Here-in contains sections from the educational training of the Royal Court of Magicians and the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the Most High, concerning the Dark Magic of the Undead.

 

The Dark Magic of the Undead comes from the Fallen Ones, identified in the Sacred Writings of the Elves as the Circle of Kings and their Legions.  They are demonic beings who used to be members of the Ancient Stewards.  Their dwelling place is the Land of Shadows, far below the surface in places where no sunlight ever shines, and fire a smoke from the belly of the earth fill the air. Their now horrid bodies (for they were once beautiful) exist in a parallel dimension, and though they may gaze upon the Land of the Living, the Peoples of the World cannot see them. Thus they are sometimes called the Invisible Ones, or the Shadow Lords.

 

Concerning the Practice and Study of the Dark Magic of the Undead

 

The practice of the Dark Magic of the Undead by any citizen of D'nashk Re'at is forbidden by the Common Law, punishable by banishment and loss of citizenship.

 

The study of the Dark Magic of the Undead shall only be allowed to students of the Royal Court of Magicians and members of the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the Most High, and only for the purpose of basic understanding and development of defense strategies on behalf of the Royal Family and all other citizens of D'nashk Re'at.

 

Concerning the History and Future of the Dark Magic of the Undead

 

The Dark Magic of the Undead was given to the Circle of Kings and their Legions by the Most High when they were banished from the Throne Room at the beginning of the Second Age.  The Most High gave this power to the Circle of Kings because the Peoples of the Known World had chosen them to be their "gods", and this Dark Magic enables them to act as such. 

 

According to prophecies in the Sacred Writings of the Elves, a day will come when a future leader who will be a Prophet, Priest and King shall establish the Kingdom of Summer that will stretch from one end of the Known World to the other, and in that day the Dark Magic of the Undead will forever lose its power and influence over the Land of the Living.

 

Concerning the Properties and Nature of the Dark Magic of the Undead

 

It is important for the student of the Knowledge of the Most High and the Magic of Nature to understand that the Dark Magic of the Undead is unnatural, limited and temporary.  While the Magic of Nature enables conscious beings to fulfill their destiny as Stewards of creation according to the character and will of the Most High, the Dark Magic of the Undead represents the corrupt will of individuals who are bending creation in ways that are contrary to the Most High's wisdom. This bending always produces corrupt, infectious and decaying results on anything and anyone it touches.

 

The Dark Magic of the Undead, in most cases, comes from a connection to a member of the Fallen Ones. Even if that member cannot directly influence the properties of the Land of the Living on its own,  it is still a conduit of power to its Agents of Darkness who operate in the Land of the Living.  The one exception to this is the Infectious Disease of the Undead that comes from Zombies and Ghouls - this appears to be a cursed, biological pathogen that can operate on its own without a direct connection to a Fallen One, and the creatures who are bound to it have a different nature than the other Agents of Darkness.

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Concerning the Use of Summons

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Here the Student of the Knowledge of the Most High should recognize that a Summons under the Magic of Nature is different in characteristic to a Summons under the Dark Magic of the Undead.

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Summons under the Magic of Nature comes in two forms, a Crystal Summons and a Ring Summons.

 

A Crystal Summons calls upon the cosmos with authority granted from the Most High, and a portal opens for the summoned to freely walk through (the subject being called has a choice to respond, should a portal open for them). The portal location is based upon two sections of a crystal that has been carefully divided in two, and are then used to reach across space and link the holders of the crystal pieces together. Because the Cosmos itself is managing the portal, the summons will continue until complete even if the original spell caster falls in battle.

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A Ring Summons is used exclusively to call a Giant Eagle for assistance, and the one who wears the Ring will be able to communicate with the Eagle.  Unlike the Crystal Summons, no portal is opened, and the one who called must wait until the Eagle arrives on its own.

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Summons under the Dark Magic of the Undead requires a dark rune circle and a sacrifice to carry out the summons, and the summoned target is snatched without consent, usually resulting in great irritation.  The sacrifice used to open the portal is consumed in a grotesque blue flame, leaving only a skeleton behind. Because the summons is bound to the corrupt will of the original spell caster, the portal will close if the spell caster falls in battle.

 

Concerning Defense Strategies against Agents of Darkness

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Creatures From the First Age:
There are many great and wild beasts that came into being before the Second Age, and were not created by the Circle of Kings and the Dark Magic of the Undead.  These creatures were created by the Most High to display his glory and majesty.  The Ancient Giants are mysterious Titans who are not influenced by anyone and in general will keep to themselves.  The Dragons, however, have been approached by the Circle of Kings, and one Red Dragon named Ashardalon agreed to rule over and train the Monster Races on behalf  of the Fallen Ones.  With power granted from the Dark Magic of the Undead, Ashardalon has either enlisted or killed most of the other Dragons. There are some who have rejected him and fled to more remote places of the world, or have transformed and hidden themselves among the Peoples of the Known World.  Normal Dragons can be defeated with non-magical means, but their scales are resistant to most weapons. The exception is the Dragon Slayer Arrow, which is quite large and designed to slip/penetrate between the scales, and requires a mounted crossbow to effectively deliver. In most circumstances, magic weapons are the preferred strategy.  Dragons empowered by the Dark Magic of the Undead are much more difficult to defeat, and require both magical melee and great strength from the Most High to subdue.

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The Monster Races:

Though the Monster Races (the Orcs, Goblins, Duergars, Kobolds, Yuan-Ti, Bugbears, Hobgoblins, the Lesser Giants and Trolls) were created with Dark Magic, and are under its influence, they typically can be defeated with normal (non-magical) combat. Through many years of harsh training they have become organized soldiers, ready to fight at their master's commands.  But, they are filled with rage and hatred and will turn on each other if not controlled by a heavy hand. Thus, in most cases it is sufficient to defeat the Commanders and their minion soldiers will eventually scatter.

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The Disease of the Undead:

Creatures infected with the Disease of the Undead (for example: Zombies and Ghouls) can be described as ravenous bodies without souls. They are mostly mindless and motivated by hunger.  As such, they typically are not deployed by the Fallen Ones as organized soldiers, but instead are used as an uncontrollable plague to destroy all life within a region.  Then, even the Agents of Darkness have to sweep through and cleanse the land with fire before they can occupy the area.  Under no circumstance should anyone touch water that has been contaminated with an infected creature.  Receiving wounds during combat or touching infected water without immediate treatment will result in death and the body of the victim will become the Undead.

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Animated Creatures:

Creatures that are animated by an evil spirit are difficult to destroy.  For example, Skeleton Warriors have a similar nature to Golems and the Dracolich - none of their physical body is alive and indeed its components are not held together by natural means. Rather, it is by the power of the evil spirit that it's members are gathered and woven.  Thus, while it may be helpful during a fight to dismember an animated opponent to slow it down, such damage does not separate the evil spirit from its physical "anchor". Given time, it will slowly draw those members back together like metal drawn to a magnet.   Thus a more permanent magical solution is required to completely separate the evil spirit from its anchor. However, sometimes scattering the creature so it cannot be drawn back together is the only strategy that is available.

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Evil Spirits and Demonic Beasts:

Some Agents of Darkness do not have physical bodies at all, or do not have bodies that exist in the same dimension as the Land of the Living.  Their power is such that they can effect this dimension directly. Such creatures cannot be attacked with normal weapons and require a magical weapon or spell.  An exception are Demonic creatures who have crafted new bodies and crossed over into the Land of the Living from the dimension of Shadows.  In that case, they can receive both magical and normal damage, but typically they exude fire and smoke from their flesh making it difficult to engage in hand-to-hand combat without receiving terrible burns, and many weapons will ruin because of the heat and flame.   Thus, ranged, magical combat is the preferred strategy.

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Demon Possessed:

All persons who practice the Dark Magic of the Undead (warlocks, wizards, witches, mystic priesthoods, etc...) expose themselves to direct influence by members of the Fallen Ones, and some become completely possessed. Such people are doomed to carry out the will of the Fallen Ones upon the Land of the Living. It is possible to defeat such an enemy with normal combat, though some who are powerful in the Dark Magic of the Undead may require magical means to subdue. It is also possible to perform exorcism to drive the evil spirit away and rescue the host from their nightmare of madness and slavery. 

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A Note: Petitions of complaint have reached the Elders of the Kingdom, the Royal Court of Magicians and the Royal Family concerning the unjust treatment and execution of falsely accused witches - a common practice among the other kingdoms of the world. Breeta, Joint Head Practitioner of the Royal Court of Magicians herself has made appeals to the Royal Family when reports started coming in from remote villages, and even some of the established larger towns, of unauthorized public witch trials and executions.   Her argument was accepted by the highest authorities, as she pointed out that accusations alone cannot justify capital punishment, that the Royal Court of Magicians are much more qualified to determine the presence of Dark Magic, and even if someone is found guilty, the Common Law as inspired through Fulskatar the Great and Queen Ree'an the Wise forbids the use of torture and hands down the maximum punishment of banishment - not execution. Only in cases where the citizens of the kingdom are being openly attacked and a counter attack is needed to save lives should deadly force be used.

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Shape-Shifters and the Curse of the Undead:

A Note: The student of the Knowledge of the Most High should recognize that there is a difference between those who deploy magic to temporarily shift into other forms, from those who are classified as Shape-Shifters. Indeed, even the Magic of Nature allows some to shift into the form of a hawk, a fox, or various other beasts for long distance travel, or for education concerning the ways of animals.

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The category of Shape-Shifter is difficult to describe, as each creature has its own properties. As a group, they share some characteristics with the Disease of the Undead, but they are not converted into mindless corpses without souls. Rather, they are still alive and conscious. For this reason it is more accurate to call it the Curse of the Undead.  This curse is a part of their blood and is spiritual in nature. While it is not accurate to describe Shape-Shiters as being possessed by an evil spirit, instead it is the infected blood inside of them that is possessed, providing great physical strength and allowing regeneration of the flesh.  But it also results in profound hunger for more blood that can drive the host mad.  And they are infectious - receiving non-fatal wounds from one of these creatures will result in slow transformation into a Shape-Shifter. 

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Most scholars agree that the Werebear should not be classified as evil, though they are quite dangerous if their territory is threatened or they are hunting. No one has ever seen a werebear under the control of an evil commander, for they are wild and prefer to keep to themselves.  Their thirst for blood is satisfied with hunting other animals, so if left alone they do not pose a series threat to other people.  None-the-less, if combat is unavoidable, they can be defeated with normal weapons, as long as their thick outer layer of fat, hide and fur can be penetrated.  While they do regenerate, regeneration will stop upon death.

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The Wereboar are evil and are often employed as Captains over other Monster Soldiers, or Mercenaries. They are passionate fighters, but they can be defeated with normal combat.  While they do regenerate, regeneration will stop upon death.

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The Werewolf is often a tormented soul.  It is difficult to tame this creature, but many have been tamed by Vampires. Most cannot control themselves when the full moon shines and their hunger for blood overwhelms them.  But there are some who have disciplined themselves to change at-will. The werewolf can be attacked with normal weapons, but it regenerates rapidly, sometimes so fast that every blow is immediately healed.  This makes it quite difficult to engage in hand-to-hand combat.  But weapons made of silver will cause wounds that do not regenerate. Therefore arrows, hammers and blades made of silver are the best strategy.

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The Vampire is the most powerful of the Shape-Shifters. While all the other Shape-Shifters have bodies that are alive, the Vampire's body is not. In some ways they are like animated creatures, for even if they are defeated in combat and dismembered, their bodies can be reassembled and reanimated with blood.  But unlike the other animated creatures, they are not animated by a foreign spirit - they are self-animated by their own dark souls.  

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A Vampire blood line is started with Dark Magic Ritual, and the first is called the Master. After that, the Master can create many other minion vampires by exchanging blood with it's victims.  These other vampires are slaves to the Master and cannot resist it's will. The minions can be defeated and destroyed with proper strategy, but there is no known permanent solution for separating the soul of the Master Vampire from its physical anchor. They can be reassembled and reanimated with fresh blood, even hundreds of years later.

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Vampires can shift into many forms, including a wolf, a large raven, a swarm of bats, or even just a mist. They often use this technique to travel distances or to retreat if they are loosing a battle.  Like werewolves, they regenerate rapidly if they consume fresh blood. And, like the werewolf, they have a weakness that will slow down the regeneration - fresh wooden stakes.

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While some cannot endure direct sunlight, others have found ways to overcome this weakness.  Vampires will not enter a house unless invited. All can be kept at a distance by holding up a religious symbol that represents the Most High, as long as it is wielded by a genuine follower.  This is due to an Authority granted by the Omen of the Most High in that moment, and a local manifestation of the Most High's Presence.

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The Master Vampire must have a coffin or a tomb somewhere that has soil from it's original burial place, or the place where it was created through Dark Magic Ritual. It must return periodically to rest and regenerate completely.  To deny the creature it's soil and resting place will not cause destruction, but it will cause the creature to remain weak and miserable, significantly reducing it's aggressive behavior towards other victims.  But given that they do not die of natural causes, over time they will eventually find a way to create a new resting place, even with new soil that has been re-enchanted with Dark Magic.

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The proper strategy against a minion vampire, after defeating it with magical or natural combat, is to drive a stake into its heart (to suspend the regeneration process), and remove the head.

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The only long term strategy against the Master Vampire is to weaken it in battle (preferably with magic means) and cause it to return to it's current resting place.  Then pursue it and drive a wooden stake into it's heart (to suspend the regeneration process), then remove it's head and find a hidden tomb as far away as possible (many hundreds of miles), to lock it away in darkness.  However, this is not a permanent solution, for the evil soul of the Vampire will work it's way into the dreams of those who practice Dark Magic, and will eventually find willing servants to retrieve the head and bring it back to the body for re-animation. Thus, a multi-generational Secret Society of Guardians is the only long term solution to keeping a Master Vampire down for many generations - until the day when the Kingdom of Summer covers the Known World and the Dark Magic of the Undead is removed from the Land of the Living forever. 

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