FA+
Shop
1417
Views
Views
51
Favorites
Favorites
Category
Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 990 x 1242
File Size 309.3 kB
Report this content
More from jodimest
OK, I'm not even done drawing the racial sheets, but after thinking up ideas for monsters and various creatures I kept gravitating towards a certain special take on the undead.
Most people expect catacombs and cemeteries in fantasy realms to be replete with hordes of determined, but stupid and flimsy undead. Boring!
Taking the opposite approach, any grave robbers and tomb raiders are more likely to come across these alchemical constructs, built to last and probably smarter than the interlopers they are designed to face. While self-maintaining to a degree, the consecrated dead are very expensive and typically kept to protect memorials, catacombs of wealthy families, and vaults.
The common perception, perpetuated by misinterpretation of scholastic literature, is that necromancy as an art is 'dead'. This is not the case. Necromancy does not exist as an official course of study because it is the union of two distinct areas of expertise: Mysticism and Alchemy.
Necromancers are rare, simply because the space of a single lifetime is often insufficient to master both mysticism and alchemy sufficiently to transform flesh and infuse it with a 'shade', or stray soul.
There are also dangers involved that can only be prevented through disciplined procedure. Souls trapped within cadavers may be malevolent, and resuscitating such a creature could create a hostile beast capable only of killing, and not the intended burden of duty.
This is also a controversial course of study, and as much danger can present itself from a superstitious population who see the undead as abominations and the process of creating them as the efforts of men to ascend to godhood.
Necromancy is not, however, playing God. It is not the creation of life, nor is it the mutilation of a soul. It is simply the art of combining a sympathetic soul with a powerful body. When all is said and done, the soul within the construct retains free will, which must be respected.
Necromancy is a hundred frustrations that culminate in a single success. It's dangerous and makes no promises, but thankfully it is a lucrative trade to be in. Admittedly, there is also reward in creating something useful out of two otherwise useless components.
Dr. Rifat Yilmaz
Lord Alchemist of Medicine
Beyazit Imperial University
Most people expect catacombs and cemeteries in fantasy realms to be replete with hordes of determined, but stupid and flimsy undead. Boring!
Taking the opposite approach, any grave robbers and tomb raiders are more likely to come across these alchemical constructs, built to last and probably smarter than the interlopers they are designed to face. While self-maintaining to a degree, the consecrated dead are very expensive and typically kept to protect memorials, catacombs of wealthy families, and vaults.
The common perception, perpetuated by misinterpretation of scholastic literature, is that necromancy as an art is 'dead'. This is not the case. Necromancy does not exist as an official course of study because it is the union of two distinct areas of expertise: Mysticism and Alchemy.
Necromancers are rare, simply because the space of a single lifetime is often insufficient to master both mysticism and alchemy sufficiently to transform flesh and infuse it with a 'shade', or stray soul.
There are also dangers involved that can only be prevented through disciplined procedure. Souls trapped within cadavers may be malevolent, and resuscitating such a creature could create a hostile beast capable only of killing, and not the intended burden of duty.
This is also a controversial course of study, and as much danger can present itself from a superstitious population who see the undead as abominations and the process of creating them as the efforts of men to ascend to godhood.
Necromancy is not, however, playing God. It is not the creation of life, nor is it the mutilation of a soul. It is simply the art of combining a sympathetic soul with a powerful body. When all is said and done, the soul within the construct retains free will, which must be respected.
Necromancy is a hundred frustrations that culminate in a single success. It's dangerous and makes no promises, but thankfully it is a lucrative trade to be in. Admittedly, there is also reward in creating something useful out of two otherwise useless components.
Dr. Rifat Yilmaz
Lord Alchemist of Medicine
Beyazit Imperial University
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 990 x 1242px
File Size 309.3 kB
It's almost tragic that the player character must occasionally face these creatures, since they're intelligent and sentient beings, but compelled by duty and society to be unyielding sentinels. Granted, anyone who tries to sneak into an aristocrat's catacombs or a monarch's treasury vault had better be there for a good reason, or else they're making a big mistake.
With maintenance and a healthy supply of... preservatives, these guys can live for quite a long time. They're often intelligent enough to learn the complex duties of maintaining themselves, and there are even a few that are capable of making more undead warriors. In short, they are closer to Frankenstein's monster than your garden variety zombie-- imbued with intelligence and sentience, but with a somewhat skewed view towards people due to their perception as monsters.
Comments