Necromancer

Necromancers are the masters of death's threshold, wielding forbidden magic that manipulates the boundary between life and afterlife. Their profound understanding of mortality allows them to command undead servants, drain vital essence from the living, and even temporarily restore the fallen. While physically fragile, they possess exceptional magical resistance and devastating offensive capabilities. Frequently misunderstood, Necromancers walk a complex moral path – some serve as guardians of natural death cycles, while others pursue dominion over mortality itself. Their primary stat attribute is intellect.

Soul Manipulation

The core of necromantic power lies in the manipulation of souls and life essence. Necromancers can perceive the spiritual energies that animate all living beings, allowing them to drain, transfer, or manipulate these forces. This manifests in their ability to weaken opponents by siphoning their life force, bolster allies with borrowed vitality, or even temporarily anchor a departing soul to its body. Advanced practitioners can detect souls at great distances, identify unique spiritual signatures, and even glimpse echoes of spirits long departed. The most powerful Necromancers, like Scrios of the Death Guard, can directly attack an opponent's soul, bypassing physical defenses entirely in a devastating technique known as Rapture.

Undead Command

Perhaps their most distinctive and feared ability is the power to animate and control the dead. Necromancers can raise fallen warriors to serve as guardians, summon spirits as scouts, or conjure skeletal minions from the bones of the earth itself. These undead servants vary greatly in power and autonomy, from mindless skeletons that follow simple commands to intelligent revenants capable of complex tactics. The connection between Necromancer and undead servant is deeply intimate; the caster can perceive through their minions' senses and direct them with mere thoughts. More powerful Necromancers can maintain larger undead forces, with masters like Scrios capable of opening portals to the Afterplane to summon entire armies of darkness in times of great need.

Origins

The Necromancer tradition emerged from the Afterplane, where the enigmatic Death Guard first developed techniques to manipulate the boundary between life and death. Their practices were brought to Solaris when Scrios, Lord of the Death Guard, formed an alliance with the Elyndrians during the Black Empire's rise. The craft evolved rapidly in the shadow-steeped Twilight Forest, where the proximity to the Afterplane weakened the barriers between worlds. Following the Black Empire's fall, necromantic knowledge spread to Evermore Village in the Afterplane, where ethical practitioners established the Circle of Eternal Vigil, dedicated to maintaining proper balance between life and death. Today, most Necromancers study at the Academy of Twilight Lore in the Temple District of Korbgrad City, though secretive covens still practice in the hidden corners of the Darkmire Swamp, where they continue the controversial research of manipulating the soul itself.

Magical Affinity

Necromancers demonstrate exceptional proficiency with Shadow magic, which forms the foundation of their craft. This affinity grants them power over darkness, spiritual energies, and the void between worlds. Many also develop strong connections to Nature magic, recognizing death as an integral part of the natural cycle, allowing them to harness decay and rebirth energies. Some incorporate Chaos magic to disrupt the normal flow of life and death, creating unpredictable results in their undead creations. Throughout the Afterplane, Necromancers often study Divine magic to better understand the cosmic rules governing souls, though this practice is viewed with suspicion by more traditional Divine practitioners. In recent years, particularly ambitious Necromancers have begun exploring Cie magic's potential for enhancing their undead servants with mechanical components, creating hybrid abominations that blur the line between magical and technological animation.

Notable Races

Demons make natural Necromancers, their innate connection to the Afterplane granting them unparalleled insight into death's mysteries, particularly those from the Infernal Chasm who grow up surrounded by souls in torment. Revenants excel as Necromancers, their own half-dead state providing intimate understanding of the boundary between life and afterlife, especially those who serve in Evermore Village. Solarians possess a unique approach to necromancy, applying their analytical intellect to systematize soul manipulation into a precise science at the Academy of Twilight Lore. Humans who embrace the necromantic arts often bring innovative techniques from their original timelines, with some developing entirely new schools of thought after studying under Scrios himself. Dragonkin Necromancers, while rare, are particularly formidable due to their natural longevity, allowing them to develop their craft over centuries in the isolated valleys of the World's Edge. Gorgon Necromancers from Korbgrad City have pioneered the integration of physical strength with necromantic powers, creating distinctive fighting styles that combine soul manipulation with devastating close-quarters combat.

Professional Pursuits

Necromancers naturally gravitate toward professions that complement their understanding of mortality and spiritual energy. Many become skilled Sigilists, creating intricate magical symbols that can bind, summon, or command spirits with precise parameters, a practice especially common among those trained in Korbgrad City. The Scientist's discipline attracts many Necromancers, particularly those seeking to understand the physiological aspects of death and reanimation. In the Afterplane, some serve as Bartenders in Evermore Village, brewing unique concoctions that can temporarily restore sensations to ghostly patrons. Necromancers from the Darkmire Swamp often become Enchanters, imbuing objects with spectral energies or binding helpful spirits to items. Those with political aspirations may develop as Commanders, using their undead servants as the foundation for unconventional but effective military forces. The most traditional Necromancers, especially those associated with the Death Guard, frequently become Explorers of the Afterplane's furthest reaches, mapping the territories of death and documenting the various spiritual entities that dwell there.