Unlife and Unliving notes

Grief, Master Dark - 1099

Found in the Tower of Sorrows on my desk are the following two interesting Items. Written on Notepaper is the rough draft of the document below.

On the nature of Unlife and Unliving

This document is as much a warning to students of the element of [[Darkness]] as it is an aid to their studies. The [[mages_guild|path you have chosen]] is hard and difficult to tread. As practitioners of the element of darkness we are at times labeled [sic] with names that are as filled with fear as they are untruth. We are scarcely the practitioners of evil that most believe us to be. True the shadows and stealth are our methods but we also hold the biggest burden of any college. I shall explain.
Within the plains of light the Plane of Life is to be found. The reverse is true of the planes of darkness, but for very different reasons. Whereas the plane of Life is the place from where all life comes, the plane of unlife is the plane to which some patterns are eternally imprisoned. Several major beliefs in Erdreja hold with the idea of an afterlife. One of which is good and one of which is eternal torment. Several of these afterlives are to be found in the right and proper place of the [[plane_of_death|plane of the dead]]. However, the plane of unlife serves as a cross-belief punishment and prison for the afterlife. It serves a purpose. It is a necessary part of [[reality]]. What is not necessary is the influx of unliving to be found on Erdreja. The plane of unlife is a prison for a good reason. The corrupt patterns damned to the plane are there for a reason, be that the action of an Ancestor or by their own willful action and the whims of darkness.

The plane of life provides the Healers with their power. The same is true of [Corruptors and] Necromancers and the plane of unlife (nb. See Greymoon Shadowweavers works on this subject). Necromancers are the ultimate foe of the college of darkness. We stand on the edge of the abyss that is the practice of Necromancy. It is easier for one of us to fall, as we arguably know more of the nature of Necromancy than any other Mages. The ranks of the Necromancers are filled with those of the college who have fallen. To this end we must understand the arts of the Necromancer to better police what were once our brothers. The danger lies in the seductive power of Necromancy. There is a huge difference between the study of the subject to better understand the foe and the use of necromancy, for whatever reason. None of us must be allowed to fall to the power that is unlife. Watch for your brothers, the signs are unmistakable.

 

 

This is in what appears to be a journal, left open in the Library.

The Tower of Sorrows 12th August 1099

To better aid in the protection of Erdreja from the forces of Unlife, should I fall, I have gathered what I have learned of the unliving together. The prison walls of unlife must be kept un-breached. The patterns must be contained.
To my mind there are three classes of unliving:

1. Mindless or Lesser unliving.

These are the rank and file of the unliving found at the lairs of more powerful forms of unliving creature, or at the behest of a necromancer. They are a group defined by the likes of Zombies, Skeletons and Ghouls. They in themselves are easily dealt with but can present quite a danger when found in numbers. However these unliving are not really those we should concern ourselves with. They are formed by use of a corpse and animating it. With no mind they could not themselves escape the plane of unlife and as such those that are physically destroyed return there. Leave these to Warriors and Incantors to deal with.

2. Cursed Unliving:

These are harder to categorize and must be seen on a case by case basis. They are those who by no fault of their own exist as unliving. The best examples of these would be the vampire created by another vampire against the will of the victim, or the [[ghost]] who has unfinished business and in several documented cases has no knowledge of their new nature. Be aware for these. They may be redeemable. Further study has to be undertaken.

3. Damned Unliving

These are the foulest of beings. Damned to an eternity of having their pattern unravel over time. All those unliving of this category deserved their fate. I speak here of creatures such as Maar and [[Golgamoth]] and the foul corruption of necromancy we know as a Lich. Should you know a way to destroy this creature do not take it. Seek instead a way to return it to the chained rooms Darkness has for it. Justice will out. Creatures such as that foul poodle of skirmish Deimos deserve the cell we have ready for them.