Necromancy, the re-animation of the dead, is a vile and avoided subject amidst the Casters of the Life Sect, though their powers could, if they so chose, include it. However, long ago, Vriclar declared that such a thing was an abomination, a perversion of the natural order, and demanded that all such actions be outlawed. As such, Necromancy is a banned craft, and the knowledge of it's spells have long since slipped away from the Life Sect. However, it is not truly extinct just yet.
Zarner, Vriclar's Divine Grandson, holds it's secrets within his grasp. Many would think to use this power for vile, or power-mongering means, but that is not in Zarner's nature. The God of Death and Rebirth, Zarner is still inherently lawful, taking none before their time and keeping them in peaceful oblivion within his realm, the First Tier of the Nine Hells. However, this is not as simple a task as it would seem. The God of the Dead cannot simply reach out and pluck the soul from the dying, stealing souls is the Dark One's trick. Instead Zarner waits for the River to bring the souls to him.
The River is a both simple and complex idea to grasp. It is a winding black body of water that exists only in the same dimension as the Nine Hells themselves, and is the only known physical route into the Hells. Comprised of twelve gates, the River is layered in Falls, each increasing in swiftness as they fall ever faster towards Zarner's realm beyond the Final Gate. At it's heartspring, the River is close to reality, so close that even non-casters can sometimes feel the chill of it's presence when death stalks them. This spring is at it's closest to reality far in the chill North and it is into this spring that souls fall when they die. Some souls are, of course, lost along the way, stolen by the Dark One, forced into Killar's maw or chosen to ascend to sit besides the various Gods. However, the varied souls of humanity are only rarely granted this oddity and are simply swept ever faster down the River.
Most souls are content to let the cool waters bear them to their final resting place, but others are not yet willing to accept their deaths. Indeed, for those of sufficient will, not even death is as final as you might perhaps think it to be. Powerful souls fight their way back up the River, escaping from the heartspring back into reality. These are the Woken Dead and they are an absolute vile abomination in Zarner's eyes. The God is not cruel, or capricious, but he does view those that are taken by the River as his property and will go to great lengths to Rest the dead, to force them back into the River and on beyond the Final Gate.
Unfortunately, Zarner is not capable of doing this on his own. Far too many strong-willed beings fall into the River every day and thus many more escape back into reality. As such the God of the Dead decided to put a stop to this. He travelled down into the First Tier of Hell and selected ten thousand of the most noble, powerful and dedicated souls he could find and hurled them back into reality. Each of the souls was granted full knowledge of who and what it was and why it was being sent back to Tal'Vorn's face. Unfortunately simple souls would be unable to do anything against the Woken Dead, the staggering zombies and vicious boggarts and ghouls that were rapidly spreading across the North. Instead each of these souls stepped into the body of a baby that had just been still-born, the dead children suddenly gasping back into life, their birthing cries echoing across all the lands, not simply in the North, though it is there that by far the majority appeared.
As children, these beings, these Mortis as Zarner called them, appeared to be normal, at first. However, upon reaching puberty, they changed in a profound manner. Whether born into a Human, DragonLord, Elf or any other body, they became Mortis overnight. Their flesh paled to a paper white, their hair and eyes darkening. Though the exact hues vary, the majority of Mortis have dark brown eyes, black or dark blue hair and never tan. Naturally there are exceptions to this, especially in DragonLord Mortis where the original genes of the body are more then powerful enough to hold their own against the imposed changes of the Mortis Shift.
It was not only physical changes that afflicted the children, but the mental knowledge that swept into their minds like a flood. They knew everything they would ever need to combat the Woken Dead, how to find them, to see them and recognise them for what they really were. In addition to this, they learned how to fight the creatures, about how iron stole their strength and how salt burns and blinds them, and a dozen other tricks and skills that would help to keep the Mortis alive in their battles.
Yet, unfortunately, Zarner is not known for his delicacy or his understanding of the mortal psyche. When faced with the knowledge of what they truly were, beings only a step better then the Woken Dead they had been created to hunt, many of the Mortis mentally snapped, determining to do exactly the opposite of what Zarner intended. And it is here that Zarner's greatest mistake becomes obvious. The God of the Dead knew that his children might sometimes have to face overwhelming odds, might have to stand against dozens, or scores of Woken Dead, and the ultimately compassionate God couldn't bear to see them do so alone.
He granted them all a basic knowledge of Bone Magic, of Necromancy, a knowledge that would increase as the Mortis got older and learned to harness his or her skills more effectively. And this knowledge was also possessed by those Mortis who turned away from their intended duty, who chose to Wake the Dead, rather then Rest them, with the intention of defying their God, their Father, and instead cause chaos and havoc across the North. Even more unfortunately, those that turn away from Zarner tend to possess some of the greatest willpower, allowing them to gain more powerful Bone Magic faster then the majority of their loyal siblings.
Bone Magic draws its strength from the River, from the Styx itself, as Humanity calls it, a name adopted by the majority of the Mortis. To cast a Bone Magic spell, to Wake a Resting Dead, a Mortis has to slip momentarily out of his or her body and into the River itself. Simple spells can be performed quickly, needing only to enter the First Fall of the River, such as placing a basic warding spell on a home, or binding a Knocker Boggart to a location. But more complex spells require the Mortis to travel further down the River. And it is this that ultimately is the cause for the Mortis Shift. On the night of puberty, in their dreams, all the Mortis are carried down past the River's Fifth Gate and then back up to their bodies. But the River is not like Zarner. The Styx is a hungry monster, sucking the warmth and the life from those that dare enter its waters.
Simply stepping into the First Fall will slow your blood, make you tired and sluggish for a few minutes afterwards, but as you push further towards Zarner's realm the Styx will actually start to have an effect upon your physical appearance. Moving past the Third Fall will bleach your skin, and the Fifth Fall will make your hair as dark as night. But deeper Falls hold more horrific effects. Beyond the Seventh Fall, you actually begin to lose hold on your physical body, your limbs becoming twisted and elongated until, should you dare to plumb the true depths of Bone Magic, dare to step all the way to the Eleventh Fall itself, resist the siren song of the Final Gate, for the Twelfth Fall of the Styx and the First Tier of Hell are one and the same, then you will come back as something else.
No record exists of what these creatures actually look like, but since they are capable of raising the immensely powerful Mortalis, creatures made of grave dirt and the bones of immense monsters, as well as legions of lesser Woken Dead, then they should not be underestimated. They are the loyal Mortis' greatest foe but, fortunately, by stepping so deep into the River, they have become Woken Dead themselves and are thus vulnerable to a Mortis' greatest weapon, the Twelve Commands.
Vocal orders that can be chanted, or written in rune form upon bells, flutes, chimes, or other musical instruments, these commands each vary in their power and capability. However, to learn a new Command, the Mortis must step into the Commands corresponding Fall, thus sacrificing themselves in order to gain the power to Command the Woken Dead. The more powerful a Command, the deeper into the River it will drive the effected Woken Dead. For instance the Fifth Command will force a Zombies soul down into the Fifth Fall itself, where the current will, hopefully, be too powerful for the Woken Dead to resist, and it will be swept down to beyond the Final Gate.
However, the Commands are double-edged swords. Whilst Mortis cannot be forced into the River by another Mortis, should they use their own words hastily and without great care, then the Mortis could hurl themselves, the Woken Dead and any living beings around them, deep into the River Styx. Not only that, but the deeper a Woken Dead is swept before it manages to drag itself back out into reality, the more powerful a form it takes on. So, if the Mortis is not exceptionally careful, and does not take the time to pursue a powerful soul into the River after using a Command to ensure that it is not recovering, then the Woken Dead could actually re-emerge, even more powerful then before.
Not only that, but the Commands are not fool-proof. Certain Bone Magic spells negate it's effect, and Woken Dead from Falls three or more lower then the Command are unaffected, so a Ninth Fall Woken Dead, a Wight Lord, perhaps, or a Gaunt King, would be untouched by a Third Fall Command. As such, fighting the Woken Dead is not as simple as it would seem. A Mortis needs to be able to summon defences or enough Woken Dead of their own to defend themselves, whilst carefully selecting which Command to use to combat the particular Woken Dead they are facing, or the fight could end in the Mortis being killed.
Although death is not the end for a Mortis, as they are reborn upon the reaching the Final Gate, it is something of a hazard, as they would have to grow up again before being able to fight against the Woken Dead once more. Not only that, but Woken Dead from the Sixth Fall and further down the river have an instinctive grasp of Bone Magic, one that allows them to Wake their own Dead minions or even travel into the River. And it is here that a Mortis are at their most vulnerable. The body of a Mortis is a shell, nothing more, and it is only the soul that matters. Unfortunately, it is also only the soul of a Mortis that enters the River. And should their soul be torn or destroyed by a Woken Dead whilst within the River, then they will not descend past the Final Gate and will instead be absorbed by the Styx itself.
Zarner will not make more Mortis, on principle, especially after seeing how almost half of his children have simply turned against him, but the God of the Dead mourns each Mortis taken by the River, loyal or not. It is said that his tears of grief can be heard even within the darkness of the Sixth Fall of Hell, the Dark Gods realm.
Hush now, my child. There is nothing to fear in the Dark Water. You have struggled enough. Let the River take you to Zarner's loving arms.
Anon
Come then, Accurséd filth! Call upon your legions of twisted Dead and let us see if my clean blessing of Bone Magic and Zarner's touch is stronger.
Ilanrida BoneWarper, loyal Mortis of Zarner, speaking to the Accurséd Vaendris HopeTaker.
© Joshua Binks (Paladin), Christopher Riley (Carnage) and Vanessa Vaughan (Andanin) 2002 -