The First Land Herald/428-07-14

Article Number: BI77

Dateline: 428-07-14

'INTELLIGENT' UNDEAD ENCOUNTERED IN THE CROSSING Lately there has been a rash of undead "persons" sighted in the Crossing, each showing signs of life and intelligence before its true nature was revealed. I am relaying a story as given to me by Vaila, who was present through two important encounters that took place a few andaen ago. Vaila told me that she arrived at the Crossing Empath guild, and there was a Human man present there, who "looked kind of bad and smelled worse." He mentioned that he was a farmer and said that he was looking for his son. Some time after, his son arrived, frantic. At this point the father said that he was in pain, over and over repeating "it hurts" and at one point saying "everything hurts." He screamed and threw back his head, and to Vaila's surprise, his head detached from his body. He died, decaying suddenly thereafter. His son seemed at first to be in shock. In time, he revealed that the farmer had been dead for weeks. According to the son, the farmer had fallen ill and wasn't showing signs of improving. The son left to tend to some duties for a few days, and when he returned, his father was dead in bed. The son subsequently buried him. Thus the farmer's appearance at the Empath guild would seem to indicate that his body was animated by some foul force, which quite possibly didn't last. The son said that he would visit the Temple, but upon others later following, he was not found there nor reportedly seen by anyone at the Temple. Thus ends the tale of the first undead "person." That same day, Vaila traveled to some farmlands in order to search for the farmer's family. During her searching, she had an encounter with the hated Necromancer Talinel, an unknown S'Kra Mur man whom Talinel referred to as his "brother," and an Elven woman. Talinel threatened Vaila, telling her not to "poke her nose into this," and not to mention the S'Kra Mur again. Vaila bravely ignored his threats and returned to the Crossing to spread the tale. Talinel followed and made good on his threat, killing poor Vaila twice, but by the will of the gods she rose again. Later, Vaila was invited to the Temple to discuss matters with Mother Whiteburn, who naturally takes a great interest in the machinations of Necromancers. While there, the Elven woman she had seen with Talinel arrived, introducing herself as Jensia. However, an empath confirmed that this woman, too, was undead! Yet once again, this "Jensia" was able to hold an intelligent conversation, and even argued about her own state. According to Vaila, she claimed that she was "alive, though not in the same sense that she used to be. She admitted that she could be controlled by Talinel at any time, and that she could feel his presence… And she mentioned having more than one 'master.'" Furthermore, "Jensia" also claimed that when not controlled, she enjoyed walking the hills because they reminded her of home, and that she wanted to continue living, that she could think and feel. Mother Whiteburn did the right and holy thing and destroyed this undead creature. Vaila recalled that "a black mist exited her body as she died." However, today I was startled to encounter Vaila on the streets of the Crossing again, with a small crowd including an Elven woman. Vaila informed me that it was "Jensia," risen again! This is the first I have ever seen or heard of an undead being rising again after being dispatched, save for the powerful lieutenants of Lyras herself. Thus we can conclude: - There are creatures, which I shall refer to as Risen, who are undead but appear to all outward senses as living, including in the appearance of skin and hair and all such extremities. They can also conduct intelligent conversation and therefore pass for the Eleven, although they may be discovered by the life senses of an Empath. They may or may not feel pain or truly recall their past experiences. - These Risen appear to be linked to Necromancers who can command and control them. The Necromancers may or may not relinquish this control at times. It is likely that the linked Necromancers are the ones animating the bodies. - Despite destruction, the Risen may be reanimated or reconstructed, to appear again at a later time. - Thus far the Risen do not appear to have the sheer strength of other undead creatures such as zombies and glass constructs. To the contrary, all reports so far indicate they are extremely weak. Given these facts, we must remain vigilant against these creatures. If spotted, they should certainly be removed from meetings or private spaces, and ideally destroyed in an attempt to return to rest the bodies of the dead. However, I do note that they are thus far nonthreatening, so in some cases it may be permissible to allow them to remain fully constructed, so long as they are not posing an immediate danger or in a position to pass useful information on to their masters. Circumstances permitting, some intrepid researchers might capture one or two in order to discern how to destroy them permanently, or perhaps learn how to break their bond with their profane masters. As an aside, I must say that I am reminded of the late Lady P (unknown - 351). For the uneducated, Lady Penelope was well known as an undead creature, though she was unaware of her state. I was fortunate enough to come across a copy of Vivviane Abdel-Messihh's book, The Deceived (Part II), in which she referred to Lady P as "a lich" but also a "beloved friend of the Moon Mage guild" who was "a fixture for many centuries." (See also Profiles in Magic, Volume 7.) I suspect that this "lichdom" was in fact more similar to the Risen state, although it appears that Lady P had full access to her own faculties. Lady P was the guardian of an artifact that posed a danger to living beings, and so it may be that the guild allowed her to remain animate in order to fulfill that role. She was also quite knowledgeable and taught many notable figures in the guild, including Guildleader Mortom Saist and Grandmaster Taramaine Braun, so it was apparent that she was valued for her centuries of accumulated understanding. Eventually, however, another undead "person" called Kellior plotted against her, posing as a Paladin and calling for her death. He recruited from the Crossing Paladins to accomplish the task and was subsequently killed by the famed Fateweaver Demosel (see Profiles in Magic, Volume 11), who was a close friend of Lady P. Curious that such a clear product of Necromancy should so recently have been accepted by a sanctioned Guild. Could it be that Lady P's state was somehow of a more tolerable form, such that the gods would not show Their displeasure over the many centuries of her friendship with prominent people? Perhaps not even Necromancy itself? Still, I must make it perfectly clear that the current outbreak of Risen among us are most certainly linked to Necromancers, and due caution should be taken. Sincerely, Navesi Daerthon True Bard, Zoluren's Herald Editor in Chief of the First Land Herald

Real Date: Unknown Date

Subject(s): Crossing Crossing High Temple Demosel Empath Kellior Lady P Lyras Moon Mage Mortom Necromancer Paladin Risen Talinel Taramaine Undead Whiteburn

Author(s): Navesi