have largely secluded himself in his mansion.
Sorrow and the Sidhlot Book Club
The most prolific, save for Lyras, modern instance of cultic necromancy came in form of Sura Ravenblades, known also as Lord Sorrow, and his adherents. While it was not particularly the most skilled or original application, Sorrow collected every available necromantic resource to fuel his singularly militant focus. Although Dzree had the ambition to conquer the world and dragged the continent into a massive war, she did not largely utilize magic in battle. Sorrow, in contrast, made his first act the eradication of his home town as cover for his escape from the Moon Mage Councils pursuit.
He spent time under the tutelage of both Sidhlot and Dzree, and spent some unknown time in the company of Sithsia, leading to his utilization of both Sidhlot's magic and Dzree's Elpazi creations to draw the entire continent into war. Would the militarization of the Elpazi have been his most lasting accomplishment, he would have still presented a formidable threat, but Sorrow very publicly searched for the method to release Maelshyve from her warded prison beneath the Zaulfung. Even with no direct evidence that he intended to release her, or that he worshiped her, his discoveries would lead in an indirect manner to her eventual release.
Prior to his rise as Lord Sorrow, he studied Lunar Magic, and Sura testified before the Moon Mage council that he had discovered the key to magical immortality. He additionally utilized sorcery to great degree, and appears to have used some sort of Elemental magic to summon a massive earthquake in the previously mentioned incident that destroyed his home, Mir'Kazeril. Sorrow was ultimately presumed to be eradicated in his attempt to utilize the Zaulfung Stones for his (still to this day unknown) purpose. We have not, however, seen the body -- leading me to question whether he entered the plane accessible beneath.
It is questionable how close Sorrow kept his advisers. In addition to Sidhlot, Sithsia, and prior to her death, Dzree, Sorrow worked with Magus Prayk, and a number of other subordinates with militant foci irrelevant to this work. Had that been it, he would simply be a footnote based on his associations. Instead, he is largely mentioned here because of his adviser, Velmix.
Velmix Strawn is suspected to have died in 225, nearly a century and a half prior to his being seen at the side of Sidhlot. I have found no documentation that Velmix was ever trained in magic by a guild. He has, by far, presented the most blatant uses of arcane necromancy of those mentioned here. Velmix is known to have conjured poison miasma, to use magic to siphon off the soul of a living being, to summon velvers with no apparent preparation, and to animate his severed fingers into some sort of undead. He seems to have shown some mastery of the dead patterns, as evidenced by him summoning lightning to the area around his corpse on more than one occasion. Velmix appears to have displayed some need to feed on hearts -- indeed, his last documented sighting was of him eating the heart of the goblin assassin Grishnok.
In addition to all of this, Strawn has had attributed to him further abilities. Anecdotally, my own interest in the scholarly pursuit of arcane magic came from the fact that my own mother swears to have acquired a persistent necromantic curse at his hands that no Cleric or Moon Mage has been able to extract from her being. She claims that he was attempting to recruit her for an army to serve the "True King", and that he pledged she would serve this king beyond death. Whether it is itself resultant from paranoia or some sort of ritual sympathetic magic, she has become so afraid of this curse that she has secluded herself in a convent and taken vows of silence intermittently for the large portion of the past half century.
Velmix has not made an appearance since the Outcasts retreated to the Velaka. Whether he purportedly serves Raenilar, Sorrow, or some other, it is unknown. What is known is that, over time, he became more crazed, and deviated further from his established personality, leading to my suspicion that he fully gave himself to the service of a demon at some point in the third century after Lanival.
Maelshyve and the Kobold Cult Cabal
Sorrow's experiment with the Zaulfang stones had a consequence that was, perhaps, unforeseen. A small group of Kobolds appeared in Ilithi, serving the Necromancer Archrost. Archrost in turn swore vengeance when guildsmen killed his band of tiny miscreants, leading to him stealing the Chalice of Hodierna from beneath the Zaulfang and freed the demon Maelshyve. This disabled Clerical access to the ability to resurrect the dead via holy means until the situation was rectified.
Archrost is unique in that he used quite a good deal of Holy magic in addition to his necromantic abilities. He also had the ability to fully heal his corpse when re-animating it, and each time he came back, he is alleged to have become stronger. Per the Fyearikloa'i Rensh'a, Moon Mages at the time reported suspecting that he inflicted them with some sort of magical green aura, the effect unknown.
The Kobold is no longer a threat in his present form -- he was killed by Maelshyve and maintains a permanent fixture in her fortress, visible to any who would enter that foul lair.
The Philosophers of the Knife
While all of the intended readers are undoubtedly intimately familiar with the Philosophy of Kigot's work, there are a few pieces of it that are notable.
Unlike other forms of necromancy, the Philosophers appear to have largely been influenced by Kigot's time serving the temple. Rather than serving a demon, Philosophers attempt to keep them at arm's length while practicing the bare minimum of necromancy necessary to achieve an entirely sound but, at this point, entirely conceptual goal -- the grasping of the divine by mortals. The line is largely drawn at spiritual necromancy and a minimal use, as necessary, of the Dead Patterns common elsewhere.
Information on early Philosophers is largely limited, though in my research I located someone I suspect of being a first generation Philosopher: Marstan, whom Sorrow and Sidhlot executed. Marstan was a Cleric who allegedly initially pre-dated the use of Empaths for healing and the ability for Clerics to raise the dead. This places his initial exposure to necromancy before the time of the Empire, if the tales are accurate, though he outlived Kigot by some time. He opposed Sorrow due to ideological differences, and utilized abilities not unknown to us. He did animate a single shade, but otherwise only maintained corporeal undead.
Though now a rather large organization as far as necromantic cults go, the Philosophers appear to have now united behind Zamidren Book, and are actively researching what they refer to as the Great Work. This seeming unity is a far cry from how the Philosophers fared in the interim between Kigot no longer leading them and Zamidren's current leadership -- few in number, far-flung, and consisting of small cells of mages only barely connected by their knowledge of Kigot's work.
The Xala'Shar
A perverse cult of twisted, cursed beings of apparent Dragon Priest origin, the Xala'shar have infiltrated the mountainous region in the west of Zoluren. It is not known if this is their only encampment, or if they gather in larger numbers in hiding elsewhere, but this massed presence does allow for ease of access to any who should wish to get a specimen for further examination.
At least at one point in time, the Xalashar seem to have been led by a Necromancer who called himself Veyne. Veyne claimed that he and the other Xala'shar were created by Dragon Priests, though no record substantiates this other than his own word. Veyne is largely known for having provided matching rings to a number of people who swore an oath to serve him either "to the fires of death and beyond," or "beyond the grave," or any number of similar over-the-top blood oath phrases that sound largely like a poor imitation of the demon-mad Velmix. The rings allegedly provided some method of discreet manner in which Veyne could offer instruction. Prior to his disappearance after being chased from Ilithi and Therengia, he exhibited sympathetic magic used on his ring-bearers, and utilized magical poisons. Veyne is presumed to be still alive, though his status amongst his fellows is unknown.
Conclusion
When stumped in my own research, I find it useful to study what avenues have been proven available before identifying methods that could be employed to further my own arts. I hope that the awareness of these alternative methodologies and beliefs are useful in enhancing one's own knowledge, and can be successfully employed in the pursuit of a greater cause. If nothing else, many of these, I trust, serve as cautionary tales of the danger of demonic and perverse necromancy.