Undead

I've been hiding things from you. I shouldn't have, I know that, but I just like you and I don't want you to look down on me. Soren...I died when I was six. I'm undead.

— Kadrisa Lrevgm

It is an unavoidable fact of life in Avanima. Sometimes, birds die. Whether it comes as a result of disease, starvation, old age, or combat, Avani frequently face tragedies as their friends or loved ones move on into whatever awaits them in the afterlife. Usually, death is permanent. The Undead result from when it isn't.
Undead are any birdfolk or animals brought back to life through a method other than Light Magic, usually as a result of necromancy. Sometimes they are returned as a result of natural forces at play, other times they are brought back by an Avani magician. Regardless of the source, becoming undead has numerous negative side effects and comes with a serious stigma. Those who are undead will often do everything in their power to hide their true nature and frequently search desperately for resurrection. They are vulnerable to certain spells and religious rituals.

Transmission & Vectors

The Undead are almost exclusively created through the deliberate art of necromancy, though they can also result from dying in certain cursed locations or magical conditions where dark magic is highly concentrated. This most commonly occurs in humid locations. It is a result of dark magic's corruptive effects on the normal world. Some can even be born with the curse that they will become undead when they die. It was also recently discovered, due to events that transpired to the young Kadrisa Lrevgm, that it can also occur to individuals with deep intrinsic connections to Dark Magic.

Symptoms

Most undead, especially to the average citizen, are difficult to pick out from living birdfolk. They usually look like their former selves, act like their former selves, and have most of the same skills and knowledge. However, depending on how long it has been since their death, they can sometimes suffer from mental degradation and changes in personality from their living selves.
Being undead has a number of side-effects. For one, they are abnormally susceptible to Soul Sickness, though they cannot turn into Apogees without outside magical interference. Affected individuals will occasionally ooze or drip a similar substance to what Apogees are made of. Their bodies glow slightly in the moonlight, and when being affected by or using powerful spells their entire bodies, except their skeleton, will become slightly transparent. Undead can also be impacted (usually negatively) by certain holy symbols, enchanted objects, and spells that have no effect on ordinary avani. Certain conditions and spells will reveal their Astral form, which often shows the traits of how they died and clearly reflects the fact that they are undead. Some undead are also known to suffer from brittle bones, low stamina, mental trauma, and other physical health issues. Especially for those who were brought back long after their death, they will often be in constant pain. They often shiver and shake even in warm weather.

Treatment

There is only one true treatment for their condition: a full resurrection and restoration. Using Light magic of the Healing domain, certain magicians are able to fully reintegrate the soul with the physical body and bring the individual back to life. This uses much the same process as resurrecting the dead. However, it is often more difficult because it requires reversing the magical damage inflicted upon an individual's soul as well as the damage affecting their physical body. Very few clerics are capable of doing this, and many of those that can follow religions or oaths in which the 'treatment' for undead is to destroy them. Thus, the unlucky minority of the population that suffer from being Undead rarely escape it through any method besides being re-killed.
While healing the undead is extremely difficult, there are some things that can mitigate their symptoms. Certain magical objects, medicines, and spells can control the health issues that often accompany it. Restoration spells can return portions of their often damaged souls and repair their mental health. Excluding restoration spells, many of these treatments are difficult or even illegal to purchase. Undead are often left destitute or forced to turn to crime in order to receive these treatments.

Prognosis

The Undead, in most circumstances, will eventually (over the course of a few years or even decades) deteriorate and return to death. Being repeatedly resummoned progressively worsens many of the negative mental and physical effects that the undead suffer from.

Prevention

A corpse becoming undead can never be completely prevented, but there are certain steps that can be taken to significantly decrease the likelihood of it occurring. Cremation is believed to make it more difficult on a necromancer to bring the individual back since it destroys most or all of the body. Certain spells and holy symbols can also help ward off natural magic that could cause it.

Cultural Reception

As Soren and Lazul strode through the temple entrance, Kadrisa glanced up at the ornate mahogany doors and paused. Emblazoned in gleaming golden paint was a depiction of the Brilliant Sun. The holy symbol of the Athians of Light. Even from a safe distance, the marvelous image glowed with the power of dozens of spells and wards. Her knees wobbled and her entire body began to tremble. Glancing down at her wing, she could slightly see her bones and the cobblestone pathway through her partially transparent flesh and feathers. Her feathers were a sickly shade of pale blue, and streaks of light purple and white criss-crossed her hands.
She stepped back from the door, allowing her body to return to its normal appearance. "I'll... wait outside."

While the undead are usually the unwilling victims of natural magic or a necromancer's experiments, this doesn't prevent them from facing stigma or even outright hostility. They are generally considered 'lesser' than the living: some even believe they are nothing but soulless replicas of their former self. Their repulsion to holy objects and light magic, monstrous astral form, and connection to dark magic does them no favors. Many religions codify that their magicians have a moral duty to shun the undead, while some go so far as to declare that undead should be destroyed through certain magical rituals and spells.
Governments usually turn a blind eye to this magical violence, even if they officially condemn it, and the undead have few other legal protections. It is not uncommon for birdfolk to wear wards and symbols that protect them against the undead, or to place spells upon their homes and businesses that prevent undead from entering. The undead usually try to conceal their condition and tell as few birdfolk as possible; however, spells and medicines that help the undead cope with their condition are often heavily taxed, restricted, or even outright illegal.

Type

Divine

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Rare

Affected Species

• Avani