Necromancy

Necromancy is one of the twelve schools of magic that are practiced on Phaldorya. According to the guidelines of the Mages' conclave, all wizards and magicians accept to learn and focus on one specialty only. A wizard that explores all the paths of his school, often, will be able to achieve much more than the typical spells of that career. Necromancers are strongly focused in the exploration of magic powers that allow to contact the plane of negative energy, as well as everything that allows to command, speak and recall creatures that have gone beyond the final frontier of death. They can speak with creatures who died recently, absorb vital energy from a living creature, speak with inhabitants of the plane on negative energy. A powerful necromancer can create undead creatures from remains of dead ones, although some application of this magic may attract the attention of the Inquisition..

The seven known circles and typical spells

Cantrips

The most basic level of magic knowledge aren't even classified in a circle, controlling a small quantity of magical energy the caster will be able to achieve a simple effect. Typical necromancers' cantrips are Read Magic, Bleed, Arcane Mark, Disrupt Undead, Touch of Fatigue and other similar applications.

First circle

With a small amount of practice and concentration a wizard will be able to control enough magical power to cast simple spells such as Cause Fear, Chill Touch and Ray of Enfeeblement.

Second Circle

As the ability of casters to tap into the magic energy increases the effects produced by their spells becomes more significant. Typical spells of the second circle are Blindness/Deafness, Command Undead, False Life, Ghoul Touch, Scare and Spectral Hand.

Third Circle

Accessing the third circle of power Necromancers become able to control sufficient magic power to preserve bodies from decomposition and absorb vital energy from an opponent. Enchantments in this circle comprise Gentle Repose, Halt Undead, Ray of Exhaustion and Vampiric Touch.

Fourth Circle

Acquiring the control of the fourth circle of power allows a necromancer to create undead creatures from the remains of dead ones. Furthermore, will allow them to weaken their opponents even more using spells such as Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Contagion, Enervation and Fear.

Fifth Circle

The fifth circle grants the ability to give permanent effects to spells, furthermore the caster gains skills to possess another living creature and create runes to induce excruciating pain in the reader. The list of spells includes Blight, Magic Jar, Symbol of Pain, Waves of Fatigue and Permanency.

Sixth Circle

The sixth circle of power consents casters to generate more powerful undead creatures from mortal rests of other creatures. The spells in this circle include Circle of Death, Create Undead, Eyebite, Symbol of Fear and Undeath to Death.

Seventh Circle

The seventh circle is the most powerful re-descovered so far, the necromancers are able to control undead and kill creatures just by indicating them with their finger. Spells in this circle comprise Control Undead, Finger of Death, Symbol of Weakness and Waves of Exhaustion.

Access & Availability

A wannabe magician, who wants to learn the ways of Necromancy, has first to pass the test to get admitted as a student in the Obsidian Tower of Jennah Silana, that looms over the Field of Peace. This is the most recent between the traditional schools of magic in the continent, only the elemental school were authorized later, and the opportunity of allowing the study of this magical arguments was disputed at length in the conclave, eventually the Conference of Virkenhall established that, opening it, would have granted a better control of wizards wanting to explore a potentially dangerous path, surprisingly enough the final support was granted by the master of the Abjurators. There are other systems available to learn the use of necromantic magic but those are dark and dangerous paths, especially for a beginner, and the Inquisition punishes severely who gets discovered in the illegal, and immoral, pursuit of magic knowledge.

Discovery

Necromancy is, equally to the other magic disciplines, as old as time, before the Great War of the Mages it was common for wizards to cast very complicate spells and control vast amounts of magical energy. Although, the conflagration permanently changed the aspect of Phaldorya and lot of the knowledge of magic was lost and had to be researched anew, presently seven circles of magic power can be controlled by the most powerful magicians. The legends give account of the exhistence of twelve circles of magic, even if there may be more.