Necromancer

Summary

Necromancy stands as a complicated matter, both as a profession and as a source of study. It is ostensibly an off-shoot of magery in that it pertains to magical arts. However, the root of being a necromancer is "interacting with the dead and deceased". In some cultures this encompasses funeral rites and entombing the dead, while in others its strictly in a profane context.
The fundamental act itself is not inherently good or evil; it is the context of what is happening. One woman's priestess is another's reprehensible heathen, for example. However, it is difficult to deny that most necromancers who survive are often of malicious intent. Those who are not usually hide or rebrand themselves, distancing from the idea of 'defiling the dead'. As such it is difficult to speak of necromancers without this fundamental bias of 'they are inherently evil'.
To speak of their actual abilities, however, one must step into the uncertain world of souls. All sorts of goddesses and gods claim ownership over their faithful (or otherwise), reaping their souls into their domains. Once claimed, they are often outside the reach of necromancy, unless one assaults the divinity's domain directly. Otherwise, the dying process varies exactly and how smooth or not it proceeds is often what leads to a peaceful afterlife or potentially rising as undead.
The first step to necromancy is discerning a method of communicating with souls, channeling them, and being able to bind (or unbind) them from corporeal existence. This is not a simple task, as each and every soul is unique and must be convinced to cooperate. The more one resists, the harder it is to make it to do anything. Brutal necromancers may be able to force any soul they capture to do their bidding, but it is akin to dousing one's self in oil next to a bonfire.
The slightest mistake and they will be turned to ash.
Once a talent for communing with souls is acquired, a fledgling necromancer is born. This is the fundamental basis of all necromancy, although its ambiguity may lend to blending with other magic arts. Through the mana provided, a necromancer can channel souls into deceased bodies, reanimating them into a controlled state of undeath. Unlike true Forsaken, these ones are sustained by the necromancer, not by their own willpower.
Without the supply of the necromancer, the body will eventually cease as the soul unbinds. This methodology is actually what led to a branch form of magic, called puppetry, arising in some places. While it is considered a type of necromancy, it doesn't actually interact with souls, merely using the mage's own talents in place of them.
From there, the intent of the necromancer matters more. Corporeal bodies are not required, per say, as souls can simply be brought around them as moths might to a flame. This helps in cases of communion, such as serving as a bridge between the living and the dead. Others, who aspire to some profane act or another, may bind the souls into dead bodies to create servants.
If they have found wayward or fraying souls who need help passing on, the necromancer can become a solid foundation to do so. However, to do all of this leaves one perilously close to death, and they must vigilantly guard their own soul so it does not unbind itself by accident.
To speak of anything beyond that is to delve into individual necromancers and their efforts. It can be said, however, that necromancy can be used for great or terrible deeds. Those who are willing to embrace forsaking themselves can draw upon awesome powers that others can scarce imagine.
But, so too do those who seek to lay the dead to rest become terrifying. It is rather inconvenient for nobles if someone who died suspiciously happens to spill their secrets to a necromancer. Some may say the root hatred of necromancy is that secrets, in fact, do leave the grave sometimes.
Yet for some, it is an opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime reconciliation. A peace made with the departed, so that the living may become unburdened. Such a quiet and small idea, in a vastly huge world full of powerful beings vying for control. Perhaps that is why so many seek out necromancers for this in particular; to find closure they'd never get otherwise.

Career

Qualifications

A necromancer is defined by their ability to interact with and channel the souls of the dead. This is often achieved through magical arts, but they are among the most difficult to achieve. Those with an especially sensitive connection to the dead may, technically, qualify as a kind of necromancer. However as they cannot control the channeling or invoke the dead deliberately, it is not the sort of necromancer others think of.

Career Progression

Greater internal mana and more sophisticated understanding of souls are the hallmarks of veteran necromancers. These two resources are not necessarily hard to come by--mana on one side, souls on the other. The difficulty is in connecting the two, and creating an equitable form of magic out of the resulting friction. In many ways this can be much harder than mages specialized in a singular type of magic, such as fire magic.

Perception

Purpose

Few cultures have main stream acceptance of necromancers. The most prominent of these are in Etzli Cuauhtla, Karg, and the outer fringes of Sa-kemet. There they often take on a priestess-like role, either by themselves or in service to a greater religion. Their abilities to commune with the dead bring peace that is hard to come by in their violently deadly lands. Similarly, in times of great peril the dead can be brought back to save the living one last time.

Social Status

Ostracized and criminalized the world over, many necromancers operate in secret or in the guise of another profession. Among accepting cultures, while they are often regarded with reservation, they are often celebrated. The uniqueness of their talent and the perilous difficulties that come with it are, in themselves, venerable achievements.

Demographics

By necessity necromancers are rare, in either lacking the talent or the resources to pursue study for it. It is easier to find 'necromancery adjacent' forms of magic, such as those performed in funeral rites, than necromancery proper. Depending on how the definition is widened, there may be more necromancers than one may expect.

Alternative Names

Deathspeaker; Grave Walker

Type

Arcane

Demand

Very little outside of exceptional circumstances