Until the Fifth Age and the coming of the gods, undeath was unknown on Aedra. Those passing from this mortal coil moved on, destination unknown. But as the invisible shadows of those great beings were cast on Aedra, not all those that died departed.
Stories of the recently dead returning to continue on with their lives became commonplace: Farmer John returning from the grave to plow his fields; Baron Frederick von Hemlut waking to find his dead lover, the Contessa of Kennevik lying beside him; and notorious criminal Mark the Black still squirming in the noose two days after his execution.
Of course, beating death wasn’t as easy as that.
The walking dead quickly discovered they weren’t welcome among the land of the living, or the planet itself. As the days passed during their ‘second’ life, the undead became progressively more buoyant until they began to rise from the ground. Mark the Black was found dangling above the gallows, the hangman’s noose still around his neck. The Baron awoke to find his lover standing on the ceiling of his bedroom, her tears falling on his face. Poor Farmer John was last seen as a small speck in the sky before he disappeared into a cloud.
The unliving can provoke fear and dread, but also of hope. Hope of surviving the grave. Hope of seeing a loved one again. This internal conflict has prevented societies from taking concerted efforts to prevent their dead from returning.
Repulsion
There are ways to counter the planet’s repulsion of undead.
Cannibalism
The most direct and heinous method is to devour the living flesh of a creature equivalent in race and gender. Through cannibalism, the aura of undeath can be masked for a temporary period of time. The victim has to be alive or very recently alive, and of the same race, size, and gender as the undead assailant or it will not fool Aedra. Only the deranged, psychotic, or desperate are willing to become such monsters.
Inversion
The second method is to choose to live upside down. While seemingly easier than the first method, it can be quite difficult. Most civilizations find the living dead detestable and threatening, and will not idly let them exist nearby. Holy orders have risen in the sole quest to eradicate unlife and will actively hunt undead down. It is not unknown, however, for powerful families to hide upside down living chambers in mausoleums, on the off chance a family member does rise from the dead.
Profane Magic
The third method requires the presence of power magic. Certain locations can be infused with profane energies that negate the repulsive forces that affect undead. As long as they are within the confines of such an area, they are safe. However, such magics are difficult to cast and with great cost. Undead are generally required to swear eternal loyalty and servitude to the landlord in exchange for admittance.
Ballast
The fourth way, and most crude, is to simply add weight to the body to keep it on the ground. Heavy chains and shackles with balls of iron are common. Some undead with martial backgrounds use heavy body armor as a counterweight, and perhaps a method to hide their unliving status. Most undead find these constraints very uncomfortable, or even painful, and can endure it only a few years.
Unlife Cycle
Rebirth
All lifeforms the size of a rat or larger can rise from the dead.
As long as the body and head of a creature hasn’t been burnt, dissolved, eaten, or destroyed in a similar fashion, reanimation is possible. Limbs or body parts that have been destroyed prior to rebirth do not regrow, but dismembered pieces, regardless of the distance, will attempt to crawl back to their owner.
Reanimation times can vary. Some creatures have returned in mere minutes while others were dead for days. The is no recognizable pattern.
They retain all memories of their previous life and are capable of the full range of emotions as living men.
Unliving
Undead do not need to breathe, drink, or sleep. They do not suffer from fatigue and are immune to poison, disease, and cold. Food, however, is always a concern.
Undead need meat to maintain their flesh. It doesn’t matter what kind of meat as long as it’s fresh. Meat of creatures similar to themselves have the added benefit of masking their undead nature from Aedra.
An undead starved of food cannot heal wounds and will slowly wither away until little appearing little more than a dessicated corpse. Undead in this state or slow and weak and fixated on their hunger. They are also highly susceptible to the repulsive effect of the planet.
It is possible for undead to enter a torpor state when food is unavailable. This state can be maintained for years, even centuries in some case.
True death
They only way to permanently kill an undead creature is to destroy its head or detach the head from its body. Even if its body receives so much damage it is completely incapacitated, the undead will live on, incapable of feeding or healing the damage.
Necropoli
In locations all across the world are large underground and upside down cities specifically made to house the living dead. They have many names but are generally known as the necropoli, cities of the dead.
Each necropolis is ruled by a powerful being or group of beings, such as necromancers, unholy churches, demons and demigods. They employ servants that scour the countryside and advertise their city’s location to nearby undead. Undeath is often a lonely and dangerous existence, and the whispers of safety and company of one’s own kind can be tempting, especially to the newly reborn. Those incapable of preying upon the living, and those just bad at it may heed the invitations and make their way to the entrance of a necropolis. But passage is almost always one-way.
Necropoli are built to serve a function and the undead that inhabit them are put to work. Often this work is menial and hard and unending. Fingers literally worked to the bone. And it is here in these dark cities that undead learn the true horror of their existence, their negative weight never stops increasing. Every year they find it a little harder to take another step, every decade their back hunched a little more, every century their eyes cast down even further.
To alleviate this misery, necropoli employ hunters to collect fresh meat for their citizens. Woe to the villagers that find themselves on these hunters’ quota lists. This meat is the currency of necropoli and feed day the fixation of all their citizens.
Being chosen a hunter is a great honor and coveted position. A hunter that fails to meet his or her quota might find themselves demoted back to manual labor. For this reason, necropolis hunters can be very persistent and ruthless in their tasks.
Feast of the Dead
Once every five to seven years an ethereal dark pocket plane, called the Shadowfell, aligns with the real world with severe consequences. For up to three days these planes remain in contact and the real world takes on a dark sinister tone. Light dims and shadows lengthen. The air grows cold and mists envelop the world. But most importantly, the undead can walk freely.
It is called the Feast of the Dead. It is a day the living dread and the unliving live for.
Customs vary per culture, but there is a common theme among all of them. When the Feast of the Dead approaches, the living will cook a great feast to be left for the dead to eat. It is a symbolic offering in hopes of a symbolic gesture being made in return. If the undead choose to sit at the table and eat the food, it means they bear no ill will towards the town or village. The living may come out and greet their ancestors. If, however, the food is declined, then the townsfolk must remain on guard for the undead intend to feast upon living instead.
Generally, the unliving will not congregate in such sizes as to pose an overwhelming danger to human settlements, unless very small and isolated. The real danger are to those regions near an undead necropolis. The unliving imprisoned within these cities will howl every nights, longing to be free of their shackles. If the gates are battered down during this time, hundreds if not thousands of undead might disgorge into the countryside, craving living flesh and a chance of freedom.
The ensuing carnage from these rare events are the stuff of nightmares.
Creatures that die during this time have a much greater chance of reanimating. Suicides are common.
The Endless
How an individual reacts to undeath can vary greatly, and usually is a reflection of who they were in life. To many, they wonder what their purpose is, now that they are no longer members of the living.
One particularly ideology is so prevalent that an Order has formed around it: The Endless.
The Endless believe their return from the grave is not a poignant shift in their lives, but a glorious one. They must have come back for some important purpose, not mere chance. They are not cursed. The are the chosen.
Members of this cult actively seek out new undead to recruit into their society. It is not an easy task. Recruiters, known as harbingers, are harassed by the living and many undead are hostile upon contact. They often are forced to destroy those that do not convert.
Those recruited become acolytes and are moved into positions to maximize their potential as immortal beings. Many learn or perfect the trades they practiced in life: smiths, carpenters, weavers, musicians, artists, locksmiths, and poets; all having eternity to perfect their skills.
A few societies recognize the Order and allow their members to co-exist alongside the living, and many others are willing to ignore its existence as long as they keep their activities out of sight. Regardless legal status, Endless are often sought by hopeful students and the rich seeking to purchase superior goods.
Endless are bound by the same limitation all undead have including weight. They deal with it as they must, but refrain from devouring the living when at all possible.
Mirrorworld 