he hallmark of the True necromancer is the reanimation of the dead, the transformation of an inert corpse into a fearsome minion. Certainly, we are also known for the dark nature of the Power we hold as well as the abject Terror which afflicts the peasantry upon our approach, but consider: others such as the cabalist are well-versed in magics of decay and the powers of spirit, and many professions at the Height of their power inspire trembling in the populace. In our companionship with the Walking Dead, however, we are alone in Albion's lands.

Of course, our undead companion is not a lumbering dread monstrosity suitable only for lurking in graveyards and tormenting local farmers; ours is a lumbering dread monstrosity suitable for defeating Awesome foes and manifesting the power of Arawn. This great differentiation does not happen of itself, though, and only comes with increasingly perfected knowledge of the unliving flesh. Thus we find that the wise Necromancer holds to a simple Motto:

When accompanied by Horrific Undead creatures it is best to Understand them.

While necromantic power is easily capable of rending soul from flesh and consigning enemies to despair, the essence of that power is Death, and living beings cannot long endure its presence before succumbing to that Dark Embrace. For those who would bring this Awful Power to the battlefield in defense of the lands, this presents a problem: How does one contain death without dying?

A necromantic abomination Expresses its displeasure regarding Cornwall Station's “No Pets” policy.

The solution to this problem is twofold. First, a vessel is acquired to channel the power, a Lifeless corpse being the natural choice as the very embodiment of Death. To this end the necromancer invokes the Grim Forces and summons a body from its place of rest, animating and controlling it with a continuous flow of power. Once the link between the master and the servant is forged, the full force of Darkness may be made manifest through the now-undead vessel.

"But wait," the observant will exclaim, "how does the necromancer channel the dark power to the minion in the first place without suffering, and why is that not done exclusively making the minion unnecessary?" The answer to this is the second key: The Essence of Death is channeled very slowly in small amounts, just barely enough to maintain control of the servant at close distances. While this method results in an extremely long summoning ritual, alternative methods result in an extremely short-lived summoner.

To be certain, there are elements of this arrangement which are less than ideal. The thread of power that binds the Deceased to the Reanimator is tenuous, making control of the minion imperfect and subject to slight delay; also, should the distance between master and servant become too great, the bond is broken entirely and the summoned corpse falls inert, returning to its grave. Additionally, the might of the minion is limited by the experience of the necromancer, such that the summoned one always possesses slightly less vitality than the summoner, up to the capacity that a particular frame may possess.

Note well that Death can in no way be Cheated. While the reanimated cadaver walks in the light, the physical form of the necromancer takes its place in the cold earth. Only the summoner's insubstantial shade remains, invulnerable to mortal attack but incapable of direct action upon the world. Upon release of the summoned minion, by choice or by force, the corpse is spirited back to its grave and the body of the necromancer returns to the paths of the living. Woe to the one who sends a corpse back marked with the wounds of battle, for Arawn himself will duplicate those wounds upon the reanimator's flesh in payment!

An Overview of the Walking Dead

As a general rule, the longer a corpse has lain in death's embrace the more difficult it is to summon, yet the more powerful it will be when brought to the necromancer's service. Thus the beginning of the Dread Path is found in graveyards of the recently deceased, while the end may be found in the very Underworld itself.

Let us examine the necromancer's servants each in turn.

Minor Zombie Servant
Spell Level	1
Spell	Call Minor Zombie Servant
Highest Level	2
Base Health at Highest Level	60
Type of Attack	Crushing blows
Attack Speed	3.1 seconds
Mêlée Damage at Highest Level	Approximately 0.9 DPS
Origin	At the beginning of the Necromancer's training, only the freshest of corpses may be summoned, "fresh" being a somewhat relative term. A body only recently deceased still has the mark of Life upon it and is unsuitable; typically, the body must lie in the earth for over a Week before it can be brought forth.
Lesser Zombie Servant
Spell Level	4
Spell	Call Lesser Zombie Servant
Highest Level	6
Base Health at Highest Level	150
Type of Attack	Crushing blows
Attack Speed	3.2 seconds
Mêlée Damage at Highest Level	Approximately 2.2 DPS
Origin	With a bit of practice in raising the dead, the Necromancer discovers that certain elements of the summoning ritual can be altered. In this way, a more powerful Zombie is brought forth from a corpse slightly older (yet still "fresh" enough to retain the characteristic zombie look and smell).
Zombie Servant
Spell Level	7
Spell	Call Zombie Servant
Highest Level	10
Base Health at Highest Level	240
Type of Attack	Crushing blows
Attack Speed	3.2 seconds
Mêlée Damage at Highest Level	Approximately 3.6 DPS
Origin	The summoning ritual is eventually perfected by the Apprentice, at which point any Contemporary cemetery can provide a complete company of cadaverous conscripts. Yet this accomplishment hints at a future challenge, for no commonly-buried body has the potency to rise as more than a zombie.
Reanimated Necroservant
Spell Level	12
Spell	Call Reanimated Servant
Highest Level	17
Base Health at Highest Level	420
Type of Attack	Crushing blows
Attack Speed	3.2 seconds
Mêlée Damage at Highest Level	Approximately 6.2 DPS
Origin	When even the strongest zombie is inadequate for the summoner's needs, where does one Turn for greater power? The ancient crypts of the land, for entombed therein are bodies rich with Death's force. Crafting a new spell, the necromancer reanimates a servant far more frightful than a mere zombie.
Necroservant
Spell Level	20
Spell	Call Necroservant
Highest Level	28
Base Health at Highest Level	780
Type of Attack	Crushing blows
Attack Speed	3.2 seconds
Mêlée Damage at Highest Level	Approximately 10.2 DPS
Origin	Even the dead from ancient tombs have limits, despite their undoubted power. The Adept of Arawn requires something more: the grim energy of Long Interment amplified by Violent Death. The summoning ritual is modified, and fallen Roman legionnaires rise up from their forgotten battlefields eager to repay their slaughter.
Greater Necroservant
Spell Level	32
Spell	Call Greater Necroservant
Highest Level	39
Base Health at Highest Level	1230
Type of Attack	Crushing blows
Attack Speed	3.1 seconds
Mêlée Damage at Highest Level	Approximately 14.2 DPS
Origin	Who were they? History does not say... but when the experienced necromancer has called up the Mightiest of the fallen Romans, the awareness of a presence much older and fiercer grows in the summoner's mind until, with a seemingly trivial change in the ritual, a forgotten race's lich walks the world once again.
Abomination
Spell Level	45
Spell	Call Abomination
Highest Level	44
Base Health at Highest Level	1320
Type of Attack	Slashing cuts
Attack Speed	5.3 seconds
Mêlée Damage at Highest Level	Approximately 20.0 DPS
Origin	There are souls which have been dead since before the first City sheltered cowering man from the lightning; in the fathomless Underworld they are the guardians and the gatekeepers. A necromancer at the height of learning can dare to call upon these ancient dead, for they will heed Arawn's bidding to work the summoner's will.

Be ever mindful that there are places in the world which possess a magical nature of their own, for such can weaken (or indeed completely negate) through the manifestation of their own power that binding link between the necromancer and the undead. In these places the minion may become unresponsive, or may seek to remove itself from the area, or may simply be banished back to the grave. But hold! If you think that these places are those that the uninitiated call holy, the churches and temples and sacred groves, then you do not comprehend the Truth of Arawn; these vortices of power are hearthstones and thresholds, doorways and bridges, and their magic antedates any Cathedral built by mortal hands.

[Translator's Note: Marginal notes of a mathematical nature seemed to indicate a Pattern to be found among the abilities of the various necromantic minions. Although many of the references are obscure, I provide for further Pondering a translated formulaic summary. – B]