Necromancy

Magic has always been part of the world. We just lacked the means to fuel anything more then parlor tricks.
Once we did, we conquered Death.

— Elaine Rae, Master Nekrobiotek of the Korero-Take Republic

Necromancy is the most widely practiced school of magic in the known world. It is the science of controlling dead tissue by will and ritual, forcing cadavers to rise again or failing organs to function. With its true potential unlocked, humanity has changed the world and made an industry out of what they once feared most.

The most common title given to the necromancer in the modern day is Nekrobiotek; they are surgeons, scientists, engineers and wizards. They are feared and respected, but an integral part of human civilization.

In the Shinomas Magocracy, Nekrobioteks rule in all but name. While the warrior-noble caste hold court and pronounce edicts, it is always with a glance behind their shoulder for the approving nod of a necromancer.

Science of Death

Necromancy work by intent and will. A heart ravaged by injury or disease keeps pumping because the Necromancer wills it so and intends for the person to still live, without needing to know the specifics. But the more the necromancer knows and the more clearly they can formulate their intent, the greater their magic becomes.

The difference between apprentice and master is akin to that of a surgeon, wielding either hacksaw or scalpel.

— Elaine Rae, Master Nekrobiotek

As humanity's understanding of anatomy has progressed, Necromancy advanced along with it. Where the early Necromancers could do little more then raise the dead or the most crude of manipulation, the Necromancers of today are able to work comparative wonders.
At its core, Necromancy is performed in three steps:

Intent, where the Necromancer gathers her will and formulates the intent behind her spell: to raise the dead, to force a beating heart to decay or holding death at bay in face of mortal injury. Much of the ritual and ceremony surrounding magic exist to aid this step.
Charge is when the Necromancer gathers the energy required to fuel her spell. The power comes from the most elemental of sources: electricity. The more drastic the magic she seeks to weave, the more power her spell requires.
Execute happens once the intent, focus and power are all in place. The Necromancer unleashes the spells into the world.

Limitations

Magic obeys certain rules, and Necromancy is no different. It cannot create or transform things, only manipulate and control them. Experimentation and research have progressed Necromancy further than any other art of magic, but it remains bound by these same limitations.
The power the spell requires is increased with the complexity of the intent and scope of manipulation being attempted. There are entire coal-plants dedicated to single cabals of Nekrobioteks to fuel their spells and rituals.

Backlash

Magic is not without danger. Even simple spells requires a substantial magnitude of electricity and the Magi must channel it through themselves with little more then a steady hand and iron will. When things go wrong, as they invariably do from time to time, the Magi suffers backlash.

Backlash is when the Magi is struck by the power meant to fuel their spell. It occurs either because the Magi lost concentration, was sloppy or negligent. Skilled Magi are able to divert the worst away from themselves, sometimes using specialized grounding rods, but amateurs can be electrocuted. Poor form have ended the apprenticeship of more then a few would-be Nekrobiotek.

What of the Soul?
The hope of every grieving family ever since the first charlatan promised he could bring them word from beyond the grave was that Necromancy would finally answer the question of the human soul.
The answer was a disappointing quiet. Entire religions reeled and fractured while scholars sought answers and constructed theories. Some think the magic that reaches the soul is still beyond mankind. Others have accepted that the soul is not real and never was.
Neither is true. Since the first great awakening of magic, the Occultarum have feasted on every soul that escaped their failing flesh. Wherever souls once went or where they lingered, most are now lost and devoured.

by Tim Löchner

by Egregore Design

Necromancy ambiance

Other Schools

Necromancy is not the only school of magic practiced in the world. Most are limited in their use by the requirement of power and made obsolete with the progress of technology; after all, why waste the output of a coal-plant for a spell of Pyromancy, when artillery does the job much better?
Some remain in use as a matter of tradition or habit. Others are constantly being poked and prodded at by mage-scientists to see what new avenues of magic may be discovered. So far, none have seen use in the fields of the Great War.

In Olden Days

Before mankind learned to harness electricity, magic was limited in the world. Small secret societies treated the few spells they could muster without external sources of energy as hallowed secrets.
In its current form, magic is only one or two centuries old. It was first conceived when the Skaldi Society saw a traitor from their ranks surrender his fellows and their secrets to the Abhimaan Monarchy. They were the first Great Power to explore magic and it soon spread.

A New World

In the last century, the world see more and more undead raised to work in farms, in factories, mines, and more. Corpses are currency and cemeteries have been quarried for usable material, families selling their dead relatives to factories and Nekrobioteks. There's even a market for individual limbs, which have made some doctors a little quick to resort to the hacksaw in response to illness or injury.

The undead now do much of the manual labor throughout the world. They are workers that never tire, grow sick or whose injury is just a matter of some wire or a new limb. It did not take long for those very same workers to be armed and used for war. Nor did it take very long for the Nekrobiotek to experiment with the corpses of animals.. Or stranger things.
The very same magic has been used to prolong the life of the rich and powerful. Failing organs and decaying flesh is kept in working order by near constant currents that maintain the spells.