Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti - Condemnations Collected

...One must remember that our culture and way of life is at stake against this most abominable practice. Our elders have for centuries if not millenia treated the dead with the reverence they deserve: who are we to question them?
— Excerpt from the Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti

"Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti - Condemnations Collected" is the work made in opposition of Necromancy and its industrialization in the early days of its adoption. As centuries old taboos were broken and cemeteries begun to empty as factories looked for fresh supplies, a group of scholars and religious figures from across the world came together in solid condemnation of the necromancers and their supporters.

There has always been and always will be those who see progress coming and dig their heels in. Every advance has its detractor.
— Elaine Rae, Nekrobiotek

The work was widely published and disseminated, though friction between different religions on different theological points diluted its message and delayed its spread. While theologians bickered about details, necromancy continued to spread. In the end, several different versions of the work was published when the disagreements became too great. The "Condemnations Collected" have gathered all the different versions and put them together, published in its current state not by any church but by the leading Nekrobiotek academy in the Republic.

...They trade the sanctity of the human body for material gain and that way lies damnation. Every man and woman has a right to remain human, not be reduced to dead meat made to work again.
— Excerpt from the Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti

The quality of the work varies between authors, giving it a slapped together and confusing presentation. While some sections were compelling and well-written, combining poignant observations about the human conditions with the plight of the poor left behind in the wake of progress, others are mere screeching creeds. Perhaps ironically, some Nekrobiotek use the more expertly written passages as a sort of humanist underpinning to their work: if a stiff reanimated means a child does not have to work in the mines, is this not a great thing?

...The dead walk the earth. There is no surer sign of the end times than this. This is where you must make a choice, if you stand with the gods and all that is good for humanity, or do you stand with the corpse-monger, the grave-robber, the wretched necromancers and those who profit from them. All will soon come to an end: the gods are watching.
— Excerpt from the Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti

In the end, the Treaties had a very limited effect. The material benefits were too great for any nation or industry to want to give it up. There was wide-spread unrest as unskilled laborers and factory-workers lost their jobs to the working dead, culminating in clashes like the Riot of Red Rivers. But such protests had less to do with religion than unemployment, starvation and deprivation. It did inspire acts of terrorism and several assassinations throughout the world, until social reforms and well-fare benefits were put in place to help quell the troubles. In the end, Necromancy proved too valuable to relinquish. The Condemnations are republished every now and then by the remaining religious institutes in a increasingly futile attempt to turn back the clock, updated to match the times. It doesn't have the impact it did when Necro-industry was young and the most avid readers of the original works continue to be the Nekrobiotek.

by Egregore Design

Necromancy The art of reanimating the dead proved to be one of the pivotal breakthroughs of the industrial age. It has been used to fill factories and farms with tireless, obedient workers and the trenches with unflinching soldiers that is easily sacrificed. Ever since its discovery, the world has changed into one fueled by death. Read more about Necromancy

On Necromancers

...Necromancers are vile heretics who defile the remains of humans for their own gain. Any association with such creatures should be shunned - remember always that the ones who will bear the burden of your salvation is not a purveyor of cheap tricks and false magic, but true miracles.
— Excerpt from the Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti

Unsurprisingly, Necromancers are not thought of well in the Treaties. They are condemned specifically around 800 times throughout the volumes and another 243 "implied". They're compared to everything evil under the sun, with frequent mentions to demons, devils and witches of old folklore. Modern Nekrobiotek sometimes make sport out of it at gatherings.

Everytime you guess wrong if this is in the book or we made it up, take a shot. Ready? Ahem - "Necromancers are corpse-eaters, this is always true and burned into their heretical bones".. True or false?
— From a Nekrobiotek Apprentice Drinking Game.

On the Undead

...When a vessel no longer holds the human soul, it is without all grace. It is a cursed, wretched thing that will bring misery on all who get near it. Our ancestors feared to disturb graves and took great care to ensure their sanctity, and for good reason. It is only a matter of time before the dark powers that control these things turn on their creators, then the rest of us.
— Excerpt from the Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti

Especially in the early years of industrialized necromancy, there were not a great deal of understanding of the forces at work when it came to magic and necromancy in particular. As such, everything from evil spirits to dark mutters that the undead were still alive but drugged or controlled were believed to be the reanimating force. The Condemnations in particular blame about twelve different, increasingly dark forces for making the dead walk and work.