Undeath

Undeath is a state the one enters in when their body has died but continues to house and be animated by either the soul of the person who has died or by the will of a powerful spellcaster or individual. More often than not, this leads to a variety of conditions that spider out in a number of subtypes such as zombies, skeletons, wraiths etc.

Transmission & Vectors

Undeath can be achieved in a number of ways, but the main two forms of the condition are known as Bound and Unbound Undeath.

• Bound Undeath: Bound Undead are Undead whose souls are not present within their own bodies, animated by a higher power such as a wizard casting a spell to raise them in a puppet-like constructed form. They do not have wills of their own and are often saddled with orders or a specific purpose by their maker, only keeping to that single command. Undead of this form tend to make up the bulk of armies under necromancers or clerics of death gods, but are mindless and have little true will or choice beyond the control of their masters.
• Unbound Undeath: Unbound Undead are conscious Undead whose souls or fragments of their souls are still attached to their body via some sort of ritual, tragedy, or other occurrence that causes the soul to refuse to move on. These are usually creatures such as Wraiths, Revenants, Ghosts, and other spectral entities, and some may have conditions that can be met to set their soul free and beyond. Other times, these sorts of undead can be created through special rituals or rites such as mummification, lichdom, servitude in the post-mordem, and swearing to certain gods or entities.

Causes

• Vampire Bite: A vampire is a special undead that can transmute its own condition to others by biting them and infusing their venom into the victim, causing a slow three-day transformation that changes the victim's physical and magical biology. They become capable of feeding directly off of the life-force of those whose blood they consume, unable to eat other foods as they are considered dead and they can only feed on the living.
• Rites of Undeath: Ritualistic transformation into undead is also an avenue of taking on the condition, using rites such as Lichdom to infuse your body into an object, Mummification to infuse pieces of your soul into a number of your own body parts, Post-mordem Servitude to protect temples or graves of sacred orders, and swearing one's soul to certain gods or entities who see fit to grant them the power. 

Cultural Reception

Undead are incredibly feared by the common populace due to their clear affront to the natural order of life and death, as well as the use of them as armed forces or lackeys by villainous casters and other practitioners of darkness.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Divine

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Common