A Treatise On Death
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
Title: A Treatise on Death
Author: Dyson
As i know them, there are three (3) distinct types of Death. These are Common Death, True Death, and Undeath. I refer to these as the Triumvirate of Unlife, but other names undoubtably exist.
Undeath is when a Britannian's body is animated with a form of 'life' by dark magic, either from a mortal wizard or by the inherent evil of the Dungeons. (this form of animation supports my theory of LandScape Sentience, discussed in another Treatise)
An Undead construct is merely the sum of its parts; an abulatory corpse. They have no mind to speak of, and display only the simplest of battle expertise.
Common Death occurs when a human dies and does not pass on the True Death. If he has buisness unfinished (often the case with Death by Violence) their spirit remains, taking the semblence of life.
They are the parrallel of the Undead, a mind without a body. Their condition is imperfect, however, and they will 'decay' towards True Death, their mind losing power, unless they manage the force of will to form a new body in a relatively short time.
True Death occurs when a Britannian Dies naturally, or when they cannot muster the will required to remain on our plane as Ghosts.
It is the most complete of all Deaths; the body decays and the spirit flees to dimensions unknown. Though tramatic for the departed's loved ones, it has little or no effect on the world as a whole.
Abberations - Liches
Liches are a specialized type of Undead- They differ in that they retain a small portion of their minds. The part is very specific- Liches are capable of casting the spells they did in life. I theorize that they are animated by a slightly different type on Necromantic energy than the common dead, and that this energy stimualtes the neurological pathways once used for magic within the dead mage's brain.
This may also be reason for a Liche's ability to use spells without the reagents they required in life. Liches, however, have been documented to take magickal items and regeants from their victems, but this is probably just an undying compulsion to collect objects of enchantment, a residual effect of the re-awakening neural pathways.
This leads to a possible explaination of Mordread, the late Liche Lord. Unlike the other Liches, he was reported to retain complete memory, though his emotions had been 'abridged,' boiling down to Hate, Obsession, and Love. It stands to reason that he was simply a Liche of exeptional Will, but it still did not solve the case of his consciousness.
The only other 'altered' liche i know of (not including Wrong's supposed 'Black Liche') is Relvinian. Though he is a normal liche in all respects, he periodically regenerates ever time he is slain.I have no reasons for this; i can only theorize that some lingering enchantment around his estate periodically 'resurrects' him.
This concludes my Treatise. Perhaps you can find some use for this knowledge, if so, thou art welcome. If not, you have my envy.
Good day, and fare well.